1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,360 You know how every home has that one spot, the place you think 2 00:00:02,360 --> 00:00:05,080 about throughout the day where you can finally exhale? 3 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:08,440 For me, it's my bed. But here's The funny thing, it's 4 00:00:08,440 --> 00:00:10,760 not just my bed anymore. Be honest. 5 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:12,880 Who in your house tries to sneak into your bed the most? 6 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:16,560 At mine, it's a toss up between my husband and my daughters. 7 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:18,680 And I get it. Like, it's technically my 8 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:20,640 husband's bed too, but it's my bed, you know? 9 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:23,840 But I get it because of the cozy earth sheets. 10 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:27,480 And I have the silk comforter and the linen duvet cover on the 11 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:31,480 silk comforter. It's like being the VIP lounge 12 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:33,480 of the house. It's like sleeping on a cloud 13 00:00:33,480 --> 00:00:35,120 and being wrapped in a cloud hug. 14 00:00:35,480 --> 00:00:38,680 And I just love it so much. In fact, as I'm sharing this 15 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:40,480 with you, I want to go and lie in bed right now. 16 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:44,080 Their sheets, as I've shared with you, are made from viscos 17 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:47,040 from bamboo, and they naturally Wick away heat and moisture, so 18 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:49,200 you sleep several degrees cooler. 19 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:52,040 That means even on those nights when it feels impossible to get 20 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:54,400 comfortable, I actually wake up refreshed. 21 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:57,120 Thank goodness because I need to wake up feeling that way. 22 00:00:57,640 --> 00:01:00,640 And it's not just the blanket, of course. 23 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:02,880 You can get any of their blankets like the bubble cuddle 24 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:05,680 blanket or as I've shared, I have the silk comforter. 25 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:08,840 It's a really true full on experience. 26 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:12,160 The bubble cuddle blanket, in fact has such a plush texture 27 00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:14,960 and mid weight feel that it's perfect for curling up in the 28 00:01:14,960 --> 00:01:18,520 bedroom or draped across the couch as a cozy centerpiece for 29 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:20,840 all of your guests. And we're approaching fall, 30 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:23,480 which is my favorite season, and then winter is my second 31 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:25,280 favorite season. So that means that it is the 32 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:30,440 perfect time to cozy if I, as I like to say, your homes. 33 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:33,400 And honestly, it makes those mornings when you just can't get 34 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:35,680 out of bed even harder. And that's kind of the point 35 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:38,520 when life feels stressful. That's the spot I can't wait to 36 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:40,720 retreat to. My cozy earth bed feels 37 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:42,640 different. It's where my comfort and 38 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:46,040 comfort for my family lives. And once you try it, I guarantee 39 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:47,840 you you'll never want to go back. 40 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:50,560 The best part of course is that there is 0 risk. 41 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:53,360 You get a 100 night sleep trial. So if you don't love it, you can 42 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:55,800 send it back, though I promise you won't want to. 43 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:59,640 There is also a 10 your warranty because once you feel this level 44 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:02,960 of comfort, you want it to last. So do yourself a favor, head to 45 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:06,840 cozyearth.com and use my code human HR for 40% off. 46 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:09,600 And if you get a post purchase survey, let them know that you 47 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:12,560 heard about cozy Earth right here because your bed should be 48 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:15,280 more than just a place to sleep. It should be your happy place 49 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:17,400 too. Cozy Earth makes that possible. 50 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:19,880 Welcome to the bringing the human back to human resources 51 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:22,200 podcast. I'm Tracy Chernoff and I've 52 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:26,040 spent my entire professional career in HR Each week, we'll 53 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:29,320 explore the delicate balance between people and business with 54 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:32,360 the aim to reconnect the two and create meaningful outcomes. 55 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:35,840 Listen in as I share my own experiences, challenge the 56 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:39,400 status quo, and chat with guests from various industries about 57 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:42,440 our mission to bring the human back to human resources. 58 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:44,920 Hi everyone, welcome back to the Bringing the Human Back to Human 59 00:02:44,920 --> 00:02:47,160 Resources podcast. Thank you so much for being here 60 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:50,520 for another week. This week we're breaking out pom 61 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:53,040 poms, folks, because it's all about cheerleadership. 62 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:56,720 I have someone who I've been, I'm very excited to record with 63 00:02:56,720 --> 00:02:59,720 because she has fun all the time, at least from my 64 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:02,120 perspective. So let me tell you a little bit 65 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:05,040 about our guest this week. Her name is Stephanie Adams. 66 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:07,920 She is a keynote speaker, author, leadership development 67 00:03:07,920 --> 00:03:11,200 consultant, former elected official, adjunct university 68 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:14,520 instructor, wife, mother, and energy generator. 69 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:17,640 She has over 20 years of experience leading and training 70 00:03:17,640 --> 00:03:20,040 in the corporate, nonprofit, and government settings. 71 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:23,000 She earned a Master's in Education and Multicultural 72 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:26,920 Education in 2008 and her book Cheerleadership Hence Why We are 73 00:03:26,920 --> 00:03:29,640 Breaking Out the Pom Poms Strategies to Build and support 74 00:03:29,640 --> 00:03:32,640 human centric workplaces for the Future was published just last 75 00:03:32,640 --> 00:03:36,240 year in 2024 and was awarded A Goodie Business Book Award in 76 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:39,640 the HR and Employee Development category and her role as Chief 77 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:41,640 Empowerment Officer. She provides leadership 78 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:44,680 training, coaching and keynote presentations to grow the next 79 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:47,800 generation of leaders. Her main areas of expertise are 80 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:50,920 building high impact teams, first time frontline manager 81 00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:54,040 development and engaging multi generational workforces with a 82 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:56,440 focus on Millennial and Gen. Z employees. 83 00:03:56,760 --> 00:03:58,400 That includes me. I am a millennial. 84 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:03,480 And Stephanie's days, by the way, are fueled by coffee, yoga, 85 00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:05,560 new challenges and building relationships. 86 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:08,280 Her passions are developing others serving the community. 87 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:10,080 Philly sports. I'm a New York sports fan, 88 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:11,680 Stephanie. So we'll, you know, we have a 89 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:14,800 little bit of a rivalry there, but yeah, we'll have to let it 90 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:16,160 go. We'll just move right past it. 91 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:17,120 That's OK. Got it. 92 00:04:17,959 --> 00:04:20,720 Travel and managing the chaos that comes with life, kitchen 93 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:22,880 dancing and bringing positive energy into every room. 94 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:26,120 And I, for one, I have to attest to this because Stephanie has 95 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:29,600 fun Fridays on her LinkedIn and every Friday morning, like 96 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:32,120 LinkedIn is one of the first things that I check after e-mail 97 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:36,240 and I see it and it's amazing. And I, I just love what you do. 98 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:38,200 I love the fun and the energy that you create. 99 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:41,600 Thank you, that's actually become my favorite thing to do 100 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:43,920 in my role. Leadership doesn't always have 101 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:46,480 to be stuffy, Leader doesn't. Leadership doesn't always have 102 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:48,600 to be hard. I think that we need to lighten 103 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:51,760 the load and we need to have a good time sometimes and laugh 104 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:54,960 and laughter's good for us. And that's what Fun Fridays seem 105 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:57,680 to be bringing to people, and I'm having a blast doing it, so 106 00:04:57,680 --> 00:04:59,480 I'm glad you enjoyed them. I do. 107 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:00,960 I really do. I really do. 108 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:04,720 And maybe we have to take it back a little bit because 109 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:07,920 there's a reason why cheerleadership is, you know, 110 00:05:07,920 --> 00:05:10,640 fundamentally the name of your book and a big part of kind of 111 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:14,400 your, your brand, so to speak. Where does cheerleadership come 112 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:17,640 from? So I am a 15 year cheerleader 113 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:19,200 and a five year cheerleading coach. 114 00:05:19,280 --> 00:05:22,440 As part of my previous life and what I started doing 115 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:25,880 concurrently when I was coaching a college team, I was also in 116 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:28,360 the professional world in education and HR. 117 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:31,160 And I started to notice that a lot of the strategies I was 118 00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:35,200 using for my cheerleaders, we're actually really applicable in 119 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:38,800 the professional world. And it really sort of sat in the 120 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:41,320 back of my head. I was like, wow, In the 121 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:44,200 professional world, we have a tendency to bring together 5 122 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:46,160 people. There are 5 hypos and we're 123 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:49,120 like, hey, if we get you to work together, this is going to be a 124 00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:52,160 fabulous opportunity. We're going to do a great job. 125 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:53,960 You work together, you work together. 126 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:56,560 Deadline's Friday. We bring those five people 127 00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:59,800 together and for some reason it doesn't go the way that we 128 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:01,880 expected. When I think about that from a 129 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:05,680 cheerleader analogy, I'll use the example of a basket toss if 130 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:07,880 you're a non cheerleader. What that is, is it's a stunt 131 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:10,520 where we throw somebody up in the air, they do something cool 132 00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:13,080 up in the air and hopefully someone catches them when they 133 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:16,160 come back down. I would never, as a cheerleading 134 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:20,600 coach, allow my team to do a basket toss on day one without 135 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:23,640 having learned about each other, found out about each other's 136 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:26,280 strengths, help them learn to communicate with each other, 137 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:29,040 build trust. Because cheerleading stunts take 138 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:31,000 a lot of trust. Cheerleading stunts take a lot 139 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:34,960 of applicable skill sets and people being placed in the right 140 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:37,640 positions. So I would never do that in 141 00:06:37,640 --> 00:06:39,760 cheerleading. Why do we do that at work? 142 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:42,600 We put people together. We assume that they're going to 143 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:46,320 be successful and they're not. So your role as the cheerleader 144 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:49,520 or coach of your team is really about bringing your teams 145 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:52,960 together, helping them connect, at helping them care about each 146 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:55,760 other, helping to challenge them to be the best versions of 147 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:58,640 themselves, help them to celebrate the small wins and the 148 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:00,160 big wins. And if we do all of those 149 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:02,920 things, we help to inspire. And those are the five themes of 150 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:05,120 cheerleadership. Connect, care, challenge, 151 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:07,760 celebrate and inspire. I love that. 152 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:11,120 Well, I did know that you came from a cheerleading background, 153 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:15,240 so I, I can appreciate that, you know, in your fun Fridays, 154 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:17,000 you're always breaking out the pom poms too. 155 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:21,320 But when you bring that analogy or you create that analogy 156 00:07:21,320 --> 00:07:25,280 between, you know, your really your experience in cheer, 20 157 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:29,920 years of experience all around and you, you bring it back to 158 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:32,680 the workplace. It's, I think it's really 159 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:35,240 applicable because whether someone was a cheerleader or 160 00:07:35,240 --> 00:07:37,920 not, I was not, but I played sports my whole life. 161 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:41,280 There is something there when you think about like the sport 162 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:45,200 that you did play or the the team that you were on earlier in 163 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:47,520 life. All of those things that we 164 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:50,800 learn, all of the things that our coaches taught us are really 165 00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:53,400 relevant. And it's a weird thing that we 166 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:57,840 go from having these experiences of listening to coaches and, and 167 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:00,960 becoming the best versions of ourselves in that sport or that, 168 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:04,600 you know, club environment. And then we move into the 169 00:08:04,600 --> 00:08:07,440 workplace. And it's almost like you only 170 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:11,240 get that sometimes it depends on the leader that you have or it 171 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:13,480 depends on the company that you work for. 172 00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:16,480 And it feels like there's a missed opportunity to just keep 173 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:18,720 that going and to keep having coaches. 174 00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:22,120 And if you think about the fact how much interdepartmental 175 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:24,800 collaboration is required in today's work, right? 176 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:27,120 We are not working in in solitude now. 177 00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:29,240 It feels that way sometimes with the remote environment. 178 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:32,200 But truly, to get anything done, we need each other. 179 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:36,080 And so in cheerleading, you quite literally cannot create a 180 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:40,400 wow moment on the court unless you work together and understand 181 00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:44,039 each other's strengths, support each other's gaps, communicate 182 00:08:44,039 --> 00:08:46,400 well. And so in the workplace, you 183 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:49,200 know, we're expecting our people to work together and we think 184 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:51,680 that if we just drop them at a conference table together or put 185 00:08:51,680 --> 00:08:54,520 them on a teams meeting together that they're just going to get 186 00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:56,000 it. And it just doesn't work that 187 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:58,440 way. Leaders have to help facilitate 188 00:08:58,640 --> 00:09:02,720 those connections to get people to be able to work best together 189 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:05,840 and create innovative new projects, solve problems, you 190 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:09,440 know, And so I think that this idea of being part of a team is 191 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:13,360 so embedded in what work is today, but leaders don't know 192 00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:16,000 how to do it. And that's why I wrote to your 193 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:19,120 leadership was that I wanted to give a playbook essentially of 194 00:09:19,320 --> 00:09:23,040 here's some practical strategies you can try to learn about your 195 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:24,800 team, help your team learn about each other. 196 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:26,600 How do you challenge them in new ways? 197 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:30,440 How do you create a culture of feedback where it's OK to make a 198 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:33,440 mistake, it's OK to push back on an idea? 199 00:09:33,680 --> 00:09:36,360 We want to create psychological safety for our teams, which I 200 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:39,200 know is, you know, a hallmark of this, this discussion that you 201 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:40,960 have on your podcast all the time. 202 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:44,440 You know, and, and it really is, if we're going to make work 203 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:48,240 better, we've got to start figuring out ways to engage our 204 00:09:48,240 --> 00:09:50,520 people and let them be part of conversations. 205 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:53,800 If you look at the Gallup, you know, state of the workplace 206 00:09:53,800 --> 00:09:56,720 that came out in 2025, engagement hit its lowest 207 00:09:56,920 --> 00:09:59,920 percentage in the past 10 years. I think it was 30%. 208 00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:03,680 And 19% of employees are actively disengaged. 209 00:10:04,280 --> 00:10:06,240 And when I think about that, it's so sad. 210 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:08,360 People are coming to work and phoning it in. 211 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:12,440 We want people in our organizations that are excited 212 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:15,160 about what they're doing, feel like they are part of a mission. 213 00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:19,120 And as leaders, we have to help them get there sometimes because 214 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:21,520 work can be really hard. Humans are messy. 215 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:25,920 But there's a lot of great stuff there, and we have to tap into 216 00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:27,400 that. Totally. 217 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:31,360 I it's really bringing me back to something that you said just 218 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:35,240 a little bit earlier, which was around the basket tossing that 219 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:40,840 you wouldn't put someone in that position on day one and you 220 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:44,240 wouldn't have them doing that that or performing that on day 221 00:10:44,240 --> 00:10:47,480 one because there's no understanding of the team's 222 00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:50,360 strengths. And so when I think about that, 223 00:10:51,560 --> 00:10:56,520 one of the things that I often think about that one of my best 224 00:10:56,520 --> 00:11:00,760 leaders that I've ever worked for did frequently was talk 225 00:11:00,760 --> 00:11:04,000 about the team's strengths. We did a whole, you know, 226 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:07,880 strengths assessment and we understood what people, you 227 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:10,720 know, naturally had as their strengths. 228 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:13,800 And we rather than saying, OK, let's build up on the things 229 00:11:13,800 --> 00:11:17,720 that you're not as strong at, it was there was a focus on, let's 230 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:22,360 lean into the strengths, which I really subscribe to because 231 00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:25,440 those are things that, you know, are so innate in us, the things 232 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:28,160 that we do really well or that are, you know, again, part of 233 00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:30,280 our strengths. And, and so there was always 234 00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:34,840 this reiteration of what each member of the team did really 235 00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:37,800 well and how we could leverage those strengths with all of the 236 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:41,360 things that we did. And that's to me, it's kind of a 237 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:43,480 lost art. It's not lost, but it, it's, 238 00:11:43,560 --> 00:11:46,160 it's being found. And obviously through your book 239 00:11:46,160 --> 00:11:49,680 and, and the work that you do it, you're helping leaders to 240 00:11:49,680 --> 00:11:52,840 remember that everyone brings something unique to the team, 241 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:55,720 including themselves, and that they have to lean into that. 242 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:58,840 And so often, you know, businesses are moving really 243 00:11:58,840 --> 00:12:00,600 quickly. Problems that need to be solved 244 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:04,000 need to be solved really fast. And there isn't that strategy 245 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:06,840 like, oh, who's going to be really good at solving this 246 00:12:06,840 --> 00:12:08,280 problem? Who's going to have the right 247 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:11,120 strength for addressing this? And that's what they need to. 248 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:13,280 Focus on. I also think too that leaders 249 00:12:13,280 --> 00:12:15,600 have to recognize that it's not one-size-fits-all. 250 00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:18,360 Just because you have two people on your team that are really 251 00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:21,440 great at producing spreadsheets doesn't mean that they are 252 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:24,440 motivated by the same thing, Doesn't mean that they are both 253 00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:27,080 looking for the same type of promotional status in the 254 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:29,400 future. You know, getting to know your 255 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:33,480 people as individuals. That is where the true power 256 00:12:33,480 --> 00:12:37,440 comes from and understanding their strengths, understanding 257 00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:40,760 their fears, understanding their triggers, You know, what are the 258 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:43,560 things if someone comes late to work, why does that tick this 259 00:12:43,560 --> 00:12:46,160 person off so much? Well, maybe they were always 260 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:47,960 left by their mother at the mall. 261 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:49,120 That happened to me all the time. 262 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:51,520 She was always late picking me up, you know, so like. 263 00:12:51,520 --> 00:12:53,320 Thanks always going to be. Right. 264 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:56,880 I always want to be on time because I know how it made me 265 00:12:56,880 --> 00:12:58,960 feel right when when somebody wasn't. 266 00:12:59,240 --> 00:13:03,480 So I think that being able to lean into that and seeing, yes, 267 00:13:03,520 --> 00:13:06,920 I have a team of people, but I can't leave them the same. 268 00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:09,920 They they bring different things to the different things to the 269 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:12,960 table. How do I help them grow those 270 00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:16,280 parts of themselves? But also part of what we need to 271 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:19,040 do as leaders as we have to challenge them to get outside of 272 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:21,280 the box that they think that they've put themselves in. 273 00:13:21,600 --> 00:13:23,480 You know, I hear all the time like, Oh my gosh, because I do 274 00:13:23,480 --> 00:13:26,560 public speaking as part of my job and people will come up to 275 00:13:26,560 --> 00:13:28,920 me and be aren't you terrified to go up there? 276 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:31,800 And I mean, public speaking is a big bigger fear for most people 277 00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:34,040 than death. Like yeah, yeah, yeah, people 278 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:36,000 are petrified. Yeah, petrified of it. 279 00:13:36,480 --> 00:13:37,640 But. Public. 280 00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:41,600 Speaking is something we all have to do if we are going to 281 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:43,760 continue to proceed professionally, right? 282 00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:47,760 True to some extent. So you as the leader have to be 283 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:49,240 able to identify within your people. 284 00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:51,680 OK, I understand that standing in front of a group of six of us 285 00:13:51,680 --> 00:13:54,720 is scary for you, but let's give you some opportunities to maybe 286 00:13:54,720 --> 00:13:57,600 get you in front of three of us. First, let's talk about what you 287 00:13:57,600 --> 00:13:59,440 did well. Let's talk about where you could 288 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:02,200 improve and then let's just expand that circle a little bit. 289 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:05,720 I believe you can do it and and challenging them to do things 290 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:08,120 that they don't know they're capable of. 291 00:14:08,520 --> 00:14:10,800 And I got to see that as a cheerleading coach. 292 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:13,200 You know, you would start with a fairly simple stunt. 293 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:16,080 Someone that was new to being what we called the up person is 294 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:18,880 the flyer, someone that had never flown before. 295 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:20,800 You give them the skills that they need. 296 00:14:20,920 --> 00:14:24,560 You give them the mentoring from other experienced Flyers and you 297 00:14:24,560 --> 00:14:27,320 take it step by step. You make building blocks, by the 298 00:14:27,320 --> 00:14:30,920 end of the season we would have a non flyer that had never been 299 00:14:30,920 --> 00:14:35,120 in the air before doing death defying stunts across a floor or 300 00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:38,160 in a competition mat. That's what we have to do at 301 00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:40,440 work. We've got to encourage, we've 302 00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:43,840 got to support when things are not going well. 303 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:47,640 What do they need to fix those gaps and how do we keep pushing 304 00:14:47,640 --> 00:14:50,040 them a little bit further to help them see what they are 305 00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:54,040 capable of? Yeah, it's I was thinking about, 306 00:14:54,080 --> 00:14:57,280 first of all, the show Cheer. I'm sure this comes up every 307 00:14:57,320 --> 00:14:58,960 time. I loved that show. 308 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:02,680 And I know that there were a lot of crazy, unfortunate things 309 00:15:02,680 --> 00:15:05,640 that kind of came to light as a result of that show. 310 00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:09,600 And I don't think it's on Netflix anymore, or at least 311 00:15:09,600 --> 00:15:11,000 like they're not doing any more seasons. 312 00:15:11,280 --> 00:15:14,480 I did love that show, though. But something that I thought 313 00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:17,960 about was the commitment that ever like there was always a 314 00:15:17,960 --> 00:15:21,640 focus on commitment from each participant, from each athlete. 315 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:24,440 And you could tell when there were people who were not as 316 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:27,480 committed and the way that impacted the team, the way the 317 00:15:27,480 --> 00:15:31,000 coaches felt and the way it impacted their own performance. 318 00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:35,440 And I think about that in relation to what you just 319 00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:41,040 shared, because you're talking about providing skills training 320 00:15:41,040 --> 00:15:44,160 and upskilling and mentorship and coaching and all of these 321 00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:48,080 things that are relevant in sports and equally as relevant 322 00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:52,360 in the workplace as we know. And yet there is still so much 323 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:55,400 emphasis on that individual commitment, because you could 324 00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:59,120 give someone all of that, but if they're not interested in 325 00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:02,160 growing, developing, doing more with their careers, and it 326 00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:05,200 doesn't necessarily mean like a vertical growth, it could be 327 00:16:05,320 --> 00:16:09,000 mean that their, their skills are being expanded on and, and 328 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:12,080 being strengthened and within their current role. 329 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:15,320 But it, it's just, you know, it's, it's an important 330 00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:18,720 reflection point that everyone involved in that equation needs 331 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:22,040 to be equally as committed. The most important commitment 332 00:16:22,040 --> 00:16:25,720 coming from the individual. Well, and I also think that in 333 00:16:25,720 --> 00:16:28,320 order to help them get there, we have to help make sure that they 334 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:30,960 feel connected to the mission of the organization, right? 335 00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:35,200 What part are they playing in this monster plan of this 336 00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:38,320 Fortune 500 company? You know what is me sitting here 337 00:16:38,320 --> 00:16:40,920 having this customer conversation doing for the 338 00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:44,560 output for the organization, helping them see they are a part 339 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:48,080 of something larger, bigger. And and then also so there's the 340 00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:51,480 connection to the mission. But I think more important are 341 00:16:51,720 --> 00:16:54,560 if we want to talk about human centric leadership, humans want 342 00:16:54,560 --> 00:16:57,400 to be seen, we want to be valued. 343 00:16:57,520 --> 00:17:01,840 Whether my job is to turn a widget 15,000 times a day or my 344 00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:06,280 job is to present to 1500 people and inspire them, you know, to 345 00:17:06,280 --> 00:17:10,760 greatness, whatever my job is within an organization, we want 346 00:17:10,760 --> 00:17:14,160 to be seen. And so knowing that I matter, 347 00:17:14,520 --> 00:17:18,440 knowing that what's going on in my life outside of work is 348 00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:22,440 impacting how I lead, how I work with others, how I'm 349 00:17:22,440 --> 00:17:25,520 communicating, recognizing that is so important. 350 00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:28,520 And, you know, I use that as another, you know, analogy with 351 00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:31,120 cheerleading. If one of my girls came into 352 00:17:31,120 --> 00:17:35,880 practice and they were visibly upset, I would not let them 353 00:17:35,880 --> 00:17:40,200 stunt because there were literal health aspects of this. 354 00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:43,160 And I have had to call parents before when I've had a 355 00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:45,640 cheerleader hit the floor and we had to go to the hospital. 356 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:48,640 It was awful. So I always wanted to make sure 357 00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:52,760 everyone was in a good place to be able to achieve whatever that 358 00:17:52,760 --> 00:17:55,280 highest level of performance was every day. 359 00:17:55,560 --> 00:17:58,360 So what that meant is if someone came in and they were 360 00:17:58,360 --> 00:18:02,880 distracted, unfocused, mad, I had to pull them aside and have 361 00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:06,000 that conversation first. Maybe they're failing chemistry, 362 00:18:06,120 --> 00:18:09,000 maybe their parents just cut them off financially, maybe 363 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:11,600 their boyfriend cheated on them. Whatever it was that was 364 00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:14,920 distracting them was taking away from their ability to be a 365 00:18:14,920 --> 00:18:18,080 contributing member of the team. And quite literally, someone 366 00:18:18,080 --> 00:18:21,960 could get hurt because of that. The same thing happens at work. 367 00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:23,840 We have people going through divorce. 368 00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:26,640 We have people that are sandwiched between caregiving 369 00:18:26,640 --> 00:18:28,840 their parents and caregiving for their children. 370 00:18:29,160 --> 00:18:31,680 We have people that are dealing with medical issues that we know 371 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:33,600 nothing about, mental health issues. 372 00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:38,320 So understanding and reading your people, seeing it before 373 00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:40,880 you're pulling them to the table and saying, hey, we've got to 374 00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:42,960 work on this project. I need all your focus. 375 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:45,920 Find out what's going on. You know, one of the things that 376 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:48,240 I talked to leaders about, especially in one on ones, I 377 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:52,600 encourage them to have a burning issues agenda item is #1 burning 378 00:18:52,600 --> 00:18:55,520 issues means you have 5 minutes to talk about whatever the heck 379 00:18:55,520 --> 00:18:58,520 is going on in your life. Maybe you are presenting to the 380 00:18:58,520 --> 00:19:00,480 C-Suite at the end of this week and you want to talk about it. 381 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:01,440 You're nervous. Great. 382 00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:03,560 That could be very professional and that could be part of the 383 00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:05,920 conversation. But maybe your cat threw up on 384 00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:08,840 the carpet this morning and it left the stain and you're mad 385 00:19:09,120 --> 00:19:11,200 and, and you just need to like release that. 386 00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:14,600 Because we can't focus on the things that are necessary for 387 00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:17,720 work when all this other stuff is floating around us. 388 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:20,720 And we've got to get to a place that we can't work. 389 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:23,360 And like and personal, they are not separate. 390 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:26,320 They overlap. We've got to learn how to make 391 00:19:26,320 --> 00:19:29,440 them flow together, acknowledge when one of them is impacting 392 00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:32,320 the other negatively or positively, and make it OK to 393 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:36,280 talk about. Yeah, absolutely 1000%. 394 00:19:36,280 --> 00:19:41,960 I, I second what you say. And especially now when people 395 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:46,200 are, you know, working hybrid or remote, everything is so blurred 396 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:50,200 and, and people are working way more than they used to because 397 00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:54,520 of, you know, e-mail and, and Slack or Teams or whatever 398 00:19:54,520 --> 00:19:58,480 people have on their phone to connect with people constantly. 399 00:19:59,960 --> 00:20:02,960 Yeah, yeah. It's impossible to draw a line 400 00:20:02,960 --> 00:20:04,920 and it's really quite unhealthy, actually. 401 00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:10,360 But, you know, Speaking of the impact of work and personal 402 00:20:10,360 --> 00:20:13,640 things, I know there's certainly a lot that we can talk about in 403 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:17,680 terms of the changing energy at work and what that looks like. 404 00:20:17,680 --> 00:20:18,840 So why don't you walk us through that? 405 00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:23,080 So I think it's so even today, the choice of a bright pink 406 00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:26,720 shirt and a white blazer. Bright colors bring positive 407 00:20:26,720 --> 00:20:29,560 energy. So I have a yellow pom pom. 408 00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:32,280 It's going to make people smile. I know that your listeners that 409 00:20:32,280 --> 00:20:33,680 are listening to this can't hear that, but. 410 00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:36,840 They can watch on Spotify or you take them break out. 411 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:38,760 There we go. Break out the pom poms. 412 00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:45,760 But as a leader, it is sometimes our responsibility to help get 413 00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:50,520 the vibe right for work. And so if we walk into a 414 00:20:50,520 --> 00:20:53,840 conference room and we have to deliver bad news, if we are 415 00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:56,360 coming in with our shoulders down, we're looking down at the 416 00:20:56,360 --> 00:20:59,600 floor and everything is very sort of closed down. 417 00:21:00,640 --> 00:21:03,120 Very clearly everyone in that room is going to tense up 418 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:04,920 because they know something bad is coming. 419 00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:09,120 If we come in and with a gentle smile and say good morning, 420 00:21:09,120 --> 00:21:11,200 everybody glad everybody's here today. 421 00:21:11,640 --> 00:21:13,280 You know, we've got some important things that we need to 422 00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:15,560 talk about and, and unfortunately, you know, I think 423 00:21:15,560 --> 00:21:17,800 we're going to have to talk budget cuts for whatever, but 424 00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:23,080 how you enter that room is going to change how people accept the 425 00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:26,200 information that's coming. You can either freak them out on 426 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:28,920 the front end or you can either come in at least with a positive 427 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:33,880 vibe and make it problem solutions focused versus we're 428 00:21:33,880 --> 00:21:35,120 not going to be able to get through this. 429 00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:38,200 So changing energy can be as simple as what is your body 430 00:21:38,200 --> 00:21:39,760 language doing in a conversation? 431 00:21:39,840 --> 00:21:42,040 You know, if you're sitting in a one-on-one meeting and someone 432 00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:44,560 is sharing an issue with you that they've had with someone 433 00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:46,920 else on the team and they're complaining about someone else 434 00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:48,680 on the team because they're having conflict. 435 00:21:48,960 --> 00:21:51,560 If you're looking at them with like a raised eyebrow and like 436 00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:55,600 lips are kind of curled up like whatever, you're not listening 437 00:21:55,600 --> 00:21:58,360 to them or you don't believe them, they're not going to be 438 00:21:58,360 --> 00:22:01,280 willing to open up and have a real conversation with you. 439 00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:04,080 So change the energy. Hey, tell me more about that. 440 00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:07,560 That really sounds like it's impacting you today and I want 441 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:10,160 to understand why and tell me more about the conversation that 442 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:12,360 was had and why did that get to you so hard? 443 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:18,720 So changing the energy that way there is very like obvious way 444 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:21,800 is to change energy. If you are on deadline and 445 00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:26,160 everyone is working hard to get to that Friday, 5:00 deadline 446 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:29,280 that you've got to get that final product in and you can see 447 00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:31,240 everyone starting to feel drained. 448 00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:35,880 Put on hype music, put on music that makes people get up. 449 00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:38,200 We need to move. We need to shake, get the blood 450 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:40,360 flowing again. Because when we sit at our desk, 451 00:22:40,360 --> 00:22:42,280 we're staring at our computers all day long. 452 00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:46,560 Our energy just goes with it. It continues to go down South. 453 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:50,080 Encourage a walking meeting day, put on some fun music and tell 454 00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:52,120 people to get up and dance. And if you're in a remote 455 00:22:52,120 --> 00:22:54,680 setting or a hybrid setting, throw the music on, tell 456 00:22:54,680 --> 00:22:56,640 everybody to link up and tell them and we're all going to 457 00:22:56,640 --> 00:22:58,400 dance on camera just for a couple seconds. 458 00:22:59,280 --> 00:23:04,520 It will make people feel better. Even my pom poms, in 15 years of 459 00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:07,440 being in like the professional space, I have always had a set 460 00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:10,040 of pom poms in my office. And when somebody would come to 461 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:12,760 me and they were having an awful day, you could see it just by 462 00:23:12,760 --> 00:23:14,560 the body language. When they walked in, I would 463 00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:16,920 hand them a set of pom poms and they would look at me and 464 00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:18,760 they're like, what am I supposed to do with this? 465 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:20,720 I'm like shake it, Just shake it. 466 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:23,840 They start with a little like light shake and then it turns 467 00:23:23,840 --> 00:23:27,520 into like they start and then they're like okay. 468 00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:30,520 And the dancing sort of starts. Now they're smiling. 469 00:23:30,760 --> 00:23:34,800 And when we are in a better headspace, we are able to talk 470 00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:37,560 through problems. We are able to be have 471 00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:42,120 vulnerable conversations, change the energy, change the vibe. 472 00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:45,560 If you're coming from a place of negativity, it's really hard to 473 00:23:45,560 --> 00:23:49,600 get into a solutions focused mindset or a growth mindset. 474 00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:53,800 So we've got to pull people out of that The sky is falling 475 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:57,760 mentality and sometimes it's just something as simple as 476 00:23:57,760 --> 00:24:03,200 moving or tell me what could go right in the situation, shifting 477 00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:06,720 the conversation, shifting the energy, Let's go towards a 478 00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:09,120 positive outlook versus this guy's falling. 479 00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:11,600 Yeah, Oh my gosh, I love all of that. 480 00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:15,920 And thank you for for showing us and demonstrating the pom pom 481 00:24:15,920 --> 00:24:17,560 experience. There it is. 482 00:24:17,560 --> 00:24:22,480 And there it is Now everyone knows, you know, it's really it 483 00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:26,280 it it brings me to again, something that one of my best, 484 00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:31,000 the best like leaders that I'd ever had, what she often would 485 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:35,040 say, which is like you have to infuse levity into the work 486 00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:38,840 environment. And it's kind of pretty much 487 00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:41,440 exactly what you're saying, which is that people have to 488 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:46,040 find ways to have fun and they like work is hard sometimes 489 00:24:46,040 --> 00:24:49,400 depending on the industry someone is it works in the work 490 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:54,680 can be very intense and and potentially life altering for 491 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:56,520 some people, again, depending on industry. 492 00:24:56,520 --> 00:25:01,000 And so I think about the ways that leaders, to your point, can 493 00:25:01,040 --> 00:25:05,600 infuse this type of energy that creates a sense of like 494 00:25:05,800 --> 00:25:08,640 breathability and breathing room so that they can still 495 00:25:08,640 --> 00:25:11,560 accomplish all the things that they have to do, but not at the 496 00:25:11,560 --> 00:25:15,360 detriment of their own well-being or their experiences 497 00:25:15,360 --> 00:25:17,600 or their happiness or whatever that kind of looks like. 498 00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:22,800 And, and when I think about your advice to listeners around how 499 00:25:23,160 --> 00:25:26,080 you know, if people, whether they're, they're delivering bad 500 00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:28,680 news and how they approach that or whether they have a team 501 00:25:28,680 --> 00:25:31,800 that's just kind of like weighed down, like how you just like 502 00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:34,440 lift that up. And it's, it's so relevant even 503 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:37,320 in like our personal lives, we all know someone who is like 504 00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:41,280 overtly negative and how that feels when they're negative and 505 00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:46,320 how we interact with their own experiences and how if we're 506 00:25:46,320 --> 00:25:49,840 someone who's more optimistic, how it feels to even be involved 507 00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:53,120 in that type of conversation. And there is so much influence 508 00:25:53,120 --> 00:25:56,480 that we can have at the end of the day, people do also have to 509 00:25:56,480 --> 00:26:01,800 find ways to lift themselves. But in the in in the environment 510 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:06,080 and being surrounded by other people who take these practices 511 00:26:06,080 --> 00:26:10,640 to lift others up or to infuse levity or fun or, you know, 512 00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:12,920 these elements of cheerleadership into the 513 00:26:12,920 --> 00:26:17,160 environments that they're in, it can really help to change. 514 00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:19,760 I mean, obviously change the energy as we're talking about, 515 00:26:19,760 --> 00:26:22,560 but really just change the entire narrative and experience 516 00:26:22,560 --> 00:26:24,000 for people. Yeah. 517 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:26,760 And I think you know one, one thing that I do want to add to 518 00:26:26,760 --> 00:26:31,960 that, you know, a lot of people think cheerleading is toxic 519 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:34,640 positivity, right? We are just moving forward. 520 00:26:34,640 --> 00:26:38,200 Everything's great. And it's not our lives are 521 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:40,960 complicated, our work is complex. 522 00:26:41,560 --> 00:26:45,560 We face hard things everyday, personally and professionally. 523 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:49,480 What cheerleadership does is build connections that allow for 524 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:54,120 trust because we've got to trust each other to be able to share 525 00:26:54,120 --> 00:26:58,640 the good, the bad, and the ugly. And that means, hey, I really 526 00:26:58,640 --> 00:27:01,640 didn't like how we interacted on that last project together. 527 00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:05,640 I felt that you were speaking down to me and, and being able 528 00:27:05,640 --> 00:27:09,480 to say those things. I want to make sure that we fix 529 00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:11,560 that the next time we're partnered together. 530 00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:14,480 Let's talk about what are some of the ways that you communicate 531 00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:17,560 and I'll tell you how I like to receive feedback and, and just 532 00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:20,440 it's not about everything's great and let's ignore any 533 00:27:20,440 --> 00:27:22,560 problems. You have to confront the tough 534 00:27:22,560 --> 00:27:24,320 stuff. You have to have brave 535 00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:27,560 conversations. But if you truly understand each 536 00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:31,000 other, if you've truly connected and are working towards 537 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:34,680 something as a team, then you were going to be able to have 538 00:27:34,680 --> 00:27:37,400 those honest conversations in a way that's not meant to demean, 539 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:39,640 it's not meant to manipulate, it's not meant to embarrass. 540 00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:43,000 It's meant to bring us all up and make sure that we're all 541 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:46,160 being successful. So, you know, toxic positivity 542 00:27:46,160 --> 00:27:48,160 is a word, you know, that we saw thrown around a lot, you know, 543 00:27:48,160 --> 00:27:50,120 during COVID, and I got it a lot. 544 00:27:50,120 --> 00:27:51,920 I was on a school board at the time. 545 00:27:51,920 --> 00:27:54,360 And, you know, being on a school board chair at the height of 546 00:27:54,360 --> 00:27:58,480 COVID is, is not a great place to be, hence why I'm a former 547 00:27:58,480 --> 00:28:01,640 elected official. But you know, one of the things 548 00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:03,640 that because people are like, gosh, she's always so positive. 549 00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:08,640 Yes, because the world felt really dark and you know, we had 550 00:28:08,640 --> 00:28:11,760 to, it was very easy to get swallowed into that black hole 551 00:28:11,760 --> 00:28:14,240 of we don't know what's going to come out of this. 552 00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:17,360 But I also believe, what are we learning? 553 00:28:17,920 --> 00:28:20,560 What are we getting to experience in this moment? 554 00:28:20,960 --> 00:28:25,480 And I think that as a leader, even during budget cuts, even 555 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:29,120 when we lose a really important member of the team, even when we 556 00:28:29,120 --> 00:28:32,400 lost a customer that we really wanted and really wanted to 557 00:28:32,400 --> 00:28:36,040 land, what did we learn in that moment? 558 00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:40,600 Turns it from God this sucks to this was a great opportunity for 559 00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:43,320 us to do it better next time. Right, right. 560 00:28:44,120 --> 00:28:46,080 Fun fact, I also was on the school. 561 00:28:46,080 --> 00:28:48,720 Board, weren't you really? I was. 562 00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:52,640 I was. Holy cow from during COVID. 2016 563 00:28:52,640 --> 00:28:59,200 to 2021 or 2022? Yeah, it's 2020, maybe 2021 like 564 00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:01,120 the the fall of 2021, something like that. 565 00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:03,840 Tracy, how did I not know that? Oh my gosh, we've got to talk 566 00:29:03,840 --> 00:29:07,000 about. This offline, I was still living 567 00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:09,880 at home because, you know, I was focused on paying off my student 568 00:29:09,880 --> 00:29:13,600 loans and I was not yet engaged to my now husband. 569 00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:18,680 And so I was like, you know, I I loved I loved being involved. 570 00:29:18,680 --> 00:29:22,280 I really was like, very excited about, you know, running and 571 00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:24,520 then being elected and all of that. 572 00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:26,280 And I really felt like I was able to make a difference. 573 00:29:26,280 --> 00:29:27,760 So that was pretty cool. But yeah, yeah. 574 00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:30,040 Fun fact, I know I'm. Sure, you learned a lot. 575 00:29:30,280 --> 00:29:33,800 I did, I did. I learned so much and the people 576 00:29:33,800 --> 00:29:37,080 that I worked with fortunately were or who I was on the board 577 00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:40,560 with were amazing. But beyond that, it was 578 00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:44,880 definitely very interesting during COVID going from, you 579 00:29:44,880 --> 00:29:51,240 know, being in the the boardroom versus being online and virtual 580 00:29:51,240 --> 00:29:53,920 and having to make all of these decisions over Zoom. 581 00:29:53,920 --> 00:29:56,520 It was weird, but we adopted. Yeah. 582 00:29:57,760 --> 00:30:02,160 But either way, I mean, just to kind of close this loop, I 583 00:30:02,280 --> 00:30:05,840 really think that there's so much that everyone can walk away 584 00:30:05,840 --> 00:30:08,400 with and to feel inspired by that. 585 00:30:08,400 --> 00:30:12,760 It's not about toxic positivity, even though I have certainly 586 00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:16,240 been told that like sometimes my positivity can seem that way, 587 00:30:16,240 --> 00:30:18,600 that it's like everything is, you know, everything is great 588 00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:21,440 all the time. But that if that's what 589 00:30:21,440 --> 00:30:23,800 someone's walking away with, they're not listening because 590 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:25,840 it's not that everything is great all the time. 591 00:30:25,840 --> 00:30:29,640 It's that how you look at problems can determine the 592 00:30:29,640 --> 00:30:32,320 outcome of the solution that you apply to it. 593 00:30:32,320 --> 00:30:35,240 And I just believe that I, I believe that, you know, it's 594 00:30:35,240 --> 00:30:37,760 like if you have a positive mindset, more positive things 595 00:30:37,760 --> 00:30:40,160 happen, you know, Well, I don't know. 596 00:30:40,320 --> 00:30:43,800 Well, call me delusional. No, I, I'm 100% on board. 597 00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:45,760 And I actually think there's a lot of research that backs that 598 00:30:45,760 --> 00:30:47,360 up. And so like one of the things, 599 00:30:47,360 --> 00:30:49,600 you know, I like to talk about happiness at work and like, you 600 00:30:49,600 --> 00:30:51,520 know, a lot of, a lot of leaders will be like, I don't care if my 601 00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:53,840 people are happy. And I'm like, oh gosh, you need 602 00:30:53,840 --> 00:30:55,520 to. Be an individual contributor 603 00:30:55,520 --> 00:30:57,000 then. Right, right. 604 00:30:57,360 --> 00:30:58,200 Exactly. No. 605 00:30:58,320 --> 00:31:01,080 Anyway, so weird for you there was, there was a study that came 606 00:31:01,080 --> 00:31:03,560 out of the University of Warwick a couple years ago and it was, 607 00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:06,920 you know, happy people are 12% more productive at work and 608 00:31:06,920 --> 00:31:09,000 they're healthier, they have better interpersonal 609 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:11,440 communication. If you look at Sean Akers study, 610 00:31:11,440 --> 00:31:14,120 he's the founder of the he wrote the book the happiness 611 00:31:14,120 --> 00:31:16,840 advantage. He found that people that are 612 00:31:16,840 --> 00:31:19,520 happier, more successful, not that successful people are 613 00:31:19,520 --> 00:31:22,320 happy. So if we're looking to build 614 00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:27,360 teens that are achieving and and contributing and building, we 615 00:31:27,360 --> 00:31:32,600 want people to be happy at work. There is ROI ties to happiness. 616 00:31:32,880 --> 00:31:34,920 I'm not saying work has to be fluff. 617 00:31:35,160 --> 00:31:38,560 We don't have time for fluff, but we do have time to engage 618 00:31:38,560 --> 00:31:41,880 our people, to learn about our people, to value our people in 619 00:31:41,880 --> 00:31:43,880 the ways that they want to be valued. 620 00:31:44,280 --> 00:31:49,040 And that will help create loyalty, engagement, happiness. 621 00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:51,800 And if it's getting a pom pom out from time to time. 622 00:31:52,080 --> 00:31:54,920 Get that pom pom out. Yeah, get that pom pom out. 623 00:31:55,240 --> 00:31:58,080 I love it. One last question for you before 624 00:31:58,080 --> 00:32:00,640 we wrap up. I'm curious, what if someone 625 00:32:00,640 --> 00:32:04,080 comes to you and says, I work in a very serious organization, 626 00:32:04,080 --> 00:32:08,480 everyone's very serious and we have a few laughs, but very 627 00:32:08,480 --> 00:32:12,880 serious, unlike very little room for fun and levity and all that 628 00:32:12,880 --> 00:32:15,400 stuff. What would you recommend to them 629 00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:18,800 if they wanted to infuse or you know, infuse some fun but also 630 00:32:18,800 --> 00:32:21,280 like change the energy at their? Workplace. 631 00:32:21,800 --> 00:32:24,440 So great question. I work with a couple clients 632 00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:27,560 that work in industries that would not be considered fun and 633 00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:30,040 energetic and you know, they tend to be in the tech and 634 00:32:30,040 --> 00:32:33,240 science space. But what I will say is that 635 00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:35,560 figure out what does fun mean to your team. 636 00:32:36,160 --> 00:32:38,720 And so, you know, I, I'm a huge fan of surveys. 637 00:32:38,720 --> 00:32:41,560 And so ask people if we were going to do something fun, what 638 00:32:41,560 --> 00:32:44,720 would that be to you? And let them determine, well, 639 00:32:44,720 --> 00:32:49,960 fun would be PTO time. Fun may fun may be having lunch 640 00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:52,320 together. Fun may be having an opportunity 641 00:32:52,320 --> 00:32:54,680 to meet, sit down and have, you know, have a sit down with the 642 00:32:54,680 --> 00:32:58,560 CEO face to face. Fun may be we go bowling as a 643 00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:00,480 team, you know, during work hours. 644 00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:05,200 But talk to your people first. What is fun to them because you 645 00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:06,840 know, try and find that middle ground. 646 00:33:07,400 --> 00:33:11,000 And then you know, fun doesn't have to be running around with 647 00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:14,160 pom poms or some event. Fun literally can just be 648 00:33:14,160 --> 00:33:17,440 smiling and complimenting somebody on something good they 649 00:33:17,440 --> 00:33:20,480 did, celebrating the small stuff, putting a pop a post it 650 00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:21,960 note on someone's computer screen. 651 00:33:22,160 --> 00:33:25,040 Thanks for jumping in and and subbing for so and so last week 652 00:33:25,040 --> 00:33:26,840 when they were out. Really appreciated you. 653 00:33:27,160 --> 00:33:31,840 That helps build fulfillment value fun. 654 00:33:31,880 --> 00:33:35,120 And so you know, I think that you're going to always have that 655 00:33:35,120 --> 00:33:37,120 cheerleader on the team. I've always been that 656 00:33:37,120 --> 00:33:40,120 cheerleader and when you have that person, lean into them 657 00:33:40,840 --> 00:33:43,440 because I do think that they help other people sort of loosen 658 00:33:43,440 --> 00:33:46,080 up. I'm amazed when I walk into a 659 00:33:46,080 --> 00:33:49,360 room with pom poms. It gives other people permission 660 00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:53,480 to get up and be themselves and do something that they may not 661 00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:57,960 normally do. So if you model it, other people 662 00:33:57,960 --> 00:34:01,240 will start to come along and be like, oh, I can loosen up a 663 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:01,880 little. Bit, yeah. 664 00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:05,320 I can, I can smile at that joke that, that everything's I'm 665 00:34:05,680 --> 00:34:09,080 good, you know, so. I think that's a great point, 666 00:34:09,159 --> 00:34:09,800 yeah. Yep. 667 00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:12,120 So model and find out what they want, yeah. 668 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:15,080 Yeah, model it and find out what they want. 669 00:34:15,080 --> 00:34:17,840 I think that's great advice. Very sound advice. 670 00:34:17,880 --> 00:34:20,840 In fact, everything that you've shared has been sound advice. 671 00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:24,239 So with that, yeah, of course. I'm so glad that you came on the 672 00:34:24,239 --> 00:34:25,880 podcast. I was like I said, I was really 673 00:34:25,880 --> 00:34:29,760 looking forward to joining. Where where can everyone find 674 00:34:29,760 --> 00:34:31,480 you? Get a copy of your book and and 675 00:34:31,480 --> 00:34:34,639 also see all of your Fun Friday Friday posts on LinkedIn. 676 00:34:34,679 --> 00:34:37,560 Sure. So the book is available on 677 00:34:37,560 --> 00:34:40,800 Amazon and Barnes and Nobles, Anywhere that you find books was 678 00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:42,360 published by Amplified Publishing. 679 00:34:43,080 --> 00:34:45,960 If you want to connect with me, which I would love, you can find 680 00:34:45,960 --> 00:34:48,400 me on LinkedIn at Stephanie Z Adams. 681 00:34:48,719 --> 00:34:52,400 And that's Z as in Zebra. And yes, when I met my husband 682 00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:55,639 and his last name was Adams, I was like, I am going from the 683 00:34:55,639 --> 00:34:58,920 end to the beginning because my maiden name was Zubrick. 684 00:34:58,920 --> 00:35:01,560 I was like, I'm in. All of yeah, your kids went from 685 00:35:01,560 --> 00:35:03,440 instead of where you your experience. 686 00:35:03,600 --> 00:35:06,680 You were at the end of the line. Right, so now they're yes, I 687 00:35:06,720 --> 00:35:09,680 also I went from R to C, so I also yeah, you. 688 00:35:09,680 --> 00:35:11,400 Jumped the line. I jumped the line. 689 00:35:11,680 --> 00:35:13,960 Yeah. So Stephanie Z Adams on 690 00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:17,320 LinkedIn, on Instagram. You can also find me at WNY 691 00:35:17,440 --> 00:35:20,400 People Development and at Corporate Cheerleader. 692 00:35:20,800 --> 00:35:22,400 Amazing. Well, we'll have all of those 693 00:35:22,400 --> 00:35:24,960 links LinkedIn, the show notes with the which the listeners are 694 00:35:24,960 --> 00:35:26,360 definitely accustomed to at this point. 695 00:35:26,680 --> 00:35:29,520 So for everyone listening, please connect with Stephanie. 696 00:35:29,520 --> 00:35:31,760 She really is such an amazing follow. 697 00:35:32,520 --> 00:35:36,120 I'm really and what I just my final point on this, like you 698 00:35:36,120 --> 00:35:39,360 talked about how if you model it, it gives other people 699 00:35:39,360 --> 00:35:41,400 permission. And I really think it's true, 700 00:35:41,400 --> 00:35:43,920 like on LinkedIn where things can be like really heavy, people 701 00:35:43,920 --> 00:35:46,000 are posting a lot more personal things that are also really 702 00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:48,360 heavy now. And I'm like, how did I get on 703 00:35:48,360 --> 00:35:50,400 this algorithm? I just want to see the good 704 00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:54,360 stuff. But it's like really, it really 705 00:35:54,360 --> 00:35:56,680 does give people permission. And I have to say, as someone 706 00:35:56,680 --> 00:36:01,520 who tends to kind of avoid social media, sometimes it's 707 00:36:01,520 --> 00:36:03,720 like, I have to be in it and then I avoid it because it's 708 00:36:03,720 --> 00:36:06,480 like, uncomfortable. It does remind me that like, oh, 709 00:36:06,720 --> 00:36:10,280 you're on there, you're dancing, you're you're shaking pom poms 710 00:36:10,280 --> 00:36:13,960 and doing this fun Friday thing. And like, I could do something 711 00:36:13,960 --> 00:36:15,520 fun like that too if I wanted to. 712 00:36:15,840 --> 00:36:19,040 And yeah, so I love, I love that you're not just saying model it, 713 00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:21,200 you're actually modeling it. So kudos to you. 714 00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:23,000 Thank you. I appreciate it. 715 00:36:23,000 --> 00:36:24,640 Thank you so much for having me on today. 716 00:36:24,640 --> 00:36:26,720 Yes, Oh my gosh, it was my pleasure. 717 00:36:26,720 --> 00:36:29,840 You're welcome back anytime and really excited for all the 718 00:36:29,840 --> 00:36:31,280 listeners to gain these insights. 719 00:36:31,960 --> 00:36:34,520 Thanks a lot. Hey, just before you go, don't 720 00:36:34,520 --> 00:36:37,280 forget to subscribe to the show so that you are the first to 721 00:36:37,280 --> 00:36:41,080 hear when an episode drops each week and maybe leave a five star 722 00:36:41,080 --> 00:36:43,640 review and a comment about how much you love this episode. 723 00:36:43,840 --> 00:36:46,440 Plus, if you have someone in mind who would really enjoy this 724 00:36:46,440 --> 00:36:48,080 episode, make sure you share it with them. 725 00:36:48,160 --> 00:36:51,000 Thank you so much for tuning in and I'll see you next week.