In today's episode: When looking to create alignment within your company, don't get caught in the action trap of doing "more." Step back and ask: what are the underlying beliefs that are blocking alignment? What systems within the organization are creating experiences that create those beliefs? An example roadblock to collaboration is the belief that fellow salespeople are competition. That's often encouraged by leaderboards and compensation systems based on individual results. CEO Daily Brief i...
Jun 05, 2025•4 min
In today's episode: Don't mistake compliance for alignment. Leaders might be receptive to all feedback, but that doesn't mean they'll get it. Employees know their careers are in their boss's hands, which incentivizes them to stay on your good side. As leaders, we need to acknowledge that power imbalance and strive to get people to open up more. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's biggest news, unpack hot-button workplace trends, and bring you excl...
Jun 04, 2025•3 min
In today's episode: The illusion of total control is one of the biggest dangers to leaders. That need from control is based in fear. True leadership comes from surrender--understanding how much we can't control and trusting the people around us. The only thing we can control is the experiences we shape for employees; these experiences shape their beliefs, drive their actions, and produce results. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's biggest news, u...
Jun 03, 2025•5 min
In today's episode: CEOs want the employees they hire to drive results for the company. But there are different perspective at different levels of the corporate chain. Feedback doesn't always flow in both directions. When people aren't clear about the intended results, they fall back on what they do know--the tasks they were hired for. But that may not achieve the results that leaders have in mind. Clarity about results empowers employees to become creative problem-solvers. CEO Daily Brief is a ...
Jun 02, 2025•6 min
In today's episode, Jessica discusses her takeaways from the Sacramento Business Journal's Inclusivity in Business Awards Ceremony: Plenty of leaders still believe in DEI on principle and from ROI, but the political consequences are causing people to stay quiet. Diversity in thought at the leadership level drives results--no matter what it's called. Data is powerful and stories affect people; together, they can move the needle. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we di...
May 30, 2025•6 min
In today's episode: Enrollment in trade schools is going up; American culture is growing more accepting of the trades as a career path. As CEOs are trying to predict the ever-changing future, so are young people entering the job market. The trades are safe from AI in the short term, but we still need long-term solutions to handle the future landscape of work. Culture Leaders Daily is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's biggest news, unpack hot-button workplace trend...
May 29, 2025•5 min
In today's episode: Boeing's culture has seen a turnaround. The key to success has been an emphasis on feedback. Focused feedback starts with positive feedback that recognizes someone for demonstrating the cultural belief you're trying to shift toward, and highlighting how it contributes to results. Then, shift to constructive feedback, starting with "here's how you might demonstrate that belief even more..." CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's bi...
May 28, 2025•7 min
In today's episode: The magic of growth and adaptability lies in people skills; building the right team for the current situation. Leaders need to surround themselves with people who want to be on the same journey with them. Everyone wants to grow their company, but not everyone wants to do the work it takes to grow successfully. Culture Leaders Daily is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's biggest news, unpack hot-button workplace trends, and bring you exclusive int...
May 27, 2025•7 min
In today's episode: Fortune's latest report shows increasing CEO pessimism. The threat of tariffs will always be present under President Trump; uncertainty is now the name of the game. Leaders and companies need to develop the muscle of being adaptive. Surrender is key; focus on what you can control. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's biggest news, unpack hot-button workplace trends, and bring you exclusive interviews with leaders who leverage cu...
May 23, 2025•5 min
In today's episode: Values and culture can coexist. Values are a non-negotiable about who we are; culture is about sustained behavioral change. Cultural beliefs don't have to stay forever; they can respond to changing situations, while values are permanent. Leaders need to amplify the beliefs that do lead to results; provide specific feedback that highlights the cultural belief that you want to see more of. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's bigg...
May 22, 2025•7 min
In today's episode from the This Week in Culture newsletter: Alignment is a perishable asset; in this fast-paced business world, that shelf life is shorter than ever. Some signs of misalignment: constant reprioritizing, conflicting KPIs across departments, and the "meeting after the meeting." Alignment requires consistent effort: weekly check-ins, scoreboards, and recognizing behaviors that aligned with what you're trying to achieve. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where...
May 21, 2025•6 min
In today's episode: In the social media age, companies no longer have a firewall between their public image and their internal workings. A company's brand is an external manifestation of its culture. Messy branding--like we're seeing with HBO--is a sign of trouble within a company's culture. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's biggest news, unpack hot-button workplace trends, and bring you exclusive interviews with leaders who leverage culture to ...
May 20, 2025•6 min
In today's episode featuring John Frehse's mother, Dale... We learn that friend of the show (and birthday boy!) John Frehse has no deep, dark secrets from his childhood. He was--and is--a creative, conscientious leader who cares for people who are often forgotten. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's biggest news, unpack hot-button workplace trends, and bring you exclusive interviews with leaders who leverage culture to drive real business results....
May 19, 2025•9 min
In today's episode: Proactivity at work has many benefits; it increases meaning, engagement, and change. But that proactivity has a real cognitive cost. Change produces fatigue. Leaders need to build that cost into their thinking. Build in more breaks, schedule proactive time, and make it safe to experiment. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's biggest news, unpack hot-button workplace trends, and bring you exclusive interviews with leaders who lev...
May 16, 2025•6 min
In today's episode: Increasingly, employees are opting out of the management leadership track. And it's not because they're lazy. Some people have been the victims of bad leadership; they've seen leaders be inauthentic or too controlling, and they're choosing to put their energy elsewhere. The rise of AI has caused companies to cut middle management and decentralize leadership, but accountability is still crucial. Leaders need to be creating clarity, alignment, and accountability around purpose,...
May 15, 2025•4 min
In today's episode, we explore three levels of corporate messages regarding AI-based changes within the company: The inauthentic message from Duolingo's leadership is a great example of what not to do--a muddled message about replacing people with AI while also claiming to be people-first. Shopify's CEO took a hardcore approach, committing to AI and expecting every level of the business to adopt that perspective. Fiverr's messaging was brilliantly authentic: acknowledging the risks of AI job rep...
May 14, 2025•6 min
In today's episode: ABM's Raul Valentin focuses on the value of fairness and equal opportunity. Consistency in policy across all levels of an organization allows everyone an opportunity to excel. At the same time, fairness can be subjective. There's no one-size-fits-all answer for any policy problem. Culture Leaders Daily is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's biggest news, unpack hot-button workplace trends, and bring you exclusive interviews with leaders who lever...
May 13, 2025•5 min
In today's episode, we get some lessons on succession planning from the Catholic Church: In these permanently uncertain times, stability is a leadership asset. The Vatican's well-defined system provides a smooth transition. Culture outlasts charisma. An organization's belief systems need to be codified if they're going to survive. There's safety in consensus. Consensus leadership has its pros and cons, but there are times where it's critical. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for C...
May 12, 2025•7 min
In today's episode: Workers and businesses alike tend to think they're entitled to more than they actually are from each other. In an era of deteriorating trust, the reality is that nobody should expect more than what's stipulated by laws and contracts. To get what they want, all parties need to create experiences that shape the beliefs of their negotiating partners. In other words, excellence provides leverage. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's...
May 09, 2025•8 min
In today's episode: Investment banking has a culture of long hours and pushing people to the brink; a recent article noted that Baird has a norm of 110-hour work weeks. Ultimately, people know the demands of what they're signing up for in these fields; it's a huge amount of money with high stakes. Not everyone has the privilege to make decisions about money versus work-life balance and other personal values. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's big...
May 08, 2025•6 min
In today's episode from the This Week in Culture Newsletter: Jessica reflects on "Destructive Generation: Second Thoughts on the Sixties" by David Horowitz and Peter Collier. The book discusses how both men's ideologies shifted radically throughout their lives--and the experiences that led to those changes. Beliefs aren't changed by rousing speeches and debates; they're changed by experiences and moments felt by people. The healthiest corporate cultures leave room for changing minds and adaptati...
May 07, 2025•7 min
In today's episode: Google is changing compensation to reward high performers; but metrics for judging "high performance" are always subjective. Calibration sessions can help, but they can also reveal some ugly biases. John and Jessica discuss how group evaluations can feel like a tribunal and quickly become unhelpful. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's biggest news, unpack hot-button workplace trends, and bring you exclusive interviews with lead...
May 06, 2025•7 min
In today's episode: The April jobs report was solid; but it may not capture much of the fallout from President Trump's tariffs. In times of big change, companies don't necessarily start with layoffs; they'll begin by holding hiring and adjusting strategy. Culture Partners research shows that an important factor in success is the ability to adapt quickly. It's important for leaders to surrender what they can't control; by focusing on what they can control, they'll be able to pivot in changing cir...
May 05, 2025•7 min
In today's episode: Brand and culture are fundamentally intertwined. Connecting people to a brand's big-picture purpose can both serve a mission and drive results. For Denny's, the purpose is to feed people--body, mind, and soul. The company can use those three criteria to make business decisions with a clear direction. Culture Leaders Daily is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's biggest news, unpack hot-button workplace trends, and bring you exclusive interviews wi...
May 02, 2025•7 min
In today's episode: A NYT opinion piece by essayist David Wallace-Wells talks about how world leaders are "surrendering" to climate change by accepting defeat before the battle is over. By contrast, a good leader surrenders the illusion of control while taking accountability for everything within their control. In the case of the climate, there's still plenty that leaders can do to make a difference. We can surrender the expectation that any one person can solve the larger problem, but we can st...
May 01, 2025•7 min
In today's episode: The world is changing too fast for discrete change management "efforts" to succeed. Change is a constant. Change is about the "skill, will, and hill" -- knowledge, employee desire, and the external roadblocks that stand in the way. Executives grossly overestimate change willingness in employees, as compared to middle managers. Change fatigue is a persistent problem. Clarity, alignment, and accountability are key to the solution. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast...
Apr 30, 2025•6 min
In today's episode: Kelli Valade, CEO of Denny's, explains her philosophy that a leader's most important job is to make people feel seen. Her early experiences in the restaurant industry exposed her to a second family who invested in her welfare; she also found restaurants are a place where people come to be seen. Later in her career, a small gesture of connection from Kelli's team allowed her to connect with her birth parents--a perfect example of the power of human connection. Culture Leaders ...
Apr 29, 2025•6 min
In today's episode: A new executive order basically revokes the disparate impact theory: discrimination is only judged on intentions, not outcomes. The legal liability for discrimination is going down, but that may not change the cultural and societal consequences that come from removing DEI and other programs. Ultimately, this will be a test of strategy and leadership: in the absence of a legal threat, what beliefs do leaders have about discrimination and diversity? Which companies will do best...
Apr 28, 2025•6 min
In today's episode: Jessica argues the hype around last week's Blue Origin space flight is privilege masquerading as feminism. John doesn't disagree, but says we have bigger fish to fry regardless, between the economy and geopolitics. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's biggest news, unpack hot-button workplace trends, and bring you exclusive interviews with leaders who leverage culture to drive real business results. John Frehse, Global Head of L...
Apr 25, 2025•6 min
In today's episode: If the China tariffs continue, loads of everyday products--like makeup--will become twice as expensive. These small-scale impacts will happen everywhere. Meanwhile, on the large scale, China has cancelled its planned purchases of Boeing airplanes. That macro-level decisions also have huge consequences across the economy. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's biggest news, unpack hot-button workplace trends, and bring you exclusiv...
Apr 24, 2025•5 min
