453: Stories of Culture Transformation: From Courage to Flourishing

In this special encore episode, two trusted voices from Best Christian Workplaces, Giselle Jenkins and Cary Humphries, reflect on standout moments from the podcast series focused on the FLOURISH Model. They revisit powerful stories and practical strategies that continue to equip leaders in building healthier, more effective workplace cultures.

Listen to the Audio

Listen in Apple Podcasts | Listen in Spotify  | Listen in YouTube Music

In this episode:

Alpha USA – Story shared by Cary Humphries

Leadership Courage and Data-Driven Change

• Incoming president Craig Springer reached out to Best Christian Workplaces (BCW) before officially starting, seeking honest data on the organization’s culture. (02:13)
• Initial survey results showed strong mission alignment but poor overall culture (bottom 20% of parachurch ministries), including low trust in management and poor supervisory excellence. (02:41)

Use of Focus Groups and Rapid Improvement

• Craig and Sean Hogan invited BCW to conduct virtual focus groups. (03:07)
• Leadership used feedback to address issues directly; within one year, engagement scores rose by 26 points. (03:25)
• “Inspirational Leadership” and perceived momentum increased significantly (47-point jump in “we’ve changed for the better”). 

Sustained Growth and Cultural Transformation

• A year later, Alpha moved from unhealthy to flourishing, skipping the “healthy” stage entirely. (03:53)
• Demonstrated the power of courageous, responsive leadership and using the employee voice to guide change. (04:09)
• As a distributed team, Alpha succeeded in building a healthy culture across geography through intentional communication. (04:15)

Key FLOURISH Drivers

• Inspirational Leadership was the standout driver, closely tied to Healthy Communication. (06:28)
• Leadership modeled humility, admitted mistakes, and embraced a posture of continuous learning. (06:50)

Trinity Church (Lansing, Michigan) – Story shared by Giselle Jenkins

Cultural Turnaround Sparked by One Staff Member

• Pastor Marvin Williams credited a key contributor—his executive assistant from the corporate world—with helping shift the culture in a positive direction. (08:12)
• Initial 2016 Survey showed disappointing results; BCW began a deeper engagement with focus groups and leadership assessments. (09:05)

Four Leadership Characteristics Observed

• Humility: Leadership acknowledged the need for help and were open to feedback.(09:39)
• Trust: Leaders trusted the Survey process, the results, and BCW’s recommendations—even when feedback was tough. (10:28)
• Listening: Leadership listened deeply through surveys, focus groups, and 360 assessments. (11:56)
• Action: They didn’t just gather data—they made changes, implemented rhythms of communication, and prioritized culture. (12:27)

Long-Term Cultural Investment

• Ongoing commitment to meetings, feedback loops, fellowship, and visibility helped them become a Certified Best Christian Workplace. (13:23)
• The shift from toxic to healthy culture was marked by a deep commitment to people and process. (13:42)

Joni and Friends – Story shared by Al Lopus

Values-Based Leadership and Cultural Anchors

• Founder Joni Eareckson Tada and president Doug Mazza focused on building a collaborative, Christ-centered organization. (14:37)
• Doug emphasized four cultural pillars:
  1. Lead Like Jesus training for all staff (15:30)
  2. Collaboration through cross-functional teams (15:40)
  3. Competence via intentional training and development (15:53)
  4. Becoming a Best Christian Workplace as an organizational goal (16:08)

Responding to Cultural Decline

• During a downturn (2007–2009), leadership used BCW survey results to identify disconnects, especially among field staff. (16:57)
• Doug responded with humility and initiative, creating an annual all-staff conference to foster connection, worship, and vision. (17:17)

Results and Lasting Impact

• The organization returned to a flourishing level by acting on feedback and investing in relationships across the organization. (17:47)
• Emphasized the importance of visible leadership, strong onboarding, and empowering employees to dream and grow. (18:05)

Joni and Friends – Reflections on Leadership

Leadership Characteristic: Courage

• Doug Mazza, former president, demonstrated courageous leadership by addressing culture decline directly. (18:29)
• Rather than avoid conflict, he leaned into challenges, listened, and made tough decisions to steer the organization back to health. (18:54)
• Reinforced earlier theme of courage as essential to flourishing leadership. (18:59)

ACR Supply Co. – Story shared by Cary Humphries

Courageous Leadership and Commitment to Culture

• CEO Troy Meachum firmly believes in the link between culture and results—his company has grown eightfold under his leadership. (20:25)
• Even though ACR’s initial survey results were flourishing, Troy noticed one team lagging behind and brought BCWI in to do focus groups. (20:55)
• Demonstrated humility and inclusiveness by giving every team a voice and acting on their input. (21:11)

Employee Development and Communication

• Troy invests 50% of his time in staff development, including training for personal growth and workplace skills like crucial conversations. (21:55)
• Strong communication was identified as a core strength at ACR Supply Co. 

C12 Influence and Broader Business Impact

• ACR was referred through C12 Group, a partner that emphasizes measuring results and has adopted BCWI surveys themselves. (22:53)
• A separate C12-connected business—a metal fabricator—also used data to begin a long-term cultural turnaround, showing that transformation is possible from any starting point. (23:01)

Biblical Parallel

• ACR’s focus on elevating every department reflects the biblical image of leaving the 99 to seek the one (Matthew 18:12–14). (24:20)
• Giselle noted this as a reflection of the heart of God—ensuring no group is left behind in flourishing. (24:16)

4KIDS – Story shared by Giselle Jenkins

Mission and Impact

• 4KIDS is a Christian foster care organization serving South Florida’s Treasure Coast, helping abused, abandoned, and struggling children find healing and hope. (25:00)
• Their bold vision: A home for every child—a vision they’ve actually achieved for seasons of time. (28:57)

Leadership: Kevin Enders

• CEO Kevin Enders embodies character, competence, and chemistry:
  • Character: Became a Christian as an adult, responded by fostering and adopting children through 4KIDS. (26:38)
  • Competence: Successful business background; brings for-profit best practices to nonprofit leadership. (27:32)
  • Chemistry: Transparent, team-oriented, and an active listener who asked his staff to help him learn the nonprofit space. (27:57)

Winning Strategy: Five-Part Culture Approach

1. Collaboration – Strategy creation is inclusive and participatory; “everyone’s strategy.” (29:21)
2. Prayer – Organization prays together for 60 minutes daily. (29:49)
3. Culture – Strong focus on both spiritual and developmental culture; never complacent, always improving. (30:07)
4. Planning – Clear, actionable strategies with detailed subsets; strategy is more than a wish—it’s a roadmap. (30:47)
5. Communication – Recognized a need to better communicate wins; after implementing quarterly updates and feedback loops, employee perception scores improved significantly. (31:12)

Survey as a Strategic Tool

• Kevin and his team use the BCWI Survey to identify areas for improvement and celebrate strengths. (31:28)
• Leadership’s eagerness to act on feedback, not just collect it, contributed to rapid cultural transformation. (31:46)
• Their flourishing culture beat strategic goals by multiple years. (32:33)

Encouragement and Broader Impact

Expanding Influence

• Other leaders and organizations mentioned for their culture transformation (40:19):
  • Mike Sharrow (C12)
  • Roland Warren (Care Net)
  • Brian Mosley (RightNow Media)
  • Jason Rachels (Calvary Christian Academy)
  • Dan Busby (ECFA)
  • Peter Greer (HOPE International)
  • Paul MacDonald (Crossings Christian School)

Vision for the Future

• BCWI’s God-sized goal: 1,000 flourishing Christian-led workplaces by 2030 (currently working with ~70). (41:37)
• Christian workplaces are called to set the standard for excellence and effectiveness. (41:55)
• A shared invitation to be part of the journey to workplace transformation for Kingdom impact. (42:01)

Read the Transcript

Read a complete, word-for-word transcript of the episode

FOLLOW OUR HOST

Follow our Host, Al Lopus, on LinkedIn & Twitter.

Email our host at al@workplaces.org