CultureLab with Aga Bajer

Have you ever wondered what it would take to tackle some of humanity's most urgent challenges such as climate change, social inequality, armed conflicts or economic disparity? If you have, you're not alone. But not all of us think that THE institution with the highest capacity to create positive change in the world is business. My guest today, Carolyn Butler Madden envisions a world where business is not just about financial gain, but a powerful force for good, with the potential to drive profit through purpose. Her life's work has been to empower leaders to unlock the full potential of their organizations by embedding a meaningful purpose into the fabric of their business and brand strategies. With her book, "For Love and Money" earning the title of best Social Responsibility book in the Australian Business Book of the Year Awards, Carolyn's literary contributions have already paved the way for many businesses seeking a purpose-driven future. In this conversation, Carolyn shares fresh insights into how purpose-driven leadership can unlock potential and drive growth. You can follow Carolyn Buttler Madden on LinkedIn. You can find the transcript HERE. Join the CultureBrained® Community– a one-of-a-kind virtual community for Heads of Culture, founders, and leaders who want to up their culture game. Check out more of our free resources 

Have you ever felt like you are not connecting with someone and the barrier that stands in the way is cultural? It might be that the jokes you crack don't land, the emails you send seem to miss the mark, or the way you lead meetings doesn't resonate with everyone in the room. It can be like trying to tune into a radio station but finding yourself between frequencies, where everything just sounds like static. This is a common experience in today's global workforce, where teams are more diverse than ever, spanning across different countries, cultures, and backgrounds. Andy Molinky is a psychology Professor at Brandeis University and an expert in the field of intercultural relationship-building. He recently published a new book, Forging Bonds in a Global Workforce and in this conversation, we are exploring how to forge bonds across cultures. You can follow Andy Molinsky on LinkedIn. You can find the transcript HERE. Join the CultureBrained® Community– a one-of-a-kind virtual community for Heads of Culture, founders, and leaders who want to up their culture game. Check out more of our free resources 

When was the last time you were genuinely playful at work? If you are like most of us, it might have been a while. We've been conditioned to believe that work and play don't really mix. Not only we've been taught to draw a clear demarcation line between work and play, we've also been convinced that work is somehow way more noble and more important that play. But what if truly great work couldn't happen without a healthy dose of play? What if, unless we can have fun with the work itself, at least occasionally, we can't really achieve greatness? Today's conversation with Gary Ware, the Founder of Breakthrough Play a keynote speaker, and author of the book Playful Rebellion: Maximize Workplace Success Through the Power of Play addresses these questions. Gary talks about the relationship of workplace productivity and play, play as the driver of innovation and performance, the eight play personalities and how we can integrate purposeful play into our workday. You can follow Gary Ware on LinkedIn. You can find the transcript HERE. Join the CultureBrained® Community– a one-of-a-kind virtual community for Heads of Culture, founders, and leaders who want to up their culture game. Check out more of our free resources 

Can you remember a time when it felt like things at work were unjustifiably and annoyingly hard? Maybe you had to read a 1000-word email that could have been just one paragraph, or had to attend a two-hour meeting that could have been an email. Or maybe you had to manually input data although the process should have been automated ages ago. The reality is that every workplace is clogged with this type of destructive friction—the time-consuming, and soul-crushing practices that drive us crazy and undermine our ability to achieve meaningful goals. I imagine that at the global scale, millions of hours must get lost every day to red tape, workarounds that shouldn't have to exist in the first place, and to misguided leaders who pile on needless complexity. My guest today, Professor Bob Sutton has been so fascinated by the friction we experience in organisations that he researched it for a decade. His work resulted in a book co-authored with Huggy Rao, The Friction Project. Bob Sutton is an organizational psychologist and Professor of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University.  He studies leadership, innovation, organizational change, and workplace dynamics.  His main focus over the past decade is on scaling and leading at scale—how to grow organizations, spread good things (and remove bad things) in teams and organizations. In this conversation, Bob Sutton and I talk about how to identify good and bad friction in an organization and how to make the right things easier and the wrong things harder. You can follow Bob Sutton on LinkedIn. You can find the transcript HERE. Join the CultureBrained® Community– a one-of-a-kind virtual community for Heads of Culture, founders, and leaders who want to up their culture game. Check out more of our free resources 

Do you want to be more influential? For most of us, the answer is yes. Greater influence often translates to more power, enabling us to achieve our goals, drive change, and create positive impact. But delving into the strategies and tactics of influence can leave us feeling uneasy. Words like “manipulative,” “sneaky,” and “coercive” come to mind. Zoe Chance explains this reaction this way: “The idea of influence has been corrupted by tacky, greedy people using tacky, greedy tactics to sell used cars, to promote sponsors' products on social media, and to get us to buy now, while supplies last!” This is exactly why Zoe champions a different approach. As a distinguished behavioral scientist at Yale School of Management, Zoe empowers smart and kind individuals to harness influence effectively. Her role at Yale involves guiding executives and teaching the highly sought-after MBA elective, 'Mastering Influence and Persuasion.' Her students achieve remarkable feats: they raise funds for charities, win political seats, kickstart successful startups, initiate social movements, save lives, and drive a culture change. And so can you. Tune in to learn how. You can follow Zoe Chance on LinkedIn You can find the transcript HERE. Join the CultureBrained® Community– a one-of-a-kind virtual community for Heads of Culture, founders, and leaders who want to up their culture game. Check out more of our free resources 

So, here's an interesting question: What does it take to actually build teams that are highly effective in this brave new world of work? And what's the relationship between making work better for people and the outcomes that organizations can achieve? Unlocking productivity is just a piece of the conversation that we dive into in today's rich exploration with Brian Elliott. You can follow Brian on LinkedIn You can find the transcript of our conversation HERE. Click here to learn more about the

Stacey Gordon is an expert on DEI and workplace bias and the author of “Unbias - Addressing Unconscious Bias at Work”. In this conversation, she shares her personal journey, offering unique insights from the experiences that shaped her understanding and approach to DEI work. There are many misconceptions surrounding diversity hiring, and the essence of true inclusion and we face them head on. We also talk about the transformative power of empathy and storytelling in creating a culture where everyone can thrive. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to understand the deeper layers of DEI and its impact on organizational success. Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation that challenges the status quo and provides practical tips for fostering an inclusive culture. To join CultureBrained®, go

Work relationships can be hard. The stress of dealing with difficult people dampens our creativity and productivity, and degrades our ability to think clearly and make sound decisions. Too often we grin and bear it as if we have no choice. But you can only endure so much —there's your sanity to consider, and your career. This is why, we are thrilled to have Amy Gallo joining us, the best-selling author of Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People) the HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict, a how-to book about handling conflict professionally and productively. Tune into this week's episode, as we delve into workplace conflicts and tensions, exploring how they can be harnessed for cultural transformation and become opportunities to connect. To join the CultureBrained®Community go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/

In this Deep Dive Aga and Shani delve deep into a topic that has fascinated Aga for almost a decade – what drives people to do their absolute best work. Over the years, she's posed this question to more than 3000 individuals and discovered something truly unexpected: peak performance at work is often closely linked to one surprising factor - having fun. But not the kind of fun associated with ping-pong tables and office parties. Instead, it's all about deriving genuine enjoyment from the work itself. Join Aga and Shani in this illuminating conversation as they explore the concept of "Deep Fun" and its profound impact on workplace performance.  To join CultureBrained® with a 25% discount (until end of November) go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/

Many companies aspire to be industry disruptors and innovation leaders, but only a handful can genuinely claim those titles. What sets them apart? We're zeroing in on PepsiCo—a company that's nailed it when it comes to creating an environment where people excel. According to their Chief Design Officer, Mauro Porcini, the secret sauce is love, empathy, kindness, and generosity. So tune into this week's episode of the CultureLab where we dig into the nuts and bolts of innovative cultures. To join CultureBrained® with a 25% discount (until November 15th) go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/

In a world where the relentless pursuit of productivity often overshadows well-being, it's easy to overlook the fundamental connection between what we eat and how our bodies and minds perform. But what if the secret to enhanced cognitive function and overall vitality lay within the choices we make on our plates? Our guest in this episode of the CultureLab podcast, Dana Chapman, is a leading mental health and wellness expert, specializing in the gut-brain axis. Tune in this episode as we explore the synergies between nutrition, mind, and body and how they are all linked with creating thriving cultures. To join CultureBrained® with a 25% discount (until November 15th) go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/

The workplace landscape has transformed dramatically over the past few decades with 5 different generations now working side by side, each bringing their unique perspectives, experiences, and workstyles to the table. In this Deep Dive, Shani and Aga unpack generational diversity that if not handled thoughtfully, can inadvertently lead to friction. Join us as we talk about how we create strategies that help our organization fight age-related stereotypes and create an environment where everyone unlocks their potential. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/ Interview with Chip Conley on the CultureLab podcast- The New Age of Wisdom: The Rise of a Modern Elder

This month on the CultureLab podcast, we're diving deep into the intricacies of a multigenerational workforce. You know the scene: Boomers nostalgically talking about "the way we used to do things," Gen Xers serving as the bridge between old and new, Millennials demanding meaningful work, and Gen Zers, the digital natives through and through. It's a variety of perspectives that can either invigorate or implode a workplace. How do you navigate through these differing viewpoints without losing your mind or your patience? This series of episodes aims to answer just that and we are kicking it off with an outstanding guest, Chip Conley. Chip disrupted the hospitality game not once but twice and co-founded the Modern Elder Academy. His upcoming book, "Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better With Age," aims to make the case that wisdom isn't obsolete; it's making a comeback. We'll talk about what it means for experience to have its day in the sun again and how workplaces can be fertile grounds for both wisdom and innovation. Whether you're a seasoned executive or a newbie just starting out, this episode is going to have something for you. Stick around; you won't want to miss this deep dive into age, work, and the many layers in between. To join CultureBrained® with a 25% discount (only in October) go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/

In this compelling episode with Michelle MiJung Kim we explore how culture, diversity, inclusion, and equity intersect to create a thriving culture. Michelle's journey, from South Korea to LGBTQ+ activism and award-winning authorship, provides a unique perspective. We talk about valuing marginalized voices, the power of collective action, and the importance of accountability in our quest for equity. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace culture. Tune in and be inspired to drive positive change. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/ Interview with Minda Harts on the CultureLab podcast- Expanding the Table

Join Aga Bajer and Shani Persson as they explore the often-daunting world of DEI in the latest Deep Dive. With curiosity and humility, Aga and Shani navigate the maze of systemic biases, the transition from diversity to true inclusion, and the challenges of measuring meaningful impact. This episode is not an interview; it's a collaborative exploration designed to help you reflect on how to address those intimidating DEI issues and elevate your workplace culture. We hope this episode will help you tackle the topics you might have hesitated to confront and elevate your approach to DEI. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/

More people than we think feel like they don't belong at work. This leads to a range of concerning consequences, such as disengagement, diminished productivity, and a stifling of individual creativity. While the importance of DEI has gained widespread recognition in the past few years, we still have a ton of work to do to foster a truly inclusive and equitable environment at work. This is what this conversation today revolves around. My guest is Minda Harts, the author of three best-selling books and a global expert on all things DEI. Tune into this episode of the CultureLab podcast where we delve into actionable measures that organizations can implement to cultivate diversity, equity, and inclusion. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/ Interview with Ruhuni Anand on the CultureLab podcast- Leveling the Playing Field

You meet a new colleague for the first time, and… something clicks! You trust them, but you don't know why. Then, on another day, you're teamed with someone you've known and worked with for a while but a barrier stands in the way. That's the enigma of trust. It isn't merely about familiarity. It's about something more elusive - an intangible connection that either binds or separates us. In the workplace, trust certainly isn't a nice to have; it's vital for working relationships to thrive. It can elevate a team to excellence, speed things up, and create an environment where innovation and creativity flourish. Conversely, a lack of trust can become a stumbling block, slowing progress to a crawl, stifling ideas, and fostering a climate of doubt and uncertainty. Given the importance of trust, we wanted to understand it better and so we invited one of the world's leading trust experts, Rachel Botsman, a professor at Oxford University. Tune in to learn why trust is contextual, how to nourish it in a remote environment, how to repair it and more! To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/ Interview with Daniel Coyle on the CultureLab podcast- The Culture Playbook

Belonging - a concept that speaks to the core of our human experience. We all yearn for acceptance, a place to belong, and the freedom to be our authentic selves. In this thought-provoking episode of the CultureLab podcast, we dive into the transformative power of true belonging with Lorne Rubis, a fervent advocate for fostering inclusion within teams. Lorne shares invaluable insights into his Belongify System - an approach empowering leaders to create a culture of belonging in hybrid or remote teams. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/

We often leave workplace relationships to chance, hoping they'll simply fall into place. But healthy, productive relationships require intention and work. In this episode of CultureLab, we're shifting the narrative with Conversations That Matter - and doing the deep dive into the tools we need to intentionally build stronger working relationships. We spotlight three pivotal conversations, often overlooked, yet foundational in shaping our professional lives and uncover the blueprint of a truly healthy working relationship. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/

The average person spends over 90,000 hours working throughout their career. That's a substantial amount of time building connections with colleagues, clients, and collaborators. What's truly fascinating is the profound impact these relationships have on our careers, company culture, and overall life satisfaction. Despite the significant impact of these working relationships, many of us allow them to develop haphazardly, relying on chance rather than intention. Our guest today, Michael Bungay Stanier, has a lot to say on the topic. He even wrote an entire book about taking an intentional approach to improving relationships at work. Tune into this week's episode to uncover valuable insights on nurturing and maximizing the potential of your professional connections. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram You can listen to the previous episode of Michael Bungay Stanier here: tinyurl.com/building-a-coaching-culture  To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: www.agabajer.com/resources/

Despite the tremendous success of many companies operating in a nearly fully remote setup during the pandemic, we are now experiencing a shift, with mandates urging employees to return to the office, full-time or part-time. Why the obsession with in-person collaboration? Tune into this week's Deep Dive with Shani revolving around how we can navigate this brave new world of remote and hybrid work and support teams to perform at their full potential. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/ For Bretton Putter's episode "Future-Proof Your Hybrid Culture" go to https://tinyurl.com/BrettonPutter-2 

Picture our ancestors, hunters and gatherers roaming the savannah. Various anthropological studies indicate that the early homo sapiens experienced working together towards a common goal (survival of the species) as a source of fun, meaning, and belonging. However, the modern concept of work seems to have strayed from this original purpose. Closing the gap between our ancestors' experience and today's work culture is the central focus of our conversation with Teresa Clark, a recognized expert on well-being at work. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To listen to my interview with Jeanette Bronee, go to https://tinyurl.com/JeanetteBronee-CultureLab To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/

Let's be honest - hybrid work can be great, but it can also be quite annoying. In this episode, Bret Putter, the leading expert in hybrid work strategies and practices, discusses hybrid friction at work and how to avoid it. He also shares strategies associated with hybrid work and remote best practices to support your distributed team better. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/ Check out Bretton's latest appearance on the CultureLab Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/BrettonPutter-1

This Deep Dive focuses on how we can reclaim agency over our own well-being and that of our colleagues and cultivate an environment where people can truly thrive. We explore topics related to mental and physical health: the true sense of care at work and how it is linked to finding our purpose, tailoring solutions for well-being, engaging employees in discussions about their own well-being, including metrics that show how well we do, early signs of burnout, the relationship between belonging and well-being, the difference between being and doing, and how to address the stigma of mental health at work. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To listen to my interview with Jeanette Bronee, go to https://tinyurl.com/JeanetteBronee-CultureLab To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/

As organizations grow, they often encounter unique challenges in building and maintaining a thriving culture. The very things that made a company successful in its early stages – its core values, startup mentality, and close-knit team – can become diluted or even lost as the company scales. In this episode, Cameron Herold, the Founder of the COO Alliance and author of Second in Command discusses the importance of investing in employees' skills to keep up with company growth and uncovers how to bring your vision to life by using his jigsaw puzzle approach. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/

The Deep Dive with Aga and Shani is your monthly episode about all things culture. This episode focuses on rebuilding a resilient workplace culture as companies face immense challenges nowadays that can have lasting effects on their culture and relationships. Whether you're a seasoned HR professional, a team leader, or an entrepreneur looking to build a strong and resilient culture from the ground up, this episode is for you. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/

Rituals are a fascinating aspect of human behaviour. From ancient religions to the modern workplace, they play a significant role in shaping our culture and behaviour. In this week's episode, Ezra Bookman, the founder of Ritualist, shares practical strategies and real-world examples of how companies have leveraged the power of rituals to create a dynamic and thriving work environment. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/

In this episode, we dive deep into the power of language and how software can help businesses create more inclusive communication and culture. In a time when inclusivity and empathy are more important than ever before, AI-powered natural language processing (NLP) is revolutionizing the way we write and communicate. Our guest, Kieran Snyder, the Co-Founder and CEO of Textio is an expert in NLP and she talks about how we can embrace collaborative intelligence of humans and machines to create a better workplace. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/

THE DEEP DIVE with Aga and Shani: Activating Your Values The Deep Dive with Aga and Shani is your monthly episode about all things culture. This episode focuses on activating company values and creating a culture where values are not just talked about but lived and breathed by every employee. Whether you're a seasoned HR professional, a team leader, or an entrepreneur looking to build a strong culture from the ground up, our podcast has something for you. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/

Do you ever wonder why some teams thrive while others struggle? According to recent studies, the secret sauce to success may lie in something unexpected - play at work. My guest, Kristi Herold, the founder and CEO of JAM and the author of “It Pays to Play” talks about how to incorporate play into how we run our businesses. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/

Is it possible to make a difference and make money? Nikki Gatenby says yes! If you are looking to make a difference in the world while still running a successful business, this episode is a must-listen. Nikki provides valuable tips and ideas on how to be profitable and purposeful and how we can contribute to creating a better world through our businesses. Tune into this episode to learn how to pursue both success and positive impact. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/

When it comes to creating a truly just workplace, many companies today seem fixated on ticking off diversity metrics. But DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging) is not just about numbers - it's about creating a culture where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued. Our guest today, Trier Bryant, the President of 82VS, Alloy Therapeutics' affiliated venture studio that builds and invests in next-generation biotech companies and the Co-Founder and CEO of Just Work, puts it perfectly: "If even your straight white men don't have a good experience at work, increasing the diversity of your workforce will not solve the problem - it will probably make it worse." Tune in to this episode with Trier to learn about creating truly inclusive and equitable workplaces. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/

In this episode, we dive into the importance of innovation in the modern business world. Our guest, Dan Strode, shares insights on how a corporate culture that nurtures creativity and encourages experimentation can foster innovation and give a company a unique competitive edge. He delves into the ways companies can cultivate an environment that values and prioritizes innovation, and how it ultimately leads to success in an ever-changing marketplace. Join us as we explore the role of innovation in driving growth and competitiveness for businesses today. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained

Drama in the workplace is a major drain on productivity, creativity, and collaboration. It manifests as emotional outbursts, unresolved disagreements, resistance to change, or misalignment with strategic priorities. It's not just unpleasant - it can cost billions in lost engagement and productivity, exacerbating mental health issues. Fortunately, we can learn how to minimize or even eliminate drama in the workplace, and that's exactly what we talk about in this episode of the CultureLab podcast with my guest, Caitlin Walker. Tune in to hear us explore her methodology and demos of a series of “clean questions”. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained

Belonging is not a by-product of success - it's a necessary condition for any team. In this episode, I am joined by one of the most distinguished experts on belonging and community building, Charles Vogl. Tune in to hear us do a deep dive into some of the foundational principles of nurturing authentic and supportive communities at work - and in life. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained

Jessica Zwaan has amassed quite a following among HR professionals frustrated with the old way of doing things and keen to develop an agile, evidence-based approach to serve their people and business and to drive performance. Jessica is currently the COO at Whereby, and outside of her company, she is most well known for her approach to people ops as a product. Jessica's latest book is called Built for People - Develop an Agile, Evidence-based Approach to HR to Drive Performance, and together we explore people ops. Tune in! To join CultureBrained®, go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained

There's a major positive side-effect to the pandemic - it presents us with the biggest opportunity we've had in the past 100 years to redesign the way we work and finally fix the stuff that's been broken since the industrial era. In this episode, Lynda Gratton, a Professor of Management Practice at London Business School talks about how you can make hybrid work. She is one of the foremost global thought-leaders on the future of work, named by ‘Business Thinkers 50' as one of the top fifteen business thinkers. It's worth tuning in and learning from her! To join CultureBrained®, go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained

For many people, fun and work don't mix. We tend to think of work as the serious and virtuous stuff of life. Fun, on the other hand, is perceived as something frivolous, an indulgence that we can rarely afford. But fun at work turns out to be serious business; it's one of the pillars of thriving cultures, alongside meaning and belonging. Today my guest is an award-winning science journalist, Catherine Price who went down a similar rabbit hole when it comes to fun as I did. Catherine's latest book is called The Power of Fun - How to Feel Alive Again and together we explore the power of fun at work. Join us! To join CultureBrained®, go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained

Most people struggle with “constructive” feedback. It's hard to hear it and even harder to give it. We are neurologically hard-wired to avoid feedback like the plague. And yet, we cannot grow and develop without it. Our guest, Kim Scott, discovered that when feedback comes from a place of caring deeply and challenging directly, it can be very effective. She calls it radical candor. If you are not familiar with radical candor, this episode is a great introduction, not just to the concept but also to its origin story. Plus, we have a really interesting conversation about recognizing and addressing bias, prejudice and bullying at work. To join CultureBrained, go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained

“When's the last time you had a good chat with yourself? The kind of chat where you ask yourself, “How am I in there?” - this is one of the questions Jeanette Bronée likes asking. Rethinker, Culture Strategist, Global Keynote & 2 x TEDx Speaker, Author, CEO & Founder of Path for Life®, Jeanette Bronée is rethinking self-care in the workplace as the foundation for peak performance, engagement, and a culture where people belong and work better together. To join CultureBrained®, go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained

Megan Reitz, Professor of Leadership and Dialogue at Hult International Business School talks about creating spaces for dialogue that enable employees to speak truth to power and elaborates on the skills we need to develop to successfully navigate the relatively new territory of employee activism. To join CultureBrained, go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained

Robin Dunbar is a professor of evolutionary psychology at Oxford University. He has spent most of his career trying to answer a deceptively simple: How and why did humans evolve to be such a sociable species? He is perhaps best known for the so-called Dunbar's number, the idea that there is an upper limit to the number of meaningful social relationships we can maintain. In this interview professor Dunbar talks about how we can apply the findings from his research when we design our teams and organisations, why the number 150 is so important to keep in mind when we build a business, his forecast when it comes to the return - or no return - to the office - and so much more! To join CultureBrained, go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained

We've all felt pulled in two seemingly opposite directions and faced tough dilemmas at work at times: Culture fit or culture add? Employees-first or customer-first? Innovation or efficiency? Self-managed teams or traditional hierarchy? In this episode, Professor Wendy Smith from the University of Delaware talks about her new book Both/And Thinking; Embracing Creative Tensions and the opportunities that open up when dropping the “either/or” mindset and embracing a paradoxical one. To join CultureBrained, go to tiny.one/culturebrained

Have you ever felt frustrated by the fact that people tend to stick to their guns, even when presented with indisputable evidence that their beliefs are completely unfounded or plain wrong? This is the question that intrigued my guest, David McCraney, a science journalist fascinated with brains, minds, and culture. It led him on an investigative journey that resulted in a new book, How Minds Change. In this episode, David and I do a deep dive into the science of practices and methodologies that can lead to significant changes in how people think, feel and act at an individual and a collective level. To join CultureBrained®, go to tiny.one/culturebrained

This month we are sharing some of the best episodes from our archive and this episode with Max Mckeown is a must-listen and a great place to start when thinking of how to align culture and strategy. We talk about how to find your next big idea, what role strategy plays in your ability to create the future you want and what scenarios could emerge if culture and strategy really sat down to have breakfast together instead of trying to cannibalize each other. Just a note: This episode is a rerun and was recorded a while ago. There are some references that may seem a little out of date but the content is more relevant than ever.  To join CultureBrained, go to tiny.one/culturebrained

What would happen if you got rid of traditional HR? Listen to this episode where Heiko Fischer, the CEO of Resourceful Humans, talks about how he moved from noodling over this question to actually giving it a go at Crytek, one of Europe's biggest video gaming companies. Learn how Crytek transitioned from a traditional hierarchy to a network of self-managed teams that are fueled by 100% entrepreneurship and 0% bureaucracy - and how you can implement some of these practices at your company.   To join CultureBrained, go to tiny.one/culturebrained

How do you avoid joining a company with a toxic culture—or build a healthy one when you are already a part of the organization? These are just a couple of questions addressed in this episode of Adam Grant's WorkLife that we are grilled to bring you as part of our new collab with TED Audio Collective. In this episode, Adam Grant explores how to recognize the four deadly sins of work culture when you're on the outside looking in, and shares strategies that can help shape a thriving workplace from the inside.  To join CultureBrained, go to tiny.one/culturebrained

As a society, we've certainly made some progress in honoring the contribution of the LGBTQ workforce. But, there are still minds, hearts, teams, and companies that do not engage and where people, irrespective of what group they identify with, do not experience psychological safety. And so we thought that during the Pride Month, it would be more relevant than ever to release the interview with the mother of psychological safety, Amy Edmondson. Amy is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School with a long standing academic career. She's the author of The Fearless Organization and in this podcast, we explore why the fear of taking interpersonal risks will destroy your culture and any DEI efforts you might have undertaken.    To join CultureBrained, go to tiny.one/culturebrained

How do you know that it's time to update your views on what's best for your team and your business? Our guest, Mark Rickmeier, the CEO of  TXI, believes that the best time to rethink comes when you first sense that the way you work no longer serves your team. In this interview, Mark shares his personal journey of challenging his personal beliefs evolving the culture at TXI, and of the three major shifts that tested his open-mindedness and ultimately helped his company to thrive in this brave new world of remote and hybrid work.  To join CultureBrained, go to tiny.one/culturebrained

Storytelling is the very stuff of culture. It's also the language of the mind. Stories bridge the gap between the past and the future, create shared identities, provide us with meaning, and shape the culture within our communities. But there is more to storytelling than just telling stories. Influencing, changing minds and inspiring action is ultimately about shaping the stories people choose to believe in. And in this interview, Jamie Dixon, the author of the upcoming book “The Story Habit – How Leaders Shape Stories that Drive Action” shares his methodology for doing just that. To join CultureBrained, go to tiny.one/culturebrained

What on Earth is frontalis? And why is it the most important part of human anatomy when it comes to forging authentic connections in the remote work environment? How can a corny catchphrase help a team accomplish more? What's a better alternative to brutal honesty when we want to speak the truth at work? What can leaders learn from Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy? And how can we harness the power of deep fun to improve our workplaces?  These are just some of the topics we discuss in this episode with Dan Coyle, the New York Times bestselling author of The Culture Code, and the upcoming title, The Culture Playbook. Tune in and enjoy. Join CultureBrained here: https://www.agabajer.com/culture-brained-community/