Meet ATLAS
We’re excited to announce Culture Starts Here!
This special series is created in partnership with our friends Nick Lombardino and Zach Blumenfeld – the founders of CultureCon and hosts of The CultureCon Podcast.
ADVISA’s Culture Starts Here series is all about helping leaders and organizations harness the power of culture as a true competitive advantage.
In this first episode, Nick and Zach sit down with Heather Haas, CEO of ADVISA, and BJ McKay, Leadership Consultant at ADVISA, to kick off Culture Starts Here. Together, they introduce the foundation of the series: why culture matters, how it can fuel business performance, and what leaders can do to carry culture with intentionality.
This episode lays the foundation for what’s to come in the Culture Starts Here series – which will include deep dives into each of the five ATLAS drivers, real-world applications, and practical advice for leaders at every level.
Culture Starts Here, Episode 1 Highlights
Why culture matters
Culture isn’t just a “nice to have.” It can be either a growth killer or a competitive edge.
When aligned with business goals, culture accelerates results and creates thriving workplaces where people love to contribute. When misaligned, it stalls growth and creates friction.
In this episode, Heather shares stories from a wide range of client organizations. In each case, what made the difference wasn’t just strategy – it was culture.
Leaders are culture carriers
BJ and Heather both emphasize that leaders set the tone. What leaders tolerate and celebrate becomes the norm, shaping culture in real and lasting ways.
At ADVISA, we often say: “Leaders are culture carriers.”
This means culture isn’t HR’s responsibility alone – it’s something leaders at every level must pick up and carry with intention.
What leaders tolerate and celebrate becomes the norm, shaping culture in real and lasting ways.
Want a quick starting point for evaluating your culture?
To help organizations create the culture they need to succeed, ADVISA developed the ATLAS framework – five critical drivers that, when aligned, create cultural competitive advantage. Today, those drivers are the building blocks of the Leader-Led Culture™ system:
- Activate – Build commitment from the top.
- Target – Establish desired future state.
- Lead – Develop confidence and capability.
- Apply – Improve performance with people data.
- Scale – Enable behavior change.
When those five drivers work together, culture stops being abstract. It becomes a practical engine for business performance.
Take the free, 5-minute culture check
Find out where your organization stands today – in just minutes. ADVISA’s online ATLAS Navigator tool gives you a snapshot of strengths and opportunities across the five drivers.
It is a practical conversation starter for leaders, managers, and teams who want to begin aligning culture with strategy.
Key takeaways from Episode 1
- Culture can drive or derail business success… alignment matters.
- Leaders set the tone; they carry and shape culture daily.
- The ATLAS framework clarifies five culture drivers to help organizations focus their attention.
- Your organization’s systems and processes must support the culture you desire.
- Start with data and link culture directly to business outcomes.
About Culture Starts Here
Culture can be an organization’s biggest threat to growth – or its greatest opportunity for competitive advantage.
In Culture Starts Here, a special series on the CultureCon podcast, ADVISA CEO Heather Haas and leadership consultant BJ McKay share insights and tactics you can use to jump-start your organization’s optimal culture. This and every episode of Culture Starts Here includes the answer to the most common question ADVISA’s leadership consultants hear: Where do we start?
All episodes of the Culture Starts Here podcast series
- Ep1: Meet ATLAS
- Ep2: One thing your C-Suite absolutely can’t delegate
- Ep3: Do Mission, Vision, and Values Really Matter?
- Ep4: Do Your Leaders Know What to Say and Do To Be Effective?
- Ep5: For Leaders, This Can Make the Difference Between a Guess and a Smart Decision
- Ep6: Leaders Are Only as Effective as the Systems That Support Them
- Ep7: What we learned from attending CultureCon
- Ep8: What Culture Change Actually Looks Like Inside Organizations
- Ep9: To Lead Is Human
- Ep10: What if Culture Didn’t Eat Strategy?
- Ep11: Leaders Need to Be Led
RELATED RESOURCES
ADVISA
CultureCon
- Learn more about Culturecon
PeopleForward Network
- Other podcasts from PeopleForward Network, the producers of The CultureCon Podcast and Culture Starts Here