Event Recap: Leadership and Culture

A recap of a webinar held on October 19, 2022

Remote work, hybrid workplaces, a pandemic, growth, hiring, a new generation in the workforce, and shifting skillsets have challenged all companies, and more than ever, culture has become a critical component of success.

Naturally Network and Naturally Austin recently co-hosted an informative webinar in partnership with our national sponsor, Conscious Culture, about leadership and the power of culture.

Sean Conner, co-founder and Chief Progress Officer at ForceBrands led this discussion with Laura Levinsohn, Director of Employee Experience at Bolt, Max Baumann, Founder & CEO of Basemakers, and Angela McElwee, former CEO of Gaia Herbs.

They covered so many rich topics about leadership's role in creating a thriving, adaptable culture in today's environment. Our top 5 takeaways include the following:

1. The role of CEO is changing and founders need to adapt
   Employees are seeking purpose in their job and are more selective about where they work People want approachable leadership and founders are building the muscle to be vulnerable while trusting this will lead to superior results

2. Transparency builds trust
   According to a recent poll conducted by ForceBrands, 28% of employees do not view their employers as being at all transparent. One of the key ways these leaders preserved and nurtured their cultures during the pandemic is through transparency. Specific anecdotes shared include: Sharing your decision-making process with employees. Not just the why for your decision, but also the trade-offs made behind major decisions. Too many leaders assume everyone understands decisions and sharing more helps gain buy-in and loyalty. Modeling the values you seek in your employees, such as setting work/life boundaries to demonstrate to your employees they can do the same

3. Culture should be part of your daily practices
   Laura shared Bolt’s culture comes through in everything they do from onboarding to employee 1:1s and how decisions are made. They’ve invested heavily in training around giving and receiving feedback. This has resulted in a safe environment of owning mistakes, asking for help and recognizing people for their successes.

4. Your culture and values need to be part of the hiring processes
   Soft skills are more important than ever as the workplace continues to evolve Understanding candidate values and alignment with your organization’s vision is critical to maintaining culture as you grow

5. It’s ok to reevaluate your culture and experiment
   Take risks and experiment to ensure - panelists shared how they are doing this via 4-day workweeks, flexible schedules, and wellness days after big product launches

For more advice from these leaders, we invite you to watch the REPLAY, find out more about the Conscious Culture playbook and consider taking the pledge at conscious.org.