Are You Bonusing Toxicity? The Culture Question Every Leader Needs to Answer

Most organizations say they care about culture. But if your last three culture initiatives quietly died, the problem probably isn't your strategy — it's the gap between what leadership believes is happening and what's actually true on the ground.In this episode of Breakthrough Innovation, JL Heather and Preston Chandler sit down with LaChandra Baker, workforce optimization strategist, three-time TEDx speaker, and author of Your Own Biggest Cheerleader, and founder of LBB Edutainment. We cover why culture transformations keep stalling, how belonging-centered leadership drives real business value, and what self-advocacy actually looks like for leaders who are used to advocating for everyone else.⏱ TIMESTAMPS0:00 Intro1:41 Meet LaChandra Baker2:27 The gap between what leaders believe about culture and what's really happening4:15 Why promoting top individual contributors into management sets them up to fail6:33 The mindset-behavior-action framework: leading indicators over lagging ones8:55 Giving teams ownership — the difference between order takers and innovation drivers10:05 Belonging vs. fitting in: how to protect inclusive culture under pressure13:07 What being your own biggest cheerleader really means for leaders13:57 The first shift leaders need to make toward authentic self-advocacy💡 KEY TAKEAWAYS✅ Culture is what you reward, what you discipline, and what you coach — not what's on your posters. If you're bonusing toxic behaviors to hit outcomes, you're undermining everything else.✅ Belonging isn't a DEI initiative — it's a business strategy. When people belong, they bring their full talent, perspective, and potential. When they're just fitting in, you're leaving innovation on the table.✅ Self-advocacy starts with self-knowledge. Before a leader can advocate for themselves authentically, they have to understand their triggers, their biases, and what they may need to unlearn.🎁 FREE RESOURCEDownload our Design Sprint Starter Guide → https://centered.work/design-sprint-starter-guide-signup🔔 SUBSCRIBE for weekly innovation strategy → https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/breakthrough-innovation-7249796048536133632/👥 CONNECTCentered.work: https://centered.workJL Heather: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jlheather/Preston Chandler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prestonchandler/LaChandra Baker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lachandra-baker/ | lbbedutainment.com📕 Get the book Breakthrough Innovation → https://centered.work/books#innovation #workplaceculture #leadership #belonging #breakthroughlab #lbbedutainment🔗 Learn more about LaChandra's work at lbbedutainment.comThanks for tuning in to Breakthrough Innovation! Want to subscribe to the podcast? Have feedback to share? Connect with us on Spotify or iTunes and leave us a review—we’d love to hear from you!