In the latest episode of the Agile State of Mind Podcast, I sat down with leadership coach, delivery consultant, and The Delivery Space podcast host, Nisha Joshi to discuss one of the most overlooked but critical aspects of leadership—culture.
Our conversation shed light on how cultural misalignment slows organizations down and how leaders can actively shape a culture that supports business goals and employee engagement.
Key takeaways 🎯
Cultural misalignment slows down progress. It ‘whispers before it shouts’.
Try stay interviews to address quiet quitting as opposed to exit interviews.
Creating sociability fosters open communication.
Psychological safety is crucial for team collaboration.
Workshops can empower teams to drive cultural change.
Leadership involvement is key to cultural initiatives.
Cultural change should be driven by the people, not just management.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Culture and Leadership
03:50 Cultural Misalignment and Its Impact
06:48 Global Collaboration and Communication Challenges
09:32 Hands-On Leadership Coaching in FinTech
12:20 The Role of Psychological Safety
15:14 Cultural Transformation: Real vs. Artificial
18:09 Identifying Whispers of Cultural Issues
23:10 Navigating Communication Silos
26:32 The Impact of Layoffs on Employee Mindset
28:26 Addressing Quiet Quitting & The Power of Stay Interviews
38:20 Empowering Change Through Internal Initiatives
Culture: The Invisible Force Driving Success or Failure
Nisha argues that leaders often underestimate the role culture plays in performance.
Misalignment manifests in:
disengaged teams,
inconsistent collaboration,
high attrition rates,
and strategies that fail to stick.
When teams hit cultural roadblocks, it’s not just about ineffective processes—it’s about how people work together, communicate, and feel valued. (Didn’t I say repeatedly how important is collaboration?)
One of the key challenges in today’s globalized workforce is alignment. Many professionals work across multiple geographies and cultures, yet leaders assume that saying the right words in meetings equates to alignment.
Nisha highlighted that true alignment requires more than just shared terminology—it demands deep connection, mutual understanding, and a space for real conversations.
They allow people to interact in a different context, breaking down barriers and fostering deeper understanding. By seeing colleagues through a different lens, teams can build trust and connection beyond work-related discussions.
Listening to the Whispers Before They Become Shouts
“Cultural misalignment whispers before it shouts.”
Nisha Joshi
Subscribe to my newsletter for more posts about collaboration and glue roles and how to thrive in today’s organizations.
Listen to this episode with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Agile State of Mind to listen to this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.
