In this episode of Culture From the Heart Podcast, hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Claude Silver, Chief Heart Officer at VaynerX. Claude discusses the principles of 'kind candor' and emotional intelligence, emphasizing the importance of creating a workplace culture rooted in empathy, authenticity, and human connection. She shares personal stories and practical strategies for how leaders can foster an environment where employees feel valued and safe. Claude also introduces her new book, 'Be Yourself At Work,' which offers actionable advice for individuals and teams to cultivate genuine self-awareness and a sense of belonging.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Culture is built in micro-moments - Not grand gestures like foosball tables, but daily human interactions like saying hi in the hallway or acknowledging someone's engagement

• Kind candor over harsh feedback - Combining kindness with honest accountability creates forward momentum and trust

• Employees are humans first - Recognizing that everyone has a full life outside work is essential to creating psychological safety

• Retention through belonging - Creating a culture where people feel seen, valued, and safe leads to loyalty, innovation, and organic referrals

• Scale empathy through culture champions - Identify people with "heart to help" DNA in every office who can extend care and connection

• The cost of masking - Hiding your authentic self at work has a real personal and organizational cost

QUOTES

• "Culture isn't built in these grand moments. We don't need to have a foosball table. We're gonna be human."
• "It's very rare that you'll ever hear me use the word employee. It's because we're human."
• "What is it costing you to put your real self in your backpack and put on a mask and walk through the door? Because it is costing you something."
• "We're building the single greatest human organization in the history of time."
• "I want every single person in this company to trust you, and I want you to create safety for every single person in the company."
• "People stay when they're happy. What's not the ROI of taking care of your humans?"
• "Kind candor - kindness is who we are. The candor is the accountability, the honesty."

Learn more about Darrell and Larry.

Darrell's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrellamy/

Larry's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrylevine1992/

Connect and learn more from Claude Silver.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/casilver/

Ready to begin realizing the full potential of your sales team? Hire Great Salespeople with Confidence. SCHEDULE YOUR EXECUTIVE BRIEFING.

https://sellingfromtheheart.net/hiring

Unlock The Power of Team Growth with Learnit’s Live Training Platform. CLAIM your 45-day trial of unlimited training now!

https://www.learnit.com/lp/culture

Stop gambling on interviews. Combine analytics with a sales recruiting system to screen out non-performers so you only interview candidates that can become great salespeople.

https://hiringguide.salesindex.ai/

In this episode of Culture From the Heart Podcast, hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Justin Ricklefs, the founder and CEO of the Guild Collective. They discuss the importance of incorporating heart-centered leadership within organizations. Justin shares his personal journey of transitioning from a head-focused to a heart-focused leadership style. They explore practical strategies such as curiosity-driven dialogues and structured feedback sessions for understanding employee perspectives. Justin emphasizes the significance of storytelling as a powerful tool for sales and building authentic connections with both employees and customers. The episode highlights actionable advice for leaders aiming to cultivate a culture of empathy, connection, and trust.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Heart-centered leadership requires personal work - Leaders must understand their own hearts, pain, and challenges before building authentic culture

• Curiosity over certainty - Leading with compassionate curiosity and sourcing team perspectives creates better outcomes than command-and-control approaches

• Structured heart connection - Implementing regular "Perspectives" meetings (biannual 90-minute sessions) helps surface important team issues that wouldn't emerge through open-door policies alone

• Story is the ultimate sales strategy - Humans connect through stories, not facts and figures; brands that position customers as heroes (not themselves) build loyalty

• Heart work is hard work - Building heart connectivity is more difficult than surveillance and control, but essential for authentic leadership and healthy culture

QUOTES

• "It's really, really challenging to lead well from a shallow heart."

• "Story is the greatest sales avenue ever created. Story is the best sales strategy period."

• "I've never regretted sourcing the perspective of my team."

• "The heart connectivity piece is really difficult. Don't fool ourselves. It's hard work. It's much easier to try to command and control and surveil people."

• "The distance between the head and the heart feels like a mile away, even though it's 18 inches."

• "You can't have culture from the heart if the leadership team isn't doing their own work to understand their own journey, their own pain."

• "The brand thinks of itself far too highly. The customer is the hero of the story."

Learn more about Darrell and Larry.

Darrell's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrellamy/

Larry's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrylevine1992/

Connect and learn more from Justin Ricklefs.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinricklefs/

Ready to begin realizing the full potential of your sales team? Hire Great Salespeople with Confidence. SCHEDULE YOUR EXECUTIVE BRIEFING.

https://sellingfromtheheart.net/hiring

Unlock The Power of Team Growth with Learnit’s Live Training Platform. CLAIM your 45-day trial of unlimited training now!

https://www.learnit.com/lp/culture

Stop gambling on interviews. Combine analytics with a sales recruiting system to screen out non-performers so you only interview candidates that can become great salespeople.

https://hiringguide.salesindex.ai/

Let’s revisit a powerful conversation on the Culture From the Heart Podcast with hosts Larry Levine and Darrell Amy, featuring Michael Harding, an owner-operator at Chick-fil-A. In this rewind episode, Michael shares the transformative power of heart-centered leadership, including his “51/49” philosophy of out-serving his team and why he encourages employees to bring their full selves—emotions and all—to work. From intentional onboarding touchpoints and personalized dinners to his wife’s famous homemade birthday desserts, this conversation highlights how consistent acts of love drive high engagement and guest satisfaction. It’s a masterclass in building a culture where people feel truly seen, valued, and empowered to excel.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Culture is defined by what you repeatedly do to intentionally love and support the people around you.
• The "Cared for people, care for people" principle shows that employee engagement directly correlates with guest satisfaction.
• Hiring "Grade A" talent is worth the wait; it is better to run short-staffed than to compromise on cultural fit.
• Methodical onboarding is essential, using intentional touchpoints over the first year to eliminate chaos and build trust.
• Leaders should leverage unique personal skills—from baking to writing notes—to show genuine, personalized appreciation.
• Authentic leadership supports the "whole person," including their lives, challenges, and celebrations outside the workplace.

QUOTES

• “Culture for the heart is how are we intentionally and consistently loving on the people around us.”
• “We are not in the chicken business. We're in the people business.”
• “Cared for people, care for people.”
• “Our team members will never treat their guests better than they are treated.”
• “If you can love on your people... they will actually run through a brick wall.”
• “The more you know about your people, the more you grow with your people.”

Learn more about Darrell and Larry. Darrell's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrellamy/ Larry's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrylevine1992/

Connect and learn more from Michael Harding. https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelharding/

Ready to begin realizing the full potential of your sales team? Hire Great Salespeople with Confidence. SCHEDULE YOUR EXECUTIVE BRIEFING.

Unlock The Power of Team Growth with Learnit’s Live Training Platform. CLAIM your 45-day trial of unlimited training now! https://www.learnit.com/lp/culture

Discover How To Unlock the Hidden Growth Inside Your Sales Team. Access The Sales Blindspots in the C-Suite: Four Critical Risks You Can't Afford to Ignore, recording here: https://webinar.salesindex.ai/home-page-222146-313544