Culture: The Real CEO

What if your default response was “yes”?In this Culture Cut, Dr. Eliezer Jones and Jon Ackerman explore how a culture of yes drives innovation, builds trust, and creates psychological safety on teams. It’s not about saying yes to everything. It’s about leading with openness, curiosity, and a genuine desire to help.From improv’s “yes and” mindset to real workplace examples, they break down how shifting your instinct from “no” to “yes” can transform how ideas grow and how people feel at work. Start with one brave yes.

In this episode I sit down with Raquel Arakanchi, an OU Executive Fellow, who I have the pleasure of working with daily. Together we explore culture from the inside and dive into navigating onboarding, high expectations, and the energy of a mission-driven organization in real time. We talk about burnout, boundaries, and the tension between passion and sustainability, especially in roles that are always “on.” We also dive into the power of mindset, why positivity matters more than we think, and how individual behavior shapes team culture. From leadership responsibility to personal accountability, this episode is a real, honest look at what it takes to build a culture that’s both high-performing and human. Because culture isn’t what you say, it’s how your people show up every day.

In this CultureCut, Jon and I tackle one of the most difficult, and most important, topics in organizational life: toxic culture.What makes a culture toxic? How does it slowly take root inside teams that once felt healthy and mission-driven? And most importantly, how do you address it without burning everything down?We explore the subtle warning signs leaders often miss: fear-based communication, lack of accountability, avoidance of hard conversations, favoritism, burnout disguised as commitment, and values that live on posters but not in practice. We also unpack the emotional toll toxic environments take on high performers and why strong people often leave before culture improves. But this episode isn’t just diagnostic, it’s prescriptive.We discuss practical steps leaders can take to confront toxicity head-on: naming reality, rebuilding trust, setting behavioral standards, creating psychological safety, using empathy and modeling the change they want to see. Culture shifts when behavior shifts and that starts at the top. If you care about building healthy, mission-aligned organizations, and having the courage to fix what’s broken, this conversation is one you won’t want to miss.

What does it really mean to live with a happy attitude, especially in demanding, mission-driven work?In this episode, I sit down with Rabbi Derek Gormin, Managing Director of Public School Educational Excellence at NCSY, for an honest conversation about happiness as a daily practice. We explore mindset, leadership, emotional honesty, and how a positive attitude shapes culture, resilience, and impact. Rabbi Gormin shares practical insights on staying grounded and joyful, even when the work is hard and outcomes are uncertain.A thoughtful, energizing episode for anyone leading, teaching, or striving to live with more purpose and joy.

In this CultureCut, Jon and I explore the powerful ideas behind Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara and what they teach us about building exceptional organizational culture through servant leadership.Using stories and principles from the book, we discuss how going beyond what’s “reasonable” transforms not just customer experience, but internal culture as well. We unpack how leaders who see their role as serving their people create trust, ownership, and excellence, and why culture isn’t built through perks or slogans, but through consistent, intentional behavior.We also examine what servant leadership looks like in real-world, mission-driven organizations: how empowering staff, modeling care, and paying attention to the small details can lead to extraordinary outcomes. Whether you lead a nonprofit, business, or team of any kind, this conversation challenges you to rethink what great leadership and culture truly require. If you care about culture, leadership, and creating environments where people feel valued and inspired to do their best work, this episode is for you.

In this episode, I had the privilege of sitting down for a full interview with Jon Ackerman — my co-host for the CultureCuts segment of the podcast and the Talent Development Manager for NCSY. Together, we take a deep dive into the culture of a thriving, mission-driven non-profit organization.We explore what truly works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to building positive organizational culture, the critical role leadership plays, and how putting staff first can transform morale, performance, and long-term impact. From values to systems to day-to-day behaviors, this conversation offers practical insights and real-world lessons for anyone leading or working within a purpose-driven organization.Whether you’re a leader, manager, or team member passionate about healthy culture and meaningful work, this episode is packed with takeaways you won’t want to miss. Enjoy!

In this third Culture Cut episode—a short-form conversation with my friend and colleague, Jon Ackerman—we dive into the importance of saying "No" as a leader and hearing "No" as an employee. Above all we discuss the way to say and hear it. Each Culture Cut explores a single, focused topic about culture and will be released between full-length interview episodes. Enjoy this quick, thought-provoking exchange!

In this episode, I sit down with Menachem Silverstein — an Orthodox Jewish writer, comedian, and ordained Rabbi whose unique blend of wit, depth, and lived Jewish experience has made him a rising voice in the comedy world. Together, we explore the behind-the-scenes culture of stand-up comedy clubs, where vulnerability, honesty, and sharp observation collide under the spotlight.Menachem shares his perspective on performing as an Orthodox Jew in mainstream spaces, the subtle (and not-so-subtle) forms of antisemitism comedians encounter, and the power of humor as both resistance and healing. We also dive into how comedy allows us to hold complexity, challenge narratives, and build unexpected bridges — even in a time of heightened tension and polarization.This conversation is thoughtful, funny, and profoundly relevant. Whether you’re interested in Jewish life, comedy culture, or the ways jokes can reveal deeper truths, this episode offers an honest and insightful window into the world of a comedian who carries both a mic and a mission.

In this second Culture Cut episode—a short-form conversation with my friend and colleague, Jon Ackerman—we dive into what we believe are the main ingredients of a healthy culture, which we decided is like a good chicken soup. Each Culture Cut explores a single, focused topic about culture and will be released between full-length interview episodes. Enjoy this quick, thought-provoking exchange!

In this episode, I had the privilege of sitting down with Phil Zbaraz, affectionately known to the students of Ida Crown Jewish Academy as “Doc Phil.” For over two decades, Phil served as the Director of Student Social Services at the Academy in Skokie, IL. Together, we explored the culture of a school and the key ingredients that make it a healthy one — ingredients that can strengthen any organization or company as well.

In this first Culture Cut—a short-form conversation with my friend and colleague, Jon Ackerman—we dive into what we believe culture is and is not. Each Culture Cut explores a single, focused topic about culture and will be released between full-length interview episodes. Enjoy this quick, thought-provoking exchange!

In our first episode, I sit down with Rabbi Micah Greenland, International Director of NCSY, to uncover the surprising ingredient behind healthy culture, the beauty of being mission-driven, and what it takes to lead the culture of one of the world’s largest youth organizations. Inspiring. Honest. Eye-opening. Enjoy!

Culture isn't a perk, it's the power behind every thriving organization.In Culture: The Real CEO, we uncover the truth that culture doesn’t follow strategy… it leads it. Each week, join Dr. Eliezer Jones, for bold, high impact episodes that explore how culture shapes performance, builds trust, and defines what kind of workplace people come back to....or run from.Whether you're a leader, builder, or someone who just wants work to feel more human this show gives you the real talk, real tools, and real stories to build culture that actually works. Because in today’s world, culture isn’t part of the business… it is the business.This podcast is brought to you by LEAD: Leadership Experience and Development. The Non-Profit  leadership development program of NCSY/JSU.