Future Ready Leadership With Jacob Morgan CAVA's Chief People Officer on How to Turn Culture Into Action
Nov 17, 2025
Kelly Costanza, the Chief People Officer at CAVA, shares insights on fostering a compassionate culture while managing a vast team of 12,000 across 400 restaurants. She highlights their MVC framework (Mission, Values, Competencies) that drives action. The discussion covers innovative recognition programs, the importance of human connection in tech, and unique initiatives like the Love Button for employees to empower guests. Kelly also explains the practicalities of incorporating values in performance assessments and career development, showing how culture can scale with humanity.
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Culture Rooted In Mission
- CAVA ties team culture directly to its mission: bring heart, health, and humanity to food.
- They believe hospitality toward team members creates hospitality toward guests.
Celebrate Values Publicly
- Define clear values and competencies and celebrate them publicly with rituals like MVC awards.
- Use physical tokens and public recognition to reinforce desired behaviors.
Certify Culture Trainers
- Train internal leaders as certified trainers (CCT) to scale culture teaching across locations.
- Use a train-the-trainer badge to reward and institutionalize competency coaching.
