Episode 63: Leadership Culture and Organizational Change with Jason Barger
Jason Barger, leadership consultant and author of Thermostat Cultures, has a theory about why an improvement effort can start strong and then fade a few months later. It’s the difference between a thermometer and a thermostat. You might be thinking, “I don’t get it.” But after this episode of Quality Time with MoreSteam, you definitely will.
Jason is also a keynote speaker, the author of three other books and the host of The Thermostat Podcast. As Jason had previously noted,
The most compelling leaders, teams, organizations, families or collection of humans of any kind operate in thermostat mode. They calibrate their mind and heart to set the temperature for the vision and culture they want to create.
Jason describes what separates reactive teams from proactive ones. He breaks down his six A's for leading change and explains why rest matters as much as “grind” or “hustle” for truly elite performance. It’s all here. Servant leadership. Organizational alignment. And what you learn from spending an entire week in airports. (Yes, you read that last part correctly.)
For Lean Six Sigma and operational excellence professionals, this episode offers a new perspective on some familiar themes. You can’t have lasting change without a culture that supports it. Listen and learn how leaders can set the temperature instead of just reacting to the heat.
In this episode, you will hear about:
1:09 - Meet Jason
3:15 - Step Back From the Baggage Claim
7:09 - The six leadership mindsets: clarity, inclusivity, agility, grit, rest, and ownership
10:01 - Why rest is such an important mindset
13:14 - Making leaders understand the importance of rest
15:09 - Organizational alignment and aspirational thinking
18:39 - Thermostat cultures
22:24 - How thermostat cultures help organizations sustain change
26:18 - Capital L leadership versus lowercase L leadership
28:31 - Investigating cultural dissonance
32:01 - Jason’s proactive culture case study
35:32 - Being a servant leader
38:24 - Inauthentic leadership
41:13 - Balancing hard data with the emotional and cultural side of change
44:35 - Something leaders can start doing right now
Dan Swartwout is the host of Quality Time with MoreSteam. A lifelong Central Ohio resident, Dan is a double Buckeye. He earned both a BA and a law degree from The Ohio State University. Before joining MoreSteam, Dan had a long career as a host, comedian, and master of ceremonies. For 17 years, Dan was the studio audience host for the Ohio Lottery game show Cash Explosion. Dan was also the host of CBuzz, which was a collaboration between the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, WWCD 92.9, and the Columbus Dispatch. On CBuzz, Dan interviewed some of the most prominent entrepreneurs in Central Ohio. From 2002-2020, Dan toured the country as a standup comedian. Tracks from his comedy CD have been played over 5,000 times on Sirius/XM satellite radio. Now, Dan brings his experience and enthusiasm to Quality Time with MoreSteam -- it's business and fun, together.
Leadership Consultant and Auther • The Thermostat Podcast
Jason Barger is committed to engaging the minds and hearts of people in order to strengthen leadership, culture, and clarity of mission, vision and values.
He is a globally celebrated Author/Speaker/Consultant and creator of the “Step Back from the Baggage Claim” Movement – featured in the New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, Kiplinger, Book TV, and many other spots worldwide. Books two and three “Remember” and “Thermostat Cultures” have been widely-celebrated around the globe and his fourth book “Breathing Oxygen” reached #1 during the launch in many different categories related to organizational culture and learning. He is also the host of “The Thermostat with Jason Barger” podcast.
Prior to sleeping in airports and observing human behavior, Barger led over 1700 people to construct 125 houses internationally for families living in poverty as well as implemented the Streets Mission Project to serve the homeless on the streets of Columbus, Ohio. As the former Director of First Community Church’s Camp Akita, he designed programming focused on living with joy, love, compassion, faith, and service for over 1900 campers a summer.
Jason is a graduate of Denison University, where he served as Captain of the men’s basketball team, and also received certification from Georgetown University in Nonprofit Executive Management. In 2004, he was one of five people in Columbus, Ohio to receive a Jefferson Award, a national award given to “Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things”. In 2014, he was selected as a 40 Under 40 award winner by Business First. In 2021, Jason was recognized as a “Top 200 Global Thought Leader to Follow” by PeopleHum.
Jason is a sought-after Keynote Speaker, visionary, and consultant. As founder of Step Back Leadership Consulting LLC, he works with organizations that are passionate about Culture Change, Leadership Development, Innovation, Service, and bringing their Mission to life everyday. Step Back Leadership Consulting was recognized by HR Tech Outlook as a “Top 20 Leadership Development Training and Coaching Company.”
Jason is passionate about his family and travels from Columbus, Ohio all around the world to engage the minds and hearts of people. Follow on social media @JasonVBarger and dive into his podcast “The Thermostat” where podcasts are found.
