“Culture always defaults to the worst behavior that we allow. And I think that is true of our leadership as well.” -Zach Montroy All of us have had experiences of toxic or unhealthy workplace cultures. While a healthy culture is everyone’s responsibility to co-create and maintain, office power dynamics are normally structured from the top down. It is the leaders who have to set the tone and make sure everyone has what they need to show up motivated, knowing they will be supported in their work. It is easy to identify what makes us feel good, but just because we have positive success in one area doesn’t mean there aren’t areas for improvement. If we want our businesses to truly thrive, we have to practice the hard conversations and be in a positive state of leadership, leaning away from command and control and being open to hearing some tough truths. Zach Montroy, founder and CEO at the Intention Collective, is this episode’s featured guest. He speaks to the power of values, especially courage in building a brave workplace. He has spent his career helping businesses put direction, courage and vision into their strategies, identifying the destination and helping set the course to make it possible. If you are feeling listless in your bookkeeping business, not really sure which direction to go, or how to have the hard conversations, this episode will give you the courage to take an authentic look at what needs to change. During this interview, you'll learn... Why embedding values into our culture matters How to identify & understand workplace culture The importance of self-awareness & principles in leadership  To find out more about Zach, click here.  Connect with him on LinkedIn. Time Stamps 01:31 - Zach discusses his career journey  03:12 - Understanding the problem  08:14 - Leadership starts with the self  12:00 - Confronting a toxic culture  14:38 - Daring to lead  17:18 - Creating the best place to work  22:56 - The work of the Intention Collective  26:33 - Resources to support your business