Culture Secrets
Culture is more than a mission statement — it’s the everyday experience people have inside your organization.
Join international best-selling author, speaker, and workplace culture expert Chellie Phillips on the Culture Secrets Podcast as she shares practical strategies, real-world stories, and honest conversations about building people-centered workplaces. Each episode is designed to help leaders improve communication, strengthen trust, increase engagement, and create cultures where both employees and organizations thrive.
You’ll also find 5 for 55 mini-pods — quick, 5-minute episodes designed to give you practical leadership and culture takeaways in less time than it takes to finish your coffee.
If you want to lead with more clarity, connection, and purpose, you’re in the right place.
Culture Secrets
5 for 55: The New Coke Lesson: 5 Leadership Lessons from a Famous Marketing Failure
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5 for 55 is the weekly micro-podcast where Chellie Phillips shares one story, one leadership lesson, and one small shift you can apply immediately—in five minutes or less.
What happens when one of the world's most recognizable brands gets it wrong?
In 1985, Coca-Cola replaced its iconic formula with New Coke. Just 79 days later, it reversed course after overwhelming customer backlash.
Most people remember New Coke as a marketing failure.
I see it as one of the greatest leadership lessons ever.
In this episode of 5 for 55, I share five practical leadership lessons inspired by the New Coke story, including why listening matters more than being right, how humility builds trust, and why change should always have a purpose.
Plus, I'll leave you with one One Small Shift you can put into practice immediately.
Because leadership isn't about having all the answers—it's about being willing to listen.
What You'll Learn
✔️ Why listening is more valuable than assumptions
✔️ The danger of changing something simply because it's "new"
✔️ How admitting mistakes can actually strengthen trust
✔️ Why customer and employee feedback matters
✔️ One simple leadership habit to practice this week
One Small Shift
This week's challenge: Instead of defending your next idea, ask: "Help me understand what I'm missing."
You might be surprised by what you learn.
If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love for you to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another leader, communicator, or friend.
You can also connect with me at chelliephillips.com and subscribe to my Culture, Coffee & Common Sense newsletter for more practical leadership and communication insights.
Remember...
Growth doesn't happen all at once. It happens one small shift at a time.
And there's no speed limit on growth.
Thanks for listening. Grab the book the original podcast is based on at https://mybook.to/culturesecrets . Want more quick leadership tips? Sign up for my FREE bi-weekly newsletter: Coffee, Culture and Common Sense.
Check out my website www.chelliephillips.com for more great content. Follow me on LinkedIn.
CHELLIE: One of the biggest leadership lessons in history came from a soft drink that lasted just 79 days... and I think every leader needs to hear it."
ANNOUNCER: Welcome to 5 for 55 with Chellie Phillips—the podcast that proves five minutes can change the way you lead. Every episode begins with a story, uncovers a leadership lesson, and ends with one small shift you can put into practice this week. Because growth doesn't happen all at once... and there's no speed limit on growth.
CHELLIE: Hey friends! Welcome back to another 5 for 55—where in about five minutes we discover one idea that can help us become better leaders, better communicators, and better humans.
If you caught my social media post this weekend, you already know I'm a pretty devoted Coke Zero girl. If there's a Coke Zero nearby, chances are I'm nearby too.
That post reminded me of one of my favorite marketing stories—not because it was a success, but because it became one of the greatest leadership lessons of all time.
It's the story of New Coke.
Back in 1985, Coca-Cola had a problem.
Pepsi was winning taste tests, and Coca-Cola wanted to reclaim its position.
So they did what good companies do.
They researched.
They tested.
They studied consumer preferences.
In blind taste tests, people actually preferred the sweeter formula.
So Coca-Cola made a bold decision.
They replaced the original Coca-Cola with New Coke.
On paper...
Everything looked right.
But they overlooked something the research couldn't measure.
People weren't just buying a drink.
They were buying memories.
Tradition.
Family cookouts.
Little League games.
Christmases.
A piece of Americana.
The reaction was immediate.
People flooded the company with letters and phone calls.
Some protested.
Others bought cases of the original Coke and stored them away before it disappeared.
Then something remarkable happened.
Just 79 days later, Coca-Cola admitted they had missed the mark.
They brought back the original formula.
Most people remember New Coke as one of the biggest marketing failures ever.
I remember it differently.
I remember it as one of the greatest examples of listening.
And I think every leader can learn something from it.
Lesson 1
Great leaders listen beyond the data.
Research matters.
Metrics matter.
Surveys matter.
But numbers don't always tell you what people value.
Sometimes the most important information comes from conversations instead of spreadsheets.
Lesson 2
Don't confuse "new" with "better."
We all love innovation.
But change should solve a problem—not simply create something different.
Before making a change, ask yourself:
"What are we making better?"
If you can't answer that clearly...
It might not be time to change.
Lesson 3
Humility builds trust.
Here's the part I admire most.
Coca-Cola didn't spend years insisting customers just needed to adjust.
They listened.
They admitted they had missed something.
Then they corrected it.
That's not weakness.
That's leadership.
Lesson 4
Your people will tell you what matters.
Whether you're leading employees...
Serving customers...
Working with members...
Or raising a family...
People are constantly giving us feedback.
The question isn't whether they're speaking.
The question is whether we're listening.
Lesson 5
Trust is always your most valuable brand.
Products evolve.
Technology changes.
Strategies shift.
Trust takes years to build...
And only moments to lose.
Protect it.
Always.
One Small Shift
Before we wrap up, here's your One Small Shift for the week.
The next time someone pushes back on one of your ideas...
Don't immediately explain why you're right.
Instead, ask one question:
"Help me understand what I'm missing."
That one sentence changes the conversation.
It communicates curiosity instead of defensiveness.
It invites collaboration instead of conflict.
And sometimes...
It uncovers exactly what you needed to hear.
Leadership doesn't always grow through big moments.
More often...
It grows through one small shift at a time.
So this week...
Before you roll out a new idea...
Before you change a process...
Or before you assume you've got the perfect solution...
Pause and ask yourself one simple question:
"Am I making this change because it's truly better... or simply because it's different?"
That question might save you from your own version of New Coke.
And for the record...
I'll still be celebrating the weekend with an ice-cold Coke Zero.
Some "new" ideas really do work. 😄
That's your 5 for 55 for this week.
Remember...
Growth doesn't happen all at once. It happens one small shift at a time.
And there's no speed limit on growth.
I'll see you next week.
