Caterina Bulgarella joins Tobias Sturesson and Andreas Almlöf to unpack the big lessons from 2025 and what’s ahead for companies navigating rapid change. Together, they dive into how organisations can cut through performative culture work, truly prioritise human dignity, and harness technology – especially AI – without losing sight of what really matters.
In this episode, we explore:
(01:43) Opening reflections on organisational culture in 2025
(04:51) Professional work across multiple countries and cultures
(06:37) Contrasting cultures: Sao Paulo insight
(10:06) Integrity and business culture
(16:06) Cultural health and innovation
(17:30) Tech founders’ impact and risks
(23:03) Redefining workplace culture
(27:33) Technology, limits, and human loss
(31:34) Substance over image in workplaces
(33:20) Performative culture and reality
(38:00) Understanding culture through AI insights
(42:00) Transforming data into strategic insights
(44:39) Narrowing focus for deeper insights
(48:49) Prioritising cultural health and integrity
(50:28) Corruption accountability signals progress
‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here.
Stephen Nguyen-Duc is Chief Compliance Officer at GE Healthcare and a veteran leader who has built ethics and compliance programs for global healthcare powerhouses like Eli Lilly, AbbVie, and Medday. Across more than two decades, Stephen has seen compliance evolve from a box-ticking exercise to a deeply human journey. In this episode, he joins host Tobias Sturesson to break down why organizational integrity is never just about rules – and why surprise is compliance’s greatest foe.
In this episode, we explore:
(05:00) Integrity as a daily habit
(06:30) Rethinking compliance and culture
(11:16) Building cultural health together
(13:14) Tone at the top misalignment
(16:27) Ownership as key to organizational change
(21:23) Awareness vs action in organizations
(25:44) Cultural health and awareness
(28:58) Fostering a culture of listening
(32:40) Driving behavioral change together
(33:28) Cultural impact on business tools
(38:04) Understanding the trust equation
(42:44) Empathy and ethical leadership
(47:30) Integrity drives business performance
(48:27) Optimistic industry progress
Links mentioned:
‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here.
Tobias Sturesson and Andreas Almlöf dive deep into the crucial role that values play in shaping organizations and leadership. Values are far more than just words on a wall; they’re the principles that guide tough decisions, even when those choices come with real costs or discomfort.
You’ll also hear personal stories about valuing honesty in leadership, wrestling with failures, and fostering environments where tough conversations about ethical dilemmas are not only safe but necessary. Plus, the episode offers practical frameworks and questions to help leaders navigate values-based decision-making under pressure.
In this episode, we explore:
(00:00) Reflecting on core values
(06:45) Integrity through actions, not words
(08:09) Values guiding tough decisions
(11:40) Wrestling with corporate values
(17:09) Aligning personal organizational strategic values
(19:31) Living true to core values
(22:15) Embracing dilemmas and trade-offs
(27:31) Living and aligning with values
(31:04) Navigating values amid strong pulls
(33:55) Modeling values-based leadership
(35:41) Staying true to our values
(39:10) Stand up, fail and keep trying
Links mentioned:
‘Walking the Talk’ by Carolyn Taylor
‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here.
Caterina Bulgarella is a renowned social scientist with over 20 years of experience in organizational culture transformation and assessment. As a leading expert in culture measurement and a co-creator of the widely used Two Factor Model of Ethical Culture, Caterina brings powerful insights into the deeper layers behind workplace data.
In this episode, host Tobias Sturesson dives into the pitfalls of traditional engagement surveys and the value of understanding what culture truly means within organizations. Together, they unpack why much of what leaders think they know about culture and ethics is often just the tip of the iceberg, and how to get to the roots beneath the surface.
In this episode, we explore:
(00:00) Understanding workplace culture insights
(05:21) Behavioral insights and measurement journey
(09:18) Insights beyond generic feedback
(13:27) Understanding organizational culture mechanisms
(17:00) Restructuring meaning for cultural change
(20:41) Survey credibility and ethical behavior
(23:25) Pressure's impact on leadership dynamics
(26:16) Two-factor ethical culture model
(29:51) Measuring ethical organizational culture
(32:51) Insights through dialogic stories
(37:25) Respecting history, embracing difference
(39:27) Values, culture, and context
(44:06) Root causes and cultural awareness
(48:34) Embracing curiosity for positive change
Links mentioned:
Connect with Caterina Bulgarella on LinkedIn
‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here.
Tobias Sturesson kicks off a new season of Leading Transformation Change with co-host Andreas Almlöf. Building on insights from his work with global leaders and his acclaimed book You Can Culture, Tobias unpacks the game-changing role of repairing trust inside organizations.
Tune in to hear practical strategies for leaders navigating crises, high-pressure environments and everyday cultural tensions… at a time when AI, regulatory upheaval and shifting values are rewriting the rules of leadership.
In this episode, we explore:
(05:15) Navigating change with AI, values and DEI
(11:19) Why trust is leadership’s most valuable capital
(13:22) Accountability and cultural reform in leadership
(17:58) How regret can drive real growth
(20:45) Building customer trust through openness
(23:02) How culture and design shape accountability
(29:42) Why unaddressed issues create distrust
(32:38) Steps to repair harm and rebuild trust
(34:39) Owning responsibility through vulnerability
Links mentioned:
Listen to Daniel Pink: Unlocking the Power of Regret
‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here.
What does it really mean to build AI responsibly, at Google scale?
In this episode, we sit down with Jen Gennai, the person Google turned to when it needed to build ethical AI from the ground up. Jen founded Google’s Responsible Innovation team and has spent her career at the intersection of trust, safety, and emerging tech.
From advising world leaders on AI governance to navigating internal pushback, Jen opens up about what it actually takes to embed ethics into one of the fastest-moving industries on the planet.
Tune in to this episode as we explore:
The importance of early ethical considerations
Trust as a core pillar of technology
Navigating AI’s impact on fairness and discrimination
The future of AI-human relationships
Building AI literacy in organizations
The intersection of regulation and innovation
Links mentioned:
Connect with Jen Gennai on LinkedIn
T3 Website
‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here.
What does it take to build a culture that not only survives but thrives across global teams? In this episode of Leading Transformational Change, host Tobias Sturesson sits down with Alicia DeFreitas, Global Head of People & Culture at BDO, to explore the key elements that make an organization’s culture truly flourish: respect, growth, and purpose. They dive into the challenges of aligning these values across diverse teams and discuss the ongoing journeys of diversity, equity, and psychological safety.
Tune in to this episode as we explore:
Links mentioned:
Connect with Alicia DeFreitas on LinkedIn
‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here.
Bob Langert, former VP of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability at McDonald's, and Jay Barney, author of ‘The Secret of Culture Change’, join Tobias Sturesson to explore the nuanced journey of leading transformational change within an organisation. Drawing from decades of experience, Bob shares how McDonald's navigated criticism to embrace a proactive approach to social responsibility, while Jay highlights the significance of actions over words in fostering a true cultural shift.
Tune in to this episode as we explore:
Navigating criticism and fostering partnerships
Actions as the foundation for cultural change
Embracing vulnerability to strengthen trust
The journey from defensiveness to proactivity
Trust and its impact on business success
Inspiring change through leadership actions
Building authentic stories from transformative practices
Links mentioned:
‘The Secret of Culture Change’ by Jay Barney
‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here.
Bruno Roche, former Chief Economist and Managing Director at Mars Corporation, is now leading efforts at ONEsociety, a foundation and consultancy aiming to drive systemic change in the impact economy. Bruno shares his expertise on navigating today's geopolitical landscape, technological advancements like AI, and the ethical frameworks that underpin sustainable societal progress. Discover how businesses and leaders can steer through unprecedented global changes with integrity and mutuality at the core.
Tune in to this episode as we explore:
‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here.
Today we hear from Ann Tenbrunsel, the David E. Gallo Professor of Business Ethics at the University of Notre Dame, and Lenny Wong, a retired research professor at the US Army War College. Explore how positive illusions about our ethicality lead to overlooked blind spots and understand the importance of embracing vulnerability for fostering trust and learning within corporate cultures. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to understand and navigate the ethical challenges in leadership and organisational behaviour.
In this episode, we explore:
Links Mentioned:
You Can Culture by Tobias Sturesson
025. Lenny Wong: Uncovering a Culture of Dishonesty
As we celebrate our 100th episode, we've invited Richard Bistrong, CEO of Front-Line Anti-Bribery and Klaus Moosmayer, Chief Ethics, Risk and Compliance Officer at Novartis, to dive into the essential role of humility in leadership. Together with host Tobias Sturesson, they explore how acknowledging imperfections, owning mistakes, and repairing trust can lead to significant positive shifts in organizational cultures.
Tune in to this episode as we explore:
The roots and virtues of humility
Humility vs. corporate arrogance
Balancing transparency and investor expectations
Personal journeys to embracing humility
Effective responses to corporate scandals
The pitfalls of corporate forgetfulness
Building a culture where ethics thrive
‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here.
In this episode, our host, Tobias Sturesson, reads the introduction of his book You Can Culture, which delves into his personal experience of becoming complicit in a toxic culture. We hope it offers you a compelling and insightful introduction to the concept of the four transformative leadership habits the book explores.
You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success, launches October 8, 2024.
Read more on youcanculture.com, pre-order it on Amazon or wherever you get your books.
In this special episode of Leading Transformational Change, we dive deep into the essential habit of ‘Getting Humble’ from my book, ‘You Can Culture’. I am joined by Andreas Almlöf from Heart Management to explore why humility in leadership is crucial for fostering a thriving, ethical culture in organisations. Listen in to hear an excerpt from the book, as well as practical advice on embracing vulnerability, taking ownership of cultural issues, and the power of reflection in maintaining values alignment.
Tune in to this episode as we explore:
Key insights from the ‘You Can Culture’ book
Embracing vulnerability in leadership
Overcoming fears of showing weakness
Benefits of admitting mistakes
Humility vs. arrogance in leadership
Real-world examples of transformative change
Rituals of reflection for leaders
‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here.
Richard Bistrong is a former VP of sales for a global multinational who faced legal challenges due to FCPA violations. Richard has transformed his career, becoming an advocate for compliance and ethics, and helping organizations navigate the tricky waters of corporate integrity. Richard delves into the complex interplay between corporate success pressures and ethical compliance, sharing candid insights and real-world strategies. This episode was originally released in 2020, but the conversation still rings true today.
Tune in to this episode as we explore:
Richard’s journey from success to scandal
Navigating high-pressure ethical dilemmas
The role of culture in compliance
Managing ethical risks in volatile markets
The critical influence of middle management
Aligning corporate values with real-world risks
Vulnerability and proactive communication for leaders
‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here.
Mary Shirley is a lawyer with 20 years of ethics and compliance experience, which includes implementing, evaluating and monitoring compliance programs for multinational corporations. Tune in as she discusses the critical role of ethical leadership, her stand against bribery and values-driven decision-making. We’ll also delve into innovative initiatives that encourage ethical behaviour and the significance of integrating integrity into daily operations.
In this episode, we explore:
Creating a culture of integrity in healthcare
The risks of merging legal and compliance roles
Lead with heart, not just a checklist
Encourage a culture where speaking up is celebrated
… and the power of sharing compliance updates on LinkedIn
‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here.
In our last episode, we kicked off our digital book launch series with a conversation featuring Alison Taylor, Rob Chesnut, and Ellen Hunt. Today, we have another exciting panel lined up… this time with some of Europe’s leading voices on culture and ethics.
Our discussion will focus on common pitfalls and transformative strategies in shaping corporate culture.
Tune in as we are joined by Guido Palazzo, Professor of Business Ethics at the University of Lausanne, Michaela Ahlberg, Senior Ethics & Compliance Specialist, and Erica Wikman, Vice President of Compliance & Corporate Integrity at Autoliv.
In this episode, we explore:
The ripple effect of bad decisions
The importance of inclusivity in corporate culture
The ability to listen as leaders
Understanding privilege and bias
Why it’s important to stay in the grey zone
‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here.
Today we have an exceptional panel to delve deep into the heart of ethical culture and organizational transformation. We begin first with Andreas Almlöf interviewing Tobias Sturesson about his newest book ‘You Can Culture’. Our panel guests include Ellen Hunt, a leader in the ethics and compliance space, Alison Taylor, former Executive Director of Ethical Systems and a Clinical Associate Professor at NYU Stern School of Business, and Rob Chesnut, former Airbnb executive and author.
In this episode, we explore:
HR and compliance driving positive change
Intentional integrity and business performance
The need for advisory and counsellor roles in leadership
A decentralized approach at Airbnb for ethics and compliance
Having a culture of disagreement
‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here.
This episode sheds light on the often-overlooked intricacies of team ethical culture, examining the impact of leadership, shared values, and systemic influences on ethical behaviour. Our guest today is Guillem Casoliva, a Corporate Communication and Reputation Management Specialist, who is currently working with Booking.com on the development of the Compliance & Ethics Programme.
In this episode, we discuss:
Links Mentioned:
Barbara Kellermani is a renowned expert in the fields of leadership and followership, having dedicated her lifelong work to the study and authoring of numerous books on these subjects. She is a Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership. She was the Founding Executive Director of the Center, and a member of the Kennedy School faculty for over twenty years.
In this episode, we explore:
Links Mentioned:
Leadership from Bad to Worse by Barbara Kellerman
The End of Leadership by Barbara Kellerman
Leadership by Barbara Kellerman
Jason Lesandrini is the Assistant Vice President for Ethics, Advance Care Planning and Spiritual Health at Wellstar Health System in Georgia, where he leads the strategy and implementation of ethics initiatives. He holds faculty appointments at Mercer University and South College. Jason is a widely recognized expert in outcomes metrics for ethics programs and served as an ethics expert to numerous professional organizations.
In this fascinating conversation, we delve into the complex landscape of ethics in healthcare and organizational settings. We also unpack the importance of having ethical guides within organizations and the impact of culture on ethical decision-making, the ‘Ethical Buddy System’, end-of-life care dilemmas, and much more.
Links Mentioned: