11th May 2026
Episode 32 – Culture Pays: The Leadership Shift That Changes Everything with Margaret Brown
What does it really take to transform workplace culture from the inside out? In this episode, we sit down with Margaret Brown, executive leadership coach and author of Culture Pays, to explore her Leader Shift Model, a practical five-step framework built on listening, learning, leading with vision, leveraging potential, and living by values.
Margaret shares how she helped one organisation reduce staff turnover from 12% to under 1% in just three years, earning them a place in the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies to Work For. The changes weren’t always dramatic, sometimes it was as simple as a leader showing up on the frontline or fixing a pool table. Small actions, she argues, can have an outsized impact on morale and belonging.
With Gallup’s latest research showing that 59% of employees are disengaged, at a cost of $10 trillion to the global economy, Margaret makes a powerful case that investing in culture is not just the right thing to do, it’s a financial imperative. Whether you hold a formal leadership title or simply influence the people around you, this conversation will challenge you to reflect on the legacy you’re building and whether your daily actions truly reflect your values.
Episode 32 - Culture Pays: The Leadership Shift That Changes Everything with Margaret Brown
Margaret Brown is an award-winning executive leadership coach, organisational development specialist, and bestselling author with over 35 years’ experience, working with leaders across multiple sectors including engineering, energy, IT, construction, retail, professional services and corporate environments worldwide.
Her recent bestselling book, “Culture Pays” brings to life her LeaderShift© model – a practical five-step framework that helps leaders to differentiate their organisations and become cultural exemplars in their sectors, where people stay and give their best, and others clamour to work. The book is packed with real-world case studies and immediately implementable action tips to help leaders shift their organisational cultures from good to best-in-class – and in some cases, from failing to flourishing!
Margaret works closely with her clients to reduce attrition, strengthen engagement and build values-led cultures where people and high performance thrive for a measurable competitive advantage.
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Updated: January 30 2025