We remember sitting in a meeting with a food safety leader we’ve worked with for years. She was frustrated—again.
She had just presented a new initiative around risk assessment, and it had been met with silence by the supply chain team. “We’ve been talking about this for weeks internally,” she said. “We thought everyone would be on board.”
That’s when it clicked for her—and honestly, it’s a moment we see all the time: just because you’ve done the work within your function doesn’t mean others a...
We recently worked with a food company pushing new products to market. The work was intense, but that wasn’t the issue. What was killing momentum? No one was clear on who owned what.
People were double-working, making assumptions, stepping on toes. Some team members shut down. Others burned out. Not because they weren’t capable—but because expectations were blurry, priorities kept shifting, and the system couldn’t support the speed of the strategy.
Even more telling? Three-quarters of the team...
A reflection from Tia Glave, Catalyst Food Leaders
I didn’t have to unlearn control—I never led that way.
My childhood friends would tell you I’ve always had a flair for connecting with others and appreciating their uniqueness. I am genuinely curious about people. I strived to create an environment where each person can show up as themselves - even if it’s on the playground.
In my career, I leaned into this strength. I knew that teams work best when they feel connected, and I saw myself as ...
Let’s be honest: KPIs are everywhere.
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You put dashboards on dashboards. Teams are tracking metrics like their lives depend on it.
Culture is squarely on the radar too—hence Gemba walks, value posters, town halls (and yes, you’ve done that too).
But if leadership doesn’t shift first, neither of those things will.
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The Missing Third Success Factor
At Catalyst, we talk about three success factors that actually drive real change:
- Outcomes (what goals you're aiming for)
- Culture (how people ...
