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Building Better Leaders and Transforming Workplace Culture · The Science of Leading

• 0:00
  Hey everybody, welcome back to The Science of Leading.
• 0:02
  I'm Claire Monroe, and as always,
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  I'm joined by Edwin Carrington.
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  Edwin, I've been looking forward to this one-leadership and culture,
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  I mean, it's, uh...
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  it's basically the ground we walk on at work,
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  right?
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  It really is.
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  If leadership isn't clear or the culture doesn't fit the team,
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  even top talent ends up feeling stuck.
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  And, as we've touched on before,
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  that kind of mismatch?
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  It's one of the major drivers behind burnout,
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  disengagement-sometimes even quiet quitting.
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  Yeah.
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  That...
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  resonates.
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  I keep thinking about how different it feels when an organization actually
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  lives its values.
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  Like, when it's not just a poster in the breakroom.
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  It shapes everything-how people handle conflict,
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  how they respond to pressure, even how they bounce back from mistakes.
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  It's like, "Here's how we do things.
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  Here's how we recover."Exactly.
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  Shared values create a kind of internal compass.
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  They guide how people interact,
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  make decisions, handle uncertainty.
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  Forbes called it "fact-based, constructive communication"-and it only
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  works when there's a shared language underneath it all.
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  Without that, teams end up arguing past each other.
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  Wasting time and trust.
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  Okay wait,
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  I have to tell you this.
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  I had this manager once-Serena-early in my career.
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  She was so big on openness.
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  Like, she'd literally stop a meeting and say,
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  "Let's get real-what's actually going on here?" And she meant it.
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  Even when I totally disagreed with her,
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  I trusted her.
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  That kind of transparency?
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  It changed how our team worked together.
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  But is that just...
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  a Serena thing?
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  Or is that what happens when culture actually supports openness?
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  Great
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  example.
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  And I'd say...
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  both.
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  Individual leaders can absolutely set the tone.
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  But lasting culture change starts from the top.
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  The most powerful shifts I've seen come from C-level leaders who model
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  the behavior and the vulnerability.
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  Like, "Here's where I got it wrong.
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  Here's what I learned." That kind of honesty gives everyone else permission
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  to do the same.
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  It's not just storytelling-it's strategic alignment with purpose.
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  Yeah,
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  and you feel the difference when it's real.
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  Like, when a leader shares something personal,
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  it sticks in your memory way more than a mission statement ever could.
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  Exactly.
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  Stories scale.
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  Policy doesn't.
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  Ooh, I love that.
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  Okay, shifting gears a bit-this came up after our episode on high-potentials.
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  People keep asking about the shift from "managing" people to actually
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  enabling them.
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  Which sounds great...
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  until you're in the moment and you realize how hard it is to let go of
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  control.
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  Right-on paper, it sounds like empowerment.
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  But in practice, most systems are built for control.
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  That's the contradiction.
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  If we want autonomy, we need to ask better questions.
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  Instead of, "Why aren't you meeting expectations?" try,
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  "What's getting in your way?" or "What would help you grow faster?" Enablement
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  is about clearing obstacles-not managing performance.
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  That flips everything.
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  Like, the opposite of micromanaging.
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  It's more like, "I trust your judgment.
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  How can I support it?" And when that clicks,
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  it's amazing.
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  Do you remember a time you really felt that kind of trust?
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  I do.
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  Early on, I had a senior leader who refused to "fix" my work.
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  He'd hand it back and say, "Walk me through where you got stuck." It
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  was uncomfortable-but it made me reflect,
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  own my process, and grow fast.
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  That's the kind of discomfort that builds leadership muscle.
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  Yeah,
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  that's mentorship, not just, like,
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  assigned buddy systems.
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  Which brings me to this-how should orgs actually build mentorship that
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  works?
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  First, drop the checkbox mentality.
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  Match people by shared values and lived experience-not just job function.
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  Then, make it outcome-driven.
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  Give mentors and mentees goals,
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  celebrate small wins, and link it all back to culture.
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  Real mentorship is about identity development-helping someone uncover
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  how they lead, not just how to follow someone else's path.
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  That ties right
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  back to culture.
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  When people feel empowered to lead their way,
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  it fuels this, like, self-reinforcing momentum across the company.
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  Exactly-values
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  in action, not just values on paper.
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  Okay,
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  let's talk practical.
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  Soft skills.
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  Everyone says they matter-communication,
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  empathy, emotional intelligence-but sometimes it just feels like this
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  giant wishlist.
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  What actually moves the needle?
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  Training.
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  But not the one-off workshops.
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  Ongoing, applied skill-building-especially in emotional
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  intelligence,
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  active listening, conflict navigation.
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  These are the tools people use when things don't go to plan.
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  When you invest in that foundation,
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  teams handle ambiguity, feedback,
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  and stress with a lot more resilience.
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  Yeah...
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  like, when you've practiced giving tough feedback,
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  it doesn't feel like stepping on a landmine.
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  That's when psychological safety really shows up.
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  Psychological safety
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  is where high performance begins.
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  It's what makes disagreement feel productive,
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  not personal.
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  And it has to be modeled.
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  Leaders go first.
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  They create the norm.
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  And then they reinforce it with clear systems-transparent comms,
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  routine feedback, peer reviews.
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  Like we covered last episode-measurement supports safety when it's done
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  right.
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  Okay but middle managers.
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  They're always stuck in the middle of this.
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  Translating strategy from the top,
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  keeping their teams afloat, managing change...
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  it's a lot.
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  What's one real thing orgs can do to support them better?
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  Give them context
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  and coaching.
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  Not just generic leadership training-but real-time tools they can use.
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  Clear playbooks for change, leadership labs for experimentation,
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  and space to raise challenges without fear.
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  Empowerment means giving them the discretion to adapt,
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  not just telling them what to execute.
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  So-don't just assume they'll figure
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  it out.
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  Actually back them with resources and trust.
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  Exactly.
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  And if you're wondering how to put this into action,
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  OAD's behavioral tools can help you see where alignment is working-and
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  where leadership might need support.
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  You can test those assessments for free at o-a-d-dot-a-i.
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  It's a simple way to get clearer on team dynamics,
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  fast.
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  Alright, that's it from us today.
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  If you're curious about leadership labs or psychological safety,
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  or even building better mentorship-let us know what you want more of.
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  Leadership
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  and culture are long games.
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  But every thoughtful move you make today builds the environment your
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  teams will thrive in tomorrow.
• 6:32
  Claire-always great unpacking this with you.
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  Back at you.
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  Thanks for listening to The Science of Leading.
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  See you next time.