20: Culture Is a Leadership Practice: How Kristen Fox Creates Teams Where People Thrive
Leaders are essential to shaping culture. And it takes more than just putting company values on the wall or implementing a new program.
Think of all the great or not-so-great leaders you’ve worked with in your life. We have the capacity to set the tone for our teams and our organizations in the decisions we make and how we show up, day in and day out.
My guest today knows first-hand the impact that leaders have on everyday culture, even in very large, complex organizations. She’s witnessed how a leader can help or hinder their team’s ability to thrive and unlock their full potential, and shares her invaluable perspective on how we shape culture through our daily actions.
Kristen Fox is a senior human resources executive with more than 25 years of experience helping organizations navigate growth, transformation, and cultural change. Her career has spanned healthcare, higher education, and some of the world’s largest and most complex operations.
Across her career, Kristen has been passionate about the role leaders play in shaping culture –– not through slogans or programs, but through the everyday decisions, behaviors, and expectations that define how work actually gets done. Her recent transition from Amazon back to healthcare and into higher education in her role at the University of Washington Medicine brings a fresh perspective on how culture translates across very different organizations and environments.
What You’ll Learn:
How moving from “expert” to curious leader can unlock the talent around you
Practical ways to build trust so people feel safe giving honest feedback
The powerful lesson Kristen learned from her rowing coach about putting people in the right “seat”
How to create psychological safety by meeting your team where they are
Why leaders can save time by involving the people who created an outcome in solving the problem
How to discern between issues with performance, fit, or a lack of the right supports