On Culture: What It Means to Lead Through Loss

Dear Culturati Insider,

There is no version of this letter that starts without grief.

Over the Fourth of July weekend, floodwaters devastated Central Texas. Camps meant to be places of joy and safety were swept away. Children lost their lives. Families are still searching. Many in our own community are navigating the unthinkable.

There’s no easy language for that kind of loss, and we find that leaders often feel the only choice is to compartmentalize if personally affected or acknowledge and return to the agenda if not. Not from lack of compassion, but because many of us are stretched too thin, uncertain how to respond, or uncomfortable in the face of such pain. We don't always know how to lead through things we can’t fix, but sometimes the best thing we can do is hold space.

To deliver on ethical, emotionally intelligent leadership, we have to stay human, even when it seems paralyzing. Because this grief does not exist in isolation. It sits inside a wider circle of suffering: in Sudan, Gaza, Yemen, Ukraine, in refugee camps, and in disasters that may or may not make the headlines.

We can’t carry all of it. But we can refuse to look away. We can resist the instinct to narrow our care, and we can let the weight of these tragedies shape how we lead, not as performance but as presence. 

That’s what this week's issue is about: tension and the discipline of staying open. Culture lives in this space, and it's where trust is either broken or built. The vulnerability we model as leaders has an outsized impact. And it's worth remembering that our humanity lies not in our certainty, but in our contradictions. Tools like AI reflect that too: they can limit thought or expand it, depending on how we choose to use them. The difference is not in the technology, but in our intention. 

Similarly, mandates to return to the office can increase agility or erode care, depending on whether they’re rooted in clarity or control. Trust can be generated through one-on-one moments of real attention and how we structure our time. 

This was meant to be a conversation about complexity. Now it’s a call to sit with it. After all, leadership isn’t about having the right words. It’s about being there when there are none. 

We’ll keep showing up with you.

With heartbreak and resolve,

Myste Wylde, COO

P.S.

If you’re looking for ways to support those affected, both here in Central Texas and across the globe, we’ve included a short list of trusted organizations responding to the floods, as well as humanitarian crises in Sudan, Gaza, Yemen, Ukraine, and beyond. You can find that list below.

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The Beautiful Mess of Being Human

Psychology Today 

By Faisal Hoque

Summary: In an era of rising automation, the human advantage lies in our contradictions. Creativity and leadership thrive not in simplicity, but in the ability to hold opposing traits: confidence and humility, discipline and play, urgency and patience. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s decades of research confirms that the most original thinkers embrace paradox as their source of power. Innovation depends on this complexity. Leaders who resist the urge to resolve tension and instead learn to operate within it are more adaptive, more resilient, and more capable of breakthrough thinking. Our contradictions are not flaws to fix. They are features to develop.

READ ARTICLE IN FULL

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Against "Brain Damage"

One Useful Thing

By Ethan Mollick

Summary: AI doesn’t dull the mind, but misusing it can. The MIT study often cited in headlines (which spurred this article) involved college students writing essays with and without ChatGPT. Those using AI showed lower engagement and retention, but only when given no guidance and limited to a single task. In contrast, a World Bank study found that GPT-4 tutoring, combined with teacher support, delivered learning gains more than twice as strong as leading education interventions. The same holds true for creativity and collaboration. Used passively, AI can narrow thought. Used with structure and intention, it expands it. The risk isn’t in the tool but in how it's used. Leaders can help by demonstrating intentional use. Start with your own ideas, then employ AI to test, refine, and extend them. Habits around AI should reflect a partner in thinking, not a substitute. 

READ ARTICLE IN FULL

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Does Working from Home Kill Company Culture?

The Economist

Summary: Mandating full-time office work may boost agility but often weakens other key aspects of culture. A combined analysis by CultureX and Work Forward shows companies with five-day in-office policies score higher on adaptability but lower on supportiveness, leadership quality, transparency, and work-life balance. Research from Microsoft and the University of Pittsburgh reinforces this trade-off: in-person work can reduce silos and improve speed, but strict mandates also increase turnover and lower employee satisfaction without improving performance. Leaders should be clear about what culture they are trying to build. If agility is the goal, more office time may help, but it will likely come at the expense of trust and retention.

READ ARTICLE IN FULL

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Gallup's Chief Scientist Says Only 20% of People Trust Leadership — Here's How to Fix That Problem

Entrepreneur

By Jon B. Becker

Summary: Only 20% of employees strongly trust their organization's leadership, according to Gallup’s Chief Scientist, Dr. Jim Harter. His research reveals that 70% of the variance in team engagement is driven by the manager, not the mission. Leaders earn trust through clear purpose, regular one-on-one conversations, and proximity to frontline insight. Harter emphasizes that listening, especially to those closest to the customer, is more powerful than delegation. The most common leadership failure is ignoring blind spots, often due to a lack of self-awareness or failure to leverage team strengths. Actionable fix: invest in manager development, make one-on-ones a weekly discipline, and use strengths-based assessments to close perception gaps. Delivering hard news? Frame it with context, transparency, and a shared vision of the future.

READ ARTICLE IN FULL

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Should You Try a No-Meeting Week?

Fast Company

By Grace Williams, Heather Curtis, David Shim, Edward White, Sabrina Banadyga

Summary: Meetings take up 23% of the average knowledge worker’s time, roughly one full day per week. So should you try a no-meeting week? The data says it's worth testing, with 92% of employees at PANBlast wanting to repeat the experiment and beehiiv reporting double the output during a structured, no-meeting sprint. Still, results depend on design. Companies that saw success anchored their week with written goals, gave employees autonomy with AI tools that cut meetings by 20%, and ensured leadership modeled deep work practices. One-off experiments aren’t enough. The real value comes from rethinking meeting culture to balance focus, collaboration, and accountability.

READ ARTICLE IN FULL

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Crisis Resources

🇺🇸 Central Texas Flood Relief (U.S.)

Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country – communityfoundation.netLocal nonprofit coordinating support for those affected by flooding and natural disasters in Central Texas.

American Red Cross – Central & South Texas – redcross.orgProviding emergency shelter, meals, and reunification services.

Texas Search and Rescue (TEXSAR) – texsar.orgVolunteer-led search, rescue, and recovery missions across Texas.

🇾🇪 Yemen Humanitarian Emergency

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) – icrc.orgSupporting health systems, food security, and clean water.

Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation – yemenfoundation.orgU.S.-based nonprofit led by Yemeni Americans providing direct aid.

World Food Programme (WFP) – Yemen – wfp.org

🇸🇩 Sudan Humanitarian Crisis

UNHCR – Sudan Emergency – unhcr.org/sudan-emergencySupporting refugees fleeing widespread conflict and violence.

International Rescue Committee (IRC) – rescue.org/country/sudanOffering food, health, and protection services amid armed conflict.

Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) – msf.org/sudan

🇵🇸 Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) – map.org.ukProviding emergency medical care, trauma support, and supplies.

UNRWA (UN Relief & Works Agency) – unrwa.orgDelivering food, shelter, and healthcare to Palestinian refugees.

Save the Children – Gaza Response – savethechildren.org

🇺🇦 Ukraine War Response

Razom for Ukraine – razomforukraine.orgUkrainian-led organization focused on medical aid, evacuations, and rebuilding.

United Help Ukraine – unitedhelpukraine.orgDelivering humanitarian relief and protective equipment to those on the front lines.

Voices of Children – voices.org.uaFocused on trauma-informed care and psychological support for Ukrainian youth.

🌍 Cross-Region + Displacement Aid

International Rescue Committee (IRC) – rescue.orgActive across all named regions with emergency response and rebuilding efforts.

Refugees International – refugeesinternational.orgAdvocacy and field research organization supporting displaced people worldwide.

GiveDirectly – Crisis Response – givedirectly.orgProvides direct cash assistance in times of crisis, including to refugees and disaster victims.