Culture By Design

How do we successfully shift workplace cultures away from being driven by toxicity and fear?

Reshaping company culture is never an overnight project. It requires an investment of time and resources and there is always a messy middle that leaders have to persevere through, even when it feels like team members are resisting change.

But the outcomes of committing to culture change are absolutely worth it, as today’s guest, Adam Roberts, President and CEO of Diversus Health, can attest. When Adam started in 2019 as CEO of Diversus, a community mental health care provider based in Colorado Springs, he recognized the impacts of a toxic culture–turnover was near 50%–and that it had to change.

In this conversation, you’ll hear us talk about the very practical upsides of investing in positive culture, navigating the messy middle of behavior change in organizations, and why defining company values is more than a corporate exercise.

Adam Roberts, has been the President and CEO of Diversus Health, a leading community mental health center in El Paso, Park, and Teller Counties since May 2019. Under his leadership, he rapidly shifted the organization to a telehealth model during the COVID-19 pandemic, transformed the organization's culture to be client-centric, and oversaw a comprehensive organizational rebrand from AspenPointe to Diversus Health. Previously, Roberts served as COO of Valley-Wide Health Systems, and as a senior staff member with the Veterans Health Administration health care system. Mr. Roberts is a Colorado native and enjoys spending time with his wife and two children and also enjoys trail running, golfing, wood carving, and competitive axe throwing at logger competitions.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How Adam realized that culture had to be a top priority in order for any strategic plans to succeed
• How introducing metrics to the clinical process with a solutions-oriented mindset has empowered teams and improved care
• How committing to their company values has implicitly and explicitly impacted day-to-day operations
• The challenges of invisible resistance to behavior change when shifting company culture
• The question leaders need to start with when something isn’t working

Learn More About Adam Roberts:

• Diversus Health
• Connect on LinkedIn

Learn More About Heather Smith:

• Talent Elevated

Most often, clients come to Talent Elevated when they haven’t been paying attention to their culture and have reached the point of needing a total overhaul.

So when founders come to us with an eye on proactively developing their company culture from the ground up, it’s an ideal scenario.

For my guest today, building culture into the roots of the company has yielded tremendous success in employee retention and satisfaction, even through the struggles of COVID and shifting to a remote workforce.

Stephanie Smith is the co-founder and former COO of Eolian, an energy investment and infrastructure company, who also happens to be my sister. In our conversation, she shares why she knew culture had to be a priority from the beginning; how Eolian took the leap and built a connected, collaborative remote workplace; and their unique approach to employee management and feedback.

Stephanie is a Senior Advisor to American Clean Power while she takes a career break to travel and recharge.  She is the co-founder and former Chief Operating Officer of Eolian, an innovative energy investor and energy storage company.  Prior to Eolian, she was an executive coach and the founder of Smith Strategic, as well as the COO of two other energy companies, Greencastle, and Sol Systems.

Outside of the office, Ms. Smith loves to sail, travel, host dinner parties, and mentor women in the energy sector.  She also serves on the board of Real Options for City Kids

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• Why prioritizing culture can be challenging for startups to mid-size companies, and why it’s as vital as your revenue plan
• The key factors that drove Eolian’s commitment to a remote workforce, and how they’ve structured a culture that supports collaboration and connection even with distance
• Why culture has to be an ongoing, dynamic project 
• How Eolian implemented conversation days to generate valuable, honest feedback between employees and management
• Why making people feel seen and that their work matters is a key piece of sustaining a supportive culture  

Learn More About Stephanie Smith:

• Connect on LinkedIn

Learn More About Heather Smith:

• Talent Elevated

Resources:

• The Alliance: Managing Talent in the Networked Age, Reid Hoffman, Ben Casnocha, Chris Yeh

At too many companies, employee culture just sort of happens—shaped by haphazard norms and one-off events that don't create lasting impact. But culture is too important to be left to chance.

Culture By Design is the podcast that makes employee culture a competitive advantage. As CEO of Talent Elevated, host Heather Smith helps leaders at small and mid-sized companies design intentional cultures that accelerate growth while enabling employees to thrive.

In this podcast, you'll learn why great company culture develops by design, not by accident, and how intentional culture becomes a strategic advantage in today's market.

Each episode features conversations with CEOs, leaders, and experts about practical strategies and real-world applications for proactively building culture—whether you're just beginning or need a complete overhaul.

Your business and your people deserve culture by design. 

Subscribe now and turn intentional employee culture into a leverage point for innovation, adaptation, and growth.