Lead Culture with Jenni Catron

Art of Leadership Network

Healthy leadership creates healthy culture. On LeadCulture with Jenni Catron, you’ll gain practical leadership development insights to help you lead with clarity and build a thriving organizational culture. Drawing from decades of executive experience and conversations with trusted business leaders, Jenni equips CEOs, executives, entrepreneurs, and managers with tools to strengthen team health, align vision and values, and create workplaces where people and performance thrive. If you’re serious about growing as a leader and building a values-driven culture that lasts, you’re in the right place.

  1. 1d ago

    338 | Communication in Team Culture with Special Guest River

    In this episode, Jenni Catron and her 11-year-old nephew River explore the fundamentals of team culture through engaging stories and insights. River shares his unique perspective on support, communication, focus, and the impact of individual roles in shaping a positive culture. Takeaways: Support is the most important aspect of culture.Effective communication is crucial for team success.Focus and commitment drive team performance.Everyone has a role in shaping culture, regardless of age.Positive culture can be maintained or ruined by individual actions. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to the episode and guest River 01:00 Why we call it Switch Week and family traditions 01:30 River introduces himself and his love for sports 02:27 River shares his thoughts on support in culture 02:56 Support in sports and teams 03:23 The importance of communication in team culture 04:21 Learning from communication in pickleball 05:16 Communication during baseball games 05:45 The impact of fast plays and clear communication 07:16 Focus and distraction in sports 08:11 The responsibility of leaders and team members in culture 09:12 The influence of positivity and encouragement 09:36 Recognizing individual roles in culture 10:31 Culture as a fragile ecosystem 11:00 River’s perspective on culture and youth influence 11:31 Closing thoughts and call to action We need your help to get the LeadCulture podcasts in front of more leaders! There are three simple things you can do that truly help us: Review us on Apple podcasts Subscribe - we’re available wherever you listen to podcasts.Share - let your friends know about the podcast by sharing your favorite episode on social media!

  2. Aug 12

    337 | Protecting the Rhythms that Keep You Healthy, Purposeful, and Present as a Leader

    In this episode of Lead Culture, Jenni Catron shares what she learned during an extended summer break and why stepping back can be essential for sustainable leadership. She reflects on the tension between doing and being, the challenge of slowing down, and how time away revealed deeper questions about purpose, significance, and identity.Jenni opens with a reminder that culture does not take care of itself and that leaders must lead with intention. She then shares how her sabbatical included time with friends and family, reading, rest, and intentional disconnection from social media, email, and Slack. Even though the break was restful, it also surfaced a struggle many overachievers face: feeling significant only when they are productive.A major takeaway from the episode is that nothing magical happened on sabbatical — and that was the point. Instead of chasing big ideas or a new vision, Jenni focused on stillness, presence, and making space for what matters most. She describes how this time helped her recognize the importance of creative space, mental rest, and the right-brain work of meaning-making and reflection.Jenni also connects her personal experience to a broader cultural insight, referencing Arthur Brooks’ research on how modern life often overvalues efficiency and problem-solving while undernourishing meaning, creativity, and human connection. She shares how this tension was made even more vivid in the wake of an EF3 tornado in her community, where people rallied together and reminded her that people are the point. Key Takeaways Healthy leaders need rhythms that sustain them.Rest is productive when it creates space for meaning and clarity.Leaders often confuse being with doing.Creativity, stillness, and reflection are essential leadership practices.People should remain the priority, even in busy or crisis-filled seasons.Questions Jenni Asks Leaders What can you do that disrupts your rhythms and lowers your heart rate?How can you disconnect your doing from your being?Are you making space for quiet, creativity, and presence?What rhythms do you need to lead in a healthy, sustainable way?Resources Mentioned Invitation to Solitude and Silence by Ruth Haley BartonThe Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark ComerThe Sabbatical Journey by Alan BriggsThe Meaning of Life by Arthur BrooksJenni’s book Clout: Discover and Unleash Your God-given InfluenceClosing Encouragement Jenni ends by encouraging leaders to protect the rhythms that keep them healthy, purposeful, and present — not only for their own well-being, but for the health of their teams and cultures. To connect with Jenni, email jennicatron@get4sight.com. We need your help to get the LeadCulture podcasts in front of more leaders! There are three simple things you can do that truly help us: Review us on Apple podcasts Subscribe - we’re available wherever you listen to podcasts.Share - let your friends know about the podcast by sharing your favorite episode on social media!

  3. Jun 4

    335 | The Missing Key to Employee Engagement: Why Appreciation Matters More Than Recognition with Dr. William Attaway

    In this episode, Jenni sits down with Dr. William Attaway, CEO of Appreciation at Work, for a conversation about what it really means to help people feel seen, known, and valued at work. Drawing from decades of leadership coaching and his work with organizations across a wide range of industries, William shares why appreciation is different from recognition—and why that distinction matters more than most leaders realize. Together, Jenni and William explore how appreciation impacts employee engagement, retention, productivity, and trust, while offering practical ways leaders can build cultures where people thrive. You'll hear insights on:  Why recognition rewards performance, but appreciation values the person  How leaders can maintain both high accountability and genuine encouragement  The connection between clarity, trust, and employee engagement  Why self-awareness is one of the most important leadership disciplines  What healthy leaders do consistently that struggling leaders often neglect  How to navigate workplace uncertainty and technological change without losing the human element of leadership Throughout the conversation, Jenni and William reinforce a core leadership truth: culture is built one interaction at a time. When people feel seen, heard, and valued, they engage more deeply, contribute more fully, and help create the kind of culture everyone wants to be part of. Dr. William Attaway is the CEO of Appreciation at Work, founder of Catalytic Leadership, author of Catalytic Leadership: 12 Keys to Becoming an Intentional Leader Who Makes a Difference, and host of the Catalytic Leadership Podcast. Learn more about his work at appreciationatwork.com and catalyticleadership.net. We need your help to get the LeadCulture podcasts in front of more leaders! There are three simple things you can do that truly help us: Review us on Apple podcasts Subscribe - we’re available wherever you listen to podcasts.Share - let your friends know about the podcast by sharing your favorite episode on social media!

  4. May 6

    333 | 7 Keys to Building Remarkable Teams (and the Traps That Hold Them Back)

    What does it actually take to build a remarkable team? In this episode, Jenni Catron talks with Slingshot Group CEO Tim Foot about the patterns they’ve both seen across hundreds of teams including what works, what doesn’t, and where things tend to break down. Tim shares the seven key signatures of remarkable teams, along with the common traps that quietly stall progress. From misalignment and unclear messaging to avoiding healthy conflict, this conversation helps you see where your team may be getting stuck and what to do about it. At the center of it all is a simple idea: if your mission matters, your team matters more. The Biggest Takeaways:  The 7 key signatures that shape healthy, high-performing teams  Why team awareness matters just as much as self-awareness  Where most teams drift out of alignment (and how to catch it early)  The difference between functional teams and teams that produce real impact  How to approach conflict in a way that strengthens—not fractures—your team Next Steps  Take the team assessment: reachingforremarkable.com Get the book: Reaching for Remarkable by Tim Foot  Share this episode with your team and use it to start a conversation About Our Guest Tim Foot is CEO and President of Slingshot Group, where he works with organizations to build strong, healthy teams through staffing and coaching. His work focuses on helping leaders move teams from simply getting by to doing meaningful, aligned work together. You can learn more about Tim here.  We need your help to get the LeadCulture podcasts in front of more leaders! There are three simple things you can do that truly help us: Review us on Apple podcasts Subscribe - we’re available wherever you listen to podcasts.Share - let your friends know about the podcast by sharing your favorite episode on social media!

  5. Apr 21

    332 | The Culture Code: How Great Leaders Use Language to Shape Winning Teams

    What if the biggest problem in your organization isn’t strategy—but culture? In this episode, leadership and culture expert Jenni Catron unpacks a shocking reality: only 31% of U.S. employees are engaged at work—and most leaders don’t know how to fix it.  You’ll discover why traditional “core values” exercises fail, how culture is actually formed, and the powerful (often overlooked) role language plays in shaping team behavior. Through a fascinating example from The Masters golf tournament, Jenni reveals how intentional language reflects deeper values—and how you can apply the same principle to your organization. This episode will help you:  Understand why your current values aren’t driving results  Learn how strong leaders create clarity, trust, and engagement  Turn vague values into actionable behaviors your team lives daily  Build a culture that performs under pressure—not just when things are easy If your team feels disconnected, inconsistent, or stuck, this is your roadmap to building a culture that actually works. Register for the Values Intensive Workshop here. We need your help to get the LeadCulture podcasts in front of more leaders! There are three simple things you can do that truly help us: Review us on Apple podcasts Subscribe - we’re available wherever you listen to podcasts.Share - let your friends know about the podcast by sharing your favorite episode on social media!

5
out of 5
64 Ratings

About

Healthy leadership creates healthy culture. On LeadCulture with Jenni Catron, you’ll gain practical leadership development insights to help you lead with clarity and build a thriving organizational culture. Drawing from decades of executive experience and conversations with trusted business leaders, Jenni equips CEOs, executives, entrepreneurs, and managers with tools to strengthen team health, align vision and values, and create workplaces where people and performance thrive. If you’re serious about growing as a leader and building a values-driven culture that lasts, you’re in the right place.

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