On Culture: The Case for Creating Space

Myste Wylde
Jun 5
5 min read

Dear Culturati Insider,

In practice, leadership is frequently judged by presence. But more often, it’s shaped by space—the kind we create for others to do meaningful work and be fully human. That space can influence everything from performance and trust to retention and engagement.

Culturati company member Abilitie, led by our friends and great supporters Bjorn Billhardt and Megan Fanale, is helping leaders create that space through simulation-based learning. Rather than training for theory, they prepare leaders for reality by guiding them through pushback, pressure, and complexity in environments that replicate the stakes without the risk. It’s a smarter path to readiness and resilience.

And the need is clear. According to DDI’s Global Leadership Forecast, only 40% of employees rate their leaders as high quality and 72% of leaders report feeling depleted at the end of every workday. Yet when development and well-being are prioritized, employees are 11x more likely to trust their leaders and 12x more likely to rate them highly.

This level of trust is critical as roles evolve and complexity increases. AI polymaths are expanding their impact across disciplines, blending digital fluency with creative thinking to meet shifting demands. At Shopify, AI integration is a baseline expectation. Microsoft highlights the rise of “agent bosses,” where influence comes not from title, but from what one can build with intelligent tools.

As work becomes more fluid and distributed, leaders must not only adapt quickly, but also manage the human variables that don’t show up in the org chart. Stress is one of them—an increasingly visible force tied to revenue, satisfaction, and performance. Organizations that measure and address it are making smarter decisions and sustaining stronger teams. In that context, boundaries take on new meaning. When expressed with clarity and care, they preserve energy, protect focus, and signal the kind of mutual respect that enables both performance and longevity.

Ultimately, leading isn’t always about taking up more space. The most forward-thinking leaders are often more focused on making and holding space for others to flourish. That kind of thoughtful and strategic, human-centered guidance builds trust, invites courage, and helps prepare those who come next. What might change if success were defined by the growth of those under your care?

In service,

Myste Wylde, COO

The Best Leaders are Spacious Leaders. Here’s What that Means

Fast Company

By Tracy Brower

Summary: Only 40% of employees rate their leaders as high quality and nearly three-quarters of leaders report rising stress levels, according to DDI's 2023 Global Leadership Forecast. Spacious leadership offers a compelling, research-backed alternative: leaders who create room for others to participate, learn, and thrive—while preserving their own well-being—build stronger, more resilient teams. DDI data shows employees are 11x more likely to trust leaders who support their development and 12x more likely to rate leadership quality as high when well-being is prioritized. Creating space for autonomy also improves health and longevity. The best leaders don’t try to control everything. They enable performance, model self-care, and invite others in.

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The Simple Training Shift That’s Transforming Leadership Performance

Inc.

By Robin Camarote

Summary: Most leadership training focuses on theory or high-profile moments, but real impact happens in everyday conversations—where trust, emotion, and decision-making converge. Simulation-based learning is closing that gap, giving leaders a chance to rehearse complex choices in realistic, low-risk environments. Companies like Abilitie, a valued supporter and member of the Culturati community, are helping shift the standard from passive learning to active, experience-based development. By practicing under pressure, leaders build readiness and resilience not through theory, but through doing. The result is sharper performance, faster growth, and leadership training that meets the demands of the role.

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How AI Polymaths Are Quietly Rewriting The Social Contract Of Work

Forbes

By Arafat Kabir

Summary: AI polymaths are redefining how work gets done, blending creativity, technical fluency, and mastery of emerging tools to deliver results across disciplines. At Shopify, employees are now required to integrate AI into daily workflows, and roles are only filled when automation cannot meet the need. Microsoft’s 2025 Work Trend Index highlights the rise of “agent bosses,” where individuals, regardless of seniority, manage and delegate to AI agents. As fixed roles give way to fluid, project-based teams, value is measured not by title but by what a person can create with digital leverage. The future belongs to those who adapt quickly, scale their ideas through AI, and lead both human and machine collaborators.

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Employee Stress Is a Business Risk—Not an HR Problem

Harvard Business Review

By Ashley Whillans, Marion Chomse, Lydia Roos and Reeva Misra

Summary: Workplace stress is a human issue with hard business costs, yet it remains largely unmeasured by most organizations. According to recent research, companies that fail to quantify stress miss clear links to outcomes like revenue, customer satisfaction, and performance ratings. By surveying employees and correlating stress levels with business metrics, leaders can identify risk areas, prevent disruption, and make targeted interventions where they matter most. Treating stress as a business-critical variable, and not just an HR concern, enables companies to protect workforce health while driving long-term operational performance and financial returns.

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Boundaries as Invitations, Not Barriers

Psychology Today

By Sara Nasserzadeh, PhD

Summary: Boundaries are often miscast as walls, but when communicated clearly and compassionately, they serve as invitations to healthier connection. Instead of rejection or control, effective boundaries frame how we stay in relationships with integrity. Research and practice show that tone, timing, and clarity matter. “Clear is kind,” as Brené Brown puts it. Boundary literacy involves recognizing internal signals and expressing them with warmth and precision. Shifting from punitive statements to constructive ones builds trust and relational maturity. In high-functioning teams and partnerships, boundaries are not exits. They’re agreements that strengthen respect, alignment, and long-term collaboration.

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LaToya Collins-Jones suggests we don’t need more rules or another corporate playbook, but that leading with clarity and audacity is the way. In this session, LaToya is calling in leaders ready to trust their gut and create cultures that reflect who they truly are. She'll explore how to build high-performance environments without burning out or selling out—and why the boldest move you can make is to lead from alignment. This conversation assumes leaders are here to shake things up—and ready to start with one powerful, unapologetic step.