About Margaret Graziano:

Magi has spent her life reinventing herself. From a single mother at 19 working at the first Cable TV company, to leading one of the fastest-growing consultancies and becoming a best-selling author in her field of expertise, Magi has continually taken challenges and failure as lessons, and learned to move beyond her limits (both real and perceived) to live a life that inspires and contributes.

Using a unique combination of experiential coaching, science-backed development tools, and actionable strategies, Magi empowers leaders to evolve themselves and their organizational culture to meet the moment. Whether it’s change initiatives, new leadership, or cultural transformation, she partners with teams to catalyze positive change.

In this episode, Dean Newlund and Margaret Graziano discuss:

Defining organizational culture as the ecosystem that turns vision into reality
The measurable financial impact of culture on engagement, productivity, and EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization)
How stress, distraction, and insecurity since COVID have eroded workplace performance
Why outdated post-World War II workplace architecture blocks innovation and trust
The real cost of meetings and how they either drain energy or inspire change

Key Takeaways:

Explicitly teach self-regulation skills so employees can manage stress, fear, and emotional reactivity instead of letting it silently undermine performance.
Audit meetings for cost, purpose, and energy impact, and redesign them to inspire change rather than search for blame or status updates.
Hire and develop people based on competency, commitment to mission, and accountability rather than relying on goodwill or passion alone.
Connect each role to a noble cause that matters beyond compensation, so employees operate from courage and belief in a positive future.

"It is the ecosystem that turns the organization’s vision into reality.” — Margaret Graziano

Connect with Margaret Graziano:

Website: https://www.margaretgraziano.com/

Book: Ignite Culture: Empowering and Leading a Healthy, High-Performance Organization from the Inside Out: https://www.amazon.com/Ignite-Culture-Empowering-High-Performance-Organization-ebook/dp/B0BQCZB4HF

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/keenalignmentmg

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretgraziano/

See Dean’s TedTalk “Why Business Needs Intuition” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEq9IYvgV7I

Connect with Dean:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgqRK8GC8jBIFYPmECUCMkw

Website: https://www.mfileadership.com/

The Mission Statement E-Newsletter: https://www.mfileadership.com/blog/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannewlund/

X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/deannewlund

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MissionFacilitators/

Email: dean.newlund@mfileadership.com

Phone: 1-800-926-7370

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