

Culture Architects™
David J. Friedman
Most leaders know that a strong culture is a foundation for building a great organization, but great cultures don't just happen on their own. Rather, they're designed and built systematically, brick by brick. Each week, join David J. Friedman, the best-selling author of Culture by Design, as he speaks with extraordinary leaders, from all walks of life, and they share their biggest successes, failures, and lessons learned on their culture journeys. If you're searching for the best insights on building a high-performing culture, then Culture Architects, a production of CultureWise, is for you.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 28, 2022 • 21min
05. How Successful Culture Change Really Happens w/ Kevin Oakes (Part 1)
David welcomes Kevin Oakes to the podcast. Kevin is the CEO and co-founder of The Institute for Corporate Productivity and the author of Culture Renovation:18 Leadership Actions to Build an Unshakeable Company. Kevin has made it his mission to study and measure the role culture plays in organizational success. In part one, Kevin shares how he was introduced to the human capital field and how he defines a successful culture change.

Mar 14, 2022 • 29min
04. Why Culture Starts at the Top: Insights from CEO Rich Miller (Part 1)
In the conclusion of David's conversation with Rich Miller, the retired CEO of Virtua Health, Rich talks about the two principles that guided his leadership journey and how his team screened for candidates that would fit their culture.

Mar 7, 2022 • 25min
04. Why Culture Starts at the Top: Insights from CEO Rich Miller (Part 1)
This week's Culture Architect is Rich Miller. In 1995, Miller was the CEO for West Jersey Health System and three years later he played a pivotal role in a merger between West Jersey Health System and Memorial Hospital in Burlington County. That led to the formation of Virtua Health in the marketplace, where Miller would work for 22 years. In part one, Rich shares when he first recognized the importance of culture, why he was inspired to create an employee advisory group, and why building a culture requires 'heavy lifting' by CEOs.

Feb 21, 2022 • 29min
03. Building a Culture of Service Excellence w/ Horst Schulze (Part 2)
In the conclusion of David's conversation with Horst Schulze, the legendary co-founder of The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company, Horst shares what every CEO is responsible for and why the principles of Ritz Carlton's Gold Standards apply to all industries.

Feb 14, 2022 • 32min
03. Building a Culture of Service Excellence w/ Horst Schulze (Part 1)
David welcomes legendary Culture Architect, Horst Schulze. Horst is one of the co-founders of The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company and over the course of his career transformed the approach of service and hospitality across multiple industries. In part one, Horst shares his humble beginnings in the service industry, why he joined the founding team of The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company, and how he built a culture of customer service excellence.

Jan 31, 2022 • 25min
02. Leading Through Values: Culture Lessons from the U.S. Army w/ Peter Bayer (Part 2)
David wraps up his conversation with Peter Bayer Jr., who proudly served over 29 years as a Soldier in the United States Army and is currently the SVP of Operations at Penske Logistics. In part two, Pete talks about the most difficult part of his transition to civilian life, the importance of being a servant leader with humility, and what he's learned from the biggest mistakes he's made as a leader.

Jan 24, 2022 • 22min
02. Leading Through Values: Culture Lessons from the U.S. Army w/ Peter Bayer (Part 1)
David welcomes Peter Bayer Jr. to the podcast. Pete is the Senior Vice President of Operations at Penske Logistics. He is also the recipient of the Silver Star while serving in the United States Army during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, where he helped develop the strategy that brought down the regime in Baghdad. Pete joined Penske Logistics in 2014 where he leads numerous warehousing and transportation operations across the U.S. In part one, Pete shares how he 'stumbled' upon a 30+ year career in the Army, the importance of culture in the military, and how the Army's 7 values guide soldiers and leaders to do what is right on a day to day basis within their career.

Jan 10, 2022 • 30min
01. How Dean Smith Shaped a Champion’s Mindset w/ Matt Doherty (Part 2)
David wraps up his conversation with Culture Architect, Matt Doherty, the former head coach at Notre Dame and North Carolina and the best-selling author of Rebound: From Pain to Passion – Leadership Lessons Learned. In part two, Matt imparts some advice for the next generation of coaches and leaders and how his leadership skills evolved during his 22-year basketball coaching career.

Jan 3, 2022 • 29min
01. How Dean Smith Shaped a Champion’s Mindset w/ Matt Doherty (Part 1)
On the premiere episode of Culture Architects, David welcomes Matt Doherty. Matt was a starter on the 1982 National Championship team at North Carolina where he was coached by the legendary Dean Smith. He then went on to spend 22 years as a college basketball coach, including head coaching stints at Notre Dame and North Carolina. He is now an executive coach, gives keynote speeches, and is the best-selling author of Rebound: From Pain to Passion – Leadership Lessons Learned. In part one, Matt shares how Dean Smith built a dynasty in Chapel Hill and why he fell in love with coaching high-performing athletes and business people.


