Truly Transformative

Caryn Lee and Adriana McLane
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Aligning culture and strategy for lasting results. Most strategic plans fail — not because the strategy is wrong, but because the culture can't support it. The Truly Transformative Podcast tackles this head-on. Hosts Adriana McLane and Caryn Lee bring decades of hands-on experience helping organizations build bold strategies and the cultures that make them stick. Each episode delivers practical frameworks, real-world case studies, and honest conversations about what it actually takes to transform an organization from the inside out. This isn't theory. It's what works.

  1. 5d ago

    Building the Foundational Capability to Have Hard Discussions | Ep 17

    This episode is the follow-up to Episode #16 (avoiding conflict) and focuses on how to actually have productive hard conversations.  Adriana and Caryn walk through a five-step process: Be Aware → Be Curious → Be Collaborative → Test Solutions → Commit, Track & Measure.  Caryn introduces the concept of "facts vs. the story" — the tendency we have to invent narratives around situations that may not be accurate. The episode distinguishes between one-off hard conversations (which use the first three steps) and long-standing conflict (which requires more sustained effort, accountability, and sometimes outside help).  Key takeaways: lead with curiosity instead of judgment, and stick to facts rather than the stories you're telling yourself. Would you like to create the cultural capability to have hard conversations? Connect with Adriana and Caryn at ⁠⁠betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us⁠

  2. Aug 4

    The Cost of Avoiding Hard Discussions | Ep 16

    Avoiding a hard conversation feels like the safe choice — until you see what it actually costs. Slow decisions. Compromised strategy. Frustrated top performers walking out the door. In this episode, Adriana and Caryn tackle one of the most common and quietly damaging patterns in organizational culture: the habit of avoiding the discussions that matter most. They explore what hard discussions really are — and why they're not the same as conflict — and share candid real-world examples from the strategy room and the coaching chair, including what happens when a leader outsources a difficult conversation to a consultant rather than having it themselves. You'll hear the research behind why people avoid hard conversations (fear, lack of skills, and the belief that it's someone else's job), why leaders are held to a higher standard when it comes to modeling this behavior, and why addressing tension early is always easier than letting it fester. The bottom line: the ability to have hard discussions isn't just a leadership skill — it's a cultural capability. And building it starts with understanding the cost of avoiding it. Would you like to create the cultural capability to have hard conversations? Connect with Adriana and Caryn at ⁠⁠betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us⁠

  3. Jul 21

    Advisory Councils: How Frontline Voices Keep Strategy From Failing | Ep 15

    In this episode, hosts Adriana McLane and Caryn Lee examine advisory councils as a structured mechanism for bringing frontline intelligence into strategy conversations before execution breaks down. Mid-market organizations frequently struggle with a gap between what leadership believes is happening and what people on the floor or in the field actually see. Adriana and Caryn discuss how closing that gap requires more than an open-door policy, and why a properly designed advisory council creates the feedback loop that sustains strategic momentum. Caryn explains how the language and framing leaders use when launching an advisory council shapes whether participants speak candidly or simply reflect back what they think leadership wants to hear. Adriana connects advisory councils to the SUSTAIN phase of the Truly Transformative Method, showing how they function as a real-time calibration tool rather than a one-time engagement exercise.  Key Takeaways: Why advisory councils belong in the SUSTAIN phase as an ongoing feedback mechanismSelecting participants based on informal influence networks within the organizationHow council framing shapes the quality of frontline candorReady to bring this into your organization? Connect with Caryn and Adriana at ⁠⁠⁠⁠betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us⁠⁠

  4. Jul 7

    When 'Family' Culture Isn't Enough: What Sustains High Performance | Ep 14

    In this episode, hosts Adriana McLane and Caryn Lee examine what "family" culture actually delivers and where it falls short for organizations navigating a changing workforce. Drawing on real client examples, they walk through what makes a family-oriented culture genuinely strong: flexible work arrangements, compassionate leadership, and practices like birthday and anniversary calls that build lasting employee loyalty.  The conversation also surfaces the risks that accumulate when "family" becomes the primary identity rather than one element of a broader culture.  Adriana and Caryn work through two client scenarios where family culture produced very different outcomes, including one where layoffs shattered employee trust and another where the label masked complacency and an absence of accountability. They dig into how tolerating low performers quietly damages leadership credibility and pushes high performers out the door.  The episode also addresses how younger generations, particularly Gen Z, approach work with different expectations, and why leaders need to engage that workforce with something more than a family identity. Key Takeaways: Why "family" culture creates vulnerability when business conditions force hard decisions How tolerating low performers erodes credibility and costs companies their best peopleThe combination of empowerment, accountability, and sentiment that actually drives high performanceHow Gen Z's different expectations challenge leaders who built loyalty through a family identityReady to talk about how to preserve your family culture while sustaining high performance? Connect with Caryn and Adriana at https://betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us

  5. Jun 16

    SUSTAIN: Where Transformation Becomes How We Do Things Here | Ep 13

    Most transformations don't fail because of poor planning — they fail because organizations don't have a system to sustain the work. In this episode, Adriana and Caryn unpack SUSTAIN, the fourth and final phase of the Truly Transformative Method, where strategy and culture stop being initiatives and start becoming your operating system. They cover the leadership disciplines, accountability routines, and feedback loops that keep momentum strong — and why without them, even the best-laid plans drift back to old behaviors. You'll hear why communication during transformation needs to be more transparent and consistent than leaders expect, how to keep long-term strategic initiatives visible alongside day-to-day KPIs, and why staying with the plan — and evolving it — is what separates true transformation from a one-time change effort. If you've done the work to SEE your current reality, STRATEGIZE your direction, and SHAPE your roadmap, this episode is about making sure it actually sticks. Ready to bring this into your organization? Connect with Adriana and Caryn at ⁠betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us

  6. Jun 9

    SHAPE: Turning Vision Into an Actionable Plan | Ep 12

    This episode dives into the third phase of the Truly Transformative method: SHAPE — where strategy and culture move from concepts into a fully integrated execution plan. Adriana and Caryn break down what makes SHAPE different from traditional planning: culture isn't an afterthought, it's woven directly into the roadmap. Key topics include co-creating the roadmap with leaders and employees, identifying organizational vs. business model capability gaps, embedding culture initiatives alongside strategic initiatives with equal rigor, and a disciplined approach to prioritization (because organizations almost always have too many initiatives and not enough capacity). Leaders who complete the SHAPE phase leave knowing what they're doing, how they'll do it, why it matters culturally, what capabilities need to be built, and how to prioritize going forward. Ready to bring this into your organization? Connect with Adriana and Caryn at ⁠betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us

  7. Jun 2

    STRATEGIZE: Building Strategy and Culture Side by Side | Ep 11

    In this episode, Adriana McLane and Caryn Lee explore "STRATEGIZE," the second phase of the Truly Transformative Method. While traditional strategic planning often focuses solely on setting visions and goals, this phase is unique because it integrates the human side of the organization from the start. The hosts discuss how to build strategy and culture side by side so they strengthen each other rather than competing for attention, ensuring that your strategic plan is supported by the behaviors and mindsets necessary for execution. The conversation dives into the practical steps of this phase, including defining a target culture that serves as the "execution system" for your strategy. Adriana and Caryn highlight the importance of involving HR leaders at the strategy table and ensuring every strategic goal has a corresponding cultural enabler, such as accountability or empathy. Listeners will learn how co-creating these elements through integrated workshops can align an organization’s "head and heart," turning a written plan into a daily reality. Key Takeaways:• What it means to build strategy and culture side by side• How to define a target culture that supports execution• Why HR and cultural enablers should be embedded in strategic planning Ready to bring this into your organization? Connect with Adriana and Caryn at ⁠betrulytransformative.com/work-with-us

  8. Apr 20

    SEE: The Truth Telling Phase of Business Transformation | Ep 10

    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 Download here

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About

Aligning culture and strategy for lasting results. Most strategic plans fail — not because the strategy is wrong, but because the culture can't support it. The Truly Transformative Podcast tackles this head-on. Hosts Adriana McLane and Caryn Lee bring decades of hands-on experience helping organizations build bold strategies and the cultures that make them stick. Each episode delivers practical frameworks, real-world case studies, and honest conversations about what it actually takes to transform an organization from the inside out. This isn't theory. It's what works.

Information

  • Creator
    Caryn Lee and Adriana McLane
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Caryn Lee and Adriana McLane
  • Show Website
    Truly Transformative