The BetterCulture Podcast

In this episode of the BetterCulture Podcast, Brett Hoogeveen dives into the “6-Figure Rule”—the principle that those entrusted with significant authority and compensation should be making life easier for organizational leaders, not harder. Through relatable scenarios, Brett explores the difference between healthy challenge and dysfunctional burden at the executive level, and why the culture of your organization hangs in the balance.

Listen as critical questions are raised about accountability, leadership expectations, and what organizations unintentionally teach their people through the behavior they tolerate. Tough examples highlight the consequences of allowing bad behavior from top performers and how it trickles down, shaping the norms and values of your workplace.

If you’re a business owner, CEO, or anyone who manages senior leaders, this episode will equip you with practical strategies and the tough-love mindsets you need to ensure your leadership team is truly supporting—not sabotaging—your organization’s mission.

According to bestselling author and leadership expert Mike Robbins, the thing that often separates high-performing teams from the rest often comes down to the "squishy stuff" most organizations overlook.

In this episode of the BetterCulture Podcast, Brett Hoogeveen talks with Mike, who shares his journey from Stanford pitcher and Kansas City Royals prospect to one of the world's most sought-after voices on leadership, culture, and teamwork. After a career-ending injury and an unexpected transition into the business world, Mike became fascinated by a question that still drives his work today: Why do some teams thrive while others struggle?

The conversation explores:

• Why culture is the "mortar" that holds teams together
• The connection between authenticity, trust, and performance
• What leaders can do to create environments where people feel safe to contribute
• Why building a great culture is a long-term commitment, not a one-time event
• How today's leaders can navigate rapid change, AI, and evolving workplace expectations

If you're looking to build a healthier, higher-performing team, this conversation is packed with practical wisdom and timeless leadership lessons.

In this episode of The BetterCulture Podcast,  Brett Hoogeveen focuses on the common business practice of promoting top individual performers into management roles, regardless of whether management actually suits their skills or desires. One concept discussed is the important distinction between "stars"—those who create value through their own performance—and "leaders," who generate value by helping others excel.

It's important to recognize that management is not a reward or a trophy, but a different job requiring a unique set of skills such as coaching, delegating, motivating, and holding people accountable. Brett discusses how promoting a great technical performer into management can sometimes result in losing both a top performer and failing to gain an effective leader. He also challenges the assumption that advancement and increased pay must involve people management, arguing instead that value should determine compensation, not just hierarchy. 

Listen to learn why organizations can, and should, ask better questions when considering how to help top performers grow. Instead of defaulting to traditional promotion paths, organizations should explore ways to increase these individuals’ impact, compensation, and influence—while carefully considering whether they truly want, and are suited for, a management position. The import lesson is to let leaders lead and let stars continue to be stars.

On this episode of the BetterCulture Podcast, we sit down with Miriam Blair, Director of Inclusive Engagement at Kutak Rock, to unpack how the firm tackled its most pressing challenge: reviving professionalism, communication, and collaboration across every layer of the workplace.

Miriam candidly shares the struggles Kutak Rock faced with changing workplace norms post-pandemic, from the erosion of social niceties to the challenge of onboarding new talent into a culture fractured by isolation and evolving expectations. Discover how BetterCulture’s “20 Tenets” became their not-so-secret weapon for onboarding, leadership calibration, and even performing “surgery” on struggling teams.

Whether you’re leading a law firm or any organization where people and performance matter, you’ll want to hear how these practical, people-first habits are transforming not just companies, but lives—on and off the clock. Packed with real stories, actionable ideas, and a few surprising personal takeaways, this is an episode you won’t want to miss!

If you think employee recognition is just feel-good fluff, well, think again. In this fast-paced episode of the BetterCulture Podcast, discover why recognition isn’t just a nice-to-have—it's a powerful driver of behavior, team engagement, and business results. This episode focuses on the difference between recognition and appreciation, offering practical tips for turning cultural values into everyday actions.

Learn how specific, genuine, and timely recognition can fuel motivation, boost retention, and create a culture where people want to give their best. Brett shares the critical role leaders play in reinforcing the right behaviors—and the risks of letting great work go unnoticed. The episode also explores common pitfalls like generic or delayed recognition, and provides simple strategies to make praise truly impactful.

Tune in to walk away with actionable advice and a challenge you can put to use immediately. Transform your team’s culture—one authentic "thank you" at a time!

In this episode of the BetterCulture Podcast, Brett and his brother, Blake Hoogeveen, have a conversation focused on the complexities of employee engagement surveys and the surprising ways organizations can either boost or damage their culture through the survey process. Their discussion explores why seemingly simple tools like engagement surveys often fail to produce actionable insights and how bad questions, poor communication, low trust, and weak follow-through can erode employee trust and morale. Listeners will learn best practices for designing effective surveys, the importance of using normative data, and how critical it is to follow up on survey results with clear communication and concrete action plans. This episode also unpacks common mistakes organizations make, the risks of DIY survey tools, and offers actionable steps for leveraging surveys to drive real cultural improvement. Whether you’re an HR leader, a culture driver or a business owner, this episode provides expert advice to ensure your next survey strengthens—not weakens—your workplace culture.

In this episode of the BetterCulture Podcast, Brett Hoogeveen explores why kindness is among the most powerful forces for building healthy, resilient, and high-performing teams. The message focuses on breaking down common misconceptions, showing how kindness isn’t about being soft or lowering expectations—instead, it requires real strength and awareness.

Through relatable scenarios and practical advice, Brett challenges listeners to notice moments where a little humanity can transform pressure into connection, mistakes into growth, and accountability into opportunity. Learn why the best leaders know how to pair kindness with high standards, and discover easy steps to put kindness into action at work.

Ready for a fast, uplifting burst of insight? Tune in for actionable tips that will help you build a culture—and a career—where people remember how you made them feel, not just what you achieved. Don’t miss this episode about the real power at the heart of Better Culture's 20 Tenets: Kindness is not weakness—it's strength.

Get an inside look at what it takes to build and scale a powerful workplace culture in today’s fast-moving business world. In this episode of the BetterCulture Podcast, Rick Knudtson, co-founder and CEO of Workshop (and previously Flywheel) joins Brett Hoogeveen to share hard-earned lessons from building high-performing teams—and the modern tools that make employee communication a true driver of engagement and results. Hear why most large organizations still struggle to connect with their people, how Workshop changes the game with smarter internal comms, and the non-negotiable role of core values, hiring standards, transparency, and meaningful rituals in shaping culture. With practical stories, leadership insights, and a peek behind the curtain of a fast-growing tech company, this episode is a must for leaders aiming to unite, inspire, and elevate their teams.

In this dynamic episode of the BetterCulture Podcast, Brett Hoogeveen welcomes back co-founder and leadership expert Dr. Kim Hogeveen to uncover the hidden potential of both formal and informal mentoring and how it's a powerful, yet often misunderstood, engine for growth in the workplace and beyond

Discover why most mentoring programs fall flat—and how to avoid common pitfalls that can hinder the success of your people and your organization. From strategic frameworks for effective mentor-mentee pairings to the game-changing concept of "micro mentoring," you'll learn actionable tactics to supercharge professional development without heavy investment or complex processes.

Whether you're an executive shaping culture or an individual eager to accelerate your own growth, this episode will equip you with practical insights to harness the power of mentoring at every level.

Are you unknowingly shutting down creativity in your organization? In this episode, we get straight to the heart of why innovation often stalls—not because of budgets, but because of subtle habits and mindsets that leaders tolerate every day. Discover the three invisible behaviors that are killing new ideas faster than you realize, and learn the practical, powerful shifts you can make to bring innovation back to life. It’s a high-impact dose of insight designed to spark change—all in 10 minutes or less. Tune in to find out if you’re fueling progress or quietly putting out the spark.