In this episode, host Michael Bernzweig talks with Trisha Daho, founder and CEO of Empowered, about how professional services firms can grow faster by treating people, culture, and leadership as strategic priorities. Trisha explains how culture impacts engagement, retention, and long‑term revenue, how Empowered uses assessments, people advisory, and fractional Chief People Officer roles to drive change, and why leadership development must focus on human skills like emotional intelligence, self‑reflection, and genuine care. She also describes her leadership ascension and intensive programs designed to prepare the next generation of partners and leaders.

In this episode:

• Why culture and people strategy are critical for 800% growth over a decade
• How to assess and address culture gaps without triggering defensiveness
• The role of fractional Chief People Officers in mid-market firms
• Practical steps to embed AI into organizational strategy effectively
• The importance of leadership alignment and honest performance evaluations
• Why employee engagement statistics reveal the urgency for cultural change
• How to build resilient leaders for hybrid, multi-generational workplaces
• The three-phase roadmap for AI adoption: from foundation to scaling
• Strategies for detecting early warning signs of cultural wobble
• Filling topic gaps with AI to enhance thought leadership

Timestamps:

• 00:00 - Introduction to Trisha Daho and her expertise in culture and leadership in professional services
• 01:24 - Trisha’s personal journey from Big Four to entrepreneurship
• 02:36 - Why neglecting culture results in 800% less growth
• 04:06 - Key learnings in transitioning from corporate to founder mindset
• 05:36 - Building honest, transparent culture assessments
• 06:53 - Common signs that culture, leadership, and people are wobbling
• 08:13 - What exactly do culture and people initiatives entail?
• 09:34 - Embedding culture into performance management and leadership development
• 12:40 - Implementing and scaling fractional Chief People Officer roles
• 16:00 - How leadership ascension programs accelerate talent development
• 20:40 - First steps for firms starting their culture improvement journey
• 21:44 - Strategic AI roadmap: from foundation to pilot, scale, embed
• 33:07 - Using honest culture assessments to surface issues
• 36:53 - Updating SEO and AEO strategies in the age of AI
• 38:23 - Pricing strategies based on capacity and scarcity
• 40:09 - Measuring success in fractional CPO engagements
• 41:51 - Practical three-phase AI implementation roadmap
• 44:08 - Identifying and filling content gaps with AI
• 45:36 - Final thoughts: invest in culture and leadership for sustainable growth

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