How many of the walls you hit at work are real, and how many are choices dressed up as constraints?
In this episode of 9 to 5 Wellness, Aesha Tahir sits down with innovation coach JL Heather, co-founder and managing partner of Centered and creator of the Can't Culture Framework, to unpack the quiet, often unintentional way teams and leaders stop trying.
JL has spent 20+ years coaching senior leaders at Ford, Pfizer, T-Mobile, Wendy's, GE and HP. He shares how one stalled product launch led him to name "can't culture," why over 70% of organizational transformations fail, and a simple three-question filter for telling a true can't from a won't or a haven't. Along the way: a Beanie Baby crisis at a McDonald's drive-thru, the hidden costs of saying yes versus no, and two practical exercises any leader can start this week.
Guest: JL Heather — co-author of The Agile Code and Breakthrough Innovation, co-host of the Breakthrough Innovation Podcast, ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC), Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), and Leadership Circle Profile practitioner.
Time Markers
00:00 Welcome and Topic Setup
02:19 Meet JL Heather
03:47 Why Cant Culture Matters
05:04 Defining Cant Culture
06:40 Choices Before Reasons
09:46 Constraints and Testing
10:37 Beanie Babies Lesson
15:31 Cant Wont Havent Framework
20:28 Bureaucratic Mass Momentum
22:23 Generations and Havent Gaps
24:05 Diversity Beyond Generations
25:34 Gen Z Innovation Pushback
27:13 Why Cant Kills Companies
28:36 Digging Into The Why
29:59 Bridge The Generational Gap
31:50 Leaders Punish Innovation
33:03 Process And Metrics Traps
36:05 Make Yes Cheaper
37:03 Spot Cant Culture Fast
39:16 Two Practical Leader Tips
42:41 Curiosity Walk Benefits
44:00 BCG Innovation Reality Check
44:51 Where To Find JL
45:45 Final Thoughts On Cant Culture
Try this week
- Catch one can't a day (or a week). Write down a "can't moment" in as much detail as you can, even if nobody used the word. Later, pick it apart: Is it impossible? If not, who owns the decision? If no one does, why haven't we done it, and what would it take?Ask the short-form question. The next time you hear a constraint in a meeting, ask: "Is that a can't, a won't, or a haven't?"Give every won't an owner and a review date. Name the decider and revisit the decision quarterly or annually.Take a curiosity walk with a peer (not a direct report). Pick a somewhat emotionally charged work issue and walk 20 minutes: 10 out, 10 back. On the way out, one person shares their struggle while the other only asks questions. No suggestions, and no suggestions hidden inside questions. Switch roles on the way back. Bonus points for walking outdoors in nature. JL recommends repeating it once a quarter.Watch your body language when someone pushes back or brings you a problem. Your reaction teaches the whole team what's safe to say.
Resources and links
Connect with JL Heather
- LinkedIn: JL Heather (add profile link)Centered: centered.workSpeaking and podcast appearances: jlheather.comBooks: The Agile Code and Breakthrough InnovationPodcast: Breakthrough Innovation Podcast
Mentioned in this episode
- The Can't Culture Framework and the CHOOSE framework ("C" = catch the can't)Chamberlin, Newton & LePine (2017): research on promotive vs. prohibitive voiceResearch on learned helplessnessThe "bureaucratic mass index"BCG 2024 innovation data: 83% rank innovation a top-three priority; 3% are ready to deliver
Connect with Aesha Tahir and 9 to 5 Wellness
- Website: 9to5wellness.comPersonal site: aeshatahir.comLinkedIn: Aesha TahirPartner with the show: Brand partnershipsWatch the video episode on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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