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Why This CEO Demands Criticism From Her Team
Want your team to actually tell you the truth?
In the Army, Roxanne Petraeus watched senior officers announce an open-door policy and then act like the door was shut. So she stopped trusting what leaders say and started trusting only what they do.
"I only believed what I saw."
Today, Roxanne is the co-founder and CEO of Ethena, and she runs the company on the opposite of what she saw back then: never say a thing you aren't willing to back with action.
We get into how that one commitment builds a culture people actually believe — and who owns it when the CEO and the head of people disagree.
(If you’ve ever experienced the frustration of working with a “do what I say, not what I do” leader — or you don’t want to become one yourself — this episode is for you.)
👀 Here's what you get in today's edition of the Culture Creators:
The weekly ritual that makes her team comfortable telling the CEO exactly what she got wrong
The one-sentence test that reveals what your culture actually is, no matter what your posters say
The reframe that turns a CEO's "not now" into budget for your next HR initiative
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 The CEO–people leader relationship
02:00 Why hiring is everything
05:00 "Maybe is not our standard"
08:15 Hiring against your values
11:15 Making every employee AI-native
14:30 Building a cult-like culture
17:00 Athlete hires & embracing feedback
23:00 Leading with "it's my fault"
26:00 Disagree, commit, back your people
32:45 Compliance is culture with documentation
44:15 Feedback Fridays
54:15 Walking the talk
View all episodes
By Nectar HRWant your team to actually tell you the truth?
In the Army, Roxanne Petraeus watched senior officers announce an open-door policy and then act like the door was shut. So she stopped trusting what leaders say and started trusting only what they do.
"I only believed what I saw."
Today, Roxanne is the co-founder and CEO of Ethena, and she runs the company on the opposite of what she saw back then: never say a thing you aren't willing to back with action.
We get into how that one commitment builds a culture people actually believe — and who owns it when the CEO and the head of people disagree.
(If you’ve ever experienced the frustration of working with a “do what I say, not what I do” leader — or you don’t want to become one yourself — this episode is for you.)
👀 Here's what you get in today's edition of the Culture Creators:
The weekly ritual that makes her team comfortable telling the CEO exactly what she got wrong
The one-sentence test that reveals what your culture actually is, no matter what your posters say
The reframe that turns a CEO's "not now" into budget for your next HR initiative
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 The CEO–people leader relationship
02:00 Why hiring is everything
05:00 "Maybe is not our standard"
08:15 Hiring against your values
11:15 Making every employee AI-native
14:30 Building a cult-like culture
17:00 Athlete hires & embracing feedback
23:00 Leading with "it's my fault"
26:00 Disagree, commit, back your people
32:45 Compliance is culture with documentation
44:15 Feedback Fridays
54:15 Walking the talk