Culture Architects

David is joined by Dr. Kent Wessinger, researcher and author of Bridges over Ladders: Secure Growth and Fortify Revenue with Millennial Employees, Clients and Members. In this episode, Kent introduces his proprietary research — and breaks down why and how most organizations are ill-equipped to attract, engage, and retain younger employees, even though younger generations already take up the largest share of today's workforce.

In this episode, David and Geneviève Retzlaff continue to explore connections between authentic leadership and high-performing teams — and weigh in on different approaches to the culture-building process.

In this first of a two-part conversation, transformational career coach Geneviève Retzlaff talks about getting her start in human resources with Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group. After a decade in HR and over 40 countries later, at her own company Grow Better Together, Geneviève helps organizations create cultures that encourage authentic leaders and human connections.

David and Dr. Roger Gerard build on the question, “What do employees really need from their leaders?” Roger shares the 5 golden promises leaders need to make and keep as if their life depended on it, and the advice he would give his younger self. Roger's website: https://www.rogergerard.com/

Dr. Roger Gerard brings to the show 5 decades of experience as a leadership consultant and a healthcare executive for ThedaCare and Northern Michigan Hospitals. In this first of a two-part conversation, he and David discuss the profound difference that leadership makes upon various working environments. Roger also shares insights from his latest book, Lead with Purpose: Reignite Passion and Engagement for Professionals in Crisis.

David and Yael Averbuch discuss her evolving perspectives on team dynamics and culture-building, as she moves up from player to team captain to general manager. Yael reflects on the challenges of setting up a young team to be ‘sustainably successful,' and the two things she wished she had known as a younger athlete.

David welcomes to the show Yael Averbuch, owner of the training app Techne Futbol and general manager for NJ/NY Gotham FC. Yael has been in soccer teams since the age of seven — most notably, the University of North Carolina Tar Heels and the US Women's National Team. In this episode, Yael shares her experiences of good and bad team cultures, and weighs in on the value of rituals and predictability in the humanly unpredictable world of sports.

In this second part of their conversation, David and Richard Kopelman discuss the value of the Aprio Way during recent mergers, acquisitions, and overseas expansion. Richard reflects on how having a structured company culture has helped to overcome mistakes made along the way.

David welcomes Richard Kopelman — CEO and managing partner of the business advisory and accounting firm Aprio. In this first of a two-part conversation, Richard recounts the pivotal moments that introduced him to leadership, the formalization of their company culture through the creation of the Aprio Way, and the story behind his company's focus on kindness.

With Festival Foods coming up on its first decade of practicing the Boomerang Basics, David and Mark Skogen talk about the role that culture has played in the company's recent history. Mark shares the advice he would give to his 25-year-old self.

In this episode, David sits down with Mark Skogen — CEO and president of the Festival Foods supermarket chain in Wisconsin. Mark is a third-generation grocer, his family having been in the grocery business since 1946. With him at the reins and their Boomerang Basics as their guide, the company has come to be recognized as a leader in innovation, growth, ethics, and of course, culture. 

David and Chris Deaver discuss how bravery ties into the co-creative approach. Chris weighs in on the idea that, amidst generational differences and constant disruptions around the world, culture may be a company's best and most enduring product.

David welcomes to the show Chris Deaver — leadership coach, co-founder of BraveCore, and co-author of Brave Together: Lead by Design, Spark Creativity, and Shape the Future with the Power of Co-Creation. Armed with a background in animation and two decades of experience shaping Fortune 500 companies from the inside, in this episode Chris explains how organizational culture-building in this day and age is headed towards co-creation and collaboration.

David resumes his conversation with Roberta Matuson on what goes into building organizations that inspire employee loyalty. In this second part, Roberta also shares her insights on the evolution of the workforce, and reflects on her early start with corporate leadership.

Roberta Matuson, the Talent Maximizer, was introduced to corporate leadership at the age of 24. In 1997, she went on to found Matuson Consulting — and by the 2010s, she had established herself as a top author on leadership and talent optimization. In this first of a two-part conversation, David and Roberta revisit this decades-long journey, as well as the experiences behind her latest book Suddenly In Charge: Managing Up, Managing Down, Succeeding All Around.

David resumes his conversation with Peter Kusiak on the Fun First Strategy. In this second episode, Peter shares his experiences working with different variations of the workforce, and reflects on how his signature approach to culture-building has evolved over the years.

In this first of a two-episode conversation, David sits down with Peter Kusiak — creator of the Fun First Strategy, and the author of Drop the F-Bomb in Your Business. Peter brings nuance to the idea of fun, and weighs in on the importance of intentionality when building a culture around workplace fun and happiness.

David resumes his conversation with Crystal Hanlon on the systems with which the ‘orange-blooded culture' at Home Depot is taught and reinforced. Crystal looks back on the biggest mistakes and milestones of her four-decade relationship with the company.

In this episode, David and Crystal Hanlon go behind the scenes at The Home Depot, the world's largest home improvement retailer. Crystal is the company's Culture Officer, who began her journey in 1985 as a part-time cashier at a Houston branch. Over the decades, she steadily rose through the ranks, earning a spot on Fortune Magazine's list of “Most Powerful Women” multiple times in the process, and proving herself a key witness to Home Depot's growth and culture-building.

David and Robert “Cujo” Teschner discuss how the debrief process is the cornerstone of a culture of accountability, in the military as much as in the business world. Cujo reveals the two organizations that had the biggest impact on who he is today — and the one problem that keeps businesses from learning how to debrief to win.

David is joined by Robert “Cujo” Teschner — the founder and CEO of VMax Group, and author of Debrief to Win: How America's Top Guns Practice Accountable Leadership... and How You Can, Too! In this episode, Cujo shares how his approach to culture-building has been shaped by his time as an F-22 fighter squadron commander with the US Air Force and instructor at the USAF Weapons School.

David continues his conversation with William Vanderbloemen. In this episode, William goes into what he calls the ‘archaeological dig' for his company's culture, and ponders with David on the processes and merits of rewriting one's organizational culture.

In this episode, David welcomes William Vanderbloemen — pastor and author of Be the Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest. Equipped with over 15 years of ministry experience and a solid foundation in professional executive search, William is his own leader at Vanderbloemen Search Group, an award-winning firm committed to shaping the leadership and cultures at churches and other faith-based organizations.

The conversation continues on the two most important areas of effective leadership, as backed by the data from Tim's book and his years of experience in leadership development. Tim and David do a deeper dive on the value of a leader's emotional maturity, especially in culture-building.

David sits down with Tim Spiker, author of The Only Leaders Worth* Following: Why Some Leaders Succeed, Others Fail, and How the Quality of Our Lives Hangs in the Balance. The book is guided by the principle of Who* Not What, which is that ¾ of a leader's effectiveness is determined not by what they do, but by who they are. Tim describes the findings in his book as the “accidentally-discovered and rarely-leveraged truth within leadership.”

David and the Blaushilds talk about how to keep the rapid growth of a company like Famous Supply always about the people and the culture. Marc and Brian also affirm the power of transparency in building trust, and they open up about the wisdom they would share with their younger selves.

For the first time in Culture Architects history, David is joined by father-and-son tandem Marc and Brian Blaushild of Famous Supply. Famous Supply is a fourth-generation family business established in 1933, and an award-winning distributor of HVAC, plumbing, and other building products. Culture is this company's number one priority, as shown through their forty Fundamentals and their system called The Famous Way.

The conversation between David and Martin Harrell touches on the power of systems in forming habits, and the ROI on working on culture. Martin continues to share his experience with culture-building amidst rapid company growth, as well as his advice for young people who are planning to go into leadership.

David sits down with Martin Harrell of Beacon Building Products. Drawing on his 20-year career that spans from accounting to sales to corporate leadership, in this episode Martin shares his insights on the culture of an acquired family business: from the challenges of a distributed workforce, to the power of a common language.

David and Jim continue their conversation on the culture-building journey at Field Fastener. Jim shares his favorite Fieldamentals, visions for the future of the company culture under different leadership, and the easiest and hardest parts about culture-building in a family business.

In this episode, David is joined by Jim Derry, the CEO of Field Fastener. Since their acquisition in 1990, Jim and his brother Bill have grown the company into one of the fastest-growing privately held companies in America, providing solutions for various C-class items and serving over 35 countries to date. The key to their success is their culture — and in this episode, Jim explains why culture is the “single most important investment” they've ever made.

In this second part, Kevin Schnieders fills in the details of his culture-building experiences at EDSI, and unpacks the title of ‘Chief Servant Leader.' He and David discuss what it means to be recognized as a “cool place to work.”

In this episode, David welcomes Kevin Schnieders of Educational Data Services, Inc. Kevin started as a training consultant in 1994, working his way up to eventually become CEO in 2007 — or Chief Servant Leader, as he calls it. Under his care, today EDSI is not only a growing organization and provider of customized training and workforce development solutions, but also a top workplace. In part one, Kevin shares his journey into the leadership position, and his experiences in introducing intentional systems of culture in the company.

David continues his conversation with Saul Blinkoff. In this second part, Saul shares more leadership and culture-building experiences across different studios and projects, as well as his biggest learning about culture from his decades-long career in animation.

Here at Culture Architects, we also take time to explore culture from the perspective of other disciplines. For over 20 years, Saul Blinkoff — animator, director, producer, and life coach — has worked with some of the biggest names in media and entertainment. In this episode, he and David sit down to talk about what culture-building is like with creatives.

David continues his conversation with Adam House Sr. In this second part, Adam shares his take on the importance of culture in a growing organization, as well as his culture-building plans for future entrepreneurial ventures.

In this episode, David welcomes serial entrepreneur, executive coach, and professional growth expert Adam House Sr. With over 20 years of experience in launching and scaling companies, Adam's journey towards becoming a serial entrepreneur has taken him across multiple industries — including professional basketball at one point. With each industry and each company comes some new insight into culture-building.

In the second half of their conversation, David and Peter Docker examine Jumpseat Leadership within the context of culture and culture-building. Peter weighs in on how to build an organizational culture that encourages leading from the jumpseat.

Today's episode features Peter Docker, former Royal Air Force pilot, leadership consultant, and executive coach. In this first half of the conversation, he and David break down the meaning of “Leading from the Jumpseat” — both within and outside the organization setting — and Peter shares the experiences from his 25-year career in aviation that came to shape this outlook.

David resumes his conversation with Dr. Anthony Mazzarelli of Cooper University Health Care. In this second episode, Mazz reflects on mistakes made and lessons learned at the leadership level, as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their culture-building efforts at Cooper.

Here at Culture Architects, we're always curious about what other disciplines can teach us about culture-building, and today the spotlight is on the healthcare industry. In this first of a two-episode conversation, David sits down with Dr. Anthony “Mazz” Mazzarelli to unpack his compassion-driven, evidence-based approach to culture at Cooper University Health Care.

David continues his conversation with Dr. Joey Faucette, creator of the Work Positive framework. In this second part, Joey shares more of his takes on the present-day workplace, the leaders behind them, and the work environments and cultures that they build. (WORK POSITIVE LINK: https://www.workpositive.today)

David welcomes certified Executive Coach Dr. Joey Faucette to the Culture Architects podcast. Long before he was invited to the show, Joey had been referring to himself as a “Culture Architect” — an interesting coincidence that he unpacks in this episode. In this first of a two-part conversation, Joey also walks listeners through the five core practices of a positive work culture.

David wraps up a fascinating conversation with Zarango's CEO Stephan Wiedner. In this second part, they examine leadership and culture-building within a psychologically safe work environment, and Stephan shares two important things to keep in mind when aiming for psychological safety in one's organization.(ZARANGO LINK: https://zarango.com/freepsi/)

In this episode of Culture Architects, David sits down with psychological safety expert Stephan Wiedner. Stephan is currently the CEO of two psychological safety-based organizations: the professional coaching network Noomii, which he co-founded in 2007; and the Zarango training program, which he established in 2021. In today's episode, Stephan takes listeners through the concept of psychological safety — and together, he and David begin to unpack how Stephan's field of expertise intersects with the conversation around culture.

In this new episode, David and Meg continue talking about intentional hiring practices at Inspirant Group. Meg shares what lessons she's learned from her mistakes and delves deeper into what it means to lead a people-first company.

Our latest Culture Architect is Meg Newhouse — co-founder and CEO of Inspirant Group. In 2017, Meg was one of three seasoned consultants who started the Chicago-based firm that has since garnered attention for the work it describes as “unconsulting.” In this episode, Meg talks about the origins of “unconsulting,” and walks David through the ways in which she has been intentional about leading the company.

David continues his conversation with Brad Whitchurch. In this second part, Brad shares mistakes made and lessons learned from building the culture at Seal Shield, as well as his hopes and projections for the future of the company.

In this episode, David welcomes Brad Whitchurch, the founder, CEO, and chairman of Seal Shield. In 2006, Brad invented the world's first dishwasher-safe keyboard and mouse, and grew the company into an internationally recognized provider of infection control solutions. Today, Seal Shield is an award-winning workplace that is intentional about its people and its company culture. At their helm is Brad Whitchurch, a true Culture Architect.

David wraps up part one of his conversation with Zach McLeroy. In part two, Zach discussed how he selected his team members to maintain Zaxby's company culture, as well as his vision for the future of Zaxby's.

For this episode of Culture Architects, David sits down with Zach McLeroy, the co-founder and chairman of Zaxby's. Since opening his first location in 1990, Zach's leadership has led the way to Zaxby's becoming the 30th largest restaurant chain in the United States. From humble beginnings, to a billion-dollar franchise, Zach attributes Zaxby's growth to the intentional relationships made within the company. Zaxby's company culture is at the core of their success, making Zach a fantastic culture architect.