What if one of your strongest sales results is quietly undermining your culture? In this episode of Elements of Culture, Taryn and Julie sit down with Kelley Hippler, a seasoned sales leader and former executive at Forrester, to examine a leadership assumption many organizations still get wrong: that top performance automatically qualifies someone to lead people.

Kelley challenges this belief by unpacking the real cost of promotion decisions made solely on numbers. Drawing from decades of experience leading high-performing teams, she explains how misaligned promotions can erode trust, stall growth, and drive top talent out the door. The conversation explores what truly defines leadership readiness—empathy, accountability, self-awareness, and the ability to elevate others—not just hit a quota.

Join us weekly as we dig into the real stories behind work culture transformation.

Not theory. Not fluff. Just honest conversations with leaders and innovators who've been in the trenches.