Leading the Culture Journey: Elevating Everyday Actions to Create Extraordinary Workplaces - Hardcover

by Natalie Johnson (Author), Rebecca Johnson (Author)

Transform your workplace culture by elevating everyday actions that build trust, connection, and lasting productivity

In Leading the Culture Journey: Elevating Everyday Actions to Create Extraordinary Workplaces, workplace culture experts Natalie and Rebecca Johnson deliver an inspiring and practical discussion about how to build a work environment that energizes you and your team. They provide a compelling argument for the proposition that, at work, culture shapes everything - your energy, your wellbeing, the relationships your team members have with one another, and your company's performance. They also explain exactly how to build a culture that transforms your organization into a dynamic, vibrant, and healthy place to work.

This book is a call-to-action for everyone who's experienced a workplace that was more draining than invigorating. It offers human-centered frameworks that guide organizations into that rarified group of companies that succeed in transforming their cultures. You'll find:

• An authentic collaboration between two experienced authors who have led countless root-to-stem culture transformations in the real world
• Case studies and practical strategies with a proven track record of improving business results
• An expert compilation of advice that weaves together the impact of individuals, interpersonal relationships, and the environment

Perfect for managers, executives, entrepreneurs, founders, and other business leaders, Leading the Culture Journey is also a must-read for human resources professionals and the leaders of all kinds of groups - including non-profits, government agencies, and community organizations - interested in bringing out the best in those who follow them.

Front Jacket

Workplace culture is ten times more important than compensation in determining whether employees stay or leave. Yet despite billions spent on culture initiatives, 90% fail. ViDL Work co-founders Natalie Johnson and Rebecca Johnson draw on their combined 60 years of experience--including work with Fortune 100 companies like Johnson & Johnson, Google, Deloitte, NASA, and the US Air Force--to deliver a proven, human-centered framework that guides organizations into the successful 10%.

Leading the Culture Journey reveals how culture transformation actually happens at the organizational level. Informed by established research and refined through their work with hundreds of companies across industries, the authors blend real-world stories with practical strategies to show why most culture initiatives fail and what distinguishes the organizations that succeed. Their dual perspective--combining different personalities, experiences, and professional strengths--creates a dynamic approach unavailable in single-author works.

The book provides actionable tools for shifting workplaces from draining to dynamic. Readers discover how culture shapes energy, wellbeing, adaptability, relationships, and performance. The authors share case studies from their extensive client work and reveal the specific behaviors and everyday actions that create extraordinary results. Their Culture Journey framework moves beyond theory to deliver strategies leaders can implement immediately, whether managing a small team or transforming an entire organization.

Written for anyone seeking to build connected, inspired teams where work energizes rather than drains, this book also serves human resources professionals and leaders of non-profits, government agencies, and community organizations. Anyone who wants their team to feel confident that their work matters--and who recognizes that culture is the key to achieving that goal--will find an essential roadmap within these pages.

Back Jacket

Praise for Leading the Culture Journey

"Most culture books focus on perks, policies, or org charts. Rebecca and Natalie tell the honest truth: culture change starts with inner work and how people relate to each other every day. This book gives leaders and teams a practical, evidence-based roadmap to turn culture from something people complain about into something they intentionally create."
--JAMES SIMONS, Founder, High Stakes Decision Labs, Leadership Consultant and Author

"Natalie and Rebecca make culture tangible by showing how it's shaped through everyday behavior and shared responsibility. Their Me Work, We Work, and systems framework gives people a clear way to understand how trust, psychological safety, and accountability actually develop inside teams. This book will spark the honest conversations organizations need to move from talking about culture to intentionally practicing it."
--NANA ADWOA BOONE, Global Impact Principal Program Lead, Chick-fil-A

"I found this book to be both illuminating and actionable. It's full of real-life stories that help the reader relate to the story and understand it in practical application."
--KELLY CARLSTEIN, Vice President of Strategy and Culture, Gulf Coast Community Foundation

"This book serves as a reminder that everyone is responsible for shaping workplace culture, and some have more influence to do so. It challenges us to address our own barriers as a part of the larger workplace while also naming the systems that get in the way. It gives us hope that there is a different way to do things - plus language and guidance on how to take the next best step."
--GINA BELL, Director of Sustainability, City of Dubuque

"Natalie and Rebecca define culture in a refreshingly clear way: it is the way people relate to one another every day. By focusing on everyday interactions rather than abstract values, this book helps readers understand how individual behavior and team dynamics shape workplace culture over time. It offers practical insight for anyone seeking to build stronger relationships and more effective collaboration at work."
--MARK LEWIS, PhD, Department Chair and Associate Professor of Management, Appalachian State University

"This book has that rare 'I have to tell everyone about this' energy. It's personal, real, and I found myself nodding along the entire time. Rebecca and Natalie bridge the gap between big ideas about culture and the messy reality of working with people in a way that feels refreshingly honest."
--MADELINE WEILER, Senior Associate Director, University of Dayton Center for Leadership

Author Biography

NATALIE JOHNSON is Co-founder and Chief Visionary of ViDL Work, a consulting firm that empowers teams and organizations to create and sustain intentional culture. With over 30 years of experience elevating performance through wellbeing, purpose, behavior, and leadership, she keynotes major conferences and corporate events reaching thousands of professionals annually. Her roles include performance coach, corporate strategist, and faculty mentor. She has been honored with multiple national awards for innovation and leadership in healthcare and wellness.

REBECCA JOHNSON is Co-founder and Chief Integrator of ViDL Work. She's a therapist-turned-entrepreneur whose 30-year career spans wellbeing strategy, corporate leadership coaching, and workplace culture consulting. Rebecca has designed and facilitated hundreds of transformational programs helping people and organizations grow into their next best version, leading deeply immersive executive coaching sessions and facilitated group learning experiences with long-term follow-up and application.