Leading Real Change

BONUS EPISODE: HIDDEN NETWORKS – Uncovering inspirational leaders in unexpected places

This is a story for sustainability leaders who are at a crossroads. If you are struggling to make progress on your net zero emissions and create business value from your leadership strategy, this story is for you. It paints a picture of the world that already exists that you can discover and unlock to have more impact at scale. You may not be there today, but this story shows it is possible, when you look for answers in different places.

Creating a vision of the future for today with leadership CEO Kate Ebner

In this season finale of the Leading Real Change podcast, we wrap up this season focusing on culture change with Kate Ebner, CEO of The Nebo Company, a leadership development firm.

Kate shares how she takes leaders through the process of leading culture change. It starts with vision exercises that includes admitting what is not working right now, as well as highlighting our strengths that can be built upon. The willingness to admit where we are vulnerable allows us to face that fear head on.

Next she takes helps people to build a bridge to the future by preparing for change, building capacity for change, and then integrating change into corporate culture.

She talks about being able to simply share your change story so that you can communicate the purpose of change to others.

She also shared her belief that we can be more flexible in our leadership styles if we pay more attention to whether we need to be talking big picture or problem solving on daily tactics. And as leaders we need to be able to operate at multiple levels.

We also talked about learning from the process of change. Acknowledging that what we thought at the start was important or true didn’t turn out to be. So that we make change a more creative and fluid process, where being curious and compassionate helps us to keep learning and evolving as the world around us changes rapidly.

Incentives that can improve workplaces with Professor and Author Uri Gneezy

In this week’s in-depth episode of the Leading Real Change podcast, I discuss the value of incentives with behavioral economics professor Uri Gneezy, who is also the author of the book ‘Mixed Signals: How Incentives Really Work’.

In this episode, Uri explains how incentives really work, as they often don’t deliver the results we expect. In fact, they can backfire. Should you charge more in hot weather for a cold drink or charge less in cold weather for a cold drink?

This is why every new incentive should be tested before being scaled.

Uri and I discuss the different social and systems challenges in the workplace including remote work, paid leave, and affirmative action.

Uri explains when incentives can work and how incentives are not always financial, sometimes a positive workplace culture and more focused work hours can incentivize retention and productivity.

In some situations, we may not even realize what our incentives are communicating or that our policies we are favoring one group more than another, unintentionally incentivizing certain workplace behaviors.

As more companies embrace motivational strategies to engage workers including recognition and rewards programs, understanding the psychology and science behind motivational tools will help convey the right message and outcomes.

Although behavioral economics is not a new science, Uri reminds us how little we understand about how humans will react to new stimuli. Uri always tests these assumptions before making recommendations.

This is why we should also be skeptical of computer science models that claim they can predict human behavior. Every new situation and solution is new, with new parameters and potential consequences. Checking our assumptions actually play out in real life scenarios, is an important part of learning what works, when and with whom.

 

Using AI and data to drive equity with Pipeline CEO Katica Roy

This week’s eye opening episode of Leading Real Change talks all thing equity with CEO and gender economist Katica Roy of Pipeline.

Pipeline offers natural language processing to detect bias in promotion review documents and then presents managers with the results. This changes the conversation from are you unintentionally perpetuating bias, to are you intentionally choosing to make inequitable promotional decisions?

Our conversation ranged from the challenges of being a breadwinner mom, how to talk to girls about the barriers they’ll face in the workplace, the money wasted on unconscious bias training, and how to focus on designing equitable systems of hiring, promotion, pay, performance etc.

Given how many women are discovering through pay transparency laws that they have been paid less and that their female bosses have also made decisions to reward the potential of men more than women, this conversation is long overdue.

Building trust in teams for greater buy in with founder Art Shaikh

In this week’s down to earth episode of Leading Real Change, Founder Art Shaikh shares his philosophy and practice of building relationships to prevent burnout and inspire loyalty.

Circleit is a company that sends communications across the generations. For example, before a relative passes on they can prepare communications to share with loved ones long after they are gone.

This is a unique mission that has inspired many employees because they experienced the loss of a loved one and cherish the opportunity to support families passing on advice and life lessons in perpetuity. So having a purpose in work is a great motivator for many.

Given the mission is also about losing family members, Art has a unique sensitivity to supporting his employees when family members are sick.

He provides flexibility and compassion. But also freedom and trust to make their own decisions about what they need on a given day.

As a weekly practice, they have work from home Fridays.

Art’s team also have a strong sense of loyalty and support to each other. They have each other’s backs because the mission is critical and they understand that when they support each other through good times and bad they can reach their goals more effectively.

Many start ups burn through employees, but Art is focused on long term relationships, in the same way his products are creating life long relationships.

Recognizing employees’ value in improvement processes with Stephanie Mercado

In this week’s inspirational episode of the Leading Real Change podcast, Stephanie Mercado CEO of the National Association of Healthcare Quality shares how her organization transformed healthcare quality from compliance to competencies and career paths that lead to greater improvements and employee engagement.

Key takeaways include:

Moving beyond compliance as a box checking exercise involved creating a list of competencies that would lead to improved quality in daily work practices

Operationalizing quality improvement processes allowed employees to see the important role they played in driving better care

The list of competencies allowed employees to see how they could continue to grow in their careers by building more capacity to contribute to stronger quality processes

Stephanie shared how she connected her role to improving healthcare for all so her kids could understand why her work had meaning

In the same way quality improvement is an ongoing process, Stephanie believes that leadership is also an ongoing process of persisting on a journey of growth

Having purpose related to delivering better outcomes is a key employee engagement strategy

Setting Guardrails for Increased Productivity with CEO Kelly Robinson

In this week’s invigorating episode of the Leading Real Change podcast, Kelly Robinson, CEO of Panna Knows Recruiting, describes her journey to becoming a more supportive and compassionate leader. Instead of constantly trying to prove her worth, she now values her time and contributions and helps her staff do the same. She focuses on her staff so they can focus on their clients. It’s a win win.

Key take aways include:

1. **Transition from Employee to Entrepreneur:** Kelly's journey from being a managing partner to starting her own business highlighted the shift in priorities from pleasing others to focusing on personal fulfillment and work-life balance.
2. **Prioritization and Focus:** Adopting a system of prioritizing tasks and focusing on the three most important things for the day helped Kelly manage her workload more efficiently.
3. **Setting Boundaries:** Kelly learned the importance of setting boundaries, particularly regarding work hours and personal time, to avoid burnout and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
4. **Leading by Example:** By demonstrating a balanced approach to work and personal life, Kelly sets the tone for her team, encouraging them to prioritize their well-being and personal commitments.
5. **Empathy and Support:** Recognizing signs of stress or burnout in team members and offering support, whether it's granting breaks or providing resources for personal development, fosters a supportive work environment.
6. **Transparent Communication:** Kelly emphasizes transparent communication with clients regarding the company's operating hours and encourages open dialogue within the team to address concerns or frustrations effectively.
7. **Individualized Motivation:** Understanding each team member's unique motivations and preferences allows Kelly to tailor rewards and opportunities, fostering a culture of appreciation and personal growth.
8. **Leadership vs. Management:** Kelly distinguishes between leadership and management, highlighting the importance of motivating and empowering employees alongside task delegation and oversight.
9. **Self-Care and Reflection:** Prioritizing self-care activities, such as therapy and personal time, enables Kelly to maintain self-awareness and empathy in her leadership role, leading to more effective communication and decision-making.
10. **Continuous Improvement:** Kelly emphasizes the value of accountability and continuous improvement, encouraging her team to learn from mistakes and strive for incremental progress each day. She advocates for small, consistent actions to improve oneself gradually.

Operationalizing personal and corporate values with people leader Karen Price

In this week’s in-depth episode of the Leading Real Change podcast, Karen Price of Progress Software provides very practical tools to define your personal values and how companies can support employees to align their values to create greater energy and purpose at work. Key take aways include:

1. **Aligning Personal and Corporate Values**: Karen emphasizes the importance of aligning personal values with those of the organization. Finding synergies between personal and corporate values can lead to increased connection and energy.
2. **Forgiveness and Self-Compassion**: Karen highlights the importance of forgiving oneself for not being perfect, especially in balancing personal and professional responsibilities.
3. **Reflecting on Values**: It's crucial for individuals to reflect on their own values and how they align with the values of the company they work for. This reflection can lead to greater connection and energy in one's work.
4. **Embedding Values in Processes**: Karen discusses the significance of embedding company values into various processes, such as performance evaluations and promotions, to ensure that employees' contributions are aligned with organizational values.
5. **Inclusive Environment**: Creating an inclusive environment is essential for organizational success. This involves considering diverse perspectives, building communities, and examining processes and structures through an inclusive lens.
6. **Leadership and Inclusion**: Leadership plays a crucial role in fostering an inclusive environment by acknowledging and appreciating different perspectives and backgrounds among employees.
7. **Community Building**: Building communities within the organization fosters inclusivity and allows employees to connect with one another on a deeper level, thereby enhancing their overall experience.
8. **Supporting Wellbeing**: Prioritizing employee wellbeing is essential for preventing burnout. Organizations can support wellbeing through various initiatives, such as wellbeing sessions, employee engagement surveys, and fostering supportive relationships among colleagues.
9. **Baking Wellness In**: Incorporating wellness practices into regular check-ins and processes can help normalize discussions around wellbeing and ensure that employees feel supported in maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
10. **Empowering Employees with Flexibility**: Organizations should empower their employees with flexibility and appreciate their contributions, especially in supporting working parents who often juggle multiple responsibilities. By creating an environment where employees can thrive both personally and professionally, organizations can enhance overall productivity and employee satisfaction.