The Power of Associates: Building Culture, Connection, and Capability

This September, Culture Impact marked a milestone. For the first time in years, we gathered our associate community for a day of shared learning, reflection, and connection. What unfolded went far beyond training - it was a powerful reminder of why associates are not just part of our delivery model, but central to who we are. 

Since 2014, we’ve grown from two founders to a core team of six employees. But our strength also comes from our fantastic team of associates.

Our associates allow us to expand and contract in response to client needs, flexing our capability while bringing unique expertise that enriches every project. Our Associates have a vast range of skills, from executive coaches, programme designers, facilitators, leadership developers - each one brings mastery in their craft. 

This is not outsourcing. This is a deliberate choice to build a bigger Culture Impact family - a network of trusted professionals whose skills, perspectives, and commitment directly shape the results our clients achieve. 

Associates as Catalysts for Learning 

On Monday, Karen Jones led us in a refresher training on the The Denison Culture and Leadership Assessments, giving us a shared lens on culture and leadership.

Leading culture is difficult. Leaders sometimes fail to see how their actions and behaviours contribute to cultural issues. The combination of being an Executive Coach and understanding culture is a powerful and unique skill for the coaches in Culture Impact.  But it was great to hear that the coaches and associates were so happy that they were being taught rather than facilitating others.  It was wonderful to witness our 18 associates choosing to invest in their own growth and in our collective capability. 

This wasn’t a paid assignment. They covered their own travel and accommodation. And yet, they came - because they saw the value of being part of a community of learning. 

In today’s hybrid working world, associates often work in isolation. The chance to come together, to learn side by side, and to strengthen professional bonds was described as “like pre-pandemic times”. That matters. Human connection fuels respect, care, and trust. Without it, individuals risk isolation. With it, we build the foundations of cultures that thrive. 

 

A Community, Not a Workforce 

Associates are not an add-on. They are part of the patterns of success we build with our clients. They remind us that culture is not created in the boardroom alone, but in the web of relationships that guides every decision, every interaction, every outcome. 

Find out more about our team.

View our team