Love in Action

This episode is proudly sponsored by WorkStep. WorkStep makes the supply chain a better place to work. WorkStep’s leading software empowers companies to hire and retain their hourly workforce for the long run, while improving outcomes for critical frontline workers. For more information on WorkStep, visit www.workstep.com***Dan Johnston is the co-founder and CEO of WorkStep. He’s worked with some of the largest companies in the world to help them transform their approach to workforce management with cutting-edge technology.Highlights“The shortage of these frontline workers is a real thing and it’s reached critical mass.” [2:27] Marcel opens by discussing how important frontline workers are – and why today’s conversation is more relevant than ever.“At WorkStep, we help large companies better hire and, most critically, retain the frontline workforce across their supply chain. We empower companies with software that helps them source better fit hires and help them understand why their employees are leaving, what they can do about it, and how they can measure the impact of those initiatives… It’s a win for both sides,” [9:51] says Dan, discussing the role of his company WorkStep.“The top driver of turnover is career growth. Those employees who don’t feel like their company is investing in them in the same way they are investing in the company, who don’t feel there are opportunities to grow their skills, grow their wages, and grow their careers within an organization, are the employees who are most likely to quit. Those workers who are most aligned to that growth pathway are most likely to stay,” [13:25] Dan says. According to WorkStep research, the desire for career growth is the number one driver of employee turnover.“What’s interesting about those findings is that the pay is important now, but it wasn’t the top factor.”[16:09] Marcel points out that pay, while important, isn’t the leading cause of turnover.“What tends to drive people to quit is when things are different than what they expected.”[18:33] Dan remarks that problems arise when employees encounter unforeseen issues in new roles. “Especially when we’re talking about the frontline industries, with very high turnover, that new hire period is going to be very critical. Many organizations lose half of their new employees during those first 90 days.” [28:55] Dan points this out to discuss how leaders should focus on the new hire period. “Whether you buy from WorkStep or not, ensure that you’re listening to the voice of your frontline associates, analyzing what they’re saying objectively (and ideally, in real-time), and acting on the true drivers of turnover.”[34:40] Dan recognizes that this is the singular strategy for fighting turnover. “We want our workers to succeed, even to the extent that we may lose them to a competitor. But while they’re under our care, we’re gonna do whatever it takes to empower the heck out of them. It makes business sense because if we are empowering them, and loving them well, and caring for their needs, of course, there’s gonna be a higher return on their energy and of course productivity,” [37:20] Marcel says, pointing to the importance of nurturing talent.“You can save money on turnover… But it’s also the right thing to do. You, as a leader, have the opportunity to do something that improves the job (and therefore the life) of thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of workers.” [42:00] Dan ends with some important info – fighting turnover is a good business decision, and an ethical one too. ResourcesMarcel Schwantes: www.Marcelschwantes.comInc. article: https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/why-are-frontline-workers-really-quitting-you-can-boil-it-down-to1-simple-fact.htmlWorkStep: https://www.workstep.com/WorkStep RETAIN: https://go.workstep.com/retain/Contact Dan: dan@workstep.comSend Marcel a text message!

Dr. Tim Elmore is the founder and CEO of Growing Leaders, an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization created to develop emerging leaders. Since founding Growing Leaders, Elmore has spoken to more than 500,000 students, faculty, and staff on hundreds of campuses across the country. Elmore has also provided leadership training and resources for multiple athletic programs, including the University of Texas, the University of Miami, the University of Alabama, The Ohio State University, and the Kansas City Royals Baseball team. Tim's expertise on emerging generations and generational diversity in the workplace has led to media coverage in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes.com, and more. Highlights:“I needed to develop off-the-platform charisma.” [6:20] Tim shared a story of one of his first criticisms and pointed to the importance of being authentic and ‘on’ all of the time.“When we are on a platform speaking to a group of people, as the leader, if we will pull back the curtain and share a window to our own soul – maybe even our own struggle – we provide a mirror for them to see their own. We give them a window, they see a mirror.”[9:35] Tim discussed the importance of letting people see the authentic, true you. In a world of alpha males, some may mistake this openness for weakness. But when you allow people to see your genuine self, they feel inspired. They see themselves, and can improve their own lives.“Great leaders are both confident and humble,” [14:25] Tim says. This is one of the paradoxes of leadership. How can we balance both confidence and humility? Tim shares a story about Disney that shows exactly how it’s done.“Confidence makes our leadership believable but humility makes our confidence believable” [15:30] This quote from Tim really spoke volumes. When leading, you need confidence – but your team also needs to buy into your vision. Carrying yourself with humility is the way to make that happen.“I want to speak like I believe I’m right and listen as if I believe I’m wrong.” [25:00] Tim says he’s currently working on this one, and discusses it along with other leadership paradoxes.“We have to kind of lean on our employees and relinquish the control and the idea that ‘I have all the answers and I’m smarter’, because there might be smarter people in the room,” [27:30] Marcel pointed out, discussing the importance of recognizing your own weaknesses.“I’m challenging you to be a follower while being a leader… I think I’ve identified in all my team members what they do better than me.” [28:50] Tim went on to expound on this point – it’s critical that we empower people to do what they do best.“Feeling heard is so close to feeling loved that it’s almost indistinguishable.” [45:30] Tim talked about the importance of feeling heard in an organization.[48:35] Context, Application, and Belief. We ended on the importance of these three things. Those three things are what everyone needs, and can be described by another term, too: Love in Action.Resources:Marcel Schwantes: www.Marcelschwantes.comTim Elmore: www.timelmore.comGrowing Leaders: www.growingleaders.comTim Elmore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drtimelmore/Tim Elmore on Twitter: https://twitter.com/timelmoreTim Elmore on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothyelmore/detail/recent-activity/Send Marcel a text message!

Today’s show is proudly sponsored by CAI Neurodiverse Solutions. Are you prepared for the rising demand for neurodiverse talent? As the need for highly-skilled, top talent grows exponentially across most industries, CAI Neurodiverse Solutions recruits, assesses, and manages neurodivergent individuals, while creating rewarding, long-lasting careers. For more information, contact: CAINeurodiverseSolutions@cai.io.Anthony Pacilio is an expert in neurodiverse employment and currently serves as the vice president of CAI Neurodiverse Solutions. There, he helps neurodiverse candidates find roles, as well as helps businesses maintain best practices when working with neurodiverse employees. In the past, Anthony has worked in the finance and healthcare industries with similar missions. Highlights:“You’re getting a set of individuals who have different thinking patterns, who recognize different processes, and can actually broaden companies’ returns on investment.” [11:45] Anthony tells us how hiring neurodiverse candidates can actually make your organization more money.“It’s not just finding an individual to put in a job. It’s making sure the individual we are putting in that job is going to have support systems, is gonna have mentors, is gonna have everything they need to be successful.” [12:53] Anthony described the CAI’s strategy and how it’s about more than simply putting people in jobs.“Neurodiversity in the workplace is building a program that takes individuals that have these extremely valuable skillsets and putting them in a place where they’re able to succeed, but also be able to give a return on investment. And that’s the business case. We’re not doing this for charity. This is a business case.” [18:07]The first step to hiring more neurodiverse candidates? “The first shift we need to experience is a shift of the mind. It’s a mindset to want to be more curious, rather than make your general assumptions and lean on that bias that says ‘no they’re not going to be right for our organization.” [21:30]“A neurodivergent employee has unique strengths in areas that we may not even be aware of. It behooves every leader to pull that out of that person, so that they can make an impact for the organization.” [28:55]“Everybody thinks that support mechanisms are costly, that they’re thousands of dollars, and I can tell you that they’re not.” [38:03] Anthony talked about how accommodating neurodiverse people isn’t as difficult as some people think.Anthony shared a poignant story about how families react to CAI’s work. “Parents are always worried about their children – what’s gonna happen after they’re gone, if they didn’t have their independence? Well, not anymore. ” [43:00]“When you’re speaking of what we’re trying to do and leading by example in this particular space… you’re missing a whole lot of opportunity if you haven't developed empathy.” [47:02]ResourcesEmail CAI Neurodiverse SolutionsCAI Neurodiverse SolutionsNeurodiversity Career ConnectorSend Marcel a text message!

Gene Boes is President and CEO of Northwest Center, where he has served since 2018. Northwest Center works to promote DE&I: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Started in 1965, the Northwest Center has spent over 50 years serving children and adults with disabilities. Prior to his work with Northwest Center, Gene had an impressive and successful career. He worked in consulting and leadership roles for Loft9, Microsoft, Deloitte, as well as serving in the US Navy and holding an adjunct professorship at Seattle Pacific University and Seattle University.Visit Northwest Center to learn more about their services.Highlights:As Gene says, “Until everyone is allowed to engage and contribute, none of us reach our potential.” [7:30] That’s the mission and the core belief of the Northwest Center. The organization works for full inclusivity because that’s ultimately how everyone succeeds. “The four founding mothers continue to impact every zip code in the United States.” [9:50] Gene told a great story about the founding of the Northwest Center, and how the organization got nationwide legislation passed. “The truth of it is disability is not always visible.” [11:45] The fact is, we need to examine our definition of disability. It’s important that we understand disabilities aren’t always clear to the naked eye. Gene talked a little bit about this and how crucial it is. “People with disability are not broken. They don’t need to be fixed.” [12:20] quote for the thing“There’s an obstacle. There’s a challenge that they have to overcome to live successfully through everyday life. But the truth is we, the abled, put those obstacles in place and it’s really our responsibility to take those obstacles away through accommodation and being more thoughtful.” [12:26]“A lot of effort with Northwest Center is around education.” [17:30] The Northwest Center knows that education fuels change. So, they practice constant outreach to improve the lives of DE&I people around the nation. “Disability hiring is good for business. Don’t do this because it’s socially responsible. Certainly don’t think of it as charity – it’s not.” [21:28] Gene told me how disability hiring can benefit businesses. All too often, business owners think of hiring DE&I people as just a ‘good deed.’ That’s the wrong way to look at things. “It’s an enormous business benefit to be inclusive, but it’s not easy.” [31:20] Ultimately, hiring DE&I is hugely beneficial for a variety of reasons. But that doesn’t mean it’s simple – Gene tells me why. “At Northwest Center, we have nearly 1,000 employees. I work for 1,000 people. They don’t work for me, I work for them. So when you think about having the biggest impact as a leader, I think listening is an incredibly important trait.” [42:17]“To lead with practical love day in and day out is to remind yourself at the start of every day what you’re there for: to lift other people up.” [43:35] We ended with Gene’s thoughts on practical love and love in action. These were some tremendously insightful words on the importance of carrying love with you during your workday. Resources:Inc. article mentioned: https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/5-ways-to-make-your-workplace-more-inclusive-for-what-is-now-largest-minority-population.htmlNorthwest Center on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nwcenter Northwest Center on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/northwest-center/ Northwest Center on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/nwcenterSend Marcel a text message!

Dr. Marshall Goldsmith is a New York Times #1 bestselling author, having sold over 2.5 million copies of his works worldwide. His books “Triggers” and “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” were recently recognized on Amazon’s list of the ‘100 Best Leadership & Success Books Ever Written.’ He’s also won the Harvard Institute of Coaching’s Lifetime Award for Leadership. Highlights:“So if you’ve ever been caught in a cycle of regret... and I think that’s most of us....Marshall is here to tell us how to remove the obstacles that prevent us from creating our own fulfilling lives. And who better to help us remove those obstacles than the #1 ranked executive coach in the world.“ [2:25] Dr. Marshall Goldsmith is an expert in building a fulfilling life. He joined us on the podcast to have this all-too-important conversation. “A lot of my life is just great mentors.”[4:30] Marshall took us through his story – how he got to where he is today, and what he learned along the way. It’s a true rags-to-riches story. Marshall talks about how his book impacts already-successful people – and what that has taught him about life. “Part of the problem with goal achievement is that you can forget your aspiration” [9:00] As Marshall says, achieving goals is important, but it’s critical not to overvalue these goals. If you stumble into that pitfall, you’ll find that: “You can forget to enjoy the process of life.” [9:11]“Never become attached to achievement. Never become attached to results. It’s a fools’ game for two reasons. One is, you don’t have total control over the results. Two is, let’s say you achieve the results. How much satisfaction does that bring?” [11:45] “An earned life makes only a few demands of us.” [16:29] Marshall points to the importance of living your own life – not living through social media or the internet. Marshall discusses “the every breath paradigm.” [20:07] As a practicing Buddhist, Marshall holds the ‘every breath paradigm’ at the core of his day-to-day life. Every time you wake up, you get a fresh start. Life isn’t just a series of successes, but you constantly get chances to start over and turn over a new leaf. Marshall and I agree: “We choose to become who we want, rather than holding on to our past.” [25:35]At the end of the day, Marshall’s self-proclaimed mission is simple. “My bigger mission is to help people before I die and after I die.” [36:42] We ended with some really profound advice from Marshall. “We’re going through hard times and it’s important to have a support group.” [40:10] The past couple years have been tough on all of us. So it’s critical to have a support system around you for times like these. Resources:Marshall Goldsmith: www.marshallgoldsmith.comSend Marcel a text message!

Dr. Nathan Long is the president of Saybrook University. With 25 years of experience in higher education, Dr. Long oversees all strategic and operational aspects of the university. He holds a Doctorate and Masters of Education in interdisciplinary studies.Saybrook University is an online, private, non-profit graduate university and the premier institution for humanistic scholarship and practice. Founded by luminary psychologists, for 50 years, Saybrook has offered advanced degrees, currently offering programs in psychology, integrative medicine and health sciences, business administration, counseling, and transformative social change. The institution is committed to helping students develop as whole individuals– mind, body, and spirit – and to relentlessly pursuing a more socially just and sustainable world. With low residency requirements for master’s and doctoral degrees, students can earn an online graduate degree and meet their personal and professional needs as adult learners servicing their communities.Highlights:“We are a humanistically focused institution of higher learning with an emphasis on social justice and sustainability.” [10:55] Dr. Long talked a bit about Saybrook’s mission and how the university uses love to support its students and alumni. This all stems from a desire to help, and you can hear the passion in Dr. Long’s voice. “The humanistic psychologist is not saying ‘here’s what I’m going to do to fix you’.” [17:23] We discussed humanistic psychology and how Saybrook puts that methodology at the core of its operations. According to the humanistic approach, the therapist doesn’t just label the patient and try to change them. Instead, the therapist and the individual are on a journey together. Each person is different, so applying labels isn’t entirely helpful.According to Dr. Long, the principles of humanistic psychology thread through almost every other discipline. Alumni can take lessons learned from Saybrook into virtually any career they choose. Dr. Long went on to discuss a few alumni success stories. He talked about how Saybrook’s humanistic ideas and philosophy can be applied to executive and leadership success. As Dr. Long says: “We’re not here to judge you.” Saybrook teaches that the therapist’s mission is to help the individual, not judge them. Leaders and therapists alike should identify what a person wants out of life, rather than label them with a disorder or diagnosis. We talked a little bit about leadership, and Dr. Long made the point that “if you’re not present, you’re going to be less effective as a leader.” [32:33] One of the top qualities of being an effective leader is simply being present. Dr. Long also stressed the importance of being “open to the journey, the possibility, and the prospects.” [36:28] It’s critical to approach situations or leadership roles with an open mind.  “I lead with love… by celebrating our team here at Saybrook.” [37:45] We finished with these words by Dr. Long. He talked about how he puts love in action at Saybrook. Resources:Saybrook University: https://www.saybrook.edu/Send Marcel a text message!

Best-selling author Stephen M. R. Covey is the former president and CEO of The Covey Leadership Center, where he increased shareholder value by 67 times. Through his methods, he led The Covey Leadership Center to be the #1 leadership group in the world. He’s a Harvard MBA, who founded and currently leads Franklin Covey’s global speed of trust practice.“I saw firsthand the high cost of low trust,” [7:40] says Stephen. He points out the toxicity of a low-trust environment from his own personal experience: “We became aware that we need to build trust with each other intentionally.” [8:00]“Trust matters. It impacts everything.” [9:50] As Stephen says, trust is a performance multiplier and a leadership creator. It impacts organizations at virtually every level, creating benefits big, small, and everywhere in between. “My work on trust is ten times better because I also experienced the negative side. I experienced what it was like to not be trusted and to have a low-trust culture,” [12:05] Stephen says. His book isn’t just based on theory: Stephen has experienced low-trust work environments, and he’s seen firsthand how that quality can cripple an organization. “The world has changed but our style of leadership has not.” [13:03] One of the man great insights that Stephen provides is the world’s need for a new style of leadership.“This is not just a book on trust. This is a book on a new kind of leadership that is needed to succeed in our world today.” [14:41] It’s important to remember that Stephen’s book isn’t just about the idea of trust, or even the idea of trust in the workplace. The book can be applied to every aspect of your life. Stephen emphasizes the importance of elevating caring above competing. In business, it’s easy to fall into the trap of scarcity. But Stephen believes in an abundance mentality, and discusses how this can create trust in an organization. Stephen pointed to Satya Nadella as an example of a trust hero. He describes how Nadella changed Microsoft from a company on the decline to an innovative leader in their industry. “We need to become more trusting in our world, not less,” [37:45] says Stephen. There are a lot of doubters, saying that there’s too much risk in trusting. But Stephen always concludes that we need more trust, and that there’s some risk involved in trusting people, but there’s more risk in not trusting people.ResourcesFrom Boss to Leader: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/Trust and Inspire Book: www.trustandinspire.comStephen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-m-r-covey-6400191a5/Stephen on Twitter: ​​https://twitter.com/stephenmrcoveySend Marcel a text message!

When it comes to using love in the workplace, our guests on this podcast literally wrote the book. Zina Sutch and Patrick Malone are the co-authors of Leading with Love and Laughter. Zina has been leading development and diversity programs in the U.S. government for 20 years. Patrick Malone spent 23 years in the Navy, serving as an officer in the medical service corps. Today, she is also a faculty member of the key executive leadership program at American University, where Patrick is the director. “I look for people having fun at work – laughing. If I see people in a staff meeting cracking up with each other… that’s a good team. So, why hasn’t anyone written a book about this?” [9:05] The two talk about how they decided to write a book about love, laughter, and the workplace. “The perspective that we had on love was that it was a mutual admiration, respect, and care for one human being to another.” [11:00] It’s important to define ‘love’ early on – there are a lot of different types of love, after all. “People have this false idea that having emotions in the workplace, feeling love, and exuding that love for other people is a weakness.” [13:50] This isn’t true, as Zina says: “But the exact opposite is true: When you are so confident in yourself, in who you are, you know yourself well enough to know boundaries, to know what is right and wrong, how to approach people, what love feels like to you, what it should feel like to others, then you become the strongest person in the room.” [14:05]If you think you’re a leader, and you look over your shoulder and no one is following you… you’re just taking a walk. This happens at all levels of an organization. The science backs up Zina and Patrick’s book. According to research from Microsoft, the single most important factor for organization success and mission accomplishment is psychological safety. Check out the book for more deep dives into the science of love and laughter in the workplace.“Laughter in the workplace, people think ‘OK, I’m going to be a joke teller. But that’s not what it is at all. It’s much deeper than that.” [29:50] If you can develop environments where people feel free to laugh and love one another, you’re on the right path. If you walk into the room and everyone stops talking, there’s a problem. It’s important that your presence in the workplace breeds positivity and good feelings: or, love and laughter in other words. Love starts with self, as Zina says. Everyone, from the bottom of the corporate ladder to the very top, should focus on loving themselves. That’s how you really begin to love others. Take time out of your day to self-analysis, and determine what ‘self-love’ means for you. Small, one-on-one interactions create love. “Don’t make it about work,” [41:24] as Patrick says. Ask your employees or coworkers about their lives, about what’s going on with them. That’s how you create real, authentic connections.ResourcesFrom Boss to Leader: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/Zina Sutch and Patrick Malone: www.sutchmalone.comSend Marcel a text message!

Mark Minukas is the co-author of the book Unfear: Transform Your Organization to Create Breakthrough Performance and Employee Wellbeing. He’s the managing partner of Co-Creation Partners and an engineer by trade. He began his career as a Navy officer, before working as a consultant at Mackenzie and Company. There, he mastered the art of transforming teams and creating success. He has worked across multiple industries to build high-performing operations. “Even the most profitable companies on the planet aren’t fear-free. But here’s what makes them different: Those companies know how to transform that negative energy of fear and anxiety and uncertainty into opportunities for learning and growth and development.” [3:20]“Sometimes we see fear and love as two completely separate things. But part of what we want to communicate to the world is that fear can actually be this amazing cue for learning and growth.” [6:55]“I looked around and had this intense experience that it was all a mirage.” [9:45] After striving for the approval of other people, forces, or circumstances, Mark remembers an intense realization that would change his life forever. There’s the Fight Club and the Nice Club. Each of these groups represents different peoples’ approaches to life. The Fight Clubs needs to stand out and be special. The Nice Club, by contrast, are people that just keep their heads down. Likeables, minions, sticklers – people that shy away from conflict. “How can you drive performance and human well-being at the same time?” [20:00] is one of the questions Mark tackles in his book. All too often, leaders think it’s one or the other – it doesn’t have to be. “There’s a few key mindsets we talk about in our book. One of those is that you are infinite potential.” [24:22]“Shifting from a knower to a learner mindset” [25:45] is a critical part of Mark’s strategy. He affirms that we should go into situations ready to learn and ready to ask questions, rather than assuming we already know what to do. “Almost always we live through our assumptions and interpretations of the world… Oftentimes we engage with people without acknowledging the difference between observation and interpretation.” [36:15]“Organizations don’t transform, people do.” [39:05] “When a critical mass of people start shifting what they’re believing you can get the whole system to tip over.” [39:12] Mark says that this is how you enact true, meaningful change in an organization. Resourceswww.cocreationpartners.comwww.unfearbook.comSend Marcel a text message!

In this mini-episode, Marcel Schwantes shares practical insights on how to lead with integrity. He discusses the impact this has on an organization.Send Marcel a text message!