Culture May Eat Strategy for Lunch—But LEADERSHIP Sets the Table
A signature leadership experience from Jeff Tobe, Customer Experience Keynote Speaker and Author
In this energetic, thought compelling keynote, Jeff Tobe brings a fresh, provocative lens to strategic leadership. He shows leaders why strategy fails when culture isn’t aligned—and how to build an climate where people actually want to deliver on the plan.
This session is ideal for organizations navigating growth, disruption, or reinvention. Jeff blends real-world examples, humor, and creative thinking to help leaders design cultures that support accountability, innovation, and exceptional performance.
The message is simple:
A brilliant strategy won’t survive a culture that isn’t healthy enough to carry it.
What Your Audience Will Discover
1. Why Culture Determines Strategic Success
Jeff breaks down how culture shapes behavior, decision-making, and alignment—and why it’s the most influential (and overlooked) factor in execution.
2. The Leader’s Role in “Setting the Table”
Participants learn how their daily actions signal what’s valued, tolerated, and rewarded. Leaders leave knowing how to model the environment they want to create.
3. How to Build Trust and Ownership Across the Organization
Jeff offers practical tools to help leaders create psychological safety, foster collaboration, and cultivate a sense of collective responsibility.
4. Creative Leadership in an Age of Constant Change
Drawing from his “coloring outside the lines” mindset, Jeff shares approaches for sparking curiosity, encouraging experimentation, and avoiding the trap of “this is how we’ve always done it.”
5. How to Align Culture with Customer Experience
Attendees explore the direct link between internal culture and the experiences customers receive—and how to ensure both are working in sync. They are encouraged to consider connecting strategic leadership to understanding employee engagement.
Why Organizations Choose This Program
Because leaders are hungry for clarity—and teams are starving for direction.
This keynote helps organizations:
- Strengthen cross-department alignment. NO MORE SILOS!
- Navigate uncertainty with confidence
- Accelerate strategic execution
- Build a culture that attracts and keeps great talent
- Elevate the overall customer experience
Jeff’s practical insights resonate with leaders in industries worldwide—from education and healthcare to finance, government, and manufacturing.
Audiences often say:
“This made leadership feel doable again.”
“Jeff gave us a new way to think about culture—and ourselves.”
“He helped us see where strategy really comes alive.”
Who This Keynote Is For
Perfect for senior leaders and executive teams, emerging leaders and high-potentials, HR, OD, and culture leaders, associations and international audiences navigating transformation and organizations seeking stronger performance, clarity, and engagement.
This program is designed for groups ready to elevate culture so their strategy doesn’t just look good on paper—it works in reality.
Ready to Help Your Leaders Set the Table for Success?
Invite Jeff Tobe to guide your team toward a culture that champions accountability, creativity, and strategic clarity.
When leaders set the table well, the organization wins—every time.