NASTD 2026: Why Gov Tech Leaders Must Focus on Culture
For the first time in more than a decade, I participated in the National Association of State Technology Directors (NASTD) National Conference, which was held in Denver this year.
Prior to this event, my last recollection of the group goes back to 2014, when I was Michigan CSO and NASTD’s keynote speaker in Detroit. It was great to see how far the organization has progressed, and I am impressed with the growth and maturity in multiple ways. The conference covered topics ranging from AI and networks to leadership and cybersecurity. It also offered an amazing Tuesday afternoon keynote by Greg Offner, which was part fun “piano bar” performance in a truly inspiring talk entitled “The Encore Experience.”
For this blog, I want to focus on the powerful opening keynote delivered by Matt Mayberry. His memorable, engaging presentation on the topic is also the subject of his bestselling book, Culture Is the Way: How Leaders at Every Level Build an Organization for Speed, Impact, and Excellence.
Matt started his opening keynote presentation with a story, which I paraphrase here:
A traveler visiting Paris in the late 12th century approached three different men working side by side under the hot sun. One by one, he asked them the same question: “What are you doing?”
The first worker, who looked irritated to be answering any questions, replied, “Can’t you see that I am laying bricks?” He viewed his work strictly as a transactional job required for basic survival.
The second worker answered with a bit more focus: “I am proud to be building a wall.” He viewed his work as a career or an ongoing project, focused on completing immediate technical milestones.
But the third worker, who offered a smile and more personality, energy and light in his eyes, proudly declared, “I am building the great Notre Dame Cathedral. This will be the greatest cathedral in the world!” He connected his daily microtasks to a macro calling and to a grand vision that even outlived him. (Construction of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris began in 1163 and was completed around 1345.)
Mayberry used this narrative to challenge the audience to think much bigger about organizational purpose. His point was that no one wants to go to work just to lay bricks.
The core responsibility of leadership is to connect everyday mundane tasks to the ultimate overarching impact, core values and mission of the organization.
Here is how Amazon describes Mayberry’s book, which was the basic outline of the keynote:
“Energize employee engagement and drive cultural excellence throughout your organization.
“In Culture Is the Way: How Leaders at Every Level Build an Organization for Speed, Impact, and Excellence, former NFL Pro, world-renowned keynote speaker, and management consultant Matt Mayberry delivers an incisive and hands-on blueprint to employee engagement and peak productivity. In the book, you’ll explore how leaders, at every level, can build a workplace culture that drives organizational excellence and unleashes the full potential of every employee.
“You’ll also learn:
- How to build a culture where people can become the best version of themselves and transform organizational performance
- Five common roadblocks that prevent leaders from using culture to get the best from their people and how to overcome them
- How to implement your playbook for cultural excellence across your entire organization
“An essential road map to organizational transformation with an unbending focus on the importance of workplace culture, Culture Is the Way will earn a place on the bookshelves of managers, executives, and other business leaders seeking to improve the performance of their team members.”
I loved Matt’s energy and football stories from college and the NFL. He told multiple stories on each topic, some of which you can see here:
Here are some of the biggest takeaways that I remember from his keynote:
“You get the team culture that you build every day.”
From famous football coach Nick Saban: no trophies on display from past teams (or past years’) awards. “This (current) team needs to get better every day.”
“Priorities are really people and culture problems.”
Three keys for leadership success:
- A burning desire to improve culture.
- Don’t just manage, coach.
- Bring positive energy.
Five overall steps for improving culture:
- Define your culture — can your people repeat what you’re saying?
- Discover through collaboration and inspiration — bottom-up.
- Ask: What should we never lose?
- Drive long-term impact.
- Leaders must blaze the trail.
I thought Matt did a great job of relating his stories to the challenges that government leaders face each and every day. This chart below describes some of that mapping.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Over the past few years, I’ve covered the importance of culture and the lessons we can learn from sports, NFL leaders and much more.
However, this talk from Matt Mayberry, and the books that were handed out to attendees, provide a great reminder that in a time when AI seems to be an all-encompassing hot topic, people, culture and building relationships matter more than ever.
I am looking forward to reading my copy of Matt’s book, Culture Is the Way.
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