Cultural Transformation: Creating More of What We Want

My First Cup of Coffee

I started drinking coffee when I was five years old. I come from a big coffee family—my parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents all drank coffee from morning till night. It was a staple in our home, a ritual that brought people together. Before I had my own cup, I used to sneak little sips from the adults’ mugs, intrigued by the taste and the way they each prepared it differently.

One day, my father noticed my curiosity and offered me my own cup. I was thrilled. He poured the coffee into a small mug and then paused, looking at me with expectation.

"Now, what are you going to do?" he asked.

At that moment, I realized I had no idea how to prepare my coffee. I had seen my family drink it a hundred times, but I had never stopped to think about how I would make mine. I looked at my father, confused, and asked for guidance.

"You make your coffee like you," he said. "Look at your mother’s—light, creamy, just a little sugar." My mother is white, with blond hair and blue eyes. Sweet, but by no means jovial or overly affectionate.

Then, he said, “Look at mine—black like me and sweet,” giving my mother a little wink. “Now, make yours.”

I held out my hand as a color guide and then began to pour milk. I poured just enough to turn the coffee the same color as my skin—caramel brown. Then I added sugar, one teaspoon—more than my mother’s but less than my father’s preferred amount.

That moment stuck with me—not just because it was my first time preparing coffee, but because it was my first lesson in identity, intentionality, and choice. My father wasn’t just teaching me how to prepare a cup of coffee; he was teaching me to think about myself in relation to others.

What are my preferences? How are they different from those around me? And in what ways do we operate as a group despite those individual differences?

“This is how we make coffee.”

Years later, I see how that lesson extends beyond coffee—it applies to leadership, culture, and the way we shape our organizations. Culture isn’t something we inherit or stumble into. It’s something we create. And just like that first cup of coffee, it requires intention, awareness, and the courage to make it ours.

Curiosity and Cultural Transformation

That early curiosity about people—how they work, what drives them, how they navigate change—became the foundation of my life’s work. I have spent my career sitting with people in moments of learning and crisis, strategizing about how to move forward.

I was there after the Columbine High School shooting, sitting with students as they struggled to comprehend how their world had been forever changed. I have worked with—and mostly learned from—Indigenous communities, women in Saudi Arabia, and leaders across Africa, witnessing and reflecting on cultural transformation. 

Across every experience, one truth emerges: culture is dynamic. Even in the midst of painful clashes, it can emerge healthy and whole—with grace. But it does not transform on its own. It requires leadership—at every level—from individuals willing to take ownership of the spaces they influence.

Organizations, like societies, will change whether we guide them or not. The question is whether we will shape those changes intentionally or simply react to them.

The Role of Leaders in Culture Change

Many leaders understand the importance of workplace culture. We see the research—engaged employees drive 23% higher profitability, while disengagement costs the global economy $8.8 trillion annually. But numbers alone don’t build culture.

Culture is built in the small, everyday moments:

• It’s in how we respond when someone brings forward a new idea.
• It’s in who gets recognized and rewarded for their contributions.
• It’s in the silent messages we send about what is truly valued in our organizations.

Culture isn’t just what we say—it’s what we do. It’s what we allow. It’s how we treat people when no one is watching.

The challenge is that culture will evolve either by design or by default. If we don’t actively shape it, external events, pressures, or unspoken norms will do it for us. Leaders who want to create healthy, thriving workplaces must be intentional in how they guide cultural transformation.

The most impactful leaders don’t just react to culture—they shape it. They make choices about the environment they want to create, the behaviors they want to reinforce, and the values they want to embed in everyday interactions.

There is no shortage of impactful leaders. But are they impacting us in ways that make us more whole, more human, and more sustainable?

What kind of impact do you want to make?

Just like with coffee, the kind of impactful leaders I yearn for are those who craft culture with intention, refining it to reflect who they are and who they aspire to be.

The Culture You Create

Let’s go back to that first cup of coffee. My father didn’t tell me how to make my coffee. He encouraged me to think about what I wanted, to observe and learn from those around me, and then to make my own choice.

Leadership is the same. It isn’t about following a prescribed formula for culture. It’s about being intentional, learning from others, and shaping something that reflects your values and vision.

What kind of culture are you shaping?

Are you reacting based on fear, outdated mental models that limit what’s possible, or self-defense mechanisms? Or are you calling upon the possibility-filled voice inside of you—perhaps buried after years of real-world wear and tear—to surface and bring forward new optimism, curiosity, courage, and generosity?

This work isn’t easy. But allowing inevitable cultural change to be guided by forces misaligned with our values is a far worse fate.

It is worth it—because a healthy, intentional culture is the foundation of every thriving organization and of our own restful souls.

For those of you who are committed to this work—to investing in your people, your teams, and the process of becoming your next best selves—know that you are not alone. This is the journey of leadership, and it is one we take together.

Let’s make it count. ☕✨