# Episode 42: “Culture That Scales”: Leading Through Growth and Crisis with Scott Harvard

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/branching-out-with-sierra-7047803/episode-42-culture-that-scales-leading-through-growth-and-crisis-with-scott-harvard
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/branching-out-with-sierra-7047803/episode-42-culture-that-scales-leading-through-growth-and-crisis-with-scott-harvard.md
Podcast: [Branching Out With Sierra](https://stenobird.com/podcast/branching-out-with-sierra-7047803)
Published: 2026-04-10T16:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-42-culture-that-scales-leading-through-growth-and-crisis-with-scott-harvard--71237207
Audio file: https://api.spreaker.com/download/episode/71237207/421677961_44100_2_4df815f3019ef.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/branching-out-with-sierra-7047803/episodes/episode-42-culture-that-scales-leading-through-growth-and-crisis-with-scott-harvard
Duration seconds: 3269

## Resource

Growth can strengthen an organization, but it can also quietly change it. As companies expand, communication shifts, leadership becomes more layered, and culture can begin to drift from the values that once defined it. In this episode of Branching Out with Sierra, Sierra sits down with Scott Harvard, President and CEO of First National Corporation and CEO of First Bank. With decades of leadership experience, Scott has guided his organization through significant growth while maintaining a culture that continues to be widely respected. Scott also shares what it was like leading during two of the most challenging economic moments in recent history—the financial crisis and the pandemic—and what those experiences revealed about leadership, trust, and decision-making during uncertainty. This conversation explores what it really takes to protect culture as an organization grows and why the leadership choices made in everyday moments ultimately shape whether a culture strengthens or slowly fades. Link: https://www.fbvirginia.com/

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