How to Overcome Fear and Build Trust as a Leader

In this episode of Culture Crush, host Dan Dowman sits down with Mhairi Ramsay, founder of Tomrom, to discuss the challenges and nuances of cultivating a positive workplace culture. 

Mhairi shares her journey from being a trainee manager at Sainsbury's to leading her own team coaching company. The conversation delves into the importance of embedding values in small businesses, and her transformative experience at Zappos' Culture Camp. 

The episode also tackles the critical issue of trust in leadership, and Mhairi offers practical advice on developing trust through open communication and genuine engagement with employees.

Culture Crushes

🧡 Zappos: For their transformative approach to customer service and giving their employees room for self-expression.

Takeaways

✅ Building and maintaining a strong company culture is crucial as businesses grow.

✅ Zappos is a culture crush for Mari Ramsey due to their focus on customer service and core values.

✅ The challenge is the growing sense of distrust in the world, and leaders can address this by fostering trust and open communication.

✅ The key takeaway is to have open conversations with employees about the purpose of the business and what they want from their workplace.

Sound Bites

📢 "Building a culture is crucial as soon as you add one person to the team."

📢 "Zappos is a culture-led business that allows people to embrace who they are."

📢 "The challenge is the growing sense of distrust in the world."

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Culture Crush

00:15 Meet Mhairi Ramsay

01:13 Mhairi’s Journey and Connection with Hannah Brady

03:40 Building and Maintaining Company Culture

05:14 Mhairi’s Career Path and Launching Tomrom

11:01 The Philosophy Behind Tomrom

13:39 Culture Crush: Zappos

22:45 Addressing the Growing Sense of Distrust

35:06 The Importance of Open Conversations

37:41 Conclusion and Farewell