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The Micro Move That Transforms a Whole Culture | Aurora Dawn Benton
Dr. Aurora Dawn Benton joined me on the show, and we explored how leaders underestimate the power of change management at the microlevel and often mistake human problems as something that can be fixed with structure and policy.
Aurora is the Founder and Chief Change Agent of Astrapto LLC, a sustainability consultancy that helps organizations turn social and environmental ambitions into operational reality. She is the author of Exponential Impact: Harnessing Human Potential to Drive Sustainability in Organizations, holds a Doctorate in Business Administration in Social Impact Management, and was named a 2021 Top 30 Sustainability Champion by the International Hospitality Institute.
But let me take a step back and give you a bit of a breakdown on the juicy bits of the conversation that we explored.
Aurora's specialty is what she calls the micro. Not the macro strategy decks. Not the trends. The level where a banquet captain calls the kitchen demanding more chicken and torpedoes the whole food waste initiative the executives signed off on six months ago. That's where she works, and that's where she thinks most leaders are flying blind.
We explored:
- How she invests upfront time helping team members understand their own strengths using tools like Clifton Strengths.
- Why she thinks self-awareness in a team is a leverage point most founders miss.
- How she's been working through her own recent epiphany around the difference between power and force. That part of the conversation got real in a way I wasn't expecting, and I think it's the most useful thing in the episode.
This stood out to me as something deeper than just a leadership conversation. It surfaced a truth about how leaders create change. It’s rarely through the big announcement and almost always through the small, repeated decision to focus on something that looks too small to matter (like rice).
Worth your time if you've ever rolled out something that looked great on paper and stalled in practice.
---------------
About Aurora Dawn Benton:
Dr. Aurora Dawn Benton is the Founder and Chief Change Agent of Astrapto LLC, where she helps organizations make sustainability practical, actionable, and human-centered. With a 35-year career spanning industries from software and finance to hospitality and higher education, she brings a unique ability to translate complex sustainability goals into real-world behavior change. Aurora has spent over two decades coaching social entrepreneurs, empowering more than 130 young professionals to launch green teams and training over 1,000 professionals globally in sustainable procurement and supplier diversity. A recognized thought leader in the hospitality and events industry, she has contributed to major sustainability standards and education programs, holds a Doctorate in Business Administration in Social Impact Management, and is the author of Exponential Impact: Harnessing Human Potential to Drive Sustainability in Organizations.
📘 Aurora’s resources and books can be found here:
https://www.astrapto.com/product/exponential-impact/
https://www.astrapto.com/buy-course/
🎙️ Learn more from Aurora’s keynote events: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgNjcIblVPNh35EUX96dbA
🌐 To stay up to date with all of Aurora’s work, head over to: https://www.astrapto.com/
---------------
About the Host:
David Kent is the host of The Lead Smarter Podcast, where he has honest, grounded conversations with leaders shaping the future of work, leadership, and organizational growth.
🎧 Listen on your favorite podcast app
🔗 Follow David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-james-kent/
View all episodes
By David Kent
Dr. Aurora Dawn Benton joined me on the show, and we explored how leaders underestimate the power of change management at the microlevel and often mistake human problems as something that can be fixed with structure and policy.
Aurora is the Founder and Chief Change Agent of Astrapto LLC, a sustainability consultancy that helps organizations turn social and environmental ambitions into operational reality. She is the author of Exponential Impact: Harnessing Human Potential to Drive Sustainability in Organizations, holds a Doctorate in Business Administration in Social Impact Management, and was named a 2021 Top 30 Sustainability Champion by the International Hospitality Institute.
But let me take a step back and give you a bit of a breakdown on the juicy bits of the conversation that we explored.
Aurora's specialty is what she calls the micro. Not the macro strategy decks. Not the trends. The level where a banquet captain calls the kitchen demanding more chicken and torpedoes the whole food waste initiative the executives signed off on six months ago. That's where she works, and that's where she thinks most leaders are flying blind.
We explored:
- How she invests upfront time helping team members understand their own strengths using tools like Clifton Strengths.
- Why she thinks self-awareness in a team is a leverage point most founders miss.
- How she's been working through her own recent epiphany around the difference between power and force. That part of the conversation got real in a way I wasn't expecting, and I think it's the most useful thing in the episode.
This stood out to me as something deeper than just a leadership conversation. It surfaced a truth about how leaders create change. It’s rarely through the big announcement and almost always through the small, repeated decision to focus on something that looks too small to matter (like rice).
Worth your time if you've ever rolled out something that looked great on paper and stalled in practice.
---------------
About Aurora Dawn Benton:
Dr. Aurora Dawn Benton is the Founder and Chief Change Agent of Astrapto LLC, where she helps organizations make sustainability practical, actionable, and human-centered. With a 35-year career spanning industries from software and finance to hospitality and higher education, she brings a unique ability to translate complex sustainability goals into real-world behavior change. Aurora has spent over two decades coaching social entrepreneurs, empowering more than 130 young professionals to launch green teams and training over 1,000 professionals globally in sustainable procurement and supplier diversity. A recognized thought leader in the hospitality and events industry, she has contributed to major sustainability standards and education programs, holds a Doctorate in Business Administration in Social Impact Management, and is the author of Exponential Impact: Harnessing Human Potential to Drive Sustainability in Organizations.
📘 Aurora’s resources and books can be found here:
https://www.astrapto.com/product/exponential-impact/
https://www.astrapto.com/buy-course/
🎙️ Learn more from Aurora’s keynote events: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgNjcIblVPNh35EUX96dbA
🌐 To stay up to date with all of Aurora’s work, head over to: https://www.astrapto.com/
---------------
About the Host:
David Kent is the host of The Lead Smarter Podcast, where he has honest, grounded conversations with leaders shaping the future of work, leadership, and organizational growth.
🎧 Listen on your favorite podcast app
🔗 Follow David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-james-kent/