We’re all changing all the time. The events and cultures we’re immersed in have an impact on our development. This, in turn, impacts our organizations. Sometimes these changes reveal a new personal and professional mission that we never could have imagined.

Max Yoder is the CEO and co-founder of Lessonly, the training software company that helps people learn, practice, and do better work. He is grateful that he was cut from the basketball team two years in a row. He’s also the author of Do Better Work, a book about being a better teammate.

Max works to enable people to improve their time at work. That workplace success naturally affects people’s lives in all aspects. Max found that hearing people and empowering them to be their best selves at work leads to better fulfillment all around. He built his company on this premise.

Emotions are key to high-performance. Traditionally, workplaces have rebelled against this idea. The workplace is now in a place of transition. Integrating emotional safety in work and allowing feelings in the company pays dividends. We discuss how to listen to each other in a healthy way to improve work culture for all.

One thing we’ve come to understand is how important it is for leaders to take care of themselves. A company’s culture is such a reflection of its leader’s state of mind. That’s why failing to nurture one’s own well-being is disastrous. You can’t take care of others without first taking care of yourself. This is more true than ever during today’s crisis.

How can you make your company a safe place for emotional expression? Let’s talk about it in the comments on the episode page!

In this episode

Escaping the myth of emotional slavery
What happens when you allow emotions and feelings to play a role in your company
The most important thing for a leader to do in a time of crisis
Why charity and grace are the most important virtues to cultivate
How to live according to the same expectations that you have for others
Recognizing where we’re fragile and how to get stronger from adversity through support

Quotes

“When people do better work, they live better lives.” [2:19]

“If I use the tools in my wellbeing toolbox, I’m doing everybody a service. If I don’t, I am not doing everybody a service. What can I control? Am I controlling it? That has always been important. It is incredibly important now.” [10:20]

“I think this is where all of our problems come from; we have special logic for our own behavior and we have different logic for other people’s behavior.” [20:29]

Links

Lessonly

Do Better Work by Max Yoder

Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

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