Episode 30: “Bring Your Own Culture” and Creating Psychological Safety

Guest Bio

Who says that this should be about me? Call me a rebel, but I’d much rather start with YOU: the person who has set out to cultivate a thriving culture at your company.

If you are a culture leader in an organization that scales, I’m sure people in your org are familiar with the magic behind creating something successful from scratch. Everyone is on one accord and pulling together to achieve shared goals; it’s electric!

But once your company starts growing, the “magic” ingredient that made success possible gets diluted fast and loses its power.

The good news is that it’s possible to keep the magic alive.

You can maintain, evolve, and amplify the essence that propelled your company to greatness. You can turn it into an authentic, stand-out company culture that scales, drives engagement, and meaningful impact.

Your company culture should be the grease that helps you roll at top speed.

But is it?

I’ve been helping companies around the globe to get to a “yes” to this very question for 20+ years and would love to see how I can support you on your journey of scaling and evolving your business and your culture.

Ok, if you still want to know, here’s a bit about me:

I’m a wife and a dog mum to an adorable french bulldog, Ollie.

My husband is Greek, and we’ve just moved back to Greece after spending more than a decade in Italy, which was amazing because I could live exclusively on good coffee, wine, and gelato.

My BIG passion? People – especially those who dream big, live bold, and try to work smarter and lighter…with less friction, burnout, and drama with more fulfilment, meaning and joy.

I am the founder of CultureBrained®, an expert on organizational culture, and a coach who helps clients to 10x their chances of bringing the right company culture to life.

I have supported numerous companies in creating and operationalizing their Culture Playbook. We strengthened and evolved their culture by cultivating an environment where the right culture emerges naturally. Not by accident. By choice!

I co-authored “Building and Sustaining a Coaching Culture” – a guide on how to create an environment where people support each other, practice coaching, grow and develop every single day. Currently, I’m working on my second book, so watch this space!

I’m also the creator and host of the CultureLab Podcast – the only podcast that makes you want to start working on your culture asap!

Recap & Takeaways

• [00:12 – 04:35] Meet Aga Bajer, growing up behind the Iron Curtain and starting an ice cream factory
• [05:24 – 07:38] Good culture, leadership, and creative problem solving
• [07:45 – 12:01] BYOC (Bring Your Own Culture)
• [12:03 – 14:20] Contagious energy and informal influencers
• [14:20 – 17:29] Thinking about a DIY approach leveraging networks within their business
• [17:30 – 18:45] Nomination, and winning a golden ticket
• [18:45 – 25:24] Psychological safety in the process of changing plans, engaging with perceived failures and expectations
• [25:45 – 28:30] What psychological safety is, and the idea of “career limiting moves”
• [28:33 – 30:40] What psychological safety actually is includes uncomfortable conversations
• [30:41 – 32:22] Hacks for creating psychological safety
• [32:24 – 38:44] A vision for working differently together in the future
• [38:44 – 40:56] Attracting, retaining good talent is critical to embracing virtual and hybrid work
• [40:57 – 43:15] How many tribes you have in your life
• [43:17 – 45:26] Amy Edmondson, the mother of psychological safety
• [45:41 – 47:02] Create these workplaces for future generations