Agency, the culture secret
The results achieved through the workshops that I run are often pretty spectacular. That sounds like the worst humblebrag in history… but the reality is, I don’t do the real work needed to bring about the changes. The gains achieved are a result of the hard work that team members do when they leave the room, not a result of what happens in the room.
And the secret sauce of these workshops is agency.
When employees are given the opportunity to define their own working conditions — how they connect, behave, work together and be creative — they gain not only a sense of pride in what they’ve built, but also a determination to uphold it.
This autonomy generates belonging and drives engagement, productivity, innovation and wellbeing. Organisations and teams that empower their workforce see higher retention, customer satisfaction and a greater certainty over result achievement.
Giving employees agency over their culture isn't just good practice — it's a competitive advantage that transforms outcomes and builds employee experiences worth shouting about.
The question then becomes, do leaders have the courage to relinquish control over the culture and become role models for it instead?