Culture-Making with Margaret Andrews

In the latest episode of The Thermostat Podcast, host Jason V. Barger sits down with Margaret C. Andrews—a seasoned executive and Harvard University professor—to explore the evolving landscape of the modern workplace. With employee engagement hitting a ten-year low and trust in leadership at a staggering deficit, the conversation highlights a critical shift: the “soft skills” of the past have become the essential “power skills” of the future.

Summary: From Culture Takers to Culture Makers

The episode examines the current crisis of connection in organizations. Statistics show that while 90% of employees desire a strong connection to their corporate culture, only 20% actually feel it. Margaret Andrews argues that to bridge this gap, leaders must move from being “culture takers”—those who passively assimilate into existing norms—to “culture makers.”

While the CEO often serves as the “Chief Culture Officer,” setting the vision and structures, true leadership in teams requires every member to participate. Andrews emphasizes that emotional intelligence (EQ) is the engine behind this transformation. By mastering self-awareness and self-management, leaders can align their internal intentions with their external behaviors, closing the “knowing-doing gap” that often breeds cynicism within teams.

The Power of Perspective-Taking

A significant portion of the discussion focuses on interpersonal dynamics and empathy. Andrews and Barger discuss how leadership in teams is often hindered by “vantage point blindness.” Using the analogy of two people looking at a figure on the ground—one seeing a “6” and the other a “9”—they illustrate that being right does not mean the other person is wrong; it simply means they have a different perspective.

The conversation also touches on generational diversity. Rather than viewing Gen Z or Millennials as enigmas to be solved, Andrews suggests viewing them as another form of diversity. Leading digital natives requires a shift from “hovering” or “top-down” management to “walking beside” employees in a continuous, relational dialogue.

Notable Quotes

“The best leaders and team cultures in the world are the ones that make time to step back, breathe in good oxygen, and calibrate their thermostat.” — Jason V. Barger

“Interpersonal skills… I call them superpowers, human skills. I never use those words, ‘soft skills,’ because I think that they’re dismissed…finance and accounting, that’s easy. It’s this other stuff that is really hard because people are complex and they’re messy.” — Margaret Andrews

“We judge ourselves by our intentions… they judge us by our behaviors. That’s why we oftentimes feel misunderstood.” — Margaret Andrews

“The CEO is the Chief Culture Officer… but everybody is watching you. Promotion criteria matters a lot. If you say you want collaboration but promote people with sharp elbows, it creates a cultural dissonance.” — Margaret Andrews

“Leadership in this digital native world… is about walking beside, not the walking in front or the walking behind.” — Jason V. Barger (referencing Andrew Whitworth)

Questions to Ponder

To help you calibrate your own leadership thermostat, consider these questions inspired by the episode’s conclusion:

1. Self-Awareness: Are you truly aware of the “temperature” you are setting in the room? Is there a gap between your positive intentions and the behaviors your team actually experiences?

2. Curiosity: When a team member resists a change, do you seek to understand the “6 or 9” perspective they are holding, or do you simply push for compliance?

3. Congruence: Is there harmony between what your organization says it values and the behaviors that are actually rewarded and promoted?

4. Partnership: How can you transition from “directing” your team to “walking beside” them in a way that fosters trust and autonomy?