Great companies aren’t built on perks—they’re built on cultures people want to stay in. In this episode, CEO & well-being executive coach Saeed Alghafri breaks down why people don’t leave companies—they leave cultures—and the concrete moves leaders can make to keep top talent: trust over control, clear growth paths, effort-based recognition, and true psychological safety. Plus: pitfalls to avoid (toxic high performers, empty “people first” talk) and how to turn strategy into shared wins.
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Building a strong culture takes daily dedication, authentic leadership, and patience. When leaders trust their teams, celebrate small wins, and invest in growth, workplaces become vibrant spaces where people belong, innovate, and thrive together.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone committed to building purpose-driven, high-performing organizations.
0:00) Every business, even houses, even countries, they have a specific culture. (0:05) What really sets a culture aside from the other one is where you see people want to stay. (0:12) I know cultures where people look forward for the Monday, and I'm not really kidding.
(0:16) Usually people don't leave companies. That's basically what I've seen. (0:20) People leave cultures.
Culture should be the priority of leaders. (0:29) Marhaba and how's it going, everyone, and welcome back to YouUp. (0:33) I'm your host, Saeed Alghafri.
(0:36) You know, in YouUp, we always keep it real, no BS involved. (0:39) If you're here, it tells me that you make clarity and growth a priority in your work (0:45) and life. And that's why I'm here, because I understand your concerns and your frustrations.
(0:50) And I'm here to guide you through real conversations, through my experience (0:55) as a CEO and recently a well-being executive coach. (0:59) One more thing. (1:01) Special thanks if you're here for the first time, and thank whoever shared this episode with you (1:07) and shared with someone who needs it very well. (1:10) Today's episode is something that every leader thinks that they're doing very well. (1:17) You know, it's one of those topics that people think that they know it very well, (1:22) but they don't do it very well. (1:24) And I've seen a lot of people who go through that.
(1:27) Now, what happens is that every business, even houses, even countries, they have a specific (1:34) culture. And what really sets a culture aside from the other one is where you see people (1:42) want to stay. Let's imagine this.
(1:46) You're walking into your work, let's say, this morning or every morning, (1:52) and you know that you're valued and you're heard and you're trusted. (1:58) And when that happens, you know what will happen to you? (2:02) You won't feel like counting the days until it's Friday. (2:06) I know a lot of people, I know cultures, when Monday starts, they just count even the hours.
(2:13) You know, but I know cultures where people look forward for the Monday. (2:17) And I'm not really kidding. (2:19) This is where people create value and they feel that they are very much valued.
(2:25) Now, that's what I call a culture where people want to stay. (2:30) You know, it's not magical. (2:32) It's all the set of choices that we make as leaders every single day (2:40) You know, I remember when I became a CEO, I read a book. (2:44) I read actually two books. (2:46) One book, which is, which basically in a summary, it tells you that each CEO, (2:53) and I feel each C-suite executive and every leader should focus on three things.
(2:58) First thing is making money because it's important for businesses to stay healthy, make money. (3:04) The second thing is you really take care of people so you do the right hiring. (3:09) You develop them and then you keep them.
(3:11) And the last thing is culture. (3:14) And this tells you the importance of cultures. (3:17) And as leaders, our job and main job, in my opinion, is to focus on cultures.
(3:26) And, you know, from my experience in the corporate world, (3:29) I noticed these few things from the leaders that I have come from. (3:33) Those are people that they thought they knew culture, but actually it was the opposite. (3:39) You know, you've got one type of leader who don't know anything about a culture.
(3:44) Honestly, they don't know how to do it, (3:46) how to go around it, and they pretend as if they know. (3:50) You know, this is really not good because you need to ask for support and help to reach a culture. (3:55) And it's not only a one-man show.
3:56) It's a team effort. (3:58) It's the processes you have in place. (4:01) And then you have leaders who know that culture is important, (4:05) but they leave it at the end of the list to do, honestly.
(4:11) And they don't do anything about it. (4:13) You know, trust me, sometimes you may feel like you should not do anything about culture, (4:20) but that's a short term. (4:22) Over the long term, you will see a lot of people probably leaving, processes aging.
(4:29) You don't see any innovation coming. (4:31) Competition is really overtaking you, etc. (4:33) So really, culture should be the priority of leaders.
(4:38) The third thing is, and I see this a lot, leaders see culture as a nice to have, honestly. (4:45) They like, OK, these guys have a culture. (4:48) Let me also have a culture.
(4:50) And what happens, and it's even worse, they outsource it. (4:57) You know, culture should not be outsourced. (4:59) This is you, your identity, your values.
(5:03) So it has to be driven by you. (5:04) So these are the leaders that I've encountered when it comes to culture. (5:09) So if you have wondered what it takes to have a culture where teams are loyal, engaged, (5:16) and really full of energy, and not a culture where people are like a revolving door, (5:21) you know, they just come and leave. (5:23) This episode is definitely for you. (5:25) So stick around. (5:27) Now, regardless of the value or the set of values that you want to have in place, (5:33) or the culture, what you want ultimately is to have a less people turnover.
(5:41) You want to have a culture where people thrive and stick really around. (5:47) So it's not what culture you want to have. (5:50) So it's not like the theme of the culture you want to have, irrespective of what you (5:55) want to have.
(5:56) And honestly, we should not really care about copying culture from there to here. (6:00) What we should care about is a culture where the outcome is that people are thriving. (6:08) And that's the intent of this episode.
(6:11) So the problem is, why do people leave, you know, even when they like their job? (6:20) Like, imagine I'm in a place now. (6:22) I love my job, but I leave. (6:24) The truth of the matter is, usually people don't leave companies.
(6:29) That's basically what I've seen. (6:31) People leave cultures. (6:34) Again, don't get me wrong.
(6:37) Paychecks absolutely matters. (6:39) You know, we want to make money, and we want to live happily, and we want to live in a (6:43) satisfactory way. (6:45) But you reach a point in the corporate world where, honestly, what matters is the culture (6:52) and the place that you work in. (6:56) And this is where most leaders are, and they really want to be in a place where it's more (7:02) about thriving and creating an impact. (7:06) Now, I want you to ask yourself these three sets of questions, just to test how culture (7:14) is in your businesses. (7:15) The first one is, ask yourself, when was the last time you discussed openly with someone (7:23) their development plan as a leader? (7:27) When was that? (7:29) If you feel like you are always talking about business, business, business, and not discussing (7:35) development plans, what do you think people would have a feeling of? (7:40) The second set of questions is, how do the development, like now you discuss it with (7:45) the people, how do their development plan tally with the corporate strategy and values? (7:50) Because, you know, as human beings, we really care about the place we work in.
(7:55) So we want to know, do we have a future? (7:57) Does this place have a future? (7:59) Does really the strategy care about people development? (8:03) The third thing here is, when was the last time you celebrated someone's effort, not (8:10) results? (8:12) You know what happens most of the time? (8:13) People wait until the result happens, and then they celebrate. (8:17) It's like your birthday. (8:18) You wait for a year to have a birthday party and not really celebrate that you are doing (8:24) well in a month or doing second in a month. (8:26) So you need to celebrate those efforts that you are basically doing in the company. (8:32) The fourth thing here is, and I see this a lot, is there such a transparency between (8:38) what is really happening at the corporate level from a strategy point of view and employees? (8:44) So do they really know what the strategy is all about? (8:50) Now, let me share with you something. (8:52) Without aligning the people when it comes to the vision and strategy, they don't feel (8:58) like they are belonging.
(8:59) And that belonging element is very important. (9:04) And trust me, people are all about communication. (9:08) So if you don't have that transparent communication and transparency, you won't see any (9:13) trust and growth.
(9:15) And basically what will happen eventually is that people would feel like they are really (9:19) not belonging. (9:21) All right. (9:22) You may feel like it's working on the short term, but trust me, eventually talents will (9:29) be walking away from the businesses that you are in.
(9:33) Now, let me share with you a story. (9:35) I know this guy, a very promising guy, came with an entrepreneur kind of mentality. (9:42) And honestly, I really felt that his energy was absolutely needed.
(9:47) He came from a small business. (9:50) He wasn't very much highly paid, and he came to this business because he wants to be highly. (9:57) So he got a much more higher pay.
(9:59) Why? (10:00) His plan was to be in a place where he's highly paid. (10:04) He would finance his business, and then ultimately he would go back. (10:08) So maybe he's thinking about two to three years.
(10:11) You know what happens? (10:12) Six weeks passed while he was in the job. (10:18) And honestly, the guy who was the first time when I met him, he was very much enthusiastic, (10:28) energy, I mean, up the level, et cetera. (10:30) He really was not expecting the culture to be where he is, to be completely honest with (10:37) you.
(10:38) You know, and he called me, he said, Said, can you give me an advice? (10:43) I'm like, you know what? (10:45) I mean, be patient. (10:46) Usually when you come to a culture, it's new for you, et cetera, and all that good stuff (10:51) that we say. (10:53) But ultimately, deep down, I really don't want to be judgmental, but reality is I thought (10:59) that the guy wouldn't really fit.
(11:02) Again, the culture that he wanted to be is where he's used to entrepreneurship, small (11:08) business, quick decision making, et cetera. (11:10) Where he was landing, he was felt much more blamed. (11:15) His efforts, and this is what he was sharing with me, his efforts was thrown out of the (11:20) office.
(11:21) You know, no one wanted to listen to him. (11:24) Whenever he took any initiative, even if that initiative was aligned with the strategy and (11:29) the shareholder, no one really took it. (11:34) You know, the issue here, there was no alignment between his values and the company's value. (11:41) He couldn't really feel very much belonging. (11:45) There weren't very much proper communication and alignment on what really to do about it. (11:52) Although he came with the intention to basically invest and basically to collect as much wealth (12:00) as possible to finance his business, he wasn't very much enlightened.
(12:06) So six weeks down the line, he basically felt no. (12:10) But then he was patient enough. (12:12) He stayed for, I think, a few months, maybe three to four months.
(12:16) Then after that, he left. (12:17) He couldn't really take it. (12:19) Very promising guy, honestly.
(12:21) He left. (12:22) He actually found a way to finance his business. (12:25) I mean, he was very much adamant about it.
(12:28) And now he's much more happier, honestly, and his performance is better. (12:35) So reality here is the culture, he was a promising guy, but the culture really made him leave. (12:43) Now, what should we do about it? (12:46) How can we create a culture where people stay? (12:51) And people more thrive in what they do.
(12:54) Now, what we need to focus on is the first thing is you have to trust, you know, and (13:03) don't control. (13:04) These are two things that leaders do because they feel like they're threatened or maybe (13:09) they are very much not in control. (13:13) Now, let me tell you something. 13:15) When these guys or the people are delivering results, why would you even care about how (13:20) they do it? (13:21) If they're following the policies and the systems, don't really micromanage. (13:26) And that's what happens. (13:28) This micromanagement really kills morale.
(13:32) Now, when you have more trust, it creates more accountability, more ownership. (13:38) They feel like they're belonging and they would create more impact. (13:43) And that's the ultimate goal from having trust.
(13:47) The second thing here is it's important to have those very much clarity around growth (13:52) paths or strategies. (13:54) Why is that important? (13:55) Because people always question every day when they walk into a company or everywhere, (14:00) what's really in it for me? (14:01) Why am I here? (14:03) So it's very important to discuss any growth plan very clearly. (14:09) Don't really hide it.
(14:11) These people belong there and they're going to be part of the business that the business (14:15) is trying to do. (14:16) Now, what will happen is that you want them to be much more excited. (14:21) And that's the ultimate goal.
(14:22) When they see growth, you see more excitement from them. (14:25) And that's the ultimate goal. (14:26) When you do that, discuss what is needed to develop them.
(14:31) Because now they're excited. (14:32) They see that this is the growth. (14:34) Discuss it.
(14:36) Now, even if nothing will happen very soon, but you want them to feel like, oh, so this (14:44) is what's in it for me. (14:46) Sometimes having that feeling stimulate more innovation and stimulate more creativity. (14:52) You know, people stay when they see that there is a future for themselves, honestly.
(14:58) Now, imagine the opposite. (15:01) Imagine someone basically not shared. (15:04) I mean, someone in a company very bright.
(15:06) They don't know what's the future, what's the strategy. (15:09) And you don't discuss with them their development plan. (15:12) What do you think will happen? (15:14) What do you think will happen? (15:16) Let me share with you this story.
(15:17) This is a close friend that I know him very well. (15:22) I knew that this guy, in the next at least five to six years, he will be a C-suite. (15:30) Very bright guy, entrepreneur, very much promising.
(15:36) Let me tell you what happened. (15:37) He was approached. (15:39) And he was told, listen, man, you're going to get that position.
(15:44) Now, the guy was asking questions like, what's really in it for me? (15:48) What am I getting? (15:49) Am I getting a higher pay? (15:51) Am I getting a higher status? (15:53) Am I getting more people? (15:56) What really happened is that there was not very clear. (15:59) There wasn't very much of a clear communication around what's his new role? (16:03) What's in it? (16:04) How is it tallying with the strategy, the vision, et cetera. (16:07) Although that it was very promising, but sometimes it's very important to have clarity around that, (16:13) especially with higher flyers. (16:16) Now, what happened ultimately, this guy left. (16:21) Honestly, he couldn't really stay. (16:23) He left.
(16:25) And he called me. (16:26) You know what I told him? (16:27) I told him, listen, man, I think you're stupid. (16:29) Why are you leaving? (16:31) Can't you see the future? (16:32) Your future is to be where you are.
(16:35) Guess what happened? (16:38) I was wrong. (16:39) And everyone else was absolutely wrong. (16:42) The guy today is doing very well.
(16:45) He is not really governed by a corporate structure or corporate, let's say, system. (16:52) And he's making more money. (16:55) He's happier.
(16:56) And basically, he's enjoying a lot. (16:58) So what else is important in life? (17:01) This is where it's important to have that clarity when it comes to growth plans, (17:06) business and personal. (17:08) The third thing here is recognize.
(17:12) Recognition is not about results. (17:15) I mean, it's important to have recognition when it comes to results. (17:17) But people love celebrations.
(17:21) Honestly, even over, you know, a karak chai or whatever, just for the heck of celebrating, (17:29) call that guy in, maybe coffee, water, karak, whatever, even a tap on the back, maybe a high (17:37) five. (17:39) Don't wait. (17:40) Don't wait. (17:41) Because what happens is that when you have, let's say, a project and that finishing line (17:47) for that specific project takes five years, are you going to wait five years to celebrate? (17:53) You can't. (17:54) It's important to celebrate progress and not celebrate whenever you have the finishing (18:00) line. (18:01) Yeah, celebrate, make a big scene, maybe, I don't know, a six day celebration kind of (18:06) thing.
(18:06) But it's okay to have those small moments where you celebrate. (18:11) This one is very important. (18:12) Having a psychological safety is super important.
(18:17) Let me tell you something. (18:18) This is one of the most difficult ones to reach, honestly. (18:23) But when you reach it, you will have great achievement.
(18:28) You know, when you have a culture where people achieve results and deliver, (18:36) and it's okay for you to forgive them for those small mistakes, what happens? (18:41) They are going to feel much more empowered. (18:44) They will have the safety to say, oh, I've done well here. (18:48) Yes, I've done this mistake, small one.
(18:50) And these people are not blaming me. (18:53) And you know what? (18:53) I've learned a lot from that. (18:57) It's just amazing.
(18:59) You know what will happen ultimately? (19:01) You will see people innovating very much. (19:06) And then they're going to come back with ideas as if this place is their home. (19:12) Honestly, it's just beautiful when someone has that psychological safety. (19:16) Let me share with you a story. (19:19) I know this guy, very promising guy. (19:23) I mean, I was following his basically, he's a good friend also.
(19:28) I was following his track. (19:31) The guy was very promising. (19:32) And then all of a sudden, he just, you know, this flower that just died is exactly the same.
(19:40) The guy had a manager where that manager was very much blaming him (19:49) and very much saying this is not good enough. (19:51) And he ended up micromanaging the guy. (19:55) And guess what happened? (19:56) The guy was like, okay, yes, sir.
(19:58) No problem. (19:59) I'll do it the way you want it. (20:03) So what do you think will happen? (20:05) No innovation.
(20:06) He ended up not really speaking loud. (20:09) He was very much passive. (20:10) Although the guy, if you just sit with him, he will eat you because he loved talking.
(20:15) Honestly, he just enjoys talking. (20:19) What happened? (20:21) A new leader came. (20:23) And I knew that from his energy because his energy again changed.
(20:27) I'm like, what happened, man? (20:28) He's like, you know what? (20:29) We now have this leader who is just amazing. (20:32) Just amazing. (20:34) And he's now making us do what we want (20:39) He doesn't tell us what to do. (20:40) He doesn't micromanage. (20:42) And he's really empowering me to do the job.
(20:45) And guess what happened? (20:47) When I asked him what was the how was the performance, the performance was amazing. (20:54) In his basically division, the performance went by 30 percent, just 30 percent. (21:01) He didn't do anything else, honestly.
(21:05) But again, what happens is that when this new guy came, this guy, my friend, (21:12) he was very much fragile from the previous discussions. (21:15) It took him six months to realize that this guy is going to give me the safety (21:23) aspect that I wanted. (21:24) So we really need to be patient in this process.
(21:27) And that's why I'm saying it's going to be very difficult. (21:31) Now, how can we really build a culture where people want to stay? (21:37) I'm going to leave you with three things that I think each leader should do. (21:41) The first one is most leaders love to talk and speak first.
(21:47) What I find very useful is that listen before you even speak or lead. (21:55) Now, don't wait until the end of the year or half or half year to have those check in (22:01) moments and have feedback with the other person. (22:05) Have those very regular, maybe a week, maybe a month.
(22:11) And it doesn't have to be very much performance based. (22:15) Now, the questions that you should ask is something like that. (22:19) What aspect of the culture? (22:21) I mean, let's say you're with someone now. (22:23) What aspect of the culture would make you thrive? (22:29) And you will see that person just answering. (22:31) Take notes. (22:32) It's important.
(22:34) And then the second thing is once they basically give you that, then ask them, (22:40) what small acts should you do or we do as a team for you to thrive? (22:46) Now, these two questions are super powerful. (22:50) Once you have those small talks, no agenda over coffee with a member or a team, (22:57) just amazing results would come. (23:00) And remember, don't really worry about the agenda for the time being.
(23:06) Your target now is to establish trust and nothing else. (23:13) It may sound a little bit strange for people because they're used to talk to people (23:17) when it comes to what have you done? (23:20) Did you do this? (23:21) Have you achieved your sales target? (23:23) No, this one is very much getting those connections and trust together with that other person. (23:30) The second thing here is try to create shared wins.
(23:35) What I mean by that is that when people understand the strategy and the vision, (23:43) they would know that they are a priority and the business is making them a priority, (23:48) not just some rubbish talks. (23:52) So when they see that they are part of the strategy and there are shared wins between them (23:56) and the company, it's really important. (24:00) And like I said before, communicate milestones very clearly and make them relatable to them (24:08) in line with the project, with the visions and strategy. (24:12) Now, when you, some of the things that people miss out is that (24:16) you've got a vision and strategy, but they miss out communicating what's in it for the people (24:24) within that strategy and vision. (24:26) That's very much important. (24:28) Once you do that, everyone is involved, then celebrate those milestones as a team.
(24:33) Again, like we said, even if you, let's say, dedicate a small five minutes (24:39) or anything prior to a meeting where people are greeted for their small wins. (24:44) You know, when you have those meetings, when 20 people are sitting and someone walks in (24:48) and you praise that person and you give him a piece of paper that says, well done. (24:54) You know, the impact of that is just amazing.
(24:57) Just amazing. (24:59) The third thing here is invest in people development and well-being. (25:03) And this is very important.
(25:04) Make this a priority, not just talks. (25:07) Develop plans that align with the growth of the people and the growth of the business. (25:13) You know, high flyers wants to see what's in it for them next.
(25:18) They want to see their career, even if small, they want to see it. (25:23) So it's important to do that. (25:25) And the second part of this third step is the well-being aspect. (25:29) You know, when you have flexible schedules, it gives people that mental stress relief, (25:36) especially for high flyers when they work a lot under a lot of pressure. (25:39) You need to have those. (25:40) You know, it shows people that they are a priority.
(25:43) And indeed, they are a priority, man. (25:45) So don't really kid yourself. (25:48) What I like is that, and this is something that you could do by yourself, (25:52) is that maybe have a 15 minute, it could be a career check and connect with them.
(25:59) You know, when you do that, let's say you're connecting with someone younger now. (26:04) What's good about that is maybe that young person, (26:07) you would assign a mentor to where they can go speak to that person (26:11) and then have that stress release and get more clarity. (26:15) It's really important.
(26:17) Or imagine you are having, let's say, a much more mature, experienced person. (26:22) You know, when you connect them with a strategic opportunity, what happens? (26:26) They feel like they're really belonging. (26:28) And it's really promising.
(26:31) Now, I want to share with you a story before we end. (26:37) I know this guy who was in a company. (26:41) The company gave him everything.
(26:43) Career plan, career development, very promising future. (26:47) Everything was clarified for him. (26:50) He was missing one thing, which is getting paid more. (26:54) He got a job offer to be paid 25% more. (26:59) I know him very well. (27:02) He called me and he said, listen, I did this and I did that.
(27:05) I said, listen, man, just why do you want to go there? (27:08) He said, mainly because of the money. (27:11) And then we clarified, we clarified, we clarified. (27:14) He's a friend.
(27:14) He's not a client. (27:16) And then he said, listen, let me get in a call with them to understand (27:19) what are they going to do for me? (27:21) What's in it for me? (27:23) How does my career look like? (27:25) And guess what happened? (27:26) He called the company. (27:28) They said that they have a career plan.
(27:30) They said that they are doing this. (27:31) They said that. (27:32) But there wasn't anything written or given to him.
(27:37) You know what happened? (27:39) He didn't go, although it's a 25% increase. (27:42) But he knew that he wouldn't really belong in that place. (27:46) Again, I'm not saying that everyone is like the guy I'm sharing with you.
(27:51) But you reach a point in your life where money is important. (27:56) But again, there are much more important stuff that you need to keep in mind. (28:01) Now, before we end, I also want to share with you some pitfalls that (28:06) probably you should avoid. (28:08) The first one is, you know, try to avoid to have toxic high performers. (28:15) I know that they're talented, OK? (28:18) But they're an excuse for bad behavior. (28:20) They will just ruin your culture.
(28:27) And I've seen this. (28:28) So you will have to make a decision. (28:30) Shall I keep them or shall I basically win my culture? (28:34) You see, most of the time, those people stay and the culture is going to them.
(28:40) So try to avoid those guys. (28:42) Speak to them one time, two times, three times. (28:44) If it doesn't work, probably culture should be your first priority, not the high performers.
(28:50) The second thing here is you go to a place where people just talk without doing. (28:53) So it's walking. (28:55) It's not walking the talk, naturally.
(28:58) They say people is first, people is first. (29:00) And again, there's nothing that says that people is first. (29:03) And that's where people feel like, OK, why should we really care? (29:09) The third thing here is, and I see this a lot.
(29:12) When people leave, now they basically left, the exit interviews are very important. (29:20) Sometimes you undermine that. (29:22) And people, when they basically resign, the first thing they write because of personal reasons.
(29:28) Sometimes we take it for granted. (29:29) And I know that. (29:31) But when we have the interview with them just to understand why are they leaving? (29:36) What's the motivation? (29:37) We learn a lot.
(29:38) And then the business can benefit and the people can really benefit from such learnings. (29:44) And one last key reminder, you know, culture isn't really built in a meeting room. (29:49) All right.
(29:50) Just keep that in the back of your mind. (29:52) It's built over time. (29:54) It's a really long process.
(29:55) And it's those small, daily, meaningful.