“The way we define happiness at work is that it's about how you feel in the workplace. Does work typically make you feel good or does work typically make you feel bad? And of course, nobody's happy at work every single day. If somebody's happy all the time, there's something wrong with them. We all have good days and bad days at work.”

S04E09 of the Rethink Culture podcast shines the spotlight on Alex Kjerulf, Chief Happiness Officer at Woohoo Inc., a global thought leader in workplace wellbeing. With a background in tech and a passion for happiness at work, Alex shares insights from over 20 years of experience helping companies like Microsoft, IKEA, and Hilton build cultures people love. From the dangers of toxic leadership to the power of emotional check-ins, Alex offers practical strategies for creating workplaces that foster joy, purpose, and performance. He also shares personal stories, from swing dancing to launching a comedy show, that reflect his belief in leading with humanity.

📢 Do you want to build a high-performance culture? It all starts here: www.rethinkculture.co

Production, video, and audio editing by Evangelia Alexaki of Musicove Productions.

Listen to this episode to discover:
• Why toxic leaders harm people and kind leaders drive results
• The two drivers of happiness at work: results and relationships
• Why effort deserves recognition, not just outcomes.
• How storytelling gives even routine jobs deeper meaning
• Why emotions matter and how to check in with them
• How peer accountability builds trust and performance

Further resources:
• Alex’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chiefhappinessofficer/
• Woohoo Inc.: https://www.woohooinc.com
• Blog: https://positivesharing.com
• Comedy Show: https://becomedanish.com
• Happy Hour is 9 to 5: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20642240-happy-hour-is-9-to-5
• Leading with Happiness: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36629449-leading-with-happiness

Chapters
00:00 — Introduction to Alex Kjerulf
01:58 — Introducing Alex’s journey to Woohoo
03:00 — Reflecting on a career turning point
03:44 — Getting leaders to care about happiness
04:52 — Toxic success stories in business
06:54 — Comparing leadership styles
09:32 — Who seeks help for toxic culture
10:31 — Who drives change in organizations
11:37 — HR’s limits in shaping culture
13:16 — Defining workplace culture terms
16:40 — Happiness as a performance driver
17:07 — What leads to happiness at work
18:16 — Actions that build results & relationships
19:51 — Effort vs. results in recognition
21:05 — Rewarding what truly matters
24:38 — Creating purpose in any industry
31:15 — Lessons from leadership mistakes
32:43 — Exploring personal growth and impact
34:35 — Leadership lessons from swing dancing
37:18 — Building accountability through peers
40:32 — Emotions as a workplace compass
46:04 — Where to connect with Alex online

"No leader should lead alone... they need a peer group, they need people they can share with, they need to be continually learning and developing, and they need… a support network."

We're republishing one of our "Culture Classics" featuring Sandy Hall, resilience specialist and founder of re/cognition. With a background in neuroscience and years leading IBM’s Best Workplace Program in New Zealand, Sandy brings a unique blend of science, soul, and strategy to leadership.

In this episode, Sandy opens up about her early experiences in a Pentecostal church, her time as Head of People & Culture at Leading Edge, and how she helps leaders build cultures rooted in compassion, clarity, and connection. From brain chemistry to feedback frameworks, this conversation is packed with timeless insights.

This episode is a masterclass in human-centered leadership. If you missed it the first time, or just need a reminder that leadership can be both kind and high-performing, this one’s for you.

📢 Do you want to build a high-performance culture? It all starts here: www.rethinkculture.co

Production, video, and audio editing by Evangelia Alexaki of Musicove Productions.

Listen to this episode to discover:
· Why leaders need safe spaces to grow

· The 3 elements of effective feedback

· Empathy vs. sympathy: what really matters

· The neurochemistry behind great leadership

· What the Daily D.O.S.E. means for your team

· How to lead with care and drive results

Further resources:

· Sandy Hall's LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandy-hall-recognition/

· re/cognition Website: https://www.recognition.co.nz/

· Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder, by Nassim Taleb: https://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incerto/dp/0812979680

· The Great Game of Business, Expanded and Updated: The Only Sensible Way to Run a Company, by Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham: https://www.amazon.com/Great-Game-Business-Expanded-Updated/dp/0385348339

“I'm always surprised that nobody seems to be worried that we're investing since 70, 80 years, huge amounts of money in training and development, leadership courses... And despite that, we only have... 23% engaged employees around the world, 11% if you go to Europe... So either managers are stupid, or they do it on purpose, or we don't give them what they need... The managers... the ones that I thought were losing a lot of impact, were most of the time, ego-system driven... Those guys, however good they were, systematically got less than the managers... who were... actually putting the employee at the centre, looking for empowerment... the eco-system ones, the respectful, the servant leader kind of ones...”

S04E08 of the Rethink Culture podcast shines the spotlight on Reggy-Charles Degen to explore the intersection of HR, leadership, and scalable frameworks for people success. Reggy is the founder of Q7Leader, a professor at Solvay Business School in Brussels, and author of The People Model Canvas. With over 20 years in international HR and 12 years as an entrepreneur in HR tech, Reggy shares how his legal and academic background shaped his mission to bridge the gap between managers and employees. He introduces the seven dimensions of the People Model Canvas, explains why HR must evolve from theory to engineering, and challenges traditional views on leadership, performance, and culture. This episode is a masterclass in rethinking how organizations support their people.

📢 Do you want to build a high-performance culture? It all starts here: www.rethinkculture.co

Production, video, and audio editing by Evangelia Alexaki of Musicove Productions.

Listen to this episode to discover:
• Why HR needs an engineering mindset, not just empathy
• The 7 core elements every HR system must include
• How the People Model Canvas helps managers scale support
• Why competence is the true asset of an organization in the age of rapid change and AI
• The difference between ego- and eco-system leadership
• Why performance enablement beats performance evaluation
• How to equip managers with simple, scalable frameworks
• Why HR must prove value in attracting, developing, and retaining talent
• How open-source tools can democratize great HR practices
• Why HR must master the basics before leading culture work

Further resources:
• The Q7Leader Website: https://www.q7leader.com/
• Reggy-Charles on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rdegen
• People Model Canvas: https://www.peoplemodelcanvas.com/

Chapters:
00:00 — Introduction to Reggy-Charles Degen
01:58 — Reggy’s journey from law to HR
03:18 — Transitioning from HR to entrepreneurship
05:16 — Why HR fails to support managers effectively
06:53 — Overview of the People Model Canvas
10:41 — Aha moments from using the framework
12:25 — Lessons from building the model over 12 years
13:58 — How HR professionals can use the Canvas
16:12 — Leadership mistakes and best practices
18:17 — Ego-system vs eco-system leadership
21:13 — The undervalued role of HR in strategy
24:54 — HR vs culture: where the lines blur
27:57 — Why managers need frameworks to scale
31:33 — What students thank Reggy for
35:13 — What Reggy had to rethink personally
37:00 — What's stopping Reggy from the best work of his life
38:36 — What CEOs should hear about people-first leadership