If These Heels Could Talk

Welcome Brenda Eisenschenk! With a long history of client services and a specialty in telecommunications, Brenda and her team at InteleCONNECT have cultivated a huge local presence. Even more impressive when you consider the team's small size.

Listen in as JoyGenea and Michelle talk business, family, and stature with Brenda. And learn why Brenda’s top strength is Woo!

https://youtu.be/i18TF0Z_QK0

You decided to make a change. And you’re happy with the direction you’re headed. But there’s this time in between, when you’re actively moving toward something else but have to hang on to what was in transition. 

Don’t believe us? Just think about what happens when someone decides to grow out their bangs. There are 2-3 awkward hair months in between bangs and no bangs. And we do the best we can during that time, but there’s no rushing the process. Hair just needs time to grow. 

And so do changes and transitions in your business. We’re all anxious for sweeping change to just happen, but the path toward a new structure, process, or vision is rarely smooth and rarely comfortable for everyone. Listen in as JoyGenea and Michelle discuss awkward transitions.

https://youtu.be/VB4QENIGKCk

How many times do you have to get blocked on Bumble before you realize it’s a you problem? That’s the question the ‘single, lonely men’ need to be asking themselves these days. Not, why do women have such high expectations, but why can’t I do more than the bare minimum of not actively harassing women. 

Listen in as Michelle and JoyGenea discuss the Psychology Today article taking TikTok by storm. And taking an entire generation of men to YouTube to search ‘emotional availability.’

https://youtu.be/22hTp_9PVFU

For some people, getting permission from others feels necessary in order to take action. Sometimes the most important person we need to get permission from is ourselves.

In this podcast, Michelle and JoyGenea explore all of the different ways that we grant ourselves permission or hold ourselves back by not granting permission. They also explore ways that micromanaging and waiting for permission can limit people from being great employees.

Quiet quitting is on everyone’s minds at the moment. But not only is it not a new concept, there have been many names over the years - work to rule, blue flu, even malicious compliance. 

There are some assumptions in such an emotionally charged phrase. Namely, that there is no resolution to an inherent conflict between an employer and employees. Listen in as Michelle and JoyGenea discuss this conflict, how to avoid it, how to see it early, and how to solve it. Out loud.

https://youtu.be/-JGDl6zM4AM

Old hat? New ideas? When does experience become stagnation? When does comfort stop progress?

These are the questions JoyGenea and Michelle are asking in this episode of If These Heels Could Talk. In business, often we get comfortable with the status quo. Even if the status quo has pain points. Our change threshold is often higher than minor annoyances. But minor annoyances add up. And they’re felt differently by different people. Something that may be a minor annoyance to a leader could be a reason for an excellent employee to leave. Checking the leadership privilege and questioning the status quo is about inviting challenge - and seeing if current solutions stand up to that challenge.

Does your to do list leave you feeling accomplished or anxious? For JoyGenea, a to do list is a must. Her rolling to do lists are detailed and break large tasks down into smaller tasks that feel more immediate and manageable. For Michelle, a to do list is simply another way to fail and creates immense anxiety.

Which one is better? Neither - organization systems are only as good as a person’s ability and willingness to use them. And our abilities and willingness changes over time. The quest for a ‘perfect’ organization system that works for every one in every situation is a waste of time. And so is helpful organization advice between Michelle and JoyGenea. As they discover in this episode.

https://youtu.be/XGs2qb4BJ9o

You’ve heard of fight, flight, or freeze. You also may have realized that you have a harder time problem solving in those states. But recent research has shown just how much cognitive ability, in terms of function IQ, is lost during those states. 

Listen in as Michelle and JoyGenea talk about how problem solving and critical thinking skills can be impacted at work by what people bring to the office with themselves.

https://youtu.be/oLWeM-JjjCo

Michelle really took JoyGenea by surprise with this topic! After a brief chat with her coach, Michelle’s brain started working on this question: What Haven’t You Learned Yet? Thinking ahead to life and business experiences that have provided valuable insight to others but haven’t been personally experienced yet - have you already learned along the way? What more will there be to learn if, or when, these happen in your life or business? Listen in as JoyGenea and Michelle ponder the life lessons they’ve already had and the ones that are sure to come in the future! https://youtu.be/iGVt9b9kO_U

It’s so hard to create a culture with intention. Because a real culture is an organic combination of the individuals that make it up. A true company culture shifts slightly with every person that is added or removed. 

Large companies, especially franchised companies, have a hard time with culture and try to identify behaviors that indicate attitudes they find desirable. Flare is one example of this - some people love their flare and some people barely put up with their flare. But does someone’s engagement with a policy intended to drive culture really show their attitude?

Or is culture more a reflection of hiring, mentoring, training, leadership, and everyday actions? Listen in as Michelle and JoyGenea talk about flare, unconscious bias, and the difference between the culture you want and the culture you have.

https://youtu.be/UJeSlqsfvPM