Creating High Performance Culture with Khalil Smith (S8:E3)

Creating High Performance Culture with Khalil Smith (S8:E3)

From Work Better by Steelcase

February 10, 2026 · 27 min

About this episode

Khalil Smith discusses the importance of understanding employee needs and organizational culture through the lens of meetings.

Meetings offer one of the clearest windows into an organization — who speaks, how decisions are made, and whether people feel included all reveal the real state of culture and performance. Our latest research shows that when leaders pay attention to these everyday dynamics, culture shifts from something abstract to a measurable driver of alignment, fairness, and better work. Hear more on the Work Better podcast, where Khalil Smith, Vice President of Inclusion, Diversity, and Engagement at Akamai Technologies, unpacks the gap between what leaders think people need at work and what employees actually say they need.

People in this episode

Host: Steelcase

Guest: Khalil Smith

Topics covered

  • high performance culture
  • inclusion
  • diversity
  • employee needs
  • organizational dynamics
  • meetings

Keywords

  • high performance
  • culture
  • inclusion
  • diversity
  • employee engagement
  • organizational performance
  • meetings

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Akamai Technologies, Steelcase

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