The Simplifiers Podcast

What can Corporate America learn from a theatre troupe?

Quite a lot, actually.

Think about it.

A theatre production brings together people who may have never worked together before.

There's very little onboarding.

The timeline is short.

The deadline is fixed.

And somehow, they have to build trust, communicate clearly, solve problems fast, and become a high-performing team.

Sound familiar?

Today, we're exploring what leaders can learn from theatre about building strong teams, especially when working with contractors, seasonal employees, new hires, or anyone who needs to hit the ground running.

Stephen and I worked together on a social impact event tour through Visit.org, where I saw firsthand how valuable theatre skills are when plans change, timelines are tight, and everyone needs to roll up their sleeves.

We're talking about building trust fast, why theatre people are incredibly adaptable and disciplined, and what Corporate America might be missing when it overlooks creative talent.

Let's simplify it.

----

Show notes available with all links mentioned here: https://www.thesimplifiers.com/posts/430-what-corporate-america-can-learn-from-a-theatre-troupe---with-stephen-riordan

Time for a guided visualization exercise: how to stop feeling like you're not enough. Maybe you've felt it before. You finish one big project… Only to immediately start thinking about the next one. You reach the goal… But somehow, it still doesn't feel like enough.

Maybe you've spent years being the dependable one.

• The one everyone counts on.

• The one who quietly carries more than anyone realizes.

Maybe you've even worn the label proudly...

High Performer.

And there's absolutely nothing wrong with ambition. There is nothing wrong with wanting to build meaningful things. To make a difference. To create. To leave the world a little better than you found it.

Ambition is a beautiful thing.

• It helps us grow.

• It helps us serve others.

• It helps us become who we're capable of being.

But somewhere along the way...

Ambition quietly accepted a job it was never meant to have.

Instead of simply helping you create… it began deciding whether you were worthy.

Whether you'd done enough. Whether you'd become enough. And that's an impossible job. Because there will always be another goal. Another mountain to climb. Another finish line waiting just beyond the horizon.

So today...

• I don't want to invite you to become less ambitious.

• I want to invite you into a new relationship with ambition.

One where your work reflects your values...

• Instead of determining your value.

One where you still create extraordinary things...

• But you no longer ask today's accomplishments to tell you who you are.

Let's explore that together.

And so… to kick off the month, today is another guided visualization episode, which we release on the first Tuesday of every month this season. So, how does it work? Simple! Let my voice be a guide for you as you focus inward to help you tap into your inner wisdom and Intuition for answers.

You can do this, I believe in you.

It's time to SIMPLIFY.

Show notes available with all links mentioned here:https://www.thesimplifiers.com/posts/b172-how-to-stop-feeling-like-youre-not-enough-all-guided-visualization

You know the conversation you need to have at work.

But you don't want to rock the boat. Make someone angry. Or add one more thing to your already full plate.

So, you wait.

But the issue grows. Trust erodes. And that conversation gets even harder.

• What courage actually means and why it isn't about being fearless, bold, or the loudest person in the room.

• What it means to become a courage-centered leader.

• How courage-centered leaders approach conflict differently than leaders who avoid it or simply try to keep the peace.

• The small, practical behaviors that create greater trust, clearer communication, and less avoidance at work.

• Her five pathways to a courageous life and why coming back to yourself matters before you lead others.

1. Feel it all

2. Embody again

3. Be fully you

4. Love others well

5. Do the work

• How to have the conversations that matter with honesty and care, without eroding trust or making others feel threatened.

Because leading with courage is not about having all the answers or performing confidence. It's about being willing to address what matters before a small issue becomes a much bigger one

It's time to #DoTheThing!

----

Show notes available with all links mentioned here: https://www.thesimplifiers.com/posts/429-how-to-lead-with-courage---with-justine-froelker

Think about how many systems your employees use just to get their work done.

One for payroll. Another for benefits, communication, training, expenses, or scheduling. And when those systems don't work well together, simple tasks become harder than they need to be.

Employees waste time searching for answers.

Frustration builds.

Trust breaks down.

And slowly, they start to disengage and care less about the work... and your customers.

• What "digital employee experience" actually means.

• The signs that your workplace technology is making work harder instead of easier.

• Why human connection and real support still matter in a world of digital tools and AI.

• How HR, IT, and operations leaders can simplify their tech stack without creating more chaos.

• Where to start when employees are overwhelmed by too many systems, logins, workflows or unclear processes.

• And how Payroll Partners uncovers what a client really needs before recommending the right solution.

Because better workplace technology is not about adding another tool. It's about removing friction so people can find the answers they need, in order to do their jobs well.

It's time to #DoTheThing!

----

Show notes available with all links mentioned here: https://www.thesimplifiers.com/posts/428-how-to-make-your-work-tech-better---with-david-noe

If you lead a team, work on a team, or are trying to build a better one, you've probably noticed this: People do not all think, communicate, or make decisions the same way. And that can either create friction… or it can become one of your team's greatest strengths.

The problem is, many leaders say they want diverse teams, but then unintentionally hire, promote, or reward people who operate exactly like they do.

Same communication style. Same decision-making style. Same way of solving problems. Same way of showing up at work.

And over time, that can create blind spots, groupthink, and missed opportunities.

Scott is the author of Jungle Motives, a book and framework that uses animal personality types to help people better understand themselves and the people around them.

• The core idea behind Jungle Motives, and how animal personality types can help us better understand the people we work with. Four primary types include:

• Bear - balanced, event planners, intellectual, inventors

• Monkey - spontaneous and make everything fun

• Horse - Herd animal, focused on building community and connections

• Jungle cat - Alpha personality, natural leader, top-of-the-food-chain, and at times, focused on control

• Why he believes many organizations are using talent assessments the wrong way.

• Where leaders go wrong when they use personality data to decide who "fits" a role.

• How to separate personality from capability, especially when someone has the potential to be great but needs stronger skills, training, or support.

• Why teams get weaker when leaders surround themselves with people who think, communicate, and operate just like them. Better to have diversity in:

• Personality

• Character

• Perspective

• And what to do after your team takes an assessment so the insights actually improve communication, trust, culture, and performance.

The goal is not to put people in boxes. It's to better understand how to lead them well. That's how diverse teams build stronger culture, better ideas, and healthier growth.

It's time to #DoTheThing!

----

Show notes available with all links mentioned here: https://www.thesimplifiers.com/posts/427-how-to-better-understand-your-team---with-scott-wood

Time for a guided visualization exercise: How to stop carrying it all. Because maybe right now, you're carrying more than people can see. The decisions. The details. The emotional labor. The deadlines. The expectations. The invisible mental list that seems to follow you from room to room.

Maybe you're the one everyone comes to. The steady one. The capable one. The one who knows where everything is, what needs to happen next, who needs what, and what might fall apart if you stop paying attention.

And maybe lately, it's been feeling like too much.

Not because you're weak. Not because you're bad at this. Not because you should be able to handle more.

But because no human being was designed to carry everything at once. So this episode is an invitation to pause. To stop gripping so tightly. To come back to yourself. To remember that responsibility does not require self-abandonment.

You do not have to hold the whole world together today.

You get to breathe. You get to notice what is yours. You get to release what is not. And you get to take the next right step with a little more steadiness.

And so… to kick off the month, today is another guided visualization episode, which we release on the first Tuesday of every month this season. So, how does it work? Simple! Let my voice be a guide for you as you focus inward to help you tap into your inner wisdom and Intuition for answers.

You can do this, I believe in you.

It's time to SIMPLIFY.

Show notes available with all links mentioned here: https://www.thesimplifiers.com/posts/b171-how-to-stop-carrying-it-all-guided-visualization

We say we want leaders who listen. But if we're being honest, a lot of what we call "listening" is really just waiting for our turn to respond. Or scanning the engagement survey results and then, do nothing. Or hosting an overly scripted town hall. Or asking employees for feedback once a year, checking the box, and moving on.

But real listening?

That requires better questions. Simpler questions. Braver questions.

Questions like:

• What's not working?

• Where are you stuck?

• What are we pretending not to see?

And maybe the most important one for senior leaders to ask themselves:

• How did we get these results in the first place?

• Why he believes we don't actually have a listening problem, we have a question problem.

• Why leaders often avoid asking the most basic questions, even when those questions could reveal what's really broken at work.

• What to do after your engagement survey results come in, so feedback turns into action instead of another forgotten report.

• The art of asking great questions, and why leaders should not always start with the end in mind.

• And how to reframe engagement as a real performance driver, while also letting go of the myth that people need to show up as all-star workers every single day.

It's time to #DoTheThing!

----

Show notes available with all links mentioned here: https://www.thesimplifiers.com/posts/426-how-to-listen-like-a-real-leader---with-dr-adam-hickman

Leadership is easy to talk about when everything is calm.

But what about when the system feels stretched? When the team is tired. When the pressure is high.

When the old ways of leading are no longer working… but the new way forward still feels unclear. That's where people-first leadership becomes more than a nice idea. It becomes a strategy.

Because if leaders want to build strong teams, close skill gaps, make better decisions, and create cultures where people can actually do their best work, they have to start with the humans in the room. Including themselves.

• Where leaders should begin when they are assessing where their team is now, identifying skill gaps, and clarifying where they want the team to go next.

• What it means to "hold space" for C-suite leaders and founders as they elevate, especially in high-pressure seasons of transition.

• How self-awareness, CliftonStrengths, and meditation can help leaders understand their strengths, regulate their emotions, and make better decisions under pressure.

• A sneak peek inside her upcoming book, The Inner Work of Leading in a Broken System, and the core ideas leaders need right now to reclaim agency, alignment, and purpose.

• And there's a moment where we totally geek out about a reality TV show on Netflix called "Outlast: the Jungle" that teaches you a lot about good (and bad!) leadership styles that (totally) translate to Corporate America.

It's time to #DoTheThing!

----

Show notes available with all links mentioned here: https://www.thesimplifiers.com/posts/425-how-to-create-a-people-first-leadership-strategy---with-christy-honeycutt

Just checking in… How are you doing? No like, really. On a scale of 1-10 (10 = on the brink), are you feeling a bit frazzled, stressed, or overworked? Answer honestly, friend. How are you feeling these days?

My all-star special guest today is Michelle Hartley and she's simplifying how to squash burnout at work. You see, this insidious little thing called burnout can sneak up on you while you're not looking. And if you've been pounding away the triple iced coffees and burning the candle at both ends, you might not have noticed how it's wearing down your body, mind, and spirit. But the good news is… you can do something about it.

*NOTE: This episode originally aired on June 18, 2024.

Here's how.

• What the tell-tale signs are that you're about to hit burnout soon.

• The biggest misconception people have about burnout recovery and how to squash it in a different, more simpler way.

• What the three phases to burnout recovery are and how to take good care of yourself in each phase.

• How to ask your manager and/or HR team for support before/during/after you experience burnout and how to overcome the fear of speaking up. Also, if you're a people leader who notices someone is struggling on your team, she shares what you can do to proactively support them through it and help them get back to thriving.

• …and ultimately, the truth is that many people who suffer from burnout do it again and again… Michelle shares how you can begin to see the warning signs sooner in order to stop the cycle, or at least slow it down.

It's time to #DoTheThing!

----

Show notes available with all links mentioned here: https://www.thesimplifiers.com/posts/424-how-to-squash-burnout-at-work---with-michelle-hartley-all-star

Let's be honest. Work can bring out parts of us we don't always love.

The sharp email. The tense meeting. The moment you feel your face get hot and your patience leave the building. The instant when one more request, one more change, one more "quick question" feels like the thing that might finally push you over the edge.

And in those moments, it can feel like your brain has gone offline.

You're not thinking clearly. You're reacting. You're defending. You're spiraling. You're trying not to say the thing you'll regret later.

In other words… you're trying not to lose your ish at work.

• What emotional dysregulation can look like at work, and why it doesn't always show up as a big dramatic blow-up.

• The early signs we might notice in ourselves or others before we reach that breaking point.

• What to do in the moment to regulate your nervous system before you react.

• When someone does crash out at work, what belongs to the manager, what belongs to the individual, and how both can respond with more care and accountability.

• What it means to "lend your calm and your cortex" when someone else is dysregulated.

• How her "Play & Pause" methodology can help us create just enough space to choose a better response.

• And in her chapter on emotional intelligence in the AI era, Hiba connects emotionally intelligent leadership to hope. So we talk about how leaders can use:

• Self awareness - being aware of your needs, strengths and weaknesses

• Self management - what do I need in order to regulate?

• Social awareness - empathy and compassion for others, and reading the room - "empathy in action"

• Relationship-building - working together with others

…to help people feel steadier, safer, and more hopeful at work. And why that is something AI simply cannot replace.

It's time to #DoTheThing!

----

Show notes available with all links mentioned here: https://www.thesimplifiers.com/posts/423-how-to-not-crash-out-at-work---with-hiba-tanvir