Healthy Leadership in Unhealthy Cultures
In Healthy Leadership in Unhealthy Cultures, Carey Nieuwhof challenges leaders to cultivate healthy leadership that resists toxic cultural norms and uplifts people and organizations. Research shows leadership behavior and organizational culture are deeply connected: strong leadership correlates with better job satisfaction and a healthier workplace culture — and when culture is positive, employees are almost four times more likely to stay with their employer. Conversely, toxic leadership can reduce retention by up to 35% and employee engagement by 28%, underscoring the cost of unhealthy cultures. This talk equips leaders to think theologically, understand history, and lead with courage and integrity amid unhealthy cultural pressures.
Research shows that one in two employees have left a job because of a bad boss—and most people today are looking for more than just a paycheck. They long for leadership that feels human, honest, and whole.
In this talk, Carey Nieuwhof explores what it means to cultivate healthy leadership in unhealthy cultures. With years of pastoral and organizational experience, he reminds us, as J. Krishnamurti once said, “It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” When we refuse to let culture define our values, we protect our integrity and the people we serve.
Through the THINQ Framework, Carey helps us see leadership through a fuller lens—rooted in theology that shapes our values, aware and a student of history’s lessons, open to honest reflection, attuned to complex realities, and grounded in the courage to question what’s been normalized.
If you’ve ever felt the strain of leading in a world that measures worth by results, this conversation invites you to slow down, lead with gratitude, and rediscover the joy of influencing others with patience, love, and integrity.