Rethinking How Organizations Work

It’s work, there shouldn’t be any emotions here. I often hear emotions don’t belong in the workplace. And we’ve all heard the advice: “Leave your emotions at the door.” Yet the idea that emotions have no place at work is not only unrealistic—it’s counterproductive. Emotions are an essential part of being human, and workplaces are made up of humans, not robots. Ignoring them doesn’t make them disappear; it often leads to miscommunication, resentment, and disengagement. Emotio

Too often, organizations treat impact as a byproduct—something that happens if we’re efficient, follow processes, or check all the boxes. Or only thought to come from new and novel ideas. Or worse, impact only happens when someone brilliantly creative is on a project. Impact should be the goal, not an afterthought. Impact-first work is about more than efficiency; it’s about effectiveness. Every decision, every project, every challenge should be measured against the question:

In order to hold one another accountable, we need to speak up. Speaking up—whether to give feedback or to step in as an upstander—is an act of care and responsibility. It signals that you value the person, the team, and the culture enough to name what others might avoid. Silence may feel safer in the moment, but it allows harmful patterns to continue unchecked. By voicing observations with courage and compassion, we create opportunities for growth, repair, and healthier dynam

We’ve previously discussed why accountability is hard to enforce in ourselves and with others, and today we’re going into even more nuance. Accountability is especially hard in power dynamics Accountability feels even trickier when power dynamics are involved. Speaking up to a boss, mentor, or someone with influence carries real risks: Will I be dismissed? Will there be consequences? Will this harm the relationship? Yes, there are skills we teach people to help them speak up

A word that often elicits eye rolls - accountability. To have healthy work cultures, we have to take personal responsibility in how we show up and hold others accountable (in healthy ways) for how they are showing up. And I’m sure we’ve all experienced the spectrum of how accountability can be enforced. I’ve heard stories of supervisors who refused to “coddle” their staff and were downright cruel. I’ve also witnessed supervisors with permissive managing styles that closed

Culture can’t thrive if it rests on one office's shoulders alone. This approach will struggle for many reasons - it's not sustainable for that office, it's not a priority for everyone, etc. All parts of an organization need to take accountability for creating and maintaining the culture they need to thrive. Distributing ownership across your organization creates shared responsibility and makes culture sustainable (read as: easy). Here are 3 steps you can take to distribute cu

People and culture are no longer HR’s job alone—they are the heartbeat of effective, mission-driven organizations. Today we’ll discuss the five archetypes that are often at the center of change efforts. Understanding their unique goals, challenges, and roles can help you support transformation more strategically. It’s also important to note that your most potent change-makers might not have these titles… yet. Every staff member is fully capable of driving high performing cult