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Last week, Wendy walked through the four levels of the Culture Maturity Model: Reactive, Emerging, Intentional, and Thriving. This week she covers what to do about where you landed. For each level, she describes what a 30–90 day shift looks like and lays out a practical action plan built on her CORE framework: Clarify, Operationalize, Reinforce, Evaluate. She also makes the case that building an intentional culture doesn’t take a six-figure consultant. It takes time, focus, and the right tools.

Key takeaway

Wherever you are, there’s a next step. Pick at least one action in each part of CORE, stay consistent, and show your people you’re listening by acting on what they tell you.

Resources mentioned:

• 📝 Take the Culture Maturity Quiz: culturecoachwendy.com/quiz
• 📖 C.O.R.E. Culture by Wendy McCauley Brand, available on Amazon. It includes an action plan template, a core values starter list, and sample tools you can put to use right away.
• 🎧 Last week’s episode: The Culture Maturity Model, Part 1
• 🎤 Book Wendy to speak to your organization: wendy@culturecoachwendy.com | culturecoachwendy.com

____________________________
With 25+ years of leadership experience, spanning multiple roles across corporations and non-profits, I have gained a wealth of experience in understanding what makes organizations successful.

Get the new book, C.O.R.E. Culture by Wendy McCauley Brand, available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/07T2s89k

CONNECT WITH ME
Website: CultureCoachWendy.com
LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/wendybrand/
Instram: Instagram.com/culturecoachwendy
YouTube: YouTube.com/@CultureCoachWendy

The CultureCoach Podcast Page: CultureCoachWendy.com/podcasts/

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Every organization has a culture. The question is whether it’s happening to you or because of you. In this episode, Wendy revisits the Culture Maturity Model (first covered back in Episode 82) and walks through its four levels: Reactive, Emerging, Intentional, and Thriving. For each one, she describes the kinds of organizations that tend to land there, what it feels like to work inside them, and the red flags that tell you you’re there. If you’ve ever wondered whether your culture matches what you think it is, this one’s for you.

Key takeaway

Reaching a thriving culture isn’t a finish line. Staying there takes the same intentionality that got you there in the first place.

Coming up next week: Part two covers how to move your culture up a level, whether you’re going from reactive to emerging or from intentional to thriving.

Resources mentioned:

• 📝 Take the Culture Maturity Quiz: culturecoachwendy.com/quiz
• 📖 C.O.R.E. Culture by Wendy McCauley Brand, your how-to guide for building an intentional culture, available on Amazon
• 🎧 Episode 82: the original Culture Maturity Model episode

____________________________
With 25+ years of leadership experience, spanning multiple roles across corporations and non-profits, I have gained a wealth of experience in understanding what makes organizations successful.

Get the new book, C.O.R.E.Culture by Wendy McCauley Brand, available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/07T2s89k

CONNECT WITH ME
Website: CultureCoachWendy.com
LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/wendybrand/
Instram: Instagram.com/culturecoachwendy
YouTube: YouTube.com/@CultureCoachWendy

The CultureCoach Podcast Page: CultureCoachWendy.com/podcasts/

Send us Fan Mail

What if your employees are your most important audience?

In this episode of The Culture Coach Podcast, Wendy Brand sits down with marketing and culture strategist Lori Castillo to explore the powerful connection between internal culture and external brand. Drawing from her leadership experience at organizations including Procter & Gamble, CoverGirl, and NatureSweet, Lori shares why the world's strongest brands don't start with advertising—they start with the employee experience.

Together, Wendy and Lori discuss how culture influences customer trust, employee engagement, innovation, retention, and ultimately, business performance. They also unpack why culture isn't a "soft" initiative but a business strategy that leaders must intentionally design and reinforce every day.

Whether you're a CEO, business owner, HR leader, or people manager, this episode will challenge the way you think about culture—and leave you with practical ideas for building an organization where both people and business thrive.

Learn more about Lori's work at Venntion and connect with her on LinkedIn.

Website: https://venntion.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loricastillo/

____________________________
With 25+ years of leadership experience, spanning multiple roles across corporations and non-profits, I have gained a wealth of experience in understanding what makes organizations successful.

Get the new book, C.O.R.E. Culture by Wendy McCauley Brand, available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/07T2s89k

CONNECT WITH ME
Website: CultureCoachWendy.com
LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/wendybrand/
Instram: Instagram.com/culturecoachwendy
YouTube: YouTube.com/@CultureCoachWendy

The CultureCoach Podcast Page: CultureCoachWendy.com/podcasts/