Success Secrets and Stories
To share management leadership concepts that actually work.
You are responsible for your development as a leader. Don't expect the boss to invest the training budget in your career. Consider this podcast as an investment of time in your career, with a bit of management humor added at the same time.
Success Secrets and Stories
Culture Is What You Do
Culture isn’t a poster on the wall; it’s the behavior people feel every day. We unpack how leadership at all levels turns values into action, why true empowerment requires daily coaching, and how identity and mission shape whether a job becomes a source of pride or just a paycheck. Through candid stories—earning a vice president title the hard way, and a bracing town hall where new owners announced a site closure—we explore what happens when culture aligns and when it collapses under pressure.
Greg and I walk through a practical blueprint for building real culture: invest in training that goes beyond theory, set clear standards in the first 90 days, and anchor development in communication, self-leadership, creating a positive environment, developing others, and getting results. The Johnson & Johnson model shows how structure and story can fuse—care for people, disciplined execution, and a shared language of leadership that scales from entry-level to executives. We also widen the lens to roles where purpose is built on task and safety, like skilled trades, where trust and precision define identity just as strongly as mission-driven brands.
Hiring and promotion decisions become the pressure test. We talk about choosing for fit and pride, spotting transferable traits, and avoiding the “greener grass” trap by reading culture signals before you jump. Externally, culture shows up through consistency between mission and products, employee advocacy on LinkedIn and Glassdoor, and authentic community engagement. If the claims match the actions, you can feel it. If they don’t, you can see it. Before accepting an offer or a partnership, ask whether this organization’s identity aligns with your values, growth, and standards.
Presented by John Wandolowski and Greg Powell
Well, hello, and welcome to our podcast, Success, Secrets, and Stories. I'm your host, John Wondolowski, and I'm here with my co-host and friend Greg Powell. Greg? Hey everybody. And when we put together this podcast, we wanted to put out a helping hand and help that next generation and help answer the question of what does it mean to be a leader? Today we want to talk about a subject that I think supports that concept. So when you hear the words culture is what you do, not what you say, I think those are wonderful words to talk about in terms of the subject for today's podcast. Culture. And it isn't just a buzzword. It's the difference between a job that you endure and a job that you thrive in. Whether you're an executive or an hourly worker, a seasonal employee, or an intern, culture shapes the experience of your work. It can harm or enhance the time that you spend earning an income. But here's my point it's not just about a paycheck. Culture defines your approach, your appreciation of the assignment, and ultimately your connection to the organization. Today I'd like to talk about leadership as a critical element of shaping what you can do for an organization's culture. Because that's the idea of leadership. You're taking that time to be engaged in being part of the process. But before we dive into the leadership, let's broaden the lens a little bit. Culture isn't just about something that executives and managers do, it affects everyone in the organization, from the hourly workers to seasonal staff, interns, and part-time employees. For many people, the work is about earning a paycheck. But the culture determines whether that paycheck comes with pride, respect, growth, and if it feels just like it's a transaction. The culture of an organization can either enhance the time you spend making an income or harm it. It influences how you approach your assignments, how you appreciate you feel in terms of that role, and ultimately how you connect on your mission with the company. In some organizations, there is no real culture at all. Work becomes a mechanical function, focusing only on input, output, and profit. But if an organization is going to grow, it needs to have an identity. Not just in terms of what's good in terms of achieving something in a marketplace, but more importantly in society. It's the identity that makes people feel part of something bigger than themselves. Culture reinforces values, builds trust, and employ I'm sorry, empowers employees to share on the benefits and the practices of a good organization. Now here's the key point. By investing in all levels of leadership, not just the executives, but for the supervisors, the team leads, even peer mentors, companies can cultivate a culture of growth, accountability, and adaptability. Greg, what else does this whole concept of culture mean to you?
SPEAKER_01:So, John, that raises an important question. How do we create an environment where leadership develops and understanding of the culture, what we also call the tone of the organization? I've been involved in organizations that had very specific, well-developed descriptions of the culture in which they operated. You know, things like tone, trust, accountability all make sense. But there's much more to the equation. And if you think about expanding on the word culture, words like values, principles, customers, providing a foundation, all that comes to play when you're trying to describe the culture you want to have. Sean? Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:And one element that isn't really clear is the definition of empowering employees. And we've all heard and talked about empowerment, but sometimes it's nothing more than buzzwords. That means that we communicate to people or it's a people-run organization. In reality, many companies don't have a real program that supports empowerment when you just push them to give an example of how it's been applied.
SPEAKER_01:So let's dig into that a little bit. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of empowering employees in an organization is that having an actual demonstration of coaching and mentoring mentality every day, not once a quarter, not twice a year, but every day.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, an actual example. Ownership of their work, you know, the employees showing that their contributions to the culture can demonstrate and improve that environment. And they have documented examples of where they have a coaching program and a mentoring program that's developed, that's actually used as an employment tool. And it that creates a real application of empowerment.
SPEAKER_01:So, John, I have an example. I was working for this multi-billion dollar retailer, and I was promoted to vice president. And I was promoted to vice president by an executive vice president who ran the business that I supported. And I remember one day he said to me, Greg, I'm promoting you to vice president. And I was smiling and happy and said, But you're not a vice president yet. And I kind of took back a step and said, wait a minute. Um, that executive was telling me that there's skill sets I've got to learn, requirements I've got to demonstrate to be a VP. It wasn't a formal mentoring program, but it was still an environment where they wanted me to understand the culture through experience. And John and I talked about before, just getting the title didn't make me an officer of the company. And I had the academic background, fortunate to have a master's degree as well. But being in that position was a completely different story, and I had to earn it.
SPEAKER_00:And if I remember that story, it wasn't connected by a short period of time. You had the promotion, you were in the job, you had the title, there was a group function, and he pulled you to the side and gave you that comment. That definitely had to give you the second thought about the promotability. But I think you know that was a very good example of you have to understand the culture. Am I missing that that key?
SPEAKER_01:That's exactly right, John. The culture and how mentoring and coaching extends beyond one conversation and over one meeting.
SPEAKER_00:And that's a great illustration. It also brings me to the next important element of developing culture, fostering that mindset that there's value and growth and adaptability on the path to continuous and continuous improvement. The performance and the results you achieve in your first year as vice president were totally different than what you achieved in your fifth year. Experience is the greatest teacher. An MBA can only reflect past events. It's those lessons that you make that are relevant to your industry that are really the elements of culture that you had to learn.
SPEAKER_01:You know, John, speaking of experience, I believe you also have an example of culture and values when a hostile takeover occurs and the mindset is completely opposite of what you were expected. Maybe you could expand on that story a bit.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, well, you know, it's such a dichotomy because it was the best culture I ever worked in, and it was the worst culture I ever worked in. I was working for a medical device company, and they had just gone through an organizational change. And unfortunately, there's this word called uh hostile takeover that I hadn't heard before. The real issue is that it meant in our first town hall meeting that we had with our new owners that their culture and their environment was more important than ours.
SPEAKER_01:So, John, I'm just imagining the folks sitting there in that room, that must have been very eye-opening. You had a discussion about culture in the first town hall meeting with the new owners. How the heck did that go?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it started off that they were talking to our teams about the advantages of our products. And our team was trying to talk about all the things that we're doing in terms of RD and how we can see this acquisition as being a great building block to make our two organizations even better. And after about five minutes, the new owners got pretty frustrated. There wasn't that exchange of excitement. Uh, one vice president finally stood up and said, Okay, let me make this clear. We purchased your company to close it. We are only interested in the concepts and products that we produce at our home office in Georgia. This meeting is to talk about closing the site, not expanding it. And with that, I think I'll close the meeting.
SPEAKER_01:And he left the room. So if that was a rather direct message about aligning strategies, and I assume it took the air out of the room, and the meeting probably ended pretty quickly.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, the mood went from being positive to being uh a tearful uh goodbye in a group setting. It was incredibly hard on everyone involved. And it was clear their strategy is that they were not going to pretend that there was another purpose of what they were trying to do. They were eliminating competition, not expanding. And they couldn't have handled it worse if they tried. I really believe that there was more to what that organization could have learned from us and could have just taken if they had a little bit of patience. But the Georgia team had their marching orders to close the site and minimize the expenses, and that's really what they came in to do. They weren't really looking into anything in Illinois at that point.
SPEAKER_01:So, John, if the acquiring company had come in with maybe a mindset to value the people and augment the organization, there could have been an effort to capture some of those really good components of the Illinois operation, including some really good people.
SPEAKER_00:Well, yeah. What's said is they were behind the scenes talking to people in sales and marketing and the RD staff to either take a transfer or have a short-term assignment in Georgia to expand their product lines. But this was a town hall meeting. And this is the whole thing about culture. And when the two cultures are not matched, they wanted to make sure that the hourly workers understood that in this transition it had to end. And the abruptness was basically to start that process of eliminating staff. Um so I understand the purpose, I understand the rudeness, but I really do believe there were obviously better ways to do it than what they picked.
SPEAKER_01:So, John, that's a really tough reality. So far, we've talked about mindset, we've talked about strategies, but I think the hardest part for most organizations is developing culture. How can we help our audience understand how to effectively build or develop the culture?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it's a great point. And I've worked for companies that have made token efforts to develop leaders and staff. But I find the organizations that truly invest in staff development is key to whether I want to work for that company. A strong company provides fundamental training for all their employees, focusing on self-leadership and building programs that are not only for executives, but for mid-level and entry-level positions. And that was the experience that I had at Johnson Johnson. And they did a wonderful job of describing courses for different levels of management, the training programs that are involved, and that was their cornerstone of developing staff for the organization.
SPEAKER_01:And so that's the critical piece. Any training program has to be grounded in real applications. Also, it must move beyond theory and bring it into real-world coaching and cause and effect experiences to make that program work. They also have to have communication, a communication plan that goes along with that training. John?
SPEAKER_00:Excellent point. And not an obvious one. Leadership at Johnson Johnson was truly an investment in training, as the corporations viewed it. It was strategic to their growth. The company was founded by General Johnson, who had a military background. He understood the importance of developing soldiers to take on responsibility and promoting those who excelled. He brought that to a business approach. Johnson built an organization because of how he saw injured soldiers that were being treated. At the time, bandages were crude and often led to infection. He developed bandages to protect the wounded, and a culture of care permeated the organization. And it developed new products at the same time, aligning with the mission.
SPEAKER_01:So, you know, John, in your book, Building Your Leadership Toolbox, you talked about the leadership requirements that are highlighted during the first week on the job. They were based on the Army's cadet leadership guidelines. And what's really interesting is that the list that you were given at JJ had three parts. One, lead by example. Two, lead others. And three, extend influence beyond the chain of command. But the next line was even more striking. If you couldn't demonstrate those first three examples of leaderships, you wouldn't make it past that 90-day review.
SPEAKER_00:Exactly. And if you want to take that moment in time that it really does clearly define culture, it's the first meeting with a new manager, and it was eye-opening. What he was saying was intentional, and it was meant to set me back, to remind me that leadership wasn't guaranteed. I was on probation, and I had to prove that I understood those three core elements in my job.
SPEAKER_01:You know, John, as you wrote in your book, there were additional requirements your boss expected you to demonstrate in order to be promoted at Johnson Johnson.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and I think that was probably the most important part. It was an extensive list. First was communication, second was develop oneself, third was creating a positive environment. Fourth was develop others, and fifth was to get results. And if you look closely, these are the element foundations of any leadership model. It starts with communication, developing oneself, creating a positive environment, developing others and getting results. If you look closely, these are the elements from a foundation of any leadership model. Even in the military context in which it was actually developed, creating a positive environment is one of the key requirements. And perhaps the most telling for any organization is the last one. Get results. If you do not understand why you're there, you can't achieve the results. You'll just be pushing the concepts from your predecessor without engaging on the purpose or the outcome of your work.
SPEAKER_01:So, John, from my experience, it seems like having an organization that represents something that you can take pride in is an important element for employment, you know, hiring good talent. I can see how you value what General Johnson created, really helping wounded soldiers. It was a social and personal connection to help others the company was actually founded on. But what if you're working for an organization that doesn't have the that kind of moral compass? How do you find that kind of connection? Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Not all jobs meet that kind of cultural statement. Sometimes culture and the sense of developing others is more task-oriented.
SPEAKER_01:So task-oriented, you have to let me know how that connects to culture.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, okay, sure. Um, an example would be tradesmen's position. Imagine hiring people to go on the electrical highwire uh conduit systems and work on their transformers. These individuals spend their career in that trade. The culture is not only about the task itself, but about the safety requirements that come with that kind of job. It's a culture of bringing power to the community and building partnerships and trust to handle those high-risk, high voltage applications where you're working with your teammates and you develop that culture of being together to do the task. There's a pride of doing the job well. And it's a culture that is different from management. It's about infrastructure and safety and trust.
SPEAKER_01:Now, John, from my experience, that's a really strong example. And when I think about human resources, that perspective, culture also plays a role in the people that you hire, right? It's not just about skills and experience and talent. It's a little bit more than that. So when I used to hire people in accounting, finance, marketing, energy management, we look for individuals with pride in their work and commitment to the organization. Because that's how we saw our culture. We wanted people who could show that they did their jobs correctly, on time, and with some level of pride. Sometimes we used to call signature service. Sometimes we gave entry-level candidates from unrelated fields like maybe even fast food. We gave them a chance because they had qualities, they had traits that we thought were transferable into our industry. But they had to prove themselves quickly. Other times we set those resumes aside and moved on.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. So the consequences of not being able to do the task. Um, and just that's where that career development, you need to find a job that works with your talents and your interests. Yeah, that's all part of that process. And the key for leadership is to develop a culture that they want to be in. More importantly, leaders must know when the culture that they're promoting and the individual who are aligned with it and enhance it.
SPEAKER_01:Uh, do you see what I mean? I do. That's why some of the best hires come from competitors. They didn't take as long to ramp them up. They already stood the culture and what we did. But you also have to ask why they're leaving their previous employer. Sometimes the grass isn't greener on the other side. It can actually be full of landmines.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Yeah. I've lived that lesson. And I've had jobs uh where I thought the grass was greener on the other side, but it wasn't. And it that was exactly the point of this podcast. You have to know the culture that you're working in before you can evaluate your organization and how it compares to others. Whether it's something that you've noticed on your first day or something that you realized during layoffs, culture is the most important quality of a work environment.
SPEAKER_01:So, John, we've talked a lot about how culture is built inside an organization through leadership, through mentoring, and through accountability. But culture isn't just internal. Organizations also define and promote their culture to the outside world. And there's several ways they can do this through their mission and vision statements, their branding and storytelling, the way employees talk about the workplace, and even when they're working in the community. These signals shape how customers, partners, and potential employees perceive their company.
SPEAKER_00:When I look at an organization's external presence, whether it's through their website or their recruiting message or their social media, what is the most important clue that will tell you what it is in terms of culture? The first clue I look for is consistency. Does the organization's mission statement actually align with how they operate? For example, if a company says that it values innovation, then you should see it reflected in their products, in their employees' stories, or even in the community involvement. Another clue is employee advocacy. When employees speak positively about their workplace on LinkedIn, on Glassdoor, on even casual conversations, it's also the most authentic signal of culture.
SPEAKER_01:You know, and community engagement, John, plays a huge role, right? Sponsorships, volunteer programs, partnerships shows how a company's culture extends beyond its working walls. It's one thing you have to say that you value people, but it's another thing to demonstrate it through actions and pictures and donations and volunteer time.
SPEAKER_00:Exactly. Yeah. And culture is lived. It's not just a statement. Organizations that thrive are the ones that promote their culture externally in ways that are authentic and consistent. They don't put the values on the wall. They show those values and how they treat their employees, their customer, and their community.
SPEAKER_01:You know, so for anyone considering a new job or a partnership, it's important to examine not just what a company says about its culture, but how it demonstrates that culture to the outside world. That's where you're going to find the truth.
SPEAKER_00:And that brings us full circle. So culture isn't just a slogan, it's a set of values that are on the wall, but it's lived through leadership, empowerment, and results. When you're considering a new job or a partner, don't just look at the paycheck or at the title. Examine the culture. Ask yourself: does this organization, in terms of their identity, align with my values, my growth, my pride in what I do as far as my job? Organizations define and promote their culture not only on markings and sayings that you can find on the walls as you walk the halls, but to the outside world through mission statements, branding, employees' voices, community engagement, all those things build that background that you're looking for. And they challenge us as leaders to go beyond slogans to see whether there are real signals of what we do matches in reality. Because at the end of the day, culture isn't just about what the company says, it's what the company does. And that's what makes the difference in the workplace. So if you like what you've heard, I've written a book called Building Your Leadership Toolbox, and we talk about tools like this. And it's available on Amazon and Barnes and Nouvel and other sites. The podcast is what you've been listening to. Thank you so much. It's also available on Apple, Google, and Spotify. A lot of what we talk about is from Dr. Durst in his MBR program. If you'd like to know more about Dr. Durst, you can find out on SuccessGrowthAcademy.com. And if you'd like to contact us, please send me a line. It's Wando75 periodjw at gmail.com. And the music has been brought to you by my grandson. So we want to hear from you. Drop me a line. Tell me what's going on, what you like, and what you would like to hear about. It has always helped us to create content. Thanks, Greg. This was fun.
SPEAKER_01:Thanks, John. As always. Next time.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.