Podcasts about project aristotle

What do you do when a team hits its numbers—but the culture is crumbling from the inside? In this candid roundtable episode, Christine Courtney is joined live in the studio by longtime collaborators Blanca and Tom to tackle two leadership conundrums that managers everywhere will recognize: the high-performing but toxic team, and the rock-solid employee who's resisting growth.Together, they explore how leaders can shift team dynamics without compromising results, the difference between healthy banter and harmful behavior, and how to handle employees who just want to “stay in their lane.” With stories, frameworks, and plenty of laughter, this conversation is full of the kind of honest, practical insights Christine is known for.If you've ever wondered how to nurture both performance and psychological safety—or how to handle a steady employee who's hit their ceiling—you won't want to miss this one.

BONUS: Maria Chec Explores the Divide Between Agile Leaders and Practitioners In this BONUS episode, we explore Agile leadership with Maria Chec, author and host of Agile State of Mind. Maria shares insights from her analysis of Miro's Agile Survey, revealing a concerning disconnect between how Agile leaders and practitioners experience agile methodologies. We explore the roots of this divide, discuss practical approaches to bridging the gap, and consider the implications of recent industry developments like the PMI-Agile Alliance merger. Maria offers valuable perspectives on creating truly collaborative environments where frameworks serve the teams, not the other way around. The Disconnect Between Leaders and Practitioners "Practitioners feel pressured to comply with agile practices when they don't seem to add value." Maria highlights a stark divide revealed in Miro's survey of 1,200 agile practitioners and leaders. When asked if agile is living up to its original values, leaders and practitioners gave drastically different responses. For example, 69% of practitioners felt processes and tools overshadow individuals in their organizations, while only 43% of leaders shared this view. Similarly, 58% of practitioners believed documentation was prioritized over delivering final products, compared to just 39% of leaders. These disparities point to a fundamental disconnect in how agile is experienced at different organizational levels, with practitioners often feeling frameworks are imposed rather than collaboratively implemented. When Frameworks Become the Problem "The framework is too rigid... The framework is too complex... We have to change too much to use the framework." The issue isn't with agile frameworks themselves but how they're applied, Maria argues. Leaders often implement frameworks like SAFe without sufficient practitioner input or adaptation to organizational context. This creates an anti-pattern of "magical thinking" where companies believe they can install off-the-shelf solutions that worked elsewhere without considering their unique circumstances. The practitioners, who must live with these frameworks daily, experience frustration when rigid implementations fail to address their actual needs. Conway's Law comes into play here – the structure imposed by leadership often doesn't align with how teams naturally need to collaborate based on the systems they're building. The Role of Psychological Safety "Can I really admit that something the leadership made me do is not working for me? Will I be the only one admitting it?" This disconnect reveals deeper issues around psychological safety and trust within organizations. Many practitioners fear speaking up about framework problems, especially when they've just endured yet another organizational transformation. Maria emphasizes that without psychological safety, feedback loops break down, preventing the continuous improvement that's central to agile philosophy. Leaders must create environments where teams feel safe to provide honest feedback about what's working and what isn't, without fear of being singled out or dismissed. Without this safety, frameworks become rigid implementations rather than adaptable approaches that evolve with team needs. Reconnecting Through Gemba Walks "Be there where the value is created and know what's going on." To bridge the gap between leadership vision and practitioner reality, Maria strongly recommends Gemba walks – a concept from Lean and Toyota where leaders go to where value is created. This practice helps leaders understand the actual work being done and build relationships with team members. Maria references Project Aristotle at Google, which found that trust and psychological safety are fundamental to team success. She also notes the importance of leaders articulating a meaningful mission to inspire teams, sharing her experience at a taxi-hailing app where the CEO's vision of reducing urban parking needs made her feel she was "building something for the future." Leaders should regularly spend time where the actual work happens Teams need to understand how their work contributes to a larger purpose Open communication channels must be genuine, not just symbolic In this segment, we refer to Management 3.0 and Managing For Happiness by Jurgen Appelo.  The PMI-Agile Alliance Merger and the Future of Agile "Have we really found better ways? Why are Agile Alliance and PMI merging?" The recent merger between the Project Management Institute and Agile Alliance represents a surprising development in the industry. Maria takes an optimistic view, wondering if this indicates PMI recognizing that agile is truly the way forward. She acknowledges the perception that "Agile is dead" discussions highlight a crisis in the movement, but suggests the merger might be an opportunity to influence project management with agile values. She emphasizes how AI is creating massive changes that require experimentation and adaptation – precisely what agile approaches enable. This industry shift offers agile practitioners the chance to shape how traditional and agile methodologies might complement each other in the future. The merger could be seen as closing a circle or as an opportunity for cross-pollination "Agile is dead" discussions reflect growing pains rather than true failure Rapid technological changes with AI require more experimentation, not less Breaking Down Silos with "Glue Roles" "What are the 'glue roles' that you need in your organization?" Maria introduces her concept of "glue roles" – positions that help break down silos and foster collaboration regardless of what they're called. Whether they're RTEs (Release Train Engineers), Agile Coaches, or Technical Project Managers, these roles can transform organizational effectiveness when focused on enabling teams rather than enforcing processes. She observes that nature constantly changes, yet we expect our companies to remain static. This mindset prevents the adaptation necessary for true agility. Instead, organizations need individuals who can facilitate communication, remove barriers, and help teams collaborate effectively across boundaries. Focus on the function of collaboration rather than rigid role definitions Adapt roles to organizational needs rather than forcing organizational change to fit frameworks Use these roles to foster psychological safety and open communication Learning Through Experimentation "We need to experiment." Looking toward the future, Maria emphasizes the importance of experimentation in the face of rapid technological change, particularly with AI. She notes that while tech professionals are often thought to be early adopters, AI tools like ChatGPT are being embraced across all industries. The accelerating pace of change means we can no longer plan years ahead with certainty – what we use today may be obsolete in two years. This reality makes agile approaches even more relevant, as they embrace change rather than fight it. She encourages agile practitioners to openly discuss how they use these new tools, adapting their practices rather than clinging to outdated methods. The accelerating pace of change makes long-term planning increasingly difficult AI is already transforming work across all industries, not just tech Agile principles of adaptation and experimentation are more relevant than ever About Maria Chec Maria Chec is a seasoned Agile leader, ProKanban Trainer, and creator of Agile State of Mind. With over a decade of experience, she specializes in transforming teams through SAFe, OKRs, and process optimization, achieving remarkable productivity gains. Maria's mission is empowering teams to thrive through collaboration and adaptability. You can link with Maria Chec on LinkedIn and subscribe to Maria Chec's Substack.

Send us a textWhat drives you to get out of bed each morning? Is it just to collect a paycheck, or is there something deeper fueling your motivation? Brian Bosché, author of "The Purpose Factor," never expected his life to take such a dramatic turn. After achieving his dream job as a national journalist only to lose it a year later—along with his marriage ending and unresolved childhood trauma surfacing—Brian found himself in a dark depression searching for meaning.This crisis led him to develop a revolutionary approach to purpose discovery. Rather than viewing purpose as some mystical revelation that comes while backpacking through Europe or staring at sunsets, Brian created a systematic process that delivers clarity in just 20-25 minutes. His definition cuts through the confusion: "Purpose is the best of what you have to help others."Throughout our conversation, Brian dismantles common myths about purpose. It's not your job title—a lesson he learned painfully when his broadcasting career abruptly ended. It's not simply following your passion, which he defines as "a barely controllable emotion" and therefore an unreliable decision-making tool. Instead, purpose functions as your primary decision-making framework, helping you consistently experience fulfillment by contributing your unique combination of natural abilities, acquired skills, and personal wisdom.The impact extends beyond personal satisfaction. Google's Project Aristotle found purpose-centered teams were 300% more effective than their counterparts. Yet many remain stuck in what Brian calls "the miserable normal," preferring familiar discomfort over uncertain growth. He reveals how childhood experiences of rejection create adult fears that manifest as people-pleasing, perfectionism, and procrastination—all barriers to purpose-driven living.Whether you're knee-deep in the daily challenges of leadership or questioning your life's direction, this episode offers practical wisdom for experiencing fulfillment on demand. As Brian reminds us, in a world increasingly dominated by social media and AI, our greatest differentiator will be our ability to create authentic human connections while giving our best to others.Ready to discover your purpose? Visit purposetest.com for Brian's assessment or grab "The Purpose Factor" on Amazon—and join the community of purpose-driven leaders transforming themselves and those around them.https://www.thepurposefactor.com/Brian Bosché-https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianbosche/PEAK 2025 - Mid Roll Hosted by Brandon Mulnix - Director of Commercial Accounts - Prism ControlsThe Poultry Leadership Podcast is only possible because of its sponsor, Prism ControlsFind out more about them at www.prismcontrols.com

Psychological safety is the secret ingredient of the most successful teams. It's what allows people to speak up, take risks, challenge ideas, and truly contribute—without fear of judgment or punishment.In this episode, Greg Shamie and I dive deep into what psychological safety is, why it's essential for workplace success, and how it impacts performance, trust, and innovation. If you've ever wondered how to create a culture where your team thrives, this episode is for you.

Psychological safety is a crucial but often misunderstood concept in modern organizations. In this episode, Andrew and Mark take a deep dive into its origins, how it became a foundational principle of high-performing teams, and why "safe to challenge" can sometimes backfire if implemented poorly.We explore the history, research, and practical applications of psychological safety, from its early roots in therapeutic psychology to Amy Edmondson's groundbreaking research in the 1990s, to its popularization by Google's Project Aristotle. Along the way, we discuss common misconceptions, the role of leadership, and how organizations can create a culture where people feel safe to challenge ideas without fear of repercussions.In this episode, we talk about:What is Psychological Safety? – A definition of psychological safety and why it matters for team performance.The Origins of Psychological Safety – How early research by Carl Rogers, Edgar Schein, and Warren Bennis laid the groundwork for modern team dynamics.Amy Edmondson's Breakthrough – How her 1996 study of nursing teams revealed that psychologically safe teams report more mistakes—not because they make more, but because they feel safe admitting them.Google's Project Aristotle – How Google's research found psychological safety to be the #1 factor in team success, and how it fits alongside dependability, clarity, meaning, and impact.The Challenge with "Safe to Challenge" – Why focusing on challenging authority without first fostering psychological safety can create a toxic environment instead of a productive one.Leadership's Role in Psychological Safety – Why leaders must model fallibility, vulnerability, and openness to feedback to create a climate where others feel safe to speak up.Avoiding Common Misconceptions – The pitfalls of treating psychological safety as a shield against performance expectations, a license to criticize without accountability, or a box to check off rather than a culture to build.Practical Tips for Leaders & Teams – How to cultivate psychological safety in your workplace, from building familiarity and social bonds to creating low-risk "practice fields" for feedback and challenge.This episode is packed with history, research, and actionable insights to help leaders and teams build a culture where challenge leads to innovation, not fear.

http://www.sherylkline.com/blogThe ROI of KindnessIn today's episode, we're diving into a powerful and often overlooked leadership strategy: kindness.Kindness isn't just about being “nice”—it's a transformative tool that boosts team engagement, drives performance, and even builds customer loyalty. Research shows: ✨ Managers influence 70% of employee engagement (Gallup), and kindness creates workplaces where people want to stay. ✨ High-performing teams thrive in environments of trust and psychological safety—both fostered by kind leadership (Google's Project Aristotle). ✨ Brands that prioritize kindness and fairness win long-term customer loyalty (Deloitte).I'll share stories of leaders who used kindness to turn around team morale, reduce turnover, and unlock extraordinary results. Plus, we'll explore how kindness aligns with strategic empathy™—a game-changing concept from my upcoming book The Fearless Female Leader.

Mehmet Baha is the author of “Creating Psychological Safety at Work” and a psychological safety trainer and speaker. Baha, as he is known, discusses the critical role of psychological safety in team performance in the modern workplace. He shares insights about how open dialogue about mistakes and a strengths-based approach enhance trust, collaboration, and results. Baha explains the importance of curiosity and empathy, and giving autonomy. He offers leaders actionable tips for cultivating vulnerability and fostering safe spaces that support innovation.     TAKEAWAYS   [01:59] Baha's childhood in Cyprus—a divided island—prompts his interest in conflict resolution.   [03:28] Assisting his father, facilitating leadership training shapes Baha's career path.   [04:30] Music influences Baha's innovative approach and teamwork skills.   [06:22] At Facebook early on, Baha experiences a psychologically safe workplace.   [08:05] Google's Project Aristotle shows psychological safety is key for high-performing teams.   [09:00] Psychological safety becomes central to his training and consulting work.   [10:40] Clarity, purpose, and high standards are other key elements driving team success.   [11:28] Collaboration and openness drive better  than hidden mistakes.   [12:20] Amy Edmundson's 1990's study connecting reported mistakes and successful outcomes.   [13:33] Research shows learning from mistakes boosts team performance.   [14:46] Sharing mistakes, building upon ideas, and appreciating employees' strengths create psychological safety.   [16:25] Five points for leaders to model the vulnerability vital to foster psychological safety.   [17:40] Examples include creating "failure reports" to promote organizational learning.   [18:53] Openness helps leaders improve team trust and psychological safety.   [19:45] One leader fosters openness that enables company-wide sharing of team mistakes.   [20:50] Team performance is seen when participants are willing, open, and ambitious.   [21:33] Leaders must be role models for sharing and learning from mistakes.   [22:05] The ratio of positive to negative feedback plays a crucial role in creating psychological safety.   [23:38] A case study about an award-winning practice of quarterly “mistake breakfasts”.   [26:32] How innovation and a turnaround at a bank is stimulated by psychological safety.   [28:08] Traditional organizations benefit from psychological safety, also enhancing physical safety.   [29:15] Leaders' role in co-creating safe work environments.   [31:05] Why to encourage employees—closest to the work—to share and implement their ideas.   [32:12] Psychological safety supports creativity and sharing of innovative ideas.   [32:43] How employees' silence in meetings indicates an environment lacking psychological safety.   [33:19] The seven points demonstrating Fearless Organizations.   [35:08] Baha connects empathy with conscious listening which is key for safe workspaces.   [35:56] Curiosity is crucial, starting with curiosity about ourselves.   [38:06] Leaders can support safe work environments despite more pressure and workload.   [36:55] Leaders need to encourage open dialogue about challenges and mistakes.   [39:21] How AI can help us work with more humanity, compassion, and authenticity.   [39:27] Empowering employees through autonomy enhances psychological safety.   [40:22] Autonomy is important as micro-management greatly hinders psychological safety.   [40:35] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: To improve psychological safety, show curiosity, share mistakes and give employees autonomy.       RESOURCES   Mehmet Baha on LinkedIn Baha's book “Creating Psychological Safety at the Essential Guide to Boosting Team Performance” Baha's book “Playbook for Engaged Employees: Practical Insights to Master Leadership, Agility, Teamwork, Learning, and Psychological Safety”     QUOTES   “Sharing mistakes, learning from them, and improving is one key element of creating psychological safety.”   “In a psychologically safe team, mistakes are seen as opportunities to learn, not as reasons to blame.”   “If we cannot listen well to others, we cannot really talk about psychological safety.”   “One of the biggest barriers to creating psychological safety is micro-management behavior.”   “As leaders, managers, we can share a mistake we made, what we learned from this, and what we did later to improve it.”   “In high-performing teams, there is a ratio of three to five positive feedback for every negative feedback.”

Missed some episodes this year? Don’t worry—Brian’s got you covered with a highlight reel of 2024’s most memorable moments, featuring game-changing insights from Agile thought leaders and innovators. Tune in to catch up, reflect, and set your sights on a stellar 2025! Overview In this special year-end episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast, Brian takes us on a trip down memory lane, sharing highlights from some of the most impactful conversations of the year. Featuring insights from Agile legends like Mike Cohn, Clinton Keith, Heather McGowan, and more, this curated selection is packed with golden nuggets that you can revisit or discover for the first time. Whether you missed an episode or want to relive the best moments, this recap is a perfect way to close out 2024 and prepare for what’s ahead. References and resources mentioned in the show: #79 Navigating Agile Trends and Challenges in 2024 with Lance Dacy #86 Revisiting User Stories with Mike Cohn #90 Mastering Agile Coaching with Cherie Silas #93 The Rise of Human Skills and Agile Acumen with Evan Leybourn #100 Navigating the Future of Agile and Scrum with Lance Dacy & Scott Dunn #111 Adapting to the Future of Work with Heather McGowan #120 Agile in Gaming with Clinton Keith #123 Unlocking Team Intelligence with Linda Rising Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an Agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Auto-generated Transcript: Brian Milner (00:00.622) I'm Brian Milner and this is the Agile Mentors Podcast, a show about both the personal and organizational journey towards agility. My friends and I will be sharing with you what we've collectively learned from seeing thousands of companies Agile implementations, apparels and pitfalls, as well as the secrets to success. We'll share our personal in the trenches experiences so that you can apply what we've learned in a practical way in your careers. We also hope to hear and learn from you as well. If you're like us and are always in search of better ways of working together, you're in the right place. Join us, mentor, and be mentored. Let's get started. Brian Milner (00:53.288) Welcome in Agile Mentors. We are back for the final episode of 2024. Believe it or not, we have reached all the way to the end. You might be thinking, wait, there's a few more weeks left. Yeah, there's a few more weeks left, but the next release date would have been on Christmas Day itself and the one following would have been on New Year's Day. So we're gonna take two weeks off to be with our families after this episode. And we encourage you to enjoy that time, take the time with your family as well and friends, and truly wish you the best over that time period. But before we get there, we do have one more episode for you. We thought what we'd do for today's episode might be tiny bit different than normal. In fact, I don't think we've done anything like this before. What I wanted to do is, since it is the last episode of the year, is to look back over the past year and play you some portions of some of the really fantastic discussions that we had over this past year. Just pull out a handful of these to talk to you about. If they sound interesting to you, maybe you can go back and take a listen to those episodes. So let's get right into it, because I don't want to waste time setting it up any more than that. For starters, I want to go back to something that's now kind of a tradition for us, and the next one you'll hear from us after this episode will be the continuation of that. The beginning of this year in 2024, we started things off and we kicked it off with friend of the show, Lance Dacey. And that episode was really about looking forward into 2024. And for us to talk about what we maybe thought was coming and what we saw in the future, and then trying to somehow make some predictions or give some advice about how we might be better prepared for it. And one of the areas that came out in that discussion was really talking about how leadership affected an Agile transformation and Agile with the culture of an organization. So I'll play you a little clip here from Lance's discussion. One of the thoughts that he had in that episode, really talking more about how we need to go to the next level with our organizations and with the leadership in our organization. Take a listen. We've been trying to scale Scrum and Agile for a long time and we've written the practices on how to do it. Brian Milner (03:13.23) but we're not allowing the people to practice that. You know, just got through coaching. My youngest son is in fifth grade and we coach his football team. It's like, we're going to sit down and tell you during this play, here's the stance that you take to block. You're basically a robot. Do everything that we say, even if you don't understand it, because the whole scheme for that play is built on everybody doing their job exactly as prescribed. But as you evolve into professional football or high school football, they've learned so much about those mechanics. that's really fun now because they've got the IQ to respond to what's in front of them. That's agile. And that to me is what we have to start learning in organizations, is we know how to run the play at the team level, but how do we build up the people to run the play correctly in challenges when there's adaptations that need to be made? And a lot of times management and leadership is the suffocating part of that where they don't allow for that. It's always interesting to go back and look at those conversations that we have at beginning of the year. and see kind of how it played out. Were we right? Were we wrong? So if you're interested in that, check out that. That was just episode 79 was the first one that we did in 2024. Next up, I'm gonna jump to episode 86. This was one with our very own Mike Cohn. Mike had come back on because quite frankly, we've had for many years a set of user stories that were sample user stories that you could come to our website and download just as a resource for people if they wanted to see what... samples of user stories look like, try to imagine what that would look like in their particular context. So that's why we had this collection of user stories. Well, Mike went back to re-edit those recently, and then he took kind of another look at it and had forced him to kind of reconsider some things, wanted to share some thoughts about those new ideas and thoughts he had about user stories, just in re-examining ones that he had put together previously. So in this next clip, what you'll hear Mike talk about is really kind of a controversy maybe just his own controversy internally, but kind of a shift that he had over the years and really the template itself for a user story. So take a listen to this. I had a bunch of slides. I looked at them a few years ago to confirm this. I looked at them and they all said, I want to blank, right? And it was what the user wants. And sometimes it's not what the user wants. So if you look at slide decks that I create today, they all say, I. Brian Milner (05:36.866) They don't say I can, they don't say I want to, they just say I, and then you fill in the verb. For example, as user, I am required to enter a strong password. I don't want to enter a strong password. I want to type in my dog's name and let the system know it's me, right? So I am required to enter a strong password that doesn't fit with I want to or I can. I can enter a strong password? Well, that doesn't really help. I don't want to. I can enter a strong password. I can enter a weak password. Is that possible? So I do think there's problems with I can, but I leave all of that out of the template and I let the situation determine what that verb should be. Always an interesting conversation there with Mike Cohn. Very, very lucky and fortunate to have him come on usually multiple times per year. And that was just one of the times that Mike came on our show this last year, but really, really interesting stuff there about user stories. If that's something you're interested in, I encourage you to check out that. That was episode 86 with Mike Cohn on user stories. Now we're gonna jump ahead to episode 90. Episode 90, we had a friend of mine, Sheree Silas, come on. Sheree is a very authoritative, knowledgeable person on Agile coaching. In fact, she is the person that I most likely am going to point you to if you come to me and want to find out more about Agile coaching. She has some really great classes and other things that she teaches. And we had her on to talk about Agile coaching, obviously. And one of the things that came up is something that I hear sometimes in classes that Some of this coaching stuff you talk about sounds a little bit like counseling a little bit. Is there a crossover there with counseling? Is this a counseling job? So take a listen to what Shree had to say in response to that question. As an adult coach, you are not an organizational psychologist. You are not a counselor. You are not an organizational therapist or any of those things. That is not the job. The job is consulting, mentoring, training. and some coaching, helping people how to learn how to negotiate, learn how to collaborate, learn how to have good, healthy conflict. And there's helping them to get the business results they want. And it's very frustrating when you kind of hear this taking all the way to the other end of, we're just there to do woo-woo touchy feely stuff. I'm the psychologist. No, that's not your job. And you're not trained to do that. And that's part of the coaching work. Brian Milner (08:03.136) is to help them understand what they need and what they don't. And even as a professional coach, it is my job to make sure my client understands what coaching is and what it's not. And as an Agile coach, that's part of the work is to make sure the client understands what this work is and what it's not. Yeah, really good stuff there about Agile coaching. If you're interested in finding out more about that, listen to that episode. You'll hear more from Sheree on episode 90 about Agile coaching. Next up, I have a relatively new friend of mine, but one that, you know, feel like brother from another mother. Mr. Evan Layborn was on and he came on to talk about some research that his organization had done in partnership with the Scrum Alliance. And in particular, there was one component of that that I wanted to question him about because when I initially read it, it gave me a little bit of some misgivings about it. One of the things I mentioned was that traditionally we have always talked about being a T-shaped individual on a Scrum team that had a depth of experience in one area. but a breadth of experience in other areas that you just weren't an expert in. You were only really looking to be an expert in one area. But this report kind of brought to bear this idea of what they're calling a pie-shaped individual. So think about the mathematical symbol pie and how it has two lines going down. It's kind of like a T with two lines going down from it, right? And when I saw that, initially my first thought was, well, is this just organizations trying to get by with less head count? Take a listen to what Evan had to say about that. I want to be clear that when we're talking about pie-shaped individuals and companies looking for pi-shaped individuals, we're not talking about companies who are looking for one person to do two jobs. They're not looking for someone who's got two skills because they're trying to fill two roles. They're trying to fill two jobs. We're talking about one person, one job, and using multiple skill sets to do that job better. more effectively. In the technology world, we've had a word for this in the tech world for 10 years, full stack developer. A full stack developer is a pie-shaping, it's a developer with test competence and operations competence. They can deploy a DevOps environment. That full stack developer is a prime example of a pie-shaped person. It's not one person doing two jobs. It's one person doing one job with a variety of skill sets. Brian Milner (10:30.752) and doing that job better, exponentially better because of it. There's some really interesting other insights that Evan had in that episode. highly recommend that to you. That was episode 93 with Mr. Evan Layborne. Next up, well, we celebrated a milestone. We had our hundredth episode, if you can believe it or not. And we thought it would be appropriate to celebrate by having two people that we have on quite frequently on the podcast, Mr. Lance Dacey. and Mr. Scott Dunn. So we had something that we don't often have here on the show where we had multiple guests, but we had Lance and Scott on to really look back over the past 100 episodes and look ahead a little bit into what we thought might be coming. And one of the interesting kind of conversations we had there was thinking about some of the changes taking place in the workplace today. You'll hear Scott kind of start in on this with. thinking about the kind of dilemma organizations are facing with the work from home versus work from office kind of situation. And then Lance will come in and kind of relate it more to some larger agility issues as well. Take a listen. Thinking back to the time when people didn't really want to go agile because they thought it was a fad. And it didn't take but a few years, like, I could be wrong. Maybe that is a thing we need to do, right? And then everyone gets on board. But there was a lot of kicking and screaming and doubting the early years. I think we're going to see that with remote work is made like the proving ground of do you really work this way or not as a manager? you get this or not? You cannot lead and manage people currently how you are going to in the future because they were talking about how the new generation. is coming on board and they just won't tolerate certain things. And I think you hit it on the head with that Scott, that if these managers don't learn how to lead and manage with this newer generation, two or three removed from what I'm talking about, you're not going to have any employees because they will not tolerate it. They do not work that way. It was always such fun to have both those people on our podcast and it was even more fun to have them both on at the same time. So I really appreciate both Lance and Scott really helping us celebrate there. The fact that we crossed that threshold into a Brian Milner (12:38.326) our 100th episode. Next up is someone that I found really fascinating. is Miss Heather McGowan. And she was the keynote speaker at the Scrum Gathering this year in New Orleans. And she was so gracious to come on the podcast and talk with us a little bit. She had some really great insights. Just listen to what she had to say here in thinking about sort of the place of work in general as a part of our lives today. But what I think what's really happening is we've outsized what work is in our lives. So community used to consist of social interactions, religious affiliations, clubs and groups we belong to, all of those kind of, if you think of them as circles, because everything's visual to me, all those circles shrank and work became bigger. So now part of this generational change, but more and more people are looking for work to provide their purpose. work to provide most of their relationships, work to fill these. It's a little bit in terms of how we're interacting with each other that's causing illness, but it's also an outsize expectation we have around work. So now it becomes table stakes for a lot of organizations for work to be my self-expression, work to be my sense of purpose, work to be where I think about my values. And it wasn't like that a few decades ago. I heard from a couple of people after this episode, just friends of mine talking about it. I want to make sure I'm clear about something here that Heather was saying, she's not saying that we should find our values from those places. She's just saying that's kind of how society has shifted a little bit. So you can debate whether it's good or bad, whether the other circles that she mentioned had shrunk or grown or anything like that. But really that's kind of the reality we're left with is that there's a lot of people who find their belongingness from work today, as I said, whether that's a good or bad thing, you can debate. but that's certainly a reality I think we have to live with. And this was a really interesting discussion. So I highly encourage you to check that out if you want to. That was episode number 111 with Heather McGowan. Next up was someone I found really interesting as well. This was Mr. Clinton Keith. Clinton is a veteran of the gaming industry. And I know there's always some interest in that in our listeners and in the Agile community about how you really can apply some of these Agile principles and things. Brian Milner (14:55.704) to an industry that's so fast moving like the gaming industry. Well, as I said, Clint has worked in that industry for a very long time and he's seen pretty much everything there. He's worked in all different kinds of gaming companies. He's helped them to learn and apply these agile principles along the way. So I'll just share a snippet of the conversation that we had. In this clip, he's talking really about how some of these principles we talk about like, individuals and interactions over processes and tools and are we letting something like a new technology drive how we do things or is it really more about what's the value we're trying to deliver, right? And in the gaming industry, it's fun. It's delivering something that's fun. So take a listen to what he had to say about kind of one of these experiences he had about really finding the fun. The big light bulb moment was having a short deadline on showing something of value. led to people making better choices from the player's perspective, not this challenge of, what can I do with artificial intelligence over the next two years? That's part of the big challenge with these big, huge games of saying, it's like, hey, if there's not a payoff, if you can't see value, and this was an early lesson I learned working with Nintendo of Japan, the guy that made Mario and Donkey Kong, we worked with him directly, Miyamoto. You always had this thing, it's like, the fun fast, show the value of it. And it always stuck with me. When you have these short deadlines, you want to encourage the teams and the product owners is judge the game. Not what you see in the potential in two years. Judge your vision of the two years against what you're seeing every other week and adjust your expectations. Don't fall in love with your vision. Judge the game. Don't fall in love with your vision. Such great advice there, and I think it's so applicable to really industry. Don't get caught up in that word game, right? Judge the product. Think about it that way. I think sometimes, especially for us as product owners, sometimes we can look at that and say, we've got these grand visions and grand designs for our product, in two years we're gonna have this incredible product that's gonna do all these things. Well, you may not make it to two years. You may not make it to two years if you don't. Brian Milner (17:16.897) deliver a value earlier, right? If you don't capture the imagination and attention of your customers, if you don't solve a problem for them upfront, we know the big idea is gonna take longer to get to, but I think what Clinton is saying here, and it's really an important point, I think, is that that's part of what we kind of focus on as Agilist is trying to find the value and deliver it early. So just a really fascinating episode there as well with Clinton. Encourage you to check that out, especially if you have interest in the gaming industry, lots of good content there from him in episode 120. Lastly today, I'm gonna leave you with one last one that wasn't too long ago here, but we had someone that is kind of a beloved figure in the Agile community. She's often referred to as an Agile visionary. That's Ms. Linda Rising. And she came on to talk about multiple things with us, but one of the things that she talked about in our conversation, was about a research project that Google did several years back called Project Aristotle. They were trying to figure out kind of the components, what went into making a high-performing team. So just listen to what Linda has to say about what their scientific research kind of uncovered about really what goes into making a team high-performing. All these different researchers made the same mistake in the beginning. and it's the same mistake organizations make. They thought in the beginning that what makes a smart team is smart people. Wrong. Not that you don't want smart people. You can have a team of very smart people that doesn't have any of these other characteristics that is not intelligent as a group. We really have to wake up and realize, first of all, that we're doing that, that we're valuing IQ or individual intelligence, smartness, you went to this school or you got that particular SAT score. It has nothing to do with that. It's not that there's no correlation, but it's weak. It's much better to have people who have these other characteristics. I just have to say Brian Milner (19:38.444) We are so spoiled Agile mentors with some of the great people like Linda Rising that we get to hear on this podcast and learn from really as sort of a masterclass from some of the best thinkers in this industry. And I know I'm very thankful for them taking their time and thankful for people like Linda Rising coming on the show. If that dialogue that you just heard there sounds interesting, check out that episode. It was episode 123. Linda talks about a lot of lot more great stuff there in that episode. But yeah, we get so many great guests on our show and that was just a handful. It's hard to even pick out just, I think we just had eight of them there. It's hard to pick out just eight over the past year, because there were just so many. And any of the other guests on here, I hope you don't feel like you were not in the top eight or anything. This was just a sampling. I just wanted to pull some different kinds of episodes and I think there was quite a variety of guests and topics and things that we had on the show this year. It just makes me excited about thinking about what's possible in the next year. I know we're gonna be trying some new things. I've been interacting with some of you at the Agile Mentors Community and you've been talking to me about some suggestions about things that maybe we can do. And we're gonna try that. We're gonna try some new things going into the new year. So you may see some shifts from time to time of just a few experiments that we might be trying. As always, we'd love to hear your feedback on any of those things, but we're always in search of making this the most valuable use of your time. We think that the quality of the people, like you just heard, is pretty good. We're pretty happy with the people that really decide to come on the show, and we're very humbled by the fact that they choose to come on our show. I just wanna always make it the most valuable use of your time. We want this to be the most valuable Agile podcast that's out there. As always, if there's anything we can do to change that, I'll go ahead and just say that now. email us podcast at mountegoatsoftware.com. Put that at the end of every episode. Truly mean it. If there's things that you want us to experiment with or try, if there's guests you want to hear, in addition to some of these great guests you heard today, there's other people that maybe that you think would be good on the podcast, send us an email, podcast at mountegoatsoftware.com. Or if there's a topic that you want us to cover, let us know that as well. We'd be more than happy to try and put that in. In our planning, Brian Milner (22:01.666) we try to always put the listener's suggestion kind of towards the top of our backlog. It may not be the very next thing we do, but we try to make that as soon as possible. Oftentimes we have to find the right guest, but as soon as we find the right guest, we want to get that listener suggestion on as soon as possible. So thank you for those that have made suggestions in the past and keep them coming. I'll just go into a few other things then and wrap up and get you on your way. It's been fun looking back over the last year. And as I said, I'm excited about seeing where we go next year. Speaking of that, just make sure that you like and subscribe to the podcast. That way you don't miss any of these things, like any of these great episodes that you heard little snippets of here in this podcast episode. And with that, I guess that'll be a wrap for another year. So Agile Mentors, my heartfelt happy holidays to you. Whatever you celebrate this season, I truly, truly hope that you get to spend some time with your family, your friends, your loved ones. truly hope that you get some time to reflect on what you're grateful and thankful for. I hope you come back next year refreshed, ready to go. I hope that's part of your sustainable pace, that time of renewing with the people in your life that are closest to you. We look forward to seeing what happens with you in the new year. So join us back next year. We'll kick things off. We'll be back here in just a few weeks. And on the 8th of January will be our next episode that we release. And we'll have our... of annual sit down with Lance Dacey to look ahead to 2025 and see what's coming up then. So join us and hope you have a very, very happy holidays. See you next time on another episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast.

‘การทำงานเป็นทีม' คือทักษะสำคัญที่คนทำงานยุคใหม่ต้องมีติดตัว แต่ในองค์กรที่ ‘ทีม' คือกระบวนการสำคัญ ความเข้ากันได้ ความสัมพันธ์ส่วนตัว หรือลักษณะนิสัยส่วนตัวที่คล้ายกันอาจไม่พอ . หลังจากที่ Google ได้เปิดตัวโปรเจกต์ยักษ์ภายในองค์กรที่ชื่อว่า ‘Project Aristotle' และดำเนินการมาได้ระยะหนึ่งแล้ว ก็พบว่า Winning Team หรือทีมที่สร้างผลงานที่ดีเยี่ยมและมีแนวโน้มที่จะประสบความสำเร็จได้นั้นมีลักษณะบางอย่างร่วมกันอยู่  . โดยรายการพอดแคสต์ MM ในวันนี้จะพาทุกคนไปสำรวจ Project Aristotle และ 5 กุญแจสำคัญที่ช่วยให้ Google สร้าง Winning Team และพาองค์กรบรรลุเป้าหมายไปได้พร้อมๆ กัน . . #projectaristotle #missiontothemoon #missiontothemoonpodcast

‘การทำงานเป็นทีม' คือทักษะสำคัญที่คนทำงานยุคใหม่ต้องมีติดตัว แต่ในองค์กรที่ ‘ทีม' คือกระบวนการสำคัญ ความเข้ากันได้ ความสัมพันธ์ส่วนตัว หรือลักษณะนิสัยส่วนตัวที่คล้ายกันอาจไม่พอ . หลังจากที่ Google ได้เปิดตัวโปรเจกต์ยักษ์ภายในองค์กรที่ชื่อว่า ‘Project Aristotle' และดำเนินการมาได้ระยะหนึ่งแล้ว ก็พบว่า Winning Team หรือทีมที่สร้างผลงานที่ดีเยี่ยมและมีแนวโน้มที่จะประสบความสำเร็จได้นั้นมีลักษณะบางอย่างร่วมกันอยู่  . โดยรายการพอดแคสต์ MM ในวันนี้จะพาทุกคนไปสำรวจ Project Aristotle และ 5 กุญแจสำคัญที่ช่วยให้ Google สร้าง Winning Team และพาองค์กรบรรลุเป้าหมายไปได้พร้อมๆ กัน . . #projectaristotle #missiontothemoon #missiontothemoonpodcast

How can we help managers demonstrate care for their teams, while maintaining high standards of accountability and performance? In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Dr Anna Barnett are joined by Joris Merks-Benjaminsen, Managing Without Power, to discuss: why nice managers can still provide mediocre management how managers can balance care for their teams with high levels of performance and how to build better managers. For more from Joris, visit managingwithoutpower.com The paper Anna discussed, on 'nondecision-making', was: Bachrach, P., & Baratz, M. S. (1963). Decisions and nondecisions: An analytical framework. American political science review, 57(3), 632-642. Google's research into great managers (Project Oxygen) and effective teams (Project Aristotle) is available online. During the discussion, Joris referenced the prisoner's dilemma. We also discussed findings from our report, 'Building Better Managers'. In ‘What I Learned This Week', Anna recommended Those People Next Door by Kia Abdullah. Joris discussed Sinterklaas. Ross G discussed 'sovereign AI'. For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtools.com/business. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. And our new Manager Skills Assessment. You can also email custom@mindtools.com and Ross G will get back to you. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Garner Dr Anna Barnett Joris Merks-Benjaminsen

What makes a team intelligent? Brian and Linda Rising explore the surprising factors that foster group intelligence, from psychological safety to diversity, backed by groundbreaking research from MIT and Google. Overview In this episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast, Brian Milner sits down with Agile thought leader Linda Rising to explore the concept of group intelligence. They dive into what makes teams intelligent, discussing the importance of diversity, psychological safety, and social perceptiveness. Using research from MIT and Google, Linda also highlights how storytelling and a growth mindset can enhance team dynamics, leading to more effective and innovative collaboration. References and resources mentioned in the show: Linda Rising Fearless Change: Patterns for Introducing New Ideas by Mary Lynn Manns & Linda Rising MIT Center For Collective Intelligence Project Aristotle The Fearless Organization by Amy C. Edmonson Amy Edmonson’s TED Talks 3 ways to better connect with your coworkers - Mark T. Rivera’s TED Talk Advanced Certified Scrum Product Owner® Advanced Certified ScrumMaster® Agile For Leaders Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule Join the Agile Mentors Community Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an Agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Linda Rising is an internationally recognized consultant, speaker, and author with a Ph.D. in object-based design metrics. Known for her expertise in agile development, retrospectives, and the intersection of neuroscience and software, Linda has authored five books and numerous articles. In 2020, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Agility Forum for her impactful contributions to the industry. Auto-generated Transcript: Brian (00:00) Welcome in Agile Mentors. We're back here with you for another episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast. I am with you as I always am, Brian Milner. And I wanted to introduce you today to someone I think you're really gonna enjoy here on this episode. I have the one and only Linda Rising with me. Linda, thank you so much for coming on. Linda Rising (00:09) Okay. It is my pleasure, Brian. Thank you so much for inviting me. It's a beautiful day here in Nashville, Tennessee. Brian (00:32) In Nash Vegas, yes. I actually spent a couple years in Nash Vegas. So I know that area back in the day, back in the day, because I worked at Opryland. So that'll tell you how long ago it was. Yeah, back in the dark times, right? But Linda, for those, if anyone who might not be aware, Linda is an author. She is... Linda Rising (00:33) Yeah! wow okay Brian (00:58) really what people would call an agile luminary. She has been involved with this movement for quite a while and has really, I don't think it's too far of a stretch to say shaped the conversation around this a lot with her research and other things that she's provided. we wanted to have her on because she, well, because it's Linda Rising, right? We wanted to have her on for that, but. Recently, she spoke at the Scrum Gathering, the regional Scrum Gathering that took place in Stockholm, and her topic just sounded really fascinating. I thought it would be fascinating for us to talk about. It was a topic of group intelligence. So Linda, I'm sure there's a lot of people out there like me that when they heard that the first time thought, I have no idea what that means. What does group intelligence mean? Linda Rising (01:43) Yeah. Actually, normally when I do anything, give a keynote or an interview on a podcast or the interviewer or the person who's inviting me will say, what would you like to talk about? That's what you did. What would you like to talk about with the idea that I could come up with a list of things I was interested in that I wanted to talk about because I knew something about it. Brian (02:09) Yep, it's true. Linda Rising (02:20) But in this case, no, it was, want you to be the opening keynote for this amazing gathering in Stockholm. and by the way, we want you to talk about group intelligence. So. That was about a year ago and I thought to myself, I don't know anything about, well, maybe I do. Maybe I do know something about group intelligence. But I have spent the past year getting ready for that talk. It was just a few weeks ago and along the way, what I found was it pulled together the research around this topic. pulled together a lot of things that I have been thinking about and it is still not over. I had to give that talk, there was a date for that, but now there are little threads that, as you say, I'm following those down various rabbit holes because they're connected to other things that I'm interested in. So this turned out to be, even though I didn't pick it and I didn't know a whole lot about it, It's turned out to be a great introduction to a different way of thinking. So we know what intelligence is, I think. Don't you? Do you know you have an idea? And aren't you intelligent? Brian (03:41) That's so awesome. Well, that's a quite a loaded question, right? Linda Rising (03:53) Of course you are and and so are our listeners our listeners are intelligent and what's interesting is that the psychologists who measure that They don't really have a definition for intelligence. What they do is they can test for it So have you ever had you know an intelligence test You know, an IQ test. Have you? Have you ever had one? Brian (04:25) You know what, I don't think I ever have, but I know my wife has, my daughters have, I'm very familiar with them, but I can't point back to one to say, hey, I know what my score was. Linda Rising (04:28) I'll bet you have. Well, sometimes you're given that test at a particular point, maybe in high school, and they didn't tell you that it was an intelligence test. You just took it along with the other battery of tests that you were taking at the time. And maybe they didn't tell you, you have an IQ of 145. They didn't tell you how smart you were. Brian (04:47) Yeah. Linda Rising (05:06) but somebody, somewhere, somehow along the way, they did. They measured it. And that's without having a definition for whatever it is. So what that test does is it says you're pretty good at solving a bunch of problems. And that's what the test is. Brian (05:17) That's amazing. Linda Rising (05:32) it asks you to look at some math problems, logic problems, spatial problems, different kinds of problems, and you either solve them pretty well or not so well, and when they are finished with that, that score on that test says something about how well you do at solving those problems. And that's what they're calling intelligence. Brian (06:03) I think I see where you're going with this because to me, if we're going to try to be very precise with words on that, I would say that sounds more like education. If I know how to solve a particular kind of math problem, that's because I've been educated to learn that. It's not a measure of my... Linda Rising (06:13) Yeah. Yep, yep. And so those tests, yeah, those tests do have a bias. They're biased toward people who have a certain kind of education biased against people who maybe didn't have that kind of education. Also, it doesn't even begin to talk about music. Here I am in Music City. Doesn't talk about musical talent. Brian (06:43) Yeah Linda Rising (06:46) It doesn't talk about your ability to perform, say, some sports activity, whether you're going to be a great basketball player or a baseball player. There are a lot of things that intelligence tests don't even, they don't even think about. Now, it doesn't mean this isn't a valid exercise because those IQ tests have been around a long time and they do measure what they measure, they measure it very well. And they do correlate with a lot of performance activities. In fact, if you were hiring somebody, the absolute best thing, if you could just do one thing, would be to give them an IQ test. That correlates most strongly with any kind of performance on the job. So it's a valid test, even if it has some biases, some problems. So that's individual intelligence and we call that IQ. So now the question is, can you do that for a group or a team? Brian (07:53) Yeah. Linda Rising (08:03) Could you say this group, could we measure it somehow? And if so, would it have the same kind of validity? That is, if they do well on this test, would that mean they would do well in the workplace? If we had that, then could we use it to say, all right, this team. is really going to be great for whatever it is that we wanted them to do. Is that possible? So obviously the answer is yes, or I wouldn't be here talking about it. Yeah. So the research is fascinating and it would take a long time to actually go into it, but it was started at MIT. The organization is called the MIT Center for Collective Intelligence. and they have been doing this now for over a decade. So this is not brand new out of the box. We're not sure where this is going. This has been happening and has been happening successfully. They do have a test. They can give it to a group. And what they find is that if the group does well, that group will also do well on other, just like IQ, other kinds of things that the test measures. And so, yes, they can measure group intelligence. Brian (09:38) Very interesting. This is really fascinating. Yeah. It's fascinating. I'm going to interrupt you for just a moment because I know, and forgive me if I'm taking you off track with where you were intending to go. But I know, having heard some of your other talks in the past on agile mindset and what you've written about, I know there's kind of this fundamental idea of the fixed verse. Linda Rising (09:39) It is interesting. Yeah. No, no, no, it's okay. Brian (10:05) growth mindset and the idea of intelligence being not necessarily a thing you're born with, but really something that you have the potential to change and grow. And how does that translate then to the group environment and the group's intelligence? Linda Rising (10:23) Yeah, so that's a great lead in because the next part of it was, well, okay, so we have this test and we can give it to a group, but we'd like to tease out some attributes of teams to say, you know, the teams that do really well on this test, they all seem to have, and they found there were three things that characterized Brian (10:26) Yeah. Linda Rising (10:52) intelligent group. The first one was called social perceptiveness. That is, are the people on the group, are they able to relate to each other? If one of the persons in the groups having a struggle for some reason, are they able to pick up on that? It's kind of hard to say, well what is that social perceptiveness? and we can come back to that, but that's first on the list. The second attribute is that when they have any kind of a discussion, that everybody talks. And that's pretty easy to see, and I know that you've probably been on teams as I have, where really not everybody talked, where maybe mostly one or two Brian (11:24) Yeah. Okay. Linda Rising (11:49) You know the loud people they did all the talking and the rest of us We just kind of sat in the corner and we said well, you know, whatever Yeah We've been there. Well, have we have we have seen that and I don't know how you're gonna feel about the third one But we all are concerned about diversity Brian (12:00) Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Linda Rising (12:17) We know that diversity is an issue. All organizations are struggling with the best way to deal with that. But the third attribute has to do with the percentage of women on the team. Brian (12:34) Really? Linda Rising (12:35) So this isn't like 50-50. This doesn't mean that you should have some women. It means the more women you have, the better. Ooh. You wanna think about that one? Brian (12:38) Yeah. You know what? I would not argue with that one bit because all the women that I've had in my life have been the most intelligent people I have known. So I would wholeheartedly concur with that. We're just a bunch of knuckleheads, the guys are. So I completely... Linda Rising (12:58) Ha! Brian (13:17) You know, I'm having some fun, but you're right. I can see that, you know? Like, I could see how that would be a really distinguishing characteristics. Linda Rising (13:22) Wow! So the researchers say maybe it's really not a gender thing because women are very good at social perceptiveness. And maybe what this third attribute, and they did a lot of statistical analyses, you you have to really dig down into the statistics and we don't want to do that. Maybe this third attribute is really a reflection of the first. And then if you, and here we're going to come to your growth mindset, if you could work with the people on the team who were not women, but who were these nerdy guys, know, could you somehow have them grow, improve, get better at social perceptiveness, then that would have the same effect as having more women on the team. And that's kind of where they are right now is can you do this? Are they equivalent? Are they really measuring the same thing? But they know that somehow that's what you've got to have is this ability to read. It's called theory of mind. Read the minds of the people on the team and that typically You know, we're stereotyping here. Typically men are not as good. So can you, could you, can you grow that characteristic? Can you get better? Can you get better at that? Brian (15:06) Yeah, I'll take a slight little side trail here and say that that makes perfect sense to me because one of the things that I found when I was doing my research on neurodiversity and specifically autism was that there's a book out there that I think I've shared on the podcast before, but it's called Autism in Heels. And basically the point of the book is to really examine autism in women. And one of the key points that's made in the book is the fact that when you see statistics about autism, you'll find that there's a huge number, there's a disparity. There's a large number of men, of males that are diagnosed and a few, a smaller percentage of females. And it gives the impression when you look at the data that you might think, well, this is a male thing, right? It's something that happens much more often than male. But this book is making the point that really, Linda Rising (16:02) Yeah. Brian (16:04) the criteria that was set aside to designate whether someone was autistic or not was really geared towards how it presents in males. So women were vastly underdiagnosed and still are to this day vastly underdiagnosed. And one of the things that makes it difficult to diagnose them is women are better at masking their symptoms. very much, they adapt to the environment around them. They pick up on the people around them. Linda Rising (16:18) Yeah. Brian (16:34) and they will mask the things that maybe are naturally a part of them, but they've learned in other parts of life how to do that. And so they're applying that to their autism as well. So that makes perfect sense to me. Linda Rising (16:43) Yeah. Yep, exactly. And of course, if we want to talk about women who have this tendency or on the spectrum, we have to mention Temple Grandin, who is one of the most famous female autistics in the world. I she's done more to gain attention for this problem, and she's definitely female. yeah, it's not it's not a male thing. But you're right that what's happened is that the women have had a growth mindset and whatever they inherited or were born with, they've done a better job at learning how to adapt given what they had as a limitation, adapting to working with others and using that as a strength. So that means that possibly, We could do that kind of thing to improve our teams if we included men in, well, what would it be? Would it be a training program? Would it be just coaching? Maybe this could be the job for a coach can certainly watch. The behavior of the team can notice, for instance, for that second attribute, is the discussion. Brian (17:54) Ha Linda Rising (18:10) Does that involve everybody equally? That could be a first step. And to encourage the growth in that direction. So one of the experiments that was done to follow on with that was to try to get male members of the team who didn't do well, you can actually measure social perceptiveness. And you mentioned autism, one of the tests. for autism is called reading the mind in the eyes. And with that test, you can show that people are better than others. And so maybe this could help us identify people who might benefit from this experimental approach. And that is to have something like, you know, I'm a patterns fan. So a collection of patterns that we used to talk about back in the day was written by Joshua Kerievsky and it was for running a study group where you read a book together a chapter at a time and you talk about it. So in the experiment the hypothesis was that reading a book together would improve the theory of mind or the social perceptiveness if it were a book that was fiction. Brian (19:37) Huh. Linda Rising (19:37) It's a story. A story. There's a hero and a beautiful princess and an adventurer and a bad guy and a good guy. in reading that, you learn to identify with the characters. And you talk about it. What was the character feeling when the handsome prince ran in to rescue the what was he thinking? Brian (19:39) Yeah. Linda Rising (20:05) So in a structured study group situation like that, reading fiction together and the results so far are positive but not enormous. It does help. It does help. Brian (20:20) Yeah. Yeah, I can see that, because you're trying to collectively interpret and you're getting a peek into someone else's mind of how they might interpret a situation and that can help you to interpret other situations. Yeah, I can see that. Linda Rising (20:23) May not. Yeah! Yeah, especially if someone was not in the habit of doing that. There are a lot of people who say, I've never even stopped to think about how the other members of my team are feeling. Brian (20:43) Yeah. Linda Rising (20:56) So attached to all of this is an enormous project that Google also started called Project Aristotle. And their idea was we wanna know what the secret is, what makes great teams. And they looked at everything. They spent years. mean, Google collects data, data they've got. and statisticians and analysts, they got it. And they spent years collecting and analyzing. And the summary at the end of all that was they found nothing. Brian (21:38) Hahaha Linda Rising (21:40) Did you read that? Did you read about that study? Yeah. Brian (21:44) I I'm familiar with that study. I really like what they did. Because when you have that kind of data available to you across cultures, across business units, it was an ambitious kind of study. I'm really thankful that they did it because I think they had some good findings there that came out of that as well. you're right. Linda Rising (21:52) Yeah! Yeah. Yeah? Yeah, they didn't find anything. Brian (22:12) Right, they thought it was gonna be, you know, it's a skill, it's the right mix of skills that makes it a high performing team or expertise and none of that really had a bearing. Yeah. Yeah. Linda Rising (22:15) Get off! And what was interesting about all of this is it sort of all came together because the folks at Google kind of looked over and said, well, look at what these folks at MIT are doing. And they said, maybe we're just not looking at the right thing. And they had talked about this social perceptiveness and what is that anyway? And it was kind of serendipity at about this time. Amy Edmondson wrote a book called The Fearless Organization, and it was about something she called psychological safety. And it was bigger than what the folks at MIT had identified. This has, I am free, I feel safe. Well, that would mean that you could speak up in a discussion and that would make the discussion more, okay, now we would think about what, I mean, what she talked about kind of put a big blanket around all of it and said, hey, I think we might be all talking about this. And the folks at Google said, well, you know, that makes sense. Maybe that's what we're looking for. And how do we do it? How do we do this? So your listeners might wanna just wander out to the Google site because now Google's been very transparent about this. How do you make this work? How do you bring about this psychological safety? How do you get people feel free to talk and to discussion? How do you help people be aware? of what other people are feeling. And they've got a whole raft of suggestions for managers, suggestions for team members, for, you know, and they're really all singing the same song. It's about this awareness of others, feeling that you are safe and that thinking about what other people are thinking. can lead your team to behave in more intelligent way. Brian (24:41) That's so, that's awesome. Right, right. Linda Rising (24:41) It's kind like a miracle. It's like a miracle. It all just came together. They weren't planning that. know, here at MIT, going one direction, Google going another direction. Here's Amy Edmondson at Harvard, and that it all kind of came together. Brian (24:48) That's awesome. You came together now. Yeah, Amy Edmondson is definitely one of my heroes. we've tried to get her on. We tried to get her to come on, but I know that there's layers to get to people like that. so if anyone's listening and has an end to Amy Edmondson, tell her that this is a welcome, this is a psychologically safe podcast to come on. We'd love to have her, but yeah. Linda Rising (25:07) Yeah. Well, yeah. think she did go out and talk to Google. I think there's a Google talk about psychological safety. So they did have her come in and give them some ideas, some suggestions or yeah. And she's on to failure now because her book, After Fearless Organization, which was about psychological safety, the one that, in fact, I just finished it is about failure. Brian (25:44) Yeah. That, Linda Rising (25:59) and their case studies of failures and what can you do about failure and yeah but anyway so she she's on she's she's on to whatever but yeah. Brian (26:07) That's awesome. Yes, she does great research and it's it's chock full in her book So I highly recommend her writing to anyone who's listening if that if this interests you Yeah, definitely read Amy Edmondson's work. You'll really enjoy it Linda Rising (26:14) Yeah Yeah. So, and if you do, then the story is not over, it's still going, which is, not just Amy Edmondson, but there's a fellow named Kevin Dunbar. This is not Robin Dunbar who did the 150 is kind of the magic number. This is a different Dunbar, same last name, but he did a lot of studies about thinking and. especially in science, how do scientists think? And in particular, he was interested in failure. And you know that as a scientist, you propose some hypothesis and then you test it in an experiment and then you stand back and you do an analysis and you say, well, did this work out or not? And he found that some scientists don't... like it when things don't go well. What a surprise, huh? Brian (27:26) Yeah, right. Linda Rising (27:28) Yeah, and they just ignore it. They either pretend it didn't happen or they put it in a drawer saying, we'll come back and, you know, we'll look at it later. But some scientists do a really good job of accepting that failure, working with it, and building on it. saying, hey, this is something we didn't think about. Maybe we can, they, you know, and they're off and running. It doesn't slow them down at all. And it turns out that the scientists who have that characteristic, who are able to do that, are scientists in groups. and they're in groups that are intelligent. They're diverse and open. They let everybody speak. They think about what other people are thinking if they're discouraged or not with this bad result. So the characteristics of those groups of scientists who do well with failure is the same. Brian (28:22) you Linda Rising (28:40) as the groups that MIT identified, the groups that Google is trying to grow. And I think it's really what we want in Agile development. We want groups like that. Not just because we think, intelligence is what. No. We want groups that have that characteristic. We want groups that feel psychologically safe. We want groups that feel free. Brian (28:54) Yeah. Linda Rising (29:08) to express their ideas. We want groups of people who are aware of what other people are thinking. That's what we want. Brian (29:16) Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. That's so cool. Linda Rising (29:18) So they're all talking about the same thing. They may be using different words, but they are really, and one thing that we might wanna note right here is that all these different researchers made the same mistake in the beginning. And it's the same mistake organizations make. Is they thought in the beginning that what makes a smart team is smart people. Wrong. Not that you don't want smart people. Brian (29:48) Yeah. Right. Linda Rising (29:53) But that's just an okay thing to have. You can have a team of very smart people that doesn't have any of these other characteristics that is not intelligent as a group. So I think we really have to wake up and realize, first of all, that we're doing that, that we're valuing IQ or individual intelligence, smartness, you went to this school or you got that particular SAT score. It has nothing to do with that. It's not that there's no correlation, but it's weak, it's very weak. It's much better to have people who have these other characteristics. Brian (30:33) Yeah, let me just, yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Let me connect it just a second to maybe someone who's listening who's a Scrum Master or someone like that, right? You might hear this and think, those foolish leadership people, they make these kinds of mistakes. I wouldn't make that kind of mistake. I know better than this kind of thing, right? Well, how much emphasis are you placing on whether your team knows all the details of what they should be doing in Scrum versus... helping them to know and understand each other, communicate with each other, right? How much effort and energy are you putting into those things versus the facts, right? I think that's where it can hit home for us is, these other areas, I think are, as you said, really much stronger predictors of success. And I think as Agilist, that's where we should be pouring our attention into because that's what's going to make the most significant difference. Linda Rising (31:40) Yeah. And I think since software development and I've been in it for a long time has had this really strong emphasis on smartness. We like smart people. And it's not that that's a bad thing necessarily. It's that it's not enough. So as a mathematician, you could say necessary, but not sufficient. Not even close. and that all of these researchers all said the same thing, that we thought it was going to be about smart people. We thought it was about IQ, that teams of smart people would be smart. And you and I both know that's not true. Brian (32:32) Right, right, right. I've been on some teams with some very smart people that were horrible teams. Linda Rising (32:35) Yes. Yes, yes, exactly. And I guess without belaboring it or beating it up, what's happening to me right now is that in reading about all of these different research activities, more and more things start to bubble up. that sort of are like the glue that holds all of this together. And the one that just, it just happened yesterday has to do with brainstorming. So I've been on a ramp to not, you know, I'm against brainstorming because there's plenty of evidence that it doesn't work. They've done experiments, they've said, okay, here's a group of people and they're gonna get together and they're gonna come up with ideas. Okay, we know how many ideas they came up with and whether they're any good or not. And now let's just take individuals and tell them individually, you come up with ideas and then we'll just measure. And the results are always the same, the individuals do better. So I have come up with explanations for that and I'm like, okay, well here's what. Well, I was wrong. Because in the research, it just was like an accident. I just happened to discover it in one of the papers that the groups that are intelligent, the groups that are aware, the groups that embrace failure, the groups that do well also do better at brainstorming. Why is that? Well, because everybody feels free to talk. Everybody feels psychologically safe. Everybody's aware of how other people are feeling and that impacts how they come up with ideas or think about things that other people suggest. So as a group, they do superbly at brainstorming. So it's not the brainstorming, it's the group and how they... Brian (34:43) Yeah. Ha Linda Rising (34:48) get in a room together and discuss things and share ideas. And so, you know, I hate to say this is gonna be the answer to all our prayers. And of course we still don't, we're still working on, well, how do you do this? How do you make this happen? And I remember a story. It's in fact, it's in one of the documents, I'm trying to think now on the Google website. It's a story of a team. Brian (34:58) Hahaha Yeah. Linda Rising (35:18) where the team leader tells the other people on the team that he has a terminal illness. And when he did that, everybody else on the team realized that they didn't really know anything about this guy. And they in turn began to share, well, I'm also having some struggles and here's my story. And going through that. cause that team to move up a notch, if you will, to become more intelligent, to be more aware, to suddenly be a little more respectful of how the discussions were. It was just telling stories about what you're going through so that everyone will be aware of how you feel, what you think is gonna be your... Brian (35:48) Yeah. Linda Rising (36:11) future in the next six months that they didn't have any training or study groups or they just told stories. Brian (36:26) They got to know each other as humans. And it's amazing how often we forget that that's who we work with. At least right now, we work with other human beings. And I hope that never changes, because that's where the best ideas, that's where the best creativity comes from. And yeah, it's fascinating, but you're absolutely right. I can see that point. Linda Rising (36:28) Yes, exactly. think for me, this is all, it's been really a hopeful journey because in the beginning, I wasn't even sure how it would go. I didn't know anything about the intelligence of groups. And in the beginning, it was all, okay, here's what MIT is doing and reading through, I mean, there were a lot of papers that I slogged through and it wasn't until about halfway through that, I discovered. Project Aristotle and I saw, this really connects. And now all these other things start to bubble up that really make a lot of sense. And of course, that it fits. It fits with Agile. It fits with the Agile message that the big things like that cause you, especially if you've had any experience with Agile, to sort of wake up and say, how do I miss this? Brian (37:50) Ha ha. Linda Rising (37:52) I should have seen this and it's news to me. So, wow, we're all still learning, I guess, aren't we? Brian (38:03) Yeah, I mean, you get presented with something like that and think, I've kind of intuitively known this all along, but I didn't have words for it. And now, now there's a vocabulary that can describe it. And I agree, right? That's exactly what it is. So yeah, you're absolutely right. Well, Linda, this is, this is such a fascinating discussion. And, you know, it's, I had no idea where, you know, group intelligence would lead us, but that it's all just fascinating. Linda Rising (38:09) Yeah Brian (38:32) the different threads of the spider web and where this kind of ends up. So I know it led you in a lot of places with your research and everything else. I really, really appreciate you sharing that with us and helping us to try to understand a little bit of the journey you've been on and kind of discovering this over the past year or so is what you said. Linda Rising (38:53) Yep. And I was going to say, anybody, I know most people don't want to spend the time reading the original research papers, and I don't blame you, that does take a lot of, you know, have a lot of investment in that. But there are some, I would call them sort of lightweight. There's some excellent, excellent Harvard Business Review articles that do a very good job of talking about. what is happening at MIT, what is happening at Google, that kind of a high-level summary, like Harvard Business Review does that like nobody else. And of course, there are TED Talks that Amy Edmondson has given, and there are all the Google Talks, of course, are also out on YouTube. And she has been to Google as well, so you can go listen to what she has to say there. So if you want to dig into this for yourself, there's a lot that you can get without having to read the book or read all the research papers. Brian (39:57) Yeah, we'll try to link to as much of this as we can in the show notes of this. So anyone who's listening, if you want to go down one of these rabbit holes like we talked about, maybe we can point the direction and say, hey, try this one. So we'll also include in the show notes some links to some of Linda's work as well so that you can find out more about her and maybe read one of her books as well and see some of the Linda Rising (40:11) Yeah! Brian (40:27) some of the insights she's already brought to this Agile community. And if you like what you heard here, I know you'll like her books as well. So Linda, thank you so much for making your time. I know it's very busy. Thank you for coming on the show. Linda Rising (40:41) It's been my pleasure. Can we close with some good wishes, some thoughts and prayers for all the people who are in Western North Carolina or in Florida who have just been two horrible disasters and are going to be a long time recovering. And that includes my good friend and co-writer Mary Lynn Mans who's in Asheville, North Carolina. So fingers crossed, prayers, good thoughts. Brian (41:11) Absolutely. I wholeheartedly concur with you on that. So I agree. Well, thanks again, Linda.

Dr. John Austin returns to the show to discuss a topic that we touched on briefly back in Session 230: Psychological Safety. While the idea of Psychological Safety might seem overly conceptual in nature, John breaks down what he thinks about it in very easily understood and measurable terms. More importantly, he talks about why Psychological Safety matters in the workplace. Here are some of the aspects of this topic that we got into: The example of Google's Project Aristotle, where this term became popularized. Ways to measure Psychological Safety. Setting the occasion for employees saying what's on their minds. Creating conditions where feedback is accepted, and even desired. How employees might find meaning in their work. The concept of Behavioral Integrity. Leaders being surprised when employees quit unexpectedly. Other factors relating to employee retention. How to foster connections with coworkers and employees. What John will be talking about at the upcoming Stone Soup Conference (note: use promo code PODCAST24 to save $$$ at checkout!). Pivotal leadership behaviors, and lots more! If you like John's content, you're in luck, because he's agreed to come back and do an episode on having difficult conversations, which as you'll hear, is a topic that many leaders struggle with. Here are the resources we discussed in this episode: Free access to the audio version of John's book, Results: The Science-Based Approach to Better Productivity, Profitability, and Safety. Sleiman, et al. (2020). A Quantitative Review of Performance Feedback in Organizational Settings (1998-2018). John's website, drjohnaustin.com. Edmondson (2018). The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth (note: Amazon Associates Link). Google Project Aristotle - 5 Keys to Team Success. Other podcasts mentioned: Session 262 (Pat Friman) and Session 266 (Chris McGinnis). This podcast is brought to you by: How to ABA…The Bx Resource Membership saves you time, lends you support, and helps you keep up with your CEUs. It's a growing library of resources, materials, programs, datasheets, assessments, and how-to videos to help you tackle any ABA program with ease. It also includes live CEUs each month, live mentorship sessions, a full library of CEUs (60+, enough for recertification), and a community of fellow behavior professionals where you can ask questions when you need support. Join us at howtoaba.com/join. ACE Approved CEUs from .... Behavioral Observations. That's right, get your CEUs while driving (maybe even this episode!), walking your dog, doing the dishes, or whatever else you might have going on, all while learning from your favorite podcast guests! The 2024 Stone Soup Conference! Behavior Analysis' premier online event is taking place on October 25th. Come hear from pod faves including Drs. John Austin, Lina Slim, Jim Moore, and many others! 8.5 Learning CEUs are available, and when you use the promo code PODCAST24, that comes out to less than 8 bucks per credit. Learn more here! The University of Cincinnati Online. UC Online designed a Master of Education in Behavior Analysis program that is 100% online and asynchronous, meaning you log on when it works for you. Want to learn more? Go to online.uc.edu and click the “request info” button. HRIC Recruiting. Barb Voss has been placing BCBAs in permanent positions throughout the US for just about a decade, and has been in the business more generally for 30 years. When you work with HRIC, you work directly with Barb, thereby accessing highly personalized service. So if you're about to graduate, you're looking for a change of pace, or you just want to know if the grass really is greener on the other side, head over to HRIColorado.com to schedule a confidential chat right away.

As you advance in your leadership journey, it's crucial to understand the importance of building trust. Based on comprehensive studies from experts like Patrick Lencioni and Google's Project Aristotle, trust is the cornerstone of high-performing teams. In this episode, I dive into a three-part trust framework that's invaluable for new managers. Learn how to ensure your team trusts you by focusing on getting things done, making the right decisions, and showing genuine care. Don't miss out on these actionable insights!Want more tips on effective training? Sign-up for our weekly newsletter: https://www.bettereverydaystudios.com/newsletterVisit us at https://www.bettereverydaystudios.comMentioned in this episode:Accelerator LinkWe look forward to seeing you at out next Leadership Accelerator. https://bettereverydaystudios.com/accelerator

When Google set out to discover what makes a high-performing team in 2012, researchers expected to uncover a set of individual demographics, characteristics, or personality traits that made each team great. What they realized, however, was that it was the interactions of a team that determined its effectiveness. But while Google's Project Aristotle made the critical link between psychological safety and high performance, their research did little to teach leaders how to foster psychological safety on their teams. In this podcast episode, our hosts give you the practical tools you need to put Project Aristotle's findings into actual practice.Episode Chapters:01:28 - The Research Premise06:56 - The Findings12:40 - Psychological Safety as a Unifying Term15:55 - Project Aristotle's Shortcomings17:12 - Psychological Safety's Behavioral Mechanism23:56 - The L.I.V.E. Model for Teams 28:43 - The 4 Stages of Psychological SafetyFor the full learning experience, watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xLsOjAsUbZoOr download the episode resources: https://www.leaderfactor.com/resources/what-you-need-to-know-about-project-aristotle

Michelle and Chase discuss Project Aristotle, a project conducted at Google to understand what makes teams successful. The most critical key to team success was found to be Psychological  Safety. Michelle and Chase share their reflections from a recent presentation by a former guest on Career Dreams, Andrew Adeniyi, where he talked about the importance of Psychological Safety. Tune in to hear more about all five keys for team success.  Podcast: The Giants Who Influence Our Lives with Andrew Adeniyi (Career Dreams) Article: 5 Key Elements for Building High Performing Teams (Medium)   Got a question? Ask us! Do you have a question you'd like to hear answered on Career Dreams? You can submit an audio recording of your question to be featured on an upcoming episode!  Like it? Share it! If you're finding value in exploring your Career Dreams through this podcast, please share it with your friends, followers and colleagues! Also, your ratings and reviews help others find the show...so please, let us know what you think! You can share your Career Dreams with us anytime via email: careerdreams@forumcu.com. To learn more about making your Career Dreams come true at FORUM Credit Union, visit our website:  https://www.forumcu.com/careers Dream on!

Want more tips on effective training? Sign-up for our weekly newsletter: https://www.bettereverydaystudios.com/newsletterIn today's episode of Leadership Launchpad, we dive into the indispensable role of trust in creating high-performing teams. Drawing from my experience as an Air Force instructor pilot and head of Training at SpaceX, I explore why trust is the foundation of any successful team, citing Patrick Lincioni's insights and Google's Project Aristotle. Throughout this episode, I'll unpack five key outcomes of fostering trust: reduced conflict, increased productive conflict, enhanced communication, stress reduction, and elevated collaboration. Leaders looking to supercharge their team's performance won't want to miss this deep dive into the game-changing power of trust. Tune in now to start building a more cohesive and effective team!Visit us at https://www.bettereverydaystudios.com

Join Brian and Bernie Maloney as they explore the transformative power of mental models, emphasizing the shift from a mechanistic to an organic mindset in Agile organizations. Overview In this episode, Brian and Bernie Maloney discuss the profound impact of mental models on organizational culture. Bernie delves into how our beliefs and assumptions shape our thinking and behavior, particularly within Agile environments. He discusses the importance of transitioning from a mechanistic to an organic mindset, focusing on problem-solving rather than merely delivering solutions. The conversation also highlights the role of psychological safety in fostering a culture of experimentation and learning. Bernie shares valuable resources, including Amy Edmondson's 'The Right Kind of Wrong,' to further explore these concepts. Tune in for insightful strategies for enhancing your organization's agility and effectiveness. Listen Now to Discover: [1:03] - Brian welcomes Certified Scrum Trainer® and Principal at Power By Teams, Bernie Maloney, to the show. [2:15] - Bernie delves into the concept of mental models, sharing the origins of his philosophy of "making new mistakes" developed during his time at Hewlett Packard. [5:55] - Bernie illustrates the power of mental models and belief by sharing a compelling example that brings these concepts to life. [13:46] - Join us for a Certified Scrum Product Owner® Training, where a year of coaching and development with Mike Cohn, Brian, and the Agile Mentors Community of Agile leaders is included with your training. [14:39] - Bernie discusses how applying mental models can enhance the effectiveness of Agile transformations, creating a naturally adaptive and innovative climate. [18:12] - Bernie offers language as a powerful tool to support the shift to a new Mental Model. [23:30] - Bernie demonstrates the use of mental models for product owners through the Mobius Loop, providing actionable guidance and examples [26:27] - Brian shares a big thank you to Bernie for joining him on the show. [26:59] - If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend, and like and subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast so you never miss a new episode. [27:27] - If you’d like to continue this discussion, join the Agile Mentors Community. You get a year of free membership to that site by taking any class with Mountain Goat Software, such as CSM, CSPO, or Mike Cohn’s Better User Stories Course. We'd love to see you in one of Mountain Goat Software's classes. You can find the schedule here. References and resources mentioned in the show: Bernie Maloney Power By Teams Mobius Loop The Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well by Amy Edmondson Agile Teams Learn From Spikes: Time Boxed Research Activities by Mike Cohn Certified Scrum Product Owner® Training Certified ScrumMaster® Training and Scrum Certification Mike Cohn’s Better User Stories Course Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule Join the Agile Mentors Community Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an Agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Bernie Maloney is an Agile leadership coach and international speaker, leverages his 25 years of engineering and leadership experience to help teams and organizations unlock their full potential. Known for his engaging workshops and impactful coaching, Bernie believes in making performance breakthroughs both achievable and enjoyable. Auto-generated Transcript: Brian (00:00) Welcome in Agile Mentors. We are back for another episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast. I am with you as always, Brian Milner. And today I have a very special guest with me. I have Mr. Bernie Maloney with me. Welcome in, Bernie. I am. Bernie Maloney (00:14) Thanks, Brian. Happy to be here. Brian (00:16) Great. I'm so excited to have Bernie here. Bernie and I have touched base for years over conferences. We've run into each other and had chats and shared our shared passion for Hawaii and other things. But Bernie was speaking at the recent conference and we've gotten into some conversations. I wanted him to come on because I wanted him to, first of all, if you're not familiar with Bernie, sorry, I see, I just want to jump right into it. If you're not familiar with Bernie, Bernie is a CST. He works at a company called Powered by Teams. He teaches classes, Scrum Master product owner classes and leadership classes and other things as well. But he is a principal at Powered by Teams. So just wanted to give you the basics there before we dive into anything. But the topic that we started to talk about that just as a jumping off place for us is a topic. the topic of mental models. So Bernie, why don't you explain to everyone how you define that, mental models. Bernie Maloney (01:23) So, Brian, this is a great topic. I find myself talking about it all the time. And y 'all, I warned Brian, like, he can press play on this, and it might be 15 minutes before he gets a word in edgewise here. It touches on mindset. It touches on a lot of topics. My talk that Brian was referencing at the recent Scrum gathering in New Orleans was make new mistakes, leadership lessons from an Agile success. which goes back to where I really kind of cut my teeth in Agile at Hewlett Packard. See, I'm a mechanical engineer by training. And I cut my teeth in Agile in the consumer PC division at HP about, this is scary to say y 'all, okay, about 27 years ago starting at this point. And some of the fun stuff, it was a bang up enterprise. It was the fastest business in HP's history to hit a billion dollars. And it was just... Brian (02:05) Yeah. Bernie Maloney (02:18) a great proving ground. We had hardware, we had software, we had distributed teams where volume manufacturing was in Asia, engineering was here where I am in Silicon Valley. Go -to -market for Europe was in Grenoble, France. We had high volume. Some of our products had 100 ,000 units in a single model run, with like 200 models in Europe on a quarterly basis at times. So high volume, high mix, tight margins from a business perspective. A lot of technology products want to have 20 % to 30 % gross margins. That's before you start taking off deductions like expenses and salaries and things like that. On a good day, we had 8 % gross margins for Christmas products, maybe 2 % gross margins. We used to refer to it as we were shipping rotting bananas. And like I said, I was there. When I started, we were shipping six products a quarter. We grew to 20. By the time I left after eight years, we were doing 200 products a quarter in Europe alone. Brian (03:04) Ha ha. Bernie Maloney (03:16) hardware, software, distributed teams, high volume, high mix. And we did all that with weekly iterations of a plan. At one point in my career, I was tactically responsible for the delivery of 2 % of HP's top line revenue with zero direct reports. And part of the secret sauce of success in that organization was really that mental model of make new mistakes. So that's where the talk title comes from. And in fact, makenewmistakes .com will point to poweredbyteams .com because I own that domain too. But that mental model really helped the organization thrive and not just survive. We went from like a number one to a number five share. Sorry, from a number five to a number one the other way around. Because the founding executives recognized that in that tide of a market, mistakes were probably going to happen. And so what they did is they established the psychological safety. Wow, look, there's another great topic. Make new mistakes. You knew that if it was an honest mistake, it would be forgiven. Just don't make it again. Get the lesson is one of the things that they said. I can even tell you the story about the weekend I blew a million dollars of HP's money and I was forgiven, but you'll have to come to a conference talk for that. So that was just like a great experience. And... Brian (04:32) Wow. Bernie Maloney (04:39) After that experience, I went on to TVs. Another part of my background is I shipped the very first internet connected TVs. Look it up, the Media Smart 3760 from HP. It shipped even before Apple TV. It bombed. Okay, it was way ahead of its time. But I recognized that that had been such a joyride. And then I recognized some other stuff that really gets into the psychological, the mental aspects of leadership, high performing teams. And I could, Brian, I could talk about that too, but okay. But that kind of got me to recognize that with those skills, the success that I had experienced at HP could probably be replicated. That's kind of been the path that I've been on for the past 15 years is really helping organizations go along that path. So mental models can be really big. Let me give everybody here an example. And so Brian, I'm going to speak to you as a way of illustrating mental models. So imagine you are physically where you are right now. Brian (05:24) Yeah. Bernie Maloney (05:37) but it is 150 years ago, okay? Imagine you're physically where you are right now, but it's 150 years ago. Now, Brian, let me ask you, can man fly? Brian (05:47) boy, you're testing my history knowledge. Bernie Maloney (05:52) Okay, make it 200 years ago, okay? That makes it easier. Okay, cool. Great, now fast forward to the present. Brian, let me ask you, can man fly? Brian (05:54) No, yeah, no. Yes. Bernie Maloney (06:02) What changed? Nothing about the laws of physical reality. It was just your mental model of what for man to fly means. That's the power of belief, okay? And belief limits a whole bunch of stuff in the way that people behave. So you'll hear Agilent talk all the time about, this is all about changing mindset. I'm probably, Brian, gonna give your listeners some ways of. Brian (06:06) invention. Bernie Maloney (06:30) changing mindset as we go through this, but that's going to illustrate the power of mental models. Now, a big one that I like to use that's specific to Agile comes from Gabby Benefield. She's an Agilist out of the UK, and it's called the Mobius Loop. And I think she's got the domain mobiusloop .com. So everybody can imagine a Mobius Loop. Okay. And what I really like about this model for her... Brian (06:32) Sure, yeah, please. Yeah. Bernie Maloney (06:56) i s the right -hand half is what a lot of organizations think Agile is. Build, measure, learn, build, measure, learn. The whole idea of the build trap that we talk about in Agile. It's all about the delivery of a solution. Okay? But the left -hand half is all about the discovery of the problem. Okay? And the discovery of the customer. And that's a part of Agile too that most organizations overlook. So you got to ask why. And it comes down to kind of mental models. So when I was at Persistent, if you go look me up on LinkedIn, you'll find some of my employment history. I was at Persistent for a while. They had a really good mental model. And it's something I still use when I go into a client. And they would talk about there's kind of three eras of a company culture. And so culture is really the environment that an organization lives within. And there's an era. where cultures were formed before the internet. So things like finance and government and mining and manufacturing and oil and gas field developed. I mean, I've had clients in all of these areas. And in that sort of an environment, okay, it was, well, an era. One of the things I'll ask, and Brian, I'll kind of like let you represent the audience. Would you say in general, the people that you work with, the markets that they serve, Are they moving faster and all up into a thumbs up, slower, thumbs down, or about the same, thumbs sideways? Are the markets moving faster, slower, or about the same as they were, say, five or 10 years ago? Brian (08:32) I think everything's moving faster, yeah. Bernie Maloney (08:34) Cool. Okay. Now, how about the technology that your clients use to solve problems for that market? You know, moving faster, thumbs up, slower, thumbs down, or about the same as it was, say, five or 10 years ago. Faster. Yeah, cool. Okay. Now, when things are moving faster, thumbs up for yes, thumbs down for no. Do they always move in a straight line? Brian (08:46) No, faster. No, not always. Bernie Maloney (08:56) Okay, cool. So now things are moving faster, but they're not moving in a straight line. So let me ask you, do most organizations try and plan and predict? Is it possible for you to plan and predict when things are moving faster and they're not moving in a straight line? Is it easier or harder to plan and predict? Brian (09:19) I think it's definitely harder. Bernie Maloney (09:21) Yeah, but organizations are trying to do that, aren't they? And it's because their mental model is as a machine. So organizations born before the internet have a mental model of the entire organizational system being a machine, the industrial age, which you can plan and predict. They treat people like cogs in a machine. In fact, the thing that us Agilists will say is, when you say resources, did you mean people? See, that's... Brian (09:35) Yeah. Bernie Maloney (09:50) That's kind of now we're starting to get into some of the culture aspects of this because language actually forms culture. And so you'll hear Angela say, did you mean people? Like when that whole word of resources comes up. But organizations born before the internet, they've got one culture. Okay, they were born in an era of plan and predict. They've got a mental model of the system being a machine. And your listeners would probably agree most of them struggle with Agile. Okay, now there's another era born in the internet but not the cloud. So some examples like here in Silicon Valley, Cisco, PayPal, okay, lots of us have had exposure to them and lots of us recognize they still struggle with agile because agile wasn't really fully formed and articulated. Then there are organizations that were born in the cloud and so places like Striper Square and I use payments because I've had... clients in finance across all three of these eras. So Stripe or Square, they were born in the cloud where things were almost natively agile because the Agile Manifesto had been published by that point. They just inherently get agile. So these mental models of your organizational system being a machine get reflected in the language. So things like people or resources, it turns them into objects. It enables something I've heard called pencil management. Wear them down to a nub, go get a new one. In fact, if you do the research on where the word resources was first applied to human beings, it might shock some people. So I don't talk about that openly. They'll have to find me privately. I'll be happy to point you out the reference. And once I do, it's like, ooh. But one of the jokes I'll crack. And this is one of the ways that you can start to shift the language. If people call you resources, because you know that turns you into an object, start calling them overhead. Brian (11:23) Yeah. Ha ha ha. Bernie Maloney (11:48) Okay, it can kind of make the difference there. Okay, so, but you know, if things are moving faster and they're harder to plan and predict, that mental model needs to shift. In fact, in agile, we talk about you need to move to sense and respond. When things are moving faster, it's kind of like Gretzky, skate to where the puck is going. You need to sense and respond to the situation. So a better mental model instead of a mechanism is an organism. Because think about organisms, like cut yourself, it heals, okay? It senses and responds. Or like a forest fire comes in, wipes things out, and nature always kind of fills things back in. Sense and respond. This gets reflected in the language. So Brian, do your clients talk about metrics? Brian (12:37) Of course, yes. Bernie Maloney (12:38) Okay, cool. So do they talk about efficiency? Brian (12:41) I would say a lot of businesses will talk about that. Yeah, sure. Bernie Maloney (12:44) Yeah, cool. That's the language of machines. Probably better language is diagnostics instead of metrics. That invokes some of the curiosity. And probably instead of efficiency is effectiveness. One of the things I'll say is scrum is not efficient. It's not about utilization of capacity. It's about the production of value, which is all about effectiveness. See, efficiency or effective. Do you go to your doctor for an efficient treatment? or ineffective treatment, Brian. Brian (13:16) Effective, hopefully. Bernie Maloney (13:17) Awesome. Do you go for blood metrics or blood diagnostics? Brian (13:21) Yeah, diagnostics for sure. Bernie Maloney (13:23) Yeah, so now you're starting to get some hints about how you can start to shift the mental model. What you're really doing with Agile, y 'all, is you're shifting the culture, and culture is hard because it's not visible. The tools, the processes, the practices that folks like Brian and I will teach and coach, they're super visible, they're super valuable, but they're often not enough to start to change things. So, Brian, would you say most of your listeners are familiar? familiar with the language of Tuchman of forming, storming, norming, and performing. Brian (13:56) I'd say there's probably a good percentage, yeah. Bernie Maloney (13:58) Cool. I actually like to draw a Satir curve. So Bruce Tuckman, Virginia Satir, they were contemporaries. They were both just researching human systems. So Virginia did a performance axis on the vertical and a time axis on the horizontal. And the way Virginia described it is you're kind of going along in a certain status quo. And so you're kind of along that baseline. And then a foreign element enters and some change. And then you descend into chaos. And you can't see it. like your performance goes down until you have a transformative idea and then through some practice and integration, you rise to a new status quo. This happens to people all the time when they introduce changes in their life like New Year's resolutions. I'm going to get fit and healthy this year. You know, it's a beach body time. And you start doing it and it's like, this is so hard. You're in chaos. And what human beings want to do is they want to go back to the way things were instead of moving through. OK, this happens when you introduce agile into your organization. You'll hear Agilist talk about this as the Agile antibodies. You introduce it, this is so hard, and people want to go back to the way things were instead of kind of moving through. So the tools, the processes, the practices, they're really good, but they're not powerful enough. You got to start changing the culture. Culture is like what we all swim in, but climate is something that you can start to affect. So climate is a little bit closer in to your team, and you can start talking about these mental models. Like when I was at TiVo, I was hired into TiVo to bring Agile in because I had shipped TVs, I knew about Agile. And I was hired in on, I think I can say this now because we're more than a decade past. Have you all ever streamed anything? Yeah, okay. So TiVo was working on that in like 2009, 2010. I got to see that stuff and I was like, really wish I had taken off for them. But that program... Brian (15:42) yeah. Bernie Maloney (15:54) disbanded, okay, and the culture kind of spread in the organization. And I knew that this was a possibility, so when I brought it in, I made sure I didn't just work with my team that was doing a Skunk Works project, where we were just kind of doing some internal development that we weren't, you know, or stealth is probably a better word these days. So a stealth program inside of TiVo that you couldn't talk about. I knew that... when Agile would spread, it would hit some of this resistance, these antibodies. And so I made a case for bringing in people from outside my team so that it was familiar. And when that program disbanded, it organically spread on the cloud side of TiVo because of some of this stuff. So within your own team, you can kind of create a climate. And then when you start to see results like that, that's going to start attracting kind of the rest of the culture that's there. But these mental models, like shifting from mechanism to organism can really help an organization recognize where their limiting beliefs are about how things go. And it's going to be reflected in language. So if you like dive into anthropology a little bit, you're going to recognize that it's really well established. You can change a culture by starting to change the language. And all of us, okay, if you're observing what's going on in Eastern Ukraine here in 2024, that's what's going on. with the Russian occupation, they're changing the language because that's going to change the culture. That's why they're doing stuff like that. So, and even language starts to shape the mental models that you've got. A good example of something like that was when European, you know, when European explorers is the language I'll use, came to the Americas, the natives didn't really have a language for ship. And so they saw these people coming in floating on the water. And that was the way that they could describe it. So even language kind of gets into a cultural sort of a thing. So these are techniques that you can put into your toolkit. Start shifting the language to start shifting the culture, which can kind of help with the mental models. When you got the mental models, that's where the language starts to come from. If you don't have the mental models, you're probably not going to have the language. And I encourage all the folks I work with, start shifting from the whole idea of mechanism to organism. Okay, Brian, was that 15 minutes? Did I go on for as long as I predicted I would? Brian (18:27) About 15 minutes. Yeah. No, but I think that's a good point. There's a thing that I'll talk about a lot of times in my classes where I would all say, you know, the waterfall paradigm is one that's based on manufacturing. And there's a false understanding of what we're doing as manufacturing and it's not. It's more research and development. So you have to kind of shift the process to be one that's more conducive. to research and development. So that's very much in line with what you're talking about here. I love that. Bernie Maloney (19:01) Yeah. Do you think people would appreciate some book references that can kind of like help you? Okay. So specifically on that whole ethos of experimentalism that you just touched on, Brian, I'm currently going through Amy Edmondson's The Right Kind of Wrong. Really good book. Now, Amy is well known because she helped establish psychological safety as a super important topic in organizations. Brian (19:07) absolutely. Absolutely. Bernie Maloney (19:30) So she was coupled, I think, with Project Aristotle at Google. And in this book, she unpacked some really interesting stuff. She talks about failure, and there's types of failures. There's basic, there's complex, and there's intelligent failures. OK, intelligent failures, they're just native to science. You know things are going to go wrong. You're going to have Thomas Edison, the I Found 1 ,000 Ways. to do a light bulb wrong, sort of. That's like intelligent failure. Basic failure, she breaks down into, let's see, neglect and inattention. And those are the things that you really want to start to squeeze out of a system. With that mental model of a mechanism, I would say a lot of, call it management, tends to think of a lot of failures as basic failures. And that's where blame starts to come into a system. Okay, so now we're back into psychological safety. Okay, where you want to establish, you know, that was an honest mistake. Hence the talk title of make new mistakes. Okay, so you can have processes and procedures that can kind of squeeze out some of those basic failures. Complex in the middle is really interesting to talk about. As I'm getting into the material, she unpacks... Now, complex failures are those chain of events, you know, Brian (20:30) Yeah. Yeah. Bernie Maloney (20:54) This thing and this thing and this thing all had to line up and go wrong at the same time for this catastrophic failure to go on. And in medicine, which is where her original research was, they talk about it as Swiss cheese. And she says, if you go into a lot of medical administrators' offices, you're going to find some model of Swiss cheese there. Because they talk about it's like all the holes have to line up for something to go sideways on you. So complex failures. It's a chain of events, a bunch of little things. And she points out that in the research, these often happen when you have an over -constrained system where there's no slack, where you're trying to operate with, get this, Brian, 100 % efficiency. You're trying to load everybody up. So that is just like, it's not just juice on psychological safety, but like, looking at the whole idea of intelligent failures that we want to encourage versus constraining out basic failures versus working to reduce those complex failures and not just thinking complex failures are basic failures, but they're systemic failures that then might be part of the system, might be part of the mental model that's going on that's there. So super juicy stuff. Brian (22:11) Yeah, yeah, that's really good stuff. I've always loved Amy's work and I feel, you know, silly calling her Amy. But Amy Edmondson's work has always been great. Yeah, Professor Edmondson. She, the work on psychological safety, I think was just amazing. And the examples she used in her research are amazing. And, you know, all the stuff with Project Aristotle. Bernie Maloney (22:20) Okay, Professor Edmondson, yeah. Brian (22:36) I love the concept of psychological. I mean, again, not to make this the topic of our podcast, but, you know, I love the idea that they, they, they found that psychological safety was, so foundational that nothing else mattered. That if you didn't have that, that not no matter what else you layered on top of it, it would not fix the problem that you didn't have psychological safety. Bernie Maloney (22:58) Yep. And that's one of the reasons why I say Agile is actually a social technology more than anything else. I mean, that's why it's people and people over processes and tools. This is really a social technology that we deal in. Brian (23:10) That's a great way to put it. I love that social technology. Awesome. I love that. Bernie Maloney (23:14) So kind of talking about Amy and psychological safety and kind of all these systems that we're talking about, another mental model that I like to give particularly my product owners, going back to that Mobius loop. and like on the right hand side is all about delivery, okay, that's where you give team solutions to build. That's what a lot of organizations do. Versus on the left hand side with discovery, it's all about problems to solve. So I like to encourage my clients to instead of just giving people solutions to build, give them problems to solve. Now, for product owners, if you imagine like an onion that's kind of stretched out left to right, so kind of an odd long little onion. Brian (23:41) Yeah. Bernie Maloney (23:58) and on the far right is your sprint. And then as you go to the left, you're at a release, and further out to the left, you're in roadmap, and way further out into the left, you're into these vague things like vision. So product owners kind of deal with this whole span of things. And in between, product and sprint goals start to make things a little bit more concrete. Okay, and... One of the things I'll do for my product owners is I'll take that Mobius loop and I'll overlay it on a planning onion like that and go, do you get to see how, like what we're talking about here, you're starting out way vague in discovery and you're getting way more concrete as you get into delivery and into the sprint. And really the job of Agile and Scrum is both. It's not just about turn the crank on the machine. In fact, I think it's unfortunate that there's a book title out there of twice. the work in half the time. I actually like to pitch this as more it's about twice the value with half the stress. Okay, now as you imagine that Mobius loop kind of overlaid, one of the things I'll unpack for folks is when you're way out in that vision area, there's a lot of uncertainty that's there, okay? And you're actually going to have to do discovery. You may have to run some experiments. Brian (24:58) Yeah. Bernie Maloney (25:24) Okay, and it's only as you get closer into delivery that you want to get closer to certainty. And really, that's kind of the job of a product owner is squeezing uncertainty out of the system. Initially through discovery of the problem to solve, who to solve it for, what the market is, but it's the job of the whole team in Agile to squeeze that uncertainty out of the system. Brian, I'm sure you've had folks like talk about spikes. You ever have people get wrapped around the axle about like including spikes in their product backlog? Brian (25:48) Yeah, for sure. yeah, for sure. Bernie Maloney (25:54) Cool, the way that I frame that up, okay, so here's a mental model. That's just technical uncertainty that you've uncovered. Great, okay, so now we've got to go squeeze that uncertainty out of the system. So stop getting wrapped around the axle on stuff like this. Just like stop trying to plan and predict things. Instead, kind of get into sense and respond on all of them. And there, I've kind of brought it around full circle for you, Brian, for where we started. Brian (26:09) Yeah, no. No, that's great. That's great stuff. And I love the fact that we can bring it back full circle. Well, this is fascinating. And like you said, we could press play and go on this for another half hour very easily. But we'll be respectful of people's time here and keep it to our normal time length. Bernie, I can't thank you enough for coming on. I really appreciate you sharing your experience with us. And... what you've learned over your years of working in this profession. Bernie Maloney (26:50) Thank you so much for asking me, Brian

In this episode, Ralph and Kasim reunite to welcome Charles Duhigg, the mastermind behind "The Power of Habit." As they discuss the secrets of habit formation and the art of communication, Charles explains how simple tweaks can alter behaviors and relationships. Charles talks about everything from the unexpected origins of toothbrushing to the surprising science behind effective communication and much more. His ability to distill complex ideas into actionable steps will leave you rethinking your daily routines and interactions. Tune in to learn the habits and communication strategies that can drive personal and professional success. CHAPTERS00:00:00 - Kicking Off: Welcome to the Perpetual Traffic Podcast!00:01:33 - The Comeback Kid: Kasim Returns from Podcast Retirement00:03:17 - Fanboy Moment: Introducing Charles Duhigg, Author of 'The Power of Habit'00:04:06 - Beyond Habits: Exploring the Science of Communication with Charles Duhigg00:05:27 - Communication Breakdown: Why Your Conversations Might Be Failing00:10:29 - Quick Fixes: Practical Tips to Become an Effective Communicator00:13:15 - Emotional vs. Practical: Navigating Different Types of Conversations00:18:06 - The Deep Dive: Mastering Deep Questions and the Matching Principle00:20:34 - Listen Up: How to Prove You're Listening with the Looping Technique00:22:56 - Real Connections: The Importance of Genuine Conversations00:25:00 - Team Secrets: Inside Google's Project Aristotle and Team Dynamics00:29:08 - Safety First: The Role of Psychological Safety in Team Success00:32:18 - Evolution of Talk: From Phone Conversations to Emojis and GIFsLINKS AND RESOURCES:Charles Duhigg BooksAbout Charles‘Smarter, Faster, Better': The New Science of ProductivityReady to Evolve Your Digital Marketing? Let's Talk.PT on TelegramTier 11 JobsPerpetual Traffic on YouTubeTiereleven.comSolutions 8 Perpetual Traffic SurveyPerpetual Traffic WebsiteFollow Perpetual Traffic on TwitterConnect with Lauren on Instagram and Connect with Ralph on LinkedInThanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to Perpetual Traffic? Have some feedback you'd like to share? Connect with us on

Nick and Scott are discussing the concept of psychological safety and its critical role in high-performing teams. They explore Google's groundbreaking Project Aristotle and the surprising findings about what truly drives team success. Nick and Scott talk about how fear and trust impact workplace culture, particularly during economic downturns. They also outline the four stages of psychological safety and offer tips for leaders to create a positive team environment. Tune in to learn how embracing failure and fostering a culture of safety can lead to innovation and growth!Chapters:00:00:00 - Meet Nick and Scott: Your Guides to Changing Work00:01:13 - The Critical Role of Psychological Safety00:02:10 - Google's Secret: Insights from Project Aristotle00:04:57 - Psychological Safety Demystified: What You Need to Know00:07:08 - Leadership's Impact: Building Safety in Your Team00:11:13 - Culture Matters: Creating a Positive Work Environment00:14:18 - Surviving Layoffs: Maintaining Safety During Tough Times00:18:39 - The Four Stages of Psychological Safety: A Breakdown00:20:42 - Leader's Toolkit: Practical Tips for Fostering Safety00:23:20 - Learning from Failure: Why Mistakes Are Essential00:27:47 - Safety Spectrum: Understanding Contributor and Challenger Roles00:32:23 - Closing Thoughts: Final Reflections and GratitudeLinks and Resources:Cory on LinkedInWisdom LabsChanging WorkScott Shute on LinkedInNicholas Whitaker on LinkedInThanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to Changing Work? Have some feedback you'd like to share? Connect with us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube to leave us a review!

Welcome back to "Bread to Lead", the whistleblowing podcast that explores the dynamics of leadership in today's rapidly evolving society. In this power-packed episode, our host with the most, Dr. Jake Tayler Jacobs, walks us through the fossilized boilerplate methods of leadership and the dire need to restructure these models for the 21st-century workplace. Dr. Jacobs challenges the concept of traditional leadership built on authority and control. He reaffirms that in our interconnected world, emotionally intelligent leaders, those brave enough to show vulnerability and inspire their teams hold the key to successful workplaces. Leaders who don't just invent answers but carve out pathways, ensuring the right questions are asked and addressed. Turning his gaze to evidence-backed instances, Dr. Jacobs highlights how enterprises that enable diverse and inclusive leaderships are far more innovative, and above all, financially robust. Leaders promoting psychological safety within their teams tend to inspire employees to take risks, view failures as learning curves, and thereby create workplaces drenched in positive synergy. Data extracted from Google's trailblazing Project Aristotle solidifies these revelations. Explore with us the mind-altering realm of servant leadership, a style that champions people-first, promoting a harmonious balance of respect, contribution, and recognition. As seen through transformative anecdotes, this leadership approach opens new horizons of innovation, adaptability, and resilience. The focus of this enlightening discussion is creating a mentally safe work environment that fuels trust, innovation, and a shared sense of purpose, extending far beyond profit generation. The voyage of this episode concludes with actionable steps to adopt people-first leadership. These include self-reflecting on your leadership style, fostering psychological safety within teams, education on the essentials of people-centric leadership, and scouting opportunities to infuse them in your professional life. Join our riveting discourse in redefining leadership for the modern era. Evolve into a leader that enkindles, empowers, and elevates others, thereby leaving an indelible mark. Tune into this perspective-tweaking episode and step into the forefront of the wholesome leadership realm!

Join Brian and Sumeet Moghe as they discuss transforming the focus and efficiency of Agile teams in our always-on world. Discover how to master asynchronous work to enhance decision-making and improve team dynamics. Overview On this episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast, Brian welcomes Sumeet Moghe, author of the Async First Playbook, in this enlightening episode as he explores the pivotal role of asynchronous work within Agile frameworks. Sumeet shares his insights on fostering deep focus, enhancing decision-making, and pragmatically adapting Agile practices to meet unique team needs. Delve into the challenges and strategies for securing team buy-in, balancing synchronous with asynchronous tasks, and building cohesion in distributed teams. This episode is packed with actionable advice on creating a supportive, safe, and productive environment through intentional communication and strategic face-to-face interactions. Tune in to reshape your team's approach to collaboration and productivity in the asynchronous era. Listen Now to Discover: [1:15] - Brian welcomes Sumeet Moghe, Transformation Specialist and Product Manager at Thoughtworks and author of The Asynch-First Playbook. [2:18] - Dive into Sumeet's captivating journey to mastering asynchronous work, exploring how his deep-seated passion sparked innovative approaches in his professional life. [5:11] - Brian expertly connects Agile principles to the unique challenges of asynchronous work, offering insightful solutions for today’s distributed work environments. [7:32] - Sumeet unveils critical insights from his extensive experience in asynchronous work, offering valuable lessons for mastering remote collaboration. [10:57] - Highlighting the challenges that conventional Agile practitioners encounter in asynchronous environments, Brian turns to Sumeet for practical solutions to address these issues constructively. [16:26] - Are you ready to take your Asynchronous work to the next level? Consider taking Mountain Goat Software’s Advanced Certified ScrumMaster® (ACSM) class to dive deeper into facilitating and thriving with an asynchronous team. To learn more, check out the Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule. [19:28] - Sumeet outlines effective strategies for conducting Sprint Planning sessions with asynchronous teams, ensuring smooth collaboration and productivity across different time zones. [24:32] - Sumeet addresses team building on asynchronous teams, highlighting and walking through the asynchronous application of the work of Amy Edmonson and Google’s Project Aristotle, developing psychological safety. [32:52] - To foster deeper trust and reduce conflicts, Sumeet advises using the cost savings from asynchronous work to facilitate in-person team interactions. [35:20] - Brian shares a big thank you to Sumeet for joining him on the show and bringing his unique experience to the conversation. [36:10] - If you enjoyed this topic, we invite you to share the episode with a friend or on social media. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on your podcast platform of choice. [37:19] - Do you have feedback or a great idea for an episode of the show? Great! Send us an email. [36:10] - If you’d like to continue this discussion, join the Agile Mentors Community. You get a year of free membership into that site by taking any class with Mountain Goat Software. References and resources mentioned in the show: Sumeet Moghe The Asynch-First Playbook by Sumeet Moghe Thoughtworks Sumeet's Photography The Fearless Organization by Amy Edmondson Advanced Certified ScrumMaster® (ACSM) Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule Mountain Goat Software Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast Join the Agile Mentors Community Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an Agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Sumeet Gayathri Moghe is a product manager, and design nerd at Thoughtworks, and author of The Asynch-First Playbook. Sumeet has worked on building software products and improving teams’ engineering effectiveness over diverse environments, building an approach that is versatile and can be effectively adapted across various industries to meet diverse needs. When he’s not at work building software, you’ll find him discovering the world through a camera’s eyepiece, photographing wildlife and wilderness.

A key part of being an effective HR practitioner is about building strong, strategic and trusting relationships with key stakeholders in order to build your influence and help move your organisation towards its goals. In this episode, coaching expert and author Michael Bungay Stanier shares insights from his latest book 'How to work with (almost) anyone' and provides listeners with insights to make their relationships at work stronger and more resilient. SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK: Take our 2-minute survey to share your thoughts on seasons one and two of AHRI: https://bit.ly/3BjN5Ey SHOW NOTES

Every word you speak to yourself is a brushstroke on the canvas of your life; paint it with positivity and purpose. We are taught to be a source of encouragement to the people around us, striving to be someone who uplifts and supports others in their journey. But sadly, we forget to extend that same kindness to ourselves. It's so easy to get caught up in negative self-talk when we see our shortcomings and face our insecurities. Oftentimes, we overlook the importance of validating ourselves and celebrating even the smallest of our progress.   Today, I want to remind you that learning to speak kindly to ourselves is an act of self-care and an extension of our service to the world. As we learn to forgive ourselves, appreciate our hard work, and love ourselves despite our flaws, we become empowered individuals who radiate a contagious positivity that uplifts those around us. It's a way of spreading love and positivity in a world that often feels harsh and unforgiving. Therefore, as we strive to be sources of encouragement and support for others, let us also remember to extend the same level of kindness and compassion to ourselves.   In this special episode, I will share the transformative insights outlined in Mel Robbins' book, “The High 5 Habit: Take Control of Your Life with One Simple Habit.” This book serves as a guide for cultivating a mindset of self-empowerment and overcoming self-limiting beliefs. The episode touches on the importance of self-validation, the common pitfalls of people-pleasing behavior, and how we can overcome our insecurities. Tune in to gain a wealth of knowledge on how to celebrate our achievements, overcome obstacles, and live a life of purpose and fulfillment.   "Many times, I feel that we struggle in different tasks because we're waiting for somebody else to high-five us." – Dr. Derrick Burgess   Topics Covered: (00:01:06) A book review: The High 5 Habit (00:02:10) High 5: A shared celebration (00:04:38) How often do you cheer for yourself? (00:06:20) Seen, Heard, and Appreciated (00:08:05) Advertisement: Are you prepared for life's unexpected challenges? Dr. Stephanie Pearson and her team of skilled advisors at Pearson Ravitz are here to help you guard your most valuable asset. Go to https://pearsonravitz.com/ to make sure you are protected today. (00:08:58) The Project Aristotle (00:10:30) Internal Validation (00:12:27) Flipping Limiting Beliefs (00:13:12) The Five-Second Rule (00:14:20) Looking for new opportunities   Key Takeaways:    "High five is a shared celebration amongst people where you're pretty much, giving validation to the other person." – Dr. Derrick Burgess   "Combining thoughts and words with action can have a greater effect." – Dr. Derrick Burgess   "Internal validation is you knowing that you are important." – Dr. Derrick Burgess   "The more we degrade ourselves, the more likely we are to continue that negative cycle in our lives." – Dr. Derrick Burgess   "Let yourself out of the mental jail." – Dr. Derrick Burgess   "When you think you're messed up, you will hate yourself and when you hate yourself, you'll do the things that you hate." – Dr. Derrick Burgess   Connect with Dr. Derrick Burgess: Website: https://www.drderrickthesportsdr.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drderrickthesportsdr/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimeOut.SportsDr LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derrick-burgess-72047b246/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHGDu1zT4K_X6PnYELu8weg Email: thesportsdoctr@gmail.com   This episode of TimeOut with the SportsDr. is produced by Podcast VAs Philippines - the team that helps podcasters effectively launch and manage their podcasts, so we don't have to. Record, share, and repeat! Podcast VAs PH gives me back my time so I can focus on the core functions of my business. Need expert help with your podcast? Go to www.podcastvasph.com.

Dr. CK Bray shares insights into the dynamics of group interactions, emphasizing the challenges within teams, citing factors such as in-fighting, asymmetric job distribution, and confusion about goals that hinder their effectiveness. He delves into the neuroscience behind team dynamics, highlighting the critical role of trust, which can be measured through oxytocin levels in the brain. Learn how an experiment involving oxytocin nasal spray revealed its power to foster trust among strangers, shedding light on its impact on team cohesion. Dr. Bray explores Google's Project Aristotle, underscoring the significance of psychological safety and trust in fostering high-functioning teams. **Read John Medina's “Brain Rules for Work: The Science of Thinking Smarter in the Office and at Home.” It is an excellent resource into learning more about today's topic. QUOTES BY DR. BRAY  “Go make your team better!”

Every team has its rhythm. Google’s Project Aristotle revealed the secret sauce to team effectiveness isn’t just about who is on the team but how they work together. This insight opens our discussion today on the UNmiss podcast. We’re exploring the art of balancing business outcomes with an inclusive working environment with our guest, Erika…

In this episode of the Modern Mogul podcast, we explore how fostering human connections and ensuring psychological safety can coexist with the drive for high performance at work. We discuss the importance of informal relationships, critical research findings and offer insights into overcoming common workplace challenges. - Informal relationships: The role of informal communication in building high-performance teams.- Psychological Safety: Introduction to psychological safety and its impact on team dynamics.- Key Studies & Theories: Overview of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, Self-Determination Theory, and Google's Project Aristotle.- The Workplace Dilemma: Discussion on why organizations struggle to integrate psychological safety and humanization.- Moving Beyond Wellness Programs: Strategies for creating a supportive and inclusive environment.- Call to Action for Leaders: The importance of modern leadership approachesYou can now submit your questions or feedback directly to Marlyne at https://modernmogulhq.outgrow.us/modernmogulhqpod & Follow on Instagram or LinkedIn

In this episode, Tim and Junior discuss how high-performing teams are formed and maintained. The quality of an organization is a reflection of the quality of its teams, and high-performing teams have patterns. Although there are many patterns, Tim and Junior will focus on a core four in this episode, including how high-performing teams (1) connect, how they (2) improve their skills, how they (3) view transparency and autonomy and how they (4) continuously seek innovation.The benefits of improving your teams' performance (01:43) Remember, individuals rarely accomplish extraordinary feats alone. The quality of an organization is a reflection of the quality of its teams. As you improve your teams, you'll get two things: Leverage and scale. You'll be able to multiply the force, scope, and magnitude of your organizational efforts.How do high-performing teams connect? (13:55) High performing teams know each other. If your team doesn't know each other, it's not a high performing team, or at least it won't be for very long, or when things get hard. Tim and Junior share the story of Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, and why a 3-day offsite was one of the most important things he has done as a CEO.How do high-performing teams improve their skills? (26:33) High performing teams are constantly growing. When teams acknowledge that the knowledge they have today is not enough, they open themselves up to development. How do high-performing teams view transparency and autonomy? (38:10) High performing teams are focused on achievement based on transparent, meaningful metrics. Tim and Junior talk about Google's Project Aristotle and how they discovered that psychological safety is the #1 indicator of high-performance. How do high-performing teams chase innovation? (50:44) High performing teams believe in continuous improvement. They're proud but never satisfied. At the end of the day, challenger safety not just as challenging the organization, but challenging ourselves to do better and be better. Important LinksShow NotesPsychological Safety Behavioral Guide

We are diving headlong into the topic of leadership.  Grab your metaphorical popcorn; start your commute or head out the door on a walk- this one is thought provoking! Our co-host, Crina, is on a mission because, in her words, so many people are impacted by the "people in charge." Today's episode is an exploration of leadership, exploring why it's so darn crucial in our modern jungle of responsibilities. Newsflash from the Fortune 500 universe – it's raining women CEOs – relatively speaking anyway! In January 2023, the Fortune 500 list had a glow-up moment with more than 10% of companies now led by women. Finance, healthcare, retail – you name it, women are turning corporate landscapes into their own VIP parties. Leadership is a dance of focus, influence, perspective, and emotional connections. According to the leadership maestros, Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall, the secret sauce is meeting the "we" and the "I" needs of your team. But how do we get that secret sauce of the “I” and the “we?”  Project Aristotle, actually a deep look by Google on what makes better teams, reveals the magical ingredients, from creating psychological safety (no public shaming, please) to modeling dependability and providing crystal-clear structures.  The societal expectations we women often wrestle with? Turns out, those are the very things making women fantastic leaders. Decades of psychological research agree; when women lead, magic happens. Dr. Alice Eagly's studies reveal that women make better leaders, with a dash of transformational leadership and out-of-the-box thinking. We know leadership can be stressful and University of Southern California research finds that women make better decisions than men when under stress. Ladies, our brains are like stress-proof shields, managing cortisol like wizards handling wands. Women leaders make work better.  Women leaders aren't just breaking glass ceilings; they're transforming the leadership landscape into a place where there is more ease, meaning and joy.  Find all of our episodes at https://yougettowork.com/

In this episode, Tim and Junior discuss how high-performing teams are formed and maintained. The quality of an organization is a reflection of the quality of its teams, and high-performing teams have patterns. Although there are many patterns, Tim and Junior will focus on a core four in this episode, including how high-performing teams (1) connect, how they (2) improve their skills, how they (3) view transparency and autonomy and how they (4) continuously seek innovation.The benefits of improving your teams' performance (01:43) Remember, individuals rarely accomplish extraordinary feats alone. The quality of an organization is a reflection of the quality of its teams. As you improve your teams, you'll get two things: Leverage and scale. You'll be able to multiply the force, scope, and magnitude of your organizational efforts.How do high-performing teams connect? (13:55) High performing teams know each other. If your team doesn't know each other, it's not a high performing team, or at least it won't be for very long, or when things get hard. Tim and Junior share the story of Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, and why a 3-day offsite was one of the most important things he has done as a CEO.How do high-performing teams improve their skills? (26:33) High performing teams are constantly growing. When teams acknowledge that the knowledge they have today is not enough, they open themselves up to development. How do high-performing teams view transparency and autonomy? (38:10) High performing teams are focused on achievement based on transparent, meaningful metrics. Tim and Junior talk about Google's Project Aristotle and how they discovered that psychological safety is the #1 indicator of high-performance. How do high-performing teams chase innovation? (50:44) High performing teams believe in continuous improvement. They're proud but never satisfied. At the end of the day, challenger safety not just as challenging the organization, but challenging ourselves to do better and be better. 

Aki Salmi: Learning Decision-Making without Explicit Leadership, A Key Skill For Scrum Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, Aki reflects on a highly effective team, drawing inspiration from Google's Project Aristotle on high-performing teams. He recounts the story of a team that operated without a designated leader, relying on consensus-based decision-making. However, this approach often hindered progress and experimentation. Aki highlights the importance of bringing up such systemic issues in retrospectives. He advises teams to step back and critically evaluate their working methods and their implications. Aki also touches on concepts like "double loop learning" and emphasizes the significance of considering core tasks, emotional climate, and effective structures in the work environment. Featured Book For The Week: Dare to Lead by Brene Brown In this segment, Aki talks about Brene Brown's book "Dare to Lead," emphasizing its transformative impact on authentic self-expression in the workplace. He highlights the value of embracing one's humanity, including emotions, and underscores the importance of vulnerability and visibility. Aki also references books like "Agile Retrospectives" by Larsen and Derby, and "Atlas of the Heart" by Brene Brown. He discusses trust-building, echoing the idea that trust is built in small moments. The episode encourages listeners to prioritize trust and genuine self-presentation in professional environments.   [IMAGE HERE] Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM's that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!     About Aki Salmi Aki is a software crafter and shares the joy of coding and the value of empathy at work. That is, Aki works on ones and zeros (code) and everything else (humans). You can link with Aki Salmi on LinkedIn. 

Ever wonder what makes a team highly effective? We're revealing the secrets with Trista Taylor, founder and CEO of Regroup and a former Google guru. Trista's deep dive into Project Aristotle, a landmark study at Google, unveiled five key factors essential to a team's success - psychological safety, structure and clarity, dependability, meaning, and impact. She shares how she harnessed these elements to cultivate a culture of innovation and growth at Google, and how it propelled her to venture into her own business, Regroup. Go here to listen → https://www.alcorn.law/podcast/sap155 Trista's journey at Regroup is a testament to the power of effective team-building. She brings to the fore the necessity of fostering agency and psychological safety, in creating something larger than the sum of its parts. Emphasizing how crucial it is to interconnect who they're serving and what they're helping them with, Trista underscores the creation of meaning, impact, and agency in work, making every task more than just 'work'. As we steer the conversation towards the intricacies of work culture and immigration in the US, especially amid the pandemic, Trista sheds light on how these factors can complicate remote work environments. Offering valuable advice on how to be inclusive and effective in welcoming immigrants, she stresses the importance of providing clarity, structure, and understanding diverse perspectives. And to all you aspiring team leaders out there, Trista has some golden tips on fostering psychological safety within your teams, and the importance of being kind and curious during one-on-ones. So, are you ready to transform your team dynamics? In this episode, you'll hear about: Operationalizing Project Aristotle The five crucial qualities of successful teams Trista's journey of starting Regroup The importance of connecting with customers Creating culture and psychological safety in remote environments Immigration complexities, and providing clarity and structure Building highly effective teams Follow and Review: We'd love for you to follow us if you haven't yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast. Supporting Resources: https://www.regroup.co/about Trista Taylor's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristataylor Alcorn Immigration Law: Subscribe to the monthly Alcorn newsletter Sophie Alcorn Podcast: Episode 16: E-2 Visa for Founders and Employees Episode 19: Australian Visas Including E-3 Episode 20: TN Visas and Status for Canadian and Mexican Citizens Immigration Options for Talent, Investors, and Founders Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp course for best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.  

Steve and Dina dish about disruptive innovations in education, how fear and anxiety can hold us back from taking steps in our personal and professional development, and leading from a place of love. Steve Walker (he/him) is a life coach and an education consultant with over two decades of experience in both. He also teaches meditation and practices yoga daily. He's earned two black belts in martial arts and is passionate about travel, social justice, and being a dad. Steve has a BA from Brandeis University and a Master's in International Affairs from Columbia University. Before his resignation over the genocide in Bosnia, he spent 8 years as a US diplomat. After 5 years as an activist leading the first successful anti-genocide activism campaign, he went into teaching and, eventually, life coaching. Learn more about Steve at Integrity and Joy (https://www.integrityandjoy.com/) and connect with him on social media through the links below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/integrityandjoy/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@integrityandjoy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IntegrityandJoy Insight Timer: https://insighttimer.com/integrityandjoy Mentioned in this episode: The LIFE School: https://sites.google.com/view/hghslifeschool/home Google's Project Aristotle: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/28/magazine/what-google-learned-from-its-quest-to-build-the-perfect-team.html The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: https://www.franklincovey.com/the-7-habits/ If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with others! You can also submit listener feedback or request to be a guest on a future episode by completing this form: ⁠⁠https://forms.gle/7UZ2kEPDHjBgLhRU9⁠⁠. Help support this podcast for as little as $0.99/month: ⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dishwithdina/support --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dishwithdina/support

In The Resilience Handbook, occupational psychologist and author Sukh Pabial outlines three elements which can make us more resilient: positive psychology, emotional intelligence and mindfulness. But is this something we can only develop on our own, or can L&D build the resilience of others? In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Sukh joins Ross G and Owen to discuss: ·       how inner work is a pre-requisite to being able to help others ·       the extent to which L&D teams running webinars, workshops and courses can help others build resilience ·       the organizational conditions that lead to more resilient teams. You can find Sukh's book online at: amazon.co.uk/Resilience-Handbook-practical-understanding-resilience/dp/1739331702 During the discussion, Sukh referenced Google's ‘Project Aristotle'. See: rework.withgoogle.com/print/guides/5721312655835136/ In ‘What I Learned this Week', Owen discussed the impact of exercise on health: Singh, B., Olds, T., Curtis, R., Dumuid, D., Virgara, R., Watson, A., ... & Maher, C. (2023). Effectiveness of physical activity interventions for improving depression, anxiety and distress: an overview of systematic reviews. British Journal of Sports Medicine. See: bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2023/03/02/bjsports-2022-106195 Sukh discussed Lior Locher's blog ‘One week in the life of mobility restriction and experiences with the general public'. See: linkedin.com/pulse/one-week-life-mobility-restriction-experiences-general-lior-locher Ross discussed Ezra Klein's article ‘Beyond the “Matrix” Theory of the Mind'. See: nytimes.com/2023/05/28/opinion/artificial-intelligence-thinking-minds-concentration.html For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.   Connect with our speakers    If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter: ·       Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT ·       Owen Ferguson – @OwenFerguson ·       Sukh Pabial - @SukhPabial

If you believe achieving your goals will make you happy, then you're thinking about happiness wrong. In fact, happiness is what will make you successful.Like all of us, Grace Ueng of Savvy Growth has experienced tough times and pain, but she's dedicated time to learn how to find happiness and thrive even in those dark moments. I invited her on the show today to share one of the strategies she uses to find joy in her work: taking a pause.During this episode, we discuss the benefits of a happy work culture, and what she's learned from positive psychology and experts in psychological safety. Grace also has tons of tips that will help you become self-aware, find happiness, fight burnout, and help your team succeed.Grace and I have an insightful conversation on the ROI of happiness, so tune in to learn more and apply these concepts to your role as a leader!TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:Going from a corporate career to coachingThe biggest challenges facing ambitious leadersWhy happiness in the workplace brings ROIWhat it looks like to “pause” as a leaderQualities of an enlightened, powerhouse leaderHow psychological safety benefits teamsTaking a pause to find happinessGrace's #1 tip to be happy and flourishCheck out Grace Ueng's company, Savvy Growth: chttps://savvygrowth.com/Connect with Grace Ueng on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/savvygrace/Sign up for Grace's Happiness and Leadership Community on LinkedIn: https://tiny.cc/happinessnewsletterBooks mentioned in this episode:The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth by Amy EdmondsonFrom Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life by Arthur C. BrooksLearn more about Google's Project Aristotle: https://rework.withgoogle.com/print/guides/5721312655835136/What are the challenges you or your team is having is pausing and taking care of yourself so you are the powerhouse you're meant to be?  BOOK A CALL with me and let's talk! https://www.coachmebernadette.com/discoverycallDownload my eBook, The 3 ‘Must-Have' Myths for Success, here: https://www.balloffirecoaching.comConnect with Bernadette:https://www.sheddingthecorporatebitch.com https://www.facebook.com/shifttorich  https://www.instagram.com/balloffirebernadette https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernadetteboas https://www.twitter.com/shedthebitch This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique http://www.podcastboutique.comSupport the Show.

If you believe achieving your goals will make you happy, then you're thinking about happiness wrong. In fact, happiness is what will make you successful.Like all of us, Grace Ueng of Savvy Growth has experienced tough times and pain, but she's dedicated time to learn how to find happiness and thrive even in those dark moments. I invited her on the show today to share one of the strategies she uses to find joy in her work: taking a pause.During this episode, we discuss the benefits of a happy work culture, and what she's learned from positive psychology and experts in psychological safety. Grace also has tons of tips that will help you become self-aware, find happiness, fight burnout, and help your team succeed.Grace and I have an insightful conversation on the ROI of happiness, so tune in to learn more and apply these concepts to your role as a leader!TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:Going from a corporate career to coachingThe biggest challenges facing ambitious leadersWhy happiness in the workplace brings ROIWhat it looks like to “pause” as a leaderQualities of an enlightened, powerhouse leaderHow psychological safety benefits teamsTaking a pause to find happinessGrace's #1 tip to be happy and flourishCheck out Grace Ueng's company, Savvy Growth: chttps://savvygrowth.com/Connect with Grace Ueng on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/savvygrace/Sign up for Grace's Happiness and Leadership Community on LinkedIn: https://tiny.cc/happinessnewsletterBooks mentioned in this episode:The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth by Amy EdmondsonFrom Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life by Arthur C. BrooksLearn more about Google's Project Aristotle: https://rework.withgoogle.com/print/guides/5721312655835136/What are the challenges you or your team is having is pausing and taking care of yourself so you are the powerhouse you're meant to be?  BOOK A CALL with me and let's talk! https://www.coachmebernadette.com/discoverycallDownload my eBook, The 3 ‘Must-Have' Myths for Success, here: https://www.balloffirecoaching.comConnect with Bernadette:https://www.sheddingthecorporatebitch.com https://www.facebook.com/shifttorich  https://www.instagram.com/balloffirebernadette https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernadetteboas https://www.twitter.com/shedthebitch This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique http://www.podcastboutique.com

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Psychological safety as the yardstick of good EA movement building, published by Severin on May 10, 2023 on The Effective Altruism Forum. I recently learned about the distinction between "movement building" and "community building": Community building is for the people involved in a community, and movement building is in service of the cause itself. A story I've heard from a bunch of EA groups is that they start out with community building. They attract a couple people, develop a wonderful vibe, and those people notoriously slack on their reading group preparations. Then, the group organizers get dissatisfied with the lack of visible progress on the EA path, doubt their own impact, and pivot all the way from community building to movement building. No funny pub meetups anymore. Career fellowships and 1-on-1s all the way. I think this throws the baby out with the bathwater, and that more often than not, community building is indeed tremendously valuable movement building, even if it doesn't look like that at first glance. The piece of evidence I can cite on this (and indeed cite over and over again) is Google's "Project Aristotle"-study. In Project Aristotle, Google studied what makes their highest-performing teams highest-performing. And alas: It is not the fanciness of degrees or individual intelligence or agentyness or any other property of the individual team members, but five factors: "The researchers found that what really mattered was less about who is on the team, and more about how the team worked together. In order of importance: Psychological safety: Psychological safety refers to an individual's perception of the consequences of taking an interpersonal risk or a belief that a team is safe for risk taking in the face of being seen as ignorant, incompetent, negative, or disruptive. In a team with high psychological safety, teammates feel safe to take risks around their team members. They feel confident that no one on the team will embarrass or punish anyone else for admitting a mistake, asking a question, or offering a new idea. Dependability: On dependable teams, members reliably complete quality work on time (vs the opposite - shirking responsibilities). Structure and clarity: An individual's understanding of job expectations, the process for fulfilling these expectations, and the consequences of one's performance are important for team effectiveness. Goals can be set at the individual or group level, and must be specific, challenging, and attainable. Google often uses Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) to help set and communicate short and long term goals. Meaning: Finding a sense of purpose in either the work itself or the output is important for team effectiveness. The meaning of work is personal and can vary: financial security, supporting family, helping the team succeed, or self-expression for each individual, for example. Impact: The results of one's work, the subjective judgement that your work is making a difference, is important for teams. Seeing that one's work is contributing to the organization's goals can help reveal impact." What I find remarkable is that "psychological safety" leads the list. While some factors in EA actively work against the psychological safety of its members. To name just a few: EA tends to attract pretty smart people. If you throw a bunch of people together who have been used all their lives to being the smart kid in the room, they suddenly lose the default role they had in just about any context. Because now, surrounded by even smarter kids, they are merely the kid. I think this is where a bunch of EAs' impostor syndrome comes from. EAs like to work at EA-aligned organizations. That means that some of us feel like any little chat at a conference (or any little comment on the EA Forum or our social media accounts) also i...

Toxic work and home environments are all around us: intimidation, humiliation, secret discussions, manipulation. Those environments are psychologically unsafe. When we and those around us feel unsafe, we become fearful, stop learning, and fail to improve.Discover the power of psychological safety in fostering high-performing teams, as we dive into techniques to cultivate trust and open communication. Learn from Google's Project Aristotle case study, Mirela Petalli's experiences in hospitals, and Dan Greening's experiences in tech companies, which reveal the transformative impact of psychological safety on productivity and collaboration.Join us as we challenge norms with mindfulness and agile practices to elevate team performance. Listen to this episode and transform your understanding of what it takes to create a successful, innovative, and cohesive team. Don't miss this chance to unlock your team's potential – tune in now!This episode parallels  our 2-minute newsletter (click to subscribe) The Mindful Sprint.  Mirela Petalli and Dan Greening use the Psychological Safety brief as a jumping off point for more details and stories around Psychological Safety.ReferencesDuhigg, C. (2016). What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team. The New York TimesAmy Gallo (February 15, 2023) “What Is Psychological Safety?,” Harvard Business Review.CreditsBeta reviewers Divya Maez, Amelia Hambrecht and Colleen Zimmerman helped improve this episode.Stinger sound Swing beat 120 xylophone side-chained by Casonika CC BY 4.0Staff Daniel Greening, host, agile coach, and computer scientist Mirela Petalli, co-host, meditation guide, and neurocritical nursing instructor Dan Dickson, business coach, executive and management consultant Links Mindful Agility Substack ("The Mindful Sprint" weekly brief) Mindful Agility web site Mindful Agility Community Facebook group Mindful Agility Youtube channel

In this episode of the Emotional Intelli-gents Podcast, we seek to make the case for why businesses, particularly in today's work environment, must proactively promote emotionally intelligent leaders and implement EQ centric policies to maximize productivity.  Businesses today, more than ever, are grappling with balancing the traditional approach to achieving profitability and the seemingly ambiguous emotional needs of their teams who drive the profitable growth.   Today's episode will dispel the notion that emotionally intelligent people and policies will not move the profitability needle enough for companies to commit to improving in the EQ space.  The episode will share the findings of Project Aristotle, Google's now infamous study, which defines the essence of what drives top tier teams performance and productivity.  We will discuss other data-driven studies and concrete examples clearly demonstrating why emotional intelligence skills are a ‘must-have' for businesses and can no longer be treated as a ‘nice-to-have'. For more information about the EQ Gents visit our LinkTree - https://linktr.ee/emotionalintelligents

Trista enjoys helping leaders build awareness about what's going on in an organizational system and take action to move towards their goals. She also loves building things that scale. Over her 11 years at Google, Trista played a number of roles focused on building organizational effectiveness — consultant, facilitator, program manager, coach, and HRBP. She is most well-known for building and leading the global Team Development platform of scalable resources and services to enable all teams to get help on demand. This work scaled and operationalized the principles laid out in Google's Team Effectiveness research, Project Aristotle. Trista has a MS degree in Organization Development from Pepperdine University and is a certified coach through the Hudson Institute. She lives in Seattle with her loving partner, two amazing daughters and six chickens. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/farah-bernier/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/farah-bernier/support

¿Te has planteado si quieres hacer cambios en tu manera de trabajar en el 2023?Ese es el tema principal del programa de esta semana, donde aprenderás qué puedes hacer para trabajar mejor cuidando tu entorno de trabajo.Índice del programa04:19 La seguridad psicológica14:15 Entender a las personas20:23 Retrospectivas22:09 Recomendación: Recurso23:26 Pregunta «Para qué»31:49 Aprendizaje interno37:31 Información «pull»43:34 Reuniones efectivas45:09 Recomendación: Herramienta48:01 Reuniones eficaces52:18 Resumen54:39 Tu plan de acción55:18 ¡Nos escuchamos muy pronto!Recursos mencionadosEpisodio 111: Engánchate a la nueva normalidadEpisodio 69: Cómo crear un equipo de alto rendimientoInvestigación: Project Aristotle de GoogleLibro: Las 5 disfunciones de un equipo de Patrick LencioniServicio: Coaching de efectividadReseña: Creatividad S.A. de Ed CatmullEpisodio 231: 5 pasos para potenciar tu empatíaPlataforma de colaboración: BasecampEpisodio 219: 4 Retrospectivas para implementar la mejora continuaLibro: Efectividad KENSO: Tu método personalizado para decidir qué hacer con tu tiempo y tu vida de Quique Gonzalo, Raúl Hernández y Jeroen SangersInforme: La nueva era de la agilidad de AsanaEpisodio 83: Cómo organizar reuniones más productivasEpisodio 24: Reuniones eficaces con Eva CantavellaLa página web de KENSOEl canal de Telegram: Efectividad KENSONuestros cursos onlineSuscríbete al boletín electrónico de KENSO Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leadership has changed in the last few years, and it can be disorienting for leaders who've subscribed to and succeeded with the old narratives about good leadership. Companies and their leaders need to reframe their cultures to meet the new world of work in the 21st century. It's more than just being nice or being a "cool" boss or giving everyone free lunch. It requires deep and honest self-assessment and a growth mindset to shore up those necessary skills. My guest today, Lisen Stromberg, tells us what skills are required for modern leaders to be successful and how cultures can transform for maximum success. We discuss where existing leadership and culture paradigms came from and how they have changed, what skills modern leaders require for success, outlined in Prismwork's HEARTI model, and Lisen also shares her research project on men and male leaders in the workplace that they are doing in partnership with the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.  Men and male-identifying leaders, you're invited to take the survey linked in the show notes to share your experience. Key Takeaways:The army originally established the tenants of leadership back in the 1940s. That is not what is still needed in the modern business world. Influence has changed, leadership has changed, and it will continue to evolve as well. A failure of leadership that we see all the time is when a leader comes in, they do a great job creating a culture, leave, and then that just all falls away.Many leaders may not have the language, but are already doing the right things to promote equity and allyship in their company, even if they don't know that they are doing so.Culture is a competitive advantage that is hard to replicate.  "Culture is the competitive advantage. If you don't know how your culture is operating, and don't have a North Star of where you want to go, you're not going to win. You're going to lose in the war for talent, profits, investors…in the war for all." —  Lisen Stromberg About Lisen Stromberg, CEO and Co-founder, Prismwork Lisen Stromberg is CEO and Co-Founder of PrismWork, a culture transformation and leadership development consultancy. She is a highly sought-after speaker and thought leader on the future of work. Her book, Work Pause Thrive: How to Pause for Parenthood Without Killing Your Career, covers how highly achieving women have navigated the work/life integration issue by crafting nonlinear careers.Connect with Lisen StrombergPrismWork: https://prismwork.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/LisenStrombergLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisenstromberg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisenstromberg/References MentionedMen and male-identifying knowledge workers, any level: Please take Prismwork's and W. K. Kellogg Foundation's research survey on men in the workplace. Your input is invaluable to the research: www.menatworkresearch.comPrimswork's HEARTI Quotient inclusive leadership assessment for the 21st Century: HEARTI stands for Humility, EMPATHY, Accountability, Resiliency, Transparency, and Inclusivity. It is built on assessments with hundreds of leaders across numerous industries as well as extensive research on modern leadership competencies. Re:Work, Understand Team Effectiveness. Info on Google's Project Aristotle. What is Psychological Safety? Google's checklist to ensure psychological safety Josh Lev: The Top Global Expert for Modern Dads at WorkRebecca Friese The Empathy Edge interview: How to Build a Good CultureJosh Levine The Empathy Edge interview: Building an Empathetic CultureSusan Hunt Stevens, The Empathy Edge interview: The ROI of Psychological Safety  Don't forget to download your free guide! Discover The 5 Business Benefits of Empathy: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy  Connect with Maria: Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.comLearn more about Maria's brand strategy work and books: Red-Slice.comHire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-RossTake my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with EmpathyLinkedIn: Maria RossInstagram: @redslicemariaTwitter: @redsliceFacebook: Red Slice

Leadership has changed in the last few years, and it can be disorienting for leaders who've subscribed to and succeeded with the old narratives about good leadership. Companies and their leaders need to reframe their cultures to meet the new world of work in the 21st century. It's more than just being nice or being a "cool" boss or giving everyone free lunch. It requires deep and honest self-assessment and a growth mindset to shore up those necessary skills. My guest today, Lisen Stromberg, tells us what skills are required for modern leaders to be successful and how cultures can transform for maximum success. We discuss where existing leadership and culture paradigms came from and how they have changed, what skills modern leaders require for success, outlined in Prismwork's HEARTI model, and Lisen also shares her research project on men and male leaders in the workplace that they are doing in partnership with the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.  Men and male-identifying leaders, you're invited to take the survey linked in the show notes to share your experience. Key Takeaways:The army originally established the tenants of leadership back in the 1940s. That is not what is still needed in the modern business world. Influence has changed, leadership has changed, and it will continue to evolve as well. A failure of leadership that we see all the time is when a leader comes in, they do a great job creating a culture, leave, and then that just all falls away.Many leaders may not have the language, but are already doing the right things to promote equity and allyship in their company, even if they don't know that they are doing so.Culture is a competitive advantage that is hard to replicate.  "Culture is the competitive advantage. If you don't know how your culture is operating, and don't have a North Star of where you want to go, you're not going to win. You're going to lose in the war for talent, profits, investors…in the war for all." —  Lisen Stromberg About Lisen Stromberg, CEO and Co-founder, Prismwork Lisen Stromberg is CEO and Co-Founder of PrismWork, a culture transformation and leadership development consultancy. She is a highly sought-after speaker and thought leader on the future of work. Her book, Work Pause Thrive: How to Pause for Parenthood Without Killing Your Career, covers how highly achieving women have navigated the work/life integration issue by crafting nonlinear careers.Connect with Lisen StrombergPrismWork: https://prismwork.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/LisenStrombergLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisenstromberg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisenstromberg/References MentionedMen and male-identifying knowledge workers, any level: Please take Prismwork's and W. K. Kellogg Foundation's research survey on men in the workplace. Your input is invaluable to the research: www.menatworkresearch.comPrimswork's HEARTI Quotient inclusive leadership assessment for the 21st Century: HEARTI stands for Humility, EMPATHY, Accountability, Resiliency, Transparency, and Inclusivity. It is built on assessments with hundreds of leaders across numerous industries as well as extensive research on modern leadership competencies. Re:Work, Understand Team Effectiveness. Info on Google's Project Aristotle. What is Psychological Safety? Google's checklist to ensure psychological safety Josh Lev: The Top Global Expert for Modern Dads at WorkRebecca Friese The Empathy Edge interview: How to Build a Good CultureJosh Levine The Empathy Edge interview: Building an Empathetic CultureSusan Hunt Stevens, The Empathy Edge interview: The ROI of Psychological Safety  Don't forget to download your free guide! Discover The 5 Business Benefits of Empathy: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy  Connect with Maria: Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.comLearn more about Maria's brand strategy work and books: Red-Slice.comHire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-RossTake my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with EmpathyLinkedIn: Maria RossInstagram: @redslicemariaTwitter: @redsliceFacebook: Red Slice

A while ago, the New York Times published an article about Google's Project Aristotle. The purpose of this project was to decipher the key attributes of high-performing teams. What Project Aristotle found was that the most crucial determinant of high-performing teams was love, which was measured by everyone on a team feeling like they had an equal voice. The second attribute this project identified was empathy among team members. The third attribute pertained to members feeling like they could be themselves in their group.In today's episode, I share the power of love in high-performing and successful teams, businesses, and leaders. I reveal what 21st-century leaders need to help their teams meet their business objectives. I share how intimacy with self is similar to intimacy with employees—demanding transparency and absolute truth. I highlight the need to be willing to embrace what other people think, want, and need. I also share how our fragile psyches often blur this view and how our subconscious desires to be right, protect ourselves, and get our agenda done take over.“Love is the power behind high-performing teams. It is also the power behind high-performing businesses and the secret sauce of high-performing leaders.” - Chris ColbertThis week on Insert:Human●      The three attributes behind high-performing teams●      Why 21st-century leaders need to instill their employees with love●      What is required of love to motivate teams and ensure leaders do not fail●      The job, stumbling blocks, and level of intimacy required in leadership●      Finding the motivation to be intimate with teams in order to make connections, achieve clarity, and take the right ‘next step' ●      Achieving better outcomes by looking at problems, tasks, and questions through someone else's perspectiveResources Mentioned:●      What Google Learned From Its Quest To Build The Perfect Team●      Google's Project AristotleInsert:Human - For a Better Life & Better World Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Insert:Human. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | SpotifyBe sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help me reach more seekers and problem-solvers, like you. Join me on Twitter, Instagram, and Linkedin. For more exclusive content and to claim your free copy of the first chapter of my upcoming book, Technology is Dead, visit my website.

The "Great Unknown" in this episode is the question, "what am I going to do now, after my career just ended?" Minette Norman had a 30 year career in the IT industry, for the past 20 years with the same company and the last 5 as a VP. Leadership changed, and as often happens when leadership changes, she was now an outsider of the new leadership group. The environment became very uncomfortable until she finally decided it was time to leave. Now what? Friends had ideas. She had the belief that she was not entreprenuerial, and after much soul-searching, she stepped into the fear and started her own leadership consulting practice. We talk about rebuilding confidence after a job loss. We talk about the importance of continuous learning. We talk about her new book, The Psychological Safety Playbook, that will come out in February of 2023. And we talked about asking yourself, "Can I give that a Whole Body Yes?" Episode Takeaways: 1. We are not done yet, unless we want to be. We still have so much to give. 2. Never stop learning! 3. Be open to new experiences 4. Embrace "what if..." Treat everything as an experiment. Thanks so much for listening. Subscribe on Apple Podcast, Stitcher , Google Podcast. or Spotify Follow up on Facebook and Instagram You can email me with questions or comments at wendy@heyboomer.biz – Wendy Green is a Certified Life Coach, working with people going through the sometimes uncomfortable life transition from full-time work to “what's next.” Find out more about Wendy's 6-week “What's Next Transition” Coaching workshop – You can email Minette at minette@minettenorman.com or connect wiht her on her website at minettenorman.com  Transcript Welcome to the Hey Boomer Show. My name is Wendy Green and I am your host for Hey Boomer. And we go live every Monday at 1:00 Eastern Time on Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. Hey, Boomer is a show for people who believe that we are never too old to set another goal or dream, a new dream. It is for lifelong learners who are finding meaning and purpose in their lives and living their best life at this next stage of life. The push is on for the Hey Boomer Walk to End Alzheimer's and I want to thank my Walk to End Alzheimer's team. Prudence Taylor, David Bell Ann Golden, Doris McLallen are on the team in Greenville, South Carolina. Melanie Whitlock is building a team in California and Bernadette Wagner is building a team in Maryland. So we are all in the fight to end Alzheimer's. And anybody who joins our team is going to get a cute, Hey, Boomer hat that you can wear for the walk and then you can wear proudly afterwards. To join our team or to make a donation, If you don't feel like you can walk with us. You would go to act.alz.org/HeyBoomer. So help us walk to end Alzheimer's. I also wanted to mention the What's Next group coaching program. This program helps answer the question Who am I now? Who do I want to be? And how am I going to feel useful and relevant again? It's a six week group coaching program. At the end of six weeks, you're going to have a six month plan. And if you're really motivated, you might even have a one year plan to get yourself moving in the direction that's going to feel good to you. That's going to feel like you are on the right path to your next act. You can set up a 20 minute free consultation with me using this calendar link. It's calendly.com /heyboomer/20min, it's 20 minutes that could change your life. And if you want to check out the website first, you can just go to heyboomer.biz/coaching. Today, you know, we're going to talk about stepping off into the great unknown. And I thought it would be good to give you a little background for myself. In February of 2009, my beloved father passed away. Within two years my second marriage ended. I moved out of my beautiful home. I sold my business for a loss. And I found myself sitting in a group program about being grateful. And at the time, I was struggling to figure out what I was grateful for. I was depressed. I felt depleted. My heart was closed. I just didn't know what I was good at anymore or what made me happy. I rejoined the corporate world. And then in 2017, I got laid off because of a corporate merger. Took another job. And then in March of 2020, the pandemic shut down the place I was working, and there I was again. What was I going to do? But this time I decided I was going to start a show that was going to inspire people and help all of us through that time. So I started, Hey Boomer, in April of 2020, and it wasn't long after I started, Hey Boomer, that I experienced this amazing sense of freedom. And it came over me that I could say what I wanted to say. I could be authentic. It was my show. And if people didn't want to listen to what we were talking about on the show, they could turn it off. But it was finally an opportunity to really be authentically myself. And it felt great. And I think that is what stepping off into the great unknown will do for you when you find that passion. It can be very unsettling. It can be terrifying, but if it matches your passion and as you settle into it, you will begin to feel that sense of freedom also. And that is what we're going to talk about today. I am going to bring Minette on because I'm super excited about this conversation. Hi, Minette. Hello, Wendy. So glad you could join us today. Thanks for inviting me. Yeah. Let me do a quick overview of your background and then we'll get into more detail. So Minette spent decades in leadership roles in the software industry. Her last role before leaving the company was as vice president of engineering practices at Autodesk. She began her consulting practice, Minette Norman Consulting LLC in the spring of 2020. Her passion is to develop transformational leaders who create inclusive working environments with a foundation of psychological safety. Minette was named in 2017 as one of the most influential women in the Bay Area business by the San Francisco Business Times and as business role model of the year in 2018 by the Women in Silicon Valley Awards. And she is a recognized leader with a unique perspective. Minette is also the co-author of a book about psychological safety for leaders. The Psychological Safety Playbook: Lead More Powerfully by Being Human, which will be published in February of 2023. Oh, boy. And she's also finishing up another book on inclusive leadership. So you've been busy since you left your corporate job? Yes, I have. Absolutely. Well, let's start there. Like, why did you decide after 20 or 30 years in the industry that you were going to step out? You know, that question could be the whole podcast that we're doing today. It's a really long, it could be a really long answer. So I'm going to try to try to give you a succinct answer to that question. But maybe I'll start by saying I had this amazing career. I spent three decades in the software industry. I didn't expect when I started in 1989 as a technical writer at Adobe that I would end up 25 years later as a VP. I just never considered that. But I did. I had this amazing run. And I guess the short answer is that I had a fabulous career that ended really badly, and the way it ended badly was it was kind of insidious. I didn't quite see what was happening, but with hindsight I can see it very clearly. There I was in this VP role. I was appointed by an SVP who was kind of my sponsor. And when he left the company, that was really the beginning of the end. But I didn't see it so clearly at the time. I got a new boss who was a former peer and he was the peer I got along the least well with, of course, and suddenly he was my boss. And then after I think maybe a year, he brought in a new VP. And so basically the new VP was my boss. I was moved down a rung. And then what happened? This was really the unraveling was this new VP who was my boss. Gradually he did a big reorg and almost all of my responsibilities were taken away. And I had this I had had a very large, very impactful role that really was a wonderful role. And I loved it. I worked with like 3500 people around the globe. I had a big staff, I had big responsibilities, and those were taken away. And at the same time, what I didn't see and that I can see so well now is that basically they were just they were trying to get me to leave because I was now, you know, when the leadership change, they no longer really needed my services, but they didn't say that explicitly. And instead I got some really unpleasant things happen in that I won't talk about because I've signed one of those non-disparagement agreements, so I just am not going to say what actually happened, but it resulted in me leaving and I didn't plan on leaving when I did, but I did. So there I was in 2019, late 2019, and didn't have a plan. Yeah, and that is so common when leadership changes that everything gets shook up and they don't want you. So you didn't have a plan. And, you know, one of the things that we've talked about before we are doing the show live was so how did you feel? What did you do? What do you mean? That's pretty scary. Yeah, I really I didn't have a plan. So, you know, it's kind of interesting when you leave under those conditions, you're always leaving to pursue new opportunities. That's sort of the verbiage. You know, Minette is leaving to pursue new opportunities. And one of the things that was in my mind had been sort of planted by a good friend of mine. And we were attending a nonprofit gala event and we were sitting at a table and he said to me, You know, Minette, you'd be a really good executive director for a nonprofit. And, you know, he's a good friend who's known me for a long, long time. And I thought, what a great idea. And so I started looking around and I got really far into an interview process with a local nonprofit that was looking for a new ED. And it's very good that they ended up picking someone else. And the process took a really long time because midway through it I realized this is not what I want. You know, this was sort of like someone else's idea of what I should be doing, but it wasn't what I really wanted. And I knew this because I'd been on a nonprofit board for several years, and I know what the ED goes through and how hard it is to work with a board and all of that. And I thought, No, I don't want to do that. So that idea sort of faded away. And then, then I was back to Now what? Now what? And one of the things yeah, one of the things that I really knew, like in that last job that I had for five years, I had been, you know, my on paper description was to transform engineering practices across the company and really modernize how we develop software. But what I was actually doing was changing the culture and changing how people interacted. And really I was doing a lot of work on diversity, equity and inclusion and trying to have more inclusive leadership. And in my mind, that's really what was important to me. And I was spending more and more energy on that even when I was in the job. So as I was doing some soul searching about what I might do next, I thought, well, well, maybe I can do that work working for somebody else, right? So whether it's another company or another. Consulting firm. I definitely never thought I'm going to start my own business because, you know, there was part of the self talk that we do. I said to myself, I am not entrepreneurial because I've always worked for somebody else for my entire career. So, you know, the words we say matter. I'm not entrepreneurial. I believed that. And so then I was introduced to another woman who was starting a consulting firm, and she wanted to hire a group of women. She was very deliberate about hiring a group of women who would be leadership consultants and that we would help build better workplaces. And so I thought, well, this is perfect. I don't have to start my own thing. I can go work with her. And so I actually spent a few months meeting with her and meeting with the small team she had assembled, and I was ready to sign on. And then she offered me an agreement. It was a legal agreement of how we would partner. And as I'm reading the fine print, I see that it says that she and her firm would own all perpetual rights to anything I created, whether it was a workshop, a talk, written materials, blog posts, whatever. And honestly, one day that was the aha moment for me where I realized, okay, this is what I have. My intellectual property is really all I have. And people are interested in hiring me because of this experience and knowledge. And I can't give that away. I absolutely cannot give that to anyone. I have to own that. And so I realized, okay, if you want to own it and you want to make the decisions yourself, that means you're going to have to start your own thing. And so that's what I did. There's so much in what you just said. Minette So when did you actually leave the company? I left Autodesk in August of 2019, 2019. So it took you a little over a year to kind of figure out what you were going to do next and go through that journey. It was actually about it was about six months, I guess, because it was like August. And then by kind of the same time you were starting this podcast, I had decided to launch my business. So that's like what, six, seven months? And of course, both of us doing this right at the beginning of a pandemic. The pandemic. Right. That's what we do. Yeah. So you talked about some of the self-talk, you know, like, oh, I'm not an entrepreneur or, you know, or I mean, I think our self-talk can definitely get in our way. And how did you manage to shift that to Oh, well, I could be an entrepreneur and I am an entrepreneur. You know, that's a I don't have, an easy answer to that because I think it was all a very gradual process. Part of it was getting over the fact that my self confidence was so shaken I had to. So when I left when I left Autodesk, I really felt very damaged because I felt like I thought I had a bunch of credibility and that manager that I had made me doubt that. And so I had to really kind of rebuild my my strength and my my belief in myself. And part of that for me is always talking to people that know me like I have I have really good close friends, but I also have a network of trusted ex-colleagues and friends I've made through work and really just talking to them about like what really went down. Am I seeing this clearly? I also I will tell you a little sort of a funny story that when I left Autodesk, because I'd been there 20 years, I knew a lot of people I'd I'd had a very big platform those last five years. So many people had heard me speak or knew me. And I got all these emails as you do when you leave a company you've had a long time. So before I left, I get I had I mean, there were well over maybe there were 100 or 200 emails and I'm like, I can't I don't want to forward all these to my personal account. So what I did is I went through them and I actually copied and pasted some of them, the ones that were like the most meaningful to me. And I put them into one document. So I had this sort of encouragement document of like people who said, you made such an impact, you were really a role model, whatever it was. And I, I went back to that document, however corny that sounds, I would sometimes read the comments in there just to realize that like, okay, you didn't imagine that you, you, you were a good leader and you really did have a positive impact on many people's lives and careers. And so kind of just gradually rebuilding my confidence, I would say, took several months and I was kind of a wreck when I walked out of there. And by the beginning of of 2020, I was starting to feel better. I remember it was just before the pandemic shut down. I did a speaking engagement in San Francisco, and that went really well. And then someone I knew from Salesforce invited me to come in and do a workshop, and it was a leadership offsite. And I did a workshop and it was completely in my wheelhouse and in my comfort zone. And it was. Was great. It went really well. And that gave me that confidence of like, okay, you've just had two wonderful experiences. People wanted you to come in, they appreciated what you had to share. And I was very energized by that. And that that experience was like, okay, well, there's something here. Let me explore what that was and what that is and what that might be. And the first thing I did, because I'd been in tech for so long as well, let's, let's just build a website not knowing what I was getting into. But I thought, well, if I have a website, I have a business. And so I built my first website which I have since turned over to an expert. But at the time that was like, let me do something tangible. And that just sort of got me going. And the other thing that's funny about that, though, because of the timing is I had a website, I had announced my business and every budget was shut down because of the pandemic. So that's right. Right. Everyone I reached out to was like, Oh yeah, we'd love to bring you in, but all of our budgets are frozen. So in a way that was kind of good because it gave me that 2020 period to figure out what is my offering going to be, what is my sort of, as they say, the value proposition that I uniquely can provide. And I took I took a class that was being offered by someone who has his own leadership consulting practice, and he's really successful. How how? Adler And I took this class with him, and he gave us very practical tips for like, how do you run a leadership consulting business? And that was so helpful to like even just practical things like how do you do proposals, how do you do invoicing, how do you do marketing, etc.? So that kind of built my confidence. And then going into the end of 2020 and into 2021, I got my first client and then, you know, it starts to go from there. Yeah, no. And I appreciate your vulnerability about that because, you know, I felt the same way when I got let go in 2017. I was building a training department, I'd built their online university, I was enjoying my job, and then it just went away. And it does rock your world. It does shake your confidence. And it's so funny that you said about your list of positive comments that you got because I did the same thing with you. I did. I did the same thing. And, you know, every once in a while, I, I still will go back and look at things that people have written to me or that I've written to to recenter myself. Because I think as human beings, we sometimes do get off center. And I think fear is a big thing that gets in the way of people. And I was just curious about, you know. Of like fear. There's an acronym. Fear is false evidence appearing real. Right. So we we look out and we go, oh, people are never going to buy our product or they're never going to sign up for what I'm doing. And then you have to step into it. Right. And so some of what you did was, like you said, you took a class. You talk to people. You know, I think part of what people have to realize, we're not alone. Right. So how how are you working that network now and still stepping into that courage that you have to continue to have as a solopreneur? You do. You do. Because I honestly especially because I still feel I'm very new to this this consulting world is that each new engagement, each new potential client, each new introduction is like, okay, can I do this one? Like I did the last one that gave me a little bit of a confidence. But can I can I do this engagement? Is this so? I remind myself, I often remind myself of what I've done before that has worked and that was good and and also what went badly. I haven't had any absolute disasters in my consulting so far, but there are definitely things that didn't go as well as I wanted or things that I would do differently. So just that continuous, like what? What went well, what can I repeat? What can I learn from? What can I do differently? But I also I really I'm a very social person. And so being a solopreneur wouldn't work for me unless I did have this really supportive network. And so I talk to people a lot and I bounce ideas off of people and I'll talk. I know we're going to talk a little bit about the book that's coming out, but I now have this fabulous colleague in Germany who's my co-author on this book that I wrote, and she's also a leadership consultant. And so she's someone when I'm working on something, I bounce a lot of ideas off of like, how would you do this? How have you done this? And just having someone to talk to when you're in business for yourself is really helpful. And I have others as well. And, and even how this person, his company is called Leadership Landing. And I remember like I had gotten a potential client soon after I took his class and I had no idea how to price something. Right. Pricing is actually really hard, especially when you've worked inside. Like I remember when I used to hire consultants when I was a VP and we'd pay him $25,000 for a one day thing, you know? And then when I was out on my own, I'm like, How could I possibly charge that kind of money? Right? So I had no idea how to price my offering. So I actually remember shooting at Hal a text and like I have a proposal to write. How would you even think about pricing this? So having a group of trusted people in the somewhat the same space has been really helpful and has given me confidence. And I remember when I, when I did my first engagement and it was someone who I had worked with at Autodesk and she brought me into another company she was working with. And I totally underpriced. I completely underpriced when I realized how much time I would have to spend on it. And that's that's okay. That's a learning experience. Like, okay, now I need to charge more next time. Yeah, yeah. None of it's fatal, but it's just like you learn as you go and you keep iterating. It is a learning experience. I think that's part of the journey that we're on and that's part of the confidence to right. You start to price yourself a little more as you gain your confidence. Exactly. You realize how good you are. So let's talk about your book, Psychological Safety. And I'm curious what it is. And then I know it's geared to the corporate world, but I'm wondering if there's an application for it as people are moving into this next transition in their lives. Okay. So let me first explain the basic definition of psychological safety, which is and it's not it's not only for the corporate world, it is basically a team phenomenon. So any team, any group you a part of and what it is, is that you have the belief in this group that this is a safe place for you to ask a question, for you to take a risk, make a mistake, and really show up as yourself without fear of embarrassment, humiliation, rejection, ostracism. Right. So that you can in this group, you can challenge someone in the group. You don't have to agree with everybody. That's the basic concept of psychological safety. The research around it, which has one of the biggest researchers in the space, is Amy Edmondson from Harvard, and she's written a book about it called The Fearless Organization. The research has shown that when you're in a psychologically safe environment, you're more innovative because people can share those wild ideas, right? People are not afraid of sharing their ideas because it is a safe place, but also that teams perform better when you have a safe environment and when you don't have it, what happens is that people feel compelled to agree with everyone else. You get this conformity bias because it's not safe to be the one who descends and who says, you know, I have a different viewpoint on this. So that's that's the basic concept. We we decide so how the book came to be. And then I'll talk about your I'll answer your question about your personal and your personal world. So so the how that how the book came to be is I, I hid under under stood the concept back when I was at Autodesk. And in fact I had found Amy Edmondson research. I tried to hire her as a keynote speaker at one point, so I had found her research. Google did a huge study called Project Aristotle that was written about in the New York Times around 2018 or 15. I forget one. So that came out and people started to understand the term beyond academia. So I had understood it, but I had also lived and breathed the absence of it. Right. And I had I had been in and it wasn't just like a toxic environment that I ended up in at the end, but it was. Even being part of a leadership team that was fairly functional. We were really careful, like we were careful with what we said and what we didn't say and we didn't challenge the leader of the group even though he was a good guy, but he didn't invite challenge. You know, he kind of you kind of needed to agree with him. And so it wasn't many of the teams I was a part of were not particularly safe environments. And I remember this feeling of like holding back, being in a meeting and having something I wanted to say and then just holding back and go, God, I don't dare, I don't dare, you know, or and when I did, sometimes, you know, a couple of things would happen. Sometimes people would just ignore you because they didn't want to hear it, and sometimes you'd get an eye roll or just it often wasn't a good situation. So I had definitely been aware of the term, I had experienced it. I had been in rare teams where there was a high level of psychological safety and realized like how powerful that is and how much you can get done when everyone can fully contribute. So I was a real believer in it. And then speaking of classes, so in last year, last spring, I signed up for a class that was based on Amy Edmondson, Zork, and it was to do psychological safety assessments. So basically it was a certification program in her methodology to be able to go into a team and run an assessment on psychological safety. In this class, there were probably about 20 or 25 of us, and we were divided up into smaller groups. And in my smaller group was this woman named Colleen Helbig, who's this leadership consultant in Germany. And she and I just hit it off. And I was on a podcast with another of our students, and she heard it and she emailed me and said, We have to save this email forever because the title of the email said Crazy Idea. And she wrote to me and she said, You know, Minette, I heard you on the podcast and you said, There's not much material that's practical, like how leaders can actually increase the level of psychological safety in their teams. And she goes, I feel that too. And I have this crazy idea. What if you and I wrote a little she wrote pamphlet. The word she used was, What if we wrote a little pamphlet about it? So that was the beginning. And we got on a zoom call and we set up an online whiteboard, or she did, which was great, and we just started brainstorming and we ended up collaborating on a short, deliberately short, but it's not a pamphlet, a full book on how to increase psychological safety. It's called The Psychological Safety Playbook lead more powerfully by being more human, and it's coming out next year. And the idea is that it's really something that you as a manager or a leader in any field could pick up off your shelf, turn to any page because it's got discrete tips in there and and pick up a tip that you might want to try out with your team. And so that's how that all came to be. And we're excited about that. But I do want to answer your question about developing. I think your question was, can we have psychological safety for ourselves? Is that what it was? Yeah. And let me give it a try. Right. Okay. Because listening to what you said and here we are, we've stepped into this great unknown. We're solopreneur as we're trying to build our business. And I would think like I have a board now of advisors, and so I run ideas by them and I feel very safe running my ideas by them. And sometimes they go, Yeah, that's a really great idea. And other times they'll say, Oh, I think you really need to think that. So I think for personally in my own business, I can see psychological safety. In your personal life, there are certainly going to be people that it's not safe to be say things with. That's absolutely right. That yeah, absolutely. I mean, you ideally you want to surround yourself with people with whom you can be real like that you can always be real and that you don't have to hold back. But of course, there are people in your lives where you do, you are cautious and you you choose your words wisely. And that's normal, too. I think one thing is in your personal life is that is maybe not about psychological safety, but it's like, what do we give ourselves permission to do? You know, that's that's more the way I think about it for yourself is. Yeah, yeah. What do what do we let ourselves do and not do? But in terms of our relationships, there's that. Can I. Can I be real with this person? Yeah. And you know what? That makes me think you brought this up earlier too, about the shoulds and the expectations. And I think a lot of the time that we follow those shoulds and those expectations that people have of us, it's because we feel it's safer. You know, it would be so much harder to say to them, oh, that's not really that doesn't really fit me or Yeah, I don't know that that's what I really want to do. It's easier to just say, Well, if that's what you think I should do, okay, I'll go ahead and do that. So I think it plays out there too. And, and having the courage, that was a big thing. Having the courage to say, you know what, it's my time in life now and I don't have to do it. Everyone expects I have to do what I expect, what I feel good about. So, I mean, you've experienced that transition, too, right? Totally. And, you know, I think about you like I'm going to start a podcast, right? Like, did did anyone try to talk you out of that or did you just say, I know I want to do this in my heart of hearts? Sure. A lot of people I mean, a lot of people said to me, how are you going to make money with that? You know, and I wasn't sure at the time, and I'm still developing ways to make money with it. But I knew in my heart minute I knew I had to do this because I knew that there were going to be a lot of people that needed this positive, inspirational, inspiring stories of other people in similar situations. Yeah. And so I just had to do it and, and I just it gave me the strength to say, don't worry about it, I'll figure it out, you know, and it will happen and it will grow. And yeah, it was scary. But it is. It is, you know, it's it's very interesting. I didn't know this term until Caroline introduced me to it. And I think it's from the conscious leadership group. The term you may have heard is can you give it a whole body? Yes. And you heard that term? No, I love that. I do, too. We were talking about Caroline and I were talking about what we might and might not do to promote our book. And she said, like, I don't want to waste time on things that that sap our energy. I want to spend time on things where we can say with our whole body, yes, yes, we want to do this. We're all in on it. Our heart, our mind, our spirit, we all want to do this. And so I really like I ask myself that when I'm hearing the shoulds in my mind, like you should be you should be sending out some emails this week to try to get some more clients. And I'm like, Do I really want to do that? No, I actually want to work on this project. Right, right. And my whole body is saying yes to this and not to doing prospecting emails. Right. That's not what I need to be doing. I want to be doing. So I know and it's not so much that other people are telling me what to do. It's the voices in my own head saying that you should be doing this and doing that. And, you know, we're hard on ourselves. That inner critic is is active all the time. Well, and we've both been leaders and companies. And so when you are used to all the shoulds that things that have to get done, the goals that you have to meet, yeah, you definitely do that to yourself. And I like that whole body. The whole body, yes. Yeah. The book that that's in is is I think I think it's called The Conscious Leader 1515 Tips for the Conscious Leaders from the Conscious Leadership Group. And it's a really good book. Yeah. That's what it comes from. And then I think there's a book, another book called The Whole Body. So anyway, it's it's a known term now, but I'm I'm embracing it, definitely. Yeah, I really like that because it's. Yeah. When you're when you. You know, I make a to do list every week for the whole week and then I do have to prioritize. Know what is it? I guess I look at it two ways. Mannat and tell me if you do something similar. First of all, I look at it and say, what do I want to do? What's going to make me excited? And then what do I need to do to bring in more business? And then the rest of it can kind of go by the wayside and study. I also am studying all the time. Oh, yes, yeah. No. And that's I think that's one of the most important things that I am reading voraciously and listening to podcasts and listening to audiobooks. Because in reading articles, because I feel like, you know, I actually, I, I was going to say imposter syndrome and I hate that term, so I'm just going to leave that one out. But I always feel like there's more to learn and I don't want to feel like I'm stagnating in terms of what I know and what what my body of knowledge. And so I'm I feel like that reading and listening and and informing ourselves is just a constant part of this work. And, and I enjoy that. That's not something I feel like you should be doing. Although there are times when I'm like, I want to read a novel and I should be reading this business book. And so balancing that is an act sometimes, right? It is. So I have my novels by my bedside, my schedule, and I get up early to do some of my early morning. Work type of reading. But you're right. I mean, there's so much to learn. And and and some of it is just reinforcing stuff that we know. That's right. And in fact, I was talking to my sister about this the other day, you know, that we we read something and we learn what we're ready to learn at that moment. And then we go back and look at it another time. Maybe a year later, two years, and you're like, Oh, there's so much more here. You're now ready for more. That is absolutely true. And I have I'm pointing down to my floor here because my shelf is over here. But I have like this stack of business books that I recently ordered that I want to read. And I found one that I had read quite a while ago that I picked up again. And it was like, Oh yeah, I just totally have a different perspective on it. It's so. Interesting, deeper understanding of what what that's. About. Yeah, it's so interesting how that happens. So where are you finding the best places to kind of reach out to the audience that you're looking for? Oh, so the the whole social media question or. Social media in person networking. What are you. Yeah. I have not been doing much in-person stuff yet because of because of COVID. I mean, honestly, just I haven't I've had like two in-person speaking events this year, but the rest has all been virtual. So I've mostly been doing LinkedIn as my primary platform for connecting with people a little bit on Twitter. I use Facebook for personal stuff. And you know, it's really interesting now because the personal and the professional have blurred so much like I know an author that I met who does everything everywhere. So her Facebook is all about promoting her work and I haven't done that. So I mostly LinkedIn for my for my work. But, you know, it's so interesting with this book, these books coming up because the first one is in February and then the inclusive leadership will be out later in 2023. And so building an author platform is a whole thing that I'm just getting started on. And so, you know that that's where my energy is, honestly, right now is like not as much client work as much as trying to build this author platform. Although I have a client engagement with a new client this week. So yeah, it's a it's a mix. And of course everywhere I meet anyone, I'm talking about the book and we have a URL for the book so people can sign up for our mailing list and things like that. But you'll definitely have to let us know when the book comes out. So I. Can. I can promote it to my audience, too. Oh, I will, I will. Yeah. And the social media thing is, you know, I've been taking some classes about promotion and podcasting and growing the audience and and, you know, they say pick two to get really good at. Exactly right. Don't spread yourself across all of the different platforms because they're all different the way. They are all different. So what are your two that you use for the podcast that are your go to ones? Yeah. So I use Facebook because I also have a private group on Facebook for people that are going through this transition to what's next. And so it's a place where we can share ideas and ask questions and that kind of thing. So I really love having that. And then LinkedIn is, you know, there's so many people on LinkedIn that are now in our stage of life. Yeah. And either they've been pushed out or they are thinking about what's next. And so I think LinkedIn is. You know, I think LinkedIn is an interesting place because you have to combine the personal sometimes with the professional so that they get to know you as a person. You know, you and didn't you and I connect because in my viral post about turning 62, that's how we connected, right? Yeah. That's such an interesting story because I had until then been very work focused on LinkedIn. Like when I would post, it was always about my work, those client work or whatever. And for some reason I had turned 62 in June and I had this compulsion to write a post on LinkedIn about anyway, it was personal, but it was also about like ageism in the workplace and, you know, having the freedom to be my own boss and that sort of thing. So I posted that the day after my birthday and it is the first time a post of mine ever went viral. And I had like 1.5 million impressions and 25,000 reactions in 2000 comments and hundreds of shares. And I'm like, What was that? And how am I ever I mean, since then, I haven't had any posts even close to more than 10,000. So yeah. How do you get the 1.5? I would love to get 1.5 million when I start talking more about my book. All the time. And it's my friend Laura that's on this call right now that that pointed me to your post. And. That's right. You know, you've got to connect with her. And of course, the minute we connected, I was so excited and I felt like a kindred spirit. Absolutely. And you know, what was so interesting about that post is how many people reached out to me through private messages. And I ended up having several Zoom calls with people, women who were dealing with the same thing at this stage of their life. Some younger, some a little older. But like, what's next? I've been forced out, you know, trying to reinvent. And there's so many of us. There are so many with so many. Talents and so much energy and so much wisdom and so much to give. And everyone's trying to figure it out. Right? And the ageism is rampant. And it is. And we are not done yet. We are not done yet. Very interesting. Many of the comments were about diversity, equity and inclusion. And several people said, you know, DEI is so popular now and yet no one talks about ageism. When they talk about aspects of diversity, that's the one that seems to be left out. That's right. That's right. So I always like to ask my guests at the end of the interview if they have two or three takeaways. Now, there's been so much we've talked about, so I know it's going to be hard to narrow it down, but do you have a couple of things you'd like to leave with people today? Yeah. I think the first one has to be that you are not done yet no matter who you are and where you are. Like you have so much to give and it's really figuring out what's what's important to you and what is that whole body. Yes. That you want to move forward with and what can you cast aside? And so so you're not done yet unless you want to be. And if you want to be, then embrace what that next phase is. If it's truly retirement and that you want to enjoy time with friends and family, that's cool. But if you don't want to be done, you are not done. And I guess I mentioned it earlier, but I think that what's so important to us is that we never stop learning. And I am absolutely convinced that continuous learning is what keeps us vibrant and relevant and engaged in the world. And one of the things that I learned about taking classes is that it's not only what you're going to learn, but it's who you're going to meet in those classes. So I met my co-author in Bonn, Germany, and an online class, right? Who knew we were going to be friends and colleagues and write a book together? You just never know who you're going to meet in a class. And I've met some amazing people in classes, and they are people who help me with my work going forward. And so maybe a third, you said two or three. I think my third and final would be that one of the things that made our collaboration so successful for Caroline and me is she often would say things like, What if we da da da and she's like, What if we set ourselves a little deadline? And it would be very non-threatening, but to embrace the idea of what if and like treat everything like an experiment. And what if I tried this and what if I did that? And learn from what works and what sticks and what feels good and cast aside the rest and that what if and that treating things like an experiment is very freeing and very it's not as scary as like I'm going to. Instead, it's like, what if what? That's a brilliant. Those are brilliant. And those with tie in together the continuous learning and the what if because you're learning and that whole body. Yes I love that. Thank you. Thank you. I've been sharing how to reach you. You can certainly email minute at but at minute at minute, Norman And you can check out her website at Minette. Norman So get in touch with her. Let her know how much you liked this and sign up for her next book. Thank you so much for having me, Wendy. It's been great to talk to you and I'm looking forward to staying connected with you as well. Me too. Me too. Me too. Just remind everybody. Join our walk to end Alzheimer's. Hey, Boomer team. I see that Kathy joined while we were doing the show, so thank you, Kathy. It's active ALS dot org slash go to slash hey boomer and connect with us on the Callan Leon well on hey boomer dot biz slash coaching or sign up for a 20 minute free session to just kind of talk about where you're at where you want to be, how you might want to get there. And you probably don't even know yet. So so let's have a chat next week. Next week should be interesting. My guests name is Deborah Benfield and Deb is the founder and owner of Body in Mind Nutrition, a group practice of registered dietitian nutritionists. Deb contends that there is an a just diet wellness culture that leads to a lack of body respect in the pro aging movement. And Deb wants to blaze a path to elder hood without the scales. So we stop worrying about how much we weigh and what we're eating and those kinds of things. And I want to leave you with the belief that we can all live with passion, live with relevance, and live with courage. And remember that you are never too old to set another goal or dream. A new dream. My name is Wendy Green with Minette Norman. And this has been. Hey, Boomer.

IN THIS EPISODE: Many of us are aware of Google's Project Aristotle which discovered a key characteristic of high performing teams was a climate of  “psychological safety” - that team members could speak up and share opinions without fear of any kind of reprisal or repercussion. Neuroscience backs this up - we do our best thinking when we feel safe and are working in an environment of trust. But feeling safe goes beyond just the ability to express thoughts and opinions, it extends to other aspects of our lives such as culture and identity.  Today's guest, Tim Mousseau, has spent the last 10 years researching what makes people feel unsafe and how to create frameworks and boundaries that lead to safe work cultures. This is a deeper and more personal conversation than we've had in while and Tim shares some great insights that will change how you think about the workplace. ABOUT OUR GUEST: As a male survivor of sexual violence and harassment, Tim Mousseau has spent the last ten years studying prevention to create frameworks that help communities overcome sexual assault and individuals set boundaries to maintain feelings of safety. As an HR speaker and researcher, Tim is studying how managers and employees define safe work cultures. This research builds off his past work on how different generations define feelings of safety and how to prevent workplace harassment. Tim has spoken in over five counties to over 450 organizations, including Fortune 1000 companies, professional sports teams, and Congressional offices. SHOW NOTES: Find Tim on the web at: timmousseau.com INSIGHT AT WORK PODCAST THEME MUSIC: Our theme music is composed by Chris Lucca, Jr.. You can listen to more of Chris' work at http://chrisluccamusic.com  You can also connect with him on Twitter: @Flipluka and on Instagram: @_flipluka.music_ ABOUT THE HOST: Ken Blackwell is a speaker, trainer, facilitator and executive coach. His focus is on creating a more human workplace. His firm InKlaritas, based in Princeton, NJ, works with teams and leaders in companies in the U.S. around the world. You can find out more about InKlaritas at: www.InKlaritas.com, follow him on Facebook at Ken Blackwell, Speaker and  connect with Ken on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennethjblackwell/ (make sure to mention you listen to the podcast).

In the last episode, I explored Tuckman's team development model. A way to consider how effectively a team is functioning and it's stage of development (with the aspiration of becoming high performing).In working with leaders over the years, and in diving into hundreds of teams—the storming stage is looked on with such despair. Really? we have to do that? Go through that? (And I know there also sometimes saying, yo lookie here missie, we are so much better than that!). Storming doesn't have to feel jarring to be storming. We can be polite and professional and still walk out of the room talking about one another. When there are perspectives not being shared, or disagreements not being addressed openly, we are storming.  Haven't you ever been in a group that had artificial harmony? We all pretend and play nice?The team leader as a facilitator helps to promote healthy conflict, or as Google's Project Aristotle calls it, Candor and Conflict. Essential behaviors from their research on what makes teams effective.Because most of us think it's the people. Or their experience, or knowledge. Gosh, if I could only get so and so and so and so on the team, it would be awesome. Or those that have the deep knowledge, the expertise. The challenge is if they have the knowledge and don't have the complementary collaborative and conflict skills to add the value they can. And that is so frustrating as someone who has spent a lot of time on team development.And the very best news is that is all teachable and coachable. And when you can  create that environment, one of psychological safety in addition to the communication skills required, storming can feel less treacherous, less lightening and corresponding damage.Here are tips to help your team through storming:·       Educate them on the stages of team development. When a team has knowledge that what they are going through is both to be expected and normal, it creates a safer platform for self awareness and change.·       Establish team behaviors for disagreements, problem solving and decision making that promote healthy conflict resolution. These should be not only norms, but clear expectations.·       Consider using a conflict style assessment or tool to enhance both understanding and behavior change. I've used both the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Inventory and the DiSC Conflict assessment. They are both very valuable tools to deepen awareness and understanding, also to promote skills development in this area. Contact me if you are interested in learning more about either of these awesome tools.·       Ensure the team has a focus on ideas not people. Debate ideas without making it personal.·       Model candor, transparency and healthy conflict. As a leader, this is a must. 

Teamwork doesn't have to suck! In fact, magic can happen when team members tend to each others' basic needs–most notably, their psychological safety. Psychological safety is the belief that you won't be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. Seems like a direct line to ease, meaning and joy!   SHOW NOTES   On this episode of Crina and Kirsten Get to Work, our hosts tackle teams at work.  For those of us who have been on good teams, we know the benefits: collaborative problem solving leads to better outcome we are willing to take more risks when we are supported by a good team and that leads to innovation   teams encourage personal growth, increase job satisfaction, and reduce stress.   The question is how to create great teams.  Google, with all of its data and metrics and algorithms, conducted a five year study of its teams (called Project Aristotle) to try to distinguish what makes a good team versus a dysfunctional team.  It turns out that psychological safety is at the root of what makes an effective team.  Psychological safety is the belief that you won't be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes.  The Google Study tells us about the core attribute of effective teams, but how do we create the special sauce of psychological safety.   According to Dr. Timothy Clark, author of The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety: Defining the Path to Inclusion and Innovation, employees have to progress through 4 stages before they feel free to make valuable contributions and challenge the status quo.  The first stage is inclusion safety and is that basic need to connect and belong - which is really about bringing your unique self and being accepted to full participation in the group.  The second is learner safety, which satisfies our need as humans to learn and grow - where we can ask questions, make mistakes, where failure is an opportunity and not a punishment.  The third stage is contributor safety and is the place we satisfy our need to make a difference - it means we have a place to use our skills and talents.  The fourth stage is challenger safety, which meets our need to make things better and to speak up to challenge the status quo - and requires the ability to effectively deal with conflict.    It turns out not only Google has concluded this concept of psychological safety is the hallmark of the most high performing teams, but so has Harvard University in a study of teams during Covid.  What were these folks on effective teams doing?  They were communicating more, particularly by phone, making an average 10 .1 calls per day as opposed to 6.1 for those teams who were less successful.  They were also running more efficient meetings - agendas, meeting preparation - which set the stage for more fruitful interactions.  These folks are also interacting with each other outside of work - the most effective teams were not always working together, but also playing together.  The Covid success teams were also recognizing each other with more frequency - for good work, for meeting challenges and the like - not just management, but among each other.  What we learned from the Project Aristotle Study was true here as well - the people on the successful teams felt they could be authentic at work.   This is a podcast about women and work and ease meaning and joy, so here is the juicy nugget about women and teams . . .  Scientists at MIT, Carnegie Mellon, and Union College suggest the most efficient groups — the ones who are the best at collaborating, analyzing problems, and solving them the fastest and most effectively — had three things in common, one of which was simply that they had more women.  Yesss! If we want more successful teams - just add more women - and of course psychological safety.   Good Reads: The Secret To Efficient Teamwork Is Ridiculously Simple The benefits of teamwork (as proven by science) - Work Life by Atlassian What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team - The New York Times The Secrets of Great Teamwork The benefits of teamwork (as proven by science) - Work Life by Atlassian 5 Things High-Performing Teams Do Differently What Is Psychological Safety at Work? | CCL

What makes a great team? That's what Google set out to discover in a years-long study code-named, “Project Aristotle.” Find out what they learned, what it has to with emotional intelligence—and how it can help you be a better teammate, and build a better team.

Bringing your whole self to work was brought onto the scene by author and thought leader, Brene Brown. Bringing your whole self to work has taken on many meanings, and each year, the layers to this concept keep deepening and expanding. In this podcast episode, I expand on what bringing your whole self to work means and also take it one step further. Bringing your whole self to work goes beyond sharing your hobbies, pronouns or personal interests, it means connecting the dots on your core influences growing up and how that has shaped your leadership style.  In this podcast you'll learn: What bringing your whole self to work means  How Brene Brown defines vulnerability  How the pandemic shifted the way we view work and personal life  What Google's 5 year study, “Project Aristotle” found as the #1 ingredient their most successful teams have  How I think about bringing your whole self to work  How early moments of trauma and drama can influence the way we lead and show up in work  About Elisa:   I am a Conscious Leadership Coach and host of The School of Unlearning Podcast. I coach leaders/executives and teams all over the world to shift their mindset. Together we move from serious to curious and  from fear to love.  Forget what you learned, work is a medium for connection, play and yes, love. Click here to work with me. Become a Patron! This podcast is and always will be a labor of love and community. Thank you for contributing to keep The School of Unlearning ad free. Our learning and unlearning never ends, so let's do this together. Become a patron here: https://www.patreon.com/thesoulpodcast/membership