How NASA Rebuilt Trust—And What Your Team Needs from You Now

Most leaders think they know their culture—but they’re leading blind.
In this episode, we reveal what your culture would say if it could talk—and why that truth might make or break your leadership.
I sit down with Dr. Thomas Krause, author of If Your Culture Could Talk and a pioneer in Behavior-Based Safety, to unpack how culture silently drives outcomes—especially when things go wrong. From consulting NASA after the Columbia disaster to reshaping how organizations think about safety, Krause delivers hard-earned insights that will shift how you lead.
You’ll learn why culture isn’t about values painted on the wall—it’s about what’s rewarded, ignored, and supported every day.

🚀 Top 3 Leadership Takeaways: ✔️ Why upward communication is the hidden lifeline of high-performing teams
✔️ How to use “climate” as a lever for rapid cultural change
✔️ The one question every leader must ask to unlock team trust

⏳ Timestamps & Key Sections
[00:00] – Intro: Meet Dr. Tom Krause – A leadership pioneer with decades of insight
[04:00] – From Psychology to Culture Consulting – How a career pivot sparked industry-wide impact
[08:00] – The Birth of Behavior-Based Safety – Turning psychology into results
[12:00] – NASA, Columbia, and Culture Failure – What really caused the disaster
[16:00] – The Leadership Mic Drop Moment – The single most powerful question leaders must ask
[20:00] – Culture vs. Climate – Why the difference matters when time is short
[24:00] – The 5 Culture Variables That Drive Everything
[28:00] – Reassessment: The Secret Weapon of Sustained Change
[32:00] – The Safety Crisis You’re Not Hearing About – Patient safety and hidden fatalities
[36:00] – Why He Wrote If Your Culture Could Talk – From late-night idea to leadership fable
[40:00] – Final Leadership Tips & Closing Thoughts

🔥 Key Moments to Watch
• The bold question that transformed how NASA makes life-or-death decisions
• The surprising reason culture change starts with climate
• Why your frontline workers already know what’s broken—and how to get them to tell you
• The 200,000-fatality problem no one's talking about
• How to measure real culture change without getting lost in guesswork

🎙 Guest Introduction
Dr. Thomas Krause is a globally recognized leadership and safety expert. He created the foundational methodology for Behavior-Based Safety, consulted on NASA’s cultural overhaul post-Columbia, and has authored six books. His latest, If Your Culture Could Talk, offers a compelling fable on how leaders can finally hear what their culture is saying.
Contact: https://krausebellgroup.com/
Book: IF YOUR CULTURE COULD TALK, https://krausebellgroup.com/product/if-your-culture-could-talk/

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I'm Doland White, a seasoned leader with over 40 years of experience, including CEO and COO roles.

My mission is to help leaders and teams build trust and empowerment within their organizations.

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