A CEO I am currently working with contacted me in 2024 for a culture shaping journey in his company. Let’s call him Julian.

For some time, he had started realising that the command and control style that had worked for him, and for his leadership team, was no longer helping the company. In fact, it was probably doing the opposite:

• Younger employees were leaving.
• People were waiting for instructions before taking initiative.
• The leadership team was constantly having to be the eyes and ears of the organisation.

So we started with a leadership programme at the top level, with a focus on emotional maturity and leader-as-a-coach behaviours. The aim was to create the conditions for ‘a fearless company’.

For me, the real shift started when Julian decided to begin with himself : personal coaching, working on his triggers, learning to speak last, being mindful of his body language.

He even invited his peers to give him feedback on his “slippery behaviours”!

Recently, I witnessed one of these slippery behaviours in action. An employee had dropped the ball on something. Julian’s face closed up. His tone got louder.

Nervous as I was, I gently mirrored it back to him. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how he would receive it. He didn’t flinch. He welcomed it! And then, and this is what stayed with me, he suggested I use him as a live example with his leadership team. To remind them to stay mindful.

That, for me, is leadership. A leader who goes first. Not just in words. In the actual messy, uncomfortable moments.

A leader not afraid to show vulnerability, who admits when he slips. And who uses his own stumbles to teach.

And that, in my humble opinion, is what brings a culture alive!

Curious how to build this kind of culture in your organisation?