Lead the People

Aoife O’Brien is the founder of Happier at Work, with the mission to solve the problem that 85% of employees are disengaged at work. Using her research-based Happier at Work framework, she partners with leaders to focus on: workplace culture; cultivating balance; and empowering leaders. Her work supports employees to thrive and to reach their full potential, and while supporting organisations increase their bottom line. Aoife is the creator of the award-winning Imposter to Empowered® programme. She is a self-professed data nerd, with a 20+ year career in market research in the fast-moving consumer goods industry working with clients like Coca Cola, Unilever and Heinz to solve marketing problems using data analytics. Aoife has been featured by several national media platforms and public speaking events talking about imposter syndrome, fit, employee engagement, productivity, and remote working. Her award-winning podcast, Happier at Work®, features a combination of interview-based episodes as well as solo podcasting, and has a global audience of over 100k. She has lived and worked in Dublin, London, Perth, and Sydney and has a MSc in Work and Organisational Behaviour, a Diploma in Executive and Life Coaching and a Certificate in Career Coaching. Top 3 Takeaways Find the fit. Aoife’s experiences led her to the conclusion that fit is what’s needed to be happy at work. This led her to identify her Happier at Work framework. Meet their needs. As leaders, we want to put our people in a position to succeed. We need to give autonomy, share clear expectations and help others discover and utilize their strengths. Happiness is possible. We spend a lot of time at work, so we need to take steps to make it enjoyable. Whenever work feels like a struggle, it’s a sign that we need to discover what’s not working. From Our Sponsor The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com. From the Source “I became obsessed with this idea of fit. I did my entire dissertation on this concept of fit.” “As studies from various different global organizations will show that most people are not actually that happy at work, and probably people think that you can't be. But to me, there is this framework to it that if you follow, then that will drive your happiness at work.” “There's people talking about values, there's people talking about strengths, but the needs piece is something that we need to address.” “The interesting thing with these needs is it's not just about making sure that the needs are satisfied. It's about finding that balance.” “All of this needs to be underpinned by psychological safety. We need to feel able to share what's going on for us. We need to be able to speak up, to challenge the status quo.” “A lot of the time people feel like they're not reaching their full potential. So they feel like they have so much more to offer, but they don't necessarily have that opportunity there.” “Sometimes people just think, ‘Well, that's just how work is. That's how it's supposed to be.’ And maybe they don't even realize that they have that issue until they uncover all of these things, until they start talking about what's going on for them.” “The only people that leave are the people who are not aligned with the organization and that's okay because actually, they could be draining other people, they could be bringing morale down. They're not a good fit to be working in your organization anyway.” “Most organizations these days are very clear about the values that they have. I'm not sure that they're very clear in terms of stating what behaviors are expected and what behaviors are not expected around each of those values. And then even beyond that, I think there's a lot of companies that might be great at saying, ‘This is what the values are' but then not holding people to account.” Connect with Aoife Website: https://happieratwork.ie Assessment: https://happieratwork.scoreapp.com Happier at Work Podcast: https://happieratwork.ie/happier-at-work-podcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aoifemobrien

Kim Scott is the author of Radical Respect and Radical Candor and co-host of the Radical Candor Podcast. Kim was a CEO coach at Dropbox, Qualtrics, Twitter, and other tech companies. She was a faculty member at Apple University and before that led AdSense, YouTube, and DoubleClick teams at Google. In 2017, she co-founded Radical Candor, the company, to deliver digital courses and in-person and virtual keynotes and workshops around the world. Learn more at RadicalCandor.com. Top 3 Takeaways Stay timeless. When Kim introduced Radical Candor, the world was a different place. Her advice, however, is just as relevant as ever so continue to learn and apply her lessons. Sort them out. Interpersonal issues may look and feel similar, but there are important differences between bias, prejudice and bullying. Respond in kind. The right technique for one situation won’t produce the best outcome in another. Learn when to use I, it and you statements for full effect. From Our Sponsor The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com.  From the Source “Every new generation is a little different, but the one thing that is always true is that it is the job of the younger generation to tell the older generation how we've screwed up.“ “It's pretty clear that coercion does not get the best out of people.” “We—as human beings—our superpower is collaboration, and when we try to tell people what to do or force them to do something, then we lose the benefit of collaboration and we don't get great results.” “It's so tempting when you have power to hang on to it. That is also a very old human instinct and a dangerous one.” “I think most people recognize that they want to honor individuality and that they expect their own individuality to be honored.” “There are two very different meanings of respect. One is something I have to earn. I have to earn your respect for me as a writer by writing a good book. But I'm not talking about the kind of respect that we have to earn. I'm talking about the other definition of respect which is the kind of unconditional regard that we owe each other for our shared humanity. And it's that kind of unconditional respect that I'm talking about with Radical Respect.” “The way that I earn the right to share whatever wisdom I've gotten by having had more years on the planet than the young people who I work with—or the one young people who I live with, teenagers at home—is by soliciting feedback from them by really rewarding their candor when they give it to me because I'm going to get it whether I want it or not.” “There's a million things that get in the way of Radical Respect but bias, prejudice, and bullying are the big three in my experience.” “Leaders have got to address bias, prejudice and bullying, and they've got to not just address it, but their real job is actually to prevent it from happening.” “Bias is a pattern and we as human beings, we’re pattern makers. We’re either going to make good patterns or bad patterns.” “It's also really important to make sure as a leader that you're creating consequences for bullying, because if there's one thing that's going to get in the way of a team's ability to work together well, it's someone who bullies others.” Connect with Kim Website: http://www.radicalcandor.com The Radical Candor Podcast: https://www.radicalcandor.com/candor-podcast  

Douglas Scherer is a dedicated father, speaker, author, professor, and researcher. His personal journey through the challenges of overcoming chronic pain from surgery complications and managing a global outage team led him to discover the transformative power of combining mindfulness with strategic decision-making. He speaks to leaders on ways to improve their mental well-being to tackle high-stakes decisions with clarity and purpose. His engaging talks and workshops help leaders embrace flexibility and agency through interactive practices and heartfelt stories. He is the author of the bestselling book, F.O.R.G.E.D.: Six Practices of Great Leaders in Volatile Times, which distills wisdom from leaders across various sectors into actionable practices. As a professor he teaches courses on strategic advocacy and leadership. Top 3 Takeaways Think fast. In so many ways, our world of work is spinning faster than ever. Whenever you feel pressed to make decisions despite not having all the information you’d like, you’re in The Forge. Fight the fear. It can be tempting to embrace incrementalism and to protect short term results. This turns out to be more risky than having the courage to be flexible and invite growth and uncertainty. Go with your gut. Despite the rise of data and analytics, human intuition continues to play an important role in our leadership. Use the tools and the evidence, but don’t hesitate to complement these with what simply feels most natural. From Our Sponsor The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com. From the Source “The Forge is really anywhere where you have to make a high stakes decision where there is not enough information to make that decision.” “What's unique about this time is that things are now moving more and more rapidly and there's an exponential growth in the velocity of how these things happen.” “Unfortunately, I have a long history of dealing with illnesses that have been either mistreated or couldn't be diagnosed, and some of them are very painful for long periods of time. I see that as very similar to the leadership experience when they're trying to do something like strategic thinking, but the board and the stakeholders are like, ‘Come on, make it happen, make it happen. And by the way, just do what you did last time, because that worked and we don't want to take any chances.’” “People, once they reach a state that they clamor for, they do not want to leave it. Why? Because it's cushy there. It's nice there. We're happy there. That stable state is what really kills you because you don't move, you don't change, but you're happy there.” “The ownership piece is extremely important. You have to own the failures and own the successes as a leader. You have to not micromanage and allow those people to own the unexpected, own the successes on the failures.” “The flexibility piece, I relate a lot to overcoming perfection—this desire for perfection.” “One of the biggest questions I get when I'm talking about intuition is ‘What about data?’ We're in a predictive, analytic world at this point.” Connect with Douglas Website: http://www.douglasscherer.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-douglas-scherer/

Jeff Sigel is an author, coach, and consultant who is passionate about creating better work environments and more fulfilling careers for middle managers everywhere. After over 20 years of corporate experience at Nabisco, The Hershey Company, grocery retailer Ahold, and the restaurant company Cracker Barrel, Jeff has shifted his focus to coaching mid-level leaders and supporting companies looking to empower their middle management teams. He is currently a consultant and coach focused on turning strategy into action by developing middle management excellence. His book, "The Middle Matters: A Toolkit for Middle Managers" is available on amazon.com. Top 3 Takeaways Keep on Learning. Appointing someone to a manager position doesn’t confer any new skills. Leadership and management take time, practice and reflection. Keep at it! Know the Roles. Leaders wear many proverbial hats. The three roles Jeff describes in his book are Doer, Leader, and Influencer. We need to perform each role well. Focus on Results. Each role produces its own outcome. Jeff did a great job explaining how the Doer, Leader, Influencer roles produce credibility, capacity and commitment when done right. From Our Sponsor The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com. From the Source “That was when I realized that leading people is not about what they can do for you, but what you can do for them.” “That was when I realized that leading people is not about what they can do for you, but what you can do for them.” “One of the fascinating things as I've been teaching people about this framework of Doer, Leader, Influencer is that sometimes that idea in and of itself is a big aha. Like, ‘Oh, my role isn't just to get things done anymore. I have to do these other things.’” “If you think about any problems that you run into with your boss, it's almost always a problem with credibility.” “Your goal as a leader should be to create a team that you trust to do things even when you're not around and get them right.” Connect with Jeff Website: https://jeffsigel.com The Middle Matters (book): https://amzn.to/3AMcerA LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-sigel

Jason Cochran brings a unique blend of business savvy and psychological insight to his work as a business consultant and organizational psychologist with humanworks8. Ranked among the top 10 global thought leaders in HR, culture, and the future of work by Thinkers360, Jason draws on his diverse background and experiences as a psychologist, speaker, and tech co-founder to create healthier connections between people and the work ecosystem. Jason’s unique ability is envisioning new, innovative ways of thinking where he takes complex ideas or strategies and makes them simpler for others to understand, follow through on, and make their best contributions. Frustrated with the shortcomings of failed employee engagement initiatives, Jason created the 4 Principles of Connection®️ framework for employee experience (connecting with self, others, role, and the organization) to create better connected organizations. Top 3 Takeaways Embrace the future. We can’t stop the passage of time, and we shouldn’t try. Rather than fear what comes next, we need to take steps to get comfortable with evolution. Leverage your values. Instead of jumping headlong into the tactical details or mechanics of change, hit the pause button. Take a moment to revisit your organizational and personal values around learning and growth. Adapt or disappear. For a variety of reasons, widesweeping changes are happening faster than ever. Those organizations—and individuals—who resist change will quietly slip away. From Our Sponsor The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com. From the Source “I was always curious about connections between people and work, but then the future aspect of it really kicked in once I had kids, because now it's not just me thinking about ‘What's work going to look like for me?’. Now I'm thinking about it for them.” “Most leaders are extremely gifted and talented at the tactical—the X's and O's, but I think the important thing that happens that we often skip is we skip over the mindset piece.” “Once we hold on to something and believe it's true, it's really hard to convince us otherwise.” “You have to start with mindset, and you have to start thinking about it from a values level. And so certainly organizational values, I would highly recommend you have something around it there, but also when supporting people around understanding personal values. That there needs to be things around personal values as well that aligns with that in order to lead to more successful outcomes.” “Half of the Fortune 500 are no longer expected to be in the Fortune 500. So 50 percent turnover in the next four years. This is how quickly change is happening, how rapid it is, and what a large level at which it's happening.” Connect with Jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-d-cochran/

Oliver Burkeman is the author of the New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller Four Thousand Weeks, about embracing limitation and finally getting round to what counts, along with The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking and Help! How to Become Slightly Happier and Get a Bit More Done. For many years he wrote a popular column for the Guardian, 'This Column Will Change Your Life'. In his email newsletter The Imperfectionist, he writes about productivity, mortality, the power of limits and building a meaningful life in an age of distraction. He lives in the North York Moors. Top 3 Takeaways Get real. While we may be more comfortable keeping ourselves in a state of perpetual busyness, our reality is finite. Accepting this is key to enjoying life for what it is. Act out. Rather than ruminate over whether we’re accomplishing enough or are deserving enough, we should just do the thing already. Taking action is a creative force in itself. Close the books. While the start of projects contains a certain amount of energy, we can be reluctant to experience the joy of finishing them. Find the energy in the beginnings and endings. From Our Sponsor The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com. From the Source “When it comes to overwhelm, it's about understanding that there will always be more legitimate things, useful things that you could do with your time than you'll be able to do when it comes to not being able to exert total control over how time unfolds that will always elude us as humans, and I'm trying to argue that ultimately this is kind of good news.” “I think we're seeking a kind of control, a kind of sense of security. It could be like freedom from problems, just a sort of state of existence that we're always chasing because we never get to it.” “It kind of honors the actions themselves, right? You launch the business venture or write the novel or whatever it is, because that is a fun and meaningful way to spend a bit of your time on the planet, not so you get to this place where you can finally feel adequate.” “Each of these little perspective shifts then has a chance to just sort of slide under the surface of your life a little bit and make a little tiny change, but in a way that might stick.” “An awful lot of what we do in our lives, if we really ask when we're sort of doing it unconsciously, I think is often to sort of create a kind of emotional buffer so that we don't have to feel the reality that we're in.” “My experience going way back is that there's something wonderful about a fresh start, about the idea that you're just diving into something new, and there's something really kind of aggravating about finishing it.” Connect with Oliver Website: http://www.oliverburkeman.com The Imperfectionist (newsletter): https://www.oliverburkeman.com/the-imperfectionist

Jackie Dube has over two decades of human resources and talent optimization experience. She has dedicated her career to the belief that the heart of any successful business lies in its people. Currently serving as the Chief People Officer at the Predictive Index, she applies a mix of analytical rigor and human centric strategy to build high-impact, high performing teams. She is a staunch advocate for proactive people management focusing on driving results by equipping companies with the tools to attract, retain and develop top talent - all within the framework of an inspiring, fun and vibrant company culture. A graduate from the University of Rhode Island with a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies, as well as Psychology, she relishes the opportunity to cultivate the full potential of every employee she works with. Top 3 Takeaways Proceed with caution. There are bad actors out there who take advantage of job seekers. Always ensure the opportunity is legit before you invest too much or share sensitive info. Raise your game. Never get complacent with your candidate experience. Take a fresh look and collect gobs of feedback to make a steady stream of improvements over time. Have the conversation. Whenever workplace friction crops up, don’t do your laundry as a team. Have the one-on-one conversation with an open mind and negotiate a better way of working together. From Our Sponsor The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com. From the Source “Most confidential searches are usually run through a retained search or some type of recruiting firm. So verify where it's coming from, and if it's coming from a recruiting agency, it's probably an appropriate position that the company is not ready to share certain information.” “Any questions around nationality and age violate the age discrimination and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. So employers—in the U.S. at least—are not allowed to ask questions or make decisions for the most case on those things.” “We've evolved our process tremendously based on candidate feedback. We always ask for a candidate’s experience with their interview with us.“ “We also have an interview based on our core values. So someone will conduct an interview that's not on the team the person would be joining. That is an interview where they can really find out what it's like to work at the company in addition to the team that they'll be on and really ask all of the cultural questions that they want.” “I say self awareness is one of the most important pieces of leadership. This boss might not realize that they're having an impact on their employee like this, and sometimes just let them know. because they might adjust their style if they do.” “In a lot of these situations, we look for right or wrong, and I don't think that there's really a wrong, but it's more about communication and how intentions can be perceived and perceived differently.” Connect with Jackie Website: http://www.predictiveindex.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackie-dube Become Your CEO’s Most Valuable Partner (report): http://predictiveindex.com/learn

One of the world’s leading business thinkers, David’s forward-thinking ideas and bestselling books are changing how companies approach leadership, teamwork, and collaboration. A skilled researcher and inspiring communicator, Dr. David Burkus is the best-selling author of five books about business and leadership. His books have won multiple awards and have been translated into dozens of languages. Since 2017, David has been ranked multiple times as one of the world’s top business thought leaders. His insights on leadership and teamwork have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, CNN, the BBC, NPR, and CBS This Morning. A former business school professor, David now works with leaders from organizations across all industries, including PepsiCo, Fidelity, Adobe, and NASA. Top 3 Takeaways Empathize early and often. Develop a sincere appreciation for others’ working styles and how they’re similar to or different from your own. Don’t expect others to conform to your preferences. Build the foundation. Psychological safety and trust are essential for proper teamwork. Putting in the early effort upfront will pay dividends when you need it later. Pause and ask. When a team member brings you a problem, don’t take the bait. Rather than jump to solution mode, honor their vulnerability then ask questions to uncover the deeper source of the problem. From Our Sponsor The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com. From the Source “All of the easy problems have been solved, and so, yes, we are dealing with information overload when we're talking about one brain, but all that really means is all of our work now requires teamwork and interdependence which is a good thing.” “Most of the time when you have a cross functional team, we speed way too fast into trying to work and not enough time talking about how we're going to work.” “Your high performers want to know what their expectations are, and they want to be held accountable to them, because you can't exceed expectations if you don't know what they are.” “We've all been in those situations where we got really excited to share a crazy idea, and it was shot down immediately. What happened? Well, we didn't share our crazy ideas anymore.” “What you see when you have that sense of prosocial purpose is not only increased with individual motivation, but an increase in people's willingness to put their own agendas aside… Their egos, agendas, they tend to put that aside much more often and put what I like to say, put we over me, take their own agendas and put them subservient to the needs in the agendas of the team.” “Easiest, simplest, fastest thing you can do to hit all three right as a leader is the next time your person is sharing something with you—and you sense that it takes any amount of vulnerability to share that—just say to yourself as they're talking, pause and ask, pause and ask. And then when they're finished talking, don't jump into what you wanted to say. Pause and ask them a follow up question based on what you heard.” Connect with David Website: https://davidburkus.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidburkus Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidburkus  

Archie L. Jones, Jr. is an accomplished author, educator, speaker, advisor and investor. As the founder and CEO of NxGen COACH Network™ , he draws from his own leadership journey to empower and coach the next generation of global leaders through speaking engagements, workshops, his podcast, and new book, The Treasure You Seek: A Guide to Developing and Leveraging Your Leadership Capital. In this book, available now, Archie shares deeper insights and expertise in leadership capital to coach aspiring and seasoned leaders towards their dreams. Top 3 Takeaways Invest wisely. Leadership capital is a type of currency you can invest to make all the other types of capital such as financial and social capital more valuable. It’s truly a multiplier. Open up. Being a leader doesn’t mean you have to have all the answers. You may feel that way, but those around you don’t. Draw them in to solve the big problems together. Make time. It may be counterintuitive, but be sure to spend some work time not working. Use it as an opportunity to get to know your team and engage in quality activities that will later enhance the work you do together. From Our Sponsor The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com. From the Source “Leadership capital is the currency, and you're going to invest your leadership capital in other people and they're going to invest their leadership capital in you against an aligned set of goals.” “I had to get creative once I discovered what it was. ‘How do I apply that? How do I turn that into something that I can lean into and leverage?’” “Those of us who are in a leadership position, the expectation is that you're supposed to have all the answers. And to have the humility to say, ‘I don't know’ and to actually then lean into where we're going with connections, lean into the broader team, lean into the collective to bring their experiences, bring their superpowers to bear in that versus trying to solve it on our own or to have to be the one to come up with the answer." “We actually have to work at finding time to get to know the people who we're working with. If you're not careful you can end up in such transactional relationships.” “It's not around trying to sell more, spend less today, but actually get to know each other a little better and know who we are and what our individual goals, ambitions, and missions are so that we can lead.” “Self confidence is not taught. It's built over time.” “So much of the problem with imposter syndrome is you take yourself out of opportunities. No one's even said anything to you yet, right? They made the right decision to put you in the room. Your job is to stay in the room until somebody actually comes and gets you out of the room.” Connect with Archie Website: https://archieljonesjr.com Training Camp for Leaders (podcast): https://archieljonesjr.com/podcast The Treasure You Seek (book): https://amzn.to/3XeiMX6 NxGen COACH Network: http://nxgencoachnetwork.com

Dr. Mandolen Mull is the Founder of MullMentum Consulting, a bespoke leadership development firm. Having held leadership roles in healthcare, property preservation, logistical distribution, and higher education prior to founding her consulting firm and authoring several books, Mandolen brings her hybridised background to personalised leadership development training. Heavily mentored by a stonemason entrepreneur father, and as the (favourite) granddaughter of a USAF Col. and Base Commander, her customised approach resonates with leadership audiences across front-line manufacturing, real-estate developers, entrepreneurs, union Ironworkers, education administration, healthcare executives, private equity board members, and other industries in between. Pint-sized, she packs a powerful array of humor, humility, and heart. Having relearned to walk and talk while earning her Ph.D. in Organisational Development and Change, her resilience is her relatability. True to her robust, polymath background, she also holds an MBA in International Business and a BS in Political Science and Psychology. Top 3 Takeaways Keep score. Depending on your work, you may not be able to see tangible results of all you do throughout your days and weeks. Get creative and find a way to make your wins more visible. Share the love. Rather than contribute to the isolation and separation that naturally accompanies modern work and life, offer kudos early and often. Recognition draws us together. Get in line. As leaders, we’re part of a lineage that stretches backward through all our mentors and their mentors, as well. Now it’s our turn to invest in those coming up behind us. From Our Sponsor The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com.  Optimal Leadership Tips Newsletter How workplace assessments can make you a better leader: https://bit.ly/4h0eWtS From the Source “We have employee fatigue happening, so we've got all these different variables happening. And what I fundamentally think it comes down to is that it's really a transactional world that needs to be more transformative.” “I hear so many people say that they feel like they're doing so much but feel like they're not doing enough in the sense of they just aren't collecting their wins.” “I think sadly we've got a lot of isolationist environments. We've got a lot of environments focused on competition and comparison. We reward our employee of the year versus a department of the year or something like that. Our value says ‘We're all about teamwork’, but we reward individualism.” “First and foremost, as leaders, we’ve got to go in and really level with our people letting them know the top three priorities that we're focused on and how to allocate their time on that—making that very demarcated for them—to understand where their efforts need to go. Because that eliminates that role ambiguity, gives them that sense of accomplishment.” “The antidote to these competitive comparison environments is collaboration and championing each other, ाnd I don't think we get to champion each other. I don't think we do that enough. And I think we've got to get so much better about giving each other kudos.” “We're in a finite role, but we're making an infinite impact. Understanding that’s our goal is something that I call ‘generational mentorship’. If we can sit there and think about how ur job is to develop leaders who go on to develop other leaders. Someone took a chance on us, gave us opportunities, where are we then passing that torch forward?” “I really believe my purpose on this earth is to develop leaders who go on to develop other leaders.” Connect with Mandolen LinkedIn: http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/Mandolen Website: https://www.mullmentum.com “Grit for the Pearl” (book): https://amzn.to/3YkuYX1