Weirdos In the Workplace

This week on #WITW we are chatting with our friend Garen Jemian. Garen is the founder and head executive coach of Inspireship, author of "Happy People Work Harder", and PCC mentor coach with more than 2500 client hours (that's a LOT!). He helps public and private sector organizations create coaching cultures and understand how to turn their values into action, among other things.

We are leaning into the power of personal development.

Enjoy!

This week on Weirdos in the Workplace, we are happy to welcome Stephanie De Montigny on the show. Stephanie is a mama of 2, an entrepreneur with 2.5 businesses and a neurodivergent creative.

How does she do it all?

Stay tuned!

This week, I'm thrilled to have my great friend Eleonore Eaves on the show to talk about the myths and truths about Executive Presence.

She's a brilliant strategist, writer and coach. Her resume includes 15 years working for for-profit and nonprofit organizations, London School of Economics, King's College London, and the government. Eleonore founded her own consultancy, Eaves Coaching, in 2021.

Enjoy!

Welcome to "Weirdos in the Workplace," the podcast where we celebrate authenticity, passion and purpose and all of the beautiful humans who bring diversity into our professional lives. I'm your host, and self-proclaimed weirdo, Erin Patchell. Today, we delve into a personal journey of self-discovery, embracing vulnerability, and learning how to become an ally in the workplace.

Stay tuned.

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Transcript >

Welcome to Weirdos in the Workplace, the podcast where we celebrate authenticity, passion and purpose, and all of the beautiful humans who bring diversity into our professional lives.

I'm your host and self-proclaimed weirdo, Erin Patchell. Today we delve into a personal journey of self-discovery, embracing vulnerability and learning how to become an ally in the workplace.

Stay tuned.

Picture and office filled with clearly extraordinary and unique people. In an office where we live and breathe personal and professional growth, I am one of their senior leaders, having gone through years of obsessing training and, getting outside my comfort zone, changing my habits.

Being confident that I had it all figured out, all I had to do was learn. Little did I know I was unwittingly committing microaggressions, leaving a trail of unintended consequences in my wake. But this is a story of growth and learning to hack my brain out of these harmful habits.

Even being constantly bombarded with inspirational quotes, knowing the three theoretical frameworks, sometimes teaching them and understanding the best practices, old biases still bubbled up. More than that, you probably can't tell from the podcast, but I'm actually a funny person, and I would make harmful jokes if I thought I was funny to them.

I learned to be a fantastic ally when it was expected of me, but as soon as I was in a room with my old friends or the right audience, I would laugh at the racist jokes, and I would walk right to the edge of what was appropriate and often take a step on the other side. You see, I've always been a shock jockey, and honestly, for most people, that's been a part of my charm.

Being independent-minded and frankly a little bit of an anarchist, I secretly hated that society or the men would tell me what to say or not to say. Things didn't change dramatically until my son came home from school one day, and he was about seven or eight at the time. One of the kids he knew had been called the R-word on the bus, and he was upset about it. I was like, what's the R-word? You know, I thought I knew all the bad words. And, you know, we can guess now what the R-word is. I'm not going to say it, but it was a bit surprising to me because, until that point, I think it didn't strike m that even this word was really an issue. Of course, I would try not to say things publicly but secretly inside. You know, I didn't really care.

So, my 8-year-old son had way more empathy than I did for the person who had been called this word, and he knew it was wrong, and I didn't know what was wrong. I didn't intrinsically know it was wrong.

I logically knew that it was wrong.

We've been told it's wrong for years, right?

I've been called that before, too, so that's an inherent part of bias. If I was called that, then everyone should be called. I don't know. I'm not trying to justify it, but that was the day that things started to change for me.

The next hurdle I had to overcome was a privilege because, like many people, life has been a struggle. We have yet to all be born with wealth, and I certainly wasn't. Everything I have gotten has partly been out of an extraordinary amount of luck.

Everything I've gotten has also been through a lot of hard work and getting outside my comfort zone to an incredible degree.

Recognizing my privilege as a white person in today's society was a bit difficult for me.

That doesn't mean that I haven't struggled, but it does mean that I do have an inherent level of privilege that there are that many, many people don't have in terms of my physical body. I don't have the strongest physical body in the world. I have been through many health issues, but the fact that I am able to walk, and I am able to, you know, function almost completely normally. I might not be an athlete, but I can function.

Almost completely normal as a person, and that's a privilege.

The way that I want everyone to see privilege, it's not about having more than somebody else. It's not about it, it is about the starting place, but people need to see their privilege and appreciate it. They want. I want people to see it with gratitude, right?

Because it's gratitude.

Our privilege helps us and gives us empathy when we see someone who does not have that same privilege as us, and that's a crucial step in becoming an ally. Because when once you gain that true empathy, you actually want to lift people, right being an ally is about raising people, and that's it.

It's about breaking down barriers and lifting people, and it's very active. It's not passive. My journey to allyship, and I'm not professing to do this perfectly. By the way, I am not perfect, so I am just trying to improve every day. Like I hope that you are but my journey to allyship.

Did break down. Most of the rest of my defences and breaking down all of your defences creates a very uncomfortable identity shift because you realize that you're looking at everything you've done in the past. All the situations in the past, and you're looking at them through a new lens. A lens where, you know, things that were completely normal to you before and completely right are now.

Extremely problematic, and that creates a very profound discomfort in your own body. And when that happens, the only tool that we have is forgiveness.

We need to forgive ourselves and allow others to forgive us as well. If you have caused harm, if when I have caused harm, even if it was something that, you know, I realized happened something that happened in the past. I will apologize for it.

Even if it happened ten years ago, I would talk to the person, I'll say, hey, this thing I recalled this situation, and I said blah blah blah, and now I know better, and I wanted to apologize for that. Maya Angelou said. Do the best you can until you know better, and then when you know better, do better.

I have to say that throughout recording this, I have had to stop occasionally and recompose myself because this is a much more sensitive topic for me than I had thought, and that tells me that I'm obviously dealing still dealing with feelings of guilt and shame for some of my previous behaviours.

I do not think that that is unhealthy. It's really important that we feel those feelings and then walk in them in order to get past them. As we all know, June is Pride Month. During Pride Month, it's even more important to be talking about these subjects. And so, if anything that I've said today has resonated with you either because you are noticing some of these behaviours in yourself or because you're at the same place that I am, and you're feeling that shame and guilt for some previous behaviours talk about it. Feel free to reach out to me. I'm always happy to talk about it. This is a really important conversation because it's such a challenging process, but it's important to remember that we aren't born knowing better. Very few people know better once they walk this journey, so we can't expect perfection from other people.

I can only help teach them, and that means teaching them publicly and that means teaching them privately. What happens behind closed doors if you're seeing problematic behaviours? You do need to address them. You can address them kindly, but you need to address them.

This quote by Desmond Tutu nails it. If you're neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the oppressor's side.

This quote tells us that we have two things to do, we must be active in situations of injustice. We need to increase our sensitivity to what it means to have an injustice.

What is injustice?

Because we all have different definitions based on our inherent experiences, backgrounds, and biases, I encourage you to broaden your definition of injustice. Use your empathy and look at situations from other's perspectives.

Because why not?

We don't have to be afraid of anybody. There is enough to go around for everyone in this world. This is a world of so much abundance, and the better we do, the better we all do.

That's all for today. I hope you liked the twelfth episode of Weirdos in the Workplace.

Remember that Albert Einstein said the measure of intelligence is the ability to change, and we can all change for the better.

That's all for today. Thanks for listening!

If you like this episode, I'd love to connect with you on https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-patchell/ or https://www.positivist.ca/. I'm your host Erin Patchell, and never forget, don't stay out of trouble.

Welcome back to Weirdos in the Workplace, the podcast that celebrates authenticity, passion and purpose in today's world of work. I'm your host, Erin Patchell, and this week we're going to talk about nurturing creative cultures where innovators can thrive. Building a creative culture can sometimes be a little bit like you've opened Pandora's box. Once the genie is out of the bottle how do you keep creativity from evolving into chaos? Let's chat about it.

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One of my favorite writers, Ursula K. Le Guin wrote "The creative adult is the child who survived." In this podcast, when I talk about a sandbox, I actually want you to picture yourself as a child sitting in a pile of sand. Maybe you're by yourself or maybe you're playing with someone else. I want you to feel safe in the sandbox. There are four short wooden walls around you. You have all the tools you need to build amazing structures or set the scene for a great adventure.

It's no secret that as we get older, we lose our childlike innocence and we let our own personal sandboxes get smaller and smaller, we let the walls get higher and higher, until sometimes we can't even see the sun. I actually believe that every person has the capacity to create. If you think you're not a creative person, I completely beg to differ. You give me a call. I will tell you what I see inside you.

But in the rush to adulthood and so many years running on that hamster wheel, it can be a struggle to unleash it. Particularly for those of us who have sometimes been burned by our creative sides and have learned the hard way that putting on a mask feels like the lesser of two evils.

As we all navigate the ever-changing landscape of our world, one thing becomes clear: organizations must not only adapt but embrace creativity to truly thrive. However, fostering a culture that nurtures and harnesses the power of creativity is no easy task. It's a complex endeavor that requires leaders who not only value unconventional thinking but also empower their teams to step outside their comfort zones and then know how to support folks who at first glance can sometimes seem chaotic.

And this is what I'm talking about when I say "letting the genie out of the bottle". Letting the genie out of the bottle means accepting the consequences of letting people unleash their creative potential. You might think that consequences seems like a strong word, but as we navigate innovation we need to think about our values, culture and behaviours in a holistic way. Everything we do has a shadow.

Risk-taking: Risk-taking is a valuable skill that can lead to innovation and breakthroughs. It involves a willingness to step outside one's comfort zone, explore uncharted territory, and embrace uncertainty. Taking calculated risks can propel individuals and organizations forward, encouraging growth and adaptability.

But - shadow side: excessive risk-taking without proper evaluation or consideration of consequences can lead to reckless behavior and poor decision-making and it can result in financial losses, reputational damage, or harm. So, we have to evaluate the risk and decide if that's something we're willing to live with.

Nonconformity. Nonconformity refers to the ability to think independently, challenge existing norms, and bring fresh perspectives to the table and is especially influential right now when we're talking about diversity, equity and inclusion. Embracing nonconformity can foster creativity, allowing individuals to break free from conventional thinking and discover innovative solutions. It encourages diversity of thought and can lead to paradigm shifts.

But, the shadow side. It can result in opposition or resistance to established systems or authority. This can lead to a lack of cohesion within teams, difficulty collaborating, and a breakdown in communication. Strong aversion to conformity without careful consideration of context and consequences may hinder effective teamwork and impede the progress within an organization.

And disruption. Disruption also involves challenging the status quo, revolutionizing industries, driving positive change, and improving efficiency. Groundbreaking innovations. Industry advancements.

But, like the others, disruption can create instability and resistance within organizations. It can lead to conflicts or tension with individuals who prefer stability and predictability. And without a clear vision or purpose can cause confusion and a lack of direction. So, we have to be really careful with these things.

And a lot of the time I see that leaders who are managing creative teams are actually taking it on themselves, taking what they perceive as the chaotic nature of innovation and working with creative people and internalizing it as their own failure. And if that statement sounds a little bit personal, it's because it is. I have been that manager and I've been that leader who is wholly aligned with the value of creative culture but is still lacking the skill set to get the absolute best out of their team. What I can tell you is that while it gets easier, because you're learning and maybe learning the hard way sometimes, I'm not sure we ever stop learning how to do better - nor should we. We're innovating, as a manager and a leader, we're learning how to nurture our teams, just as our teams are creating and innovating ways to deliver value to our customers.

Creative individuals are known for their free-spirited nature, penchant for exploration, and ability to see possibilities beyond the conventional. While these qualities are incredibly valuable, they can also present challenges for managers who have to prioritize and are pressured to prioritize efficiency, structure, predictable outcomes, deadlines, timelines and budgets.

Creativity has a way of breaking free from the confines of traditional norms and expectations. We are disrupting the status quo and challenging the established order. This can be both exhilarating and unsettling for managers, leaders and owners who are accustomed to a more controlled environment.

And sometimes it's even the passion and purpose for their work that can become part of the challenge, frankly. The idea of relinquishing control and allowing room for experimentation and exploration within that sandbox like we talked about, means providing the necessary resources and support for creative individuals to pursue their ideas, even if the outcomes are somewhat uncertain.

But as you can imagine, creativity without structure leads to chaos, and chaos is not good for business. To effectively work with creative people, managers must cultivate an environment of trust, where team members feel safe to express their ideas, even the seemingly unconventional ones. It's through this trust that the full potential of creativity can be unlocked. Once you have a foundation, that rapport, everything is easier - giving feedback, supporting development, aligning priorities and focus, making sure that the sandbox they are playing in, that we're playing in together, has structure and some kind of focus.

As managers, it's crucial to walk that tightrope between providing guidance, systems and direction, accountability of course, and giving creative individuals the autonomy and freedom to soar. Like a symphony conductor, leaders must bring together the diverse talents and perspectives of team members, harmonizing their efforts towards a shared vision. It's a lot of skills to learn. It's a lot of pressure.

It really is the vision though that is the most fundamental part. Forget culture and forget values for a second. When it comes to working with creative people and motivated intrapreneurs, your vision better be solid because they need something to tap into. If you don't have a strong enough vision, your team will start to develop their own vision, which is an extremely common source of incredible tension and potential conflict, and also risk.

Remember, creativity is not limited to specific roles or departments. It can thrive in every corner of your organization and by embracing creativity and providing the necessary support and freedom to explore new ideas, we're creating environments that foster that innovation, attract and retain top talent, and also position your company for longer term success.

Whether you're a small company or a large organization, I will encourage you to make it safe to try new things, to test new processes, say "yes" to interesting ideas. Make it safe for any person in the company to talk with any other person. It's actually shocking how many companies that I go into where they're actually a little bit scared to just pick up the phone and call one of their colleagues and set up a coffee meeting. Get to know each other. Talk about the different challenges. Break down those barriers.

Build moments of frivolity into your work day. If every minute of your time or your team's time is being spent on urgent matters, frankly, your time and their time is being wasted when you could be developing something that changes the game completely.

So, give your team a bigger sandbox to play in. Nurturing a creative culture is not without its challenges, but the rewards are boundless. Embrace unconventional thinking, empower your teams, and create an environment that supports creative exploration. You can tap into a wellspring of innovation and your organization will thrive even more in the face of change.

As you can probably tell, developing a creative culture isn't for the faint of heart. Are you up for the challenge?

To quote Maya Angelou, "You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." This sentiment beautifully encapsulates the essence of nurturing creative cultures. It's about recognizing that creativity is an infinite resource, one that grows and expands as it is unleashed and shared within an organization.

That's all for today. Today or tomorrow, lead by example and do something unexpected in your workplace. Stand up for something. Think out loud. Be wrong. Be brave. Create a little bit more creativity. Until next time, stay weird, stay wonderful and remember, don't stay out of trouble.

Hello my friends! Welcome to another episode of "Weirdos in the Workplace", the podcast that celebrates authenticity, passion and purpose in today's world of work! I'm your favorite weirdo, Erin Patchell and today, we're delving into the realm of technology and how you can help you, your business and your team to not just survive, but thrive in it. Let's dive in.

Marshall McLuhan, the person who coined the term "the medium is the message", was a visionary when it came to the intersection of technology, communication, and society. His words, "We shape our tools and afterwards our tools shape us," have profound resonance today.

When McLuhan referred to 'tools', he was speaking about technology in all its forms. And what he suggested is incredibly powerful. We, humans, have invented technologies like AI and machine learning, but in turn, these tools are now influencing us, reshaping the ways we work, communicate, and live.

As someone with neurodivergence, I've always had to grapple with certain challenges tied to executive functioning – which, for those who aren't familiar, relates to the brain's self-management system, overseeing tasks such as organizing, planning, self-regulation, and task initiation. For me, technology has been a game-changer. For instance, I have struggled with staying organized and remembering important deadlines and appointments, but digital tools like Google Calendar and task management apps like Asana have been life-saving. Ask my team, honestly I preach and preach and preach these things all the time. I live and die by them, honestly. I can set reminders for important deadlines, plan out my tasks, and even break them down into manageable sub-tasks. Similarly, note-taking apps like Evernote and others help me capture and structure my thoughts in real-time, completely changing the way I'm able to focus and attention to detail. Text-to-speech technology assists with reading comprehension, and speech-to-text tools make writing less overwhelming. By leveraging technologies like this and integrating them into my life, I've been able to turn my "interesting brain" from a hurdle into a strength, enhancing my productivity and performance while celebrating my unique way of interacting with the world. Because otherwise, I'm not sure I'd be able to do what I do and be as productive as I'm able to be.

And this is just on a personal level, right. If you look at emerging technologies like AI and machine learning, web3, these are perfect examples. We designed them to solve complex problems, and now, they're impacting how we think about these problems. They're changing our approach to business strategy, to medical diagnosis, in our everyday interactions, to being creative. I know those of us who have been using ChatGPT and other GPT-3 models, or GPT-4 models now have been completely blown away by how much they have enhanced our lives.

But as with most change, there comes fear. And I hear a lot about fear and technology, especially with respect to AI as well as machines- even more simple machines - that people fear will take over their jobs. A lot of people fear that they will be left unemployed when machines take over their jobs. And I would like to reframe that. AI and machines are not here to replace us. They're here to take over repetitive, mundane tasks that have long consumed our time. This allows us, I think, to focus on areas where humans naturally excel, like creativity, strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, leadership, and problem-solving and more.=

And if you're worried that a machine is going to take over your job, I just want you to stop right now. You need to think more about yourself. You need to have more confidence than yourself. You're worth a lot more than a machine.

But I do understand the fear. Before I was diagnosed with ADHD in my mid-30's, I struggled with a lot of different things and I honestly never thought I'd be as successful as I am today. There were times earlier on in my life when I was much younger, in my late teens and early twenties, that I didn't think I was going to amount to much at all. To be honest, if I was holding a steady retail job I would have been very happy with that. I'm very lucky to have landed a job in an organization that nurtured my creative side and my potential and my strengths, because without that I might still have been stuck in that same mindset.

I'd like you to imagine a workplace where technology does the heavy lifting, and you as a human being are free to engage in truly meaningful work, fostering innovation, empathy, and collaboration and really leveraging your strengths. This isn't science fiction, it's happening today, and it's making room for us to grow in ways we didn't think were possible.

And I'd like to throw out one more aspect to consider. We're facing a declining human population globally. I know that sounds insane because our population has exploded over the last hundred years. With fewer people entering the workforce, there's a genuine concern about maintaining economic momentum. Technology, including AI, can help offset this decline. It can increase productivity, keep our businesses competitive, and importantly, keep our economy more robust and resilient.

If you're a small business, I'm even more encouraging you to take advantage of new technologies that are coming out because I truly feel like this is the great equalizer. It will allow you to compete on a completely different level because you'll have the resources and ways of becoming more efficient that you never had before that used to be very expensive frankly.

In essence, we are in a symbiotic relationship with technology. We created it, and now it's helping us create a future where, I hope, we can achieve our fullest potential. But that's only going to happen if we aren't afraid of it. Like it or not, our evolution intertwined with technology. Unless you decide to completely opt out and go off grid, our evolution - your evolution - will be intertwined, completely entangled, with technology. The tools we shape, indeed shape us back, and in the process open up new frontiers of possibilities. So what do you think about that?

And it is a little bit scary to be honest. I mean, I'm excited about it but there's still a little bit of fear - ya know? The tech world moves at breakneck speed, and as a small business owner, investing in something that could be obsolete tomorrow is terrifying. But here's something to ponder - futurist Ray Kurzweil said, "We won't experience 100 years of progress in the 21st century—it will be more like 20,000 years of progress." The time is now, folks. We can't afford to kick this can down the road.

But, where to start, if you haven't started already?

Technology can often seem daunting. It's like learning a new language or a new skill. It takes time, and at first, there are going to be hiccups. But the key is to shift your perspective - don't view technology as your enemy. See it as your ally, your strategic partner in building a stronger organization.

Let's break it down. When we say a 'strengths-based' organization, we're talking about focusing on what your people do best and finding ways to make those strengths shine. Technology can be instrumental here. Imagine tools that help track individual skills and performances, identifying unique strengths, and aligning tasks to match these strengths. This leads to increased productivity and a more engaged and fulfilled team.

And when it comes to discipline, technology is amazing. It can automate workflows, streamline processes, and eliminate human error, or at least reduce human error, freeing up time and mental space to focus on strategic, high-value tasks. It encourages consistency and efficiency, making your business more disciplined and more agile.

And yeah, learning new technology can be overwhelming. It's like climbing a steep mountain, and the peak seems endlessly far. But remember, you're not alone on this journey. There are Sherpas in the tech world - experts who can guide you, help you understand the landscape, and equip you with the right tools. It's not as complex as it always seems when you're first starting out.

And here's a pro tip - look for a tech partner who not only understands the technology but also understands your business and your unique needs. They should be able to recommend solutions that are the right fit for you, not just the latest or the most popular. An incremental approach, like we talked about in the last episode, is usually best.

For example, if you're a restaurant owner maybe it's as simple as an online reservation system. This can enhance customer experience by making reservations easier and reducing errors. If marketing is important to you, maybe it's a workflow that can help automate some of your requests for referrals and reviews. It could be something as simple as that. If you own a retail store, you might think about starting with an inventory management system that makes things easier for your team and fewer 'out of stock' situations.

I think it's important to think about technology, and everything we do when we're a business and we're making decisions that enhance our profitability and enhance our clients lives, I think the most important thing is to focus on what's going to deliver customers value.

With each small step, you're doing two things. First, you're enhancing your business operations, which directly impacts your bottom line. But equally importantly, you're fostering a learning culture in your organization. Your team will need to learn how to use this new tool, adapt to the change, and perhaps even come up with creative ways to leverage it further.

The most important things to your customers is the best way to integrate technology mainly because you're not going to be boiling the ocean all at once, implementing all kinds of things at once, you're just going to be focusing on the next thing that is going to add value to your customers.

So I have a quick exercise you can do. It's called the Customer Priority Matrix. You should be able to Google this as well and find a visual model to use. You can do this exercise alone or with your team, and all you need is a piece of paper and a pen.

The first step is to list all the key aspects of your product or service. Think broadly here. It can be anything from price to quality, from delivery speed to customer support, and everything in between. Write these down on the left side of your paper, creating a column. Anything that you think is important to the customer journey.

Now, beside each aspect, give it a score from 1 to 10 based on how important you believe it is to your customer. This is your perception score. One means 'not important at all', ten means 'extremely important'. Be as honest and objective as you can.

Take a look at the scores. Are there any surprises? Is there something you've been putting a lot of energy into that is actually not very important to your client? You can start there and make some shifts. Take energy from that area, and put the energy into what's important to your client.

And step 4, now, this is where it gets more interesting. Try to get the same scores from your customers' perspective. You can do this through customer surveys or interviews. Ask them to rate the same aspects you listed on a scale of 1 to 10 and write these scores in a new column next to your own scores. This is your customer score. This is what they actually care about from their own mouths.

Nex you're going to compare things.Compare to see where you're putting your energy and time and money, and make sure it lines up with what your customers care about. And if there are some significant differences, and usually there are differences, if that's true for you that's OK, that's pretty normal. It just means that your priorities need to be calibrated a little bit toward your customers priorities.

Remember that using technology to enhance your customer and employees' lives is about creating a better, more fulfilling workplace. When your team isn't bogged down by mundane tasks, when they are really focused on delivering value, when they're empowered to learn, adapt and create, you're not just improving productivity, you're also boosting job satisfaction and employee engagement and long term longevity at your work.

As Alan Kay, a pioneer in computer science, said, "The best way to predict the future is to invent it." Let's remember that as we step into this new era. We aren't just adopting technology; we're actively creating a future - the future - of our businesses, our workforce, and our society. It's a future that's inclusive, innovative, and vibrant. It's a future where technology doesn't overpower us but empowers us, and I can't wait to see how we shape it.

So, let's invent our future. A future where technology and humans work together, complementing each other's strengths. A future where we are not replaced but elevated. A future where we're not afraid. That's the dream we should all be working towards.

That's all for today. Thank you for joining me on this journey. I look forward to our next adventure together next week. Until then, stay weird, stay curious and remember… don't stay out of trouble.

In episode 9 we explore how you, as a business owner or business leader, can lead your team to survive and thrive in today's economy. So buckle in and stay tuned.

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Hello, and welcome to another episode of "Weirdos in the Workplace". I'm your favorite weirdo, Erin Patchell, and we're on a quest - together - to turn business philosophy into business fact.

Today we are going to explore how you, as a business owner or business leader, can lead your team to survive and thrive in today's economy. So buckle in and stay tuned.

If you've been awake these past few years, you know we're in a business environment that is increasingly leaning towards leanness - less people, less money, less time, fewer resources. But the volume of work doesn't end. Even if your company hasn't experienced the stress of downsizing and restructuring, I'm positive you've felt the impact of the perfect storm of record low unemployment rates, record high competition for and shortage of talented leadership and upskilled technical people, record high levels of employee disengagement, stress and medical leave. All this in the middle of a cultural revolution that is pressuring organizations to make swift identity and behaviour changes at a breakneck speed in order to attract and retain the younger generation.

These trends affect every single industry and every single sector. I hear the same stories everywhere I go. It doesn't matter if I'm working in a small business in the private sector or a large government organization. People are people everywhere and it seems like the problems are essentially the same with very few variations.

These are problems that I spend a lot of time thinking about and not only because I help clients solve these problems but because I've experienced them myself in my own work, with my own company and work in previous companies that I've belonged to as well. Some of them are tales as old as time, but it seems like the problems are ramping up and becoming more and more critical.

These problems are the reason why I began researching different management frameworks and landed on agile and lean as the two, and for different reasons, as two of the best tools in the toolbox that can support managing and adapting in this - quote unquote - future of work. And if you taking nothing else away from the concept of lean and agile, it's two words that I want to talk about today. And the two words are incremental and iterative.

Think of increments as the bite-sized, achievable steps on the path to your ultimate goal. They are the bricks - or the minecraft obsidian blocks - that will construct your vision, one piece at a time. Think of iteration as the process of refining and evolving each of these blocks or bricks, based on feedback, your own personal experience, and what you've learned. It's a cycle of continuous improvement, ensuring that each brick contributes to a stronger and better foundation for your project or product.

And when we talk about the future of work, I think it's really important to think about the concept of "learning how to learn faster". The future of work… we don't know what's going to happen. Nobody knows what's going to happen in the future, by the way… nobody. Søren Kierkegaard said "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."

We need to learn how to learn faster in order to stay relevant, stay lean and adaptable, and to actually build something sustainable in a very unsustainable economy and unsustainable environment.

Let's dive into the psychological side of this. Increments and iterations serve as vital buffers against overwhelm and burnout. Each small success, each completed increment, triggers a hit of dopamine - the brain's reward chemical. Dopamine helps keeps motivation high and stress levels low, creating a sustainable cycle of positivity and productivity.

Psychologically, we have a natural desire to see and reach for that final result or destination. But wanting to reach big goals and finish projects is also socially engrained in us - it's not just how most individuals brains are wired but also how we're rewarded as we grow up. I can tell you that it's even that much more dramatic to people like me. I'm a person who until my late 20s, never finished a single project that I started without help, and trust me when I say when we are lacking this trait it can feel stark.

This psychological tendency to focus on the end result or goal can be attributed to a concept known as "teleological thinking." Teleology is backed up by various psychological theories and empirical studies. Some recognizable names of psychologists and philosophers who have researched teleology include Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Immanuel Kant, Jean Piaget, Friedrich Nietzsche, Charles Darwin, David Hume, Georg Hegel, Carl Jung & Sigmund Freud, and many more.

However, research by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky showed that we humans are terrible at estimating the time, resources and energy needed to complete a task or reach a goal, This concept, called the "Planning Fallacy" can lead to trying to do too much at once, which can cause projects to be delayed or fail, people to become burned out, disengaged and disillusioned, and businesses to lose their competitive edge and bleed money.

So I guess the good news is that if you've been wondering if it's you - it's not just you. It's literally all of us. The bad news is that if you think you're objectively great at estimating time and resources, studies have shown that probably only about 30% of you are about right… so chances are pretty good that you're wrong. Sorry.

It's important to note that while teleological thinking helps us set goals and strive to achieve them, it doesn't necessarily equip us with the strategies to break down these goals into manageable, incremental steps. That's where methodologies like iterative development come in.

And when I say "development" I don't mean software development. While some of these agile management concepts did originate in the tech sector, it's been a while now since they've begun to infiltrate other functional areas. If you're curious about where to start your education into these topics, hit me up on Facebook or Linkedin, or by email at [email protected] and I'm very happy to point you in the right direction.

Like all those other skills that we're not born knowing (cough, everything, cough), getting good at this is a journey. Complexity arises from the social dynamics inherent in any group effort. If team members feel a pressure to perform, demonstrate progress, maintain appearances if they're afraid their job is on the line, the concept of producing an imperfect product or solution, even as a stepping stone towards improvement, can be seen as a sign of incompetence or failure.

This fear of judgment can create a significant barrier to embracing an incremental and iterative approach.

Which is why it's so important to build it into the culture and DNA of your organization. We have to make it safe and OK to take an increasingly incremental and iterative approach, focused on the highest priorities that deliver value to our customers, and deliver a working increment that we can gather feedback on, before starting something new. Actually to put it more bluntly, we have to make it UNSAFE to take approaches that are not incremental and iterative. They should be avoided at all costs. If we're haven't planned with some clarity what the minimum amount of work to achieve an outcome that is functional and valuable, with a system in place for gathering, evaluating and integrating feedback, I'm not sure we should bother. I'm trying to think of a situation where this approach just doesn't work and I honestly can't think of any. But if you do, please, let me know. I love a healthy debate and I love to find out I'm wrong.

And it wouldn't be an episode of Weirdos in the Workplace if I didn't leave you with some quotes from interesting human beings.

John Locke said "The improvement of understanding is for two ends: first, our own increase of knowledge; secondly, to enable us to deliver that knowledge to others."

Winston Churchill said, . "Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things."

Ken Blanchard said ,"Feedback is the breakfast of champions."

David Hume said, "A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence."

Henry Ford said, "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently."

The coolest thing about starting to take this approach… thinking in increments and iterations is that it doesn't just affect your work - it will start to affect you as a person.

Haruki Murakami said, "And once the storm is over, you won't remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won't even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in."

So, thinking and working in customer value-focused increments and iterations will discipline you and the people you work with to finish the projects that you start, reduce friction, develop a consistency within a stronger framework, all which will help you learn your way into better employee engagement, health and wellness, retention, a stronger culture, performance, but even better - longer term sustainability and profitability for your team and your company.

That's all for now, if you liked the 9th episode of Weirdos in the Workplace, please share it with a friend. Until next time stay weird, stay wonderful and don't stay out of trouble.

Hello, and welcome to another episode of "Weirdos in the Workplace". I'm your host, Erin Patchell, your favorite professional people-problem-solver and I'm here to help you turn business philosophy into business fact.

Today we're talking about the world's most polarizing and, I think, underrated, skill set - sales.

For a lot of people, even the word "sales" brings up thoughts and feelings that we'd probably rather suppress. Why is that? Stay tuned.

There is no question that to have a successful business, selling needs to be a part of the equation. If you're the owner of your own business, then you also probably need to be its best salesperson - at least until you've established yourself enough to recruit someone who is even more talented than you are. But remember that they'll never have the same passion for your business as you do.

So why do so many resist learning the tools of the sales trade?

Well, number 1, it's hard. Especially for specialists or technical people who decide to start a business... and if that's you than this might feel familiar... but sales is the antithesis of perfectionism. It's something that almost no one is good at. So in order to get really good at sales you really have to either naturally be totally numb to your own failures or if you're a perfectionist or recovering perfectionist, you have to learn to hack your brain's natural response to failure. Because guess what - even if you have an amazing sales mentor, you have to practice to get good at it, and the first while you'll just suck, to be honest. You'll feel like a bumbling idiot.

It reminds me of the quote by Will Rogers, American Humorist and old timey film star, "Good judgement comes from experience and a lot that comes from bad judgement." So yeah - there is little room in sales for perfectionism... just throw that out the window right away.

So, to get good at sales, you have to get resilient and to get over your deep seated fear of rejection. You're gonna hear a lot more no's than yes's probably, even if you're taking a really subtle relationship-building approach.

And there is a negative stereotype about sales. We've all been approached by salespeople who we knew were just trying to make a quick buck. You don't have to be that person. You don't have to be that pushy dishonest or manipulative sales person. So, don't even worry about that. No one is going to perceive you in that way.

You might think that your personality or communication style isn't ideal for sales. I'm here to tell you, you couldn't be more wrong. Every single person has strengths that can support relationship building sales and community building sales. Solutions sales.

You might be a humble person who has a hard time with self-promotion. That's OK too. You can be confident that you can help someone without coming across as braggadocious. You can feel confident in your solution, product or the way you can support people and there are some really awesome sales frameworks out there that can help you articulate how you support people without being sales-y at all.

Like the fear of rejection, the fear of not making a sale, not reaching a quota, or otherwise failing in a sales role can make the idea of selling daunting. But again, practicing is the only way of getting through to the other side.

And the most importantly - many people have a total misunderstanding of sales and view it as purely transactional, rather than as an opportunity to help customers solve problems or meet needs.

When I was in college, a million years ago, one of the courses I had to take as part of my business administration program was on sales, and I 100% felt the same way. I absolutely hated it. . Actually, most of what I learned in the third year marketing specialization of my program made me sick to my stomach. We were being taught - or I thought we were being taught - how to get inside our clients heads and use their innermost desires and human psychology to make a buck. It that is something that went really against my values. I didn't understand that at the time, I just felt sick to my stomach, but i understand now that it went against an ingrained value system that I have. It wasn't until much later, I had been carrying this feeling for about 15 years, and it was much later thanks to great mentorship and understanding that there was a different way of doing things, that I realized it didn't have to be the way that I thought. You could be a great salesperson WITHOUT taking advantage of your customers. Actually, the ONLY way to become a truly great salesperson was by NOT taking advantage of your customers and delivering them true value. Something that is going to enhance their lives.

If you're a business owner or a business leader, then you probably have a sense that delivering value to your customers and creating raving fans is your #1 purpose.

That, my friends, is relationship-focused sales.

Relationship focused sales. It's something that micro businesses (companies with less than 10 employees) and many small businesses (which is in the 10 to 49 employee range) usually do phenomenally well, because they have to. Small business relies on a smaller niche of customers so it's that much more important to make your customer happy. That gets totally lost in translation when companies start to scale and start to treat all operations like a conveyor belt which includes customer service.

Theodore Roosevelt once said, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." And this quote could not be more relevant to sales.

When we focus on building relationships rather than making sales, we create a community. And in that community, referrals happen naturally. Your customers become your best salespeople because they trust you, they believe in you, and they want to share the great experience they had with you. Cuz guess what - great experiences aren't that common. And this is definitely something that you can do at scale, if you put your energy into the right places.

How can you, as a business owner or business leader, become your company's best salesperson and lead by example to everyone else on your team on how YOUR company approaches customer relations and selling?

First, assume your way isn't the best way. Assume there is always a better way to do things, if only you can sharpen your senses enough and pay attention to the right things and get curious. That doesn't mean you need to constantly be changing things that are working. Keep the things that are working but always be A/B testing - test new ideas and measure them against what you're already doing. Get a little scientific about it.

Second, start to care a little bit more about your customers. Most of the organizations I have worked with get to a point where they have kind of forgotten who their target audience is because they've said yes to so many out-of-scope projects out of a fear of loss. When that happens, it's time to go back to the drawing board. What problems are you What problem are you really solving for your customers? What do they actually care about? Who are they on a deeper level? Sometimes we need to go back to the beginning to refresh our memories. It's important to do that relatively frequently I think.

Third, sales are completely emotional, because relationships are emotional. Trust is hard to develop because most people don't genuinely care at all to be honest. If all of that caring sounds exhausting, remember that you don't have to care about every aspect of your customer's life - you only have to deeply care about the problem you're solving for them or the opportunity you're helping them create for themselves, their family, their business, etc, and that's what you have to get consistent and focused on.

Next, be authentic. People can tell when you're being genuine and when you're putting on a sales persona. So, drop the mask and be yourself. Tell them the truth, even if the truth is ugly. They'll respect you more for it. The biggest challenge here is that it takes time and energy and work to actually know what the truth is. So get real with yourself, so you can get real with your customers.

And finally - deliver value. Actually deliver value. Whether it's a product, a service, or a piece of advice, whatever it is, make sure it's valuable to your customer.

And if you want to get really good at this, there's lots of training and resources out there. You need to - I know it's going to sound woo - but put it out there in the universe. You need to want to seek out the knowledge. Check out courses on emotional intelligence, active listening, and consultative selling. These skills are not just valuable for sales, but for building relationships in all areas of life. Start to pay attention to the details.

Alright, my fellow weirdos, that's all for today. Remember, sales is not about transactions; it's about connections. It's about creating a community where people feel valued, respected, and listened to. So, embrace relationship-focused sales, and watch as your business grows, not just in sales, but in trust, loyalty, and community.

In today's episode, we'll be talking about taking a great leap into the unknown. If you're a bit of a weirdo (like me), chances are pretty good that there is something that you're passionate about, that drives you and that you desire for yourself. You have a vision. Today we'll talk about the act of creation and turning nothing into something. Stay tuned.

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and for individuals who have had struggles with their mental health, which is most of us - and even more disproportionately in the entrepreneurial community - even normal things can sometimes feel like we're taking a giant leap into the unknown. Sometimes we can agonize over the decision to leap and feel paralysed with the number of decisions, possibilities and risks. Other times, we take leaps into the unknown without worrying about the consequences, only to find ourselves on a raft floating downstream toward a waterfall with a broken paddle. What does a person do?

Helen Keller famously said, "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." and we all know the idiom "nothing ventured, nothing gained". "It takes money to make money"

Mark Zuckerberg says, "The biggest risk is not taking any risk... In a world that is changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks."

CS Lewis said, "If you never take risks, you'll never accomplish great things. Everybody dies, but not everyone has lived."

It appears that without taking a great leap into the unknown, you'll never accomplish your dreams. And there is probably some truth to that.

But what do you do when your heart yearns for adventure but maybe you've learned the hard way one too many times? And yes, I am speaking from experience.

Chris Hadfield said, "I'm willing to take risks that I think are worth it and I've worked so hard to make sure I survive."

How do we learn to, as my former boss, Alan, used to like to say, "take smart risks."

What I've learned over years of taking risks (and not always smart ones), failing poorly, and then eventually (eventually, eventually) learning to fail gracefully, is that learning to take smart risks is a bit like building muscle. It takes time. It's a lot more painful if you go about it the wrong way. The more you practice the easier it gets, but if you avoid it at all costs, eventually you won't recognize yourself. Also - it's never too late to try again and keep trying again until it finally clicks.

When it comes to our feelings, though, the usual strategies we use to manage risk - insurance, industry awareness, strategic planning and contingency planning, and education and training... sometimes those things can hold us back from taking the next step because they, counterintuitively, make us feel fear.

Interestingly, my small business clients almost always know what their next step needs to be, but something is still holding them back from taking the leap. When you are getting ready to take a great leap into the unknown, it usually feels just like that - a great leap, over a chasm, without a parachute or a safety net of any kind and that's super scary, right?

Where I help my clients (at least I like to think I do!) - and you can do this totally on your own - is a visual exercise. Picture yourself standing on a cliff high up on a mountain top. You're so high up that you can see the clouds and you can't see anything else around you other than the cliff that you're standing on and directly out across the horizen, say 100 metres away from you, you see another clifftop. On the cliff, you can see the ultimate outcome of your vision, purpose, passion. Think about it in as much clarity as you can. How will it work and function, live and breathe it as if it's totally finished. Like you're viewing it from afar, as if it's someone else's vision or someone else's dream.

If you've ever played minecraft this next part will be more sensical for you, but if not, hopefully you can picture this. We're going to build a bridge, block by block, and we're going to make it out of obsidian which is the toughest stone in Minecraft. Place the first block directly in front of you attached to the cliff's edge. The block represents something - a small step toward your goal. It might be something as small as an informational interview. It might be research. It might be writing your vision down on a piece of paper, or creating a vision board. Something small that you can achieve that will take you one small step toward your goal. If you're really anxious, place a second block beside it. This second block represents someone who is willing to stand beside you and support you while you're on your journey. It could be a coach, a mentor, or a community of creators that you've joined. As you become more confident, the blocks might get longer; getting you to your destination faster or the pathway might get narrower as you feel more confident with risk. I know some folks who can basically tightrope walk across over to their goals and if they fall off, they're happy to pull the parachute - usually at the last possible second. Maybe that person is you?

So, taking a leap of faith into the unknown is not just about the leap itself. It's about the journey it starts. It's about embracing uncertainty, learning as we go, and trusting in our ability to make our vision a reality. More importantly, nurturing a supportive community around you and a team that will have your back, which helps you take those risks but makes the journey that much more satisfying.

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." -Anaïs Nin

When you're a passionate person you get to the point when your vision or desire becomes greater than your fear. When you get to that point, know that you can achieve your dreams. You can do it in a great leap or one step at a time. The most important thing is to just do it. Just do it.

Thanks for joining us today on the seventh episode of "Weirdos in the Workplace." Stay curious, follow your desires, and remember that your leap into the unknown could be the start of your most daring adventure yet.

If you liked this episode I'd love to connect with you on linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-patchell/.

I'm Erin Patchell and - never forget - don't stay out of trouble.

In this episode of "Weirdos in the Workplace," discover the power of leading as an act of service. Delve into the philosophy of servant leadership, its origins, and its impact. Embrace the practice of self-leadership and learn how to integrate the principles of servant leadership into your own life and organization, no matter your job title.

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Welcome to Weirdos in the Workplace, the podcast that celebrates authenticity, passion, and purpose. In other words, the things that make us unique and a little bit weird in today's world of work.

I'm your host, Erin Patchell, and today's episode is on leading as an act of service. Today we're going to explore more about what it means to be a servant leader and why this philosophy can radically enhance your capacity to adapt to whatever happens in the future.

Stay tuned.

The philosopher Lao Tzu once said a leader is best when people barely know he exists. When his work is done, his aim is fulfilled. They will say we did it ourselves. Servant leadership is all about putting the needs of others 1st and prioritizing the growth and well-being of the people in the community to which they belong.

It's a powerful concept that's been embraced by some of the world's most successful and compassionate leaders. And the interesting thing is that when you put the focus on the people first, the revenue and the profit will follow.

So, I was quite a morbid child, and I thought a lot about death. One of the things I would think about was what would people say about me when I die.

I was very curious about that, and over the years, I've developed a lot of thinking around this. When it is my time to go, I hope people look back and say Erin's life was an act of service, whether I'm serving my family, team, customers, or myself, for my positioning. It's this way that it gives me energy, and I feel like it gives me perspective to prioritize my time. So, I'm dedicating my time in the right place. Now, I don't think you need to be a people manager or executive to be a servant leader, and I want to mention that right up front because I think it's really important.

We've made a lot of progress in this area in the last ten years, but when I say leader, I do not mean executive or person with authority.

I'm talking first and most importantly about self-leadership and leading by example. There are so many individual contributors who are strong leaders and many CEOs who are terrible leaders, and every combination in between.

There was a time not that long ago when I would talk to managers about leadership development because that was a big part of my role. And a lot of them would just fundamentally reject the idea because they didn't view themselves as leaders. They didn't see that within their identities. They had this thinking that the concept of leadership was reserved only for the decision-makers at the top, and in my view, that is an idea that we just need to retire immediately.

Every person, every organization, every environment and every scenario is so different.

There's always going to be something to learn and adapt to, so the art and desire, the art and visions of leading ourselves and leading others as an act of service, is a practice. It's not something that has an end goal. It's actually more like a way of living and a way of being that becomes part of your identity as a person. Then as you continue to practice, it sinks into the identity of your organization and becomes and formulated. You know a big part of your culture and your brand.

Servant leadership as a personal identity is something that goes viral. It's something that rubs off on people. When you embody it, you'll notice that the people around you are going to start embodying it as well.

Servant leadership has roots in ancient philosophical and spiritual traditions like Hinduism, Taoism, Christianity, and many others. The modern term servant leadership was coined by a gentleman named Robert Greenleaf in around 1970.

He wrote an essay called The Servant as Leader, and some of the characteristics included at that time, empathy, listening, stewardship and a focus of the growth and well-being of the people and the communities they serve. He believed that the leader's primary role is to serve others.

The inspiration for Greenleaf's concept of servant leadership came from reading a novel called Journey to the East by Herman Hesse.

In the story, a character named Leo serves a group of travellers as a servant, providing them with support and guidance, and the leader, the protagonist, discovers that Leo is actually the leader of the organization that sponsored their journey. This revelation led to Greenleaf having the idea that a true leader is someone who serves others first and leads by example. And, of course, he leaned into that idea. And, you know, I did a lot of research around it and explored it.

The concept of servant leadership is a very important building block of the world we live in today.

Right now, organizations are refocusing so much energy towards purpose, environmental and social governance, and, you know, recruitment and retention efforts that are focused towards that as well. You can see so many different organizations that are embracing these principles, such as WestJet, Telus, Shopify, Canadian Tire organization, Starbucks, FedEx, and the Government of Canada, among many others.

It's actually not as difficult as you would think to embrace the concepts. In fact, it's very likely you already are, and you just don't have a name for it.

So, some of the different ways where that you would begin to embrace this is, you know, starting from the beginning, simply getting to know the people around you, getting to know your stakeholders, who are your teammates, who are your customers, who are your family at a deeper level.

Start observing and gaining more sensitivity to their needs, their pains and what delights them.

What can you do to make things a little bit easier for them?

What can you do to give them a moment of joy that enhances their experience?

How can you keep yourself accountable for turning this into an active practice?

That someday, once it becomes an unconscious reflex, you can embrace it as part of your identity.

Start asking more questions and getting curious about your team's perspective. Give them room to make decisions and take the lead. Give them a bigger sandbox to play them. Let them make their own mistakes and be that person who protects them from anything catastrophic.

Consider taking a coaching program.

I can't tell you how transformative my experience was when I took my first coaching program. It was like the entire world spun on its axis, and I'm not kidding. It changed the way that I literally did everything in my perspective, and there is no better way to unlock the capacity for servant leadership.

Because what a coach training program teaches you above anything else, I think, is that you do not have all the answers.

You will never have all the answers; everyone else is infinitely more capable than you think, and the questions are more important than the answers.

So, if you're part of an organization, maybe you are leading an organization, and you're wondering how you adopt certain leadership principles and begin this transformation within your organization.

You can begin to integrate it into the DNA of your organization by starting with your vision, mission, and values, you know, reviewing your vision, vision, and mission values, and really thinking about them in the context of servant leadership.

How are your physical, hybrid or virtual work models serving the needs of your team? Everything about servant leadership and the values also has to be built into the structure of the organization. Every part of the organization has to reinforce every other part of the organization. How does your origin story and the tales and legends that are told within your organization reflect the motivations and behaviours that lead to a service mindset?

Are your compensation rewards and recognition programs serving your people?

Are you democratizing leadership, development, and skills development so that any motivated person can engage your curiosity and become the best version of themselves?

Are you implementing a? Choose your own adventure style talent management ecosystem?

Do you have a customer-focused culture of service that's connected to higher values and purpose?

How are your policies and procedures written?

I'm talking about the actual words that you're using. Are they cold and disconnected, or are they humane and logical but using like people first language?

Does your outward customer-facing branding reflect your internal values?

So, by embracing these principles, we can all become servant leaders in our own unique ways and create that positive change in our workplace and beyond.

But if you need to start somewhere, start with yourself first. We all have to begin with leading ourselves first, and once we gain consistency, you know things will start flowing from there naturally. So, lead yourself first. What is it that you need to do or change or not do in order to feel like you're embracing servant leadership?

John Quincy Adams, the 6th president of the United States, said if your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader. That means you.

That means you.

That's it for the sixth episode of Weirdos in the Workplace. I hope you found this exploration of servant leadership a little bit thought-provoking, and I want you to remember that you can be an agent of change.

That's all for today. Thanks for listening!

If you like this episode, I'd love to connect with you on https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-patchell/ or https://www.positivist.ca/.

I'm your host Erin Patchell, and remember, don't stay out of trouble.