On Culture: Giving Hell with Heart

Myste Wylde
Aug 7
6 min read

Dear Culturati Insider,

Hemingway called courage "grace under pressure." I once thought that sounded noble. Now it sounds like a Tuesday.

Courageous leadership is currently the working theme for Culturati: Summit 2C26. And one of the best things I've discovered about courage so far is that it’s not reserved for a certain type. It’s a habit, not a birthright. Anyone can build it regardless of background, wiring, or relationship with confrontation. Courage grows by doing.

That matters, especially now. According to new Gallup data, what employees want most from senior leaders isn't compassion, stability, or even trust. It's hope. Not groundless optimism, but as Steven (Rev. Tomlinson, PhD) recently shared with us: vision, agency, and the willingness to walk through uncertainty with purpose and a plan. Leaning into the future you want and see; proceeding into it as reality. That kind of hope requires courage to model and clarity to manifest.

Alex Budak (UC Berkeley) has put together a playbook on the six types of everyday courage that reflect the most "common, consequential, and complex challenges" facing leaders today. Intellectual courage, for instance, can be exercised by saying, "I don't know." Acknowledging your own gaps makes it safe for others to do the same and can result in faster learning-cycles, higher engagement, and perhaps counterintuitively, greater trust.

Alternatively, exhibiting creative courage might look like empowering employees to experiment and take risks with clear ways to contribute and active encouragement. (Fun fact from one armchair etymologist to another: “Courage” comes from cor, Latin for heart. “Encourage” means to give heart. So when you encourage someone, you’re not just being kind. You’re actually handing them courage!)

As for grace, we usually talk about giving it like it’s free, but it invariably costs something. Ego. Urgency. The satisfaction of being right. Mistakes will happen, though, and owning your own and forgiving others is one of the greatest opportunities available to strengthen bonds, improve communication, and innovate from what you learn.

We plan to unpack all of this—courage, grace, hope, and the systems that build trust—at Culturati: Summit 2C26. If that sounds like your kind of room, email us for one of the last remaining early bird registrations.

And if you believe in more honest conversations about culture and leadership, both of our SXSW panel proposals are live for public voting until August 24th. Eugene’s features Adm. Wyman Howard, Brian Johnson, and Heather Brunner, with each bringing hard-won insight on leading with values when the pressure’s on. Mine explores the neuroscience behind belonging and how trust gets wired into culture with Michelle Gethers, Dr. David Paydarfar, and Rajkumari Neogy. If those topics matter to you, you can vote for both here: "Bravery: Leading with Conviction" and "Biohacking Belonging."

Giving heart,

Myste Wylde, COO

Why the Best Leaders Embrace Their Inner Idiot

Time

By Garry Ridge

Summary: The best leaders aren’t know-it-alls. They’re the ones who ask better questions, admit what they don’t know, and make it safe for others to do the same. Research shows high-trust teams outperform others by up to 50%, and that trust starts with vulnerability at the top. Instead of posturing, great leaders model curiosity, candor, and courage, creating cultures where experimentation, diverse perspectives, and learning thrive. Good leadership is a personal development journey that invites others to grow with you.

READ ARTICLE IN FULL

Grace Is a Leadership Strategy — Here's How CEOs Can Use It Effectively

Entrepreneur

By Dustin Lemick

Summary: Grace is one of the most underrated tools in a CEO (or any leader's) arsenal, especially in high-pressure environments where mistakes are inevitable and margins are thin. Those who respond with empathy instead of panic build teams that are more resilient, communicative, and aligned. Startups that embrace failure as a learning opportunity, and run postmortems instead of blame games, create stronger long-term strategies. Senior leaders can start by modeling self-awareness, owning their missteps, and staying grounded through healthy habits and trusted advisors. As the saying goes, the goal is progress, not perfection. And progress requires grace.

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The Quality Employees Need Most Right Now From Their Leaders May Surprise You

Fast Company

By Gwen Moran

Summary: New Gallup data from 52 countries reveals that what employees want most from senior leaders isn’t trust or stability—it’s hope. Cited by 56% of respondents, hope ranked far above trust (33%), compassion (7%), and stability (4%). And the higher the leader, the greater the expectation. Hope, in this context, is a tangible leadership practice rooted in clarity of goals, agency, and real pathways forward. Leaders who foster hope don’t sugarcoat challenges; they equip their teams to navigate them with purpose and direction.

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Six Ways to Practice Everyday Courage

Harvard Business Review

By Alex Budak

Summary: Under pressure, leaders don’t need bravado. They need courage in practice. Six types show up: moral, social, emotional, intellectual, creative, and physical. Moral courage protects principles when profits tempt shortcuts. Social courage challenges groupthink and creates psychological safety. Emotional courage allows leaders to stay present through discomfort and build trust. Intellectual courage invites better thinking by questioning assumptions. Creative courage gives teams permission to experiment and learn from failure. Physical courage shows up on the front lines and earns credibility. Practiced consistently, these habits create cultures that can weather change and disruption over time.

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Employees May Feel Empowered at Work but Still Not Take Action, Report Finds

HR Dive

By Carolyn Crist

Summary: 77% of employees say they feel empowered at work, but 42% don’t act on it, according to a Wiley Workplace Intelligence survey of 1,500 workers. The disconnect stems from lack of clarity, support, and authority. Employees with meaningful decision-making power are 2.8 xs more likely to take initiative. 48% rank clarity as the top driver of empowerment. Remote workers report feeling more empowered (54%) than office-based peers (48%), highlighting the role of flexibility. The data shows empowerment isn’t enough on its own. Leaders must back it with trust, clear expectations, and real opportunities to lead.

READ ARTICLE IN FULL

Join us today Thursday, August 7 at Noon CT for an interactive workshop designed to elevate your strategic thinking with hands-on AI experience. Whether you're new or returning, you’ll explore real executive use cases, learn a practical prompt framework, and gain clarity on how to lead with AI. No prior attendance required—just bring your preferred LLM (like ChatGPT, Copilot, or Claude) and a mindset ready to experiment. If you missed Geoff’s previous session on AI as a thought leadership partner, you can watch it here.

We’d love your support—please vote for both of our SXSW 2026 panels by August 24!

In today’s high-stakes climate, bold leadership means taking intentional risks guided by empathy and moral clarity. This session is set to unpack how conviction-driven leaders shape strategy, culture, and trust, with candid insights from Admiral Wyman Howard, Brian Johnson, and Heather Brunner. Moderated by Eugene Sepulveda, it’s a must for anyone in, or headed to, the C-suite or the boardroom.

Belonging starts in the body. When people feel safe, the brain shifts from threat to connection boosting clarity, creativity, and collaboration. This panel explores how neuroscience can help leaders hardwire trust into culture, featuring Michelle Gethers, Dr. David Paydarfar, and Rajkumari Neogy. Moderated by Myste Wylde, this is for leaders looking to translate care into performance, ethically and at scale.

VOTE NOW