Welcome to Embers and Wind!

Special guest Keith Weedman shares how getting a dangerous person to accept his constructive feedback changed two people’s lives with guest host Jason Carr: “The other thing I knew was that he had a felony conviction on his record. He had once attacked a detective from behind with a knife….  Some people perceive the world in a way that brings the worst out of them, frequently, and Mike was somebody that perceived the world, that perceived himself and his situation in a way that brought the worst out of him, typically. And when you interact with somebody, you can help them change their perception. When you help them change their perception, you can elevate their engagement and performance. You could say that Mike was a great role model for what I do today because what I do today is I help leaders learn how to effect change that elevates engagement and performance…. Ten years went by. I was commuting to a job in Bartholomew County, Columbus, Indiana, and it was a one hour and 45-minute drive one way… I stopped at 6 a.m. to get a cup of coffee at a gas station. I bumped into Mike for the first time in ten years. He was dressed like a workaday Joe. I asked him where he was going. He was on his way to work at a different local factory. Mike had changed his life. He had also changed my life because I went to graduate school because of my encounter with Mike.”

I'm your host, Keith Weedman. In each podcast episode, you will hear stories. These stories will feel like a tender wind blowing on the embers of service that glow within you. In this weekly show, you will learn ideas, kindling for your embers. It will be your choice to utilize the gentle wind to ignite the kindling. 

 In this episode, Keith talks about how being bullied growing up stimulated his interest in how to get someone to receive constructive feedback in a helpful way. He shares that he learned to give people positive and constructive feedback as a volunteer trainer at the Lafayette Crisis Center. He talks about how active listening as he was trained how to do has a healing effect. He shares a success story from his work as a volunteer trainer. Then Keith tells a story about how he learned that the skills he had acquired were insufficient when an employee reacted to his constructive feedback by calling him the worst supervisor she has ever had. He acknowledges how in looking back that he failed by surrendering being the person with the stronger conviction. He shares how constructivism epistemology that he learned in graduate school is like applying the mindset of a true scientist outside of the field of science by recognizing that nothing can be proven, only disproven.  He talks about shifting selection criteria for the perception and for knowledge you choose to which perception or knowledge is more useful instead of more accurate. Keith talks about perceiving as a creative act and that you are responsible for how people perceive your constructive feedback. He notes in Toastmasters, that Toastmasters give and receive constructive feedback in a helpful way. He states while it can be more difficult for constructive feedback to be received in a helpful way in the workplace that this is still possible.

If you are interested in learning from Keith, he invites you to reach out by email: [email protected] or by cell phone: 812-343-2697. Keith notes that he strives to respond within 24 hours, excluding weekends.

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