Episode 037: Raising an Authentic Organizational Culture with Iliana Berkowitz

Welcome to another episode of The Authentic Change Podcast, I am Mike Horne, your host and I am joined today by Iliana Berkowitz, founder and owner at As Kneaded Bakery in San Leandro, California. In this episode, Iliana is sharing her journey as an entrepreneur, her passion for what she does, and how she conducts her business, combining her authentic self and delivering value along with delicious artisan bread she and her team bake daily.

Key Takeaways:

[2:49] Iliana shares her journey as an entrepreneur.

[4:20] Iliana talks about her career prior to starting her business.

[6:42] Iliana shares the journey of exponential growth her company went through in the past five years.

[8:25] What happens to the culture when an organization grows?

[10:20] Iliana speaks about the structure of roles among the staff in her bakery.

[11:52] Who is Iliana as a leader?

[14:03] How is Iliana balancing her long-term vision with her day-to-day operation?

[17:52] How does Iliana attract the right kind of talent she needs for her bakery?

[20:25] Iliana speaks on community craft and culture.

[26:35] Iliana shares insights about diversity in the workplace and creating a positive and nurturing environment for the employees.

[30:40] Iliana shares her advice to leaders.

[33:35] What are the ways in which leaders can encourage people to bring more of who they are to what they do?

[35:55] Iliana talks about the benefits of being an extrovert and always being accessible to her staff.

[37:28] Iliana is currently working on balancing her life.

[41:10] Iliana shares the origin of the name As Kneaded Bakery.

Mentioned in this episode:

Learn more about Mike Horne on Linkedin

Email Mike at mike@mike-horne.com

Find more about Leading People and Culture with Authenticity

Email Iliana at askneadedbakery@gmail.com