Building Emotional Culture in a Male-Dominated Industry

When Krisrian Colegate first picked up The Emotional Culture Deck, he wasn’t joining a culture initiative he was starting one.

As General Manager at a 17-site manufacturing and construction business, Christian has spent the past two years quietly embedding emotional culture into the everyday fabric of his organisation. From toolbox talks and safety rituals to leadership development and change management, he’s led one of the most powerful and sustained ECD journeys we’ve seen.

In this video, you’ll hear highlights from Kristian's story of how he used The ECD in a male-dominated industry, and what’s shifted across leadership, performance, and safety. 

Before we even dive into Kristian’s story, here’s what changed:

• 🔻 40% reduction in lost time injuries

• 🔺 Higher team engagement where leaders talk about emotion

• 🔻 Lower turnover in branches using The ECD

• 🔺 Improved safety reporting

• 📊 Emotional culture now tracked across 360s, retention, and leadership assessments

“We now treat emotional culture as a strategic performance lever.”

In this episode of our Elephant Rider Insights Series,  Kristian shared a deeply personal and practical journey of embedding The Emotional Culture Deck into the fabric of a 17-site manufacturing and construction organisation of 800+ people.

His message: Culture is lived, not laminated, and emotional culture work is not an “add-on,” but the base layer of sustainable leadership and transformation

Kristian’s Key Insights & Lessons

1. Start Where You Have Influence

• Kristian began with a simple check-in using The ECD with his GM.

• It created an “aha” moment and emotional breakthrough that helped gain senior buy-in.

• Their top-down approach was intentional due to low emotional readiness in the wider organisation.

2. From Resistance to Ripple Effect

• Early workshops with the senior leadership team were awkward, silent, and emotionally unfamiliar.

• Persistence paid off: over time, vulnerability, reflection, and shared language emerged.

• Senior leaders began to model emotional culture, setting off a ripple through the business.

3. ECD as a Strategic Lever

• Emotional culture was integrated into:

  • Induction and onboarding

  • Safety talks and toolbox sessions

  • Lean implementation

  • Performance reviews and leadership development

  • Change management via the ADKAR model

4. Emotional Culture Meets Safety

• Branch managers began linking absenteeism and safety incidents with emotions like disconnection and overwhelm.

• Result: 40% drop in LTIs (lost time injuries), better hazard reporting, and stronger psychological safety.

5. Real Change Requires Real Leadership

• Kristian spoke candidly about his own growth, acknowledging the anxiety, doubt, and emotional toll of leading this work.

• He shared how ECD helped foster emotional literacy and regulation across the business.

• One breakthrough moment: a senior leader admitted feeling alienated, unlocking honesty across the room.

6. Miro as an Integration Tool

• Used Miro boards to track ECD leadership canvases, rituals, and emotional reflections.

• Teams now complete regular check-ins and monthly reflections using digital boards and physical rituals.

7. Embedding the Work Beyond One Person

• Kristian was proud to share that emotional leadership is now driving itself.

• His senior team has begun requesting training and certification to continue the work.

• The goal: culture change that sustains even if he were to leave.

8. Personal Impact Beyond Work

• Many male leaders reported unexpected improvements at home…better communication, emotional connection with partners and kids.

• Kristian shared how The ECD helped him connect with his neurodiverse children and regulate his own emotions more constructively.

The Business Impact

Now to the question that always comes: Does this work make a difference to business performance?

“Well, the answer for us is yes it did. We’ve seen lower turnover in branches where the ECD is embedded. We’ve seen higher engagement in teams where leaders talk about emotion. Our safety reporting improved where emotional culture and climate was better integrated into pre starts and toolbox talks. We now treat emotional culture as a strategic performance lever. We measure it through retention, engagement, 360 survey feedback and leadership capability assessments.”

1. 40% reduction in LTIs (Lost Time Injuries)

Emotional culture practices led to fewer workplace injuries. A direct link between feelings and safety performance.

2. Improved safety reporting

More hazards were reported as leaders created emotionally safer environments (though the exact % isn’t specified, the trend is clear).

3. Increased retention in high-ECD branches

“We’ve seen lower turnover in branches where the ECD is embedded.”

4. Higher team engagement where leaders talk about emotion

This wasn’t anecdotal. They saw noticeable differences in engagement levels tied to emotional leadership practices.

5. Emotional culture now tracked through multiple systems

Including retention, 360 surveys, engagement metrics, and leadership capability assessments.

Themes That Really Resonated

• Courage to start, even when it feels awkward

• Emotional leadership is about capability, not about personality

• The power of persistence through discomfort

• Rituals as the glue for culture change

• Emotional work is strategic. Not fluffy

Want full access to this session and more? Enrol in one of our ECD Specialist Courses to become part of the community and access the full replay, systems, frameworks and tools that Kristian has applied throughout this two-year journey.