BASICS: Culture—Empowering Your Team and Right-Sizing Relationships

This episode focuses on C for Culture, starting with the challenging question: "Are you even the person who should be running your company?".

Culture defines who makes decisions. Dean describes a highly effective meeting where he served as a facilitator, providing zero data value but successfully guiding his team to the root problem, demonstrating that they are the experts. This trust allows him to literally push himself out of his own company.

A healthy culture must be opportunistic, not defensive. Dean shares a powerful turnaround of a toxic union shop (where management and staff hated each other). By asking the union leaders, "What can I do for you?" and prioritizing collaboration, Dean fixed the culture and achieved zero grievances.

We discuss the Cost of Bad Culture: 99% of owners would rather lose money than admit they are the problem. Leaders must be courageous enough to show vulnerability (like Dean admitting he was not emotionally stable), which builds essential safety and trust within the team.

Moving forward requires right-sizing relationship and results. If you are working in the business, you've created a job, not a company, and you are trapped.

Join us next time as we conclude the BASICS framework with Sustain—the ultimate goal.

Find the courage to transform your business and your leadership.

• Get the book that unlocks change: Trojan Horse: The Unseen Solution to Critical Business Problems.

• Get an outside perspective: DeanSvarc.com