Truly Transformative

In this episode, Adriana McLane and Caryn Lee explore "SEE," the foundational first phase of the Truly Transformative Method. Described as the "truth-telling" phase, SEE is where organizations must take an honest, unvarnished look at their current reality—including both their strategic performance and their actual culture—before they can begin to shape the future. The hosts discuss the common "perception gaps" that occur when leadership views culture through a "mirror" (how they want it to be) while employees experience it through a "window" (the daily reality), often leading to blind spots that can derail even the best strategies. Is it ok that this description was used in the 1st episode?

The conversation outlines the five key elements of a structured discovery process: strategy assessment, culture diagnosis, mirror and window assessments, market and industry context, and a deep dive into organizational capability and readiness. Adriana and Caryn share practical advice on how to uncover the truth using curiosity rather than judgment, emphasizing the importance of anonymous surveys, leadership interviews, and focus groups to protect psychological safety. By the end of this episode, listeners will understand how the SEE phase transforms raw information into the strategic awareness necessary to build a launchpad for lasting change.

Key Takeaways:

• What the SEE phase reveals about strategy, culture, and readiness

• How mirror and window assessments expose perception gaps

• Why curiosity, surveys, interviews, and focus groups matter in discovery

Ready to bring this into your organization? Connect with Adriana and Caryn at betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us

5 Essential Questions to Assess Culture

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In this episode, Adriana McLane and Caryn Lee introduce their proprietary "Truly Transformative Method," a comprehensive four-phase framework designed to align organizational strategy with culture. They explain that in today’s fast-paced business environment, speed alone isn't enough to thrive; success comes to organizations that can adapt quickly while keeping their culture and strategy in perfect lockstep. Adriana and Caryn provide a high-level overview of the four "S" phases—SEE, STRATEGIZE, SHAPE, and SUSTAIN—explaining how each phase builds upon the last to create lasting change.

The hosts dive into the core philosophy of the framework: that strategy defines what an organization aims to achieve, while culture defines how (and if) it will actually happen. You will learn why "seeing" the truth of your current reality is the only way to begin a transformation and how treating cultural initiatives with the same rigor as business goals is the key to making a strategy stick. This episode serves as the foundation for the deep-dive series to follow, offering leaders a roadmap for turning bold visions into enduring results.

Key Takeaways:

• An overview of the four-phase Truly Transformative Method

• Why SEE, STRATEGIZE, SHAPE, and SUSTAIN work together

• How strategy and culture must stay aligned for lasting change

Ready to bring this into your organization? Connect with Caryn and Adriana at ⁠⁠⁠betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us⁠⁠

In this episode, Adriana McLane and Caryn Lee explore why project management is far more than just a set of tools or a person in charge of a schedule—it is a critical strategic capability. They discuss how effective project management serves as the engine of execution, turning high-level strategies into tangible results. Without the discipline of status reporting, clear communication, and defined accountability, even the best strategies are at risk of "sitting on the shelf" and losing their meaning.

The conversation highlights the difference between managing a single project and managing a project portfolio, emphasizing that a strong methodology should be embedded into the organization's culture. Caryn shares her experiences from Accenture, illustrating how consistent processes prevent employee burnout and ensure that teams aren't "tripping over each other" during a transformation. Whether you are using a sophisticated tool like Asana or a simple Excel sheet, this episode provides a roadmap for building the internal capacity necessary to make your strategic vision a reality.

Key Takeaways:

• Why project management is a strategic capability

• How strong processes support accountability and execution

• What it takes to build project and portfolio discipline into culture

Ready to bring this into your organization? Connect with Caryn and Adriana at ⁠⁠⁠betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us⁠⁠

In this episode, Adriana McLane and Caryn Lee explore the critical role of change management as the "people side" of any strategic transformation. They discuss why even the best-laid strategies often fail—not due to poor planning, but because leadership neglects the human emotions, behaviors, and trust required to execute them. By differentiating project management (the timelines and milestones) from change management (the human adoption), the hosts explain how to build a culture that views change as a collaborative process rather than a top-down mandate.

The conversation introduces the ADKAR model—Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement—as a simple yet powerful framework for guiding individuals through transition 1 . Adriana and Caryn share practical advice on involving employees early to build buy-in, the importance of "sandboxes" for practicing new behaviors, and why leaders must resist the urge to celebrate a launch too soon 1 . Listeners will walk away with actionable takeaways on how to use change initiatives as a vehicle to strengthen their overall organizational culture.

Key Takeaways:

• How change management supports strategic execution

• Why ADKAR helps people adopt change

• How to build buy-in, practice new behaviors, and reinforce change over time

Ready to bring this into your organization? Connect with Caryn and Adriana at ⁠⁠betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us⁠⁠

In this episode, hosts Adriana McLane and Caryn Lee tackle one of the most critical yet frequently overlooked steps in any organizational transformation: tracking progress. They address the common misconception that culture is too "squishy" or "fluffy" to measure, explaining that without intentional tracking, leaders can easily miss the needle-moving progress they are making or lose momentum over the long game of culture change. The conversation focuses on why established baselines and simple, manageable metrics are essential for making culture work tangible and actionable.

Adriana and Caryn break down how to balance internal metrics—like employee engagement surveys, retention rates, and sentiment tracking on platforms like Glassdoor—with external metrics that reflect how customers perceive the organization's brand and innovation. They recommend focusing on three to five key indicators that directly tie back to your strategic goals to ensure tracking informs your strategy rather than becoming a burden itself. Listeners will learn how to use this data not just for course correction, but as a powerful tool for transparency and celebrating the wins that make a culture transformation truly stick.

Key Takeaways:

• Why culture progress must be measured

• How to choose a few meaningful internal and external metrics

• Using data to adjust course, build transparency, and celebrate wins

Ready to bring this into your organization? Connect with Caryn and Adriana at ⁠⁠betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us⁠⁠

In this episode, Adriana McLane and Caryn Lee demystify a question many leaders struggle with: "What does culture change actually look like in practice?" They move beyond abstract concepts to provide a tangible framework for making culture actionable and measurable. The hosts introduce two lenses for viewing culture: the Inward View, which focuses on how employees feel and behave (such as psychological safety and empowerment), and the Outward View, which centers on the capabilities an organization must deliver externally to support its strategy (like being customer-obsessed or execution-focused).

Adriana and Caryn provide concrete examples of how to bridge the gap between a desired culture and daily reality. They discuss moving from "fuzzy" definitions to creating specific systems, rituals, and reinforcements—such as training leaders in delegation, implementing cross-functional design sprints, or building customer-impact stories into every major presentation. By the end of the episode, listeners will understand that culture isn't just an "HR initiative," but a strategic driver that requires the same rigor, prioritization, and roadmapping as any financial or product goal.

Key Takeaways:

• What culture change looks like in practice

• The difference between inward and outward views of culture

• How to build systems, rituals, and reinforcements that make change real

Ready to bring this into your organization? Connect with Caryn and Adriana at ⁠⁠betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us⁠⁠

Examples of Inward and Outward Culture Components

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In this episode, Adriana McLane and Caryn Lee tackle the inevitable challenge that arises in every transformation: resistance to culture change. They move beyond the "panic mode" that leaders often feel when faced with pushback, explaining that resistance isn't a sign of failure—it’s actually a sign that people care deeply about the work they’ve done and the history they’ve built. The hosts break down the four primary reasons people resist change, from a simple lack of understanding of what "culture" means to the defensive reactions that occur when changes feel like a judgment on past contributions.

The conversation provides a practical sequence for leaders to navigate this friction and turn resistance into positive energy. Adriana and Caryn discuss the importance of "normalizing and neutralizing"—honoring the history of the organization while being transparent about why the strategy now demands a different approach. They also share tactical advice on identifying "informal leaders" to help champion the shift and the necessity of leadership modeling the new behaviors themselves. Whether you are dealing with skeptical "eye-rollers" or deeply entrenched "anchors," this episode offers a roadmap for making culture change collaborative, strategically driven, and lasting.

Key Takeaways:

• Why resistance to change is normal and often meaningful

• Four common reasons people resist culture change

• How leaders can normalize, neutralize, and channel resistance productively

Ready to bring this into your organization? Connect with Caryn and Adriana at ⁠⁠betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us⁠⁠

In this episode, hosts Adriana McLane and Caryn Lee tackle the critical, yet often overlooked, relationship between strategic planning and organizational culture. They explore the famous adage that "culture eats strategy for breakfast," explaining why even the most brilliant business plans fail if they clash with the existing human "muscle memory" of an organization. Adriana and Caryn share personal stories of how they’ve seen strategies falter when leaders focus solely on the "what" (products and markets) without considering the "how" (people and culture).

The conversation provides a practical roadmap for aligning these two forces, emphasizing the importance of involving employees at all levels in the development process to ensure true buy-in. You will learn how to move beyond stated values on a wall to creating tangible cultural projects that are treated with the same rigor as financial goals. Whether you are navigating a merger, implementing new technology, or aiming for aggressive growth, this episode offers actionable insights on building a culture that serves as the ultimate execution system for your strategy.

Key Takeaways:

• Why strategy fails when it ignores culture
• How to align the what of strategy with the how of execution
• Ways to create real buy-in and turn values into tangible cultural projects

Ready to bring this into your organization? Connect with Caryn and Adriana at ⁠betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us⁠

5 Essential Questions to Assess Culture

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In this episode, hosts Adriana McLane and Caryn Lee delve into why assessing your current organizational culture is a non-negotiable first step in any strategic transformation. They discuss the common pitfalls of leadership assumptions, explaining how executives often view culture through a "mirror" (how they want it to be), while employees see it through a "window" (the reality of daily operations). By identifying these perception gaps, leaders can begin to understand the real cultural strengths and roadblocks that will either propel or hinder their strategic execution.

The conversation provides practical, tactical steps for listeners to conduct their own cultural assessments, including the use of leadership interviews, anonymous employee surveys, and diverse focus groups. Caryn also shares her expertise on using tools like the Narrative Big Five personality assessment to uncover the root causes of cultural patterns, such as a team’s natural inclination toward innovation or its tendency to prioritize harmony over progress. This episode is a guide for any leader looking to gain the self-awareness necessary to build a truly transformative organization.

Key Takeaways:

• Why cultural assessment is the first step in transformation
• How mirror-vs-window perception gaps derail execution
• Practical tools: interviews, surveys, focus groups, and personality insights

Ready to bring this into your organization? Connect with Caryn and Adriana at ⁠betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us⁠

5 Essential Questions to Assess Culture

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In this debut episode of the Truly Transformative Podcast, hosts Adriana McLane, founder of Fulfilling Strategy, and Caryn Lee, founder of Narrative, explore the inseparable link between organizational strategy and culture. They share the story of how they met and why they decided to integrate their expertise to help companies turn bold strategies into lasting, field-level results.

The conversation dives into why culture is the ultimate execution system for any strategic plan. Adriana and Caryn discuss how even the most brilliant strategies can fail if the culture—the "human side" of the organization—is not intentionally aligned to support it. Through real-world examples, they illustrate the power of intentional culture and why leaders must move beyond seeing culture as a "one-off" initiative and instead treat it as a systematic, strategic driver.

Key Takeaways:

• Why culture is the execution system behind strategy
• How Adriana and Caryn combine strategy and culture expertise
• Why culture must be treated as a strategic driver, not a one-off initiative

Ready to bring this into your organization? Connect with Adriana and Caryn at betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us