Geronimo Unfiltered The Hidden Reasons Your Culture Sucks and How to Build One Built to Win
If you’re burnt out, juggling casuals and “spare parts”, and hoping a fruit bowl and team brekkie will fix culture - you’re kidding yourself.
Here’s the truth: culture isn’t vibes. It’s standards, systems and accountability - lived daily. In this episode, we unpack how elite footy programs like the Melbourne Storm and Norths turn “off-cuts” into pros, and how you can install the same habits in a five-person studio.
We’re talking non-negotiables (as the floor, not the ceiling), recruiting on character over CV, team-driven leadership, and the exact rhythms - huddles, reviews and scoreboards - that lift performance without you barking orders.
Here’s what we’re covering:
-The difference between real culture and “bribery” (and why free coffees won’t save you)
-Why recruiting on character beats qualifications every day of the week
-Non-negotiables as the floor (not the ceiling) - and how to set them
-The Storm “work program”, Purple Hearts and rituals that hardwire effort
-How to build team-driven accountability (so standards police themselves)
-The review room: 3 effort-based actions, player self-scores and visible scoreboards
-Mini-teams, healthy competition and gamifying the right behaviours
-Leading with questions, not speeches - practical prompts you can steal
-How to reset a weak culture in 90 days (without blowing up your team)
-What to do when a high performer is in a slump (support vs standards)
Chapters:
⏳ [00:00] Why Your “Culture” Isn’t Working (and What It Actually Is)
⏳ [01:05] Character Over CV: How Elite Teams Recruit Winners
⏳ [07:07] Systems, Standards, Accountability - the Culture Trinity
⏳ [12:21] Rituals That Matter: Jerseys Off the Floor & Standing to Greet
⏳ [20:10] Non-Negotiables Are the Floor, Not the Ceiling
⏳ [23:06] Inside the Storm: The Work Program & Perspective Shift
⏳ [33:44] Spotting Weak Culture: Meetings, Dialogue and Behaviours
⏳ [41:10] The Review Room: Effort Metrics, Self-Scores & Scoreboards
⏳ [44:30] Build the Framework: Themes, Mini-Teams & Gamification
⏳ [51:30] Listener Q&A: Spare Parts, Monthly Meetings & Where to Start
⏳ [1:03:00] Coaching High Performers Through a Slump (Without Dropping Standards)
⏳ [1:16:20] Daily/Weekly Huddles That Drive Action (Not Just Talk)
⏳ [1:21:30] Vision That Sticks: From Top-Down to Team-Owned
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