Dear Culturati Insider,
When was the last time you thought about your left and right brain? Culturati Scholar, Rajkumari Neogy, explains that leaders who harmonize left-brain logic with right-brain empathy create cultures where feedback is welcomed, toxicity declines, and collaboration flourishes. This balance harnesses friction to drive growth, build trust, and equip teams to adapt.
With only 36% of employees feeling engaged (Gallup), connection is essential across in-person, remote, and hybrid settings. Here, "referent power"—influence based on trust, not hierarchy—can drive real engagement. Leaders who make space for genuine connection fuel motivation, strengthen team dynamics, and convert engagement into measurable gains.
Empathy amplifies this effect. Research shows that empathetic cultures improve retention, motivation, and mental health. Leaders who prioritize empathy reduce stigma and foster psychological safety, creating workplaces where people are empowered to bring their best. To further cultivate collaboration, we can anchor teams with shared goals, inclusive language, and fair resource distribution. These strategies break down silos, drive innovation, and enhance performance across diverse work models.
Lastly, as we know, our own well-being directly impacts our teams. Creative practices like movement or visual arts can deepen our emotional intelligence and self-awareness, helping to inspire innovation and authentic connection within our organizations.
In support of whole-brain leadership,
Myste Wylde, COO
How to Use Both Sides of Your Brain to Achieve Balance and Success
Fast Company By Rajkumari Neogy
Summary: Rebuilding organization-wide trust and achieving lasting productivity requires leaders to prioritize a balanced engagement of both brain hemispheres. The left hemisphere provides logic, structure, and strategic clarity, while the right fosters empathy, trust-building, and relational insight. When the left dominates, leaders may become rigid, struggle to receive feedback, and face friction across the organization. Conversely, a right-only focus may result in visionary goals without practical execution. Leaders who harmonize both hemispheres reduce toxicity, increase motivation, and empower teams to adapt and thrive. This cognitive balance enables leaders to tackle conflicts constructively, foster inclusive policies, and guide problem-solving collaboratively. To cultivate this harmony, leaders should practice self-reflection, process emotions mindfully, and engage in feedback with curiosity, not blame—creating an environment where collaboration flourishes, boundaries are respected, and connection propels the organization forward. |
Building Human Connection in a Remote World
MIT Sloan Management Review By Jordan Birnbaum
Summary: With diverse work environments spanning in-person, remote, and hybrid models, building human connection remains essential to employee engagement—a critical driver of productivity, retention, and innovation. However, only 36% of employees report feeling engaged, despite major investments (Gallup). Leaders can close this gap by using "referent power," a relational influence based on trust and shared interests, which is distinct from "positional power," the authority tied to hierarchy. Unlike positional power, referent power can be cultivated by anyone and drives intrinsic motivation. To foster connection, leaders can personalize their Zoom backgrounds, reserve the first five minutes of meetings for informal connection, respond promptly to digital communications, and initiate group events like “lunch-and-learns.” These strategies, designed to strengthen team dynamics, encourage collaboration, and boost morale, are essential for high performance across all work settings, transforming engagement into measurable gains in productivity and profitability. |
The ROI Of Empathy: Improving Business Results And Workplace Culture
Forbes By Alain Hunkins
Summary: Empathy is a powerful yet often overlooked tool that drives business performance and a resilient workplace culture. Businessolver’s 2024 State of Workplace Empathy report highlights that empathetic organizations enjoy higher job satisfaction, motivation, productivity, and improved culture. However, 42% of employees and 63% of CEOs struggle with practicing empathy, citing barriers like time constraints, cultural norms, or fear of appearing weak. With mental health challenges on the rise—55% of CEOs and 65% of Gen Z workers reported mental health issues last year—empathy is essential. Empathetic workplaces reduce mental health stigma, foster psychological safety, and improve retention, with 52% of employees surveyed willing to accept lower pay for a supportive environment. By addressing mental health openly and reinforcing accountability, leaders can build an empathetic culture where employees thrive, ultimately creating a strong, sustainable high-performing organization. |
4 Research-Backed Ways to Help Your Team Collaborate Better
Harvard Business Review By Jay Van Bavel and Laura Kriska
Summary: In today’s diverse and hybrid workplaces, leaders can foster collaboration and boost team performance with four research-backed strategies: First, emphasize superordinate goals—clear, shared objectives that bridge silos and promote unity across departments, proven to increase cooperation and performance. Second, use inclusive language; studies show that teams perform better when leaders model “we” language over “us vs. them” terms. Third, ensure fair resource allocation and consider collective incentives like profit-sharing, as they’re linked to higher morale and productivity. Finally, cultivate a feedback-friendly culture that values constructive criticism, creating psychological safety that drives learning and innovation. These practices can transform team dynamics, drive engagement, and deliver measurable results in performance, retention, and profitability. |
How to Create a Positive Work Environment As a Leader
Entrepreneur By Sam Rockwell
Summary: A leader’s well-being directly impacts team dynamics and performance. Dr. Michelle Williams' research on "Expressive Arts" highlights the powerful role of creative activities—like movement, visual arts, and writing—in developing emotional intelligence and fostering positive team environments. Leaders who engage in regular creative practices gain self-awareness, emotional balance, and improved decision-making skills, all foundational for authentic and transformative leadership. Through consistent creative sessions, teams can deepen trust, collaboration, and innovation, translating personal growth into organizational success. Leaders who model creativity and vulnerability inspire these qualities in their teams, strengthening cohesion and driving higher performance and productivity. Embracing Expressive Arts as a leadership tool not only enhances individual well-being but cultivates a resilient, motivated team environment poised for success. |
In a world of constant change and mounting demands, how can leaders transform adversity into an advantage that fosters resilience, productivity, and well-being?
Limited resources and increasing demands have left leaders, teams, and organizations grappling with balancing performance and productivity with health and well-being. Learning to thrive in this environment has become more than a necessary skill – it is a superpower.
The ability to embrace uncertainty, navigate ambiguity, and use adversity as a catalyst for growth are the new leadership currency and the fastest path to resilience. Resilient leaders create psychological safety, the number one determinant of high-performing teams, and they have teams with higher productivity, engagement, and a greater sense of well-being as a result.
This session provides a road map to developing resilient leaders, teams, and organizations.
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LEADERSHIP AND CULTURE
C-SUITE
EMPLOYEES
A.I. AND TECHNOLOGY
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
INCLUSION, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, BELONGING
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