166. Small Town Business: When the Boss Is the Culture with Simone Pickering and Prina Shah

In this episode, I’m joined again by Simone Pickering, HR consultant and founder of The People & Culture Office, to unpack a reality many small town businesses don’t want to admit:Sometimes the culture is the business owner.And in regional and small town settings, that impact is even stronger.We explore what happens when leadership style, personality, and long-standing habits define the entire workplace culture — and why this often leads to stagnation, turnover, and growth ceilings.This is a conversation about self-awareness, hard truths, and what it really takes to shift culture when it’s deeply personal.In This Episode, We DiscussWhy culture in small towns is often shaped by one dominant leaderWhat happens when businesses don’t evolve beyond the founderThe connection between leadership personality and employee experienceWhy employees leave (and it’s not always about money)The defensiveness that blocks culture changeWhy compliance and policies don’t fix retentionThe myth of perks (bonuses, trips) as engagement strategiesThe gap between leadership perception vs employee realityWhy many small businesses stall at 10–15 employeesWhy culture only becomes a priority when business conditions changeAbout the Guest: Simone Pickering - Founder, The People & Culture OfficeSimone is a Kalgoorlie-based HR consultant working with businesses across regional WA. She helps leaders build practical, human-centred cultures that support retention, performance, and long-term success.🔗 Website: https://thepeopleandcultureoffice.com 🔗 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/simone-pickering-mahri-a03954134Send Prina a text to let her know how you'd change the workplace If you are seeking professional advice or would like to change your company culture through training, consulting, speaking and coaching, get in touch,  email me.Say hi!Sign up to my monthylish practical newsletter Get in touch with me, PrinaCheck  out my website⁠⁠⁠ - do a professional stalk...Follow me on LinkedInFind out what I am up to on Instagram⁠⁠⁠ Grab a copy of Make Work Meaningful and start creating your own legacy at work and leave me a review. Subscribe to the Ways to Change the Workplace Podcast for more actionable insights. Prina (Helping you find GREAT ways to change your workplace) Shah