This episode of Mastering Workplace Culture features a powerful and personal conversation with global executive Kris Malkoski, whose track record includes transforming brands, rebuilding cultures, leading global turnarounds, and proving that respect‑driven leadership produces extraordinary business results.

Kris shares the story behind revitalizing World Kitchen, ARC International, and Newell Brands—each with unique challenges, legacy issues, and leadership dynamics. From dysfunctional boards and cultural resistance to siloed teams and disengaged workforces, Kris explains how a clear vision, cross‑functional alignment, and accountability created measurable transformation.

Her "win as one team" mindset, paired with consistent values‑based leadership, increased engagement, improved profitability, strengthened trust, and built award‑winning workplaces worldwide.

This conversation highlights the reality of culture work: cCourageous decisions, transparency, the discipline to model values, and the willingness to lovingly let misaligned high performers go. Kris brings heart, wisdom, and honesty to every story—from tripling profitability at ARC in 18 months to turning siloed teams at Newell into collaborative innovators—and even the joy of becoming a grandmother.

For anyone who cares about leadership, culture, or the power of aligning the "what" with the "how," this episode offers a masterclass in transformation from someone who has lived it at scale.

⏱️ Key Moments

00:00 – 02:30 — Welcome + Kris's global leadership background

02:30 – 05:15 — World Kitchen: dysfunctional boards, private equity pressure, and cultural decline

05:15 – 06:30 — Creating a unified vision and the link between culture + business performance

06:30 – 08:15 — Resistance: leaders who feared culture change or viewed it as a "waste"

08:15 – 10:40 — Training global leaders, dissolving fiefdoms, and establishing shared expectations

10:40 – 12:00 — Accelerating engagement and building momentum across 3,000 employees

12:00 – 16:00 — Acquisition insights: high‑performing subcultures and cross‑pollinating excellence

16:00 – 18:28 — Sustaining a culture transformation across global sites

18:28 – 22:30 — ARC International: lack of community, Kaizen events, and tripling profit in 18 months

22:30 – 23:48 — "Better Together": a unified identity that lifted pride and belonging

23:48 – 26:00 — Personalized leadership: walking the floor, elevating dignity, transforming relationships

26:00 – 29:10 — Respect as daily practice: leadership modeling and contagious behavior shifts

29:10 – 31:40 — Newell Brands: silos, trust rebuilding, rewriting values, and lifting performance

31:40 – 34:40 — Reducing regretted departures + rebuilding internal talent pathways

34:40 – 38:00 — Letting go of misaligned high performers and protecting culture standards

38:00 – 40:15 — Graco success story: share gains through unified culture

40:15 – 43:00 — Kris's personal leadership evolution, biases she overcame, and early career lessons

43:00 – 45:20 — Diversity, respect, and building teams that reflect broader perspectives

45:20 – 47:00 — Sustaining a culture: accountability, calibration sessions, and values‑based ratings

47:00 – 48:56 — Why more executives struggle with culture—and how Kris guides them

48:56 – 50:30 — Culture legacy: leaders Kris developed and where they are today

50:30 – 53:20 — Joys of grandparenthood + closing reflections 


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