Kyle McDowell: WE Is Tested at the Top
Mon Feb 02 2026
In this episode, Eric talks with Kyle McDowell, bestselling author of Begin With WE and former Fortune 10 executive, about why most culture initiatives fail long before they reach execution.
Kyle argues that culture doesn’t break down because leaders lack frameworks, values statements, or motivation. It breaks down because real change requires personal cost. Political capital. Short-term discomfort. The willingness to be exposed.
The conversation centers on Kyle’s 10 WEs framework, not as a set of aspirational principles, but as daily practices that either show up in behavior or quietly die on the wall. Eric and Kyle explore which of the WEs are most often misunderstood, which ones are hardest to live out personally, and why leaders tend to turn culture frameworks into critiques of others rather than mirrors for themselves.
They also dig into why so many people feel inspired after books, keynotes, and TED talks, yet fail to act, and how responsibility, not motivation, is the missing ingredient. Kyle reflects on decades of leadership experience, what has genuinely changed about work over time, and what hasn’t changed at all.
This is a grounded, no-nonsense conversation for leaders who are serious about culture and honest enough to examine the cost of living it out.
Topics Covered
Why culture change fails without personal sacrifice The difference between values as posters and values as practices Which leadership behaviors quietly kill trust Why frameworks become weapons instead of mirrors The hidden cost of authenticity and vulnerability What transactional cultures look like in practice How leaders unintentionally block the change they want What hasn’t changed about leadership, despite decades of disruption The smallest daily behaviors that reshape culture over timeEpisode Links
Kyle McDowell: https://kylemcdowellinc.com/ Connect with Kyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylemcdowellinc/ Kyle McDowell Inc. on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kylemcdowellinc/ Kyle McDowell on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kylemcdowellincFor more episodes: https://unfoldingthought.com
Questions or guest ideas: eric@inboundandagile.com
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In this episode, Eric talks with Kyle McDowell, bestselling author of Begin With WE and former Fortune 10 executive, about why most culture initiatives fail long before they reach execution. Kyle argues that culture doesn’t break down because leaders lack frameworks, values statements, or motivation. It breaks down because real change requires personal cost. Political capital. Short-term discomfort. The willingness to be exposed. The conversation centers on Kyle’s 10 WEs framework, not as a set of aspirational principles, but as daily practices that either show up in behavior or quietly die on the wall. Eric and Kyle explore which of the WEs are most often misunderstood, which ones are hardest to live out personally, and why leaders tend to turn culture frameworks into critiques of others rather than mirrors for themselves. They also dig into why so many people feel inspired after books, keynotes, and TED talks, yet fail to act, and how responsibility, not motivation, is the missing ingredient. Kyle reflects on decades of leadership experience, what has genuinely changed about work over time, and what hasn’t changed at all. This is a grounded, no-nonsense conversation for leaders who are serious about culture and honest enough to examine the cost of living it out. Topics Covered Why culture change fails without personal sacrifice The difference between values as posters and values as practices Which leadership behaviors quietly kill trust Why frameworks become weapons instead of mirrors The hidden cost of authenticity and vulnerability What transactional cultures look like in practice How leaders unintentionally block the change they want What hasn’t changed about leadership, despite decades of disruption The smallest daily behaviors that reshape culture over timeEpisode Links Kyle McDowell: https://kylemcdowellinc.com/ Connect with Kyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylemcdowellinc/ Kyle McDowell Inc. on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kylemcdowellinc/ Kyle McDowell on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kylemcdowellincFor more episodes: https://unfoldingthought.com Questions or guest ideas: eric@inboundandagile.com