Podcasts about myers briggs

This week I spoke with Sam Burton. He's an artist originally from Utah now living in my neighborhood in LA, which is how we met. He's an incredible musician and I loved talking to him. Sam came over a few weeks ago and we drank tea and talked about everything from how he began playing music, to how he approaches collaboration, craft, and creativity. He's deeply introspective and after studying Jungian psychology, he began reading tarot for himself and others. We spoke about how he got into typology, Myers-Briggs, and dream work and how that impacts his songwriting. He's candid about how “perfection bubbles” burst, the value of connection, and how constructive feedback given well has shaped his sound. We get into what he's learned recently about sustaining a career in in the music business, touring, maintaining a beginner's mind, processing external validation and criticism, plus his thoughts on love, nature, friendship, the music that shaped him, and more. I especially loved this one, Sam is humble, easy to talk to, and full of wisdom. Let us know if you listen. Show Notes:- Follow Sam on Instagram- Sam's LA release show night 1 (July 14) & night 2 (July 15)- Pre-order Sam's new album, Dear Departed (out July 14) - Listen to Sam's song Long Way Around- Sam's car accident GoFundMe- The Way of Tarot (the first tarot book Sam fell in love with)- For Sam's Jungian book recs: anything by Marion Woodman is a good place to begin- Listen to Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso- Our newsletter to get show notes + essays by me, recs, etc.- Find me: @letitouttt or I'm @katiedalebout- A few spots in the Creative Clinic: more info here or email me (katie@letitouttt.com) : ) - SPONSOR: this episode is sponsored by Paleovalley--head over to paleovalley.com/letitout for 15% off your first order!Thanks so much for listening to this podcast. 

Move over Myers-Briggs and DISC behavioral assessments, here comes Enneagram. While studying Myers-Briggs in college, Karl Hebenstreit, PhD accidentally was exposed to the several millennia old system called Enneagram. What is The Enneagram? It is a system of personality typing that describes patterns in how people interpret the world and manage their emotions. The Enneagram describes 9 personality types and maps each of these types on a nine-pointed diagram which helps to illustrate how the types relate to one another. This method dates back to the days of Aristotle. This is a fun conversation for HR professionals, sales people and even parents.. Out of the 9 traits: Perfectionist, The Helper, The Achiever, The Individualist, The Investigator, The Loyalist, The Enthusiast, The Challenger and The Peacemaker...what's your dominant personality trait? Karl Hebenstreit: Karl is a certified executive coach, leadership and organization development consultant, author, and international speaker. His 25+ year career spans the areas of HR and OD in the biotechnology, clinical diagnostics, life sciences, healthcare, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, professional services, high-tech, and real estate services industries, having worked at Merck, Bellcore, AT&T, Lee Hecht Harrison, Cushman & Wakefield, Kaiser Permanente, EMC², Bio-Rad Laboratories, and Genentech/Roche. He holds a PhD in Organizational Psychology from Alliant International University/CSPP (where his dissertation focused on “Helping Organizations Attract, Retain, and Motivate employees with the Enneagram”), a MS in HR Management from the Rutgers Graduate School of Management and Labor Relations, an Evidence-Based Coaching Certificate from Fielding Graduate University (that led to his PCC), and is an IEA Accredited Professional with Distinction as well as an IEA Accredited Professional/Provider/Teacher. He is the author of The How & Why: Taking Care of Business with the Enneagram (now in its second edition) and the children's book Nina and the Really, Really Tough Decision. About Awakened Nation: Fueled by the passion to ignite game-changing conversations, award-winning author Brad Szollose created Awakened Nation—a podcast dedicated to deeper conversations with today's outliers and cutting edge entrepreneurs, idea makers and disruptors, bestselling authors, activists, healers, spiritual leaders, professional athletes, celebrities, politicians and rock stars...conversations that take a deep dive into the extraordinary. This podcast will challenge your beliefs. Think Art Bell meets Joe Rogan. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/awakenednation/support

Dr Kirk Honda answers patron emails.From our sponsor, BetterHelp: Need a therapist? Try BetterHelp! https://www.betterhelp.com/kirkGet started today and enjoy 10% off your first month. Discount code “KIRK" will be automatically applied.00:00 Erotomania03:52 Who would play Dr. Kirk in a movie?04:46 Myers-Briggs & personality disorders08:40 Dr. Kirk's favorite international trip08:54 Rekindling a relationship with a toxic ex12:17 Stockholm syndrome & DV14:48 Personal considerations as a therapist26:40 Must do in Seattle29:49 Can talk therapy make anxious attachment worse?32:44 Dr. Kirk's psychology book recommendations32:54 How does racism affect attachment style?35:37 What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?36:43 How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?37:36 How differentiated is Dr. Kirk's family?43:14 OPP44:32 The perfect peanut butter, cheese & pickle sandwich46:41 Podcasts that Dr. Kirk enjoys50:11 Does Dr. Kirk like caviar?51:00 What songs are the PIS team members?54:47 Is it possible to specialize in multiple things?Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/PsychologyInSeattleEmail: https://www.psychologyinseattle.com/contactWebsite: https://www.psychologyinseattle.comMerch: https://teespring.com/stores/psychology-in-seattleCameo: https://www.cameo.com/kirkhondaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/psychologyinseattle/Facebook Official Page: https://www.facebook.com/PsychologyInSeattle/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kirk.hondaMay 5, 2023The Psychology In Seattle Podcast ®Trigger Warning: This episode may include topics such as assault, trauma, and discrimination. If necessary, listeners are encouraged to refrain from listening and care for their safety and well-being.Disclaimer: The content provided is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. Nothing here constitutes personal or professional consultation, therapy, diagnosis, or creates a counselor-client relationship. Topics discussed may generate differing points of view. If you participate (by being a guest, submitting a question, or commenting) you must do so with the knowledge that we cannot control reactions or responses from others, which may not agree with you or feel unfair. Your participation on this site is at your own risk, accepting full responsibility for any liability or harm that may result. Anything you write here may be used for discussion or endorsement of the podcast. Opinions and views expressed by the host and guest hosts are personal views. Although, we take precautions and fact check, they should not be considered facts and the opinions may change. Opinions posted by participants (such as comments) are not those of the hosts. Readers should not rely on any information found here and should perform due diligence before taking any action. For a more extensive description of factors for you to consider, please see www.psychologyinseattle.com

Introduction:  Alan McFarlane is a Scotsman now living in Barcelona. A native of Paisley, near Glasgow, he studied law in Edinburgh before becoming a commercial litigation partner of a Top-10 Scottish law firm. His interest in business development took him in 1991 to Barcelona where he gained his bi-lingual MBA from IESE Business School before embarking on a long, global multinational career which saw him lead the design and implementation of major strategic initiatives, living and working around the world in places like France, Brazil (where he served on the Latam regional exec.) and Hungary.  Alan is a published author of two books, a book on Egypt post-revolution and the seven moments of coaching published by IESE. Alan collaborates with IESE, Timoney Leadership Institute in Ireland and Human Content, the cutting edge of understanding personality in the workplace. This is the focus of our conversation today.    Podcast episode Summary:  Human Content is at the cutting edge of understanding personality in the workplace. Alan McFarlane works with Human Content and over the course of our conversation across this podcast he brings to life the potential, the human potential, housed in this body of work, a potential that often goes untapped. Alan illuminates what the instrument, B5+ aims to measure, why it is different from other more commonly known instruments and what can be achieved when this human potential is activated.  Points made throughout the Episode:    The fundamental drivers for Alan include Freedom & exploration for creativity.  As part of his journey into this work Alan shares a story from his past. As a then 16 year old in Paisley Grammar School, Alan won a competition, having come from “the back of the field”, for writing, The Reed Prize for English. Alan explains that because there was a large element of creative writing in the challenge he won over the more scholarly classmates.  It was well known at the time that Alan was going to study law but after winning this prize no one reflected or guided Alan differently.  Studying Law in Edinburgh University proved to be a complete mismatch. He shares that by his second year of study he was down or depressed and the saving grace for him was a membership to the film society at University. This membership allowed him to consume 8/9 films a week and that was his creative escape.  He graduated after 5 years and went on to pursue his apprenticeship and again there was no guidance or self-reflection to wonder if that was the right thing to do.  Another “saving grace” for Alan, in an ill-fitting career,  proved to be his involvement with the marketing committee at his then law firm. KPMG were brought in to help the firm with a reorganisation and strategy and they challenged Alan on his personal goals and he realised he did not want to be a practicing lawyer anymore.  That decision back in 1991,took Alan to Spain where he applied to IESE Business school to undertake an MBA- his best subjects proving to be organisational behaviour, Leadership Communication and Business Strategy. Alan self-confesses to have been blind to the activation in him by of his strength in these subjects and joined an Insurance Company in Spain after his MBA.  Alan is not ordered structured or planful notwithstanding the career choices he made in his career  Tomas Lovenskiold, the CEO of Human Content advised Alan to leave his employ when his role was being redirected. He told him to “get out” take the check this is not you. Despite this advice Alan stayed.  A terminal disease for Alan's father in law proved to be the lucky break Alan needed. The silver lining from this episode in Alan's life proved to be liberation. Alan used the back In Scotland to write his first book and to get in touch with his fundamental drivers.  Various collaborations later and a meeting with bureau chief of Africa, based in Cairo, of the NYT, Declan Walsh meant that for Alan he finally got in touch with his own fundamental drivers Meeting Declan meant that Alan met someone who probably held his ideal role, creative writing exploration and freedom to live and write in many countries. Alan recognised this role could have been for him if he had known or if he had been guided differently. It took 35 years before Alan was matched to his ideal career. Alan is now passionate to expand the knowledge of the Body of Knowledge that is Human Content so that people can be activated to pursue their true potential.  Alan would like to see a way where people, at 18 or earlier could be given a way to understand their fundamental drivers. The problem is that these drivers, consider them rocks on the ocean floor, are often masked by the expectations of others, situations, social norms, peer  groups or job approximations. You need some way to clear the waves and see the fundamental drivers.  Human Content is a complete fit with Alan's drivers. Human Content is the evolution of the Big Five Factor Model. Alan describes the evolution from the Big Five Factor Analysis  Alan names the modern labels for the Five Factors, two which relate to People factors 1 & 2, one where people draw energy from either their inner world or outer world and the other which measures how much people are naturally more compassionate and caring for people or more fact focused & outcome focused, making sure stuff is done at the right time. The next two factors, 3 & 5, style of work area, these include preferences on how we do things and preferences on how we think about things. The final factor measures factor number four measures emotional energy, where people are more present or absent.  Human Content is strident to say both side of any factor need to be regarded in equal light. There is no right or wrong way to be. The earlier use of the Big Five Factor model was biased in terms of the right hand side of the factor scales and  measures.  To be fully activated means a person's needs to find a role or career which aligns with the picture created the B5-PLUS  instrument (Given the context in which a person sits)  Knowing your fundamental drivers opens up the possibility for a person to tactically manage themselves at work.  The scientific approach adopted by Human Content makes it significantly different from other better known instruments such as MYERS BRIGGS, DiSC and Insights. This scientific analysis recognises the uniqueness of each human being. Other instruments are too simple. People are extraordinarily complex and Human Content endeavours to recognise the difference.  Personality Research is a largely underdeveloped area and the legacy instruments served a genuine purpose to raise awareness about the differences between people. They did not go far enough in Alan's opinion and he explains why.  Human Content is a well-kept secret because the legacy tools are well established and well publicised.  The precision of the outcome that is possible with B5-PLUS makes it attractive for organisational performance. It can drive employee engagement, You can clearly see the fundamental drivers for an individual. The fully explored factor analysis against a normed grouping gives much more exactness for role matching etc.  Growth Potential, Employee Engagement, Motivation and Understanding are some of the benefits that come from using B5+ as an instrument of choice.  The B5+-PLUS Instrument can be used to support team ambitions, understanding the needed fundamental drivers to succeed.  By taking the B5+-PLUS instrument a team discovers not only their individual fundamental drivers but also the nuances between them and the combination effects which means that they will have certain implications for how they are in the work place. This will have implications for what they enjoy doing and what they do well together and how they will interact together, smoothly or roughly.  Alan illustrates the impact of the B5-PLUS  instrument by way of a case study. B5-PLUS was used for 450 employees after a CEO decided to do a comprehensive role analysis and reformation. The employees were allowed to self-select their roles as a consequence of the rewrite using the analysis from the B5+ instrument. Customer Satisfaction as a key indicator for this firm went from 53% to 86% In another example this time from Norway, Alan shares a story about a hospital where the sickness rate was at 26%- 26% of all levels of the employee base at any one time were not available. The B5-PLUS  was deployed. People were allowed to be re-matched, where jobs or at a minimum tasks were readjusted or where people were reallocated to different departments. In four months after this work was completed the sickness rate fell to 2% Societal prejudice can blind us to the potential as expressed in certain kinds of personality or expressions of them. There is bias to seeing certain aspects of the personality spectrum as favourable.  Alan advocates that we take the B5-PLUS instrument and then acknowledge what is found. He asks that people acknowledge their fundamental drivers, embrace them and then exploit them for greater satisfaction in life.  Alan adeptly answers my question regarding the need often for people to wear multiple hats, say for example in a gig economy.  He also helped me be curious about a particular client of mine using the terminology of the B5-PLUS instrument and asked a couple of very pertinent questions that I can now explore with her at a future date.  The B5-PLUS is distinctive because of its precision as a instrument. It measures 5 personality factors and the facets that accompanies them in a manner that no other instrument does. There is a fully explored factorial analysis of the factors and facets, an order of analysis on personality that has never been done before.  The factor analysis, the design and process involved in B5+ makes it an instrument that is unique and helps others see their uniqueness too.  Alan uses his formula or 3 word frame, Acknowledge, Embrace and Exploit to encourage others to become aware of the contents of their individual B5+ report and to act on It.  The precision of this instrument allows you to confidently predict performance in the way that other instruments do not. Again this instrument can be used for recruitment and promotion that other legacy instruments advise cannot.  Alan used the last few minutes of this podcast to wish that individuals and teams at work could have their uniqueness recognised, and through that recognition for employers to make a conscious effort to match that persons uniqueness to their roles to make people, happy, satisfied fulfilled motivated & fully activated & for the employer to reap fantastic performance and growth.  Resources mentioned across this podcast    B5-PLUS Product from Human Content B5-PLUS personality assessment from Human Content www.web.humancontent.com  Linkedin.com/in/alan-mcfarlane-ob546b13 Novaturia Global SL, alan.mcfarlane@novaturia.com www.iese.edu The Seven Moments of Coaching by Alan McFarlane  Egypt's Thousand Days of Revolution by Alexander Murray (my pen name)  

Join me today as we explore the foundations of how the psychological shadow functions in personality. Drawing from the work of C. G. Jung, Myers-Briggs, and John Beebe, among others, we begin a fascinating four-part series on this transformational topic. The article I reference in today's podcast can be found here: An Introduction to the Shadow Functions by Susan Storm Musical selection: Terminal Shutdown by Joseph Beg --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lori-green2/support

Human behavior even when it seems to be erratic is predictable. In fact, CIA super spy, Andrew Bustamante says “humans are laughably predictable.” If this is true, then why do you struggle with relationships and achieving our desired outcomes? Former CIA intelligence officer, Andrew Bustamante teaches spy hacks to help people get the ultimate advantage in business and life. The CIA taught Andrew a better way of explaining what reality actually is; he now demonstrates how espionage shapes life for everyday people like you. This interview covers some really interesting areas of human psychology that you may be aware of but haven't fully connected the dots on. People are motivated to survive with given resources, and learning how their motivations shape their drive and personality puts you in control of your relationships and the opportunities you decide to move on. Key topics Andrew touches on in this episode: -The 3 lives everyone lives but not everyone admits to -Why the people ultimately self-destruct -How the new world power transition plays out over the next 10 years -The bloodless war in China to keep your eye on -Foreign power influence in US elections Recommended reading: Mao: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang, Jon Halliday, et al The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine by Anne Applebaum, Suzanne Toren, et al QUOTES: “What CIA taught me was a better way of explaining what reality actually is, and the reality is that 98 percent of human beings are trapped in their own perception, so the two percent that live in the real world that have perspective, they are able to manipulate the perception of everybody else.” “It's how you use another human's predictability that defines whether you typecast as hero or villain.” “The more a person's resources are depleted, the closer they get to their true Myers-Briggs personality.” “Questions are always being asked by the person in control of the conversation.” “Confidence is a perception, not a real thing. Confidence is how you perceive your own emotional reaction or your own emotional relationship with the environment around you.” “We are hardwired to survive, we are not wired to thrive.” Follow Andrew Bustamante: Website: https://everydayspy.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EverydaySpy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/everydayspy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everydayspy/ RESTART your life in 7 days: http://bit.ly/42KM8OR Click here to download your FREE guide to 100x YOUR EFFICIENCY IN 10 EASY STEPS: https://bit.ly/3F8qOJL Sponsors: Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at http://www.shopify.com/impact Visit http://www.houseofmacadmais.com/impact and use code impact for 20% off all purchases, and for a limited time a complimentary bottle of cold-pressed Extra Virgin macadamia oil! Post your job for free at http://www.linkedin.com/Lisa. Terms and conditions apply. Head over to http://www.mindpumpimpact.com to find the 5 most impactful Mind Pump fitness episodes that will transform your body and your life. Get 3lbs of Bone-in Chicken Thighs FOR FREE in every box, for a year, on top of $20 off your first order, when you go to butcherbox.com/impact and use code IMPACT  Find Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith wherever you like to listen to podcasts. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at http://www.betterhelp.com/impacttheory and make sure to check out our exclusive series for Mental Health Awareness month, only on Spotify.  Get 8 single serving packets FREE with any LMNT order at DrinkLMNT.com/IMPACT. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the Myers Briggs personality system, the last of the four dichotomies is Judging versus Perceiving. This is designated either by a J or a P in the Myers Briggs code. It is always the last letter in the code. For example, ENFJ or ENFP. What is the difference between the two destinations? That is the topic of this edition of the Customer Secrets podcast. I think that most of the experts have it wrong, and because of that, they have a hard time distinguishing people. This process of distinguishing people is called "Typing." In other words, it the process of classifying people by their personality type. In this episode, we'll explain what is the main difference between those people that are perceivers and those that are judgers. And more importantly, since this podcast is about using personality in sales, we'll see how it plays out from that perspective. If you would like to learn more about how to use the tools of personality to be more persuasive and effective in your relationships, I suggest my  course: ⁠"Easy Selling Using Personality Type."⁠ You can also get my book ⁠"Selling By Personality Type."⁠Additionally, you can also stay current on the latest developments in sales and personality by subscribing to this podcast and also visiting our website: ⁠CustomerSecrets.

"Learning by failure tends to leave scars, where learning by epiphany is about stars." Skip Bowman is working to debunk the myths and share his model for great leadership through growth mindset and psychological safety. Understanding what drives growth and what prevents growth are both essential in developing great teams and organizations. A growth mindset encourages individual members to continuously expand their potential while embracing challenges and learning from mistakes. Psychological safety, on the other hand, serves as a supportive platform that enables individuals to openly share ideas and take risks without fearing negative consequences. When applied together, these concepts can significantly improve team collaboration and overall performance. During our conversation, Skip emphasizes that growth mindset and psychological safety complement each other in creating effective and successful teams. He points out that these concepts should be an integral part of an organization's culture, allowing team members to fully explore their potential and achieve greater heights collaboratively. In this episode, we also talk about why it is important to: Embrace the power of growth mindset and psychological safety for remarkable teamwork dynamics Hone your emotional intelligence to improve cross-cultural interactions in diverse workspaces Unlock your self-awareness and obtain tailored strategies for impressive leadership performance Capitalize on human-centric approaches to excel amid societal and tech-driven transformations Don't spend any more time feeling frustrated and overwhelmed by the lack of progress being made towards improved team collaboration. Take a listen to this conversation with Skip to hear more on his Safe2Great model based on psychological safety and growth mindset. “If we don't create that safety and create that connection, we can't create anything great." Episode Highlights: 00:02:21- Skip learned the importance of creating safety in unusual circumstances while working as a diving instructor. He explains how this experience led him to study organizational psychology and focus on topics such as psychological safety and growth mindset. 00:08:16 - Psychological safety and growth mindset are linked and necessary for team success. Psychological safety creates the foundation for teamwork and collaboration, while growth mindset enables teams to reach their full potential. 00:09:44 – Don't underestimate the importance of relational potential in creating a great team. Teams should focus on creating connections and relationships between team members, rather than just individual potential. 00:11:50 – There is both the bright and dark sides of leadership. Many organizations default to unsafe and ordinary practices. 00:15:02 - Emotional involvement is essential in high-performing teams and innovation. Without emotional involvement, communication can become very simplistic and lead to misunderstandings and miscommunications. 00:19:19 – There are challenges of communicating across cultures, particularly when it comes to language barriers and accents. Using technology, such as auto-captioning systems, and being aware of different cultural patterns and norms can help. 00:24:16 - Be aware of language and cultural differences, open to learning from each other, and the value of using technology to help bridge communication gaps. 00:25:20 - Find out who you really are as a leader, rather than who you think you are. Most leaders lack self-awareness, which makes it hard for them to receive and implement advice. 00:28:11 – There are three types of leaders: hippos, snails, and clams. The key is to figure out where you are as a leader, and then adopt the right behaviors to become a better version of yourself. 00:30:29 - Assessments can help leaders gain a better understanding of themselves, such as Myers-Briggs, Gallup, and DISC. The assessments aren't perfect, but they can be a helpful starting point for self-improvement. 00:33:40 – Skip's new book, Safe2Great, and the diagnostics help map mindset across organizations, teams, and individual leaders. 00:36:52 - It is important to choose how to respond to change, rather than being a victim of it. There is discomfort that comes along with change, so take a step back and think about how to adjust to new circumstances. Connect with Skip https://www.skip-bowman.com/ Connect with Dan: www.dancockerell.com About Dan - https://dancockerell.com/about/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dancockerell/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dancockerell/ Facebook - www.facebook.com/dancockerellspeaker    

SHOW NOTES: In This week's Mind ReMapping Moment, we talk about Understanding Personalities; How Does Your Child Perceive the World. In the last two episodes, I talked about how I like to view and help people understand personalities in the context of Myers Briggs. We began with the conversation of introversion versus extroversion. If you haven't listened to those episodes, head over to the Black Mind Garden podcast and subscribe to catch up. Today, we will be discussing the second dichotomy, which is the sensor versus the intuitive. We want to understand our children's personalities in the context of our own personalities, as this helps us communicate better with them and move forward in a way that works for everyone. The sensor versus intuitive dichotomy is about how we perceive the world. Sensors perceive the world through touch, feeling, and outward interaction, while intuitives are more imaginative and perceive the world from the inside out. I identify as intuitive and don't need a lot of feedback, while my son is a kinesthetic person who needs to feel and touch things to perceive the world. Remember, these polarities of personality are a spectrum, and our kids can be on one end of the spectrum or the other end of the spectrum, and everywhere in between. Next week, we will be discussing the thinker versus the feeler dichotomy. If your child is old enough, you can have them take a test that takes about 20 minutes to determine which side they are on. However, if you are just observing, generally speaking, if they complete the task in their own way and not how you specifically said to do it, it may be that they're on the intuitive side.  Intuitive children may sometimes get mislabeled as oppositional to guidance, so it's important to understand that they are just finding a better way to do it.  We need to observe our children, listen to them, and pay attention to the way they process information and interact with the world.  Behaviors do not come out of the blue and that there is always something underneath. As parents, it's important to understand where on the spectrum our children are and to interact with them in a more trauma-responsive and trauma-informed way. Despite what most people realize, it's the unconscious mind that runs us. But how is that so? Get your first primer in 30 minutes! Follow and Share these pearls with others. ------------------------------ Follow Dr. Maiysha on Social media  www.facebook.com/DrMaiysha  www.instagram.com/DrMaiysha  www.twitter.com/DrMaiysha  www.YouTube.com/DrMaiysha ------------------------------------ Hosted by: Dr. Maiysha Clairborne Ready for the next level in your life? Join the Movement! Become a part of the Mind ReMapping Nation, an exclusive community that empowers your growth & accountability. Go to www.MindReMappingNation.com Interested to learn Mind ReMapping? Have you thought about becoming a coach? You can! Attend our next Mind ReMapping LIVE Training in Atlanta, and learn the tools to remap your mind in this transformational NLP/Hypnosis and Coach Certification training. Visit www.mindremappingacademy.com or schedule an interest call at www.remapmymind.today --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/remapyourmind/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/remapyourmind/support

Join Live: https://personalityhacker.com/live Date: Saturday, April 22, 2023 Where: Nashville, TN Come join us Saturday, April 22 for a live studio audience experience & podcast recording. Afterward we will hang out and connect as a community.

Narcissists don't have a badge on their shirt that makes them easy to identify. So how most people identify them is by their behavior. The problem with that, is that by definition, you have to interact with them consistently to learn their behavior. At that point, you've probably been trapped in their web. Now you have the problem of extracting yourself from that spider's web. The best way of dealing with the narcissist is to avoid them in the first place. But that means you need an alternative method of identifying them besides using "behavior." Thankfully, we have the tools of personality that can help us. From my own observations, narcissists usually come from just two of the 16 Myers Briggs personality types. So you don't have to worry as much about people from the other 14 types. In this episode, I'll explain how we know the narcissist usually comes out from these two types, and the we'll give you two huge clues that you can use to identify them just by sight. So imagine walking through a crowded street, and looking at the faces of the strangers and being able to pick out the potential narcissists. If you can isolate them prior to engaging with them, you'll control the situation, instead of letting them control you and your feelings. If you would like to learn more about how to use the tools of personality to be more persuasive and effective in your relationships, I suggest my  course: ⁠"Easy Selling Using Personality Type."⁠ You can also get my book ⁠"Selling By Personality Type."⁠ Additionally, you can also stay current on the latest developments in sales and personality by subscribing to this podcast and also visiting our website: ⁠CustomerSecrets.⁠ If you would like to be typed by me, live on this podcast, please reach out to me. The service is free because we'll use it to train other listeners on how to type people.

There are many personality tests out there, and the one of which most are aware is Myers-Briggs.  It was published in 1962 and was considered the gold standard for many years, but it is really just a tool that analyzes behaviors.  The Enneagram, however, takes a deep-dive into one's personality and provides a course of true self-discovery.  The modern Enneagram, which has origins that go back hundreds of years, has enjoyed a resurgence in the last thirty years.Deni Tato was the ever-optimistic, middle child of eleven siblings.  She managed to escape the chaos of her sometimes tumultuous childhood through idealizations and finding the good in her everyday reality.  Leaving the house right after high school, Deni married young, divorced, and remarried.  After twenty-two years of running a very successful business, having beautiful children, and the handsome husband, she had, what she says, was the perfect made-up life.Hitting midlife Deni knew she was still looking for something to fill the void she felt.  Inadvertently, she discovered the Enneagram of Personality, and it spoke to her in a way that nothing had before.  She learned that her always-sunny perspective on life was really her way of shielding herself from pain.  Her own path to self-discovery became her side hustle and eventually the foundation for Deni's very successful career as an Enneagram coach and consultant to companies and individuals all over the country.  Corporate Consciousness helps organizations and individuals achieve higher levels of emotional intelligence and create collaborative, effective work environments by offering models that improve internal communications and reinvigorate company culture.In this episode Deni and I discuss:Everyone has a core type (1-9) that develops by the time we are 7 years-old.  Both nature and nurture are influencers in your type.Types are:1. The Reformer2. The Helper3. The Achiever4. The Individualist5. The Investigator6. The Loyalist7. The Enthusiast8. The Challenger9. The PeacemakerYour wing is the personality types on either side of your dominant type.  We also have two lines connecting us types that can be called our "super powers" or access points.Deni's goal is for clients to "take up" more real estate on the Enneagram chart, where you get a truer level of consciousness.  She recommends the iEQ9 for the most accurate data to find your true Enneagram type, and you will receive a 23 page report.  With Deni's service, for $300, you will also get a 90 minute debrief. You an find Deni Tato at https://www.corpconsciousness.com/ Follow Asking for a Friend on Social media outlets:https://www.instagram.com/askingforafriend_pod/https://www.facebook.com/askforafriendpod/Please provide a review and share. This helps us grow! https://lovethepodcast.com/AFAF

The sequel to our popular "INFJ vs ENFJ Cognitive Twins" video is now out, Seven years later! In this video, @Indaviduall and I explore not only our similarities and differences from a Myers-Briggs standpoint but also how we have matured since the last video and what differences we have seen in ourselves. If you'd like to see the older video, check it out here!: https://youtu.be/crv0OJ_h-gg For the 13min condensed version: https://youtu.be/L61ryrX3GXQ And for David's social media, follow him on all platforms @Indaviduall ! #ENFJ #INFJ #16personalities Also feel free to contact me and/or check out my other platforms! For Coaching: DenzelMensah.com Email me! Deezy2Blessed@iCloud.Com Podcast: Anchor.fm/CandidConcepts Me and Heidi Priebe's Live Streams: Facebook.com/SPAsigmapq Blog Site: Deezy2Blessed.WordPress.Com Business Facebook: Denzel Mensah (https://www.facebook.com/DenzelMensah94/) Personal Facebook: Deezy Mensah (https://www.facebook.com/Deezy2Cold) Twitter: @Deezy2_Blessed (https://twitter.com/Deezy2_Blessed) Instagram: @Deezy2Blessed Snap Chat: Deezy2Blessed

In this episode, I delve into the phenomenon of people giving bad career advice based on their own personal experiences. While well-intentioned, advice from others may not always be applicable to our unique circumstances. I explore the importance of conducting our own trial and error experiments to find what truly resonates with us and creates a sense of fulfillment in our careers. I also dive into the four Myers-Briggs subtypes as coined by Dr. Dario Nardi and featured on the Personality Hacker podcast. These subtypes provide insight into how different personality types approach decision-making and career choices. By understanding our individual subtypes, we can make more informed decisions about our careers and avoid falling into the trap of taking advice that may not be suited to our particular personality type. Through discussion and analysis, I offer guidance on how to create contrast in our careers, experiment with different paths, and ultimately make the final choices for ourselves. So join me for this insightful and thought-provoking episode and learn how to navigate the complexities of career choices and create a fulfilling path for yourself. Don't forget to visit my Patreon page at patreon.com/happychemicals to support my podcast. Check out my book "Happy Chemicals: A Neurotic Memoir" at http://www.bit.ly/happychemicalsbook --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/happychemicals/message

The brilliantly creative medical doctor and Enneagram author Saleh Vallender (Sexual 5) indulges me with rapid-fire questions about him and his recent books explaining the neurobiological bases of our Enneagram types and Myers Briggs cognitive functions.  Saleh's questions:Where in the world are you at the moment?Where's home?What's a common reason to travel for you?How do you generally spend a long-haul flight?What languages can you speak?Favourite world cuisine?What is the first thing you usually do when you wake up?What's an important habit for you?Have you ever run a marathon?Would you?How do you relax?What are you most grateful for about your upbringing?If there was something you could change about your upbringing, what would it be?What are you most excited to learn more about right now? What stops you from learning everything you want to learn?What did you learn from writing your first book, 72 meditations?Biggest cause of sleeplessness? Did you always want to be a medical doctor?If you weren't a medical doctor, what do you think you'd be doing?Aside from the obvious, what's the most intimate thing you can do with another person?What is a quality that you notice yourself gravitating towards in others?Quality in others you find difficult? What is a quality you like about yourself?Biggest perceived inadequacy? When did you last fall out with someone?Do you think that we need to suffer in order to grow?Which countries did you visit during your break from medical school?What was your favourite place to visit and why?What were you seeking?Did you find what you were looking for?Do you ever get lonely?When do you feel the most alone?What was the last book you read? What's a piece of advice you haven't managed to forget?Do you still think you'll specialise in pain?Name one thing that science doesn't yet understand about pain.Do you think there are correlates between our types and our responses to psychological and physical pain?Describe your own relationship with pain.Who inspires you?When do you feel the most creative?When do you feel the most depressed?When did you last feel stressed?What helps you when you're feeling stressed?Who do you turn to for wise counsel? Describe your writing process The single most important thing you have done for your development?What is something that you want the Enneagram field to understand?What is something you wished the medical field understood?Do you think that correlations exist between our health issues and our types?What was or is your hope in publishing your book, The Enneagram, the Myers-Briggs, and the Brain, which includes your book, the “The Neurobiology of the Enneagram? Do you plan to empirically validate your various hypothesis?What helps you to stay present?What is a day well spent?What makes you angry?What do you tend to criticise yourself for?What do you tend to criticise others for?What do you tend to know about people without them telling you?What don't you usually know?What's one thing other people find normal that you find weird?What is one thing that other people find weird that you find normal?What is one thing that knowing the Enneagram has helped you with?Who in the field of the Enneagram would you like to interview?What are you working on to do with the Enneagram right now?What will you likely say to yourself when you listen back?Saleh's Enneagram books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Saleh-Vallander/e/B0BKP3GQX8/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1The interview he did with Kara on the Blindspot: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-21-the-neurobiology-of-the-enneagram/id1635625250?i=1000590199491

Katherine Druckman and Doc Searls talk to Kyle Rankin and Shawn Powers about Shawn's head's appearance at the recent SCaLE conference and 3D printing, all while having a little too much fun. Hit play if you always wondered about our Myers-Briggs types. Site/Blog/Newsletter (https://www.reality2cast.com) FaceBook (https://www.facebook.com/reality2cast) Twitter (https://twitter.com/reality2cast) Mastodon (https://linuxrocks.online/@reality2cast) Special Guests: Kyle Rankin and Shawn Powers.

In This week's Mind ReMapping Moment, we talk about Understanding How We Process Differently Increases Empathy. The Myers-Briggs personality inventory helps us understand others better. The importance of knowing how we process information is just as important as the content we process because there is a spectrum for each dichotomy, and we shouldn't box people into one category. Introverts get their energy from quiet and alone time. It is important to understand these differences in order to better interact with and care for our children. Note that it's important to recognize and respect these differences, and that we can do this by asking others what they need and honoring those needs. Challenges can arise when a parent is extroverted and their child is more introverted. As someone who grew up as an introverted child with an extroverted parent it's important for parents to give their introverted children space to recharge, especially after a draining day at school. Over-communicating can be overwhelming and draining for introverted children, so allowing them time to decompress and engage when they're ready can create a safe space for them to connect with their parents. For parents and children who are both on the introverted side of the spectrum finding non-verbal ways to connect and engage, such as working on a puzzle or playing together in silence, this can also be a helpful approach for partners in relationships. There is an importance of understanding different processing styles in the workplace. By recognizing how others work best and are most productive, managers can give feedback that is effective and help individuals thrive in roles that are best suited for their strengths. While it's important to honor and respect our natural tendencies, it's also valuable to push ourselves outside of our comfort zones and grow as individuals. How we can better understand and honor the different ways that individuals process and engage with the world, whether in our personal or professional relationships. Get your first primer in 30 minutes! Follow and Share these pearls with others. Follow Dr. Maiysha on Social media  www.facebook.com/DrMaiysha  www.instagram.com/DrMaiysha  www.twitter.com/DrMaiysha  www.YouTube.com/DrMaiysha Don't miss our Guest Episodes each Wednesday! Hosted by: Dr. Maiysha Clairborne Ready for the next level in your life? Join the Movement! Become a part of the Mind ReMapping Nation, an exclusive community that empowers your growth & accountability. Go to www.MindReMappingNation.com Interested to learn Mind ReMapping? Have you thought about becoming a coach? You can! Attend our next Mind ReMapping LIVE Training in Atlanta, and learn the tools to remap your mind in this transformational NLP/Hypnosis and Coach Certification training. Visit www.mindremappingacademy.com or schedule an interest call at www.remapmymind.today --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/remapyourmind/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/remapyourmind/support

The Enneagram is a tool that can help you build a life of #freedom and #authenticity. It differs from other personality typing systems like Myers Briggs and even astrology because the end goal is not the same. The goal of the Enneagram is to identify the strategy that you may have created for yourself as a child. When you identify this strategy, you can see where your #limitingbeliefs developed and no longer hold yourself back with outdated constraints. Today, co-hosts Ben Easter, Paige Easter, and Clayton Olsen talk about how to free yourself from your trance through the use of the Enneagram. There are many personality typing systems, but the Enneagram is a particularly useful one for #selfdevelopment because it aims to reveal your development trajectory. As a child, you develop armor to protect yourself in the world and this armor shows up as your personality. This armor served a purpose at the time, but now as an adult, it is helpful to peel it back to see your true essence underneath. To get started, you can use one of the online Enneagram tests to determine your number from 1 to 9. Be aware that these tests get pretty deep and can reveal your hidden insecurities and vulnerabilities. As you learn more about the numbers, you will likely find that the description which triggers you the most emotionally is the category that you fall into.Personality assessments can be useful tools, but rather than think of them as prescriptions for how you should behave, think of them more like descriptions for how you tend to be. The Enneagram is different because it not only reveals the box that may be limiting you, but also shows you a pathway to freedom from that box. Learn more about the nine Enneagram types and what your type means for you, so that you can live a more authentic life. Quotes“The aim of the Enneagram is to distinguish the box that you might be in so that you can create freedom in your life and actually not be constrained by it any longer.” (3:59-4:10 | Clayton) “The Enneagram is a way of talking about the different ways that we come up with to navigate reality such that we get to keep the body alive.” (25:13-25:22 | Ben) LinksConnect with Clayton:Website: https://claytonolsoncoaching.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtKW9swe4-j596iCIh2_nrA LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claytonrolson/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/claytonolsoncoaching/Connect with Ben and Paige:Website: https://lucidshiftcoaching.com/Lucid Shift Coaching IG: https://www.instagram.com/lucid_shift_coaching/Project Candlelight: https://airtable.com/shr5p0P2793RtRk2kPodcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tomorrow Antonia and I are starting our new "Moving Forward" Mentorship program... working with a small group of people who want to get their project or creative idea unstuck and across the finish line. —> https://personalityhacker.com/forward "Moving Forward" is a 4-week intensive mentorship that empowers you to complete your creative projects or goals. Utilizing our innovative "P.R.I.S.M. Method," we provide you with the focus, energy, and support to fuel your success. Embark on this transformative experience as we guide you from the beginning to project completion in a short span of just four weeks. Once you register we will personally work together to get your goals across the finish line. Each week we will host three calls on Monday - Wednesday - Friday. On the Monday/Wednesday "Success Calls" we spend time doing accountability check-ins with each person in the group to update progress, address sticking points, and offer motivation and support. (This is the call that we push away over-thinking and get into action). On the Friday "Action Calls" we spend time unpacking the reframes - calibrations - and overall progress of your goal/project. (This is the call that we bring in deep insights and thinking to ensure we are on track) The entire program is designed to bypass your over-thinking mind and focus you on actions that move you toward your desired outcomes.  

SHOW NOTES: In This week's Mind ReMapping Moment, we talk about Understanding Our Children's': Developing Personalities Through Myer-Briggs Lens. As a parent and educator, I firmly believe that empowering ourselves to understand our kids' personalities is essential to help them grow and develop into happy, healthy adults. Before we dive in, let me give you a brief overview of Myers-Briggs. It's a popular personality profile test that categorizes people into 16 different personality types based on their preferences for certain traits. It's important to note that this tool is not meant to box people in but rather express tendencies based on these personality types. The first category we'll discuss is introversion versus extroversion. Contrary to popular belief, being introverted doesn't mean you're shy or timid. Instead, it measures where people derive their energy. Do they recharge by being around people, or do they primarily recharge by spending time alone? It's important to understand that introversion and extroversion are not black and white; rather, they exist on a spectrum. The second category is sensing versus intuition. This category measures how individuals process information. People who prefer sensing focus on tangible, present things and require external feedback to know how to move in the world. Those who prefer intuition are more internally focused, imaginative, and tend to connect patterns and possibilities. The third category is thinking versus feeling. Thinkers rely on facts and logic to make decisions, while feelers make decisions based on values. It's important to note that while people often think of thinkers versus feelers as logic versus emotion, everyone ultimately makes decisions based on their emotions. Thinkers tend to rely more on their logic, while feelers' decisions are more influenced by their values. For example, let's say you have an introverted child. If you understand that they recharge by spending time alone, you can give them space when they need it and encourage them to engage in solitary activities. On the other hand, if you have an extroverted child, you can help them find opportunities to socialize and recharge with others. Similarly, if you have a sensing child, you can provide them with hands-on experiences to help them learn and process information. If you have an intuitive child, you can encourage them to explore their imagination and provide them with opportunities to connect patterns and possibilities. If you have a thinking child, you can provide them with logical, fact-based information to help them make decisions. If you have a feeling child, you can help them understand and navigate their emotions and provide them with opportunities to make decisions based on their values. Finally, if you have a judging child, you can provide them with structure and routine to help them feel more secure. If you have a perceiving child, you can give them space to be spontaneous and creative and provide them with opportunities to explore. Despite what most people realize, it's the unconscious mind that runs us. But how is that so? Get your first primer in 17 minutes! Follow and Share these pearls with others. Follow Dr. Maiysha on Social media www.facebook.com/DrMaiysha www.instagram.com/DrMaiysha www.twitter.com/DrMaiysha www.YouTube.com/DrMaiysha Don't miss our Guest Episodes each Wednesday! Hosted by: Dr. Maiysha Clairborne Ready for the next level in your life? Join the Movement! Become a part of the Mind ReMapping Nation, an exclusive community that empowers your growth & accountability. Go to www.MindReMappingNation.com Interested to learn Mind ReMapping? Have you thought about becoming a coach? You can! Attend our next Mind ReMapping LIVE Training in Atlanta, and learn the tools to remap your mind in this transformational NLP/Hypnosis and Coach Certification training. Visit www.mindremappingacademy.com or schedule an interest cal --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/remapyourmind/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/remapyourmind/support

Today I'm talking to Julian Crosson-Hill. Julian Crosson-Hill, ACC, is an ICF certified spiritual life coach and human design specialist. Julian's spiritual journey to answering his spiritual calling has taken many twists and turns over 32 years of seeking. Discovering human design during his spiritual life coach training really impacted that journey. Seeing human design as a permission slip to let go of the shoulds and have-tos has allowed Julian to create a life and business that feels aligned with his spiritual calling. As the founder of Priest of Inanna, LLC Julian helps spiritual professionals and entrepreneurs breakthrough self-created limitation and change the world. Julian is also an active member of the Humane Marketing Circle. In today's episode, we cover the following points: What Human Design is and where it comes from The five different Human Design types How knowing our design helps us in business and marketing How AI can be positive for Generators How HD hands out permission slips And so much more We use and love Descript to edit our podcast and provide this free transcript of the episode. And yes, that's an affiliate link. Ep 159 [00:00:00] Sarah: Hello, humane marketers. Welcome back to the Humane Marketing Podcast, the place to be for the generation of marketers that cares. This is a show where we talk about running your business in a way that feels good to you, is aligned with your values, and also resonates with today's conscious customers because it's humane. [00:00:21] And non-pushy. I'm Sarah Z, your hippie turn business coach for quietly rebellious entrepreneurs and marketing impact pioneers. Mama Bear of the Humane Marketing Circle and renegade author of marketing like we're human and selling like. We're human. If after listening to the show for a while you're ready to move on to the next level and start implementing and would welcome a community of like-minded, quietly rebellious entrepreneurs who discuss with transparency what works and what doesn't work in business, then we'd love to welcome you in our humane marketing. [00:00:58] If you're picturing your [00:01:00] typical Facebook group, let me paint a new picture for you. This is a closed community of like-minded entrepreneurs from all over the world who come together once per month in a Zoom Circle workshop to hold each other accountable and build their business in a sustainable way. [00:01:16] We share with transparency and vulnerability what works for us and what doesn't work, so that you can figure out what works for you instead of keep throwing spaghetti. On the wall and seeing what sticks. Find out more at humane.marketing/circle, and if you prefer one-on-one support from me. My humane business coaching could be just what you need, whether it's for your marketing, sales, general business building, or help with your big idea like writing a book. [00:01:47] I'd love to share my brain and my heart with you together with my almost 15 years business experience and help you grow a sustainable business that is, Full and sustainable. If you love this [00:02:00] podcast, wait until I show you my Mama Bear qualities as my one-on-one client can find out more at humane.marketing/coaching. [00:02:09] And finally, if you are a Marketing Impact pioneer and would like to bring Humane Marketing to your organization, have a look at my offers and workshops on my website@humane.marketing. [00:02:31] Hi, friends. Welcome back to another episode on the Humane Marketing Podcast. Today's conversation fits under the P of Personal Power as we talk about human design. If you're a regular here, you know that I'm organizing the conversations around the seven Ps of the Humane Marketing Mandala. , and if this is your first time here, you don't know what I'm talking about, but you can download your one page marketing plan with the humane marketing version of the seven [00:03:00] Ps of marketing@humane.marketing slash one page. [00:03:06] That's the number one in the word page. And this comes with seven email prompts to really help you reflect on these different PS for your business. Today I'm talking to Julian Crossen Hill, and Julian is an I C F certified spiritual life coach and human design specialist. Julian's spiritual journey to answering his spiritual calling has taken many twists and turns. [00:03:31] Over 32 years of seeking, discovering human design during his spiritual life. Coach training really impacted that journey. Seeing human design as a permission slip to let go of the shoulds and have twos has allowed Julian to create a life and business that feels aligned with his spiritual calling. [00:03:51] Julian helps spiritual professionals and entrepreneurs break through self-created limitation and change the world. [00:04:00] And Julian is actually also an active member of the Humane Marketing Circle, which is our community of humane marketers. In our conversation, we covered the following points. We talk about what human design is and where it comes from. [00:04:15] The five different human design types, how knowing our design helps us in business and marketing. One specifically interesting topic is how ai, artificial intelligence, can be a really positive development for generators. So for. Type of human design, which are includes many of us. I'm a generator, for example, and then also how human design hands out permission slips. [00:04:47] Before we dive in with Julian, I'd also like to mention that while I'm no human design expert, I do know how powerful knowing our design is, together with other information about how [00:05:00] we're wired. And I write about that in the marketing like we're human book. And I also dedicate a whole P for this type of information to the personal power P in the seven Ps of humane marketing. [00:05:13] It's also the second module in my marketing, like we're human, a k a, the client resonator program. And you can only resonate with your ideal people if you have a deep understanding of who you truly are, and knowing your human design is one of those things that can help you get a deeper understanding because I really feel like true confidence. [00:05:37] in your own ability and power comes from that deeper understanding, from that inner place of deeper understanding and this work to finding out what your personal power is. It involves vulnerability, curiosity, and bravery. Because only brave and deep thinking entrepreneurs dare to blend their [00:06:00] personal development with the business that they're building. [00:06:03] without constantly being sidetracked with the latest shiny object or tactic or social media scam or whatnot. So really this blend between finding out who you are, what your why is, what your personal power is, and then. Also, um, you know, doing the things we need to do in order to promote our business and stand out in all of those. [00:06:31] It's really that blend between, in a way, the yin and the yang, right? The marketing, like we're human program, ak, the client resonator is for those brave and deep thinkers, and the current cohort is at the P of promotion right now. So we have already gone into the deep waters and emerged as new and more grounded beings and beings who know their story and have now worked on their about [00:07:00] page and, and just come with this deep understanding of their worth and value and, and that's what. [00:07:08] Helps them or helps their clients resonate with them. And a new life cohort starts this August, 2023. So if you are one of those brave souls and deep thinkers, uh, do have a look at Humane Marketing, sorry, humane.marketing/program and see if this resonates and if it's a fit for you. Then let's book a chat so that we. [00:07:36] Talk together and, and see if this is the right thing for you. Alright, human design. Let's talk to Julian. Hi Julian. So good to speak to you today. Hi Sarah. Mm-hmm. , thank you so much for coming on and talking about human design here on the Humane Humane, you know, [00:08:00] Marketing podcast. So I think it's a very fitting topic. [00:08:04] I'm personally very, very much interested in human design, but have not studied it or anything. So I'm like, well, who better to talk to than someone who has, uh, really taken, uh, a deep dive into it and, and so I'm really excited to have you here. Thanks for. [00:08:26] Julian: Yeah. Thanks for having me on. I'm, I'm always excited for an opportunity to talk about human design , [00:08:31] Sarah: so, right. [00:08:31] It's just something that you can't stop talking about. Yeah. It's great. Definitely. Yeah. So maybe before we go into kind of some of the specifics, uh, There's probably quite a few people who have never heard of human design, like maybe they're, they are thinking you just came up with that , but, so let's maybe go a little bit into the story of human design and what it is and where it comes from and all of that. [00:08:58] Would you [00:08:59] Julian: take us there? [00:09:00] Yeah, definitely. I know, I think you're right. A lot of people haven't heard of human design. I'm always surprised by people who have never heard of it because. in my circle. Lots of people have heard of it and are talking about it. So it's always interesting when you run into someone who hasn't. [00:09:15] Mm-hmm. . So human design came about in 1987. And during that time there was a supernova that was observed by astronomers and there was a man, a c Crackower, he was a middle-aged, sort of disillusioned marketing executive, and he was living on the island of Ibiza in like really just a little shack. He had no electricity and he had gone out for the evening and when he came home there was light in his, in his house and he thought, Did I leave the lantern? [00:09:46] Ont like, is my house on fire? So he goes, and he said as soon as he stepped across the threshold, it was like he was hit by lightning. And for a number of days after that, he heard this voice constantly [00:10:00] telling him all of this information. And that information is, is what we know as human design, which takes a number of different esoteric systems. [00:10:09] And human design can get a little woo, but I have actually seen it used in corporate settings as well. Just like Myers Briggs has been in the past, and it takes astrology and cabala, the eche and the chakras, and it kind of creates the system out of them in which you use your, um, birth time and date in place, just like astrology to create a chart that we call the body graph. [00:10:36] And the important concept about the body graph is in human design. We recognize that human beings have evolved since the seven chakra system was developed and that we now have nine energy centers in our body. And the body graph sort of shows which of those sinner is what we call defined or undefined, which is just means how co consistently is the energy in that center. [00:10:59] Like is it a [00:11:00] very consistent, it always operates the same way, or is it really variable? And also what are the connections between those centers? How are they. and that tells us a lot about our physical form and like how much energy do we have to do certain things? How do we, how do we think, how do we create, how do we like it? [00:11:18] It just really says a lot about us and I think the thing that sums human design up the best for me is a quote from Karen Curry Parker, who is the originator of the quantum human. System, which is just sort of a, a relabeling of human design with more friendly terms. And she says, you are the unique, the result of a once in a lifetime unique cosmic event. [00:11:42] And I just really love that because it just really speaks to the uniqueness of each of us, which is really. , what human design is about, is about really celebrating what makes us different rather than the things that make us the same. Mm-hmm. . [00:11:54] Sarah: Yeah. I love that. I, I don't think I remembered the exact [00:12:00] story, how you told it. [00:12:01] How he, like, I just, I just knew, okay. It was one guy who just had this. Epiphany or whatever you wanna call it. And that is true, that kind of probably some people are like, what? What the heck? That sounds very woo and very out there, right? Where astrology is like, okay, it's the study of the planets and the stars and kind of makes more sense, but, but it's just, it's just so amazingly accurate. [00:12:29] that once you get into it and you see these body graphs you like, even for someone like me, Capricorn, very grounded and yes, I do like the woo, but, but it's true that when you tell me this guy, you know, was struck by lightning or whatever, I'm like, what? How did that, you know? But it's just, yeah. It's just amazingly accurate, so you can can't not believe it really. [00:12:55] Julian: Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. Yeah. It, it has a woo element, but if you really get deep into [00:13:00] human design, and I, I don't want to go into all the details. There are elements of, of, um, quantum physics in there because it's all sort of revolves around neutrinos, which are a subatomic particle that all stars create, and we're just sort of bathed in them in the stream of neutrinos and the. [00:13:16] Revelation of human design was that neutrinos have a very tiny amount of mass. And so as those neutrinos interact with other celestial bodies, that mass sort of has that interaction. And so in a way, we can think about neutrinos as carrying information, and it's really at the central key part of human design is it's about the way that the neutrino stream. [00:13:36] When we're in the womb is imprinting ourselves with that, with that celestial information. Mm-hmm. , which sounds a little woo, but there is sort of more of a quantum physics aspect to it, [00:13:47] Sarah: right? Yeah. That's what my friend Jen, who, who's also in human design, that's what she always told me. She's like, this is not. [00:13:55] Woo. This is like quantum physics. And, and so I think it [00:14:00] really takes that deep study to understand it. And once you do, you're, you're, yeah, just kind of blown away by, by what you see. So yeah, take, take us, uh, maybe I think the easiest thing that we can look at, uh, in this episode, and then obviously invite people to dig deeper if they're interested. [00:14:17] But the, the four types are, are pro 4 0 5. There's five, five types. Yeah. Sorry. Yeah, the five types um, is probably the easiest place to kind of start to get people some understanding of, of how this looks like. [00:14:33] Julian: Yeah, definitely. I think the types are always where people should start cuz they're kind of the foundation for human design. [00:14:39] So there's five types and it, you could kind of even say four types and a subtype, but, um, they're really. So the first type that I like to talk about is the manifestor. and the manifestor type. What sort of makes them unique is two aspects of their chart. They have an undefined sacl center, which means [00:15:00] that the Sacl Center is our life force center, and it just means that their, their energy and their, and their sort of life force has an ebb and flow to it. [00:15:07] So they're not designed to work eight hour days and work in big blocks of time and just really push and hustle. Like so much of our culture demands, they're really designed to rest when they need to, but, They have what they call a, what we call a motor center. And the motor center are what sort of drive action in human design and they're connected to their throat, which in human design is our manifestation and creation and action center. [00:15:32] It's like how we get the energy and the body expressed, you know, through communication, through creation. So the hallmark of the, of the manifest of the manifestor. That they're very creative. They have this non-verbal creative flow, and their whole purpose in life is to initiate the other types into action. [00:15:52] So they're really sort of the leading edge people. They're having these creative urges and these creative impulses and creating new, wonderful things, and then [00:16:00] sort of sharing them with the rest of the collective to get the other types engaged. Hmm. So from there, the next type is what we call [00:16:07] the [00:16:08] Sarah: charact. [00:16:08] Can just writers, can I just ask about the manifestor? Do you know a manifestor in your life? And then I'll [00:16:13] Julian: share. I, I do actually my, um, the, the first coaching instructor that I ever had, and she was also my first business coach and I've kind of always looked at her as a mentor. Minerva Maharaj from Star Seed Academy Coach training is a manifestor. [00:16:28] Mm-hmm. So, and we've worked together very closely for a number of years and it's always very, Um, talking to her because we're different types and we did a video series for, for her school on running your spiritual coaching business and we were talking about our working styles and it was really interesting how drastically different the way we work is. [00:16:50] Yeah, [00:16:50] Sarah: yeah, yeah. I actually live with a manifestor. My, my son, my eldest son is a manifestor and yeah, it's, [00:17:00] Like they see the world in a different way. Completely different. And, and you're right, they're very creative. They're not the most easy. People, humans to live with because of the different way they think. [00:17:15] Um, I was also gonna bring up Elon Musk, like as a, as a, an example of a manifestor, right? It's just like, yeah. They are usually very, very smart, but kind of on a different level maybe than, than most Yeah. Humans. So it's like, Wait a minute. How? How are they thinking? It's almost like you have to translate how they are thinking. [00:17:39] Um, absolutely. [00:17:41] Julian: Do you agree on that? I do. I totally do. And the manifestor strategy through life is to inform, because they're on such a different wavelength, they really need to communicate to other people about what they're doing and where they are and what they're doing. Exactly what's [00:17:54] Sarah: going on. Yeah. [00:17:55] the big eye-opening moment when I learned that my son was a manifestor [00:18:00] and yeah, he would. You know, drop things, walk away or, or leave people places without informing. Oh, he moved on to the next thing and we're like, what just happened? So yeah, inform is like a big, big theme. That's so true. [00:18:17] Julian: Yeah. [00:18:18] Definitely. Yeah. So the, the next type that that's really important in human design is the generators, and they're important. Like 35 to 38% of the population are generators. So, um, them, and, and another type that's similar to the generator kind of a subtype are make up the majority of society, which is kind of why we've built things the way we have. [00:18:41] So the generator's hallmark is they have a defined SAC role, which means they generate very consistent and large amounts of sacral life force. and what that means is that they're really wired to work. Their purpose is to create mastery over time. So they're the people who are like the artisans and the craft [00:19:00] people and, and the people who just really excel at a thing and they stick with it and they do it, you know, day in and day out, and they really like master whatever it is that they're doing. [00:19:12] and they don't have a defined throat, so they are de, that means they're not designed to initiate new things. They're really designed to respond and, and the response isn't necessarily just responding to people because that's a mistake a lot of generators make. It's responding to life happening around them. [00:19:28] So generators see a billboard and it sparks some inspiration for them. They respond to that, they read an article and they agree or disagree with it, and it sparks them to do something about that. And so everything. around them, they're designed to respond to and they respond through their SAC role. And you know, if you've ever. [00:19:47] If you're a generator type and you've ever had a friend ask you like, do you want to go do this? And it was such a complete like, yes, it was like a full body, like, yes, I want to do that. That's what it's like for the generator. That is the sacral [00:20:00] response at work, and their strategy is to listen to that sacral response and respond to things. [00:20:06] and, and the flip side of that of course is if you've ever had like the full body, hell no, I don't want do that. Right? Like the, ew, no, that's not for me. That's the other aspect of the generator is they need to say no to those things and not, you know, do the shoulds and have to use in all of that if that doesn't feel good in their body to them. [00:20:27] Sarah: Right? Yeah. Any generators in your. Probably lots [00:20:31] Julian: of My husband is a generator. Yes. . Yeah. So, yeah. [00:20:35] Sarah: Which is, I'm a Generat, which my husband is a manifesting generator. So Yeah. Similar but still different. So you'll tell us about that one next. Mm-hmm. . [00:20:44] Julian: Yes. Cuz that's my type A manifesting generator. Okay. And we are kind of, I, I don't know. [00:20:50] I think we drive everyone else crazy. So the manifesting generator, they're a generator kind of mixed with a manifestor because they have the defined sacral, but they also have the motor to the. . [00:21:00] And so they're still not meant to initiate. They need to respond like a generator, but then once they've responded, they can initiate. [00:21:08] And what happens is when a manifesting generator responds, there's a lot of energy in that response, and they're like off and running, and they tend to be a little scattered because they're really multi-passionate people who have lots of interests. They're always grabbing new hobbies and doing new things. [00:21:24] They're multitaskers that are doing three, four things at once and their whole purpose to the collective. Is to hope the collective gain new efficiency by speeding up processes that we have. And they do this by finding the steps that we can skip the things we don't need to be doing. Because, you know, if you have a, a process that's 1, 2, 3, 4, the manifestor might go 1, 2, 4, you know, the manifesting generator might skip three. [00:21:50] And then that becomes the new process. And we've increased efficiency for the whole collective. And so manifesting generators really. They're kind of a powerhouse. I, [00:22:00] you know, people, I always feel like I didn't get enough done in a day. And my friends who are like manifestors or just like generators are like, you did more today than I do all week [00:22:09] Mm-hmm. So, yeah. [00:22:10] Sarah: Mm-hmm. Yeah. It's interesting how the, the energy is, is different. Um, definitely for the, the manifestor, like you said, it's kind of, There's ebbs and flows and, and I guess, yeah, when it flows, it really flows, but then there's also a long time of, uh, kind of nothing. Right. Until the creativity comes back. [00:22:30] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Wonderful. That makes four, so there's a [00:22:35] Julian: fifth one. No, that makes three. We really only done three. There's two. Oh [00:22:39] Sarah: yeah, sorry. [00:22:40] Julian: Three. That's alright. Mm-hmm. . Yeah. Yeah. So the thing about the manifest, I just want to sort of note the thing about manifesting generators and generators, mm-hmm. , is that together, the two of them make up 70% of the population. [00:22:51] This is why we. Yeah, a 40 hour work week, we have hustle, culture, all those things because Right. The majority of the population can do that, but for [00:23:00] the other 30%, they really, really struggle with work. And [00:23:04] Sarah: so how many, what's the percentage for Manifestors [00:23:07] Julian: alone? Um, I think they're only around 8%. Right. [00:23:12] And then small. Mm-hmm. . Yeah, they're small. And then the next biggest is projectors, which is 21. . Okay. And the projectors are, they don't have a defined sacral, so they're non sacral, which means they're force ebbs and flows, and they also don't have anything connected to their throat, any motors to their throat. [00:23:33] So they're also not meant to initiate, and the projectors are new type projectors didn't exist until humans evolved to have nine centers, so they've only been around a few hundred years. And the projectors. Um, Karen Curry, Parker and Quantum Human Design calls them the orchestrators because they're really designed to. [00:23:52] um, coordinate and guide and advise. And so they're sort of like the middle managers of the human design collective. But [00:24:00] because with a lot of the openness in their chart, they're really able to see people very, very deeply and sort of amplify and reflect their energy. And so I know a few projectors and they do, they just like, could really read people really, really well. [00:24:15] And so for the projector, their, their strategy is to wait to be invited. , if you've ever given unsolicited advice to somebody, you know how that works, how well it's received, and because the projectors can see so deeply into people and they're so designed to see like processes and systems and what people need to do and where they need to go and, and do all of that orchestrating, they really need to be invited to do that or it's not well received. [00:24:39] And so projectors when they. in the middle of an invitation, they should just do the things that light them up and that bring them joy and for projectors, ti like who they're with and where they're at are really important to them because they have a lot of openness in their charts. So it's really important that they pick the people they associate with really well, which I think applies to [00:25:00] everyone really. [00:25:00] Like you hang out with negative people, he starts to become negative, but it's even more crucial for the projectors. [00:25:06] Sarah: Yeah, I don't have any projectors. Personal life, but I, I, I have friends or, or, um, past clients and I know for them, like business wise, what worked the best is they, if they had some kind of assistant, virtual assistant who, who made these opportunities happen for them because of their energy of, you know, having to be invited because yeah, business-wise, well, You don't make those things happen. [00:25:37] You need someone else to help you basically. [00:25:40] Julian: Yeah, exactly. And that's what projectors are really good at mm-hmm. Is getting other people to kind of do things that they need to, to do. Yeah. Um, so they definitely thrive from that, but they make excellent consultants, , mm-hmm. , so they're really great consultants. [00:25:56] Mm-hmm. . Um, and then the final type, the fifth type is super rare. [00:26:00] There's like less than 1% of the population. They're the reflectors and everything in their chart is undefined. So they have no consistent energy whatsoever. . Um, and so for reflector, Like where they're at and who they're with is gonna be even more important than projector because they pick up other people's energy so easily based on who they're around and where they are. [00:26:23] And their strategy is to wait a full lunar cycle to make a major decision because. in a lunar cycle. As the planets progress during that lunar cycle, they actually, different parts of their chart get activated and they actually experience the entire cycle of all of their energy every 28 days. And so, you know, they, they have to sort of choose to do that with the big decisions cuz obviously a lot of little stuff, you can't wait 28 days to decide. [00:26:51] So for the other times, It's important that they have people around them that feel good to them, that, that they can kind of bounce ideas off of [00:27:00] and come to a decision that way. They're really interesting in terms of their quantum purpose is they're like the barometers of the health of, of a community. [00:27:09] Mm-hmm. , if you have a com, a co, a reflector in the, in a community and the reflector is struggling and not doing. , it says that the community's health is really poor. Mm-hmm. . And so they're really interesting people in that way because they are such a barometer of how healthy the rest of us are energetically and emotionally. [00:27:27] Sarah: Yeah, I used to have, um, the, my podcast editor, um, was a reflector. She, she's now moved on to something else and I was really glad when she was able to say, look, this is not making me happy anymore. I need to do something else that makes me happy. And I'm like, yeah, that. That is so important is for everybody, but it's, I think especially for, for her as the reflector, um, that to do work or anything that pays your bills, that that is also making her [00:28:00] happy, right? [00:28:01] Julian: Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. . Yeah, definitely. I, I don't know any reflectors myself. I, I, I, [00:28:06] Sarah: yeah. They're interesting people, like you said. It's like, wow. Yeah. Very different. . Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Um, so, so now, now that we understand the, the different types, um, again, if we have such a chart reading with you or someone, obviously there's much more to it than just. [00:28:27] You know, figuring out, okay, which type are you? It goes then into, into the profile and, and, uh, much deeper things, uh, the connections between the chakras and all of that. But I think maybe what we can do, uh, talk about in on this episode is kind of like the connection to the business world, or, or in our case, the marketing. [00:28:51] Um, having this information, so once we have the reading, we understand who, who we are in human design, like how can that help [00:29:00] us, uh, in our business, in our marketing, in figuring out how we want to show up in the world. What would you say to that? [00:29:11] Julian: Yeah, I think, um, I think human design can have a lot to do with that. [00:29:14] I think, first of all, human design for me was my permission slip to like throw out the rule book a little bit and be like, I'm unique. I have my own way of looking at the world and experiencing the ener, my energy. And so I'm gonna approach my business from that instead of trying to do these systems and things that other business coaches like to like to push. [00:29:37] You know, I'm not gonna slide into people's dms and do all these things. It feels icky. anyway. And it feels sort of manipulative, but it also just doesn't align with my design in the way that I operate. So I think first it's a permission slip to throw out the rule book and kind of chart your own course, which is super exciting or terrifying depending on how you look at it. [00:29:58] could [00:29:58] Sarah: be both. That's true. . [00:30:00] Yeah. [00:30:01] Julian: Yeah. Yeah. So, and then I think the other part, Really playing to your strengths. Um, so as a, as a manifesting generator, I'm designed to respond and then it initiates. So I like to create long form content. That's what I do. I, I just, I don't love like creating reels, you know, I gotta set up all that equipment and do all that stuff for 60 seconds of video, and I just, I always feel constrained by that, but I. [00:30:26] It's a blog and I love to create my podcast. I like the long form content and I do a lot of responding like, um, my latest podcast that comes out. It came out yesterday, um, this short week. We, we had a holiday in the US and so it's a short week and I'm always like thinking it's the wrong day. Um, but it was, the whole pre premise behind the podcast was I was responding to an interaction on social media. [00:30:53] So when had posted a question about marketing and I had answered and said, , you don't need to do [00:31:00] that if you don't, if it doesn't feel aligned for you. And then someone else commented and they said, well, if we're not always out there pushing and doing legwork, our product's not gonna sell. And so I did a whole podcast on what that fear should be telling you about what's wrong in your business. [00:31:14] Mm-hmm. . And so that to me is the classic like generator response. Right, right. Um, [00:31:20] Sarah: yeah. Yeah. I can think of a few examples as well where. Um, like for example, the, the seven Ps of Humane Marketing. Um, when I first kind of saw, you know, the, the, the traditional, um, framework that existed since the sixties, and then for me, they started to move into a mandala. [00:31:41] I kept hearing that voice in my head saying, yeah, but you're just copying someone else's model and you're just kind of throwing some color on it. . And then, yeah, and then I had to remind myself of my human design and say, well, that's okay because you are responding to something that's already out there. [00:31:59] Uh, a [00:32:00] manifestor would've probably come up with a whole new thing. , but that's not how I'm wired, that's not my role here to, yeah. To come up with completely new things. And so same thing with the book. I'm like, well, I keep referencing to these other people and, and so I'm like, yeah, but that's okay. You know, I'm basically being what in my reading, and my friend Jen told me that I'm the spokesperson to say things other people can't say. [00:32:28] So like, you know, the humane marketing revolution, it's. Enough. We need a different way of doing marketing. I'm not inventing, you know, something new. I'm just saying. We're done with that old stuff. Now let's move on to something new and, and, and kind of giving myself the permission to say it's okay that you're not, you know, inventing something super new, but I'm the one who says it [00:32:55] So, so that, that, Kind of permission slip from [00:33:00] human design saying it's okay that you didn't invent something new, but you're just saying it out loud. Maybe things that others, other people are thinking, because then that's a, A lot of what I hear from readers, they're like, it's so reconfirming of what I already thought. [00:33:17] And maybe you even said that. It's like, I've been thinking that all along and now you've given me permission to think that as well. Yeah. And I, I do feel like had I not known about the human design, I would've kept hearing that voice. Oh, but you're just a copycat or whatever. You're not really inventing something new. [00:33:39] Right. So, yeah. Yeah. I feel like it, [00:33:42] Julian: it helps. , I think a lot of generators have that sort of imposter syndrome. Mm-hmm. of feeling that they're copying or just saying the same thing someone else said, but a little different. Right. I, I have a number of clients who have worked with me who have said that to me, like, I'm creating this Instagram [00:34:00] based on something I saw from someone else, and I feel like I'm just copying them. [00:34:03] I'm not adding anything. I'm not doing anything new. And I'm like, well, you're putting your own spin on it and you're so, you're responding. to it. You're, you're fulfilling your design. You're doing what you're designed to do. Yeah. Because you do have, you do have a unique perspective, and so when you see something and you respond to it, you are bringing your own uniqueness to it, right? [00:34:23] Sarah: Yeah. Yeah. The other thing I, I learned, um, is, is also the, the idea. I always thought, since I'm an introvert, I'm supposed to be just one-on-one. Right? It's like, okay, yeah, I'm introvert. I don't like people. I'm supposed to be just working one-on-one where my design actually says, says otherwise. It's like, no, you're, I. [00:34:45] Meant to do work one too many. And, and so really just kind of fully stepping into that and saying, oh yeah, I actually enjoy the one too many, even if I'm an introvert. And finding ways of doing that that [00:35:00] still respects my introversion, uh, has been a huge aha for, for me as well. Yeah, I think the. Point I wanted to bring up is, is what we discussed, uh, on the last Humane marketing circle. [00:35:11] This, this new technology, um, you know, AI that is now everywhere. Um, you made a really good point about how that is also gonna, you know, there's obviously ethical questions that you brought up and, and, but you also said, well, it can be helpful for generators especially. So kind of talk to that, uh, point a little. [00:35:35] Julian: Yeah, I think AI as a tool to just write stuff and put it out there is not there. And I think that it has a lot of ethical, um, issues, you know, not least of which is, is that AI even putting accurate information out there? Cuz you don't really know what, what data it sourced to write this article. Right. [00:35:55] But, As someone who's designed to respond, if I have the [00:36:00] AI suggest a title to me or suggest an intro paragraph or something, and then I can use my design to respond to that and kind of be like, oh, this is what I want to talk about. Um, that works really well. I like to read a lot of articles to do that. [00:36:15] But AI can do it a lot more, you know, efficiently it may be than like going and reading a bunch of articles. I'm just someone who really likes to read and I skim a lot of things. Um, I, I think this might manifest our generator side kind of coming out and really like having a lot of interest and looking at a lot of things. [00:36:34] But for people who are generator types and want to respond, having the AI. Create a prompt for you is a really great way to sort of get those creative juices going. [00:36:45] Sarah: Mm-hmm. . Yeah. As you were talking, I was just thinking like most of the people that I've taken through the, the marketing, like we're human program, where we talk also about human design and the, the p for personal [00:37:00] power, most of them have been kind of like probably forties plus. [00:37:04] Mm-hmm. , um, do you, Feel like the, the, the younger generation, are they coming to human design earlier than maybe our generation? Whereas like, you know, we've lived through this whole life and now we're like, oh, okay, now I get it. Is the new generation waking up earlier to kind of figuring out who they are? [00:37:27] Julian: I think that's a great question and I don't know if I could answer that because so many of my clients are, you know, our age. Um, and I think it's because I work with spiritual entrepreneurs and a lot of those tend to be, people have had a certain amount of lived experience and they come to human design as part of that lived experience. [00:37:46] I certainly hope so. Um, I know. Being a newer system, I definitely see a lot more human design out on the internet. I see a lot of YouTube videos. I see a lot more people talking about human design. So I [00:38:00] definitely think there's greater awareness than there was. Mm-hmm. . But whether young people are really adopting it yet or not, I'm not, I'm not real sure. [00:38:09] Sarah: Yeah. And kind of another thing I'm also, uh, thinking of, um, I read, or maybe I was also in one of the videos of, of. Let's the, the other guy's name that Raj? No, not Guru. No, not Guru. Oh, RA [00:38:27] Julian: Rhu. Yeah. Ra, yeah, that's actually, yeah. Yeah, that's Alan c Crackower. He changed his name after. Oh, [00:38:32] Sarah: that's, that's the same guy. [00:38:33] Now I get . Yeah. So is he now Ra Guru? No. Uru. Okay. Yeah. Oh, that's the same guy. Okay. So yeah, he was saying that. He sees that this, the new generation, uh, the young generation, there's gonna be more manifestors coming, uh, to the world. Um, and it kind of like, I really truly believe that [00:39:00] as well in terms of, you know, the creativity that is, is more up and coming. [00:39:07] Have you heard any, anything similar to [00:39:09] Julian: in those things? I haven't heard that, but it wouldn't surprise me because one of the things that, that Karen Curry Parker teaches in Quantum Human Design when we talk about conditioning is that energetic patterns tend to skip generations. Mm-hmm. . So if you're a manifestor, you're more likely to have generator. [00:39:25] Or other type kids than manifestor kids. So there's a lot of US generators out there in the world right now. So we're probably having projectors and manifestors rather than more generators. Mm-hmm. So I definitely could see that being a shift that could happen. [00:39:39] Sarah: Yeah. Yeah. And then I guess also, if you draw the parallel with astrology and seeing that we're. [00:39:47] Or I think going into the age of Aquarius, uh, it would make a lot of sense as well. Cause that would be more aligned with the manifestor, eer energy as well versus kind of the, [00:40:00] uh, what were we in now? I, as you can tell, I'm [00:40:03] Julian: just Pisces. Yeah. Pi, we were in Pisces. Yeah. Yeah. [00:40:06] Sarah: So like I can see. Being true that there is more creative energy coming in in that. [00:40:14] Yeah, that'd be very, [00:40:15] Julian: yeah, I definitely think so. There's another sort of tradition that looks at or is of human time as isis a si, a Cyrus and hos with like, you know, Early human history was, had a lot of matriarchy and goddess religion and then we moved into patriarchy and sort of very masculine. And now we're coming back to like the pendulum swinging back to balance in, in the ho era is supposed to be very androgynous and we're seeing lots more. [00:40:41] Like kids coming out non-binary and trans. Right. And we're just really seeing that like creative and more like fluid. Mm-hmm. energy, um, coming about now. So I think that's very exciting. [00:40:53] Sarah: Yeah, it is. It really is. Because I, in, in a way that's very aligned also with [00:41:00] what, what we're trying to do with humane marketing or humane business building is kind of like this, you know, being and doing and heart and mind and, and I feel. [00:41:11] that kind of energy is more open to that rather than the, you know, the generator kind of like, let's just work eight hours a day and, and hustle our way through, through life. Um, energy. [00:41:23] Julian: Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Definitely. And I, I, and I, I, I don't think that generators are necessarily bad for doing that. I just think. [00:41:32] They allowed their type and their, their thing because I, I see a lot of generators. They have the ability to hustle, but do any of us really like it? like, because, so it's sort of like we got off, like we got off on the wrong track somewhere because we're supposed to listen to that sacral response and not be doing things that don't light us up. [00:41:53] So we build a whole society with a pattern of working that doesn't really excite any of us. And so, you know, it's [00:42:00] definitely broken. . And the [00:42:01] Sarah: funny thing is this is only now people are only now starting to realize it thanks to the break we had with Covid. Because once you're in the hustle and you're just like constantly hustling, you don't even think, oh, I'm hustling [00:42:17] Right? It's only if you take a break and step back and you're like, oh my God, I'm tired. I don't wanna do that anymore. [00:42:24] Julian: Yeah, it's almost like addictive. Like all that adrenaline and stress hormone gets going and it's, it's really sort of, you know, yeah. Really addictive. We, we have trouble just saying Stop [00:42:34] Sarah: Yeah. Yeah. And I think you're right. It's that pendulum that has to somehow find its balance now, like not completely one thing or or the other. Yeah. Yeah. Um, where would you say people should start? If they're curious about human design, like where should they start with finding out? [00:42:58] Julian: Well, there's a a lot of [00:43:00] resources that you can do, so you could, you could get a reading from a human design specialist or analyst, and that's always really helpful to understand. [00:43:07] I usually recommend that people start with three aspects of their human design, which is the type and strategy, which we kind of briefly talked about. Authority is the second piece, which is sort of the other half of your decision making apparatus, and then finally profile, which. , I think you hinted at it a little bit, talking about being an introvert and needing to work with groups of people and things like that. [00:43:28] Because profile really determines whether we're designed to learn most of our life lessons personally, uh, through our own experiences or trans personally through our experiences with other people. And so those three to me are sort of the keys. Of the human design, they're like the building blocks, and if you understand those, then you can go deeper. [00:43:48] So get a reading that that covers those things, which I offer them. Lots of people offer them, and if you're just really interested in learning more, I find that Karen Curry Parker's Quantum Human [00:44:00] Design is much more approachable for people than the original human design by raw, who all Karen has really done is renamed things and give them more friendly names because, Raw has said that human design, the, the vocabulary of human design was designed for the conditioning conditioned human beings. [00:44:19] So it was sort of designed to shock people out. of their complacency and their social conditioning, uh, you know, listening to all the shoulds and have tos. Whereas Karen has created a more expansive vocabulary for people who are starting that deconditioning and are ready to kind of take it to the next level. [00:44:36] So I think Karen's stuff really inspiring, and she does a lot of YouTube videos on all kinds of topics. You know, if you want to know how your human design affects creativity, Karen's probably got a video. Um, I've taken certifications with Karen and I think she's a fantastic human design [00:44:54] Sarah: teacher. [00:44:54] Wonderful. Yeah. I had hadn't known about her, but it's true that Ragu is, is [00:45:00] kind of like, has this kind of edgy , uh, approach to it A little bit. It's just kind of like, Come on, you guys . Yeah. Yeah. So, uh, wonderful. Yeah, [00:45:11] Julian: and definitely, yeah, definitely Karen's more gen, Karen's more gentle. She's a little more, more gentle than anything [00:45:16] Sarah: That's good. And you are of course, too, so Yeah. We'll, we'll put a link into the show notes for your website and, and offering. And uh, yeah, this has been amazing. Obviously, like you said, we could be talking hours and hours about human design, so we really just. Touched the surface, but I hope it's been helpful to listeners. [00:45:39] So again, if you want to find out more, definitely check out Julian's website and, uh, and do look at the, at the YouTube videos and, and it's just kind of like, yeah, take a deep dive into human design because it's really fascinating. Thank you so much, Julian, for being here. I always have one last question and that is, what are you [00:46:00] grateful for today? [00:46:01] Or [00:46:01] Julian: this. . Oh wow. What am I grateful for? So I'm, I'm grateful for being able to do things like this, like go get online and be able to talk about these things that light me up and excite me, and hopefully that peop other people can benefit from. I'm just really grateful that we have this tool, this amazing tool called the Internet where I could be talking to someone in Switzerland about human design. [00:46:25] Sarah: It is amazing, isn't it? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And, and, and I, yeah, I agree that it's, it's kind of like. You pick these passions and then you find people that you can talk about them, uh, and make that your living. That is just, yeah. It's amazing. Yeah. So agree with you. Thank you Internet, and thank you Julian, for talking to us about, uh, human design. [00:46:50] Uh, I really, really appreciate it. And, um, of course we see each other again in the Humane Marketing circle, so thank [00:46:57] Julian: you. Yeah. Thank you for having me. This has [00:47:00] been a lot of fun and like I, I love to talk about human design, so I've pretty much never turned down an invite to do that. , [00:47:08] Sarah: wonderful. See you soon. [00:47:17] I hope this resonated and I hope it got you curious about finding out your human design. So again, you can find out more about Julian and his work and human design at www priest of. So that's priest of I N A N N a.com. I'm sure there's a story behind that and I forgot to ask him, so I'll have to find out since, like I said, he's, uh, Julian is also a member of our humane marketing circle, so you can, uh, find out more about him there. [00:47:54] You can connect with. On LinkedIn, Julian Crosson Hill, or if you'd like to [00:48:00] meet him in person, why not find out more about the Humane Marketing Circle where you find very interesting human beings, just like Julian. Um, and that's at humane.marketing forwards. Slash circle, you find the show notes of this episode@humane.marketing slash H 1 59, and on this beautiful page, you'll also find a series of free offers, such as my Saturday newsletter, the Humane Business Manifesto, and the free gentle confidence mini course, as well as my two books, marketing like we're human and selling like we're human. [00:48:37] Thanks so much for listening and being part of a generation of marketers who cares for yourself, your clients, and the planet. We are change makers before we are marketers. So now go be the change you want to see in the world. Speak soon.[00:49:00]

EP308: Who doesn't love a great personality test?! I know I love learning more about myself! But here's the thing... Your results might be wrong!!!

Brought to you by Linear—The new standard for modern software development | Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security. | Dovetail—Bring your customer into every decision.—Claire Hughes Johnson is the former COO at Stripe, which she helped scale from a small startup to the legendary company it is today. She also spent close to 10 years at Google, where she filled several executive roles, including VP of Global Online Sales and Director of Sales and Ops for Gmail, YouTube, Google Apps, and AdWords. Claire shares invaluable insights from her upcoming book, Scaling People, on how to successfully build and scale organizations. We talk about the importance of building self-awareness, and Claire gives tons of tactical advice on how to say things that are hard to say, as well as how to improve your internal communications, and so much more.Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/lessons-from-scaling-stripe/#transcriptWhere to find Claire Hughes Johnson:• Twitter: https://twitter.com/chughesjohnson• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-hughes-johnson-7058/Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/Referenced:• Scaling People: Tactics for Management and Company Building: https://www.amazon.com/Scaling-People-Tactics-Management-Building/dp/1953953212• John Collison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbcollison/• Patrick Collison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickcollison/• Discord: https://discord.com/• Toast: https://pos.toasttab.com/• High Growth Handbook: Scaling Startups from 10 to 10,000 People: https://www.amazon.com/High-Growth-Handbook-Elad-Gil/dp/1732265100• Myers-Briggs personality types: https://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/• Enneagram types: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/type-descriptions• Disc assessment: https://www.discprofile.com/what-is-disc• Conscious Business: How to Build Value through Values: https://www.amazon.com/Conscious-Business-Build-through-Values/dp/1622032020/• Reid Hoffman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidhoffman/• Eeke de Milliano on Lenny's Podcast: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/how-to-foster-innovation-and-big-thinking-eeke-de-milliano-retool-stripe/• Running an effective meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIiaFW874q8• Gokul's S.P.A.D.E. framework: https://coda.io/@gokulrajaram/gokuls-spade-toolkitIn this episode, we cover:(00:00) Claire's background(04:47) How writing Scaling People helped Claire crystallize learnings(07:58) How she got started writing her book(11:11) Advice that changed the way she operates(15:18) The lack of job titles at Stripe(19:01) Scaling your organizational structure(23:46) What founders need to think about in the early days(26:38) Personal operating principles(29:04) How to crystallize your own values to gain self-awareness(34:29) Advice for saying uncomfortable things(37:12) Being an explorer, not a lecturer(43:57) Come back to the operating system(47:17) Organizational structure using Claire's house metaphor(50:50) Why some chaos is normal(52:45) Founding documents you need(58:30) The components of a company's operating system (1:01:31) Finding the right cadence(1:04:48) COOs and which types of businesses need them(1:11:30) Advice on scaling quickly(1:13:56) The importance of internal communications(1:16:03) Running effective meetings(1:17:17) Advice for aligning and making decisions as a managerProduction and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

Mad that caregivers are not getting enough love from the self-help industry, J Smiles sets her sights on acknowledging and creating dynamic groups similar to Myers Briggs, Love Languages and Ancestry-Lineage tests.Family caregivers exhibit remarkable above average traits day in and day out. Wouldn't it be nice to identify your super power and intentionally lead with it? Better yet, know how to spot super powers in others and call them into duty when needed. It's called plugging the holes. J uses anecdotes to guide you. Join Alzheimer's favorite duo for another journey of heavy reality sprinkled with love and laugher.Catch J's signature SNUGGLE UP ending for provocative take aways."Alzheimer's is heavy but we ain't gotta be!"IG: https://www.instagram.com/parentingupFB: https://www.facebook.com/parentingupYT:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDGFb1t2RC_m1yMnFJ2T4jwTEXT a purple heart "

This episode goes into some territory that's tricky to discuss and uncomfortable to look at: internalized patriarchy and racism. Andrea and I are two white women who tread this space carefully and with respect; seeking to understand, heal, and create awareness around these issues that have maligned, subjugated, and separated humanity for millennia. We are living in a time of deconstruction on multiple levels  -inside ourselves and within all institutions. My new friend Andrea Ward Berg is a Human Design specialist whose career path has spanned 15+ corporate jobs and 7 years of entrepreneurship, working in 10+ countries.      Unpacking “white colonization” & “white feminism” Foundations of institutional racism  Being a merciful witness to your inner illusions & beliefs that create fear & separation Monitoring your “mindspeak” & connecting to joy as keys for collective healing How your Human Design (think Myers Briggs meets Astrology) can serve a liberation tool from harmful programming   Further reading (books we referenced in this discussion): “God is a Black Woman” by Christena Cleveland *  “Eloquent Rage” by Brittney Cooper *  “CRACKING THE HEALER'S CODE: A Prescription for Healing Racism & Finding Wholeness” by Milagros Phillips Discover your Human Design Chart (a free test): mybodygraph.com Find Andrea's work: andreawardberg.com  

Brandon Kim is the VP of Marketing at Crystal, a powerful personality data platform that sales and marketing teams are using to increase sales. It works by understanding your prospects better, primarily with the DISC assessment. Brandon shares how they believe more personalized communication is the future. Whether that's one-to-one conversations, multi-stakeholder B2B deals, or any number of other use cases for the product.Noteworthy topics include Myers-Briggs, DISC, Enneagram, adaptive selling, and how the Crystal LinkedIn extension and free assessment tools can help people get a sense of how the product works.Find Brandon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-kim-39aaa529/Find Crystal online: https://www.crystalknows.com/Skip ahead: (00:00) - Intro (00:28) - What is adaptive selling? (01:51) - Personality assessments (04:31) - Value for sales (05:28) - How Crystal works (09:10) - Uses outside of sales (10:04) - Applying to ABM (12:08) - Follow Brandon Kim (12:45) - Outro

Beloved Hoffman teacher and coach, Chris Sansone, completed the Hoffman Process in November 2013. Chris came to the Process feeling challenged in every area of his life, except for his good health. After doing deep work in the Process, Chris experienced a profound simplicity in the way he was able to heal his past and forgive his parents. Prior to Hoffman, Chris was in commercial real estate. He was well-educated and highly qualified and experienced great financial success. But, he wasn't happy. As Chris thought about his career moving forward, he remembered back to the calling he felt when he first started working - helping guide people through transformational growth in some way. Once he landed at the Process, he felt that call again and answered by applying to become a Hoffman teacher. Now, Chris lives connecting to the frequency of his Soul. He shares with us that we each have a longing that can feel like melancholy, loneliness, and even wistfulness. As he says, we must attune to our Soul by attuning to this longing. By doing so, we learn to follow the call of our Soul. Listen in to hear how Chris connects with this longing and to a poem he wrote while in deep contemplation with his Soul. More about Chris Sansone: As a Hoffman teacher, Chris says, “To serve and see others open up to who they truly are is a remarkable experience. Students reach inside and find answers within themselves for living fully and authentically.” As for his own Process experience, Chris shares: “I unearthed two gifts – knowing that my own happiness truly is a personal choice, and deep forgiveness for both my parents and, of myself. These have opened me to loving and living as I had only previously imagined possible.” He adds, “Years ago I had a personal awakening about my role, as a highly advantaged cis-gendered white male in racial and gender inequities. That has broadened my own sense of responsibility and spawned greater personal and spiritual growth in my life." Chris holds a doctoral degree in Human and Organization Development. He is blessed with his life partner and wife, Maria Velasco, two sons Kellen and Andrew, and stepdaughter Carina. He lives in Longmont, Colorado, where he enjoys the outdoors, especially fly fishing. As mentioned in this episode: *Rejuvenated Process: Originally, Bob Hoffman did the work that happens at the Process with people in individual sessions. Then, in the early '70s, the Process was done in a group setting for the first time, with participants meeting weekly as they did the work of the Process. A few decades later, the Process became an in-person retreat with participants coming together for eight days. In 2013, the Hoffman Process was rejuvenated into the seven-day Process it is today. Hoffman Process Visioning: Visioning is a powerful aspect of the work you do at the Process. "Visioning can transform your life. Your life can expand and become more vibrant than you thought possible. You can call forth a vision for your life from your Spiritual Self – your essence." continue reading and download here. CTI (Co-Active) Model of Coaching: "Since 1992 CTI has been working with coaches and leaders around the world, helping them navigate toward stronger relationships, integral solutions, and creating meaningful impact in the world." Read more here. Sicilian: A Sicilian is a native or inhabitant of Sicily or a person of Sicilian descent. Sicily is one of the twenty regions of Italy. An island in the Mediterranean, it is located near the "toe of the boot" of Italy. Learn more... Fielding Institute Doctoral Program: Chris mentions the Fielding Institute where he earned his Doctorate in Human and Organization Systems. Discover more here. Myers-Briggs: "The purpose of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) personality inventory is to make the theory of psychological types described by C. G. Jung understandable and useful in people's lives.

As we swing into the second half of our personality assessment reviews, we went to 16personailities.com to get the descriptions of the Myers-Briggs. We give overviews, list strengths, weaknesses, and examples from history, current people, and pop culture examples. This is my (David) favorite of the assessments!

Learn what motivates you and others so you can collaborate better While I have used the Enneagram personality framework with clients, I have never had as great a discussion about it as I had with Karl Hebenstreit. Karl is a certified executive coach, organization development consultant, international speaker and author of two books: The How and Why: Taking Care of Business with the Enneagram and Nina and the Really, Really Tough Decision (for younger readers). So what is the Enneagram, you may ask? More than just another personality test or behavior identification technique, this human psychology-based theory opens your mind to how you see yourself, the teams you work with, and the world at large regarding motivation and behavior. Which of the nine personality types are you? Listen to Karl to find out! Watch and listen to our conversation here: Ready to learn what makes you tick?  Whether it is the Enneagram or Myers-Briggs or the Culture Index or Hogan Assessments, there is an abundance of tools available to help us see, feel and think in new ways about ourselves and others. You will enjoy this podcast conversation as Karl takes us through his own journey of discovery and how he is using his tools to help people build diverse organizations. The Enneagram is a really unique, really effective tool It does not focus on the typical racial, ethnic, gender or sexual orientation conversations about diversity. Or even about neuro- or cognitive diversity. Rather, as you study the nine types of Enneagrams that are all partially inside ourselves, you realize that creating strong organizations requires us to learn more about each other and build better together. Are you an Active Controller? A Considerate Helper? An Enthusiastic Visionary? You might just be surprised. About Karl Hebenstreit With 25+ years' experience in the biotechnology, healthcare, telecommunications, high-tech, pharmaceutical and real estate services industries, Karl is an expert at building relationships at all levels, fostering and integrating collaborative environments, and leading and motivating others to realize their full potential by adopting new mindsets to achieve extraordinary results. To contact Karl, find him on LinkedIn, his website www.performandfunction.com or by email: rkarlh@gmail.com. To learn more about how personality types affect collaboration, start here: Blog: Achieving Business Change Using The Enneagram Personality System Podcast: Maureen Berkner Boyt—Yes, Diversity And Inclusion Can Happen But Only If You Work At It Podcast: Johanna Zeilstra—Let's All Build Companies That Make Gender Fair Additional resources for you My two award-winning books: Rethink: Smashing The Myths of Women in Businessand On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights Our website: Simon Associates Management Consultants   Read the transcript of our podcast here Andi Simon: Welcome to On the Brink With Andi Simon. Hi, I'm Andi Simon, your host. As you know, I'm the founder and CEO of Simon Associates Management Consultants. You also know that I don't like to do too much promotion on this podcast. What I like to do is celebrate the guests whom I'm honored to bring to you so you can do something special: get off the brink. I want you to see, feel and think in new ways. Fast-changing times are asking you to do just that. Most of us hate change. And we're not quite sure how to really respond. But I promise you, never waste a crisis. And even though the pandemic seems to be sliding back, the new is so unfamiliar. And I don't care what kind of business or work you do, you're facing people who are also trying to adapt to fast-changing times. Somehow, you're going to have to figure out who they are now that they're hybrid. Are they the same people that used to come into the office? What do I know about myself? How do I manage this wonderful array of people now, some are in, some are out? The world has become global, and AI sticks its nose into the thing and chatbots are doing all kinds of stuff. How can I help? So today I have Karl Hebenstreit with us. And Karl is a wonderful individual I will tell you about. And then he will tell you about his own journey. Who is Karl? Karl is a certified executive coach, leadership and organization development consultant, and author of two books that I'll tell you a little bit about, and an international speaker. His career spans the areas of HR and OD in biotech, clinical diagnostics, life sciences, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and many other industries. He has really taken his expertise to places that needed him. He holds a PhD in organizational psychology, and is helping organizations to attract, retain and motivate employees. He has an MS in HR management from Rutgers. And so he's in New Jersey near us here in New York. But it's really quite interesting. He's the author of The How and Why: Taking Care of Business with the Enneagram now in its second edition, and a children's book called Nina and the Really, Really Tough Decision. I'm not sure which we're going to spend more time on, the really tough decisions. And don't think that even though you're grown up, you aren't still Nina and trying to figure it out. Karl, thanks for joining me today. Karl Hebenstreit: Thank you so much, Andi, this is a pleasure and an honor and privilege to be with you today. And absolutely. You are so correct. And we are all Nina, we all have Nina within us forever for our entire lives. And how do we access Nina? And how do we access all of the gifts and just perspectives that she can get from everything that's within her? And that's really what we're here to talk about today. Andi Simon: Well, you've had a wonderful career and a journey and people like to hear your story. Who are you? And how have you come to the point where this has become a focus, because I think it's evolved for you, hasn't it? Karl Hebenstreit: It really has, and I love to say that it was planned and strategized, but it wasn't. The only planning and strategizing was that I needed to get an education to be able to figure out what I'm going to do in this world and how I can impact change. And I started in one direction and ended up in a completely different direction and that was the right direction. So yes, as you said, there is a total East Coast connection. I was born in New York on Long Island, Mineola, Long Island, and was raised in Greece, my mom is Greek. So we went back to Greece when I was two. And I was there for seven years. I came back to the United States with my parents with a Greek accent, which maybe every once in a while you hear some weird syllable or pronunciation, but it's pretty much all gone. And we settled back in Old Bridge, New Jersey, and I was in New Jersey for pretty much the rest of my formative years, until I moved to California in 1998. And my formative years were spent, as you said, in New Jersey, my education was from Rutgers. My undergrad is from Rutgers. My master's is from Rutgers. And I really didn't know what or where I was going to go with my aspirations. My parents had ideas for sure, just like everyone's parents do. And my mom steered me towards languages and I started learning French and Greek as part of the school system there, along with Greek and English of course, and my dad was/is very much about politics, so he was political science, so I dutifully said, I'm going to do French and political science as a double major. I can use them. I can become a diplomat and lawyer or who knows what I'll become but that's what I'm going to do. That's what I'm going to pursue and I dutifully went forward using those as my majors. And then I took an elective course in psychology. And my eyes opened up. And I'm like, wow, this is interesting. This is really, really cool trying to understand people, trying to figure out why they behave the way they behave, why they do the things they do, what's brought them to where they are. And I took more and more elective courses because I needed elective courses to graduate. And I got to the point where I ended up with a minor in psychology, but I still had one more semester to go. And I figured out, you know, if I just take six classes in psychology for my last semester, I can get a third major. So it'd be psychology, French and political science. So then that gives you a little bit more of a hint of where my Enneagram type might be because of a wing of mine, probably that went into play there, which I didn't know at the time. So yeah, I ended up graduating from Rutgers with a triple major in psychology, French, and political science. And at a time, this was back in 1993, and the economy was not very good. So I ended up figuring, well let me start trying to find work. I couldn't find anything that I could use for my degrees. So I took this one course in industrial and personnel psychology as it was called back then. And I thought that was it. That's really the direction I want to take. But how do I get into that? So since I wasn't able to get a job right away in an area where I wanted to go into, I decided, well, let me get a temp job, I can become a temp. I was a temp during all of the school vacations and the holidays and everything like that. So back to the temp agency: I said, I have these parameters. These are my boundaries that I really want to focus on a job in human resources and a large organization that's headquartered here, which hopefully that would mean I'd get a job there after being a temp with them, and proving myself to them. And it had to be in the human resources department for the long term. It couldn't just be like, you know, a day here and a day there. It had to be something that was substantial. So they came through with me with Merck. Merck was a huge or is a huge employer in New Jersey, obviously. And I went to work there covering maternity leaves. I did two years of covering maternity leave after maternity leave after maternity leave, lots of people got pregnant at Merck. I don't know what was going on there. But yeah, covered for all the maternity leaves, and at the same time, at night was going to school for my master's in HR management. So it was a really cool way to pay for my education, and get to practice what I was learning during the day at work. So that's what immersed me in the field of human resources. And when I eventually moved from, eventually landed a job at AT&T, which then moved me from being headquartered in New Jersey, moved me from New Jersey to California, which is where I ultimately always knew I wanted to be. I don't know why it was just within me, ingrained that I was going to end up in California somewhere, didn't know whether it was going to be, north or south or wherever. I ended up in Northern California, knowing no one, absolutely no one, just moved out here. I knew this is where I needed to be. And that's where I fell into the Enneagram. So I decided my HR career was great. And I loved many, many aspects of it, but I wanted more. And so the next step, the next evolutionary step would be to go into organization development. And how do I do that? I need to get more of an education. So through AT&T's very generous tuition reimbursement program, I went to school again at night for my PhD in organizational psychology in California, and that's where I was introduced to the Enneagram. One of my professors was friends with Helen Palmer, who is a big name in Enneagram. She's in the peninsula. And she came in for one of our classes. It wasn't even a whole semester long class. It was just one class. And she came in and she introduced us to the Enneagram. And much like you, I know you use Myers-Briggs in some of your engagements, I was a Myers-Briggs guy. Myers-Briggs was great. It was awesome. It helped explain how things worked. People understood more about themselves. They understood more about their co-workers. People weren't crazy, or maybe they were but they were at least explainable. And then I found out that, Oh, wow, Myers-Briggs just scratches the surface. And we really don't know what's below the surface, what's causing or motivating those behaviors that we're seeing that Myers-Briggs is telling us that we do. So Helen Palmer explained that, all in that one class, that one less-than-three-hour class, and I was hooked, I was so hooked. I originally thought I was a certain type. All my classmates said Yeah, right. You're not, look at your actions. And they were right. Because we always want to be something we're not. Andi Simon: We don't really know what we are. And we don't have a good mirror to help us do that. And, consequently, we know humans are storymakers. We create a wonderful living story. In our mind, our mental map, and however we create it, that's where we live. We only see the things that conform to it. And if it doesn't fit, we just scrap it. We didn't delete it and so we're good at that. And so an Enneagram begins to create a way of understanding that story through a really sophisticated lens. They're all trying to help you see yourself through a fresh lens. What's interesting is that, I just want to pause for a moment because people listening and watching, you too may have had an epiphany at some point. I discovered anthropology when I was an undergraduate. And I really didn't have a major. I was wandering, trying to figure out what life was about. And then I took one course and next thing I know, I went, Oh, wow, this is who I am, not just what I want to do. It sounds like that's what we did. It's a calling. And so I am, and then I went to Columbia, and I finished it, but it's a very interesting feeling. And so if you're listening or watching, don't miss it when you have that aha moment in your brain. I can remember the professor, it was like, wow, yeah. While the Enneagram may help tell you more about yourself, you know, sometimes somebody will help you see yourself in ways that you couldn't imagine. And I don't think those are separate. So when you discover this, you know what you do with it. Karl Hebenstreit: I wanted to know more. Just that one three-hour class wasn't enough. I wanted to know more. So then I became involved in the International Enneagram Association, went to my first conference, started seeing all the different presenters and seeing what the different ways that people were using the Enneagram were. I really saw how I wanted to use it in business because I was in business, I was in human resources at the time. And I saw the connection. I was doing lots of recruiting at the time, and I saw how we were recruiting for the same type over and over and over again. And we were recruiting not only in our own image, but in the culture of the organization. We were excluding certain people right off the bat because we weren't acknowledging different drives and needs that they had that would be important for them to have in an organization, to offer them those options, for benefits, for culture that they would need. And the realization from a diversity perspective is that we do need all nine of those different drivers and perspectives in any group, team or organization. Otherwise, we're going to succumb to groupthink. And we're going to miss out on serving the needs of this whole other populace that is not being served, whose interests are not being thought of or considered. So that's where I just became totally immersed in it. And sort of practicing experimenting in the organizations for which I worked at that time, this was after 911. So AT&T had done some major layoffs. I was then working with many other different companies, and was able to practice the Enneagram and use the Enneagram model and framework in many different settings. I know traditionally, it's been used mostly for individual coaching, executive coaching, and team development and team building. But, there were so many other applications that I saw from all the other models that we use as consultants. And I saw the overlaps and the correlations. And I started saying, hold on a second, why do we need to know all these different models? What if we just tap into this one model and use its robustness for all these different applications? Andi Simon: There are so many and I can begin to wonder how many colors you are with disk and you know what, what flavors are you and what does it really help you do? So can you give us and the listeners and viewers some idea about a problem where you applied it, or a case study that worked well, because I want to dig a little deeper. We're torn in our society, between embracing the words diversity, equity, belonging, inclusion, and living it and being an apologist. Birds of a feather flock together; humans are herd animals and they feel the safest, out of danger, when they're with people who are like them, who look like them, talk like them and affirm them. I mean, we live with a mirror and we're looking for a mirror that looks like us in some fashion. But cognitive diversity, neurodiversity, racial, ethnic and gender diversity and sexual diversity, bring new ideas and new ways of doing things at a time when we really do need to embrace them as well as to realize that that's the world we're in. And I have a hunch you've been applying this in different places. Can you give us a couple of illustrations? Karl Hebenstreit: Absolutely. The one that immediately comes to mind is when I worked for a clinical diagnostics company, and my clients. I was internal. And my clients were the R&D division. So I had the Vice President of Research and Development, and all of his direct reports. And they had the introduction, and I did an introduction to the Enneagram for them. They loved it. They saw they understood each other better, and it was more for their own team development. But they were struggling, it was a type six company overall, and still is, I believe, and it was very much about that conservative nature, which really doesn't work in an R&D environment. You need to promote innovation and experimentation, and not basically punish people for exhibiting those behaviors that may not be successful because not all of R&D is going to be successful. I saw something somewhere that said, If we knew what we were doing, we wouldn't be calling it research. So it's experimentation and learning from failures, and not really punishing the people that went out of the box and did that. So they're struggling. Andi Simon: They want to create a new sandbox, but God forbid you walk outside the door and try something new. Karl Hebenstreit: Exactly, it's unsafe, you can't do that. So they knew the Enneagram. And this was a totally different engagement. We were totally different off site, because they were talking about empowerment. Empowerment was really something that they were wondering, why aren't people innovative? Why aren't they taking the initiatives to take things on? Why are they always coming to us for approval? Why does it have to go up the chain? And again, type six company, right? Andi Simon: So the second type six is a loyal skeptic? Is that what we're referring to? Karl Hebenstreit: Exactly! The loyal skeptic, their superpower. The type six superpower is the ability to see every single worst case situation that could possibly happen and plan and prepare for it, is how they stay safe. Because if it does happen, they are the ones that you want to follow. They have the plan, they have the kit. They have everything planned out and thought through and just follow them and you will go to safety. Andi Simon: Until there's a pandemic and they haven't got a clue what to do. Karl Hepenstreit: Exactly, exactly. They're more conservative there, you know: I need to stay safe, I need to be secluded, I need to be isolated. That kind of thing until they can figure out exactly what is the safest way to do it. And of course, we can dive a lot deeper into this. And there's a subtype that takes it to a different extreme where they push the boundaries, and they want to say, what will it take for me to be safe? Let me go and do all these outlandish things to know what the possibly horrifying, terrifying effects are and then plan for that afterwards, so that I know that it will be safe if these things even happen. So I will go skydiving, even if I'm afraid of heights, that kind of thing. So thank you for bringing that back to type six, the loyal skeptic and a little bit more conservative to be safe, to stay safe. And necessarily push those boundaries unless you're that specific subtype, or instinct. And what I thought I brought to them was because they were struggling, they were coming up with all these different things through their own lens, their own cultural lens that had all those barriers around it, all those walls around it. They couldn't figure out how to help their employees be more empowered. And I said, Hold on a second, you have a model, you think about what this model has taught us, right? So what if we created this structure that we have in this culture that we have that needs a safety net? Let's create a safety net that helps people be empowered. So why don't we look at the nine different types on the Enneagram and the insights that they provide and let's think about how we can help people say, let's look at what a type one lens would help us choose or look through. And that will be the perfectionist, that would be the mission, that would be the quality. So if someone has an idea as an employee, and wants to do something that's out of the box, have them go through each of the nine types and the questions that would be offered by them. And if they can answer them in a positive way and say, Yes, I've considered all these nine types and I know that this is going to work or it should work from everything that we know. And they go forward with it without running it up the flagpole, and if something does go wrong, or the pandemic strikes or whatever, that we didn't plan for, oh, well, this person did everything with due diligence in the positive intent. And, most of the times that would have been successful. But, if you know we have this weird one-off, the pandemic or some other thing that happens, we couldn't plan for that anyway. So guess what? The vice president would probably make the same decision if they did it with good faith and good intent and due diligence and followed all nine questions or nine perspectives. Something fantastic will have come of it, or they will learn a lesson and reapply it and tweak it and make it into something fantastic. And that's what can help us drive that innovation and empowerment that we're looking for, rather than people feeling like, if I do something and it goes wrong, I'm going to be punished. Andi Simon: Well, you know, part of the challenge, since we do a lot of work on cultural change, is that culture defines the way we do things here. And if you deviate from the way we do things here, it is scary, because you become an outsider. And, you know the book, The Secret of Our Success: How Culture Is Driving Human Evolution, Domesticating Our Species, and Making Us Smarter. I love that we've evolved because of this collective brain that we've shared, and not because of isolates who have fooled us, sometimes they have. But it is an interesting opportunity. The Enneagram, though, gives you a methodology for really understanding diversity in two new ways. And if you all find yourself at sixes, then you're going to have a hard time trusting anybody who comes in as an explorer or an inventor. But you could if you understood the differences there. Are there some illustrations about how it's being used to embrace diversity, and begin to understand what it means, something you can share perhaps? Karl Hebenstreit: Absolutely. There's actually some really great work through Dr. Deborah Threadgill Egerton. And she just published a book called Know Justice Know Peace: A Transformative Journey of Social Justice, Anti-Racism, and Healing through the Power of the Enneagram. And I love the way that she presents the Enneagram as a way that we have all these nine styles within us, and how do we tap into them. And obviously everyone is not at the same level of integration or healthiness in their journey, their development journey, and understanding themselves, and seeing how the Enneagram can help them be even more effective and productive and happier in their lives. So there are three different basic levels. And the really cool thing is, she shows how each type has this opportunity to leverage these gifts, the superpowers that each type has, and ultimately lead into an ally, to become an ally for all elements of diversity. So wouldn't it be great because we do have all nine types within us? We just concentrate on one core, that's our core motivator throughout our entire life. But wouldn't it be great to also explore these other eight styles that we have within us and see when they would be more appropriate in each different situation and know that other people are leading with one of those eight other styles or our style as well, but maybe through a different subtype or instinctual lens. And understand that we need all those nine perspectives in order to see the world as it really is, rather than just that 40 degree sliver that we're looking at it through. So there's an application that way, where we can teach people about the Enneagram. So it doesn't really take into account heredity, or sexual orientation, or race or anything like that, but it's all about, we're all human. We are all human. And we all share these nine primary motivators. And let's understand each other through those nine lenses and not exclude them, not separate them, but include them and integrate them into ourselves as well. So we have this robust, diverse power that we can then catalyze for making change, and making the world a better place. Andi Simon: Karl, if I hear what you just said clearly, and clarify for me, the words that are being used around diversity, all the different categories are fine, but maybe we should change that thinking not around gender, or sexual orientation or race or other things, but think about us as people who have different parts of us operating in different ways, nine different ways, to be looking at our different Enneagrams. I remember when I did mine, it was a one something and a seven. But I'm an explorer, but I'm also an artist, and I've been a boss. I've been, you know, EVP of a bank, and an achiever and the balance of them create who I am, not one, but all of them that I'm heavier in. And then there are others where I'm even an anthropologist, and I know I'm a server, I really do five things all the time. And a skeptic, not much. I don't over-plan, and I let life move me through a journey. But what's interesting about it is that it redefines the diversity that you need for effective relationships for effective business. And that makes sense, right? And now it gives us a platform on which to understand each other, as well as to personally know how we're evolving within the organization. Right? Karl Hebenstreit: And, tapping into the differences, because knowing that whatever every organization is going to somehow end up being a certain culture, it's going to align with a type one culture or two cultures, whatever one of the nine cultures just because of the nature of the industry, the nature of the leadership, and just who it attracts that way. However, wouldn't it be great to find the diversity that we need, and call it out rather than shun it and put it aside, knowing that we need that diversity because we know we're in groupthink world. Whenever we have more and more of these type threes congregating together, or seven kinds of getting together. And we just need to integrate these other perspectives as well, rather than close them off and shut them down and not allow them to speak and not allow them to have a voice. And we have all nine types within us. Andi Simon: I often use theater as a metaphor. This woman in Manhattan has a company called Performance of a Lifetime. And she's an ex-theatre person. And I've used her for public speaking training and all kinds of stuff. But usually, if you think of life as theater, and then the question is, what are the roles that you're playing when the context will influence what part of you. I mean, if Robert Redford can play Out of Africa and The Way We Were, so can you play multiple roles. You can be cast in one by others or you can begin to cast yourself in a way for now that you can lead or you can follow or you can be an adventurer, and you can reframe yourself and the story you have based on the context. And you know that you understand that, like, theater. We do have to wrap up because I'm watching our time and our listeners are very, very engaged for about a half hour. And we're just about at that point; a couple of things you don't want them to forget. Karl Hebenstreit: I don't want listeners to forget that it's really about the readiness of the person or the organization to which instrument you use. In some cases, the Enneagram is not the be-all and end-all for everything. Myers-Briggs is not the be-all and end-all for everything. Hogan is not the be-all and end-all, Leadership Circle is not. It's whatever the organization or person is ready for, to get that information about the feedback, to understand themselves better if they're not at that point of self awareness yet. So I think readiness is critical. The other thing is the platinum rule, which we didn't discuss. A lot of times people get hung up on the golden rule, which is to treat others the way that you want to be treated, which is not true and it's not diverse, inclusive, it's not. The platinum rule is a far better rule for people to help understand how other people want to be treated. So treat people the way they want to be treated, which then helps us use any of these other instruments that we mentioned. But the Enneagram really tends to be the best one in that realm because it helps us understand where they're coming from, what their drivers are, their motivations, and what's how they want to be treated. Andi Simon: Well, you have to listen and listen without pushing it through your mind map so that you can really hear what they are saying and what they're all about. Karl Hebenstreit: You're absolutely right to interpret it through your lens. And we need to be more curious and not jump to conclusions about that, and hear their story and build that relationship with them to really know where they're coming from. And the third one is that we are all diverse inside of us. We have those nine diverse perspectives and ways of looking at the world. And we should not just stick to the one that is our core. We need to integrate all nine types, all the eight other styles that are lesser used, and are less accessible. So integrate all those and then we'll have a much better idea of what's going on in every single situation. Andi Simon: Now I have a hunch you have really elaborated on this in your book, right? Talk a moment about the name of the book and where they can find the book. Karl Hebenstreit: Yeah. So the book is called The How and Why: Taking Care of Business with the Enneagram. And it's in the second edition right now, the second edition got published during the pandemic when I had some time to really add more stuff to the first edition and make it even more robust and add more new learnings and more new exercises and models. So that is available to help people to basically use the Enneagram for any organizational development, organization development intervention that they have, or any organizational situation or challenge that they're put in. So that's available on Amazon. You can also check out more about it on my website, which is www.performandfunction.com. There's also another book intended for all audiences, especially people that may not even know the Enneagram in advance, not that you need to know the Enneagram in advance for the business book either. But this is intended to help people learn about the Enneagram at a much younger age so it makes their life easier so they can understand the importance of the diverse perspectives that lie within us and that we can really integrate. It's called Nina and the Really, Really Tough Decision. So they take one of the chapters in the business book and really reinterpret it through the lens of a child learning about all the different perspectives that her different friends have, and so how can she greet them whenever she needs to make a difficult decision. Andi Simon: You know, you're tickling my curiosity about whether I should take Rethink: Smashing The Myths of Women in Business, my second book, and begin to rewrite it for a teen book. And it's an audience. But I'm not quite sure that teens can't read the book already. It's sort of like, Who do I want to be, and how. So it's a really interesting time. This has been such fun, if they want to reach you, your website is where they should go? Karl Hebenstreit: Performandfunction.com has all my contact information as well. LinkedIn, of course: Karl Hebenstreit. Andi Simon: I think that the listeners are probably listening to us talk about nine different types, and kinds of things that are difficult to talk about in a half hour. So I would urge you to Google Enneagram, and then get into Karl's book because it offers you a way to see, feel and think about the world and yourself through a fresh lens. That's my job to get you off the brink. I want you to soar again, to change. And sometimes the mirror isn't going back to what you need to know, to see the world the way it's developing. And I know in particular, people managing in a hybrid world really need to understand what people are going through as they are reassessing themselves, understanding how to get things done differently, and changes are unsettling your mind. You're amygdala gets hijacked and hates change and wants to go back to the familiar and you can't go back. The world that was, I'm not sure it's coming back that fast. Might be a little bit of time. But it's been great fun. Thank you for joining me today. Karl Hebenstreit: Thank you, Andi. This has been awesome.  Andi Simon: It is! For those of you who come, I can only tell you, thank you. You can pick up my books at Amazon and Barnes and Noble and, you know, Google them. They are selling really, really well. And I have colleges and universities still using On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights , and Rethink: Smashing The Myths of Women in Business is helping women see themselves through a fresh lens so they know that they should not accept limits. And McKinsey's writing about the great breakup, and then women leaving the workforce, it's time maybe for women to understand themselves better, and help the organization understand why those women are so important to them. But you can reach me at info@andisimon.com and learn more about us there and about our programs. And Simonassociates.net is our website. It's brand new and ready for you to explore and learn all about what we do to help people see, feel and think. Goodbye Karl. Have a great day everybody who came, thank you for joining us. Have a wonderful day, bye bye now.

Ep.#5 [THEME SEVEN] Do you ever get frustrated because you feel like the vision you have for the future is perfectly clear - almost obvious - and all you have to do is connect the dots, wait, and get other people on board? Wouldn’t it be nice if it was that easy? I have always been passionate about this topic of a “Visionary” and what it truly means. Does it really mean something special, or is it just a term used to self diagnose a passionate entrepreneur who doesn't know how to explain why they see the world the way they do while conveniently explaining away our weaknesses? I tend to find that I (and many visionaries I know) have the gift of foresight, but it comes with pitfalls if not managed correctly - going too fast, leaving projects unfinished, getting distracted, hiring or partnering with the wrong people, or whatever else you can think of! The worst punishment of all? Not reaching your vision. This is why I really enjoyed today’s interview with Justin Breen. Justin is an entrepreneur and best selling author of “Epic Business” and “Epic Life.” Justin spent 20 years in the media business before starting BrEpic Communications, a premium PR firm specifically for Visionary entrepreneurs. I wanted to have Justin on the show because of his unique ability to completely understand Visionaries (strengths and weaknesses alike) and how to leverage the world changing ideas Visionaries come up with by putting them into action. Whether you are a Visionary - or work with one - this episode is worth the listen. Hopefully, you learn a few insights about yourself or the people you work with! // WATCH THE INTERVIEW ON YOUTUBE: Intentional Growth™ Podcast What You Will Learn Justin's definition of entrepreneurs vs. business owners vs. humans. The four common characteristics successful entrepreneurs share. What the KOLBE assessment is and how it is used to identify Visionaries, Integrators, and more. Why the KOLBE assessment is different than other assessments like Myers-Briggs or the DiSC assessment. Why most Visionaries are “quick starts”. What the best complimentary profile is for a Visionary and why. How to figure out which type of visionary you are so you can hire the right people to keep you focused. The types of people Visionaries need to avoid. The correlation between an entrepreneur's high IQ and happiness. // USE

Joining Carol Pankow in the studio today is Damian Schlinger, State Director of the North Dakota Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Learn how Damian and his team moved from a double-triple check culture to one that encourages and enhances staff autonomy using techniques and strategies that have had tangible results. Listen as Damian explains how his agency is eliminating low-value activities and is focusing on keeping customers engaged to achieve quality outcomes in North Dakota.   Listen Here   Full Transcript {Music} Speaker1: Manager Minute brought to you by the VRTAC for Quality Management, Conversations powered by VR, one manager at a time, one minute at a time. Here is your host Carol Pankow.   Carol: Well, welcome to the manager minute. Damian Schlanger, State Director of the North Dakota Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, is joining me in the studio today. So thanks for joining me, Damian. How are things going in North Dakota?   Damian: Things are going well. Good morning. Thanks for having me on, Carol.   Carol: Well, it was so funny. I was telling Jeff, the podcast producer, I'm like, you know, when you were talking at CSAVR this fall, I felt a little bit like Simon Cowell. You know, there's a panel up there. I'm looking down and you started talking and my head went up. I'm like, Who is that guy? And I went right up to you after that general session. I'm like, Can you be on a podcast? I just think you have the most awesome things that are going on, and I wanted to make sure that we could spread that out to the rest of the country. And I really love the quote on your slide deck during the conference, "Take care of your employees and they take care of your business", by Richard Branson. And I just think you only had maybe 8 minutes to talk there. And I thought we could have a little deeper conversation this morning. So let's dig in. So can you tell our listeners a little bit about yourself, like how long you've been at North Dakota VR and where do you come from? Because I know you did come out of VR. Can you tell everybody a little bit about your background?   Damian: For sure, yeah. So I'm a relative newbie to vocational rehab, so I was just two years as of this last December here. So but I've always been in a helping profession. So the last 20 years I spent in the medical industry in various different roles, I started out actually as an athletic trainer. And for people that don't know what that is, my wife would always say, if somebody gets hurt on a field or at a game, the guy that goes running out, that's what my husband does. So that kind of gives me an idea that's good. So it was really good and it was a great career for the longest time. But then I had little kids in that night and weekend thing really didn't always work out. So yeah. So then I found my way into clinic management. I had a great mentor and supervisor and first I managed some walk in clinics and then some surgical clinics, and then I found my way to occupational medicine and that's actually where the link with VR happened. So sometimes we would get injured workers that couldn't go back to their previous place of employment because the injury was so severe. So we had to figure out what could they do. So we would do functional capacity assessments and things of that nature. And then I would be on the call sometimes with a Voc Rehab counselor, and they would ask, Could they do this? Could they stand? Could they sit? So yeah. So then when I was looking to further my career in a Voc Rehab position came open for a director, I thought, Oh, that would be perfect. Yeah, that's kind of how I got my way here.   Carol: Very cool. That is kind of wild. I know we've all fallen into it in different ways, and that's really neat. I'm glad to know that about you. Give us a little picture about North Dakota VR. Like, how many customers do you guys serve? How many staff you have, and maybe a little bit about the challenges you're facing. You've got a very different complexity in your state.   Damian: Yeah. So we have definitely a high rural population. A lot of our state is rural and then there's obviously these big population centers throughout the state. So that's somewhat of a challenge. And then what has been great is across these last few years coming out of the pandemic, things have really increased to the point where we're starting to challenge our all time highs in certain areas. And I know certain states might listen to this and go, Oh, that's really small or whatever, but it's whatever your situation is, if you can challenge some of those all time highs, I think that's great. So certainly our clients served about 3800 of those each year.  In our OIB, we actually helped 555 individuals last year. I think there was like 313 applications. But some of those things are going really well and coverage into rural areas is just a part of what we do. We have eight regions is kind of how we carve our state up and then we know there's a lot of windshield time in covering those more rural areas.   Carol: So about how many counselors would you have that cover all of that?   Damian: In the state, there are about 40. So in our bigger regions there might be as many as seven or eight, and then the smaller ones are usually 2 to 3.   Carol: Gotcha. Well, I remember my grandma lived in Bismarck, and so even when I was learning to drive, my mom made us have so many hours behind the wheel. And I'm like, I'll drive to grandma's because it took us about 10 hours to get there. It was a long state to get through, to get to Bismarck. But I get my time in. So I completely understand that whole windshield time that folks have. So I know when you came in, you really hit the ground running. How did you come up with these activities You have focused on this past year around your staff?   Damian: One thing that I've been fortunate to do is because I've been in different spots, usually I'm in a spot for about four years is when I look backwards on my career. And so it's given me an opportunity to get into different situations where sometimes it's a realignment, sometimes you're starting up, sometimes they have great success and they just need to be polished. Some of the clinics or areas that I've been in. But what was interesting about ours is that they had really good, I call it Good Bones, almost like a house, You know, it's got good bones. You know, you don't have to replace a whole lot of things, but just to try to align everybody. So one thing that was interesting is that they had not, I don't know if team building efforts or coming across regions with different ideas was commonplace. I think they would sometimes share best practice, but it was almost like if it happened, it wasn't necessarily something they concentrated on. And when I visited the regions, all these folks, whether it was Frontline or regional administrators, had great ideas and then I had seen them. Maybe we're only enacted in that one region and I thought the other seven regions could really benefit from that. And plus, who doesn't love, you know, you have a great idea. And to see that come out of your mind and get legs and run across the state is a fantastic feeling. So that's a lot of what we concentrated on was just trying to get people to just share ideas and come together across the state.   Carol: Yeah, I think that's super cool. I know you have this dual approach. You really are focused on both the staff and your customers or clients or whatever you may call them in your state. And like in VR, we're always talking about clients in business and I think staff does get left out of this conversation. So I know you walked into this culture that was kind of double triple checks. You talked about that at the conference. How did you go about kind of beginning to revamp that culture?   Damian: I always think about assuming positive intent. I do a lot of reading on psychology and things of that nature and even the double and triple check cultures, if they exist, and those existed in the medical community that I started as well. It comes from a good places that you want to do the very best for your client, your patient, your whatever you call them, right? You want to have them have the best service ever. So I also know there's individuals that are really performance driven, but it's the same goal, right? They want to have great things happen for the customer. So it's about blending those two perspectives. So when I started to think about that even early in the career, I'm embarrassed to talk about it. But I ran headlong into a brick wall because I thought about the patient very much and thought about performance. Like how many could we serve, how quickly we could we get them in and out because nobody wants to be someplace for an hour and a half, especially if you're sitting in a clinic. But then what I realized is that my staff, I didn't share some of my thoughts necessarily openly outside my head a whole lot. You know, we think about things a lot, and that continues to be a challenge for myself. But trying to understand, it's like I introduced a higher challenge to them. But then what I didn't understand is I wasn't necessarily investing in listening to them or growing their skills. So it's like those two pathways have to emerge together. So I actually pulled the staff together and I apologized to them. So then I was aware of it, you know what I mean? I couldn't just concentrate on the clients. It had to be growth of the team members as well as the service to the client as well. And so that's when I found out really Myers-Briggs, Keirsey Temperament Sorter, all those things. The big five, those were like the map. Otherwise it felt like I was stumbling around in the dark. But when I found those that felt like the key, really understanding individual motivation and the types of folks that are out there and then how to grow them, and then when they feel great and they're engaged and they're growing, the clients, it just it's natural. It's like peanut butter and jelly.   Carol: Oh, absolutely. You sing to my heart because I love that. I was always big on the Clifton Strength Finders. We did that because a lot of times you focus on people's deficits. So we're going to fix that. But why don't we build on the strengths people have and make them even like superpowers? And so really leaning into what are people doing well and helping them to do more of that.   Damian: Yeah, and there's all kinds of them out there too. I love, yeah, like you said, strength finders. We've done that as well. And actually what was interesting here just recently, we're starting to do a lot of like self directed project teams. And I also have done Disc assessments which really talks about personalities as they perform inside of a team because it's great if you have an individual, but who are we kidding? Like even in high school, my kids have been doing project based learning since they were in middle school, so I'm glad that that's happening in the schools because that's what real life is like. You rarely work as a lone wolf, so understanding that and who might be the best person to run the project? Who might be your document creator? Who might be your reporter or communicator, it really helps fit those skills in. A lot of those are based off of the same research. That's Carl Jung and all that. I remember doing actually a personality profile one time where they divided you into animals. You're either a golden retriever or a beaver or but it's all based on the same kind of four categories, you know.   Carol: So yeah, it is super helpful. I know for folks maybe not using that. I liked that too. We did that with some of our self directed teams and we realized like we were kind of new into it and we were super excited and we're having these teams that there was a team and they were all awesome at talking, but there wasn't like that leader person to, okay, here's our agenda and keep that going. And we realized like that was bad on us because we hadn't sort of sorted that out correctly to have all the different styles within the team so you could get something all the way accomplished, right? You can't put all the same people together because then they're all just chatting. And so I learned a lot just applying those kind of principles. I think that's cool. Now, I know you guys did a survey and I understand that the state was using the Gallup Survey. Can you describe like how that process went?   Damian: Yes. So actually, the first survey that they did statewide came out actually a month or two before I even started. And what I like about this is it gives you an objective measure because I think you can get into any setting or into any region or whatever position you are, and you can kind of get a feel for it across time. But it is just that it's a feel and it's just a perspective from whatever seat you're at. So it was great about the Gallup survey is that you can break it down for region. I think you had to have at least five individuals because then they wouldn't parse the data out. They would really want to make sure things are confidential. But then you can take a look at certain groups. You could take a look at your leaders. So like your regional leaders, you could look at state office, you could look at all the leaders together, all of VR together. So that was really important to understand, like what the needs and concerns were for certain audiences. So then what they did is, so they did it in October of what would that have been? 20? And then they did another one in the spring and now they do it every October. Just to make sure that we understand where we're at. So we were at a, I think, 31% engagement at that time. And so we recognized that that was low for sure. And I know that they say through Gallup, at least their research is when you're at 50% roughly engagement, that's super. Anything north of that is fantastic. So even if you're around that, that's great. So then we really did a lot to make sure that we understood. It's like it was a new day and actually we were just coming off that it was 100 years of VR. So it's like, what are we going to do to reinvent it for the next 100 say? So we did a lot of looking at going out to our regions, understanding where the crux of the issues when we're trying to deliver service to clients. And that was new. There was one lady that had said, I don't know the last time I've seen a director, it's been years, you know, so you really want to make sure that we went out to them physically and saw them as well, because that means a lot they feel invested in. So it's just through that, including in projects. We created small teams in each region to then address their issues and talk about them and then took action. And a lot of it was just saying yes to a lot of the things they wanted to do, and that turned it. So we went to 61% and then now this last year I think I might have pressed the pedal a little too far on our performance. So there's always that balance to play. So back down to about 50%. So then I recognized, okay, you know, we're going to do a little bit more, make sure we're mixed and growing skills to match the challenges that are out there.   Carol: That's really cool because you can see, like the fruits of your labor. It's directly in those percentages. I get that. I know you had talked back at the conference when you were telling us your stories and you really threw your staff for a loop by that, going out and popping in on Zoom and all those different things, and they really didn't know what to make of you. I thought that was kind of cool. So what kind of tangible things have you seen change as a result of the efforts you put into place these last two years?   Damian: Oh, sure. There is so much, and I think there's probably tangible parts of it, and then there are also parts that you just feel like, I don't know if you still want to call them tangible, but maybe they aren't. Like when I think of the sort of soft indicators, I can tell that the team members know we have a place within HHS because HHS is where we're housed in the state. And then they're also, of course, aging divisions and DD divisions and so on and so forth. And there's hundreds of millions of dollars, lots of staff. So I think initially there was maybe that feeling like you're the redheaded stepchild, but now they know it. And of course, because now the workforce issue is such a great thing, not just in our state, but throughout the nation, they know we have a place at the table. So a lot of that was even just inviting in, like my supervisor, who was one of the executives at HHS, talking about our importance in a staff meeting of leaders and then also in our all staff meeting. So that made them feel connected to the rest of the group. So I know if you want to actually call that tangible, but it was a big thing.   Carol: Oh, yeah, I call it tangible. That's pretty cool.   Damian: Good. And then just relationships with a lot of our providers are certainly other warmer. They're more frequent, they're more collaborative. One of the regional administrators said back in the golden era, he would call it that, you know, we did X, Y and Z. So we really restored a lot of that because we realized that as our providers go, so goes VR. So that was a critical relationship to mend and then also elevate. And we're trying to do that with a lot of other areas advocacy groups, employers, our sister divisions or sections within HHS. It's all working in that direction.   Carol: Good for you. Good stuff. What are your next steps like? What do you want to do next? Or are you just continuing on this trajectory? Do you have some big ideas? Where are you going?   Damian: Oh, sure. And actually this is a great time. So we just took a look at our strategy now have our strategic plan set for 2023. So we really have four major areas of concern. So one is certainly staff development. We continue to have new challenges. The needs of our clients change every year and we want to make sure that we really keep up on that. Another one is what we call just efficiency and design. So a lot of it matches our main areas or strategic priorities. We are still a lot of paper and pen and we don't use a lot of electronic systems, so we do want to transition to that type of situation and also see if we can centralize some teams. So we worked with different states, Texas, Indiana and in Nebraska just to see what they have going on, because we want to use the best of what anybody's done throughout the nation. And then we're also looking at other things like outreach, continuing to expand outreach awareness, whether it's meeting with partners like I just talked about or social media. We just want to be where the eyeballs are as much as possible to attract as many clients as we can. It was actually a really great compliment and I feel so great for all the people that work in VR. I just did our budget detail testimony this last week and one of the senators asked, he said at the end of the presentation, he said, everything seems to be going up and going well in VR, where some of ours aren't as busy. He goes, What's the secret? I did not want to leave the podium and I'm not a great public speaker. I usually want to get off of there as soon as I can, but that was a really great feeling. It just speaks to the work that's been done across the last couple of years because I think we concentrated on the right things and the right stakeholders. So we're excited about that and looking forward to this next year. So self directed teams is a big part of that. So if my leaders hear this podcast before Monday morning, maybe they'll have a little bit of heads up, but we're going to continue to grow in that direction.   Carol: That's very cool. I know there's nothing better than being able to tell the story of the agency and people really noticing, because I know folks are still struggling across the country. A lot of your colleagues are kind of at this holding pattern or really buried down with not having enough staff trying to get the clients to come back and all of that. But it seems like you're on this upward trajectory and getting some. How about the staff? I just was curious like, what is your vacancy rate look like right now? Are things picking up for you? Are you fill in those jobs? How's that going?   Damian: That's a great question. And actually it's good timing, too, because when we did that testimony last week, we got some recent turnover numbers. So it was interesting. So when I got here a couple of years ago, we saw that across the data that I had was the last seven years of our counselors was about 28% turnover and it had been in 2019 as recent as high as 35% turnover. So I mean, it just undermines your ability to complete that mission. I mean, you can do a pretty good job, there's no doubt about it. But it's hard. So we looked at some of the crux of what was going on there, and certainly it was involvement being heard, feeling like they had the ability and autonomy to do a lot of things. So there was some situations like that or even simple. We were able to increase the counselors limit of decision making or spending up to $10,000, and it had been capped artificially at five. And I said, You took the procurement training at $10,000. Why are we capping it at five? So there was a lot of little things like that that really helped the autonomy of situations. And you know what? I've been talking in a line here and I forgot the original question. Let's go back to that. What was your question, Carol? My apologies.   Carol: Well, no, I was just asking about how it was going with your staffing, Attrition and turnover.   Damian: Yeah, my apologies. Sometimes we get talking in one direction and I'm like...   Carol: We're good. I'm all good. I'm flowing with you.   Damian: Okay, So anyway, so yeah, so there was definitely a lot of turnover and that was a situation. So we wanted to make sure we did as much as possible because usually people want to throw money at an issue and it's usually one of the last solutions, not one of the first. So we were able to get good engagement out of that. There was no doubt, and it slowed the turnover train a little bit. So it was 23%. This was overall not just counselors in 2021. So it's like, okay, that slowed down, but it's still a quarter of my staff every year. So what was really great is the we really have progressive leaders in HHS and then also in our HR department. I know a lot of people think of state government as stodgy and slow and so on and so forth, but actually they've been more inventive and collaborative than anywhere I had worked at before. So they really took a look at, we were able to increase wages for some of the individuals that were coming in, knew that was a big deal. So we've had extremely low turnover in the last couple of years and I know some of that's just because it's been a couple of years. But also that helped and it was kind of an unconventional approach because they had tried to approach increasing wages in different methods. One was a booklet and it's hard for individuals to make decisions of a whole booklet. So we just went with a very simple one pager, talked about we had the funding to do so, federal authority to do so. We have the flexibility to move some money between lines. And so then we were able to and I know that caused some disruption for our staff that had been existing there, like, well, these new people are getting paid more. I almost had to crack a few eggs to make an omelet. And so what happened is eventually HR and our exec spot into, yes, we need to increase wages for our staff. So then we were able to do that this last October. So that's been huge and that slowed it down. Now I think the stat was 18% this last year and we can see month to month it's diving. So yeah, it's inclusion. Being with your teammates, feeling like you're heard, they have to be compensated. Right. It's always kind of the four main things, I think, but it's working well.   Carol: Good for you. You've hit that on all the fronts. I was just reading an article about autonomy. They're saying folks first they wanted that flexibility in their work schedule, work life balance. But now the big buzzword is people wanting that autonomy. They want to be able to make decisions. A lot of times we have that just overarching smack down. You know, 14 people are reviewing every single thing and approving and you're like, oh, my goodness, these people have been trained. They've gone through school, like, let them go.   Damian: Agreed.   Carol: Yeah, good for you. You've hit it on every front. That is pretty amazing to be able to get through the increases. Have you seen any kind of trend like former staff coming back because they've heard, well, there's more money now and there's, you know, like we have autonomy and all these things are going on. I wondered if you're seeing anything like that.   Damian: You know, I haven't seen anything in that regard yet, even though there are I mean, across these last couple of years, I saw a couple stars leave for some higher compensated areas. And I thought, boy, I'd love to be able to get them back. So we haven't gone there yet. But if I can just continue to keep and grow, the individuals that we have, they're bright. We have some new faces that are wonderful, but I think that's a good thing. And then also, once they stay here and they're here for a while, it gives that opportunity for promotion and that just all feeds in together positively, I think.   Carol: Yeah, very cool. Very cool. So how about all this work now you're thinking about your positively impacting your staff, you're having less attrition. You've done a lot of neat things culturally. How is it translating into your outcomes for your customers? Are people getting into employment? Is there more people getting into work? What are you seeing on that front?   Damian: Oh yeah, and this is all fresh in my head. So this is a good time to have this podcast. But we took a look at and we always do that because I think what's interesting is that when you have discussions amongst your leadership, of course we're going to all have different perspectives on things. But what matters is the objective data, like objective truth matters. So we always make sure that we have that at the fore. We keep a dashboard. So we take a look at that month over month, year over year, because it helps indicate like where are the weaknesses in our system that we can shore up because they're not just weaknesses in building a car or an iPhone. This is service. To clients you know, that they care about. So we've taken a lot of look at that. When I take a look at like our closed our number of successful closed, we think within this next biennium we can actually get to the high point that we've ever had. Back in 2000, we had a really high watermark and we're on our way to do that in the next couple of years. But even if you look month to month and across this last year, the number of individuals of client served, the number of "in plan". We could see month to month that it's building, not that we're adding the months together, but each month it's increasing. So in going with that, we're also trying to decrease what it takes to do the work. So that's where that double triple check culture had to go away. It's like, let's concentrate on doing it once and doing it right and then we can move on to the next person, you know, instead of having to revise it. But it's been great. So staff engagement numbers we talked about, OIB applications are up. Actually eligibility. I think that's something that I spoke about at conference that was wonderful. And actually this came from the outside one of our providers. And then there was a few clients that talked about how long it takes to get the process rolling, and that engagement upfront was so key. And actually even our data individual, Warren, talked about this a lot and it was a concern of his because the data showed it. So then when we looked at it, it's like, yeah, we are taking too long. So just in a lot of adjustments that our assistant director Alicia made with comparing with other states, we found that we were going above and beyond the regulation, but it didn't necessarily add any value to the process. It didn't add any value to the client nor the business client. So she said, Why are we doing this? So we got to rid a lot of those things. And it was I mean, from April to I think it was November, we saw the change. It was like 32% faster. So that was wonderful. And that also helped the provider community feel like they were heard too. So it's just a win win all the way around. I think it was great. And that's all. While our client satisfaction either stayed the same or improved, that's when you know that counterbalance to it. I mean, you can go faster and then not please people. But also it stayed the same or got better. So we know we're in the right place.   Carol: Well, and we've done a whole series on rapid engagement. I think I've done three podcasts with different states about rapid engagement and just thinking about what people's expectations are today. You know, VR is kind of based on this very methodical system, and it's built in a lot of these time frames. But if you took all of those like 60 days for eligibility and then you're going to have 90 more days to do a plan and it's six months before they get a service.   Damian: Oh, yeah.   Carol: You come in from your medical background, you know, if somebody came in, you're an athletic trainer and you're like, well, I'm going to do an assessment and then I'm going to get back to you in about 30 days on that, and then we'll make your plan. People would think you're nuts. Like, there is no way people want it. They want it right now.   Damian: It's totally overlooked. And I agree. And maybe that's my perspective from that previous industry I was in is different. Like there's walk in clinics. You can access any information you might want from your bank, your investment account immediately. So it was about, I'd say a month ago or so, there was a great Harvard Business Review article I came across and said, Your competitors aren't who you think your competitors are. And I thought that was really key for a government agency or maybe even VR by itself is that you can't just compare yourself to VR. You have to compare yourself to any industry. It could be the hospitality industry because your clients have experiences in all those areas. So we shouldn't fool ourselves that good enough for government is the way that we are going to do things. You know, it has to be good enough for that person they set What quality really means for us and engagement and results are key to that.   Carol: Oh my gosh, you're hitting so many chords with me right now that I just, I used to do this training years ago about customer service in the government and people would be like, Well, you know, I always called people hostages because they can't go shopping around to get another service provider. You're the person. And so they're hostages and we kind of serve them when we want to. And just to flip the script on that. So I would really challenge our staff to think about that. Just because you can take 60 days. Do you want to do that? Like that's not what we're about. And so really challenging, that kind of thinking. Yeah, and I'm sure your background plays a lot into this, so I'm really happy to hear about what you've done with this rapid engagement.   Damian: And actually Carol I was going to say, so it's not just my background. I have to give credit. There are a lot of individuals in VR that also saw that, and so some of the phrases that they use, I kind of steal them or borrow them and use them as well. One of our leaders was talking about the front line. Sometimes there can be some perspective that that's my quote unquote time frame. It's like, no, it's not. That's the client's time frame. We don't own it. And also, I would never want to say to a client, like, we're going to have our level of service be the government regulation for this. Nobody wants to hear that ever. You know what I mean? And it's a big part because you think about physical health in the medical world or economic health. One of the frontline staff emailed me the other day and said, we're actually saving lives because economic health matters and it matters in stress, it matters in depression, anxiety. Where are you going to get your next meal? Can you pay rent? That's a big deal. And if you say like, Oh, you're going to have to wait on that 60 or 90 days, forget it. It's existential. You know their done.   Carol: You know, it's too late. Yeah. Just like you say. You've got to pay your heat bill. You got to pay your mortgage, get your food on the table. People come to us and they're often in this very critical stage. So when we put all that time in between us and any next steps, they're just like, what is happening? And so then we wonder why in the statistics it's how do we lose people? They're no longer interested in services. They moved on because we haven't done anything. And so we need to, we're in this. spot where we can. Like where else can you go that you get these tangible resources that you can give to the individual sitting across from you? There's not very many places. If you go to your regular counselor and you're talking to them about all of your issues, it's not like your counselor goes, Oh, hey, we'll pay your house payment this month because I know you're stressed out. They can't do that. Yeah, we have things we can help in supporting that individual to getting the life that they want. We're incredibly blessed to be able to have this opportunity.   Damian: And there's some things that we do, too, that I think helps shorten that gap because, I mean, we live in a different world sometimes from our clients and I think about that a lot. Like when I go home, I go to a nice house that has lots of food and it's warm and all that stuff too. And then clients might not be that way. It's almost like we have two sets of clients. There's those ones, like you said, that are living in almost crisis, and then there's ones that are looking to advance their career and they're both very important. But those ones that are on that edge, we try to share a lot of stories of kudos or great impact in all of our staff meetings. And there's been a lot that came from one region across this last three months that it's like when you read them, it warms your heart because they talk about, I can support myself now, I can support my family. It's like, Oh, that's what got us all here. And I think we need to continue to keep that at the fore because otherwise it just feels like a client becomes a case and they're not, you know, there's still a client.   Carol: Yep.   Damian: Those are big things we try to do.   Carol: Yeah, I love that. That's awesome. So I want to switch gears for just a minute. Now, I know everybody's talking about spending money because there's been a lot of money going back to the Treasury, a lot of money being returned through re allotment each summer. And so do you have strategies or how are you guys doing that with spending the money and actually get that out the door so we aren't returning all these funds to the Treasury or to the US government. We want to spend them on our VR purposes.   Damian: And actually it was interesting, I can't remember the name of the fellow that presented to us from Pennsylvania, so he thinks a lot the same way I do. I identified, I call them seven different levers. But in his conversation or his presentation, I think he had like ten or 12. It was really great. But one thing that I think about is provider rates. One thing that was interesting is we had always matched our hourly rate to what DD was doing in our state. But I said, that's like basing your checkbook off how much your neighbor makes. Like it didn't make any sense to me, you know what I mean? We're in a position where we're flush with funds and we can put them to use, so let's do it. So we increase them recently here, 15%, and they hadn't been increased for a long time. The other thing that we did was minimum tuition allowance had been at $600 for a number of years and that was necessity. Back in 2012, we had a situation where our fiscal folks and our program folks weren't necessarily connected. So we went into an order of selection. We ran ourselves out of money, and the key culprit was tuition. So I can understand that trepidation to increasing that. But it was a need and we heard it a lot from the outside community. So we did that way and went from, I think it was 600 to 1000. And then also when we talked about the counselor and some of the impact they can have, it was interesting. So another part that was totally necessary at the time is they went to counselor budgets in 2012 and we have a lot of people that are in our colors training goals like guardians, people that want to protect and make sure they do things well. So they started to treat that money as an individual checkbook almost. And that might have constrained what we would spend on clients because you know that if you had 100,000, let's say, at the beginning of the year, and then all of a sudden it's April and you're down to 10,000, well, now you might start to restrict what you spend on a client versus the one that would have came the first day of the new year. So we abolished counselor budgets. We just went to a regional plot and I think that helped people be a little bit more freer with what was going on. And then certainly the wages increased, put some dollars to use.   Damian: So it's a lot of that. As far as some of the levers we pulled. Oh one that I would be remiss to mention as well. Our client financial participation. It had been if you made $25,778 for those nonexempt services, you were zeroed out your would not contribute in some of those areas. So we changed that. We actually doubled our financial participation limits. It actually helped a lot of those families that weren't necessarily in a crisis yet. But if something happened, you know, they're just hanging on and then it's really hard to get hearing aids or whatever when you're making 25,000. I mean, that's a decision between rent and a hearing aid. So opening that up helped a lot. And then actually, we always participate at least 20%. You could make a million. Not that there's millionaires coming in for your services, but you could do that as well. And so our participation level is it's open ended, kind of goes 80, 60, 40, 20, and then it just stays. We always participate at least 20%. So that's had great effect, I think, in attracting clients and so on. So yeah, those have been a lot of the levers we've pulled this last year or two.   Carol: That's very cool. I'm really glad you mentioned counselor budgets. I know on the QM on our fiscal team as we go out and we're talking with states, it's one of the things we advocate against having counselor budgets because of the very reasons you said you can almost end up being like you're on an order without being on one because it becomes then this is my pod and I'm protecting it. And if something is going to go outside of it, even though folks have a mechanism where you can ask for more money or whatever, people don't, and so they're restricting what they're doing. And so moving that up. I'm really happy to hear you say that because we advocate for that all the time.   Damian: Yeah, and all that comes from a good place. And I'm also I'm not silly enough to think like that. I created all this or the people that are here that created all this positivity to it's really because when they went into order selection, they made the right decisions that we have this money to spend now. So I appreciate the efforts of the leaders of the past and it really put us in a good position to capitalize on, I think.   Carol: Well, and it absolutely speaks to that. You need to continuously evaluate your position. So because you were there in 2010, it's now 2023 and you're in a different spot. You don't want to keep operating in the same way. You want to keep evaluating, looking at what you're doing, pivoting, making changes, and that's part of it. I think VR sometimes struggles a little bit with keeping sort of the same keep an eye on. We're doing the same thing, same way. We keep going. But the world has changed in the circumstances of a change and so much has changed that it really forces you to look in and go, Hey, we've got to react to this so we can move ahead of it to for the future. So we're setting up our program continuously for the future to be the best we can be.   Damian: Agreed. Yeah. The one big thing that came from that too, is we started to do forecasting within VR. You know, we didn't necessarily rely on our physical folks and the ones that we have now are fantastic. So don't get me wrong there, but it was helpful. Patti, who in our office takes a look at that. They were always planning for the worst case scenario, which if I had been here ten years ago, I would get that too. But the situation had changed and we made some little tweaks because also we started to notice they had always assumed that the grant would stay flat. But if you look at it, I think it's like 1.018%. It increases each year was our average roughly. And it might be different state to state. But it's interesting how much money that feeds into your bottom line and then you need to plan for because it's like you can't be at either extreme where you spend yourself into order, but you can't be on the other end where you're sitting with a giant pot of money where we are collectively. Now you want to know that those dollars are being put to good use. So we try to hit that happy medium.   Carol: Absolutely. We work with folks all the time on doing some forecasting and having a spending strategy, and we lay it out like, all right, what's your situation look like? How much carryforward do you have? What are you projecting this year? What's the increase? Some of the folks, the increase in the formula grants more like 7%. So when you look at that year over year, that's a big jump. You've got a lot of things you're maneuvering around to figure that out. So I know a lot is going on in VR and it can be really overwhelming. We have a lot of new directors in, we have a lot of new leadership. There's a lot of people like yourself who are coming in from the outside. What advice would you give to your colleagues across the country? They're trying to figure out what to do. What kind of advice would you.   Damian: Give them outside of the engagement that we talked about before? I think the other areas is I call it cutting through, and that's when we talked about popping into meetings, so on and so forth. Visit your regions. And it's not that I know and there's a lot more layers in other states that are maybe here too, but whoever the direct supervisor is, that can't be the person that's visiting the region. It has to be somebody above that so that they know that their voices are heard and are important and find those good ideas and cut through. I think also a lot of what we do is that certainly there is in our state plan, there's goals that are introduced and so on and so forth, but I would say have a strategic plan that doesn't sit on the shelf, make sure you're assessing your regions, hearing their input, pulling all that together, and then ruthlessly prioritize. So what I find is like, you can have I've heard this call, the disease of distraction is you can work yourself to death on a very large number of medium or low priority items, but you really don't get anywhere. But if you tackle those probably 10 to 15 big items, it's like it has a cascading effect. The medium priority become low priority. The low priority just kind of disappear. Ruthlessly prioritize, say yes to good ideas, concentrate on your objective metrics, and things really turn out. So that's the way we've done it here, Anyway.   Carol: I love that ruthlessly prioritize. Oh my gosh, you need to write a book or something. You are full of a lot of amazing ideas. I really appreciate you being on the show today and I'm wishing you the very best as you continue your ventures in North Dakota. Thanks a bunch!   Damian: Thanks for having us on. You have a good day.   {Music} Speaker1: Conversations powered by VR, one manager at a time, one minute at a time, brought to you by the VR TAC for Quality Management. Catch all of our podcast episodes by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks for listening!