

Have you noticed a shift in team member engagement since the pandemic? Times of crisis or rapid change often bring out the best (and worst) in people, leaving most entrepreneurs with a team composed of those eager to pull their weight … and those only looking to get by. But what does engagement actually look like? How can you separate your top players from those sticking to the sidelines? In this episode of the Team Success podcast, Shannon Waller outlines the key traits of an entrepreneurial attitude, what they look like in practice, and how to support this mindset in your team members so they’re better able to support you.



How To Tell If Your Team Members Are Engaged

Shannon Waller, author of The Team Success Handbook, has been the entrepreneurial team expert at Strategic Coach® since 1995. Shannon Waller’s Team Success podcasts are a series of insights around teamwork and success that she’s gained from working with entrepreneurs.

Business

Investing

Careers

Management & Marketing

Business News

Shopping

Management

Entrepreneurship



Are you struggling with a lack of alert, curious, responsive, and resourceful people in your business? Here, Shannon Waller takes a look at the frequently overlooked importance of the language you use when talking about the people operating in your business. By shifting your mindset regarding this one term, you can unlock the full potential of your team and elevate their performance. Tune in to learn how to transform your team into a powerhouse of unique individuals making impactful contributions together.
Download Episode Transcript

Show Notes:

The language you use to refer to the people you’ve hired to work with you (“staff,” “employees,” or “team members”) reflects different mindsets and can impact engagement and performance.
The term “staff” suggests bureaucracy, formality, and viewing people as fulfilling roles rather than as unique and creative individuals.
“Employee” is more neutral but can still imply a transactional, replaceable view of team members.
Referring to people as “team members” emphasizes their unique contributions and the collaborative, team-based nature of the work.
How you think about your people is reflected in your actions.

“Staff” and “employees” are frequently counted as FTEs and costs.
Businesses think of costs as something to minimize, to make as efficient as possible, and to be cut as necessary to improve profits.
People who are treated as costs—like the office paper supply—can feel they’re being treated as things and not as people.


Treating team members as investments rather than costs leads to better results.

With investments, you put a little in to get a lot more in return.
When you nourish unique capabilities in people, their contributions expand in ways you could not have predicted.


When people don’t work out as investments:

Have you made sure you’ve found the right people who are motivated by their work and aligned with your business?
Do they have the capacity for their role?
Keeping bad investments is not good for your business in the long term. You may need to subtract so you can multiply.


Dan Sullivan says, “I’m just a team member here. I just have a unique set of skills, and that’s what I want to do. I need a ton of other people to make the projects that I want to be a part of happen.”
Dan’s commitment to his own Unique Ability® contribution to the business reinforces his commitment to supporting the Unique Ability contributions of everyone else on his team.
Ask your team how they feel about the language used to describe them. Pay attention to how you refer to people no matter whom you’re speaking with.
People want to know they’re valued as individuals and trusted to find opportunities to contribute the best way they know how.

Resources:
Leadership and Self-Deception by The Arbinger Institute
EOS®: Entrepreneurial Operating System®
“A Conversation With Kathy Kolbe: Conative Intelligence & The Importance of Caring First,” Team Success Podcast, ep. 259.
Multiplication By Subtraction by Shannon Waller
Unique Ability


“Staff,” “Employees,” Or “Team Members”: Why Language Matters



On this special episode of Team Success, Shannon Waller is joined by her dear friend and former colleague Nicole Pitcher, a Strategy and Planning Support Partner who played a pivotal role in Shannon’s professional development and contributed to her legendary approach to teamwork. They discuss how, while working at Strategic Coach®, Nicole transformed the standard executive assistant role into a Strategic Support Partnership. They also explore how this kind of relationship leverages both parties’ strengths and keeps entrepreneurs committed and accountable to their goals. Nicole’s evolution offers invaluable insights into how shifting standard support roles into dynamic partnerships can drive entrepreneurial success. For any entrepreneur looking to not only maximize their productivity but also achieve a better work-life balance, this episode is a must-listen!
Download Episode Transcript

Show Notes:

In today’s entrepreneurial world, there is a growing need for assistants who can think strategically, anticipate the needs of their employers, and manage the moving parts of a business.
Nicole shares how she evolved the role of an executive assistant into this role, which goes beyond traditional administrative tasks to engage deeply in strategic planning and decision-making processes.
As Shannon says, “If you don’t have an assistant, you are one.”
Most entrepreneurs have a ton of ideas but don’t necessarily have the skills or bandwidth to follow through on them.
A good Strategic Support Partner should understand how to translate your vision into actionable tasks. They’re essentially the bridge between your ideas and the practical execution of those ideas.
They also need to take a personalized approach to vision translation based on your unique strengths and weaknesses.
Self-awareness is a crucial first step for entrepreneurs seeking support. By recognizing your strengths and weaknesses, you can identify areas where help is needed and find the right support partner to complement your skills, all of which leads to a more intentional approach to goal setting and commitment.
Profiles are your best ally here. Every good working relationship should start with assessments like Kolbe and Working Genius® (linked below).
Avoid the temptation to hire somebody who’s just like you. They don’t want to do the work that you don’t want to do either!
It’s important to view this relationship as a partnership rather than a traditional hierarchical relationship. (In other words, equal but different, not lesser and greater.)
This approach fosters mutual respect and leverages each person’s strengths.
Many entrepreneurs also don’t know how to effectively use their assistants. They may hire someone with the expectation that the assistant will handle emails and other administrative tasks, but they struggle to provide direction and guidance.
Entrepreneurs who make commitments, set goals, and hold themselves accountable are objectively more successful than entrepreneurs who don’t.
Strategic Support Partners play a vital role in helping you stay on track and fulfill your commitments, ultimately leading to long-term success and growth in your business.
It’s common for entrepreneurs to become the bottleneck in their own business when they are unable to make decisions, set priorities, or manage their time effectively. This also makes them feel trapped and overwhelmed.
By working with a Strategic Support Partner to address time management issues (and putting everything in a calendar that you follow!), you can better focus your energy and alleviate overwhelm.

Resources:
Unique Ability®
Book: The Team Success Handbook by Shannon Waller
Superpowers
More about Nicole Pitcher
Profiles:
The Kolbe A™ Index
PRINT® Why of You
CliftonStrengths®
Working Genius
DISC Profile
Tools:
The Impact Filter™
The Positive Focus®
Top Teamwork Tips
Communication Builder


How A Strategic Support Partner Can Change Your Life, with Nicole Pitcher



Raise your hand if you’re a perfectionist. Do you often find yourself focusing on what’s not working and feeling constantly frustrated? When your team checks in with you on a project they’re working on, do you tend to focus on the parts that need to be fixed? The parts that aren’t completed yet? “What about X, Y, and Z?”
In this episode of Team Success, Shannon Waller discusses why it’s critical to work and lead from “The Gain,” not “The Gap.” She explains the concept of The Gap And The Gain™, one of the foundational concepts of Strategic Coach® that has helped tens of thousands of people improve their relationships with their teams, families, and everyone else. Don’t miss this episode for practical methods to create psychological safety within the team, foster a positive environment, and drive growth within your team.
Download Episode Transcript

Show Notes:
Shift Your Focus To Progress, Not Perfection

When you measuring progress from where you started (The Gain) rather than against an ideal (The Gap), you celebrate how far you’ve come and focus on what is working.
Acknowledging The Gain builds confidence and motivation within yourself and your team.
Remember: Progress, not perfection, is the key to growth.

Cultivate Psychological Safety For Your Team

Studies (see links below) have shown that top productive and profitable teams share just one thing in common: everyone trusts and respects one another. Researchers refer to this aspect of group culture as “psychological safety.”
Psychological safety in a team has repeatedly shown to have a bigger impact on the team’s performance than any other factor, including collective intelligence.
As a leader, your job is to help people stay in The Gain instead of The Gap; otherwise, they are going to play defense, not offense.
If people are defensive, they’re not taking risks, and if they don’t take risks, your company can’t grow.
When there is psychological safety, team members can own their mistakes because they are allowed to make them to learn from them.
Dan Sullivan, co-founder of Strategic Coach, says, “When there’s a problem with a person, 99% of the time it’s not the person; it’s the system.”
Being an “impact” leader means always measuring progress and looking for improvement ideas to improve results.

Strategies For Staying In The Gain

Positive Mindset: Use the Strategic Coach online web app WinStreak® to track your top three wins every day and set up three wins for tomorrow.
Short-Circuit The Amygdala: You can use tools such as The Experience Transformer® to turn negative experiences into valuable learning opportunities without overreacting or placing blame.


Describe The Circumstance:Begin by objectively describing the situation that did not go as planned, focusing on facts rather than emotions.
Identify Successes:Acknowledge aspects of the experience that worked well to recognize positive elements amidst challenges.
List Areas For Improvement:Pinpoint specific aspects that did not contribute to the desired outcome to identify areas for enhancement.
Brainstorm Solutions:Encourage creative brainstorming to generate ideas for improvement based on the identified challenges.
Implement A New Approach:Develop a revised plan, incorporating insights gained from the experience to guide future endeavors.


Encourage Learning:Treat failures as learning opportunities and promote continuous improvement for culture and company growth.

The Strategic Coach P.A.G.E. core values:

P = Positive and collaborative teamwork.
A = Alert, curious, responsive, and resourceful.
G = Focus on growth and results.
E = Provide an excellent, first-class experience.

Key Take-Aways

Keep yourself in The Gain.
No one likes working with a leader who is always in The Gap.

If you have any questions or comments, reach out at questions@strategicoach.com.
Resources:
The Gap And The Gain by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy
The 21-Day Positive Focus®
Edmondson, Amy. (2011). Psychological Safety, Trust, and Learning in Organizations: A Group-level Lens. Trust and Distrust in Organizations: Dilemmas and Approaches.
Charles Duhigg, “What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team.” New York Times, Feb. 25, 2016
The WinStreak web app is also available as an app for Android phones.
The Experience Transformer article: “Transforming Experiences Into Multipliers”
The Impact Filter™ download
P.A.G.E.: “The Importance Of Core Values In Business”
Impact Players by Liz Wiseman
“Geometry” For Staying Cool & Calm by Dan Sullivan


Stuck In The Perfection Gap? Try Leading From “The Gain”



Before important client meetings, are you and your team running around handling last-minute logistics? How prepared does your team feel going into the meeting? In this episode, Shannon Waller discusses the value of bookending client meetings with clearings and debriefs to elevate the overall experience for clients and team members. Here’s the why and how of Strategic Coach’s backstage process that prepares the team for delivering exceptional front stage results.
Download Episode Transcript

Show Notes:
Clearings Before Meetings:

Positive Focus®: Starting with the Positive Focus exercise allows everyone to:

Feel energized and excited by reflecting on a recent win.
Get present and shift their focus from past or future distractions.


Preview of the day: Providing an overview of what to expect during the day:

Helps everyone get familiar with the agenda, timing, and their roles.
Focuses the team on key conversations or key points to make.


Setting intentions: Everyone states what they want to be true at the end of the experience, thereby creating a shared vision they’re all aligned on.

Debriefs After Meetings:

Reflection and sharing: Debriefs at the end of the day provide an opportunity for team members and clients to reflect on the experience, share insights, and discuss key takeaways.
Continual improvement: By discussing what worked well, areas for improvement, and any insights gained, the team can continually enhance their performance and refine their approach for future meetings.
Leaving on a positive note: As a final wrap-up, each person shares the value they got from the meeting.

Benefits Of Clearings And Debriefs:

Being present: The team has greater engagement in, participation in, and ownership of a superb client experience.
Centering the results for the client: By focusing on what will allow clients to leave feeling more confident and motivated, the team can stay responsive to delivering a more personalized and impactful experience.
Psychological and emotional preparation: The team is alert and responsive to client needs, ready to expand and elevate the thinking in the room. Everyone is more confident, clear, and prepared to take action to achieve the agreed upon-result for the client.
Transformational experience: When the team is focused on the clients, they have the opportunity to create unexpected value for them, elevating the interaction from a transactional experience to a transformational one.

Teams can incorporate clearings and debriefs with meetings, coaching sessions, workshops, or any other key client interactions to significantly enhance the overall experience for both clients and team members. At Strategic Coach®, we also have clearings and debriefs for internal team meetings so that we can continually improve our internal experience. Though the goal is to constantly improve client satisfaction, this always has to include elevating the experience for team members too.
Resources:
Article: “Your Business Is A Theater Production: Your Back Stage Shouldn’t Show On The Front Stage.”
Free tool kit download, including The Positive Focus®
EOS®: Entrepreneurial Operating System®


Behind The Scenes: The Key To Creating First-Class Client Experiences



How would you like to learn a strategy for improving creativity, connection, and collaboration within your team that’s as simple as saying the word “yes”? In this episode, Shannon Waller explains how graciously saying yes to your team members’ ideas is an easy yet powerful way to foster deeper conversations and collective problem solving, and dives into the importance of cultivating a positive environment for idea sharing. With actionable techniques for leaders, entrepreneurs, and team members to harness the power of teamwork and practical ways to validate and engage with new ideas, this is one episode you won’t want to miss!
Download Episode Transcript

Show Notes:

Finding aspects of an idea to say yes to can significantly increase collaboration and creativity within your team.
Team productivity depends heavily on whether entrepreneurs can create a positive space for sharing ideas.
To foster this kind of idea-sharing culture, it’s important to acknowledge and respect the mindset of individuals who are brave enough to come to you or their team leaders—people who stand higher above them in the company’s hierarchy whether it’s explicit or not—with their ideas.
There are practical techniques you can use for engaging with and validating new ideas, all of which promote constructive dialogue and problem solving.
Team collaboration only gets better when you seek out and engage with new ideas from individuals whose thinking profiles and striving instincts differ from your own.
Graciously finding parts of an idea to support, rather than outright rejecting ideas that aren’t perfect in their entirety, can also lead to deeper conversations and more effective teamwork.
You can create a more collaborative environment for discussion when you try to find common ground with whatever idea is being pitched to you.

Resources:
Working Genius
The Kolbe A™ Index


How To Tell If Your Team Members Are Engaged

Download our free app to listen on your phone