Culture isn’t just a feel-good initiative—it’s a business health metric. This article reframes workplace culture as a strategic asset, not a perk, and explores how aligning culture with business priorities drives measurable outcomes. Discover how to treat culture like a performance portfolio and start investing in what really moves the needle.

You don’t need stock options to build a culture of ownership.

That “special something” you feel inside employee-owned companies? It’s not magic. It’s clarity. It’s trust. It’s voice. And yes—while ESOPs are built for it, any organization can create the conditions for people to show up like owners.

Because when people feel like it’s theirs, they act like it matters.

In this post, I unpack four cultural practices that spark psychological ownership—backed by research, brought to life with real company examples, and entirely doable even if you never go employee-owned.

Spoiler: it starts with transparency. But it doesn’t end there.

When decisions shift after the meeting ends, trust erodes fast.
This post explores the quiet culture killer known as the meeting after the meeting, where real decisions happen in private, leaving teams confused, disengaged, and frustrated. Learn why it happens, how to spot it, and what healthy organizations do to create clarity, accountability, and true collaboration.

Everyone’s shouting about the “future of HR.” AI! Gen Z! People analytics! But Organizational Development? It’s already been quietly doing the work, aligning systems, building leaders, and making culture actually livable.

This isn’t a trend forecast. It’s a love letter to the discipline that makes the future functional.

“We just need to get through this quarter.”

That’s what leadership said. Right before the layoffs.
Right before the restructuring. Right before the new software rollout, the office redesign, and the culture refresh. By the time the third “just one more change” hit, the team stopped listening. Not because they didn’t care. Because they couldn’t afford to anymore.

We’ve all been there.

A meeting kicks off with talk of values, norms, or “how we want to work”—and before long, you’re stuck in a loop. The same themes resurface. Someone starts venting. Nothing gets decided. Everyone leaves a little more tired.

That’s not a failure. It’s a signal.

Culture conversations tend to spiral because they’re loaded with meaning, emotion, and history. Beneath the surface, we’re not just talking about policies—we’re navigating identity, safety, and power.

This piece unpacks why these conversations get stuck, what leaders often miss, and how to reset the room when dialogue starts circling without direction. With insights from Edgar Schein, Adam Grant, Kim Scott, and Peter Block, we explore how to move from spiraling talk to actionable clarity—without steamrolling the complexity that makes culture so vital.

Giving feedback to executive leaders isn’t about PowerPoints, it’s about precision. In this post, we explore how to deliver tough, necessary feedback to busy execs in a way that cuts through noise, builds trust, and sparks change. If you're ready to move beyond polite silence and into real cultural impact, this one's for you.

Resistance in the workplace isn’t always loud or obvious—sometimes it hides behind repeated “I don’t understand,” constant delays, or an endless stream of clarifying questions. In organizational change and culture work, recognizing these subtle forms of resistance is critical. Based on Peter Block’s Flawless Consulting, this post breaks down common resistance behaviors, what they really mean, and how to respond effectively. If you’re a leader, consultant, or HR pro working on organizational development or culture transformation, understanding resistance is essential to making your change efforts stick.

After being the poster child of ironic company core values for many years, Boeing is trying to write a new story. And they’re starting with some familiar words: Integrity. Safety. Quality. Inclusion. Transparency. On paper? Flawless. In practice? We’ll see.

We’ve trained leaders to deliver feedback like pros—but forgot to teach them how to take it. Receiving feedback is one of the most underdeveloped leadership skills out there. It’s not just about listening—it’s about holding space for discomfort, ego, and growth. Because in a strong culture, feedback isn’t a one-way street. It’s the lifeblood of real leadership.

Growth is a milestone—but it’s also a turning point. As small businesses scale, what once made them special can quickly become their Achilles' heel. Organizational development isn’t a luxury—it’s the strategic blueprint that keeps your culture strong, your people aligned, and your momentum sustainable.

Symbols aren’t just surface-level—they’re cultural loudspeakers. From the breakroom posters to the emojis in your company-wide Slack, everything sends a message. If you’re not actively shaping what your symbols say, they’re shaping your culture without you. And in today’s polarized, hyper-visible world? That’s a risk you can’t afford to ignore.

A staggering 30% of employees say hostility at work is on the rise. The message is clear: companies can’t afford to ignore the emotional undercurrent of their cultures anymore.

Work is weird. It’s weird that we’re expected to professionally navigate behavior that would send anyone running in a social setting. It’s weird that some companies would rather keep a high-performing bully than an entire team suffering in silence. And it’s weird that “just be direct” is somehow radical advice in so many workplaces.

Alison Green, through Ask a Manager, has been making sense of this weirdness for years—turning chaos into clarity, giving people permission to set boundaries, and proving that workplace culture isn’t just policies, it’s how people experience their jobs every day.

This is a love letter to the workplace whisperer who helped shape my obsession with organizational culture—and why her insights still matter more than ever.

For decades, Southwest Airlines stood apart in an industry known for hidden fees and rigid policies. “Bags Fly Free” and open seating weren’t just perks—they were cultural cornerstones, reinforcing the airline’s identity as people-first, customer-friendly, and refreshingly different. But with these policies now on the chopping block, Southwest employees are facing an identity crisis.

How do you uphold a Servant’s Heart when you’re suddenly charging for something that once built trust? How do you maintain a Fun-LUVing Attitude when customers now associate your brand with frustrating fees? The shift from a values-driven culture to a profit-driven model risks more than customer backlash—it threatens the soul of Southwest’s workforce.

If leadership doesn’t step in with clarity, transparency, and a renewed commitment to culture, this turbulence won’t just be external—it’ll be existential.

"We just need better communication." Sound familiar? More often than not, this phrase is a red flag for an accountability issue. When expectations are clear but follow-through is missing, more meetings and Slack threads won’t fix the problem. Communication without action is just noise. Let’s talk about what really needs to change.

A toxic workplace doesn’t define your worth. If you’re feeling drained, undervalued, or questioning your abilities, remember: it’s not you—it’s the environment. While you navigate your next step, there are ways to protect your peace, set boundaries, and reclaim your sense of self. Here’s how to survive and stay whole.

Brand and culture alignment is often seen as a strength—but what happens when it becomes a barrier? In Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), where shared ownership fosters deep cultural alignment, this connection can drive engagement and stability. But too much alignment can also create rigidity, stifling innovation and making organizations resistant to change.

When identity is so entrenched that new ideas struggle to take hold, companies risk stagnation. Groupthink, slow decision-making, and an inward-looking culture can all emerge when alignment turns into inflexibility.

The key? Treat culture as a compass, not a cage. ESOPs—and any organization with a strong cultural identity—must balance tradition with adaptability, ensuring that alignment fuels growth rather than holding it back.

Your brand says one thing, but your culture tells a different story—and that disconnect is costing you. When brand and culture don’t align, trust erodes, employees disengage, and customers see right through it. If your company says it’s innovative but still runs on outdated processes, it’s time for a reality check. Misalignment isn’t just a branding issue—it’s a business risk. Let’s talk about the warning signs and how to fix them before they sink your company’s credibility.

When a company has that something—the kind of culture that people feel the moment they walk in—it’s not luck, it’s alignment. But if you don’t define, protect, and scale it with intention, it risks fading away. Culture and brand should move in lockstep—because the best companies don’t just have great cultures, they know how to keep them.