CEOs set the tone. Whether they mean to or not. Whether they show up or not. The culture takes its cue from the top.When a CEO chooses curiosity over comfort, transparency over performance, and people over optics, the whole organization feels it.
If you missed my last post about PBMares, LLP and the incredible work their L&D team is doing inside their YOUniversity, start there.
It sets the stage for what I am about to share.
Now I want to talk about the person behind the culture.
I first met Harvey L. Johnson, CPA in Williamsburg more than a decade ago.
I was delivering a Predictive Index session with his team when he was a partner leading that office.
When the session wrapped, he did not just thank me and head to the next meeting.
He pulled me aside and asked me to stay. He wanted to go deeper on a couple of his team members.
He wanted to understand them more fully. His goal was to work better together, period.
No hidden agenda. Cultivate the relationships in the right way.
I drove home that day with one clear thought: this leader gets it.
People first. Culture first. And he was not just saying it. He was already living it.
Fast forward to late 2019, into 2021. Harvey steps into the CEO role at PBMares, LLP, one of the top 100 CPA firms in the country.
And one of his first moves?
Not a rebrand. Not a restructuring.
He worked with his team to further define and clarify the firm's team commitments, value plays, and what living them out actually looked like in practice.
But here is the part I love most.
They did not just write them down and post them on a wall.
Harvey went office to office, all fourteen of them in multiple states, to sit with each team, unpack the commitments together, and make them real.
His words. His presence. His willingness to meet people exactly where they were.
That is not a leadership memo. That is a leadership decision.
And the growth that has followed? Intentional at every step.
Not growth for growth's sake.
The right acquisitions. The right partners. The right people.
A culture-first mentality woven into every expansion decision.
You know I love that. Hydration at its finest.
When I watch a firm grow this way, I see the pattern I have been teaching for decades.
Growth without fracture requires that culture is not the thing you get to after the deal closes. It is the thing that determines whether the deal should happen at all.
This week I had the privilege of being in the room for PBMares' School of Leadership 2026 kickoff, where Harvey welcomed eighteen mid-level managers into a year-long development program.
We are talking the Predictive Index, Emotional Intelligence, Communication, Feedback, Accountability, Ownership, Time Management.
All anchored to running and growing the business through aligned, values-driven leadership.
Eighteen leaders. One year. Intentional, structured, resourced investment in the people who sit in the middle of the organization and make everything move.
That is what effective leadership development looks like. Not a two-hour workshop. Not a lunch-and-learn.
A year-long commitment with real tools, real accountability, and real follow-through.
But what stayed with me most was Harvey himself, his portion of the kickoff and the fireside chat he led alongside two members of his executive team: Christopher Lemley, Senior Tax Line Leader, and Kyle Ilsley, CFO.
Here are some of the moments I wrote down.
"Leadership isn't a title. It's a choice. Made every day, in every room you walk into. Leadership starts with how you show up."
Simple. Undecorated. True.
"You are our competitive advantage."
Said directly to the participants and, by extension, to every member of the PBMares team.
He challenged the room: "How are you providing an exceptional employee experience?"
Not as a rhetorical flourish. As a real charge to each leader sitting in front of him.
He was honest about the world we are operating in. The VUCA reality. The uncertainty. The pace of change.
His response to all of it? Curiosity.
He said we must be running on curiosity now more than ever. And that curiosity takes courage.
The characteristics he looks for in today's and tomorrow's leaders: being organized, having a growth mindset, staying curious, and doing all of it while remaining authentic.
I have watched leaders in every industry over the past 35 years, and the ones who create lasting cultures share this exact combination.
Curiosity without courage produces ideas that never get tested. Courage without curiosity produces decisions that never get questioned.
Harvey understands that both are required.
And this one stopped me completely:
"One of my most rewarding days at work was a team member I mentored who became a Partner."
For me, those you bring along with you, around you, those promotions you were a part of, speak volumes about your leadership.
Being a multiplier is the way.
A CEO of a top 100 firm. And that is his most rewarding day.
That tells you everything.
Chris added his own thread during the fireside discussion. Leading from the front, being proactive, integrity as a non-negotiable.
Kyle spoke to adaptability, approachability, and yes, curiosity again.
Three leaders. Three voices. One through line.
Harvey's vision for the firm is to simplify, optimize, and standardize.
But notice how he carries that vision. Not by dictating a destination, but by painting the picture, issuing the challenge, and trusting his leaders to find the path.
That is the difference between a manager and a leader.
And that is Harvey Johnson.
CEOs set the tone. Whether they mean to or not. Whether they show up or not. The culture takes its cue from the top.
When a CEO chooses curiosity over comfort, transparency over performance, and people over optics, the whole organization feels it.
PBMares feels it.
If you are a leader at any level asking yourself how to show up differently in this VUCA world, I hope this gives you something to sit with today.
And Harvey, thank you for letting me be in that room, partner with you and the firm all these years in a variety of ways.
My well is full.
If your organization is ready to explore what culture-first leadership could look like in practice, I would love to have that conversation. Start here.
How does the Predictive Index improve workplace culture?
The Predictive Index helps leaders understand individual behavioral drives so they can tailor communication, assign roles that fit natural strengths, and reduce friction within teams.
When anchored inside a broader leadership development program, PI becomes a culture tool, not just a hiring filter.
It gives leaders a shared language for how people work best together.
What makes a CEO a culture-first leader?
A culture-first CEO prioritizes people, values, and trust architecture before strategy, restructuring, or rebranding.
They show up in person, define team commitments alongside their people rather than dictating them, and measure success by the leaders they develop, not just revenue growth.
How do you build a leadership development program that actually works?
Effective leadership development programs are intentional, structured, and resourced over time, not one-off workshops.
They anchor behavioral tools like the Predictive Index alongside emotional intelligence, communication, feedback, and accountability training.
The most successful programs invest in mid-level managers who connect strategy to execution daily.
Why is curiosity important for leadership in a VUCA world?
In a VUCA environment defined by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, curiosity replaces rigid planning as the core leadership skill.
Curious leaders ask better questions, adapt faster, and create psychological safety for teams to experiment. Curiosity also requires courage because it means admitting you do not have all the answers.
Can behavioral assessments predict culture fit?
Behavioral assessments like the Predictive Index reveal how individuals are naturally wired to communicate, make decisions, and collaborate.
When used alongside clearly defined cultural commitments and values, they help leaders identify alignment between a person's behavioral drives and the team's operating norms.
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