What if you could intentionally design the culture you want—not just hope it takes shape on its own?

This week on The Culture Secrets Podcast, Chellie sits down with Adam Schwartz, founder of The Cooperative Way and one of the nation’s leading voices on cooperative leadership and workplace culture. Adam has spent decades helping electric co-ops, credit unions, ag co-ops, and other member-owned businesses strengthen their identity, improve employee experience, and align leadership practices with the values that make co-ops different.

In this deep and practical conversation, Adam shares:

• How a national safety initiative revealed the blueprint for building culture with intention
• Why culture is to an organization what water is to a fish—and what leaders miss when they’re too close to see the truth
• The balance between empathy and accountability that defines strong servant leadership
• Why keeping low-performing employees is not compassion—it’s a “culture suck”
• How surveys, data, and listening help leaders diagnose what’s really happening inside their workplace
• Brilliant hiring practices (from co-ops and beyond) that prioritize cultural fit over résumé credentials
• How co-ops can remain attractive to younger, mission-driven talent without losing their history or identity
• Why you can influence culture even if you’re not in the CEO chair

Whether you work in a cooperative, lead a team of any kind, or care about building workplaces where people can thrive, Adam’s insights will give you clear steps to strengthen your culture—and a renewed appreciation for the power of values-driven leadership.

Thanks for listening. Grab the book the podcast is based on at https://mybook.to/culturesecrets . Check out my website www.chelliephillips.com for more great content. Follow me on LinkedIn.

What does a strong workplace culture actually look like in action—not on paper, but in real life?

In this episode of Culture Secrets, Chellie Phillips sits down with Bob Brown of Yamaha Motor Manufacturing to explore how culture is built, sustained, and strengthened inside a large, growing organization. From leadership visibility and trust to employee engagement, community involvement, and continuous improvement, this conversation goes beyond theory and into practical, people-first leadership.

You’ll hear how culture “bubbles up” from employees, why accountability belongs to everyone—not just leadership—and how organizations can create environments where people feel valued, connected, and motivated to stay and grow.

Whether you’re a leader, manager, or culture champion, this episode offers real-world insights you can apply immediately—no buzzwords required.

To learn more about building a people-first culture, visit www.chelliephillips.com
or pick up a copy of Culture Secrets wherever books are sold.

Thanks for listening. Grab the book the podcast is based on at https://mybook.to/culturesecrets . Check out my website www.chelliephillips.com for more great content. Follow me on LinkedIn.

What really changes a workplace culture—and what’s just surface-level noise? In this powerful conversation, Chellie Phillips sits down with Stephen Childs, Chief HR Officer at Panasonic, to uncover the real strategies that transformed Panasonic from a single-location operation into a multi-billion-dollar, award-winning Best Place to Work.

Stephen takes us behind the scenes of their culture journey—from visiting top innovation companies to implementing behaviors-based leadership, enforcing a “no asshole policy,” and aligning every executive around a shared culture model. He shares why ping-pong tables and casual dress codes don’t move the needle, how accountability truly works, and why transparency during crises (including COVID shutdowns) earned Panasonic its best employee opinion scores in the toughest year on record.

We explore:

• Why culture must be treated as a business process—not an HR initiative
• How to get executive buy-in for real, lasting change
• What accountability looks like at every level
• How to align a growing organization around shared values and behaviors
• Why leaders must hear the truth—even when it’s uncomfortable
• How Panasonic cut turnover in half and built deep leadership trust

If you're leading a team, building a culture, or trying to create meaningful organizational change, this episode is packed with practical insights you can apply today.

Thanks for listening. Grab the book the podcast is based on at https://mybook.to/culturesecrets . Check out my website www.chelliephillips.com for more great content. Follow me on LinkedIn.