Culture First
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How does work culture shape human behavior and experience? How do humans create cultures?
From uncomfortable truths to heart-to-heart conversations, Culture First uncovers what it really takes to build a better world of work. We all aspire to rise above the day-to-day commotion and bring more humanity into our work lives.
Our host Damon Klotz is dedicated to understanding how we find meaning in our work and how to better the experience humans have within organizations. Join him as he explores journeys of trials and triumphs with the people who put culture first - despite all the things that get in the way.
Culture First: Stories for a better world of work is a podcast by Culture Amp, the People and Culture platform.
For more info, episodes or contact: www.culturefirstpodcast.com
Available episodes
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Nov 30, 2022
How to hold on to your high performing employees, with Fresia Jackson.
What can 200,000 employees tell us about the relationship between engagement and performance?
It turns out quite a lot.
On the latest episode of the Culture First Podcast, we are returning to the data to bring you the latest in employee experience research.
In the first part of our data and research series, I sat down with Culture Amp's Lead Researcher Fresia Jackson to lay the foundations for the scope and size of the data lake that Culture Amp has. You can listen to that episode here: https://www.cultureamp.com/podcast/diving-into-data
In part two of our data exploration, we are looking at a specific study just completed by our data and research team.
In this episode, you'll learn:
* How we standardized the data to get the most robust engagement and performance research set in the world.
* The different types of performance rating systems organizations have implemented, and we find out if there is a sweet spot when it comes to how often you should measure performance.
* What type of feedback do your high performers need?
* The external reasons that may be causing underperformance for some of your employees and what you can do about it.
If you've enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow and leave a review.
Learn more about Culture Amp at www.cultureamp.com
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Nov 2, 2022
The current state of mental health in the workplace, with Dr Nick Taylor
While we all know that the world has changed significantly, what you might not know is that the state of mental health in the workplace has also been adjusting to respond to it.
One of those changes was that in June of this year, the world's first International Standard (ISO) to address Psychological health and safety at work were published.
To better understand what is happening with mental well-being and the workplace, Damon sat down with the Co-Founder of Unmind, Dr Nick Taylor.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- The macro trends and policies impacting mental health in the workplace
- Why disclosure is such a complex subject when it comes to mental health
- How to focus on your mental wellness before supporting others on your team
- Tips for anyone who's managing a team of humans in this complex environment
Links referenced in the episode:
ISO Standard 45003
Culture Amp & Unmind Partnership
Culture First Global On Demand Content
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Oct 24, 2022
Culture First Americas 2022 with Susan Cain, Valerie Jarrett, David Whyte, and Oliver Burkeman
In this bonus episode of the Culture First Podcast, our host Damon Klotz announces the four keynote speakers for Culture First Americas.
Join him at Culture First on Wednesday, the 26th of October, to hear from Susan Cain, Valerie Jarrett, Oliver Burkeman and David Whyte.
Click this link to get your free ticket.
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Oct 19, 2022
How Wilson Sporting Goods puts Culture First, with Director of Retail Erin Pelton, Part 3 of 3.
For the first time on the Culture First Podcast, we are doing a mini-series where we go behind the scenes of a company to learn how they put Culture First at all levels of the company.
The first company that we will be exploring is Wilson Sporting Goods. While many people would know Wilson for its products, you probably don’t know that they’ve been around for over 100 years, and it was only in the last few years that it launched retail stores.
In the third episode of this series, we will be speaking with the Wilson Director of Retail for North America, Erin Pelton.
In this episode, you’ll hear Erin share her experience building a career in the retail industry, why Wilson was her dream opportunity and the importance of diversity, inclusion and belonging when you launch a new initiative within an established organization.
If you’d like to hear more from Wilson Sporting Goods, register to attend Culture First Virtual Americas, where their VP of HR, Geoff Watts, will be joined live on stage with Damon Klotz.
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Oct 12, 2022
How Wilson Sporting Goods puts Culture First, with Geoff Watts VP of HR, Part 2 of 3.
For the first time on the Culture First Podcast, we are doing a mini-series where we go behind the scenes of a company to learn how they put Culture First at all levels of the company.
The first company that we will be exploring is Wilson Sporting Goods. While many people would know Wilson for its products, you probably don’t know that they’ve been around for over 100 years, and it was only in the last few years that it launched retail stores.
In the second episode of this series, we will be speaking with the Wilson VP of HR, Geoff Watts.
In this episode, you’ll hear how Geoff thinks about company culture, measuring employee experience and what he’s excited about as the company moves into retail.
If you’d like to hear more from Geoff, register to attend Culture First Virtual Americas, where Geoff will be joined live on stage with Damon Klotz.
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Oct 5, 2022
How Wilson Sporting Goods puts Culture First, with CEO Joe Dudy, Part 1 of 3.
For the first time on the Culture First Podcast, we are doing a mini-series where we go behind the scenes of a company to learn how they put Culture First at all levels of the company.
The first company that we will be exploring is Wilson Sporting Goods. While many people would know Wilson for their products, you probably don’t know that they’ve been around for over 100 years, and it was only in the last few years that they launched retail stores.
In the first episode of this series, we will be speaking with the Wilson CEO and Chairman Joe Dudy.
In this episode, you’ll hear how Joe worked his way up from an entry-level role in the company to eventually becoming CEO. Joe will talk about how he thinks about company culture, measuring employee experience and what he’s excited about as the company moves into the retail space.
You’ll also have to listen to the end as Joe answers the question about the impact Wilson the volleyball from the movie Castaway had on the company culture and the bottom line.
To hear more from the team at Wilson Sporting Goods, make sure that you register to join us at Culture First. Geoff Watts will join me live in conversation to discuss how Wilson put Culture First. Make sure you click the link above to get your free ticket.
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Aug 17, 2022
Diving into Culture Amp's data lake - How we uncover insights from 34 million employee experience data points.
Have you ever wondered what happens to your survey data after you submit your response? In this episode, we will dive deep into the world of employee experience data and how Culture Amp turns data into insights.
Join us as we explore what happens when one individual responds to a company engagement survey. First, we’ll share how the company uses it. Then we’ll share how this one response goes on a journey to land in the largest employee data lake where Culture Amp can use that response to answer questions like “what impact does engagement have on retaining customers?” and “what is the best performance rating scale?”
This episode will be the first in a series as we explore the 34 million data points that make up Culture Amp's data lake. Before we explore the depths of Culture Amp's research, this episode will provide all listeners with the foundations of people analytics and data collection.
My guest on this episode is Fresia Jackson. Fresia is a People Scientist and Lead Researcher at Culture Amp. Here are just a couple of things that keep Fresia busy every day.
* Overseeing Culture Amp's research projects connecting Culture Amp’s data to business outcomes.
* Determining the most impactful hypotheses by keeping her ear to the ground of what’s going on in the world and how our data can provide insight into creating a better world of work
* Disseminating research results by crafting findings into a story, evangelizing that story internally, so they're put into practice and sharing the story externally to share our science with the world.
If you've enjoyed this episode, please make sure you subscribe and leave a review.
To hear from more Culture First Leaders, register to join us at Culture First. Culture First is a series of free virtual experiences exploring how culture, science, and innovation can guide organizations, leaders, and teams through the challenges and the opportunities of reworking work for everyone. Get your free ticket here.
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Jul 20, 2022
How to talk about mental health in the workplace.
In this episode of the Culture First Podcast Damon sits down with Professor Jane Burns and Adam Smiley Poswolsky to discuss how to talk about mental health in the workplace.
Professor Burns is a Board Member of the NDIA, Committee Chair at Open Arms Veterans & Families Counseling and formerly involved in Streat and Beyond Blue.
Adam is a keynote speaker on workplace belonging and the future of work as well as the author of Friendship in the Age of Loneliness. He also writes for Harvard Business Review and his TED talks have amassed over 2 million views.
In this episode you'll learn:
* The foundational level of knowledge everyone needs to understand a topic as complex as mental health
* What the research is showing us when it comes to the global loneliness epidemic
* What role does the organization and company culture play in positively and negatively impacting mental health
* How a manager can play a critical role in supporting the mental health of their team
* The questions you can ask your team members to better support them to talk about mental health
This is an incredibly important episode and one that we hope gives you a better understanding as well as practical actions to take to create mentally healthy workplaces.
This is an incredibly important episode and one that we hope gives you a better understanding as well as practical actions to take to create mentally healthy workplaces. If you or someone you know needs help, please use the following resources as a guide. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, please call the emergency services in your local area.
Mental health resources:
This page contains a wide range of mental health services around the world.
https://www.wearespur.com/org/mentalhealthhub
Culture First Global 2022
To hear more stories from Culture First Leaders make sure that you register to join us at Culture First Global. Culture First is a series of free virtual experiences exploring how culture, science, and innovation can guide organizations, leaders, and teams through the challenges and towards the opportunities of reworking work for everyone. Get your free ticket here.
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Jul 6, 2022
Designing Culture First Gatherings, with Priya Parker
In this episode, Damon sits down with Priya Parker, master facilitator, and author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters.
Priya provides listeners with a masterclass in the art of gathering. Here are some of the questions you might have about your work meetings:
* Have you wondered if your meetings were serving the right purpose?
* Have you questioned whether the right people are in the room?
* Do you worry that the way you gather at work is impacting someone’s ability to feel like they belong?
Don’t worry, these questions are being asked at every level of organizations around the world right now. Priya will lay the foundation for how to gather, why to gather and what we can do to make our gatherings more meaningful.
Damon and Priya also analyze some famous examples of workplace culture in the form of Ted Lasso and Succession to learn what they can teach us about gathering.
By the end of this episode, you’ll also learn the difference between a conversation and a gathering and why you need to find the deepest need of your gatherings to truly create a meaningful experience.
To hear from more Culture First Leaders like Priya Parker make sure that you register to join us at Culture First. Culture First is a series of free virtual experiences exploring how culture, science, and innovation can guide organizations, leaders, and teams through the challenges and towards the opportunities of reworking work for everyone. Get your free ticket here.
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Jun 30, 2022
Special: Culture First is back for 2022
Welcome back to another episode of the Culture First Podcast. In this episode podcast host, Damon Klotz talks about what's to come in the future for this podcast and for announces new Culture First events for 2022 and beyond.
Culture Amp is excited to announce that Culture First – Culture Amp's annual, global virtual event series – is back! I'm inviting you to join us and the community as we explore the role of culture, science, and innovation in building better workplaces and overcoming uncertainty.
Head to the link in the episode show notes to register now to join over 30,000 international attendees for any or all of our three regional experiences:
* Culture First APAC - September 7, 2022
* Culture First Americas - October 26, 2022
* Culture First EMEA - March 2023
Explore ideas, share your experiences, dive into the data, and gain the clarity and skills you need to turn current and future uncertainty into opportunity.
By reworking work, we can build a better world of work – for everyone.
We'd also love to hear from our listeners if there's particular guests you'd like to hear from on the podcast.
You can send me an email podcast@cultureamp.com or contact me @DamonKlotz on social media.
I'd love to know if there's a company leader, author, or practitioner that you want to hear more from. One of the core principles when we design culture first each year is to ensure that for every well-known guest like Simon Sinek we also create space for emerging leaders or people who don't typically speak at events like ours. So no guest suggestion is a bad suggestion.
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Nov 17, 2021
Rethinking Trust at Work with Rachel Botsman
In this episode, Damon sits down with Rachel Botsman, a leading expert and author on trust in the modern world, to discuss the positive impact of trust in the workplace.
You'll hear Rachel and Damon discuss:
* How Rachel navigated the changes to her professional life without being on physical stages with audiences.
* The process Rachel uses before she creates a new keynote speech.
* The definition Rachel uses for trust: “Trust is a confident relationship with the unknown.”
* The relationship between trust, humility and ego.
* The rise of employee activism and why employees want to know just what their organization stands for, but also what a company stands against.
* Analyzing the role that vulnerability has on trust when building new relationships.
* Four phrases we need to rethink in the workplace
Rachel Botsman is a trust expert, author, and lecturer at Oxford University. She is passionate about teaching people how to think differently and challe…
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Oct 27, 2021
How Carman’s Kitchen achieved 96% employee engagement by focusing on the whole employee experience.
In this episode, Damon sits down with Lainie Tayler the General Manager People at Carman's Kitchen & Founder of HR Squad to discuss reimagining the employee experience and how to retain your best employees. Lainie Tayler is the founder of HR Squad and an experienced Performance Coach, whose mission is to help people achieve their professional and personal goals.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
* Why Lainie believes in the whole person experience and not just the employee experience
* The feedback loops they’ve created to move fast and execute
* How being intentional about feedback has removed the need for a formalized performance process
* What the right amount of transparency is with your employees
* And why one of their wellbeing initiatives was recently picked up by the media, I’ll give you a hint, it’s called a doonah day and I think we could all use one of those from time to time.
If you’d like to learn more about Carman’s Kitchen onboarding prog…
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Oct 7, 2021
Scaling the employee experience at Asana, with Anna Binder
In this episode, Damon sits down with Anna Binder from Asana to talk about the journey she’s been on as she’s scaled Asana. As the newest board member of Culture Amp, Anna built a culture powered by clarity, co-creation, and inclusion and shares what she learned from her role at Asana and talk about what’s next for people leaders in 2022
Anna Binder serves as Asana’s Head of People Operations, a role she has held since May 2016. During her time at Asana, both Inc. Magazine and Fortune named Asana as a Best Workplace for four years in a row, and the company has been named a Best Place to Work in 2021 by Glassdoor. Prior to joining Asana, Anna was MuleSoft Inc.’s VP of People.
Damon also officially welcomes Anna to the Culture Amp team as she takes on the role as a newly appointed member of the Board of Directors.
If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and subscribe if you haven't. To listen to more podcasts & access the transcripts head over to www.culturefirst…
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May 18, 2021
How the Major League Baseball connected the dots between the fan experience and the employee experience
For years Major League Baseball has measured everything related to the game. From the data that individual teams use for onfield performance to the analytics they use to tailor the brand and gameday experience for the fans.
Brand is a promise to the customer, culture is how you deliver on that promise. In this episode, you’ll hear how Major League Baseball started their journey to create a culture of feedback and analyze the data that most closely impact their employees to deliver that world-class brand experience.
The guest for this episode is Kiera Connerty, Director of Talent Management at Major League Baseball. Kiera is a graduate of West Point and former Captain in the United States Army. After leaving the Army, she joined the NBA’s People and Talent team before joining Major League Baseball in 2019.
This episode is a rare chance to go behind the scenes to learn what it takes to run one of the most recognizable sports brands globally and the journey they’ve been on…
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May 18, 2021
How Nasdaq built a transformative culture that is both empowering and accountable
In this episode Damon Klotz sat down with Richard Taylor, VP of Employee Experience at Nasdaq, to learn about how they think about building a culture first company.
What’s holding your employees back from a transformative experience? Nasdaq asked this question, and what they learned was surprising. By deeply listening to employees, the people team gained unexpected insights into key pain points and employee needs.
In this episode, you’ll learn how, by addressing your employees’ deep-seated desire to be productive and grow professionally, you can build a transformative culture that is both empowering and highly accountable.
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May 14, 2021
Increasing emotional agility in the workplace with Claude Silver and Susan David
In this episode of the Culture First Podcast Damon sits down with Claude Silver to provide a sneak preview into their respective upcoming conversations with Susan David about emotional agility and toxic positivity.
You’ll hear insights into how VaynerMedia trains leaders for emotional agility, the quotes from Susan David that have impacted him the most, and the question that will help you better understand your emotions, thoughts and stories you tell yourself about work.
To hear more from Susan David and Claude Silver register for Culture First Global Americas where they’ll be in conversation. Register at https://culturefirstglobal.com/americas.
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Apr 28, 2021
How to build an anti-racist organization, with Aubrey Blanche
In this episode, Damon speaks with Aubrey Blanche, Director of Equitable Impact & Design at Culture Amp.
Damon and Aubrey discuss building anti-racist organizations, the work of Professor Ibram X. Kendi & her first memories of what equality and inclusion meant as a young child.
You’ll also hear some special reveals about the content and speakers for Culture First as well as the announcement of our MCs for our North America event.
Register for Culture First 2021 here: https://culturefirstglobal.cultureamp.com/?utm_source=cfpodcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=C%3A21q2cfg%7CD%3A2021_03_31%7C
Listen to the other episodes mentioned in the episode here: www.culturefirstpodcast.com
Read more about Culture Amp's Anti-Racism work here: https://www.cultureamp.com/antiracism/
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Apr 1, 2021
How to learn, unlearn & stay curious at work, with Chip Conley
How to learn, unlearn & stay curious at work, with Chip Conley
In this episode, Damon Klotz and Chip Conley explore what it means to be a modern elder, ponder the notion of our identity being wrapped up in our work, and why the older generation's emotional intelligence is just as important as the younger generation's digital intelligence.
Rebel hospitality entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author Chip Conley disrupted his favorite industry... twice. At age 26 he founded Joie de Vivre Hospitality (JdV), transforming an inner-city motel into the second largest boutique hotel brand in America.
He sold JdV after running it as CEO for 24 years, and soon the young founders of Airbnb asked him to help transform their promising start-up into the world’s leading hospitality brand. Chip served as Airbnb’s Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy for four years and today, he acts as the company’s Strategic Advisor for Hospitality and Leadership.
Damon also reveals the f…
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Aug 20, 2020
Special: What did Damon Klotz learn from hosting this podcast during a crisis?
Join our host Damon Klotz as he reflects on the 7 parts of the working through it series and how they’ve helped him work through it during this time. Damon will share which moments from the episodes he has found himself coming back to, where he’s struggling and how he plans to act on these learnings in the future.
For this episode we've also created a toolkit for you to use as you continue to work through it. Head to culturefirst.com/working-through-it/toolkit to download your copy.
www.cultureamp.com
www.culturefirst.com
www.twitter.com/cultureamp
www.twitter.com/damonklotz
www.culturefirstpodcast.com
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Aug 4, 2020
Special: How will COVID-19 change the world of work for good?
In this episode Damon speaks with Lars Schmidt, one of the leading voices when it comes to modern HR practices, employer branding and open sourcing the future of work.
Damon and Lars debate how much of this new normal is going to still be present in the workplaces of the future.
This episode is from Part 7 of Culture Amp’s Working Through It series. Learn more about the series at www.culturefirst.com/workingthroughit
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and leave us an honest review.
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Jul 28, 2020
Special: What is the future of performance management?
In this episode Damon speaks with Srinivas Krishnamurti, VP of Product at Culture Amp and former CEO of Zugata, about the steps we need to take to create a fairer and equitable performance management process. They discuss organizational justice, how remote work can level the playing field and why your current performance process might be leaving learning opportunities on the table.
This episode is from Part 6 of Culture Amp’s Working Through It series. Learn more about the series at:
www.culturefirst.com/workingthroughit
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and leave us an honest review.
Articles mentioned during the show:
https://www.cultureamp.com/blog/performance-management-post-covid-19-things-to-consider/
https://www.cultureamp.com/functional-performance-review-ebook/
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Jul 21, 2020
Special: How does exclusion impact your ability to perform at work?
In this episode Damon speaks with Rajkumari Neogy, an epigenetic coach and executive consultant focused on the intersection of neurobiology, culture, and empathy in today’s business world. She is also the author of “The WIT Factor: Shifting the Workplace Paradigm by Becoming Your Optimal Self.”
Damon and Rajkumari discuss the role that exclusion and trauma can have in the workplace. Together, they look to understand whether these feelings can carry over from previous workplaces and if feeling excluded significantly impacts your ability to perform at a high level.
This episode is from Part 6 of Culture Amp’s Working Through It series. Learn more about the series at www.culturefirst.com/workingthroughit
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and leave us an honest review.
Connect with Damon Klotz on LinkedIn
Connect with Damon Klotz on Twitter
Follow @CultureAmp on Twitter
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Jul 7, 2020
Special: How to design experiences that increase connection
In this episode, Damon Klotz speaks with Jenny Sauer-Klein. Jenny is an experience designer and masterful facilitator who specializes in designing dynamic learning experiences that help companies engage their employees and bring their culture to life.
Damon and Jenny talk about how the shift from IRL to URL has led to a complete redesign in how we’re connecting. Together they explore how to define and scale intimacy in this new world.
Jenny shares a framework to design the perfect 60-minute meeting that will leave attendees engaged and feeling connected.
This episode originally appeared as part of Working through it series. Check out the series for more tips and stories of people navigating periods of transition. https://www.culturefirst.com/working-through-it/intro
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and leave us an honest review.
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Jul 7, 2020
Special: Cleo Wade on connection, community and work culture
In this episode, Damon Klotz sits down with author, poet, and community builder Cleo Wade. This conversation is designed to inspire listeners through the power of poetry, space creation, and storytelling. Cleo’s empowering message gives us the tools to build the communities and connections that we need more than ever right now.
Cleo Wade is the author of the bestselling books, Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life and Where to Begin: A Small Book About Your Power to Create Big Change in Our Crazy World. She has been called the poet of her generation by Time Magazine and one of the 100 most creative people in business by Fast Company.
To learn more about Cleo Wade head to www.cleowade.com.
This episode originally appeared as part of Working through it series. Check out the series for more tips and stories of people navigating periods of transition.
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and leave us an honest review.
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Jun 23, 2020
Special: How to talk about grief and suffering at work.
In this episode Damon speaks to Kelsey Crowe, Ph.D., author of There is No Good Card for This: What to do and say when life is scary, awful and, unfair to the people you love. Kelsey and Damon discuss what stops us from asking for help, how to show up for people who are suffering, and coping with grief at work.
What do you say to a colleague who is grieving? Whether someone is experiencing a personal or professional setback, it’s tempting to shy away from uncomfortable topics. This episode will help you approach these important conversations and minimize the fear of saying the wrong thing.
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and leave us an honest review.
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Jun 23, 2020
Special: The new rules of emotions at work
In this episode Damon speaks with Mollie West Duffy, co-author of the book No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power Of Embracing Emotions At Work. She’s also one half of the workplace culture Instagram account @lizandmollie.
Mollie is an expert in organizational design, development, and leadership coaching. She’s currently the head of organizational development at communications firm RALLY, and previously led organizational design at global innovation firm IDEO.
Damon and Mollie discuss the new rules of emotions at work. In this highly actionable episode, we examine the difference between under-emoters, over-emoters, and even-emoters. Then Mollie and Damon explore ways to work with each, the importance of communicating your needs when working remotely, and why right now is not the time to be asking the question, ‘how are you?’
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and leave us an honest review.
www.culturefirstpodcast.com
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Jun 9, 2020
Special: How to talk about politics and race in the workplace.
Leaders around the world are trying to help their teams navigate an incredible amount of uncertainty. This can lead to a deep sense of frustration about the world, the workplace, and our role within it. That’s why we need to have the courage to have difficult conversations about topics such as race, politics, equity, and belonging.
In this episode, Damon Klotz speaks with Michelle Kim, Co-Founder and CEO of Awaken. Michelle and Damon talk about how to manage a team in times of political trauma, create space for uncomfortable conversations at work, and minimize the impact of uncertainty for your employees.
* Michelle wanted listeners of the show to know that she asked Culture Amp to make a donation to The Transgender Gender-Variant & Intersex Justice Project in lieu of a payment to Awaken for her time today.
Culture Amp has made a donation of $2500 to the TGI Project and we want to thank Michelle for her leadership and generosity.
Resources
Blog posts referenced:
* https://m…
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Jun 9, 2020
Special: How to use open source to respond to a crisis.
The open-source movement has given us an insight into the decisions that organizations around the world have been making to help their employees work through it during a crisis. But we don’t always get to learn about how or why they make the decisions that end up in the open-source policy or document.
To learn more about prioritizing open and transparent communication during this crisis, Damon Klotz sat down with Tariq Meyers, Global Head of Belong, Inclusion, and Diversity at Coinbase.
Damon and Tariq discuss what was happening in the room when Coinbase created the now-public documents to help leaders with their response to the constant changes. You’ll also hear Damon and Tariq discuss the Black Lives Matter movement and explore ways to make space for conversations about race at work.
Open Source Documents and Memos: https://blog.coinbase.com/coinbase-planning-and-response-to-covid-2019-d0cb3379bc3e
Connect with Tariq Meyers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tariq-meyers/
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May 28, 2020
Special: Keeping momentum while leading through crisis
All eyes are on leaders as the world of work tries to adapt in the face of crisis. Fortunately, this is not the first time we’ve had to do this, and there are many learnings we can use as a guide. Whether we like it or not, there may never be a ‘return to normal.’ Now is the time to redefine how we work in this new world.
In this episode, Damon Klotz speaks with Chris Fussell, President of McChrystal Group. Chris shares an optimistic framework for leading through periods of change. Together, Damon and Chris explore strategies to turn fear into action, lead with vulnerability, and keep the momentum that drives us forward.
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and leave us an honest review.
To learn more about McChrystal Group, go to https://www.mcchrystalgroup.com/.
Join our Culture First community to discuss how you and others are #WorkingThroughIt.
Head to www.culturefirst.com/workingthroughit to experience our brand new multimedia series called Working Through It. It…
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May 28, 2020
Special: The false codes of leadership to deconstruct in turbulent times
Leaders at all levels are faced with an increasingly blurred boundary between personal and professional. As we try to understand exactly how much of our full selves we can bring to work, managers are uniquely positioned to create a safe space for vulnerability - in times of crisis and beyond.
In this episode, Damon Klotz speaks with Larissa Conte, Founder of Wayfinding. Together they explore what this changing environment can teach us about leading, how to manage our egos when budgets and hard decisions are at play, and ideas for areas where leaders are struggling the most right now.
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and leave us an honest review.
To learn more about Larissa Conte, go to www.wayfinding.io.
Episode Resources:
http://www.wayfinding.io/alchemical-leadership
http://www.wayfinding.io/executive-rites-of-passage
https://way-finding.teachable.com/p/wayfinding-toolkit-for-turbulent-times
Join our Culture First community to discuss how you and others are #Wor…
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May 12, 2020
Special: Navigating the unknown with resilience
As most people are trapped at home, forced to grapple with the stress and anxiety from a confined space, there has never been a more relevant time to prioritize mental health. People are experiencing widespread and prolonged burnout and looking for ways to build meaningful connections in this new environment.
In this episode, Damon Klotz speaks with Dr. Omar Dawood, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Sales at Calm. Together they explore how to make space for vulnerability at work and tactics for navigating the unknown with resilience.
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and leave us an honest review.
To learn more about Calm, go to https://www.calm.com/.
Join our Culture First community to discuss how you and others are #WorkingThroughIt.
Head to www.culturefirst.com/workingthroughit to experience our brand new multimedia series called Working Through It. It's a seven-part journey to navigate through a crisis.
Host: Culture Amp’s Work Culture Evangelist, Damon Klotz.
P…
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May 5, 2020
Special: What happens to our brain during a pandemic
COVID-19 has rapidly impacted individuals and organizations around the world. However you’ve been affected, the stress and anxiety from this global pandemic can take a meaningful toll on our health and wellness.
In this episode, Damon Klotz speaks with Wendy Suzuki, Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at New York University, about how extreme stress affects our brains. Throughout their conversation they explore simple techniques for calming anxiety, the difference between good and bad anxiety, and physical actions we can take to improve our physical and mental wellbeing.
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and leave us an honest review.
To learn more about Wendy Suzuki, go to https://www.wendysuzuki.com/.
Join our Culture First community to discuss how you and others are #WorkingThroughIt.
Head to www.culturefirst.com/workingthroughit to experience our brand new multimedia series called Working Through It. It's a seven-part journey to navigate through a crisis.
Host:…
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Apr 28, 2020
Special: Working Through It - A collective, seven-part journey through crisis.
We are excited to announce a new seven-part series of the Culture First Podcast as we navigate the impacts of the global pandemic and explore the new world of work.
Join our Culture First community to discuss how you and others are #WorkingThroughIt.
Head to https://www.culturefirst.com/workingthroughit as we begin a collective journey through this crisis, together.
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Apr 22, 2020
A seat at the table, with Minda Harts
In this episode, Damon sits down with Minda Harts, founder of The Memo, and author of the book by the same name. Minda has dedicated her life’s work to supporting the career development of women of color. Listen below to learn Minda’s approach to improving workplace inclusivity.
In the modern business landscape, everyone seems to be vying for a seat at the proverbial leadership table. However, Minda suggests it might be time to throw out the old table and build a new one designed to include a wider range of voices. Together, Damon and Minda explore ways to amplify the voices of diverse employees.
We then hear from Lindsay Kaplan, Co-Founder of Chief, a private community created to connect and support women leaders. Lindsay shares the importance of creating a space for authenticity and vulnerability within a community of leaders.
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and leave us an honest review.
To learn more about Minda Harts, go to http://mindaharts.com/
To learn more a…
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Apr 8, 2020
Activism at work, with DeRay McKesson
In this episode, Damon sits down with DeRay McKesson, civil rights activist and host of “Pod Save the People”. DeRay works to connect individuals with knowledge and tools, and provide citizens and policymakers with policies that ensure equity.
Empowering employees to bring their whole selves to work is a staple of a Culture First organization. But does that mean leaders should make space for activism in the workplace? Damon and DeRay McKesson explore how organizational activism can be a key lever for systematic change. Together, they uncover key ways that businesses can drive meaningful change at the structural level, beyond merely programming.
We then hear from our very own CEO Didier Elzinga, who shares how business leaders can create space for activism in the workplace and empower systematic change.
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and leave us an honest review.
To watch this podcast's video teaser, get an update when new episodes launch or find more information, head…
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Mar 25, 2020
The resilience playbook for leaders, with Tania Luna
In this episode, Damon meets with Tania Luna, Co-CEO of LifeLabs Learning, whose work revolves around learning, psychology, and surprise. Together, they shine a light on the opportunity leaders have to make the most out of the COVID-19 crisis being nimble and adaptive.
In times of crisis, the environment we operate in changes the norms we are used to. When volatility and uncertainty are at their peak, we need different tools than the ones used when things are predictable, consistent and clear. LifeLabs has a playbook to help leaders manage anxiety and increase resilience across organizations. Damon and Tania touch on the resources outlined in the playbook and discuss how we can recover and thrive in the midst of uncertainty.
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and leave us an honest review.
To learn more about Tania Luna and LifeLabsLearning, go to https://lifelabslearning.com/faculty/tania-luna/.
To watch this podcast's video teaser, get an update when new episodes launch or…
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Mar 11, 2020
Empathy, compassion, work: Part 2, with Taryn Hughes
We believe that compassion is mandatory in the building of a Culture First organization. If like us, you’re passionate about people, there’s a good chance you also have high levels of compassion. However, compassion does come with a risk of secondary trauma exposure, or “compassion fatigue”.
In this episode, Damon meets with Taryn Hughes, CEO of Forest Hughes & Associates, somatic trauma recovery specialist, and creator of the first-ever workplace friendly secondary trauma recovery program - Compassion Fatigue RESET™️.
They talk about what compassion fatigue is, how it differs from regular burnout, and how to remedy, mitigate and prevent it.
We then get on the ground with Leah Hirsch, Director of Professional Development at Math for America, and hear about how she’s implemented Taryn's program "Compassion Fatigue for Career Satisfaction" to address teachers’ compassion fatigue at Math for America.
Finally, Damon chats with Mai Ton, Founder of EMP HR Consulting, to…
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Feb 26, 2020
Empathy, compassion, work: Part 1, with Michael Ventura
Intuitively, you might get the sense that empathy and compassion play a key part in the making of a Culture First organization. Yet their definitions, inherent differences, and potential downfalls remain somewhat of a blur, especially in the context of the workplace.
The next two episodes of the Culture First podcast are dedicated to bringing clarity and applicable knowledge around these skills. Part 1 focuses on applied empathy, while Part 2 will bring compassion fatigue into the light.
In this episode, Damon meets with Michael Ventura, CEO and founder of Sub Rosa, and author of Applied Empathy. Together they explore topics such as how a manager can assess empathy levels, the kind of questions an empathetic leader should ask, what empathetic decision-making looks like, and whether a manager can build a team that fosters empathy when the larger the organization doesn’t.
Next, we hear from Stacey Nordwall, Culture Amp’s People Program Lead about hardwiring empathy within the fabr…
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Feb 5, 2020
The death and rebirth of soft skills, with Claude Silver
The death and rebirth of soft skills, with Claude Silver
They’ve been called fluffy, vital, old school, new age… While few people in the world of work disagree about their benefits, many still argue over what to call them, and how to define them.
In this episode, Damon meets with Claude Silver, Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia and executive coach, to discuss whether soft skills need rebranding, and what HR and Marketing functions might have in common. Hint: it’s a soft skill.
Next, we hear from Dara Blumenthal, Ph.D., developmental coach and critical theorist, to explore what holds people back from adopting and learning soft skills.
Finally, Damon chats with Richard Taylor, VP of Employee Experience at Nasdaq to learn about how he approaches this, and what listening means at Nasdaq.
As a gift to our podcast listeners, we are offering a free one-on-one coaching session with Claude Silver or Dara Blumenthal. Two winners will be picked and assigned one of the two coaches rand…
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Jan 22, 2020
The infinite mindset organization, with Simon Sinek
Simon Sinek identifies two different kinds of games: finite and infinite.
Finite games, such as football or chess, have known players, fixed rules, and an agreed-upon objective that often ends the game with a winner and a loser.
Infinite games, on the other hand, can be played by known and unknown players, have no exact rules and an infinite length of play.
An unshakable optimist, Simon believes in a bright future and works toward improving our ability to build it together. For him, a big part of this relies on the adoption of what he refers to as the “infinite mindset”.
In this episode, Damon and Simon explore what an “infinite mindset organization” looks like, what makes a great leader, and we can how to go from being know-it-alls to being a learn-it-alls.
Having identified resilience as a core part of the infinite mindset, we then hear from Kate Snowise, founder of Thrive.How and Corporate Psychologist turned Executive Coach. She places resilience at the core of her c…
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Jan 8, 2020
Designing for love and magic, with Oshoke Abalu & Chinedu Echuero
How do we foster love and magic within our organizations? This is the question on which architect Pamela Oshoke Abalu and serial entrepreneur Chinedu Echuero founded the Love & Magic Company.
Their job is to help change-makers develop enthused and powerful business solutions. In this episode of the Culture First Podcast, Damon explores with them what it means for work to be “love made visible”.
They discuss the concept of seeing your customer or employee as your beloved, designing for your mother, and empathy as fuel for innovation.
Later in the episode, Erika Kuhl, former VP of Community at Salesforce, talks to us about her journey building a 3 million+ member thriving Salesforce Trailblazer Community where members go to connect, learn and give back. We learn about her journey having the company recognize the community’s value, and the role that deep listening played.
As a gift to our podcast listeners, we are offering Oshoke and Chinedu’s “How To Bring Your Idea To Li…
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Dec 17, 2019
Scaling Culture, with Ambrosia Vertesi
Scaling Culture, with Ambrosia Vertesi
Numerous organizations face a common dilemma: how to maintain their foundational culture and values while experiencing tremendous growth.
In this episode, Damon Klotz sits down with Ambrosia Vertesi, co-founder of HR Open Source and former Vice President of People at Duo Security, to discuss the why and the how of scaling culture.
Ambrosia shares many of the lessons she learned during her time at Hootsuite and Duo Security and gives us insight on how to support managers during big company changes.
Later in the episode, Molly Graham, Co-Founder of &Then, invites us to dive deeper into what it actually means to “give away legos”, and the vital role that humility plays during fast growth.
Lastly, we get to hear Chloe Sesta Jacobs’ running boots on the ground. Chloe is Head of People and Culture at Deputy, a scheduling software company that is experiencing tremendous growth.
As a gift to our podcast listeners, we are offering our Culture…
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Dec 3, 2019
Relationships at work, with Esther Perel
In this episode, Culture Amp’s Work Culture Evangelist Damon Klotz sits down with psychotherapist and best selling author Esther Perel to explore what makes up the fabric of work culture: relationships.
Esther shares ways to develop relational intelligence in the workplace, explains where trust originates and how to cultivate it, and gives us insight into how cultures of innovation can be fostered.
You’ll also hear the lessons Wade Foster (CEO and Founder of Zapier) and Courtney Seiter (Director of People at Buffer) have learned when it comes to creating fully remote Culture First companies.
Listen in at an Ampersand event and meet CEO and Founder Elizabeth Eichorn to learn about how she’s helping others deepen relationships at work.
As a gift to our podcast listeners, we’ve partnered with Esther Perel to offer you a highly valuable tool to engage relational intelligence: “8 questions you should ask when hiring someone, by Esther Perel”.
To download these questions…
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Sep 27, 2019
Introducing the Culture First Podcast
Culture First: Stories for a better world of work is a podcast about work culture by Culture Amp, the People & Culture platform.
Join host Damon Klotz as he dives into heart-to-heart conversations with well-known and underground culture experts, and hear stories of trials and triumphs by people who are leading the culture first revolution.
Guests will include Esther Perel, DeRay McKesson, Chip Conley, Simon Sinek, Adam Grant, Claude Silver, and many more.
Whether you are a seasoned leader who is passionate about developing people, a new manager aspiring to grow their people skills and better their team's culture, or a lifelong People Geek, this show is for you.
Subscribe now.
To watch this podcast's video teaser, get an update when new episodes launch or find more information, head over to www.culturefirstpodcast.com.
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