Mastering Workplace Culture

The newest episode of the Mastering Workplace Culture podcast, featuring the amazing and insightful Victoria Pelletier, poses a clear challenge: How do business leaders align their actions with defined values so that teams learn to trust leadership fully or at least believe in their intentions? Victoria draws on decades of executive experience to highlight a pattern that shows up across industries...

Some conversations stay with you—not because they're polished, but because they're organically honest. In this Mastering Workplace Culture episode, Julia Gabor brings a deeply human perspective on what it means to build culture in environments that are often under pressure, under‑resourced, and overlooked. From education systems to startup life, her experiences trace a consistent truth: pPeople th...

Sometimes the conversation needs to slow down. In this episode of Mastering Workplace Culture, co‑hosts Chris Edmonds and Mark Babbitt tackle a question many leaders are quietly wrestling with: What's really behind today's leadership crisis—and, during these deeply divisive times, what responsibility do leaders carry to keep our workplaces focused on what matters most? Drawing on decades of experi...

Mastering Workplace Culture continues the conversation on what healthy leadership looks like in a world shaped by AI, constant urgency, and ethical tension. In this episode, Tamara McCleary, CEO of Thulium, shares how calm, clarity, and psychological safety become the foundation for sustainable performance—especially when pressure is high, and decisions carry human consequences. Drawing on her bac...

🎙️ New Mastering Workplace Culture episode! From association leadership to flying cars, Tim Jackson explains why workplace culture is the connective tissue that enables progress. Leaders now understand that they can't confine culture to a single industry—it shows up wherever people must align around a mission, coordinate under pressure, and adapt as change accelerates. In this wide‑ranging convers...

The just-dropped episode of the Mastering Workplace Culture podcast features a deeply human conversation with Sarah Cole , founder and CEO of Cole Forums and a leader who brings ethics, vulnerability, connection, and real‑world courage into every room she creates. Sarah has spent more than 30 years advising boards, general counsel, senior executives, and CEOs—all while building high‑trust peer for...

The newest episode of Mastering Workplace Culture features a rare, open conversation with Joel Anderson, CEO of Petco and longtime culture‑focused retail leader. From Toys "R" Us to Walmart to Five Below to Petco, Joel has spent three decades proving that culture—done intentionally—drives passion, discretionary effort, and performance at massive scale.  Joel shares how his "People → Passion → Perf...

The newest episode of Mastering Workplace Culture offers a candid, human-centered dialogue with Susan Thorn , a healthcare executive whose leadership style blends clear vision, empathy, and a firm grasp of operational needs.  A former registered nurse, Susan now serves as a senior leader at Community Health System, where she oversees the welfare of over 11,500 employees. Her approach is grounded i...

The newest episode of the Mastering Workplace Culture features an honest, compelling conversation with Amber "AJ" Jordan , CEO of Desert Sage Health Centers—a rural healthcare organization that transformed culture, strengthened leadership, and rebuilt trust across multiple sites through values‑driven alignment and measurable accountability. AJ shares how a single team conflict sparked her search f...

This episode of Mastering Workplace Culture features a powerful and personal conversation with global executive Kris Malkoski , whose track record includes transforming brands, rebuilding cultures, leading global turnarounds, and proving that respect‑driven leadership produces extraordinary business results. Kris shares the story behind revitalizing World Kitchen, ARC International, and Newell Bra...

In this powerful Mastering Workplace Culture conversation, David Mollitor Jr. shares the remarkable journey of transforming Consolidated Electrical Contractors (CEC) from a traditionally hard‑driving construction company into a people‑first, values‑anchored organization. This episode highlights a rare behind‑the‑scenes look at a blue‑collar business choosing respect, clarity, and cultural consiste...

  Culture change isn't quick… but the work is a solid investment. Tim Steinbeck , CEO of GRE HERC Services, joins the Mastering Workplace Culture podcast for a raw, grounded conversation about what change really looks like when moving a blue‑collar workplace from siloed habits to a culture built on "STEAM" values: Safety, Trust, Accountability, Ethics, and Mutual Respect. From shift‑to‑shift frict...

In this episode of Mastering Workplace Culture, Katelyn Taylor , Director of Marketing Communications at Boise State University, reveals the hard decisions and practical steps she took to rebuild a toxic team culture. From spotting the waving red flags to hiring for respect and results, this conversation provides leaders a roadmap for transforming any workplace—no matter how tough the starting poi...

Discover the leadership philosophies that helped turn WD‑40 into a globally admired organization. In this episode of Mastering Workplace Culture, hosts S. Chris Edmonds and Mark S. Babbitt sit down with Garry Ridge, former CEO and Chairman Emeritus of the WD‑40 Company — widely known as a Culture Architect. Garry shares the principles that helped expand WD‑40 into 176 countries while building a cu...

Welcome to Mastering Workplace Culture ! In this kickoff episode, hosts S. Chris Edmonds and Mark S. Babbit share why they launched this podcast and what you can expect. We go beyond corporate jargon to explore practical strategies for building cultures that value respect and results equally.   ✅ Why culture change isn't a quick fix ✅ How leaders can manage performance AND values ✅ Real-world s...