Culture is the backbone of success: Insights from our Culture Masterclass

“If we get workplaces right, we can change the world” - Nicola Taylor (Co-Founder, Tax Traders & Taxi)

If you missed our Masterclass on Culture at the end of March, we’ve summarised the incredible insights that were shared on the day by our amazing line up of experts:

• Leanne Holdsworth (Cultivating Leadership)
• Jim Wicks (Cultivating Leadership)
• Dr Jennifer Garvey Berger (Cultivating Leadership)
• Nicola Taylor (Tax Traders & Taxi)

These soundbites are relevant to any person at any level of an organisation, whether you are starting out or a seasoned leader, and whether your organisation is a start up, or mature. 

Changing the concept of business‍

The average person spends around 90,000 hours of their life at work, which makes the workplace a deeply formative experience. Workplaces are not just locations of action where products and services are produced, they are places that have a huge impact on the people who work there. People with families, friends, and other responsibilities outside of work. People who, after spending eight plus hours at work, return to see their families and friends. And for most, their mood and the way they engage with their loved ones is greatly impacted by their experience at work. 

Nicola encourages leaders to not just be in business, but to be in the business of social good. Where teams are empowered to show up with their own unique identities, stories, backgrounds, vulnerabilities, values, beliefs, and challenges, and be welcomed into a workplace that fits around that person’s needs, and life. 

“Each person has dignity and value. No two people are the same, and they cannot be expected to conform to work in the same way. And if you are going to invest in anything, invest in enabling your people to be the best versions of themselves.” - Nicola Taylor

The more we invest in our people, the more we enable them to thrive. ‘Investment’ does not have to be financial either. It can be in any number of ways - by simply creating an environment of trust, healing, and understanding. It could be enabling greater flexibility, instilling a practice of giving and receiving feedback, or even just an understanding and embracing of neurological diversity. It could also be extra leave, childcare support, or counselling and coaching. 

Culture creates beliefs‍

Workplace culture is often described as “the way we do things here”. But at a deeper level, culture is shared values, beliefs, attitudes and practices that have a profound impact on how people behave, interact with one another, and perform in their daily duties. 

Jennifer spoke to the fact that the culture inside any organisation is never better than the humans in charge. It is therefore incredibly important to be mindful of the beliefs that are being created inside our cultures, and the behaviours we are seeing as a result. 

“The only thing you can totally control is yourself . If we show up with purpose and our actions are aligned to the organisational values, then we model the behaviours we want to see from within our teams.” - Dr Jennifer Garvey Berger‍

Leanne and Jim talked about the way beliefs are created within cultures is related to how we design operational systems, such as sick leave. The restrictions we may put in place around sick leave also creates a set of beliefs that cascade across the organisation. These could be positive, or negative depending on how we have designed the system. 

“The impact of systems and processes can be louder than the words of the leaders. Sometimes just the simple act of empowering the team to exercise their own discretion by removing barriers or complexity can have a profound effect on the culture, and therefore beliefs and behaviours.” - Leanne Holdsworth

Workplaces create context for people to grow‍

If we think about the places of influence and growth we have within our lives, we start off as small children being at home with our parents, then we have kindergarten and school and clubs or associations, and then we have work. We complete our journeys with many of these places (like kindergarten and school), but we remain in our workplaces for a significant portion of our lives. And this makes them incredibly important places of growth.  

As leaders, if we think about the people coming into our workspaces and the individual journeys they are all on, the best thing we can do to set them up for success is to provide supportive and nurturing spaces for each person to grow and evolve along their own trajectory. 

We live in a world with rules, constraints, and possibilities. But if we create environments where people feel comfortable and supported to show up as themselves, wherever they stand, we create workforces that feel ‘well held’, that are ready, able, and comfortable to deal with the world that is coming. 

Development is a team sport

“We view the world and ourselves through a lens we don’t see. The more we can look at the lens rather than through it, the more we grow.” - Dr Jennifer Garvey Berger

Development seldom occurs in isolation - humans need each other to grow. When we are able to identify the lens we are viewing the world (and ourselves) through, and if necessary change it, we are able to view the world in different ways. This perspective, and context is important to understand the people we work with, as much as it is to understand ourselves. 

Often the most honest and accurate depiction of where we currently stand is the one reflected through others. And so we should not be afraid to create environments where feedback is encouraged and embraced. Because intentional and meaningful growth is difficult without the context and perspectives of others. 

The power to shape people’s lives‍

These insights can all be distilled to a profound truth: that workplaces are not merely spaces for productivity, but powerful environments that shape people’s lives. 

Inclusive cultures that empower people to thrive and value individuals for their unique identities are the backbone of organisational effectiveness. And they also contribute to broader social good. 

Let’s all think about how our responsibility extends beyond business success, how we can create workplaces where every person can grow, learn, and contribute meaningfully. And how we can embrace diversity, nurture development, and inspire cultures of trust and support that are not just strategies for success—but pathways to transforming our workplaces and, ultimately, the world around us.

Our next Masterclass on 5th May in Auckland has a stellar line up of experts, who will focus on the direct link between employee wellbeing and organisational performance, and tangible ways to create wellbeing within your business without significant (or indeed any) expense. 

‍Sign up here.

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