The best leaders and team cultures take time to calibrate their thermostat. Join Jason Barger and other thought leaders for the 10th year of this inspiring event.
SHOW NOTES
Jason introduces Season 10 episode 34 of the podcast, Thermostat Cultures LIVE Event 11/6/26 Preview. Welcome back to the podcast on corporate culture and leadership and thank you for listening. We engage thought leaders like CEOs, CFOs, managers, VPs, directors, and more for this podcast. We wish to create content that engages your mind and heart and allows you to step back and think and add some positivity to your life. We deep dive into today’s topic.
We can’t control everything but what we can control is our response. Still a lot of work to do but wanted to remind the audience what is within our control is the temperature we create in the organizations and teams we work with.
Please leave a review for the podcast It really helps the podcast to spread these messages out into the world. Please share this podcast with your organization, on your team, or in your life to help spread these messages. Thank you!
If any of these topics are interesting to you please or you want a deep dive on any specific topics, please reach out to us here
Thermostat Cultures LIVE Event 11/6/26 Preview
An Exclusive First Look at the 10th Anniversary Gathering for Authentic Leadership and Culture
Summary: In a professional landscape characterized by continuous disruption and chronic busyness, authentic leaders require deliberate space to recalibrate their approach. This article previews the 10th anniversary of the Thermostat Cultures Live event, scheduled for Friday, November 6, 2026. Exploring the essential distinction between frantic motion and intentional strategy, it outlines the core framework of the upcoming hybrid experience. Readers will gain insight into the event’s action-oriented focus, the exceptional caliber of thought leaders in attendance, and the strategic necessity of stepping back to breathe good oxygen into modern organizational ecosystems.
We exist in an era of business that often glorifies speed at the expense of substance. Leaders and executives are consistently trapped in a relentless operational rhythm, running from priority to priority under the pervasive myth that faster motion automatically equals greater progress. Yet, when we analyze the habits of elite performers across any industry, a completely different operational reality emerges: the most effective leaders do not just run harder; they intentionally design space to step back, evaluate, and recalibrate.
Cultivating authentic leadership in teams and sustaining a high-performing corporate culture requires more than just reactive management. It demands proactive reflection. On the latest episode of The Thermostat Podcast, host Jason V. Barger provides an exclusive preview of an upcoming gathering designed specifically for this purpose: the 10th anniversary of the Thermostat Cultures Live event, taking place on Friday, November 6, 2026.
The Power of Intentional Calibration
A central premise of Barger’s leadership philosophy is the distinction between a thermometer and a thermostat. A thermometer simply reacts to the temperature of the room—much like a manager who merely responds to the daily chaos, anxieties, and shifting pressures of their operational environment. A thermostat, however, proactively sets the temperature. It defines the climate and regulates the environment to achieve a desired state.
Thermostat Cultures Live was founded a decade ago on a singular mission: to gather a room full of authentic leaders, across various industries, who are committed to setting a positive, compelling temperature within their organizations. As Barger notes, no leader is a finished product. Whether you are a newly appointed manager or a seasoned executive, the demand to navigate modern challenges—such as talent retention, organizational development, and leading with values—requires dedicated time away from the daily grind to breathe and reflect.
“I believe that we all need time in our life and our work to step back, to think and to breathe. And we all, none of us are a finished product. We’re all works in progress… you need time and space to calibrate your own thermostat.”— JASON V. BARGER
5 Essential Details for the 2026 Event
As the 10th anniversary approaches, Barger outlined five critical components that attendees need to know about this year’s experience:
1. A Flexible Hybrid Experience
To accommodate leaders regardless of their geographic constraints, the 2026 event will operate under a hybrid model. For those seeking the palpable energy of in-person congregation, there is an exclusive, limited-seating VIP experience hosted in Columbus, Ohio. For teams and leaders operating at a distance, a comprehensive virtual component ensures full access to the day’s insights and interactions.
2. The Strategic Necessity of the Pause
The event is built on the understanding that stepping back is not an administrative luxury; it is an operational requirement. The most successful organizations understand that to stimulate real progress, leadership teams must periodically break free from their standard routines and complacency to re-evaluate how they are showing up for their people.
3. A Roster of Powerful Voices
While Barger serves as the host and primary facilitator, the true strength of the event lies in the collaborative expertise of its guest speakers. Over the past decade, the stage has featured industry titans such as Howard Behar (former President of Starbucks), James Clear (author of Atomic Habits), and numerous other innovators. The 2026 lineup continues this tradition of excellence, bringing fresh perspectives to the challenges of modern culture-building.
4. An Unyielding Focus on Action
Thermostat Cultures Live is not designed to be a passive listening exercise. The curriculum is fiercely solutions-focused. Attendees will be challenged to interact, reflect, and actively construct tangible next steps. The objective is to ensure that every participant leaves not just inspired, but equipped with practical strategies to implement within their specific teams and environments.
5. Pre-Sale and Sponsorship Availability
With the event date rapidly approaching, organizational leaders are encouraged to secure their participation. Pre-sale tickets offer an opportunity to reserve limited seats at a discounted rate, while VIP sponsorship packages remain available for companies looking to align their brand with authentic leadership development.
Featured Voices for 2026
This year’s gathering will feature a diverse array of thought leaders ready to challenge conventional corporate wisdom. Among the highlighted guests are:
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Owen Fitzpatrick: A social psychologist and author of Inner Propaganda. Fitzpatrick has studied the mechanics of human belief in over 100 countries, from the boardrooms of Google to the environment of North Korea. He brings a provocative insight to the stage: the most dangerous propaganda a leader faces does not come from a screen, but from the mirror. He will explore the internal narratives that dictate our leadership effectiveness and organizational culture.
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Rebecca Hinds: Holding a PhD from Stanford University, Hinds is a leading expert on the future of work. She founded the Work Innovation Lab at Asana and the Work AI Institute at Glean. Her session will focus on the tangible impact of meeting structures on culture, offering data-driven strategies for conducting more meaningful and productive team interactions.
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Howard Behar: The former President of Starbucks and a foundational mentor to the event returns to share his enduring wisdom on servant leadership. Having helped scale Starbucks from 15 stores to a global empire of 15,000, Behar’s insights into putting people at the center of organizational growth remain indispensable.
“The best leaders, teams, cultures on the planet, they stimulate progress by recalibrating their thermostat together.”— JASON V. BARGER
The Ultimate Competitive Advantage: The Room Itself
Perhaps the most significant asset of Thermostat Cultures Live is not the programming on the stage, but the caliber of human beings seated in the audience. The event consistently attracts a unique cross-section of professionals who are actively engaged in moving the needle within their respective industries. The networking, shared experiences, and collective energy of leaders committed to authenticity create an environment that cannot be replicated in standard corporate training seminars.
QUESTIONS TO PONDER
As you evaluate your own leadership journey and the current climate of your organization, consider these reflective prompts posed by Jason V. Barger at the conclusion of the episode:
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Are you attending Thermostat Cultures Live on Friday, November 6th? And if not, why not?
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Where in your schedule are you planning intentional time to step back, breathe, and recalibrate your approach to leadership?
Is your team ready to become change-seekers? If you’re looking for further guidance on aligning your vision with action, how can we help you take that next strategic step? – Contact Us Now
Links and References
Visit ThermostatCulturesLIVE.com to learn more
Follow @JasonVBarger on social media for even more insights and new video content.
For more insights and practical tips, be sure to check out Jason V Barger’s book Breathing Oxygen. This book dives deeper into the concepts discussed in this episode and provides additional strategies for fostering a positive mindset and effective leadership.
By incorporating these practices into your summer routine, you can breathe new life into your personal and professional endeavors. Remember, as Jason says, “The best leaders, teams, and cultures on the planet stimulate progress by recalibrating their thermostat together.”
Please leave a review for the podcast It really helps the podcast to spread these messages out into the world. Please share this podcast with your organization, on your team, or in your life to help spread these messages. Thank you!
If any of these topics are interesting to you please or you want a deep dive on any specific topics, please reach out to us at info@jasonvbarger.com
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ABOUT THE THERMOSTAT
Conversations and micro-thoughts to engage your mind and heart.
A thermostat is proactive. It sets the temperature in a room. Controls the temperature. Regulates the temperature. But in today’s distracted, fast-paced and digital world, it’s easy for individuals and organizations to act more like thermometers, slipping into reactionary thinking, becoming scattered and inconsistent. The most compelling leaders, teams, organizations, families, or collection of humans of any kind operate in thermostat mode. They calibrate their mind and heart to set the temperature for the vision and culture they want to create. Jason Barger, globally celebrated author, keynote speaker, and founder of Step Back Leadership Consulting, is the host of The Thermostat, a podcast journey to discover authentic leadership, create compelling cultures and find clarity of mission, vision, and values.