Podcasts about business chemistry

Stakeholder Management in the C-Suite: Ego, Relationships & Peer Power | Kevin Britz & Craig Page-Lee⸻

IN DIESER FOLGE SERVIEREN WIR DIR:   _CONNECT: Welcher Arbeitstyp bist du? Und wie beeinflusst das deinen Arbeitsalltag? Susann und Birgit teilen ihre Ergebnisse des Business Chemistry Model von Deloitte und geben dir einen Einblick in den kommenden Comma-Workshop mit Laura Lewandowski zur UND-Methode: Familie und Karriere vereinen! HIER anmelden.   _GROW: Wie hältst du dein Leben in Balance? Und wann ist der Zeitpunkt für Veränderung? Rebecca Lina, Künstlerin, Autorin, Designerin und ganzheitliche Mentorin, teilt ihre Erfahrungen und  konkrete Tipps, wie man mit Lebensumbrüchen umgehen kann und wie wichtig die Verbindung zur Natur im Alltag dabei ist.    _F*UP STORY Jeder kennt es – die Aufschieberitis bei Gutscheinen unerwünschten WhatsApp-Gruppen. _NETZWERKKIRSCHE Nancy Rolle, Expertin für ganzheitliche Frauengesundheit und Resilienz Trainerin, verrät dir, wie du einfach neue Verbindungen knüpfen und dein Netzwerk erweitern kannst.   _UNSERE HER KLUB DATES https://www.herklub.com/workshops _ÜBER REBECCA LINA Rebecca begann ihre berufliche Reise mit der Gründung von Elfenkind LINK Berlin, einem Unternehmen für nachhaltige Kinderkleidung, das sie im Alter von 28 Jahren ins Leben rief. Als Mutter von zwei Kindern schöpft sie ihre Superpower aus ihrer Fähigkeit, die vielen Aspekte ihrer Leidenschaft nahtlos zu verknüpfen. Ihre kürzlich erschienene Veröffentlichung "Grounded" erreichte innerhalb von fünf Tagen die Spiegel-Bestsellerliste und spiegelt ihre tiefe Weisheit und Erfahrung wider, die sie in den letzten Jahren in Verbindung mit der Natur gesammelt hat. Darüber hinaus inspiriert sie mit ihrer ganzheitlichen Arbeit Frauen dazu, sich mit ihrer inneren Stärke zu verbinden, im Einklang mit den natürlichen Zyklen zu leben und ihre eigene Balance zwischen Familie, Beruf und persönlichem Wachstum zu finden. _INSTAGRAM REBECCA LINA AWAKE _LINKEDIN REBECCA LINA  _PODCAST AWAKE & NAMASTE

Today I share my conversation with Suzanne Vickberg, aka Dr. Suz. She is a social-personality psychologist and a Research Lead at Deloitte Greenhouse. Along with her Deloitte Greenhouse colleague Kim Christfort, Suzanne co-authored the best-selling book Business Chemistry. But there's another type of Chemistry - or Alchemistry - that I sat down to talk to Dr. Suz about - shifting the default track of a conversation from protection and opposition to collaboration, Some years ago I interviewed Dr. Elizabeth Stokoe, a Professor of Social Interaction at Loughborough University, who speaks in her book Talk about conversations as having a landscape or a “track” that participants asses and orient to rather quickly…and that we glide down that track, while we monitor the texture of that landscape, and navigate the bumps in the road…so that we can keep things on safely on track. Check out our podcast conversation here and her TEDx talk here. In the opening quote to this podcast, you can hear Dr. Suz describing this process of “landscape orienting” happening very rapidly in a divorce context. Knowing the default path is very helpful when navigating a “hello, how are you?” kind of “small talk” conversation in a non-wierdo-way. Knowing the default track can help make things smooth and easy…when you're visiting the store, or a bowling alley. And when you don't know the basics of the track, things can be hard - Doing simple things in a different culture can be surprisingly slippery to navigate when you don't know the basics of the track.  But sometimes the default path can be extremely detrimental - especially when the default is ineffectual or becomes unconscious and habitual - we keep doing things out of rote, not intent. In business, a common default/habitual conversational path is looking at an underperformer and putting them on a Performance Improvement Plan in order to be able to fire them more easily, A non-default, more conscious conversation is taking the time to learn *why* they are underperforming and helping them actually transform themselves, their work performance and their lives….and in the process deeply benefiting the company and even the community. Seems impossible, right? Or grandiose? Carol Sandford, in her book about Regenerative Business talks about an organization that did just this… a manager discovered that a chronically underperforming and late employee was just functionally illiterate. That employee, once they felt safe to share more, helped that manager learn that many of their employees were facing similar issues. Instead of a PIP, this employee got literacy training, and became an advisor to a new literacy program developed inside the organization, which spread out to the larger community, in ripples of growth and transformation. That is a *non* default conversation - turning a PIP conversation into a community-transformation conversation. On a micro-scale, Dr. Suz's book tells the story of rethinking or re-designing the “default track” for a very, very common conversation - Divorce. When that word gets said out loud, people find lawyers, put up a shield, and start digging trenches.  There is a better way! It takes effort to deeply empathize with your “opponent” in a difficult conversation. It takes patience and imagination to collaborate with your “opponent” to design a win-win scenario.  But the default design for divorce doesn't usually create ideal outcomes…just conventional ones. It's possible to create something better than you can imagine if you create the space for a transformational conversation. Dr. Suz helps break down how “design” in these situations just means really understanding the REAL problem we're solving and what our IDEAL outcome really could look like… BEFORE we jump to solutions. Also check out my podcast conversation with Adam Kahane, author of, among many other amazing books, the book Collaborating with the Enemy - which is what I know a divorce can feel like. Some of his perspectives take this “divorce by design” mindset into the broader business and strategy arena. Enjoy this conversation as much as I did…and think about how you might transform the most challenging conversations in your life and work. With more conscious creativity and intention, with empathy and collaboration…with more design you can create more of what you really want, just like Dr. Suz did for her own divorce and for her own life. Head over to theconversationfactory.com/listen for full episode transcripts, links, show notes  and more key quotes and ideas. You can also head over there and become a monthly supporter of the show for as little as $8 a month. You'll get complimentary access to exclusive workshops and resources that I only share with this circle of facilitators and leaders. Links https://www.divorcexdesign.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzannevickberg/ https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/profiles/svickberg.html https://theconversationfactory.com/podcast/facilitating-breakthrough-with-adam-kahane

From mixing chemicals in a lab to shaping sustainable financing strategies, our C-Suite guest's career is a fusion of diverse experiences. Anju Abrol, CEO and Head of Wholesale Banking Asia Pacific, ING shares about her transitions, delving into the intersection of science and finance, and uncovering ING's vision for 2024.  She is also a great poker player, Top 100 in India in fact and she sheds light on how that helps her in reading the room and her leadership approach.   Presented by Ryan Huang and Audrey Siek This podcast is produced and edited by Anthea Ng (nganthea@sph.com.sg) She produces Mind Your Business, Biz-How-To and Breakfast Special segments on the Breakfast Show. Do contact her for topics: C-Suite, SME, Sustainability, Property, Intergenerational Family Business, Industry Outlook, Fintech and trending businesses in town.   Music credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributorsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's guest, Suzanne Vickberg, has a very unique story when it comes to how her and her ex handled their divorce. It's been thirteen years of them continuing to live together, as one big family with her, her ex, his new wife, and their children. She talks about the pros and cons of her family living this way, how it has benefited their children, the challenges with dating and what their life looks like now. Suzanne talks about how they created a vision for life after divorce, and the feedback they received from others. Tune in to learn how to do divorce differently. In this episode: [2:56] How Suzanne did divorce differently. [5:02] What was Suzanne's ex's reaction to the thought of being divorced but still living together? [6:57] Some pros and cons of living together while being divorced. [9:46] Were either Suzanne or her ex children of divorce? [11:38] How did Suzanne and her ex communicate that they were getting divorced and how they would continue to live? [13:20] What will the household look like once both kids go off to college? [14:26] Do Suzanne and her ex still own the house together? [15:57] What was people's feedback about their living situation? [16:45] What made Suzanne want to write her books? [20:57] How can listeners think outside the box and look at other options? How can they get their spouse on board? Key Takeaways: There aren't only two options, there are a variety of ways to deal with situations and circumstances. Look at all the options and ideas that you can come up with and decide if that's the best option for your family. Sit down and do a vision of what the best case divorce could look like. Even if it's not what you wanted, what could the best case scenario look like? Once you're clear about where you're going, even if you don't ultimately land there, you can act intentionally and get closer than if you didn't have a vision. Instead of taking everyone else's advice or doing what society says is the right way to do it, talk with your ex and decide how you want to do it. It doesn't have to look like continuing to live together, but it could look like spending the holidays together, or throwing birthday parties together, or keeping both your names on the house even though only one of you lives there. The options are endless so choose what's best for you and your family. Quotes: “Take what other people tell you with a grain of salt, especially when it's something that is so significantly life-changing for you. Really get quiet and listen to what your voice is telling you and stick with that, even when other people tell you, maybe that's not a great idea. If you trust yourself, then you are more likely to come up with something that is going to be right for your life, as opposed to everybody else's life.” - Suzanne Vickberg “I don't think I met a single person in the first two years at least, who ever said, hey, you're really onto something. Everybody said, nope, that's a terrible idea. Whether they were friends, family, strangers, professionals. I just kind of said, well, I think it's a good idea.” - Suzanne Vickberg Guest Bio: Dr. Suz is a social-personality psychologist and a leading practitioner of Deloitte's Business Chemistry, which she uses to guide clients as they explore how their work is shaped by the mix of individuals who make up a team. Along with her Deloitte Greenhouse colleague Kim Christfort, Suzanne co-authored the book Business Chemistry: Practical Magic for Crafting Powerful Work Relationships as well as a Harvard Business Review cover feature on the same topic. Resources:  Divorce by Design Divorce by Design Website Suzanne Vickberg's Instagram Lesa Koski Website Lesa's Online Courses To receive real-time alerts that your child is safe and to receive $50 off your Soberlink device, visit https://www.soberlink.com/partners/differentThe Onward app was made for divorced parents to help track, share, and split their children's expenses. Download The Onward App today for iOS or Android!

America's Coach Micheal Burt - Why Follow is so important to make a Business Successful. Learn Coach Burt's Aggressive and Powerful. 7 Touch Follow Up System. This system has big concepts that will forever change how you see the follow up process and teach you how to challenge prospects, get people off the fence, and close more deals. The purpose of your follow up should be to rekindle the initial ATTRACTION and BUSINESS CHEMISTRY you experienced with a PROSPECT. Begin using Coach Burt's system to solve all of your follow up problems. Everybody Needs a Coach in Life. #coaching #coachburt #businesscoaching

In our ongoing project to build a solid bridge between the theory and practice of entrepreneurship, we explore the connection between organizational psychology and the entrepreneurial personality. Lisa Stevenson studied I/O Psych as an undergrad, in connection with business courses, and became fascinated with it. I/O Psych is shorthand for Industrial and Organizational Psychology — the application of psychology in the workplace. Lisa went on to post-graduate studies and a Masters Degree in I/O Psych. She applied it in consulting companies, first as a recruiter and then as an organizational development consultant. Show Notes The application of I/O Psych is aimed at improving people outcomes and people performance within firms. The discipline embraces talent and fit — does an organization have the right talent to get jobs and projects done now and in the future, and do the people with the right talents “fit” the firm's values. Often, firms use I/O Psych to develop pro forma profiles and compare individual assessments to those profiles, looking to emphasize the most desired characteristics and avoid those that are unwanted. One of the methods of I/O Psych is the application of self-assessment tools. There exists a wide range of psychology-based or psychology-inspired self-assessment questionnaires and surveys that are focused on assisting firms and their HR departments to evaluate and optimize their employee base. One particular application is the combination of different personality types in teams in an attempt to balance strengths and maximize collaborative output and productivity. One of the prominent self-assessment tools Lisa mentioned is MBTI (Myers Briggs Typology Indicator) — a popular free version of which is available at 16Personalities.com. Another is "Business Chemistry", the internal tool used at the global consulting firm Deloitte, where Lisa works in Talent and Development. You can take this self-assessment yourself at BusinessChemistry.Deloitte.com, and find the explanations and implications of their personality classifications. A third widely used self-assessment tool is StrengthsFinder from Gallup. Can self-assessment help entrepreneurs to succeed? Lisa says yes — but not in the same way that corporations use self-assessment. The entrepreneurial role — whether (co-)founder / CEO or team member — is different. It requires adaptability, being able to do lots of things well, not just one thing; to earn new jobs and skills, including “dirty work”; to be deeply involved in all aspects of operations to understand and master how the entire business functions, not just one aspect of it. When she is hiring for entrepreneurial roles she looks for (1) a bias for action and (2) a willingness to take risk (such as learning a new skill or taking on a new task) combined with a skill at mitigating risk (learning fast, narrowing options quickly, reversing bad choices when new information requires it, without self-criticism). Entrepreneurial self-assessment is not concerned with strengths and weaknesses, but with knowing oneself candidly and acting on that information. There is an entrepreneurial personality based in bias for action and risk mitigation, but it's not the same for every entrepreneur. It's best to find your own balance. (At Economics For Entrepreneurs, we are developing a self-assessment that assesses behavioral traits rather than personality traits — you can take the first iteration here). As an entrepreneur, Lisa applied the lessons of self-assessment both to herself and to her brand. Lisa started a growing jewelry brand called Rise Hawaii. Initially, it was based on her hobby of free diving and scuba diving. She would collect shells and sea glass and sell them to jewelers. She discovered that there were no jewelers making exactly the kind of jewelry she preferred personally — a combination of delicate elements with high-end precious metals. She started designing, then manufacturing — learning skills like dipping shells in molten gold — then selling on line and distributing to retail stores. Rise Hawaii is now a fast growing international brand selling online and through more than twenty retailers. Personality analysis helped her in two ways. She understood her own personality from the self-assessments she had taken, and could observe her own behavior in stretching herself too thin in her business by trying to please every potential customer and meet every demand. By understanding the underlying personality traits, she was able to change behavior for the good of both her business and her best customers. She also applied a similar assessment technique to the personality of her brand. Lisa realized that, initially, she was trying too hard to emulate established "Hawaiian jewelry" branding adopted by others, but this did not reflect her authentic self. She consciously realigned her brand's personality with her own. The result is a unique and sustainable brand positioning and a happy owner. And self-assessment helps Lisa imagine her entrepreneurial future: growth through alignment with companies and causes exhibiting values she shares, including worthwhile purposes such as ocean conservation. There's a way for all entrepreneurs to benefit from self-assessment and self-awareness. Take one or more of the self-assessments accessible via the links provided here. Absorb the background information that's provided. Use it to be self-aware: what do the results tell you about yourself? Did you learn anything new? Can you observe your own behavior and see personality traits at work? Are there any ways in which you are being inauthentic — behaving in ways that others want you to, rather than being true to yourself? What do the results tell you about your personal balance? Where does your profile need shoring up with new practices, new learning, or someone's help? The key is to be aware, to understand yourself. Links 16Personalities.comBusinessChemistry.Deloitte.comEntrepreneurial StrengthsFinderE4E Behavioral Self-AssessmentFind Rise Hawaii on Etsy at RiseHawaii and on Instagram at Rise.Hawaii.

Barbara in the Frame by Emmalia Harrington       Bab’s stomach growled for the third time in five minutes. “You were right,” she said, pushing away from her desk, “It’s time for a break.” Summer classes meant papers and tests smashed close together. There was hardly time to get enough sleep, let alone shop on a regular basis. The only food in her dorm room was an orange. Bab picked it up and walked to her dresser, where the portrait of Barbara, her grandfather’s great-aunt, sat.   Full story after the cut.     Hello! Welcome to GlitterShip Episode 71 for April 15, 2019! This is your host, Keffy, and I'm super excited to be sharing this story with you. Our story for today is "Barbara in the Frame" by Emmalia Harrington read by Before we get started, a reminder that there's still a Tiptree Honor Book sale going on for the GlitterShip Year One and Year Two anthologies on gumroad! Just go to gumroad.com/keffy and use the coupon code “tiptree,” that’s t-i-p-t-r-e-e to get the ebooks for $5 each. Emmalia Harrington is a nonfiction writer, librarian and student with a deep love of speculative fiction. She hopes to have many more publications under her belt. In the meantime she continues to plug away at her novel and short stories. Her work has previously appeared in Cast of Wonders, FIYAH and is upcoming in other venues. She is a member of Broad Universe and volunteers with the Speculative Literature Foundation. Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali is a writer, editor and narrator. Her publications include Apex Magazine, Strange Horizons, Fiyah Magazine and others. Her fiction has been featured in The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume 12 edited by Jonathan Strahan and The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume Three edited by Neil Clarke. You can hear her narrations at any of the four Escape Artists podcasts, Far Fetched Fables, and Strange Horizons. She can be found online at http://khaalidah.com.   Barbara in the Frame by Emmalia Harrington       Bab’s stomach growled for the third time in five minutes. “You were right,” she said, pushing away from her desk, “It’s time for a break.” Summer classes meant papers and tests smashed close together. There was hardly time to get enough sleep, let alone shop on a regular basis. The only food in her dorm room was an orange. Bab picked it up and walked to her dresser, where the portrait of Barbara, her grandfather’s great-aunt, sat. She put a segment in her mouth and gagged. “Sorry,” she said, spitting the fruit into her hand. Bab forced it down on the fifth attempt. Aunt Barbara’s portrait frowned and glanced at the bookcase. The clothbound spine of Auntie’s handwritten cookbook stood out among the glossy college texts. “You know it’s too early for the kitchen,” Bab kept her eyes on the shelves and away from her aunt. “Those girls will be there.” Even looking away, Auntie’s disappointment made her wilt. Bab retreated to her desk to choke down the rest of her fruit. “I’m safer here,” she said as she wiped her hands. “It’s just you, me and a locked door.” She closed her eyes, imagining what diet could sustain her until the cafeteria opened for the autumn. Carrots lasted days without refrigeration, and if she soaked oatmeal overnight, it would be soft enough for breakfast. Auntie’s book said food was more potent when shared. It had nothing like the recipes the other girls loved to make for their Soul Food Sundays. Placing succotash next to their cheese grits and fried okra was little better than exposing her whole self. “Remember when I came home from the hospital?” Bab asked, turning back to her aunt. “I was so skinny Dad and Papa wouldn’t let me see you.” She gave a thin smile. “They thought seeing me would crack your frame.” Her throat shrank at the memories. The bureaucracy at her old college insisted on using the name and gender on her birth certificate and stuck her in the boys’ dorms. Her roommates alternated between hitting on her and punching inches from her head when she rebuffed them. One loved spiking her food with hot sauce and worse. After a few weeks she couldn’t sip water without panicking; a full meal was impossible.  “None of that will happen here.” Bab cracked her knuckles and tried to type as memories of the last year washed over her. This women’s college’s administration accepted Bab for who she was, name and all. She still felt safer keeping to herself. That midnight, she entered the kitchen with cookies on her mind. She pulled out her baking sheet and spices before she came to her senses. Food never worked right in an unconsecrated space. After several deep breaths, she was scrubbing the counter and attempting to meditate. Incense was not allowed on campus, but would have done wonders to erase the pork and garlic scent left over from the soul food dinner. Even when her dormmates weren’t there, they were reminding her how she wasn’t. Curvy figures to her still-underweight frame. Cornrows and other cute hairstyles while hers couldn’t grow longer than peach fuzz without breaking combs. Bab bit her tongue. A clear mind was the best way to perform a ritual. A pristine table and stovetop later, she was assembling Auntie’s happiness cookies. Rice flour provided security and cloves purified the mind and heart. Cinnamon brought comfort and strengthened the power of the other ingredients. Mix with water to create a dough, pop them in the oven for fifteen minutes and suffer from anticipation. Tidying right away added power to the food and gave them time to cool, even if the aroma of fresh cookies filled her mouth with drool. Back in her room, there were things she needed to do before eating. She paid homage to Aunt Barbara, placing the nicest smelling piece by her picture frame. Next was covering her desk in a clean towel in lieu of a tablecloth and folding a pretty bandanna into a napkin. A duct tape flower decorated the space. After a prayer of thanks, she took her first bite. At first, it tasted like a cracker in need of dip. As she chewed, spices spread through her mouth and into her nose. Tension fell from her shoulders and neck. The more she ate, the more her cookie took on an extra flavor she couldn’t describe. The closest she could get was “a hug from the whole family.” When she checked on her aunt, Barbara’s cookie was gone, crumbs and all.   College was a never-ending battle between sleeping in and being on time for class. Bab had just enough time to pull on jeans and run to the Humanities Building, cursing herself with every step. Life was hard enough as is, she shouldn’t make it worse by writing papers after 2am. By pinching the back of her hand, she stayed awake all through the lesson. The effect faded as she headed to the bathroom, where she fought not to drift off on the toilet. She was washing up when a familiar voice went “I said ‘Hey!’” It was Jen, dormmate and Political Science/Africana Studies major, standing between her and the exit. Bab stretched her lips into a smile. “Not working today?” Jen laughed and shook her head. The beads tipping her braids tinkled as she moved. Bab wished she had a scarf to hide her own hair. “My internship with the Congresswoman is this afternoon. I’m between classes now.” “I wouldn’t want to keep you,” Bab hoped the other girl didn’t notice the wobble in her voice. “There’s time yet.” Jen headed for the water closets and paused. “You’re the reason the kitchen smelled so good this morning?” Bab forgot how to breathe. Nodding had to do. “Will you come next Sunday? The three of us can’t make dessert to save ourselves.” Without waiting for an answer, Jen entered a stall. The sliding lock sounded like a guillotine blade. It was all Bab could do to run to her next seminar. Terror percolated inside her, tightening her throat until she couldn’t get a lungful. The Number Systems for School Teachers lecture passed in a haze of greying vision. At her next course, the professor took one look at her and ordered her to rest. Back in her room, Bab spent an endless time curled on her bed, fighting for air. Clattering from the dresser pulled Bab out of herself enough to check the noise’s source. Auntie’s picture had fallen. “Thanks,” she returned to the bed, hugging the portrait like a teddy bear. Her heart bumping against the frame’s glass made a double beat, Auntie’s pulse moving in time with hers. Bab’s airway relaxed, and her head cleared enough to grab last night’s cookies. “What should I do?” she said after filling Auntie in on the bathroom encounter. “Dad and Papa couldn’t teach me black girl stuff. Jen and her friends have way more practice than me.” She took a bite. “If I change my mind, they’ll know something’s up, but if they get to know me, they’ll be just like my boy roommates and…” Aunt Barbara was pursing her lips. “You haven’t heard Jen, Maria and Tanya speak. Their majors are going to help them ‘change the world.’” Bab stuck her chest out, superhero style. Auntie raised her eyebrows. “I know becoming a teacher’s important,” she sighed. “But tell that to people outside my department. Anyway, that’s not the main reason they’ll hate me.” She glanced at Auntie’s cookbook. “On Sundays the kitchen smells like those TV shows with sassy mothers who teach girls how to cook the ‘real way.’” She made finger quotes. “Nothing like what we eat at home. They’ll take one look at my food and treat me like my old roommates.” Her stomach twisted. “I don’t want to go to the hospital again.” Finishing the cookie kept the worst throat swelling away. She still felt like barricading herself until graduation. Light glinted from the portrait. When Bab took a closer look, Auntie met her eyes. Aunt Barbara resembled a professor, stern but caring. If photos could speak, Bab would be getting a speech on conquering fear. The eye lecture finished with Auntie glancing in the direction of her book. Bab crossed the room, picked it up, and flipped through the dessert section. She doubted grapenut pudding would go over well. Apple-cheddar pie might work, but she wasn’t masochistic enough to make crust from scratch. Hermits seemed easy enough, but the next recipe stopped her cold. Froggers. Above the recipe, Aunt Barbara had written a few notes about Lucretia Brown, the inventor. Bab read and reread the page before saying “They might like it.”   Summer lessons meant more homework and less time. Bab spent her free days camped in the library, reading hundreds of pages worth of assignments before trudging back to her room to bang out papers. She peeked from her window before going outside. Maria, a Soul Food Sunday girl, wasn’t out running laps. Bab headed to the library, wiping sweat off her palms every couple of steps. If the Pre-Law/Economics student wasn’t marathoning, she was on work-study. Bab needed to find a secluded corner to avoid detection. Maria was nowhere near the front desk when Bab checked out her classes’ reserve texts. She walked the opposite way from the book return cart, in case the girl was shelving. Bab spent the next two hours in the clear until it came time to make copies. The other girl was bent over loading paper into the machine, looking more voluptuous than Bab could hope to be. Bab closed her eyes, praying to avoid a repeat of yesterday. “Hey.” Maybe starting the conversation would help. The other girl yelped, whirling around and overbalancing. Bab rushed to steady her, half-wondering if she landed in a romantic comedy. Maria’s face flushed redder than her shirt. “I didn’t see you.” It was Bab’s turn to freeze. She studied the wall behind the other girl’s head as she tried to form words. “Oh! You’re coming Sunday,” Maria sounded relieved. “We can talk then.” She stepped away from Bab and hurried to the front desk. Two hours and five textbooks later, Bab emerged from the library, dazed. Motor memory led her to the campus coffee shop, where she ordered a red eye. She needed the caffeine to unfry her brain and conduct decent extracurricular research. Maria was nowhere to be found when Bab walked to the reference librarian’s desk. There wasn’t too much on Lucretia Brown, but what existed came from places like the Smithsonian. The state historical society had a series of frogger recipes as well as official documents on Brown’s business. Bab’s coffee went cold as she pored over the papers.   “What do you think, Auntie?” Bab asked that night. “Those three might hate them because they have ‘frog’ in the name.” Aunt Barbara didn’t react. Bab twisted her hands and continued. “I found a zillion ways to make froggers. Some I don’t have to buy a ton of new ingredients for. One is similar to your happiness cookies and isn’t very sweet. They’ll think I was lying about making dessert. Another’s fried, not baked. Those three…” She drifted off as Auntie wrinkled her nose. “What do you think I should do?” Bab said, hoping Auntie wouldn’t give the obvious answer. She gave Bab a hard stare. “I can’t do that,” Bab said, backing away. “I’m safer not making friends.” She bumped into her bed. Auntie looked miserable. Bab stroked the picture frame before returning to fretting. Silently this time. Every recipe called for allspice, which promoted luck, success and health. It was also quite masculine. Bab wasn’t keen on infusing virility in herself or the others. Liquor united the feminine elements of water and earth, but she was too young to buy the rum froggers required. Bab prayed rum extract with its high alcohol content was an acceptable substitute. Auntie’s book had nothing to say about the power of molasses. Maybe it took after its sister sugar in terms of protection and enhancement. It could also be a soul food ingredient, though Bab was too afraid to check.   Spices were never cheap. Bab spent the next few days outside of class in the city. Ethnic enclaves had spices at better cost than supermarkets, and she was going to find the best prices. She always went on foot to channel bus fare into grocery cash. Her feet swelled until she could barely pull her shoes off at night, but she got all the seasonings she needed, plus extra rice flour. By Saturday afternoon, Bab recovered enough to limp to the market nearest to the dorms. Butter was easy enough to find, but molasses and extract remained elusive, no matter how many times she wandered Aisle 5. Between her focus on the shelves and her still complaining legs, she didn’t notice company until she bumped into them. Bab’s heart froze when she realized who she crashed into. Tanya was Jen and Maria’s buddy, a Business/Chemistry major and heir to a cosmetics firm that made products for black women. She might have been in jeans and ponytail, but her skin glowed and her hair smelled of jasmine and coconut oil. “I’m sorry!” Bab couldn’t apologize fast enough. “I should have seen you-” Tanya waved her hand. “I ran into you. Let me make up for it.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a wad of papers. “Have a coupon.” Bab reached for the offering, doing her best not to brush Tanya’s fingers. She didn’t want to piss the girl off by mistake. There were discounts on powdered soup, meal replacement shakes, frozen dinners… “Mind if I have this one?” Bab held up a voucher for oranges. Tanya shrugged. “It’s not like I’ll get scurvy.” Bab’s grin felt foreign on her mouth. “They’re also great for clearing the mind and cheering you up.” The other girl raised an eyebrow, something Bab had yet to master. “Isn’t that what chocolate’s for?” Bab’s cheeks burned, but before she could answer, Tanya said, “Maybe I’ll get some chocolate peanut butter this week. They taste good with strawberry Caffeine Bombs.” She waved goodbye. Bab couldn’t decide whether to stare at her, or her basket of white bread and neon drinks. She resumed her search for the remaining ingredients, trying to imagine what Auntie would think of Tanya’s cuisine. There could be rage, terror, or horrific rage. “Victory!” Bab announced later in her room. “Now I have everything for froggers.” She picked up the portrait. “Will it be all right?” Auntie beamed. “Of course you think that, we’re family. I don’t have that advantage for tomorrow.” Aunt Barbara looked Bab up and down before raising her chin. Bab crossed her arms over her bust. “They’re prettier than I am, and I don’t think a padded bra would help.” Auntie’s eye narrowed. “What’s worth knowing about me?” Her voice wobbled. Auntie glanced at the mirror. Bab stood in front of it for ages, trying to see what Aunt Barbara did. It never appeared. Whenever she turned away, Auntie nodded for Bab to return. Her throat ached from not shrieking her frustration. Her reflection continued to show someone who did not have the looks, goals or background as the other black girls in the dorm. She had bits and pieces of other kin in her appearance, like Papa’s forehead, Grandfather’s nose, and Auntie’s love of frilly blouses. Bab straightened her back and assumed the formal pose of Auntie’s portrait. She still couldn’t find what Auntie saw, but her urge to scream faded. Maybe one of these years she’d be as awesome as Auntie believed.   If Bab was going to bake undisturbed, she was better off starting at midnight. The cookies wouldn’t be the freshest, but she half-remembered one recipe saying froggers grew tastier with time. Or she could scrub the kitchen for so long, Monday would roll by before she finished. Giving the counter, sink and other surfaces the once-over wasn’t going to be enough if she wanted to win the trio’s favor. Bab scoured until her arms ached, shook them out, and started again. She filled her head with prayers for the cookies’ success and her continued safety. Whenever her mind wandered, she bit hard on her tongue. Now that she thought about it, froggers might taste better if she rewashed the baking sheet. As she worried it with a sponge, she caught a glimpse of herself on the aluminum. She was nothing more than a blobby outline, but it was enough to remember the afternoon. Auntie thought she was worth something and Bab needed to act the part. She preheated the oven and pulled out the measuring cup. Auntie’s recipe didn’t specify rice flour, but she could do with its protection. The spices that went into happiness cookies went into the mixing bowl, along with lucky nutmeg and ginger’s love. Macho allspice went in after all, to impart success. Wet ingredients went into another bowl, before she combined everything to make a sticky dough. Nothing a bit of flour couldn’t fix. She rolled everything out with the side of an empty glass, used the mouth of the same cup to cut out froggers and stuck them in the oven. Baking and cooling times stretched until every second felt like forever. Despite her best efforts, no amount of tidying would speed things. Sweat oozed from her face and armpits. As soon as she could move the cookies without burning herself, Bab fled to her room. “I did it!” She hitched her shoulders in lieu of a fist pump. Dropping the froggers now would mean baking them later in front of an audience. Once they were safely on her desk, she fell to her knees. “I thought of you as much as I could and how you want me to be.” On the floor, she couldn’t meet Auntie’s face. “I’m still not there, sorry.” Even through her jeans, the tiled floor felt so cool, but passing out here would mean a stiff back in the morning. “Just a minute.” It took a few tries to lurch off the floor and back on her feet. Bab placed a frogger by Auntie’s picture. “What do you think?” Between one blink and the next, the cookie vanished. Auntie’s smile threatened to push her cheeks off.   It was ten when Bab woke up, and eleven before she rolled out of bed. She only had a few hours, and laundry wouldn’t do itself. Typical for Sunday, all the machines were full, but one just had a few minutes left to run. She buried herself in a textbook, wondering if she could drop out of dinner, saying she had a test tomorrow. Auntie would be disappointed in her. The afternoon vanished in a flurry of chores, grooming and actual homework reading. Bab shaved, brushed her hair until her arm ached, and smoothed out the wrinkles in one of her nicer shirts. Whenever her throat threatened to swell, she turned back to studying. An hour before the event, Bab’s heart thrummed in her ears. She had one last thing to do before she was ready, but it meant going to the kitchen, possibly in front of everyone. The room was filled with cell phone music and off-key singing. Tanya and Maria’s backs were to Bab as they chopped away. Jen hadn’t arrived. Bab was free to cover the table with a freshly washed sheet, though she ached to clap her hands over her ears. The file quality, song genre and the girls’ lack of skill made it Vogon poetry in human mouths. She placed her duct tape flower in the center of the table before retreating to gather the froggers. When she returned, the pair was belting out what might have been “Baby Come to Me.” Bab prayed “4:33” was next on the playlist as she arranged cookies on her largest plate. She couldn’t do anything more artful than a pyramid of concentric circles, but it looked good enough for a magazine. A shriek stole the last of her hearing. “Bab, when did you get here?” Bab turned to Tanya, rubbing her ears. “I didn’t want to interrupt.” Tanya laughed. “It’s either sing or put up with Maria’s preaching.” “Soul food _isn’t_ vegan,” the third girl hissed. “Aren’t you making peas and carrots?” Tanya said. “Doesn’t count, I use butter,” Maria said. “See what I mean?” Tanya said to Bab with a hammy sigh. Bab’s smile shook around the edges. “Why not vegan?” “Thank you!” Tanya abandoned her cutting board to crush Bab in a hug. “You understand.” “Does that mean no cookies tonight?” Bab winced at her lack of subtlety. “They have dairy.” “Of course cookies,” Tanya stepped back, giving her a hard look. “Cookies need butter, chicken need salt, and collard greens are better with orange juice instead of pork.” “Blasphemy,” called a new voice from the doorway. Jen walked in, arms full of cans and equipment. “Smoked pork is food of the gods.” As the trio rambled amongst themselves, tension fell from Bab’s shoulders. She set the table, making sure everything was picture perfect while the others worked by the stove and countertops. Aside from the odd comment thrown in her direction, they left her alone until their food was ready. “What did you do?” Jen breathed as she took in Bab’s handiwork. “It looks like a real Sunday dinner now.” “Ahem,” Tanya said, looking in the direction of the garbage bin. An empty tube of biscuit dough and gravy can sat on top of the trash. “I was busy--” Jen started, but Maria cut her off. “I forgot salt, gravy will help the peas and carrots.” She plopped her dish next to the duct tape flower. “Let’s start?” No one commented on Bab sitting in the spot closest to the door. They were too busy saying things that threatened to stop her heart. “How’s the food? Maria used fresh carrots this time.” Tanya wiggled her eyebrows. Maria, Bab’s bench partner, turned the color of rust. The taste was on par with cafeteria food. Bab liked safety too much to say it aloud. “You’re right, it does go well with gravy.” Maria stared at her plate as more blood rushed to her face. “You know what would be great? Bacon.” Jen said. “Everything it touches turns to magic.” Bab opened her mouth, closed it and lowered her head so no one could see her face. Auntie’s cookbook never limited power to a single ingredient. The other girls were too busy arguing which brand of cured meat was best to notice Bab. It wasn’t long before the serving plates emptied. With competition out of the way, the froggers perfumed the table and made full stomachs grumble. “Are these the cookies you made last week?” Jen asked. Bab shook her head. “It’s a diff--” the trio snatched froggers for themselves and went to work reducing them to crumbs. Jen’s first bite took out a third of her cookie. Her eyes widened. Tanya chewed slowly, lost in thought. Maria closed her eyes and clasped her hands like a church lady. “What did you say these were?” “They’re molasses cookies.” Bab coughed, but her throat kept tingling. “Froggers.” “Made with real frogs?” Tanya said, her mouth wry. Bab took a deep breath and wished her lungs were bigger. “A woman named Lucretia Brown invented them.” All eyes were on her, none of them hateful. She looked at Tanya. “Lucretia was a black woman who ran an inn and made perfume and other things to sell.” To Jen and Maria she added “She was born in 1772 Massachusetts and owned property.” No one spoke. They were too busy considering their froggers. Bab took one for herself and bit in deep. Spices spread through her mouth and seeped into her being. Her throat relaxed enough to ask “Maria, mind if I jog with you tomorrow?” before she realized it. A second mouthful of cookie kept panic at bay. Maria’s ears darkened, but she said “I’d like that. Front door at eight A.M.? Wear good shoes.” Bab took a second frogger, but when she reached for a third, all she found was an empty plate. Hearing the trio tease each other as they helped with cleanup almost made up for it. The lack of singing certainly did. With four people helping, dishes and everything else were done in no time. Bab trailed the other girls out of the kitchen, itching to tell Aunt Barbara about tonight. It was too soon to tell how they’d take knowing Bab’s whole self, but for now they added warmth she couldn’t get with cookies alone. END     "Barbara in the Frame” was originally published in FIYAH and is copyright Emmalia Harrington, 2017. This recording is a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license which means you can share it with anyone you’d like, but please don’t change or sell it. Our theme is “Aurora Borealis” by Bird Creek, available through the Google Audio Library. You can support GlitterShip by checking out our Patreon at patreon.com/keffy, subscribing to our feed, leaving reviews on iTunes, or buying your own copy of the Summer 2018 issue at www.glittership.com/buy. You can also support us by picking up a free audiobook at  www.audibletrial.com/glittership. Thanks for listening, and we’ll be back soon with a new issue and a GlitterShip original, "Raders" by Nelson Stanley.

Kelly sits down with Kim Christfort at Deloitte to discuss the magic and science to crafting powerful work relationships. [audio http://serve.castfire.com/audio/3564233/3564233_2018-11-06-133933.64kmono.mp3]

Leader of US Deloitte Greenhouses, Kim Christfort along with colleague Suzanne Vickberg have developed Business Chemistry, a unique practical tool (and new book) for developing work relationships.

You’ve heard of personality assessment tests before. You’ve probably taken one (or two, or three). But can you remember your personality type? Can you identify the type of the person sitting next to you? Probably not. That’s why Suzanne Vickberg and her co-author Kim Christfort developed Business Chemistry, a personality test that’s easy to remember […]

Kim Christfort, author of Business Chemistry, joined us to talk about their work on understanding business relationships. Using a scientific approach, they've uncovered a new way of classifying business chemistry styles.

Segment 1: Tom Koulopoulos is chairman of the Boston-based global innovation think tank Delphi Group. Tom's most recent book is Revealing the Invisible: How Our Hidden Behaviors Are Becoming the Most Valuable Commodity of the 21st Century.Segment 2: Kim Christfort is the national managing director of The Deloitte Greenhouse™ Experience group, which helps executives tackle tough business challenges through immersive, facilitated Lab experiences, and client experience. She is the author of the book Business Chemistry.Segment 3: Marti Konstant is a workplace futurist with an agile mindset. She is a career growth analyst, author, speaker, and founder of the Agile Careerist Project.Segment 4: Christy Whitman is a transformational leader and the New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Having It All and co-author of Taming Your Alpha Bitch. She currently lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband and their two boys.Segment 5: Brad Hunter is the innovator of iWALK2.0 and the chief executive officer of the company, iWALKFree, Inc.Sponsored by Nextiva and Finagraph.

The Mentors host Tom Loarie talks with authors and innovators Kim Christfort and Suzanne Vickberg, Ph.D. (aka Dr. Suz) who lead the development of Business Chemistry® (also the title of their book). This is cutting-edge innovation for the workplace. Deloitte teamed with scientists from the fields of neuro-anthropology and genetics to develop a system that leverages modern computational techniques to bring a data-driven approach to observing and understanding differences in people's business styles. Kim and Dr. Suz will talk about how Business Chemistry works to reveal patterns of behavior to improve workplace dynamics.  Christfort is the national managing director of The Deloitte Greenhouse™ Experience team, which helps executives tackle tough business challenges through immersive, facilitated Lab experiences, and client experience IP such as Business Chemistry. Dr. Vickberg is The Deloitte Greenhouse™ Experience team's social-personality psychologist. Find Show Notes here. Listen below (or on any of the podcast platforms including iTunes, GooglePlay, and more)

  Curious why you click with some people, yet clash with others? While it’s great to click and difficult to clash, there is a way to find a common ground and establish harmony from our differences.   This episode, “Dr. Suz” shares her insights from her book “Business Chemistry”, in which she identifies four different[...]

Dr. Heidi spotlights some of the interesting conversations captured at Globorce’s WorkHuman 2018 event in Austin, TX. Kim Christfort, Deloitte Greenhouse Experience Group lead, interacts with senior executives struggling to tackle a variety of business challenges. At their core they often share a common problem: ineffective team dynamics leading to suboptimal engagement, productivity, and performance. Typically at the heart of this problem is a lack of understanding about diverse working styles. Her team has spent years researching work styles to shed light on how individuals prefer to make decisions, solve problems, work with others, and even respond to stress. In response, we developed and formalized the Business Chemistry® system, which identifies four core work types, flags ways that these different styles can potentially create conflict between individuals and within teams, and puts forward strategies to more effectively adapt and manage these styles day-to-day. Michael Bush, CEO of Great Places to Work for All, where he leads the global enterprise of more than 50 offices around the world. Under Michael’s leadership, Great Place to Work has evolved its mission and methodology to recognize companies that build great workplaces for all employees, regardless of who they are or what they do for their company. Michael is co-author of A Great Place to Work For All. Jess Klay, Senior Director of Design & Creative at Globoforce and Andy Swan, Founder of Simple Better Human on creating an amazing workplace and successful organization is a combination of strategy, design and action across people, place and activity. Who you are as an organization and the way you work impacts the type of environments you need to provide to enable everyone in and around your community to thrive. Because when people thrive, the organization thrives too! Website: hatchanalytics.com Twitter ID: monicacparker This episode is brought to you by my wellbeing tech of choice, Oska Pulse. It has helped relieve my chronic pain caused by Lyme disease so that I can get back to work, and life in general. Oska Pulse is a Pain Relief and Recovery Device using Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMF). It creates an electromagnetic field that pulsates while it modulates the damaged cells to squeeze the toxins out and opens the cells to allow nutrients (potassium, sodium and magnesium) to flow into the cell. The Oska Pulse puts the damaged cells in the best situation to repair themselves and then replicates the electrical signals your body creates to fix the damaged cells. Click here to get yours today with my Ambassador discount. Or enter 2BU as a discount code at OskaWellness.com ShortLink is http://bit.ly/EDS-Oska

In our previous episode of the Confessions Podcast, we discussed the importance of smart risk taking with Mark Buthman, CFO Emeritus at Kimberly-Clark Corporation. In that discussion, Mark revealed an interesting fact about himself – he doesn’t possess the normally dominant Business Chemistry traits of a CFO. Whereas most CFOs identify as Drivers and Guardians – driven and analytical personality types – Mark is an Integrator and team builder. It’s a dominant trait that gave him a unique perspective on the need for diversity within a team, and which he believes led to much of his success over the years. “Over time, as I built teams, I tried specifically to look for complementary skills. One of the risks in finance, and [on] any leadership team—there’s a lot of analytical, decisive leaders around, but that doesn’t make for such diversity.”

  About this episode: Deloitte Greenhouse has created a system called Business Chemistry, a data-driven approach to recognizing and responding to differences in people’s business styles (Recently featured in the Harvard Business Review). Every Business Chemistry type is represented in the C-suite. Whether you like the big picture, crave details, value diplomacy, or prioritize directness, the degrees to which varying characteristics are represented in the C-suite may surprise you. This Episode is Brought to You By Jumpstart:HR HR Outsourcing and Consulting for Small Businesses and Startups http://www.jumpstart-hr.com On this episode of the Business, Life, and Coffee show, Kim Christfort, the national managing director of The Deloitte Greenhouse Experience group, will take us inside findings of the study so we can all learn how to forge stronger working relationships, tap into team strengths and accomplish more together. Which Business Chemistry type do you identify with: Drivers: Value challenge and generate momentum Guardians: Value stability and bring order and rigor Integrators: Value connection and draw teams together Pioneers: Value possibilities and spark creativity   About Business Chemistry and Deloitte Greenhouse: About Business Chemistry Since its inception, Business Chemistry has been shared with more than 200,000 professionals in more than 160 countries. Deloitte offers several tools to help teams and organizations learn about Business Chemistry, including Biz Chem 20 Questions, a tool that helps one create a hunch about someone else’s type. The Business Chemistry Blog, written by the Business Chemistry team, showcases how teams and relationships fuel our work with timely topics and unique insights.   About Deloitte’s Greenhouse Experience Group Deloitte’s Greenhouse experience group specializes in experiential problem-solving, and continues to advance this focus through tailored research, tools and designed experiences. Its physical spaces, the U.S. Deloitte Greenhouse™ facilities, are part of a growing global network of flexible environments designed to help clients and Deloitte professionals cultivate and nurture new ideas and solutions. In addition to the U.S., Deloitte Greenhouse™ spaces are located in Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited member firms in Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, South Africa, Southeast Asia (Singapore) and the U.K., as well as at Deloitte University Europe, the Middle East and Africa (DU EMEA). Several additional Greenhouses are set to open in the coming months.