588: Former CEO of Jamba Juice on Leading with Culture

The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving

James D. White, former CEO of Jamba Juice, current board chair, and coauthor of Culture Design, shares how culture becomes a management discipline rather than a slogan. Drawing on his eight-year turnaround of Jamba, service on more than 15 boards, and leadership toolkit, he explains how listening, rituals, and disciplined systems embed values into sustained performance.

Key takeaways:

• Start with stakeholder listening. White began his turnaround with nearly 200 “start, stop, continue” inputs across employees, suppliers, and board members. “I always start by listening,” he says, because the people inside the company “actually know what’s required to make the company run better.”

• Make culture intentional. “Companies have culture by design or default.” Define what matters, create rituals that reinforce it, and remove practices that contradict stated values.

• Reduce the say–do gap. “The really important things from a leadership perspective is what we say versus what we do, and minimizing the say–do gap.” Simple rituals—forums, recognition, measurement—align words with actions.

• Invest in people individually. “People don’t care how much you know until they understand how much you care about them personally.” One-on-ones and role design that lean into strengths unlock discretionary effort.

• Demand transparency. White is direct: “I want bad news first.” Candor allows leaders to respond before problems multiply.

• Design mechanics, not just rhetoric. From anonymous feedback channels to departmental listening sessions, operating processes must “make it easier for our stores to deliver great products in the most efficient fashion.”

• Balance preservation and change. Protect what works—“fantastic products” and passionate employees—while reallocating resources. One example was adding steel-cut oatmeal for colder markets, paired with smoothies.

• Measure what matters. “Anything that matters, you always measure it.” White combines Gallup Q12 surveys, pulse checks, and qualitative indicators like recognition letters to monitor engagement.

• Clarify board vs. CEO roles. “The CEO is responsible for running the company… the board chair is a facilitator of the collective board.” A strong chair–CEO relationship unburdens management while channeling board expertise.

• Exit with care. Not every role fits every person: “You often… get to a place where you free up people’s future to go do something else. You do it with kindness and grace and thoughtfulness.”

For executives facing turnaround, scaling challenges, or governance decisions, this episode offers a tested blueprint: start with listening, design culture deliberately, align actions with words, and lead with humanity.

📚 Get James’s book, Culture Design, here: https://shorturl.at/NVrs1

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