You’ve sat in that meeting. The one where someone says “culture is everything”…right before cutting the program that proved it.
This week, Jeff Pelliccio and Erin MacKenzie sit down with DeLibra Wesley, founder of NRC and Women of Color in Staffing, for a conversation about what happens when leaders stop copying culture playbooks and start building from what they’ve actually lived through.
DeLibra didn’t read about best practices in a book. She built maternity leave because hers didn’t exist until her eighth month of pregnancy. She created wellness days because she watched what happened when people were forced to work through their worst moments. She launched a student loan repayment program because her team told her what they needed and she listened. Every policy traces back to something real.
The conversation moves from what breaks inside organizations when culture gets treated as optional, to what DeLibra built at NRC that stopped the bleeding, and then beyond her own walls into the communities she serves. Her nonprofit, Women of Color in Staffing, started because she went looking for a community that didn’t exist. So she created one. NRC Cares, the philanthropic arm of her company, puts employees on the board of directors and teaches them how to build something that lasts.
If you’ve ever wondered why your culture programs look right on paper but don’t stick, this is the episode that explains what’s missing.
Key Takeaways
Culture isn’t discretionary, it’s infrastructure. When leaders treat culture programs as perks to cut during downturns, they signal that employee wellbeing was never embedded in the first place.
“We’re going to sunset this” means it’s already gone. DeLibra calls out the pattern: companies promise to replace what they cut, and the replacement never comes. The message employees hear is louder than anything on the careers page.
Build from what you lived through, not what you benchmarked. Every policy at NRC traces back to a real experience. Maternity leave DeLibra didn’t have. Holidays that didn’t reflect her team’s identities. Fear cultures she watched break people. That’s what makes them stick.
You can’t be a lazy leader. Culture investment is individual. It means figuring out what each person on your team needs, not applying a one-size-fits-all framework and calling it done.
The Tomorrow File. DeLibra’s concept for change-makers who aren’t yet in a position to implement: keep a running file of every culture change you want to make, and be ready when the window opens. Even a crack is enough if you’re prepared.
Your community doesn’t stop at your doors. NRC extended culture investment to contractors through student loan repayment and summer savings plans. Women of Color in Staffing grew from 50 members to nearly 400. NRC Cares puts employees on the board. When the community you need doesn’t exist, you build it.
Showing up is the strategy. DeLibra adjusts her own calendar around the team’s monthly happy hour, not the other way around. The simplest culture investment costs nothing but your presence.
Sponsors
Allied Insight: When your culture runs deep, your marketing should reflect it. Allied Insight helps staffing and consulting businesses build brands that match the organizations behind them. The Preferred Marketing Partner of Staffing and Consulting businesses.
All Things Staffing: The leadership insights don’t stop when the episode ends. All Things Staffing delivers expert resources to keep you sharp between conversations. Expert Resources for the Staffing Community.
