Kombucha on Tap Still Not Fixing Your Toxic Culture?

Even new Ping-Pong tables do not cure the ills of cultural weakness.

As a long-time management consultant and leadership coach, I’ve worked with a lot of companies that believe culture change is as easy as swapping out cubicles for beanbags.

Spoiler alert: it’s not.

Yes, free yoga, dog-friendly offices (which only make me sneeze…a lot!), and periodic “mental health days” sound great. But none of those things magically erase a culture built on unrealistic goals, fear-based management, and meetings that should’ve been emails.

Want real change? Here’s one wild idea:

Teach your people it’s OK to disagree with you.

Even better: teach them they should.

Let’s talk about the Obligation to Dissent™ (catchy, right?). It’s the radical concept that your team isn’t there to nod politely while secretly texting their group chat:

“Can you believe this crap?”

Here’s how to make it happen without sparking an HR incident:

1. Put it in the job description.
If your team meetings sound like a TED Talk with one speaker (you), you’re doing it wrong. Make disagreement part of the gig. Constructive pushback is how great ideas get better—and bad ones die before they waste everyone’s time.

Bonus tip: One leader I work with makes her team repeat the original idea back before disagreeing. Why? So nobody thinks they’re in a cage match. It’s more like intellectual karaoke with a twist.

2. Show you won’t cry when they challenge you.
Your title might say “boss,” but your vibe shouldn’t scream “my way or the highway.” Tell your team it’s cool to question your genius. And actually mean it.

I once had a boss who’d say, “Thanks for pushing back. That’s how we get better.” A legend. Be that legend.

3. Problems are fine. Solutions are better.
Encourage your team to level up: “Here’s the problem and an idea to fix it.”

Even if the idea is half-baked, it starts a real convo. One client of mine responds to every problem with, “How do we fix it?” Which is better than the usual, “That sounds like a “you” problem.”

4. Bad ideas? Great teachable moments.
Not every dissenting opinion is gold. That’s OK. Use it to coach, teach, and build trust. Nobody gets better by sitting silently in meetings pretending to care.

Here’s the thing:
Most companies say they want a culture of openness.
Very few actually know how to build one.

So if you’re serious about transforming your company culture—start by being the kind of leader who can handle a little heat. Or at least a team member who says, “Hey boss, have you considered that this idea might be trash?”

Because true cultural change doesn’t start with kombucha.

It starts with courage.