The Culture Coach
I’m Wendy Brand, Your Culture Coach, dedicated to supporting people-first leaders. Each week we dive into strategies and insights to help you build a workplace where employees feel valued, motivated, and inspired. From fostering tribal values and improving core processes to developing inclusive communities and responsive listening strategies, we cover it all.
Join me weekly for practical tips, expert interviews, and real-world examples to help you boost productivity, extinguish burnout and cultivate a vibrant organizational culture that reflects your mission, vision and values.
The Culture Coach
#131 The Aligned Leader
Fresh off a week in Reno and Lake Tahoe working with Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) leaders, Wendy reflects on conversations with founders, CEOs, and franchise leaders navigating growth, change, and transition—and why alignment, not reinvention, is the real work leaders are being called to do in 2026.
Building on her recent newsletter and Substack article, “2026 doesn’t need a new you—it needs an aligned you,” Wendy unpacks how misalignment quietly shows up inside organizations long before leaders consciously name it themselves.
She also weaves in her CORE Culture Framework—Clarify, Operationalize, Reinforce, and Evaluate—to explain how leaders can intentionally operationalize culture and prevent teams from carrying the weight of unspoken ambiguity.
This episode is especially relevant if:
- You’re successful but sensing that something feels “off”
- Decision-making feels heavier than it used to
- You’re tolerating behaviors that no longer align with your values
- Your culture feels inconsistent, even though your values are documented
Resources & Next Steps
✨ Free Resource:
Download Wendy’s alignment workbook to help you clarify what matters most right now and identify where misalignment may be showing up in your leadership and culture.
✨ The Aligned Leader Program:
If you’re a successful leader navigating growth, transition, or recalibration—and want a structured, supportive space to realign without reinventing yourself—learn more about Wendy’s Aligned Leader Program:
👉 https://go.culturecoachwendy.com/aligned
This is a collective for leaders who want clarity, alignment, and intentional culture—without forcing change that doesn’t fit who they are now.
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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.
The Aligned Leader Collective -Join today:
https://go.CultureCoachWendy.com/aligned
FREE DOWNLOAD - The Culture Strategy Audit:
https://culturecoachwendy.com/cultureaudit/
Online Community - The Culture Strategy Lab:
https://culturecoachwendy.com/strategylab/
FREE Online Mini Course - The C.E.O. Reset:
https://culturecoachwendy.mykajabi.com/offers/zqP7fYvR/checkout
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/
