Building winning cultures

Most organisations have a gap between what leadership assumes and what employees experience. I find that gap, and help you close it.

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Our Work Roxy Dinner Show · Rio de Janeiro, Brazil · 2024–2025

How understanding employee’s needs helped leadership set priorities, increase collaboration and retain talent.

Roxy Dinner Show was scaling fast. Leadership had a strategy, but employee engagement was slipping and the team wasn't moving in the same direction. A full Culture Audit surfaced the gap between leadership intent and employee reality and led to three concrete actions: a leadership development program, an employee handbook, and a cross-team collaboration initiative.

100%Survey participation
3 mo.First call to action plan
↑ eNPSSatisfaction score
“Thomas helped us see what we couldn’t see ourselves. The findings were honest, and the workshop gave us a plan we could actually act on.” Caio Silva, Leader, Roxy Dinner Show
Read the full case study →
Roxy Dinner Show team, Rio de Janeiro Roxy Dinner Show · Rio de Janeiro, 2025
What changed
  • A leadership development program to close the intent-reality gap
  • An employee handbook that gave the team clarity on expectations
  • A cross-team collaboration initiative that reduced friction and improved retention
What we do

We plan, guide and execute on your listening strategy to understand concretely what is happening on the ground of your business. What are the main and current needs of employees, and what priorities need to be set to engage and retain talent.

We can collaborate with your organisation in various ways, but always following our methodology to listen, understand and act.

01 Listen
Interviews & Survey

Structured one-on-ones with your key leaders and a company-wide survey. Every level of the organisation gets a voice — from the boardroom to the front line.

  • Leadership interviews
  • Company-wide survey
  • Anonymous & structured
02 Understand
Analysis & Report

Data is mapped against your strategy and objectives. The result is a clear, evidence-based Culture Audit Report with findings and prioritised recommendations.

  • Evidence-based findings
  • Internal benchmarked scores
  • Prioritised recommendations
03 Act
Workshop & Implementation

Findings are presented in a facilitated Activation Workshop and translated into concrete tools — a leadership development program, an employee handbook, and hands-on workshops.

  • Activation Workshop
  • Leadership development program
  • Employee handbook & ongoing support
A Structured Listening Process

Every audit combines three complementary methods to build a complete, honest picture of where the organisation stands.

01
Leadership Alignment

Interviews with business leaders to understand key pain points, challenge assumptions, and identify individual and organisational needs.

02
Company-Wide Survey

A survey across the organisation to capture employee feedback, surface daily challenges, and engage teams in shaping solutions.

03
Strategic Alignment

Analysis of team collaboration, past experiences, and internal success cases to identify what works and where alignment can improve.

100% Organisational coverage

Leadership, managers and teams are all represented in the data.

Sample Report — dummy data for illustrative purposes
What You Walk Away With

Three concrete tools that turn the audit’s findings into lasting behaviour change.

Employee Handbook

A living document that gives every employee clarity on expectations, culture and ways of working.

Leadership Development Program

A structured program that equips leaders to close the gap between intent and reality.

Hands-On Workshops

Facilitated sessions that turn findings into shared priorities and lasting habits.

Employee Handbook
Your Guide to Success

Everything you need to thrive here, from day one.

Our Culture & Values
How We Communicate
Decision-Making & Ownership
Growth & Feedback
Support & Wellbeing
Page 3 of 24 · Illustrative sample
One-Pager · Program Overview
Leadership Development Program

4 modules · 8 sessions · 3 months

  • 01Self-Awareness & Impact
  • 02Coaching, Not Commanding
  • 03Leading Through Change
  • 04Difficult Conversations
Outcome: leaders equipped to close the gap between intent and reality.

About
Thomas Swan Bittencourt

Thomas Swan Bittencourt

Culture Transformation Consultant · Copenhagen

I’m a Culture Transformation Consultant with 15+ years of experience helping organisations close the gap between strategy and people. I’ve seen what happens when that gap is ignored and what becomes possible when it isn’t.

See my full experience →

I started Swan Talks because I kept seeing the same pattern: organisations with good strategies, failing because nobody had taken the time to understand where the people stood.


Skills
Strategy Transformation Change Management Employee Experience Leadership Coaching Facilitation Stakeholder Management Communication
Public Speaking

Also on stage.

Thomas speaks at conferences, leadership offsites and internal events on culture, change and the future of work. A few recent talks:

See all talks & topics
Get in touch

Let’s talk.

Tell me a bit about your organisation and what you’re looking to solve. I’ll get back to you within 24 hours.