CultureLab with Aga Bajer

Have you ever wondered what it would take to tackle some of humanity's most urgent challenges such as climate change, social inequality, armed conflicts or economic disparity? If you have, you're not alone. But not all of us think that THE institution with the highest capacity to create positive change in the world is business. My guest today, Carolyn Butler Madden envisions a world where business is not just about financial gain, but a powerful force for good, with the potential to drive profit through purpose. Her life's work has been to empower leaders to unlock the full potential of their organizations by embedding a meaningful purpose into the fabric of their business and brand strategies. With her book, "For Love and Money" earning the title of best Social Responsibility book in the Australian Business Book of the Year Awards, Carolyn's literary contributions have already paved the way for many businesses seeking a purpose-driven future. In this conversation, Carolyn shares fresh insights into how purpose-driven leadership can unlock potential and drive growth. You can follow Carolyn Buttler Madden on LinkedIn. You can find the transcript HERE. Join the CultureBrained® Community– a one-of-a-kind virtual community for Heads of Culture, founders, and leaders who want to up their culture game. Check out more of our free resources 👉 HERE.

When was the last time you were genuinely playful at work? If you are like most of us, it might have been a while. We've been conditioned to believe that work and play don't really mix. Not only we've been taught to draw a clear demarcation line between work and play, we've also been convinced that work is somehow way more noble and more important that play. But what if truly great work couldn't happen without a healthy dose of play? What if, unless we can have fun with the work itself, at least occasionally, we can't really achieve greatness? Today's conversation with Gary Ware, the Founder of Breakthrough Play a keynote speaker, and author of the book Playful Rebellion: Maximize Workplace Success Through the Power of Play addresses these questions. Gary talks about the relationship of workplace productivity and play, play as the driver of innovation and performance, the eight play personalities and how we can integrate purposeful play into our workday. You can follow Gary Ware on LinkedIn. You can find the transcript HERE. Join the CultureBrained® Community– a one-of-a-kind virtual community for Heads of Culture, founders, and leaders who want to up their culture game. Check out more of our free resources 👉 HERE

Do you want to be more influential? For most of us, the answer is yes. Greater influence often translates to more power, enabling us to achieve our goals, drive change, and create positive impact. But delving into the strategies and tactics of influence can leave us feeling uneasy. Words like "manipulative," "sneaky," and "coercive" come to mind. Zoe Chance explains this reaction this way: "The idea of influence has been corrupted by tacky, greedy people using tacky, greedy tactics to sell used cars, to promote sponsors' products on social media, and to get us to buy now, while supplies last!" This is exactly why Zoe champions a different approach. As a distinguished behavioral scientist at Yale School of Management, Zoe empowers smart and kind individuals to harness influence effectively. Her role at Yale involves guiding executives and teaching the highly sought-after MBA elective, 'Mastering Influence and Persuasion.' Her students achieve remarkable feats: they raise funds for charities, win political seats, kickstart successful startups, initiate social movements, save lives, and drive a culture change. And so can you. Tune in to learn how. You can follow Zoe Chance on LinkedIn You can find the transcript HERE. Join the CultureBrained® Community– a one-of-a-kind virtual community for Heads of Culture, founders, and leaders who want to up their culture game. Check out more of our free resources 👉 HERE.

Stacey Gordon is an expert on DEI and workplace bias and the author of "Unbias - Addressing Unconscious Bias at Work". In this conversation, she shares her personal journey, offering unique insights from the experiences that shaped her understanding and approach to DEI work. There are many misconceptions surrounding diversity hiring, and the essence of true inclusion and we face them head on. We also talk about the transformative power of empathy and storytelling in creating a culture where everyone can thrive. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to understand the deeper layers of DEI and its impact on organizational success. Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation that challenges the status quo and provides practical tips for fostering an inclusive culture. To join CultureBrained®, go 👉 HERE To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click 👉 HERE

In this Deep Dive Aga and Shani delve deep into a topic that has fascinated Aga for almost a decade – what drives people to do their absolute best work. Over the years, she's posed this question to more than 3000 individuals and discovered something truly unexpected: peak performance at work is often closely linked to one surprising factor - having fun. But not the kind of fun associated with ping-pong tables and office parties. Instead, it's all about deriving genuine enjoyment from the work itself. Join Aga and Shani in this illuminating conversation as they explore the concept of "Deep Fun" and its profound impact on workplace performance. To join CultureBrained® with a 25% discount (until end of November) go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/

In a world where the relentless pursuit of productivity often overshadows well-being, it's easy to overlook the fundamental connection between what we eat and how our bodies and minds perform. But what if the secret to enhanced cognitive function and overall vitality lay within the choices we make on our plates? Our guest in this episode of the CultureLab podcast, Dana Chapman, is a leading mental health and wellness expert, specializing in the gut-brain axis. Tune in this episode as we explore the synergies between nutrition, mind, and body and how they are all linked with creating thriving cultures. To join CultureBrained® with a 25% discount (until November 15th) go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/

This month on the CultureLab podcast, we're diving deep into the intricacies of a multigenerational workforce. You know the scene: Boomers nostalgically talking about "the way we used to do things," Gen Xers serving as the bridge between old and new, Millennials demanding meaningful work, and Gen Zers, the digital natives through and through. It's a variety of perspectives that can either invigorate or implode a workplace. How do you navigate through these differing viewpoints without losing your mind or your patience? This series of episodes aims to answer just that and we are kicking it off with an outstanding guest, Chip Conley. Chip disrupted the hospitality game not once but twice and co-founded the Modern Elder Academy. His upcoming book, "Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better With Age," aims to make the case that wisdom isn't obsolete; it's making a comeback. We'll talk about what it means for experience to have its day in the sun again and how workplaces can be fertile grounds for both wisdom and innovation. Whether you're a seasoned executive or a newbie just starting out, this episode is going to have something for you. Stick around; you won't want to miss this deep dive into age, work, and the many layers in between. To join CultureBrained® with a 25% discount (only in October) go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/

Join Aga Bajer and Shani Persson as they explore the often-daunting world of DEI in the latest Deep Dive. With curiosity and humility, Aga and Shani navigate the maze of systemic biases, the transition from diversity to true inclusion, and the challenges of measuring meaningful impact. This episode is not an interview; it's a collaborative exploration designed to help you reflect on how to address those intimidating DEI issues and elevate your workplace culture. We hope this episode will help you tackle the topics you might have hesitated to confront and elevate your approach to DEI. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/

You meet a new colleague for the first time, and… something clicks! You trust them, but you don't know why. Then, on another day, you're teamed with someone you've known and worked with for a while but a barrier stands in the way. That's the enigma of trust. It isn't merely about familiarity. It's about something more elusive - an intangible connection that either binds or separates us. In the workplace, trust certainly isn't a nice to have; it's vital for working relationships to thrive. It can elevate a team to excellence, speed things up, and create an environment where innovation and creativity flourish. Conversely, a lack of trust can become a stumbling block, slowing progress to a crawl, stifling ideas, and fostering a climate of doubt and uncertainty. Given the importance of trust, we wanted to understand it better and so we invited one of the world's leading trust experts, Rachel Botsman, a Trust Fellow at Oxford University. Tune in to learn why trust is contextual, how to nourish it in a remote environment, how to repair it and more! To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/ Interview with Daniel Coyle on the CultureLab podcast- The Culture Playbook

We often leave workplace relationships to chance, hoping they'll simply fall into place. But healthy, productive relationships require intention and work. In this episode of CultureLab, we're shifting the narrative with Conversations That Matter - and doing the deep dive into the tools we need to intentionally build stronger working relationships. We spotlight three pivotal conversations, often overlooked, yet foundational in shaping our professional lives and uncover the blueprint of a truly healthy working relationship. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/

Despite the tremendous success of many companies operating in a nearly fully remote setup during the pandemic, we are now experiencing a shift, with mandates urging employees to return to the office, full-time or part-time. Why the obsession with in-person collaboration? Tune into this week's Deep Dive with Shani revolving around how we can navigate this brave new world of remote and hybrid work and support teams to perform at their full potential. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/ For Bretton Putter's episode "Future-Proof Your Hybrid Culture" go to https://tinyurl.com/BrettonPutter-2

Let's be honest - hybrid work can be great, but it can also be quite annoying. In this episode, Bret Putter, the leading expert in hybrid work strategies and practices, discusses hybrid friction at work and how to avoid it. He also shares strategies associated with hybrid work and remote best practices to support your distributed team better. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/ Check out Bretton's latest appearance on the CultureLab Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/BrettonPutter-1

As organizations grow, they often encounter unique challenges in building and maintaining a thriving culture. The very things that made a company successful in its early stages – its core values, startup mentality, and close-knit team – can become diluted or even lost as the company scales. In this episode, Cameron Herold, the Founder of the COO Alliance and author of Second in Command discusses the importance of investing in employees' skills to keep up with company growth and uncovers how to bring your vision to life by using his jigsaw puzzle approach. To join CultureBrained® go to tinyurl.com/culturebrained To learn more about our accreditation program, go to tinyurl.com/accreditationprogram To access our free resources and materials on cultivating thriving cultures, click here: https://www.agabajer.com/resources/