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On Culture: Our CEO & CHRO Boards Convene at The Red Fridge Society + Is Transparency the True Currency of 2025?

Writer's picture: Myste WyldeMyste Wylde


Dear Culturati Insider,


Transparency, trust, and bold action—these are the tools that build great organizations. And the truth is, people crave authenticity. When leaders are open about decisions and challenges, they foster trust, turning employees into advocates—63% in transparent organizations, compared to just 6% elsewhere (Leadership IQ). This foundation of trust amplifies growth strategies, empowering leaders to act boldly, invest in resilience, and align teams for long-term success.


AI innovation adds another layer, offering tools like agentic AI and generative models to streamline tasks and unlock unstructured data. Yet, execution matters more than hype— the 2025 AI & Data Leadership Executive Benchmark Survey found that only 37% of organizations describe themselves as truly data-driven. Forward-thinking leaders are executing technological advancements with agility and emotional intelligence, as Adam Grant highlights, creating cultures where connection and community thrive amidst career pivots and workplace transformations.


Clarity in delegation and accountability ties it all together. By defining roles and expectations with precision, leaders empower their teams while maintaining alignment. In 2025, organizations that combine transparency, innovation, and people-focused leadership will redefine what it means to succeed.


Boldly forth,


Myste Wylde, COO


 


On January 6, we saw these principles in action at The Red Fridge Society, where members of the Culturati: CEO & CHRO Advisory Boards convened for a powerful discussion on AI and humanoid ethics. Guided by Culturati: AI Chair Shakeel Rashed, Apptronik CEO Jeff Cardenas, and Rev. Steven Tomlinson, Ph.D., we explored the responsibilities and opportunities ahead. The dialogue was filled with vision and insight, thanks to the thoughtful contributions of everyone in the room. Special thanks to Chris Taylor for hosting this meaningful exchange.


 

Why Leadership Transparency Will Define Organizational Success In 2025

Forbes

By Kara Dennison

 

Summary: Leadership transparency will define organizational success in 2025, as employees increasingly demand openness in decisions affecting their futures. Despite its importance, only 15% of employees believe their organizations consistently share challenges, and just 6% feel their feedback leads to meaningful change, (per LeadershipIQ's survey of over 27,000 professionals). Transparent organizations outperform, with 63% of employees becoming workplace advocates compared to 6% in less open environments. Transparency fosters trust, boosts employee performance, and strengthens institutional resilience by aligning teams around clear goals and encouraging collaborative problem-solving. For leaders, embracing transparency is a strategic imperative for trust, engagement, and innovation.


 
Getting Fit for Growth: The Leadership Mindsets and Behaviors that Matter

McKinsey & Company

By Andy West, Greg Kelly, Jill Zucker, Kate Siegel, Louisa Greco, Michael Birshan, Rebecca Doherty, and Sascha Lehmann

 

Summary: Driving profitable growth demands a shift from ambition to execution, yet only 1 in 10 companies sustain above-GDP growth over decades, according to McKinsey. High-growth leaders set themselves apart by turning five key mindsets into action: prioritizing growth even during volatility, acting boldly by reallocating resources and embracing risks, embedding customer insights into strategy, nurturing top talent, and executing with rigor to derisk bold moves. Growth outperformers, with 50% higher total shareholder returns, invest in long-term initiatives, leverage predictive analytics, and foster agile teams with a balance of visionaries and detail-oriented thinkers. The result? Resilient organizations ready to thrive in any market.


 
Five Trends in AI and Data Science for 2025

MIT SMR

By Thomas H. Davenport and Randy Bean

 

Summary: In 2025, five key AI and data science trends will shape leadership priorities. Agentic AI is rising, with 68% of IT leaders ready to invest in autonomous, task-oriented systems, though early applications remain limited to low-risk tasks (UiPath). Measuring generative AI’s impact will be critical as organizations tout productivity gains, yet only a few, like Goldman Sachs, report measurable improvements (20% for developers). Data-driven culture remains elusive, with just 37% of leaders calling their organizations AI-driven, as cultural barriers persist. Unstructured data management is resurging, driven by generative AI’s reliance on text, image, and video inputs, but implementation remains human-intensive. Lastly, data and AI leadership roles are expanding—85% of firms now have chief data officers—yet clarity around responsibilities and reporting structures lags, underscoring the need for focused leadership to deliver measurable business value.


 
Top Psychologist Adam Grant Talks Career Pivots, the Importance of Staying Agile, and His Top Workplace Predictions for 2025 

Fortune

By Sara Braun

 

Summary: Adam Grant, renowned organizational psychologist and Glassdoor’s new Chief Worklife Expert, highlights agility, emotional intelligence, and community as critical workplace themes for 2025. Career pivots are accelerating post-Great Resignation, as remote work and transparency tools like Glassdoor reviews empower employees to take control of their careers. Gen Z demands a voice in corporate decisions, creating a need for leaders to balance inclusivity with firm decision-making. Amid a loneliness epidemic, workplaces are becoming key hubs for community and belonging, driving both engagement and return-to-office efforts. As Grant underscores, agility, empathy, and connection are the cornerstones of thriving organizations.


 
5 Ways Highly Effective Leaders Delegate with Accountability 

Inc.

By Moshe Engelberg

 

Summary: Effective delegation is a strategic balance of trust, clarity, and accountability that drives results and builds empowered teams. High-performing leaders define tasks clearly, set explicit “by when” deadlines, and use frameworks like RACI to eliminate ambiguity and align roles. Trusting your team to own their work, while staying engaged enough to offer guidance, fosters both confidence and accountability. Celebrating successes and recalibrating processes ensures continuous improvement. Delegation isn’t about micromanagement—it’s about providing the structure and support needed to succeed. Done right, it transforms leadership into a catalyst for collaboration, ownership, and superior outcomes.


 

This session explores how conflict can become a pathway to connection, offering insights into building self-awareness, resilience, and somatic practices. By reframing conflict as an opportunity to strengthen collaboration, leaders can address unmet needs, regulate stress responses, and embrace discomfort to enhance emotional intelligence.


Practical strategies include calming the nervous system, tailoring communication to emotional states, and reflecting on conflict for growth. Additionally, fostering inclusive workplace cultures through psychological safety and empathy improves team dynamics and leadership effectiveness. Stay tuned for more on the upcoming four-part series, which delves deeper into these transformative approaches.



 

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LEADERSHIP AND CULTURE


C-SUITE


EMPLOYEES


A.I. AND TECHNOLOGY


CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY


INCLUSION, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, BELONGING



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