The 2020 List of Top 10 Episodes on The Culture Design Show

• December 31, 2020

 

In 2020, I was thrilled to launch my new podcast, The Culture Design Show. As I reflect on the amazing conversations that I had with my guests, I wanted to share with you the Top 10 Most Downloaded Episodes of 2020. While we have some time over the holidays, I hope that you will take a listen.

10 – Episode 012: Deconstructing Discontent and Designing Communities with Hugh Weber

Hugh Weber is the Managing Director at The Great Discontent and Design Observer, both of which are collaborative platforms dedicated to inspiring timely and relevant conversations from the perspective of artists and other creative changemakers. This is done through various forms of media, including digital and printed pieces, film-based projects, podcasts, and live events.

In this episode, his hopes for the future in this episode of the Culture Design Show where they talk about the impact of COVID-19 on the design industry, the indispensable role of the artist in society, the power of network effects, and why your children could be your secret weapon toward creative breakthroughs. Stay tuned.

9 – Episode 026 : Cultivating Culture by Magnifying the People Experience with Deborah Hankin

Deborah Hankin is an industry-leading, award-winning Chief People Officer with a demonstrated history of working globally in the innovation consulting, marketing, and advertising industries. One could describe Deborah’s work over the years as being an intersection of culture and design. She has held key leadership positions in some of the world’s top creative firms, including W2O Group, SYPartners, and Geometry Global.

In this episode, Deborah discusses how you can become a more effective leader by creating a stronger, symbiotic relationship with your people.

8 – Episode 019 : The Importance of Organizational Culture to Attract and Retain Employees with Diane Domeyer

Diane Domeyer is the Executive Director for The Creative Group, a Robert Half company. Viewing her career as a journey rather than a path, she pinpoints three big opportunities that led her to her role today. The first was the opportunity to join the company when it was only a startup. The second was the opportunity to spearhead digital efforts as the internet quickly rose to prominence. The third was the opportunity was to tackle her present role as Executive Director.

In this episode, Diane discusses why she believes that optimizing organizational culture should be one of any company’s top priorities. She covers topics such as the antiquated concept of the “career path,” tips for effectively conveying corporate culture to prospective job seekers, things to consider when trying to retain employees at creative companies, and what lessons to take away from the current remote working environment.

7 – Episode 031 : Cultivating Workplace Culture That Adapts and Grows with Robert Glazer

Robert Glazer is a serial entrepreneur. He is the Founder and CEO of Acceleration Partners and the Co-Founder and Chairman of Brandcycle. He is also a columnist for Entrepreneur, Forbes, Thrive Global and Inc., and author of the bestselling book Performance Partnerships (2017). Robert speaks to companies and organizations worldwide on topics related to business growth, culture, capacity-building, and performance.

In this episode, Robert Glazer discusses how leaders can cultivate an authentic culture in the workplace and own the values that serve as its foundation.

6 – Episode 022 : Using Grief as a Launching Pad to a Brighter Future with Maria Giudice & Diana Chaparro-Clark

Maria Giudice is the founder and CEO at Hot Studio, “a leading experience design company … dedicated to creating elegant solutions for complex design challenges.” She is a highly sought-after speaker and consultant for creative leadership. Maria is also the author of three design books, including Rise of the DEO: Leadership by Design (2013), which has been translated into several languages.

Diana Chaparro-Clark is a licensed marriage and family therapist, working with children, adolescents, and adults at Hope Culture Counseling. She helps her clients overcome grief, including the grief that often accompanies life and career transitions. She feels most fulfilled when helping families of varying situations, including blended families, navigate crises.

In this episode, Maria and Diana discuss how to deal with making big transitions in one’s life and career—a topic more relevant than ever in the midst of often overwhelming uncertainties during the COVID-19 pandemic.

5 – Episode 013 : Using Design Thinking to Elevate the Employee Experience with Pierre Delinois

Pierre Delinois is the Senior Manager for HR Product Development at Asurion, where he applies “principles of human-centered design and product management to make work delightful for our 18,000+ employees.” A self-proclaimed generalist, Pierre has been engaged in different disciplines—from advertising to IT to talent management—leading up to his current position at Asurion. All of these experiences brought him “to this intersection of realizing what design was, and the role that it can play in shaping and creating a culture where employees can really thrive.”

In this episode, Pierre discusses what it means to be a leader and changemaker in the modern design space. They cover topics such as building a cohesive team culture, conducting a design sprint, consulting on versus facilitating projects, integrating design thinking into your process along with other organizational approaches, and how design thinking can reshape the employee experience during COVID-19 when most people are working from home.

4 – Episode 008 : The New State of Architecture with Jane Frederick

Jane Frederick is the 2020 President of The American Institute of Architects (AIA). Her current role is the culmination of her decades of leadership in the profession of architecture at both the AIA and as Principal Architect at her firm, Frederick + Frederick Architects.

In this episode, Jane shares the top issues that the profession of architecture faces, such as climate change, and how it parallels the current pandemic condition of COVID-19. She also describes the resources developed and task forces formed in response to this history-shifting time period.

3 – Episode 018 : Fostering a Sense of Belonging Among Employees with Mark Levy

Mark Levy is a keynote speaker and employee experience advisor for several companies, including John Hardy, Boom Supersonic, Josh Bersin Academy, and Peloton Interactive. He is known for being a “pioneer of Airbnb’s Employee Experience function, which supports the entire employee journey from recruiting through alumni and everything in between.” His work created a ripple effect that has “created significant changes in the way organizations globally are looking at expanding the HR function to focus on the entire employee journey.”

In this episode, Mark discusses what it means to create belonging among your employees. They define what “employee experience” actually means and cover best practices for making the switch from traditional HR to human-centered design.

2 – Episode 032 : Developing a Culture Worth Staying For with Cindy N. Gordon

Cindy Gordon is an advisor at LifeLabs Learning and PeopleTech Partners and a mentor at First Round Capital. She also owns her own wardrobe consulting business. In today’s episode, she discusses various lessons learned during her time as the Manager of Professional Development at McKinsey & Company, then as Head of People at Oscar Insurance, and most recently as Chief People Officer at Policygenius.

In this episode, Cindy discusses the importance of knowing your people before conducting performance reviews, addressing systemic cultural debt, staying true to your organization’s values, and understanding the different priorities of startups and larger companies.

1 – Episode 015 : Fostering Organizational Resilience Amid a Crisis with Bennie Johnson

Bennie Johnson is the Executive Director at AIGA Design. Having taken the role in January 2020, Bennie quickly found himself having to rise to the unforeseen challenge of leading an organization during a time of isolation. Bennie stays unfazed and determined to carry out his responsibilities during these trying times. He attributes this confidence to his lifelong proclivity for entrepreneurship, nurturing relationships, and inspiring teams and communities of all sorts.

In this episode, listen in and learn how Bennie, almost 100 days into his new role, is working to inspire resilience in the midst of a rapidly changing world, driven by an unforeseen crisis, in 2020.

I would love to hear which of these is your favorite episode. There may more guests coming our way. Let me know if there are guests that you would love to hear from regarding the topics of organizational culture, organizational design, and change. Happy New Year!

 

Steve Chaparro is an organizational culture expert and communicator who speaks worldwide about how companies can transform their workplace culture through intentional co-creation and communication.

He is founder and principal at Culture Design Studio, an organizational design agency based in Long Beach, CA. He previously served as VP of Strategic Design overseeing strategy, story, and business development at Visioneering Studios, a national design-build firm. To contact Steve, email him at steve@stevechaparro.co.