In today’s performance-driven business world, it’s easy to become laser-focused on metrics, margins, and market share. But if there’s one thing Kate Volman, CEO of Floyd Coaching and author of Do What You Love, has learned over the past two decades working with entrepreneurs and executives, it’s this: you can’t grow a great company without growing great people.
Volman has helped countless leaders navigate the often invisible bridge between company culture and personal growth. Her message is clear: if you want more engagement, better performance, and meaningful innovation, you need to start with the whole person, not just the job title.
Creating Before You Consume
One practical recommendation Volman offers to executives: “Create before you consume.” Instead of starting the day by scrolling social media, which can trigger comparison and perfectionism, spend your first moments writing, ideating, or simply reflecting. That shift alone can reshape how leaders show up during the workday, more present, more grounded, and more original.
She encourages leaders to ask, “What do I want to create today?” before absorbing what the world has to offer. It’s a small shift with big cultural impact.
Journaling as a CEO Tool
Volman is also a strong advocate of journaling, not as a fluffy self-help habit, but as a high-performance leadership tool. When one of her CEO clients initially resisted the idea, she encouraged him to try journaling prompts to help with clarity and decision-making. Months later, he admitted he now does it on his own.
The practice, she says, gets thoughts out of your head and onto paper. Whether you’re navigating stress or exploring big decisions, journaling helps leaders reflect, de-escalate emotions, and surface solutions that weren’t initially obvious. “You can journal your way into a third or fourth option you hadn’t considered,” she notes.
Practical Culture Shifts That Spark Performance
So how do companies build cultures that prioritize creativity without sacrificing performance? According to Volman, it’s less about top-down policies and more about daily leadership habits: encourage passion projects, even if they’re outside of work; hold walking meetings to spark more natural conversation and ideation; recognize and praise personal progress, not just professional metrics; normalize discomfort and failure as part of growth; and ask questions that get beyond task lists, like “What excites you?” and “What’s something you’d love to try?”
These actions don’t just build rapport. They model the kind of creativity and resilience that modern organizations desperately need.