The keynote starts the conversation.
The Connected Culture System is where
it becomes everyday behavior.
Turn Inspiration into Action that Lasts
When leaders hear the “What’s Your “And”?™ keynote message,
something clicks.
They see their people differently. They start imagining a workplace where showing up as your best self isn’t just allowed, it’s encouraged. And rewarded. But then… everyone goes back to work.
Emails pile up. The momentum fades. And culture slides back into routine.
The Connected Culture System is the implementation of What’s Your “And”?™. It’s how you keep that energy alive and helps leaders turn keynote inspiration into everyday culture that fuels connection, creativity, and performance.
CASE STUDY
When a Keynote Becomes a Culture Shift
When Mike Gillis, CEO of DMJPS, heard John speak at a conference, he read What’s Your “And”? on the flight home and ordered 50 copies for his partners and managers before the plane landed.
What started as a keynote became a full culture transformation.
“We formed a culture committee, and John ran it for a long time. We even created a new C-suite role, Chief Engagement Officer, to keep it going.
Staff were instantly engaged. We didn’t have to do anything to get them on board. They were already in.”
Since then, DMJPS has grown from 4 offices to 10, strengthened its leadership pipeline, and earned a Best Places to Work award that once felt out of reach.
Turnover dropped.
Collaboration rose.
Client service improved because people were showing up as themselves—and showing up for each other.
That’s the power of the “And” effect: When the Connected Culture System is part of your organization, it turns ideas into everyday action that drives measurable results.
The Business Case for a Connected Culture
According to Gallup’s global research, organizations with highly engaged employees experience measurable performance gains:
Engagement isn’t a soft metric, it drives business.
When people feel connected to who they are and where they work, the entire organization performs better.
Source: Gallup - Connect Employee Engagement with Performance
Why most culture change fails… and how to fix it.
John used to think people who heard his keynote didn’t need help implementing this philosophy at their workplaces.. Leaders are smart, committed, and capable. They’d just do it, right?
Turns out, even the best-intentioned teams get busy.
Culture takes consistent action, accountability, and a focus on impact to turn good intentions into lasting change.
The Connected Culture System bridges the gap between what teams intend to do and what actually happens next, giving leaders a structure that sustains connection, engagement, and performance long after the keynote ends.
The Path from Idea to Implementation
Fractional Chief
Culture Officer
For firms that want a hands-on partner to implement the Connected Culture Program.
John serves as a temporary Chief Culture Officer for up to twelve months, embedding this program into your leadership teams, employee experience and your culture.
John will work with you to:
Host a leadership alignment session and all-staff kickoff
Build and coach an internal culture committee
Run bi-weekly implementation meetings
Establish recognition systems and metrics for engagement
Track and celebrate wins across the organization
The Connected
Culture Build
For organizations looking to bring the Connected Culture into their organization, with their team leading the charge with targeted check-ins and support from John.
You’ll receive the full Connected Culture Kit for your team to embed, with regular meetings with John to advise and coach on the best next steps.
You’ll get all the elements in the Connected Culture system, including:
All-staff launch event playbook
Culture committee formation guide
Meeting templates and progress dashboard
On-demand video modules for onboarding new hires
The Connected
Culture Kit
For teams looking to bring What’s Your “And”?™ at their own pace.
This kit offers a self-paced option, with all the elements in the Connected Culture system, including:
All-staff launch event playbook
Culture committee formation guide
Meeting templates and progress dashboard
On-demand video modules for onboarding new hires
Full licensing for your implementation
John’s coaching videos to guide you
Coming soon. Join the waitlist below to be first to hear about this when it launches.
The Real Results of the Connected Culture System:
the “And” effect
What changes when you implement?
When the Connected Culture System is fully incorporated into your organization, energy that used to be spent fixing morale starts fueling innovation, collaboration, and performance.
Instead of pouring time and money into surface-level perks, organizations finally address the root cause of disengagement: disconnection.
At DMJPS:
10 offices connected through culture initiatives
Culture committee still active years later
Created a Chief Engagement Officer role from internal talent
Won Best Places to Work award
Increased retention, engagement and cross-office collaboration
The change wasn’t cosmetic, it was cultural. And it delivered business results that no incentive program could.
Better Culture Builds Better Business
When employees feel seen and fulfilled, they show up differently. They think bigger. They stay longer. They do better work.
Organizations that embrace this approach see:
Higher Engagement and morale
Stronger client relationships
Lower turnover and burnout
Stronger leadership pipeline
Greater collaboration
Higher productivity
More innovation across depts
Increased profitability
“We created a lot of cross-office work collaboration. And that had a really interesting effect…it also created collaboration on client work really quickly, because [our people] were friends now.”
-Mike Gillis, CEO, DMJPS
The System Behind the Success
This is how you move from inspiration to implementation and from culture as a concept to culture as a competitive advantage.
This isn’t a checklist — it’s a system for sustaining humanity at work.
The Connected Culture System gives organizations the tools and rhythm to keep people connected long after the applause fades, built on practical frameworks that drive both connection and measurable impact. It’s the And effect, every day.
We focus on:
Employee journey mapping — see the workplace through their eyes
Rituals of belonging — the “small things” that build big trust
Committee-driven ideas — culture by the people, for the people
Feedback loops — measure, celebrate, and evolve
Storytelling — keeping your Ands visible every day
This is how you move from inspiration to implementation and from culture as a concept to culture as a competitive advantage.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Absolutely. The Connected Culture System can be implemented in any organization where humans connect.
We co-create solutions together, so it’s tailored to your structure, whether that means internal teams, volunteers, chapters, or member communities.
Wherever relationships drive results, this works.
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Not necessarily. The program is designed to be self-sustaining.
John helps you identify and train an internal Culture Committee — a small, diverse group of people who represent every corner of your organization. They become your internal champions, driving ongoing ideas and engagement long after John’s part ends.
Some organizations choose to appoint a dedicated “culture lead” or add the work to an existing role, but it’s not required. The goal is for this to live in your people, not a new line item.
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Not as much as you’d think, and it gives that time back in better results.
Most culture committees meet bi-weekly for 30–45 minutes, and team participation happens through normal connection points (team meetings, internal events, etc.).Because morale issues, turnover, and miscommunication already cost time, the program actually reduces that hidden drain. When people are more engaged and connected, productivity, consistency, and collaboration all rise, without adding hours to anyone’s week.
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John partners directly with leadership from day one. Every phase includes structured touchpoints: alignment sessions, progress updates, and measurable impact reports, so leaders always know what’s working and where to focus next.
Leaders stay informed, visible, and part of the wins. In most organizations, this becomes one of the few initiatives that naturally strengthens communication between leadership and staff — because it’s built on shared ownership, not top-down mandates.
Let’s make your culture your competitive advantage.
Ready to start the implementation conversation?