Podcasts about Workplace

Wes and Scott talk about the 2025 State of Devs survey, diving into trends in salaries, job titles, remote work, health, hobbies, and more. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:44 Brought to you by Sentry.io 02:08 Years of experience vs yearly income 11:48 Layoffs 18:07 Job title 19:55 Remote work 24:40 Job happiness 25:40 Work hours 26:24 Workplace perks 26:53 What phones devs use 27:46 Desktop OS 28:44 Programming languages 29:29 Productivity apps 30:54 Social media 32:13 Median age of RSS feed users 33:41 Community contributions 35:37 Health and fitness 37:01 Health issues 39:11 Scott's health update 42:28 Hobbies 45:54 Favorite music 47:10 Favorite video games 47:37 Favorite movies 49:35 Metadata Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

Presented by Julie Busteed The Psalmist writes: How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity (Psalm 133:1)! How good and pleasant it is to be in unity with others. But that's not always how life works—especially at our jobs. Just as unity is important in your relationship with Christ and fellow believers, it's also important in your workplace. Teams that have a common and shared goal will work together to reach the goal. A Teamraderie article cites unity at work is important because research shows approximately 70% of employees believe poor collaboration is decreasing their productivity.[1] If you're concerned about productivity and the bottom line, that's a lot of unproductive time spent because of disunity or poor collaboration. The article goes on to report nearly two-thirds of the respondents (64%) claim poor collaboration is costing them at least three hours per week in productivity, with 20% claiming they are wasting as many as six hours per week. If you are a manager or an owner or project leader, then communicating the goal and purpose clearly is a priority. Taking time and effort to make sure you listen and understand obstacles and concerns is important. Then get that message across to ensure everyone is on the same page with the mission of the project or the company. It takes time and energy to do this, but the resulting benefits should prove to be worth it. An encouraging environment with good collaboration starts with being open to others' concerns, communicating ideas and processes clearly, and showing respect. Even if you're not the manager or in charge, your respectful attitude and willingness to listen can go a long way in building unity within the workplace. How do you handle disagreements though? A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger (Proverbs 15:1). A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel (Proverbs 15:18). Being gentle and patient in response to a disagreement will help navigate the conversation. Ask questions if you are not clear on something. Remain calm and listen to what's being said as opposed to what your response will be. Give yourself time to respond. It's okay to say, “I need to think about this,” or “Let me give it some thought, and I'll get back to you.” This shows you're taking the other person seriously and considering their perspective. It doesn't mean you have to agree just to avoid conflict—that's not helpful either. But it also means not dismissing his or her ideas right away. Remember the Golden Rule: treat others the way you want to be treated. --- [1] Teamraderie Editorial Team. (2024, August 9). A Guide to Achieving Unity in the Workplace. Teamraderie. http://teamraderie.com/insights/unity-in-the-workplace/

Today on Valentine In The Morning: Would you expose your coworker's affair? Comouche's Court dives into one seriously icky workplace drama. Plus, we talk hate-watching shows (you know you do it), and share the wildest things on our to-do lists—Val's cooking 5 gallons of chili, and Brian's pretending to fix the garbage disposal (don't worry, his wife's got it). Listen live every weekday from 5–10am Pacific: https://www.iheart.com/live/1043-myfm-173/Website: 1043myfm.com/valentineInstagram & TikTok: @ValentineInTheMorningFacebook: facebook.com/valentineinthemorning

How can individuals “move the needle” on their careers and achieve higher performance at work? Farrell Middleton, president of The Bell Curve of Life, joins Host Carol Morgan on the Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio podcast to discuss how his new book, A Performer/A Environment, presents working professionals with the tools they need to make meaningful growth in the workplace. The 20-60-20 Principle In A Performer/A Environment, Middleton dives into the “bell curve” pattern that comprises working professionals. The upper category of workers makes up 20%, then 60% is in the middle and 20% are in the lower category. He looks at factors such as behavior, skills, performance and results to empower individuals in the middle 60% and lower 20% to make improvements in life that matter to them. Middleton said, “These [changes] have to make a difference to them and those closest to them.” Through The Bell Curve of Life and the book, Middleton offers a powerful framework for professionals to pinpoint and cultivate the most crucial aspects of their lives. His core mission is to empower individuals to reach the “top 20% of what matters most to them.” Building Industry Reflections “I think everybody has a skill set of some sort,” said Middleton. “They just need to find it.” A Performer/A Environment draws on Middleton's 36-year career in the building industry, and he reflects on several take-aways from his time in the industry, most notably the people he has met and his exposure to customer service. “I've had the privilege of working closely with people of all educational levels, from high-level to master's degrees in finance to people who never graduated from high school and everything in between,” said Middleton. “And every one of them, no matter their station, has stories of success and stories of failure, like we all do.” In the homebuilding industry, customer service is the vital link between a builder and a homebuyer. According to Middleton, this connection is only as strong as a company's internal communication. He argues that seamless and consistent internal communication is the key to effectively selling a product or service. The homebuilding process involves a series of critical handoffs, and each one must be handled with deliberate communication and careful consideration. When these internal transitions are smooth, the customer experience is enhanced and the company's reputation for reliability and quality is strengthened. “We just don't realize the impact that our performance has on other people,” said Middleton. “We can take a step back and everybody can say, ‘Hey, if what I'm doing right now is going to negatively impact somebody down the line, maybe I could do a little bit better?'” Communication and Relationship-Building Middleton says the number one issue he sees through his program is individuals not listening. No one has all of the answers, but communication and building relationships with coworkers and industry peers are great ways to learn new skills. Middleton explains, “If someone becomes a better listener, they can automatically become a better leader.” They can do that tomorrow, without a doubt.” In A Performer/A Environment, professionals access everything they need to elevate their performance, from individual skills such as attitude and communication to the higher-level skills needed in management positions. When leaders adopt better skills, it trickles down to their associates as well. A healthy work environment, built on respect and strong communication, is also key to success. With improvements in these categories, a worker in the middle range can move to the upper, high-achieving tier with time and dedication. Middleton identifies three major characteristics of a “good” leader: A healthy vision for the business Remain approachable Willing to delegate tasks Ability to ID other leaders “Don't be scared of smart people,” said Middleton.

At some point in our lives, most of us have had at least one job that made us pretty miserable.  And even if you haven't, we all have days when we don't feel like clocking in.  When we don't want to be at our job, it shows.  Our coworkers notice.  Our vendors notice.  Our customers usually notice.  What kind of testimony are we displaying at work?  I'll remind you of one of our favorite verses here at iWork4Him: Colossians 3:23 – "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters." You have a critical role in reaching pre-believers in your workplace for Christ!  Your attitude, actions, and words all matter.  You're not working for you or your boss.  You're working for God!  Transform your workplace by living out this life-changing truth! 

Episode Summary: From middle school cliques to corporate boardrooms, patterns of competition, division, and survival strategies among women persist. Here's the thing though: this isn't about a flaw in women; it's about a flawed system. In this episode of the Advancing Women Podcast, we explore the rise of Queen Bee Syndrome and the "Pick-Me" phenomenon, and what pop culture, psychology, and gender bias research reveal about why these patterns exist, and how we can challenge them. We dig deep into: The cultural roots of Queen Bee and Pick-Me behaviors Internalized sexism, patriarchal bargaining, and the male gaze The myth of women as each other's worst enemy Strategies to disrupt toxic narratives and build true solidarity It's time to move from scarcity to solidarity, from competition to coalition—and rewrite the narrative with the persisterhood at the center. Key Takeaways: “Pick-Me” behavior isn't vanity, it's often survival in biased systems. Queen Bee Syndrome isn't about women being mean, it's about navigating tokenism and structural barriers. Internalized sexism and societal “shoulds” fuel division. Systemic bias, NOT women, is the root issue. Solidarity is the antidote to scarcity. Call to Action: Let's stop shaming Queen Bees and Pick-Me girls and start fixing the systems that pit women against each other. Let's write a new chapter grounded in persisterhood, because together, we rise further. References AWP Episode referenced in this episode: Tug of War Bias, Tokenism & Queen Bee Syndrome. https://open.spotify.com/episode/75MiOAvyhFje37sDd9Latc?si=RBUK5seNRUa5-6VOZIW8Yw Rhimes, S. (Writer), & Corn, R. (Director). (2005, May 22). Losing My Religion (Season 2, Episode 27) [TV series episode]. In S. Rhimes (Executive Producer), Grey's Anatomy. ABC Studios (This is the episode featuring Meredith Grey's “Pick me. Choose me. Love me.” Speech). TikTok. (n.d.). #pickmegirl. Retrieved August 6, 2025, from https://www.tiktok.com/tag/pickmegirl Brown, A. (2023). The Implications of the Queen Bee Phenomenon in the Workplace. Journal of Organizational Culture Communications and Conflict, 27(1). Wiseman, R. (2002). Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping your daughter survive cliques, gossip, boyfriends, and the new realities of girl world. Crown Publishing Group. Rudman LA, Goodwin SA. Gender differences in automatic in-group bias: why do women like women more than men like men? J Pers Soc Psychol. 2023, 87(4):494-509. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.87.4.494. PMID: 15491274 Rubin, M., Owuamalam, C. K., Spears, R., & Caricati, L. (2023). A social identity model of system attitudes (SIMSA): Multiple explanations of system justification by the disadvantaged that do not depend on a separate system justification motive. European Review of Social Psychology, 34(2), 203–243 https://doi.org/10.1080/10463283.2022.2046422 Let's Connect @AdvancingWomenPodcast Subscribe, rate, and share the podcast! Follow on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/advancingwomenpodcast/ & Facebook https://www.facebook.com/advancingwomenpodcast/ More on Dr. DeSimone here! https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-desimone-phd-mba-ba00b88/

As we celebrate 20 years of ministry we are taking the month of August to hear sermons from Henry Blackaby, our founder. In this week's episode we share Henry's sermon entitled, God's Presence in the Workplace. DONATE: If you have enjoyed this podcast and want to support our ministry into the next 20 years, click here. RESOURCES: Mark you calendars for May 18-20, 2026 when Richard will be presenting Experiencing God - Part 2 at the Cove in Asheville, NC. More info to come. Join Blackaby Ministries' next Spiritual Leadership Coaching Workshop here. Use code, 'PODCAST' for FREE access to the Intro to Spiritual Leadership Coaching Online Class. CONNECT: Follow Richard on X. Follow Richard on Facebook. Read Richard's latest blog here.

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In this episode of the Voice of Influence Podcast, Andrea hosts Kyle McDowell, a former Fortune 10 executive turned inspirational speaker, bestselling author, and leadership coach. They discuss Kyle's book, Begin with We, which offers a framework for addressing business dysfunction through a set of 10 principles that prioritize collective success ('We') over individual accolades ('I'). Kyle shares his personal journey from a focus on self-achievement to empowering others, resulting in transformative organizational change. He emphasizes the importance of authenticity, the power of mentorship, the impact of sustainable culture, and how true leadership can counteract corporate apathy and foster engagement. Kyle's philosophy is underscored by real-life examples, including his experience with a once-challenging colleague who became one of his closest allies. The episode ultimately serves as a call to action for maintaining individuality and fostering a culture of excellence within any organization.     Find the show notes here:   https://www.voiceofinfluence.net/367   Mentorship Guide - This VOI guide and journal for mentors and mentees includes 12 sessions covering key topics young professionals need to set themselves up for success at work. Listener Feedback Form - Share how you see people shaping the future - and/or ask a question for Andrea and guests to address on the show! 

#185: That moment when the room falls silent after you've spoken up—not because you're wrong, but because you dared to say something. You've just stepped into that familiar territory where advocating for yourself or others gets you labeled as "difficult," while others receive praise for the exact same behavior.This frustrating double standard isn't just in your head. Harvard Business Review research confirms that 66% of women receive negative personality descriptors in performance reviews when they speak up, with words like "abrasive" and "difficult" appearing far more frequently than in men's reviews. Columbia Business School found that when women are assertive, their likability drops significantly, while men's remains unchanged. We're constantly navigating an impossible tightrope: be warm but not strong enough for leadership, or be direct but "unlikable."The calculation is exhausting—how do I speak my truth without being seen as "too much"? But remaining silent is equally damaging, reinforcing inequities and teaching others you'll tolerate imbalance. Every social advancement throughout history came because someone was willing to be labeled difficult. From women's suffrage to workplace protections, progress happens when people speak uncomfortable truths.You can advocate effectively by leading with facts, using "we" framing instead of "I need," practicing neutral delivery, and knowing which battles deserve your energy. Set boundaries early rather than letting resentment build, and surround yourself with people who value directness rather than trying to convince others your personality is worthwhile.If speaking up makes you "difficult," then perhaps more of us should embrace being difficult together. Workplaces, relationships, and societies don't improve because everyone stayed comfortable—they change because someone had the courage to say "this isn't working" and advocate for better. The next time someone calls you difficult, consider that they might actually be telling you that you're doing something right.You can now send us a text to ask a question or review the show. We would love to hear from you! Follow me on social: https://www.instagram.com/babbles_nonsense/

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber General Counsel, Labor and Employment Bianca Saad and CalChamber Senior Policy Advocate Ashley Hoffman discuss recent California regulations and legislation related to automated decision-making systems (ADS) and technology — colloquially known as artificial intelligence (AI).

Remote work is a catalyst for startup growth—fueling productivity, revenue, and innovation by expanding access to talent, reducing costs, and enabling agile, flexible operations in a global marketplace. That's the key take-away message of this episode of the Wise Decision Maker Show, which describes how remote work is building the billion-dollar startups of tomorrow.This article forms the basis for this episode: https://disasteravoidanceexperts.com/remote-work-is-building-the-billion-dollar-startups-of-tomorrow/

Violence and injury have become an all-too-common reality for nurses, impacting safety, morale, and the ability to provide quality care. In this episode, the co-hosts are joined by AMSN President Kristi Reguin-Hartman to address the hard truths of workplace violence, share real experiences from the field, and discuss practical steps for prevention, response, and recovery.    We'd love to hear from you!  Send your thoughts, reactions, and ideas to amsnpod@amsn.org    Also, be sure to SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW, RATE, & REVIEW Med-Surg Moments wherever you listen to podcasts.      SPECIAL GUEST CO-HOST   AMSN President Kristi Reguin-Hartman, DNP, APRN, ACNS-BC has more than 20 years of experience in acute care nursing, professional development, and advanced practice as a Clinical Nurse Specialist. Her expertise in technology implementation, product management and clinical education drives her focus on streamlining workflows through data-driven approaches. She started her nursing journey with an ADN from Nassau Community College in Long Island, New York and has completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice at the University of North Carolina – Wilmington where she authored the 2022 CTHAT Nursing Workload Tool for Medical-Surgical Nurses. Kristi currently works as a Clinical Transformation Manager for Philips Healthcare in the Hospital Patient Monitoring division and as Clinical Instructor with East Carolina University. She volunteers for the North Carolina Nurses Association and has served as Director for the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses since 2018.   MEET OUR CO-HOSTS Samantha Bayne, MSN, RN, CMSRN, NPD-BC is a nursing professional development practitioner in the inland northwest specializing in medical-surgical nursing. The first four years of her practice were spent bedside on a busy ortho/neuro unit where she found her passion for newly graduated RNs, interdisciplinary collaboration, and professional governance. Sam is an unwavering advocate for medical-surgical nursing as a specialty and enjoys helping nurses prepare for specialty certification.    Kellye' McRae, MSN-Ed, RN is a dedicated Med-Surg Staff Nurse and Unit Based Educator based in South Georgia, with 12 years of invaluable nursing experience. She is passionate about mentoring new nurses, sharing her clinical wisdom to empower the next generation of nurses. Kellye' excels in bedside teaching, blending hands-on training with compassionate patient care to ensure both nurses and patients thrive. Her commitment to education and excellence makes her a cornerstone of her healthcare team.   Marcela Salcedo, RN, BSN is a Floatpool nightshift nurse in the Chicagoland area, specializing in step-down and medical-surgical care. A member of AMSN and the Hektoen Nurses, she combines her passion for nursing with the healing power of the arts and humanities. As a mother of four, Marcela is reigniting her passion for nursing by embracing the chaos of caregiving, fostering personal growth, and building meaningful connections that inspire her work.   Eric Torres, ADN, RN, CMSRN is a California native that has always dreamed of seeing the World, and when that didn't work out, he set his sights on nursing.  Eric is beyond excited to be joining the AMSN podcast and having a chance to share his stories and experiences of being a bedside medical-surgical nurse.   Maritess M. Quinto, DNP, RN, NPD-BC, CMSRN is a clinical educator currently leading a team of educators who is passionately helping healthcare colleagues, especially newly graduate nurses. She was born and raised in the Philippines and immigrated to the United States with her family in Florida. Her family of seven (three girls and two boys with her husband who is also a Registered Nurse) loves to travel, especially to Disney World. She loves to share her experiences about parenting, travelling, and, of course, nursing!   Sydney Wall, RN, BSN, CMSRN has been a med surg nurse for 5 years. After graduating from the University of Rhode Island in 2019, Sydney commissioned into the Navy and began her nursing career working on a cardiac/telemetry unit in Bethesda, Maryland.  Currently she is stationed overseas, providing care for service members and their families.  During her free time, she enjoys martial arts and traveling. 

Modern church culture emphasizes the importance and prestige of working in full-time ministry as a pastor, foreign missionary, or the like.  But here at iWork4Him, we want to help resurrect the original idea behind the idea of ministry.  There's a theological misunderstanding that the top jobs in the Kingdom are missionary and pastor, but that's simply not true!  There are no tiers in the kingdom.  No 1st tier jobs and then 2nd tier jobs supporting 1st tier ministers.  We should be ministering wherever we go and in whatever we do.  Call to mind the familiar Bible verse 1 Corinthians 10:31: "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." That means that our work should be worship – and that's awesome!  Take a few minutes to reflect on how you can glorify God today through your full-time ministry at work, at home, and in your community. 

In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, the conversation turns to an often-overlooked but incredibly relevant topic: managing PCOS in the workplace, whatever your version of a workplace may be. Whether you're working in an office, at home raising kids, attending school, or juggling multiple roles, your environment plays a big role in your energy, focus, and ability to support your hormone health. This episode explores how to create a daily routine that protects your energy, enhances your focus, and helps you build a lifestyle that supports your PCOS, even on the busiest days.Understanding Daily Fatigue, Brain Fog, and CravingsYou will learn how daily routines, even when productive, can lead to subtle symptoms of burnout, low energy, mood swings, brain fog, and cravings that aren't always hunger-related. This episode offers practical tips for noticing and reversing these patterns through better nourishment, emotional release, and intentional mental stimulation.Designing a PCOS-Friendly Environment at WorkProtecting your energy isn't just about physical habits, it's also about emotional resilience. Discover how to check in with your emotional needs and use simple tools to decompress. These micro-adjustments can make a big difference in resetting your mood and creating space to respond more calmly and productively to life's challenges.Whether it's creating boundaries around after-hours work communication or taking a short buffer period between job responsibilities and family time, these shifts help reduce stress and support hormone balance. You'll hear examples of how setting these boundaries not only protects your energy but improves your relationships and quality of life.This episode also covers how to make your physical work environment more supportive of your health goals. You'll hear actionable ways to make your workspace a place that encourages focus, nourishment, and long-term hormone health.Bringing Self-Care Into Your Real Life—Not Just the Ideal OneUltimately, this episode is about working with the life you have, not waiting for the perfect conditions to begin taking care of yourself. You'll be invited to reflect on what's currently draining your energy and how you can make small, supportive changes today. Whether it's adjusting your environment, your habits, or how you engage with your daily responsibilities, this episode offers practical insights to help you thrive with PCOS right now, not just in an ideal future.You can take the quiz to discover your root cause hereLet's continue the conversation on Instagram! What did you find helpful in this episode and what follow-up questions do you have?The full list of Resources & References Mentioned can be found on the Episode webpage at:https://nourishedtohealthy.com/ep-159

Patrick Dolan, Employment Lawyer at Conti & Dolan, joins Jon Hansen to discuss the recent memo sent to employees from the AT&T CEO. Patrick also takes questions from listeners about workplace harassment, commissions, and more. For more information, visit www.contidolanlaw.com or call 312-332-7800.

A toxic workplace culture can drive out great employees faster than low pay, and nearly 70% of workers say culture directly impacts productivity. So, what's quietly undermining your organization?In this episode of Bring Out the Talent, Brett Hoogeveen, Co-Founder of BetterCulture, shares how to spot and stop the behaviors that erode trust, lower morale, and sabotage performance. Brett offers a unique lens on what makes organizations thrive and what tears them apart. From gossip and negativity to leadership blind spots, Brett reveals early warning signs of culture erosion and practical ways to course-correct. You'll also hear about BetterCulture's “20 Tenets of Culture” a blueprint for building workplaces people genuinely want to join.This episode offers actionable insights for leaders who want to build a higher-performing culture.Here is your link to a free resource mentioned in the episode:https://betterculture.com/bringoutthetalent/. 

Episode Notes In this episode of Workplace Hugs, Shannon and Rami explore "addition sickness" - the tendency to solve problems by adding more tasks, responsibilities, or features instead of simplifying. They share why subtraction might be the key to reducing overwhelm and creating more focus, clarity, and effectiveness in both work and life.

As the next generation of accountants and finance professionals enters the workforce, one priority stands at the forefront: building a workplace that not only attracts younger talent but also keeps them engaged and inspired for the long haul. Alex Romero of Galasso Learning Solutions. Topics discussed:Understanding what younger talent valuesCreating a culture of belongingKey elements of emotional intelligence that foster retention and engagementThe importance of emotional intelligence for young professionalsOther important skills for young professionalsTactics to build an employee experience that retains and energizes Resources:Employee management articles, resources and eventsCareer development articles, resources and eventsLearn about Galasso Learning Solutions

In this fun and practical episode I dive into realistic workplace English through improvised role-play conversations. Designed to help you boost your vocabulary, listening skills, and confidence in professional settings, this episode features six humorous and educational role-play scenarios in workplaces like a factory, office, supermarket, and a shop. Listen to me improvising with ChatGPT and see if it can keep up with some ridiculous ideas, and learn some useful practical English in the process.

265. Servant Leadership, Mentoring, and Actionable Steps with Kathryn Spitznagle   2 Timothy 2:2 (NIV) "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others."   **Transcription Below**   Questions and Topics We Cover: What are some servant leadership principles you've learned over the years? How did you learn forgiveness is part of leadership? Will you elaborate on a leadership tool mentioned in your book, which is called the "Hero Page?"   Thank You to Our Sponsor: WinShape Marriage   Kathryn Spitznagle is the author of "Rock Star Millennials--Developing the Next Generation of Leaders," and the companion workbook, "Rock Star Millennials Toolkit." She is a professional coach and the founder of Mentoring Women Millennials, LLC. She has 30+ years of mentoring, coaching and leadership development in corporate, small business and not-for-profit environments as well as 10+ years of mentoring cancer survivors and their families throughout their journey. Her mission is to foster the personal and professional development of leaders... for the life they lead today...and the one they want tomorrow.   Savvy Sauce Episodes Mentioned in Episode: Being Intentional with Marriage, Parenting, Rest, Personal development, and Leadership with Pastor, Podcaster, and Author, Jeff Henderson Biblical Principles as Wise Business Practices with Steve Robinson   Additional Previous Episodes on Business and Leadership on The Savvy Sauce: The Inside Scoop on Chick-fil-A with Mark Dugger How to Apply Successful Business Principles to Your Life with Dee Ann Turner Leadership Principles and Practices with Former NFL Player, J Leman How to Lead When You're Not in Charge with Author and Pastor of North Point Community Church, Clay Scroggins Understanding the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator to Improve Your Marriage, Family, and Work Relationships  Thriving at Work, Home, and Life with Author, Blogger, Podcaster, and Business Owner, Crystal Paine Energy to Spark Success in Your Business with Best-Selling Author, Speaker, and Podcaster, Christy Wright How 2 questions can grow your business and change your life with author, pastor, and podcaster, Jeff Henderson Radical Business and Radical Parenting with Gary & Marla Ringger, Founders of Lifesong for Orphans Stewardship as the Daughter of Chick-fil-A Founders with Trudy Cathy White Living Intentionally with Shunta Grant Generational Differences in the Workplace with Haydn Shaw Pursuing Your God-Given Dream with Francie Hinrichsen Leadership Training: Five Key Elements for Creating Customer Loyalty in Your Business with Elizabeth Dixon  Uncover Your Purpose with Clarity with Isimemen Aladejobi Unlocking Meaning and Purpose in Your Life and Overcoming Burnout with Dale Wilsher Leading Your Family, Marriage, and Self with Justin Maust Divine Productivity with Matt Perman 223 Journey and Learnings as Former Second Lady of the United States with Karen Pence Patreon 27 Re-Release: Purposeful and Practical with Emily Thomas Special Patreon Re-Release: Creativity and Career While Raising a Family with Jean Stoffer   Connect with The Savvy Sauce on Facebook or Instagram or Our Website   Please help us out by sharing this episode with a friend, leaving a 5-star rating and review, and subscribing to this podcast!   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV)   Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”    Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”    Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”    Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”    John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   **Transcription**   Music: (0:00 – 0:09)   Laura Dugger:  (0:12 - 1:20) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.    I'm thrilled to introduce you to our sponsor, WinShape Marriage.    Their weekend marriage retreats will strengthen your marriage while you enjoy the gorgeous setting, delicious food, and quality time with your spouse. To find out more, visit them online at winshapemarriage.org/savvy.    Kathryn Spitznagle is my enchanting guest for today, and her resume is quite impressive, but what actually is even more of a standout is her humble heart.   So, if you are one who learns from stories and encouragement, and you also appreciate actionable, practical tools, this conversation is definitely for you. Here's our chat. Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Kathryn.   Kathryn Spitznagle: (1:21 - 1:24) Oh, thank you, Laura. Appreciate you having me.   Laura Dugger:  (1:24 - 1:32) Well, I'd love for you just to start us off by giving us a snapshot of your background and also your current phase of life.   Kathryn Spitznagle: (1:33 - 6:47) Okay, lots of seasons. Yeah, learned, you know, you learn something from all of them. So, I started out in journalism.   I've kind of come back to my roots interviewing folks. I was a sports writer, so I grew up in a family with four brothers, so when I went to college, I knew sports, and at the time, that was unusual to have a female sports So I did that, and then went into publishing after I got my journalism degree, and since I'd been a sports writer, they put me in the men's division of this magazine publishing company. So, I started out learning, I started out working for a helicopter magazine, and I was an editor, and the only one that did know how to fly, and so they sent me to flight school in order to be a better editor and, you know, learn how to communicate with our readers.   And again, then because I'd done that and was in the men's division, they moved me then to shooting times, which was hunting and sports shooting. So, then I learned how to shoot guns and reload in that whole industry. From there, I went to fashion.   So, I went to the women's division, and at first they said, you know, are you sure you want to do this? And I said, well, this will be the first job you've put me on that won't kill me. You know, I've learned how to fly planes and shoot guns.   You know, let me have a shot at that Singer sewing machine. And I was a terrible seamstress. And they said, really, what we want you to do in fashion is to create a presence in New York, in Manhattan.   And so, the publisher was in Peoria, Illinois, but they wanted a presence in Manhattan. And so that's what I did for three years, worked remotely back and forth, and created that presence, joined the Fashion Group International. They hired three consultants to fix me up.   And so, I laugh if you've ever seen the movie Miss Congeniality, that was me. So, you know, learned all about the fashion industry and built those relationships with our advertisers. And also, then we went into television and did a lifetime, the TV show, weekly TV show on Lifetime called Make It Fashion.   And we're trying to blend that the home sewing industry with the fashion industry. So, if you saw this on the runway, in Milan, or in New York, or in Paris, this is how you can make it yourself, be your own designer kind of thing. So that was my journalism start, then moved to St. Louis, got married, had babies, and went into corporate communications, worked for Purina in St. Louis, where I learned so much about leadership, moved back to Peoria, and I went to work for Caterpillar. And when I retired from Caterpillar, then I started this business, Mentoring Women Millennials. And I have such a heart for this generation. I think they're so bright and smart and creative and entrepreneurial, and they get a bad rap.   And so, I wanted to have a platform to lift them up, and also to give them tools. So, the first year I wrote a book, Rockstar Millennials, Developing the Next Generation of Leaders. And what I found, there were so many really sharp, bright millennials that had never had good leaders.   They never had a mentor. They didn't have the tools. Many of them were entrepreneurs.   They didn't intend to lead people. They had a craft. They started a business, and it grew.   And they're like, now I got people. What do I do with people? And as I was out speaking about my business, I found the audience very consistently had two types of attendees.   One was what I would call a seasoned leader, who said, for helping the millennials, thank you. Something along that line. And then I would have a young person stand up and say, “Do you have a book”?   And after that happened several times, okay, Lord, I got this. Yeah, write a book. And I remember saying, “That's a good idea, God, but I don't have time.”   And so if you want to know why COVID happened, it was me. Because the good Lord said, hey, it's February of 2020. It looks like you have time right now.   And so I hired an editor. We wrote a book in four months and published it at the end of the year. And in 2021, then started the podcast.   Laura Dugger:  (6:48 - 7:04) Well, that's an incredible resume and such a whirlwind to getting here today. But you mentioned some leadership principles, especially at Purina. So, Kathryn, what are some of those servant leadership principles that you've learned and acquired over the years?   Kathryn Spitznagle: (7:04 - 9:34) Over the years, yeah. Just some amazing leaders at Purina. Their culture was very much a servant leadership culture.   Purina as a company was created in the 1950s by an independently wealthy gentleman, William H. Danforth. And he created the Youth Foundation in St. Louis. And he found once he got kids out of gangs and out of jail and off drugs, nobody would hire them. So, he created a company to hire those kids, Purina. And so, they, yes, told us that, you know, the first day he said, you know, this is never confused what we make with why we're here.   We were here, we were created to develop people for life. What we make will change. But the reason we're here will not.   And Danforth also wrote a book called I Dare You. I Dare You to be the best you can be and help someone else do the same. And so that very first day we were told the story of the genesis of Purina, we were given that book, I Dare You.   And when we left orientation, we met, they had 360-degree mentoring. And they said, “This is how we create this culture. And we continue this for generations through mentoring.”   So, when you leave orientation, you're going to meet your leader mentor, your peer mentor, and in 90 days, you'll be mentoring. Everyone at Purina mentors, and we all learn from each other constantly. So that was the platform.   And that was the culture. And when you think about feeling cherished, and valued, that's how they did it. Because if you're going to mentor someone, and someone's going to mentor you, you have value.   And the people you're working with have value. And so that creating a cherished culture was their legacy. And then it's something that I took on to Caterpillar.   And I continue now, in my keynote speaking, that's one of the most popular is how to create a cherished culture in the boardroom, in the living room, and in the classroom. Hmm.   Laura Dugger:  (9:35 - 9:47) And so, I won't ask for the entire keynote speech then, but is there an overview that you can give us of those things that we could implement that you've learned to implement over time as well?   Kathryn Spitznagle: (9:47 - 11:29) Yes, some of the tools. And, and that was another wonderful thing about Purina that I saw then, and haven't seen it since. You know, it seemed unique to me at the time.   Fast forward a few years, and it was like, yeah, that was very unusual leadership. And one of the things that they valued was, know your people, understand them, know their needs, know their wants. Even at this point, so, you know, I'm talking 30 years ago, I went to work there in 1990.   They were talking about purpose. What's your purpose? Purina had a very specific purpose.   We are a purposeful company. We're here to develop people for life. And, and they even said, I thought this was unique to it at orientation.   They said, and we hire bright, smart people, and we don't expect you to stay here very long. Our job is to send you off better than we found you. And with a positive impression of Purina.   And here's why. When you leave here, you may go to another Fortune 50 company, which I did. You may be in a position to impact a merger or acquisition.   You can buy and sell our stock. And at the very least, when you go to the grocery store, you can buy dog food. And we want it to be Purina.   Laura Dugger:  (11:31 - 11:36) That's incredible. That actually happened then with you taking that forward.   Kathryn Spitznagle: (11:37 - 16:07) And all of those lessons learned. So, when I talk about creating a cherished culture, Purina, one of the things they did very well was to introduce a concept, illustrate it with a story, and then activate it with a tool. So mentoring, they talked about here is the platform on which our company is built, developing people for life.   And they told us that story then about Purina. Then they gave us the book. And then they gave us a mentor that we were meeting with each week.   And they gave us a, what do I want to say, an outline. So, when you meet with your mentor or mentee, here are questions to ask. Here's a way to go about this.   And the number one reason people do mentor is because they don't know how. What's a process? And so how smart?   Purina's like, here. Here's an outline. Here are things to ask.   Here are discussion topics. And here are different tools we're going to give you as you progress in leadership. And they're designed for you then to pass on.   And so those are some of the tools when I talk about creating a cherished culture. One of the tools is here are questions to ask. Here's how to have that dialogue.   Here are discussion topics. When you're developing a relationship with this person, ask about their life outside of work. Ask about their family and friends and whatever, as much as they'd like to share.   Not everyone does. That's okay too. Ask about their best day at work.   What's a bad day at work? What's their best boss like? How do they like to be recognized?   What's their purpose? One of the most insightful questions they asked at Purina was, why do you want to succeed? And why do you want this company to succeed?   And those two questions give insight to someone's purpose. And so, then if you frame discussions around their purpose and their values, it is exponentially more meaningful to them. So, when I talk about how do you lead millennials and how is it different?   Those are a couple of the things. Understand their purpose. Understand their life. Their values outside of work, and frame things within their purpose.   Here's an example and or their values. If someone says, my values are hard work and transparency. I want people to be honest. Those are a couple of my values.    Okay. So, if I were leading that person and I saw them being transparent with someone else, being open and honest, I would recognize them for that.   Not just recognize them for the work, but recognize them for their value, demonstrating their value. I saw you be open and honest with that person. Thank you for that.   If kindness is a value, I saw you. I saw what you did there today to help someone out without being asked. Thank you for that kindness.   That resonates on a whole different level. And if you have to have a tough discussion with that person to say, frame it in those words. I know you value honesty, and I do too.   And so, we need to have an honest conversation. And here's some things that I'm seeing in your behavior, in your leadership, or in your work style that can hold you back. So, let's fix this whole different way to lead.   Laura Dugger:  (16:09 - 16:39) Absolutely. And I love how some of these even one-page practical tools you've included in the back of your book. So, it's a plug and play, but I'm even thinking back to your mentoring relationships where you had this circle of mentors and you were mentoring.   I think it's also helpful to get to hear one another's mistakes. So, are you comfortable sharing any mistakes that you've made along the way that actually even turned out to be beneficial learning opportunities?   Kathryn Spitznagle: (16:40 - 20:32) Absolutely. Loads of them. I've got loads of them.   And one of the women I mentor has said, I think I've advanced my career 10 years by learning from your mistakes. And I love that. And she's like, now I'm going to make plenty of my own, but I'm not going to make yours.   And I said, “Good. That's the point of all this.” One of the big ones I made at Purina.   I think a lot of places I would have been fired, probably should have been. I was working in the marketing group, and we were like an internal marketing. So, we did the new product introduction, point of purchase, point of sale materials, the legal documents that went out, the whole packet that would go out to a distributor, a grocery store.   And EverReady Battery was one of our product lines. So, we had internal clients. And as they had new product introductions, we'd get the materials together.   We had in-house printing, all of the things, graphic design, and that was all under my purview. The letter, there's a letter that went out to distributors that was a legal document and had a number. And I pulled the wrong letter, the wrong number.   And it wasn't discovered until last minute. And we sat down with the client and they're like, oh my gosh, this is the wrong legal letter. And I, you know, I'm the account rep, that was on me.   So, I had to go back, I had to go to Neil Lewis, my boss and say, “Okay, we've got to pull this back before it all goes out, reprint, which is going to be all our expense. We're going to have to have people working off shifts and all that sort of thing to do it quickly. And then reassemble all these Eveready Battery packets and, you know, do as close as we can to meeting their deadline.”   And so basically it's going to eat up our margin and we're going to have more printing expense. We're going to have more labor and we're going to have some unhappy people. And our client's not real happy either.   And that was all me. And Neil said to me, “You know, I learned something today. And he said, until today, I thought you walked on water.”   And he said, “Now I know you're human, just like the rest of us.” And I thought, oh, my word. And he's like, okay, so what happened?   That was a mistake. How are we going to fix it? And I said, “I've already pulled the right letter, getting it reprinted. Here's the, additional time and money. Here's how it's going to impact our margin.” And he said, “You know, can we do it? And can we satisfy the customer and get, if not meet their deadline very close?”   And I said, “We can meet their deadline if we have people work third shift.” And, you know, and he said, “Okay, let's do it. That's the right thing to do.” And, and he said, Kathryn, “I told you what I learned today. What did you learn?”   And I said, “I learned how to be the kind of leader I want to be when someone makes a mistake.”   Laura Dugger:  (20:36 - 21:05) Wow. The humility in that is incredible. And thank you for sharing.   Stories are so memorable. It makes me instantly reminded of two previous episodes. I'll make sure I link in the show notes, both with Jeff Henderson and Steve Robinson, accomplished businessmen, but who were also willing to share stories and how just like you, it actually made them a better, more relatable leader.   And so that's encouraging.   Kathryn Spitznagle: (21:06 - 21:34) And I knew when I got to Caterpillar and, uh, particularly when I was running the Caterpillar visitor center, because that was so new and never been done in Caterpillar. And so, we're going to make some mistakes and we're going to learn, you know, along the way. And there was more than one occasion where I was reminded of Neil Lewis.   And I said, okay, I learned something today. You are human. Just like the rest of us.   Now, how are we going to fix this?   Laura Dugger:  (21:35 - 23:48) And then what did you learn?    Let's take a quick break to hear a message from our sponsor.    Friends, I'm excited to share with you today's sponsor, WinShape Marriage. Do you feel like you need a weekend away with your spouse and a chance to grow in your relationship together at the same time? WinShape Marriage is a fantastic ministry that provides weekend marriage retreats to help couples grow closer together in every season and stage of life from premarital to parenting to the emptiness phase.   There is an opportunity for you. WinShape Marriage is grounded on the belief that the strongest marriages are the ones that are nurtured. Even when it seems things are going smoothly so that they're stronger.   If they do hit a bump along their marital journey, these weekend retreats are hosted within the beautiful refuge of WinShape retreat perched in the mountains of Rome, Georgia, which is a short drive from Atlanta, Birmingham, and Chattanooga. While you're there, you will be well fed, well nurtured, and well cared for. During your time away in this beautiful place, you and your spouse will learn from expert speakers and explore topics related to intimacy, overcoming challenges, improving communication, and more.   I've stayed on site at WinShape before and I can attest to their generosity, food, and content. You will be so grateful you went. To find an experience that's right for you and your spouse, head to their website, to find out more, visit them online at winshapemarriage.org/savvy. That's W-I-N-S-H-A-P-E marriage.org slash S-A-V-V-Y. Thanks for your sponsorship.   You've had so much experience in different areas and as a corporate leader. So what is it that drew you specifically to have a heart for millennials, which we can define as those approximately born between the 1980s and early 2000s?   Kathryn Spitznagle: (23:50 - 28:18) I really started working with them. My last role at Caterpillar, I was a director of global sustainability and it was within public affairs. So, we were leading, Caterpillar was leading a natural infrastructure coalition.   I was working with a lot of different entities, public, private, governmental. We're trying to get language passed into law. That was a big portion of my job.   Another portion of my job was to be out speaking about what Caterpillar was doing in the world of sustainability. And I loved that. What I found was the sustainability groups of Caterpillar employees all around the world, we do a global call quarterly, learning what everybody was doing.   They were all this age group. And when we would do the river cleanup on Saturday, these are the people that showed up with their kids. And when we do tree plantings, these are the people that showed up with their kids.   It's like, okay. And I remember saying to my peers, you know what, this group of employees, these young people are not going to retire with a pension like we are with health care like we do. There's so many things that we have garnered through our career appropriately.   They don't have that. What drives loyalty for them and what engages them with Caterpillar are these things. These things we're doing through the foundation where we're giving back and improving the world and the things we're doing in sustainability, giving back, improving the world.   They are so much more engaged in our company through these things. And so, I kind of knew, I thought, okay, I'm not sure exactly where the Lord is leading, but it's going to be with those people. And that was the thing I knew when I retired that, okay, this is what I want to do.   And then the more I worked, you know, I started the business mentoring women millennials. The more I worked with these young women, the more I saw, yes, there's a need. There's a need here.   And I always, you know, again, people would ask, why? Why are you so connected? And I said, first of all, I saw the value in them.   But secondly, I think I was one. My husband and I laughed that we never really fit in with our generation. And here's why.   We both were out of school and working on our careers when we met. And in our generation, you got married right out of high school, or at the very least right out of college. And so, you know, our families had given up.   They're like, they're never going to get married. They're working. They got this whole career thing going.   And so, when we got married, well, then we didn't have children until we were in our 30s. You know, highly irregular for our generation. We were entrepreneurial.   So, we were looking at franchises in our 20s. And our families were like, just get a job. What is this?   You got to buy something and then you buy something else. And my husband owned a business, his first business in his 30s. We both had side hustles.   Again, friends and family were like, just do one job. What is with you guys? Always got all these things, you know, going.   And then when I took the job in fashion, and I was working in Manhattan and living in Peoria, like, what do you even call that kind of work to call it remote? Working remotely? Yeah.   And so, I think part of my heart for them is I was one. And so, when they talk about some of the struggles and the things that are endearing to them, like, I got you. I felt like that, too.   Laura Dugger:  (28:20 - 28:57) That is incredible. And I think it really does make you the perfect person for that mentor mentee relationship. And I kind of want to camp out on that further, because we've alluded to it.   And some of these tips are in your book, where you highlight those discussion topics that give people the tools. But then if we take it a step further or personalize it, how can all of us as listeners begin a mentoring relationship like the one you've described? And I'm even thinking of the beginning point.   Do you think it's up to the mentor or the mentee to initially reach out?   Kathryn Spitznagle: (28:58 - 33:07) Either one. Yeah, either one can work. When I left Purina, having had this wonderful leadership experience and mentoring environment, I thought, well, this must be what all corporations are like.   No. Doesn't make them bad. They're just different.   So, when I got to Caterpillar that was male, very male dominated, I remember calling my mentor at Purina, who is still my mentor today. She mentored me for 22 years at Caterpillar after I left Purina. And then was one of the biggest proponents of me writing my book and starting my business.   And we still get together today. So, when they talk about developing people for life, they're very serious about that. And so, when I got to Caterpillar, I thought, well, they don't seem to have this.   I think I'll start a mentoring program. Well, I was, you know, some little gal in marketing. You're not going to start a mentoring program for a Fortune 50 company out of that spot.   It comes up through HR and Office of Business Practices and Legal and all of that. Anyway, I called my mentor at Purina, very frustrated, and I said, “Lynn, you and Neil make a place for me. I'm coming back.   They don't have a mentoring program here.” I don't, you know, and she said, “Okay, first of all, we didn't train you up to come back. Your job is to take this forward.”   And she said, “Are there young women there?” Yes. And she said, “Mentor them.”   And she said, “Are there leaders that need support?” And I said, “Yes.” And she said, “Okay, support them.”   She said, “Are there teams that need to be built?” And I said, “Yes.” And she said, “Then you have good work to do there.”   Go. And she hung up. I thought, OK.   And so, from that moment on, when I would see an announcement that would come through email where a woman was being hired into Caterpillar, I would reach out to her and just say, do you have a mentor or would you like one? And for 22 years, they all said yes. And so that's what I did.   I worked with those women. And, you know, here's another God wink when my announcement went out, then that I was retiring. These women all started coming back to me wherever they were in the nation and even in the world.   Many of them had gone on to do other things, bigger, better things. And they all started reaching out to me. Someone had forwarded the announcement to them and said, “We want you to start a business, a mentoring business and help others just like you helped us, and we will help you.”   And one said, “You need to write a book, and I'll write the forward.” Another one said, “Yes, and you need to do podcasts and I'll be on one.” Another one said, “I know what's going to stop you at your website, so I'm going to help you with your website.”   Another one said, “You're going to need testimonials.” So, she posted on social media that anyone that's ever been mentored by Kathryn Spitznagel, leave a message here. Very humbling.   And another one said, “I'm now VP of a big company in Chicago and I will hire you.” And so, I retired one day and started a business the next.   Laura Dugger:  (33:09 - 33:30) Incredible how that all came back around. And I gleaned so much from your stories in your book, and then even getting to connect with you before today. But there's another story about servant leadership that you shared from the man who you've named your previous boss, Neil Lewis.   Will you share? Do you know which one I'm thinking of?   Kathryn Spitznagle: (33:31 - 36:35) Yeah. You need to know three personal things about everyone who works for you. Okay.   So, Neil Lewis had leadership meetings. There were 12 of us were his leadership team every Monday morning. He was also a minister outside of work.   So, a lot of times we would laugh that we were getting the rehash of the sermon from yesterday as part of his leadership. But he often gave us assignments. And one Monday morning, he said, okay, here's your assignment.   I want you to know three personal things about everyone who works for you. And they need to be things that aren't in their personnel file. And he said, I'm going to ask you sometime this week about one of those people, but you won't know which one.   So, you need to know all of them. And I, you know, lousy leader, I was just learning. And I said, Neil, I have 10 people, three things, 10 people, that's 30 things I got to know.   And he said, Kathryn, good math. You have some work to do. So, I went back, and I interviewed each one of my 10 people, three things, found him out, followed the assignment.   And I was ready. And I saw him in the hall later in the week. He said, “Kathryn, walk with me. I'm going to the next meeting.” I said, “Okay.” Tell me three personal things about Kathy, who works for you. I said, “Okay.”   Kathy has recently divorced. Uh, she has an 18-month-old baby, and she is moving to a new apartment. And he said, “What have you done to help her?”   And honest to God, I said, “That wasn't part of the assignment.” And he looked at me and I said, “No, wait a minute. I did help her.   I changed her hours. She has a longer commute now into St. Louis. So, she's going to come in at 8:30 am and work till 5:00 pm.”   And I was feeling pretty proud of myself, like bonus question. And he said, “Did she come to you, or did you go to her?” And I said, “Well, she came to me, but I said, it was okay.”   So, Kathryn know your people. If you don't know your people, you don't know what they need. And if you don't know what they need, you can't help them.   And if you can't help them, what in the world are you doing here? It says leaders were here to serve. And if you're not here to serve, you need to step out.   I became a different leader that day. One who chose to lead by serving.   Laura Dugger:  (36:38 - 37:17) I just wanted to let you know there are now multiple ways to give when you visit thesavvysauce.com. We now have a donation button on our website and you can find it under the donate page, which is under the tab entitled support. Our mailing address is also provided.   If you would prefer to save us the processing fee and send a check that is tax deductible. Either way, you'll be supporting the work of Savvy Sauce Charities and helping us continue to reach the nations with the good news of Jesus Christ. Make sure you visit thesavvysauce.com today. Thanks for your support.   Kathryn Spitznagle: (37:18 - 38:19) You know, the other piece, uh, the other thing that he taught me there, uh, Laura, as we continued to walk, uh, because he always wanted to bring things back around to, to a positive. He was going to make his point, but he was not going to leave me there, you know? He said, Kathryn, “Do you understand what you missed there?”   It was such a missed opportunity with Kathy, um, to engage her and to help her feel cherished. He said, “That's the difference when you anticipate someone's needs and you go to them before they ask. That's the opportunity.”   That's the gold. That's what engages people and, uh, garners their loyalty. And that's when they feel cherished.   That was the real missed opportunity.   Laura Dugger:  (38:23 - 38:35) And that never left you. And that's probably blessed so many people hearing that. What about lessons of forgiveness in leadership as well?   Do you have any stories to illustrate that?   Kathryn Spitznagle: (38:35 - 42:28) Yes. And that's another lesson from, from Neil Lewis that was a profound lesson for me that I've never heard anywhere else. Forgiveness is part of leadership. So, I learned this, um, again, lousy leader just starting out.   And, um, when he put me into leadership, I was like, how hard could it be? Tell people what to do. They do it.   And then came my first employee opinion survey results and they were bad. The numbers were bad. The comments were bad.   The people were unhappy. Um, and the comments to me were, were hurtful. They were justified, but they were hurtful.   And so, when I got, uh, you know, got all the information, I left, I was upset. The next day when I came into the office, I just went into my office and closed the door. I thought they don't want to talk to me.   I don't want to talk to them. That's fine. I was working here.   So, Neil gave me a little time to cool off. And then he came in and, um, on my desk, uh, one of the things that they, um, Purina does in terms of creating that cherished culture is, um, to have things around you that revitalize you. And so, they ask you one of the first days about what, what are things that revitalize you?   And I said, okay, uh, fresh flowers revitalize me. They remind me of my grandmother, nanny, and being in the garden. Um, notes are cards from handwritten, you know, from friends and family and a walk outside.   Those are three things that revitalize me. Okay. So again, I registered with Neil Lewis.   He knew that was a way to frame things for me. So, when he came in that morning, he picked up one of the cards from my desk and he handed it to me and he said, to read that card. And I said, you can read it.   He said, “No. No, I'm asking you to read it out loud to me.” So, it was a card from someone on my team, very complimentary about my leadership style and what it, how it impacted them. And he said, “Is that the leader you are today?”   And I said, “No, but in fairness, they were mean to me. They said some very hurtful things and yeah, I'm not happy.” He said, “Okay.”   And he said, “Kathryn, as leaders, our job is to give first and give again”. And he said, “Do you know what the bridge is between giving first and giving again?” And I said, “No.”   I said, “Neil, I'm not tracking with you.” And he said, “Forgive.” And I said, “Oh, forgiveness.”   And he said, “Nope. Forgiveness is something someone else does. That's a noun. Forgive is a verb. And that's what I need to see you do. Forgive.”   He said, “Kathryn, forgiveness is a big part of leadership and it's something that will hold you back for the rest of your life. So, I am asking you today to be the leader I know you to be and forgive them.”   Laura Dugger:  (42:32 - 42:52) Well, in even the way he modeled that in the way you shared that story, it also reminds me of another leadership tool that you mentioned in your book, which I think if somebody is experiencing this, that could be a really practical next step. So, it's called the hero page. Will you elaborate on that for us?   Kathryn Spitznagle: (42:52 - 52:07) Yes. And so, at Purina, when they talked about having these one-on-ones with your team, with your mentees, with your mentors, kind of framing the dialogue in three buckets, called it three bucket exercise. And I still, this is how I still mentor today.   Uh, so the first thing we ask people to come prepared with is bucket one. What are we celebrating? What have you learned? What have you accomplished? What has gone so well?   Um, since the last time we spoke, because we, as people, but particularly as women pass through things very quickly and go, yep, done good onto the next. Yeah. We don't take that time to celebrate.   And Purina was very focused on what they called reveling. Take just a minute to revel. That was good work, did good work, but whatever was accomplished personal and professional, it was, there were things at home, baby slept four hours straight.   Okay. So, bucket one, what are we celebrating?    Um, so bucket one, they called aha.    Bucket two, they called, hmm, what is, uh, what's out there that you need to, um, do, you know, what's on your to-do list. Is there something you need to get a plan for?   Um, is there something that you want to talk through that's kind of on your assignment board, something like that. And we'll talk through some tactics.    Bucket three is what in the world.   So, anything that seems overwhelming, uh, caught you by surprise. You didn't know it was part of the job. You didn't know it was part of life.   Those are the things we want to talk about in bucket three, every time. So, you want me to tell you the things that are overwhelming me and that I don't know where to start. Yes.   Yes. Every week, because here's what we'll do. We will take the power out of that.   Once you, that's it. We're going to fix it and say, okay, this is what's overwhelming me. This is what I'm anxious about.   This is what caught me by surprise. And we're going to figure out how to break it down into something actionable. And then we're going to move it to bucket two.   And next week, we're going to be talking about those action steps and pretty soon it's going to move to bucket one. There you go. We're celebrating that process that I learned at Purina still did at Caterpillar and doing today.   Um, that just warms my heart. Uh, when I see, um, the folks that I've worked with who've now gone on to do other things. And, uh, one of the guys on my team at Caterpillar, um, now works for McDonald's in Chicago.   And he said that Kathryn, that's our onboarding process. And so, anybody that comes through his team in McDonald's, that's what they learn how to do. And he said that it was just gold.   And you can talk about creating a safe space, but again, the difference with Purina was they gave you a tool, not ours, we are a cherished culture. We create a safe space. And you know what, here's how, by asking this question and by setting aside time to answer it and wrestle with it and work through it.   Now, having said all that, where do you put this information as you're learning this about this person? Uh, you're learning what they're celebrating. You're learning, um, what their values are.   You're learning what they like to do outside of work. What's important to them learning about their purpose. That's a hero page.   And so, they gave us a tool and they said, you know, it's very simple, a hero page. You, you just record things that you have learned about this person that you respect and admire about them. And you can do one for yourself.   They ask you to do the first one for you. Um, but then also to do them for, you can do them for a peer or a leader. Um, you can also do them for someone you're struggling with because oftentimes we aren't really looking for the positives in that person.   So, the, uh, the logic behind the hero page is once you've created it, uh, you're going to look for things to put on it. Positives, all positives, negatives we remember. Positives we're looking for and that's the first reason.    The second reason for a hero page is you may have a tough day with that person sometime. And if you do, you go back and look at your hero page and it puts things in perspective.   Yeah, this isn't going well today, but here are the things I respect and admire about this person. And yes, um, perspective.    The third reason is they may have a tough day sometime and what an incredible gift you can be to them.   Here's an example. When I worked at Caterpillar, um, had wonderful leaders, some remarkable women leaders at Caterpillar, I think because there were so few of them, they were rock stars. And one that I worked for, uh, was sent to Beijing, China on a short term, like a, I don't know, six month or one year assignment as it at the same time, I was also mentoring someone in that Beijing office and it was very remote.   They were, in a remote area, creating an office, creating an HR office, you know, where they, where there's a factory and the person I was mentoring said, you know, let me give you an idea of what we're struggling with here. What kind of, what our situation is. And I'm at corporate and I said, well, whatever it is, I think I could send you some of our signage, some of our value signs.   Those are, those are, that's what you need. I'll send you some value signs. You can put them up on your walls.   And she said, Kathryn, we don't have walls. We're working out of a tent. And she said, each morning we send a bus out to the rural areas here in China and it stops to pick up workers.   And if dad can't go, he sends mom. And if mom can't go, she puts a couple of kids on the bus. And we never know from day to day who's coming to work.   What we do know is that the bus will be full. They will get two meals while they're at work, breakfast and lunch. And then when it returns them home, they will have gotten paid.   She said, we are all but paying people and chickens. Do you understand the situation, the gravity of what we're trying to do to come in here and create an office and HR processes? And she said, first, we're trying to determine who our employees are.   I said, “Oh, our leader is struggling”. And she said, “Will you get on a call with her today?” I said, “Give me a minute.”   And she said, “You're going to get her hero page.” So, we got on the call. Lois, “Kathryn, is this the woman that led one of the first NPI projects for Caterpillar as a woman with our flagship tractor?”   And she said, “Yes.” I said, “Is this the woman who was handed a belt buckle and a t-shirt and created global merchandising stores all around the world?” And she said, “Yes.”   I said, “Is this the woman who has been married 30 plus years happily, raised two remarkable children and showed us all it was possible?” Yes. I said, “I don't know what you're struggling with today, but I do know the woman who did these things can tackle this.”   What a gift you would be to another leader on the day that they needed it in that moment, just to remind them of their value.   Laura Dugger:  (52:10 - 52:40) That encouragement is so powerful. And you're such an engaging storyteller. And like you had mentioned previously, you've gone on from corporate America to now beginning your own business, including your podcast that will link to Rockstar Millennials.   So, I'm curious, Kathryn, are there any stories from those podcast episodes that really come to mind as you think of any standout lessons or your favorites?   Kathryn Spitznagle: (52:41 - 55:51) Oh my gosh. There are so many. It just seems like when I think I can't meet someone any more incredible, I do.   And again, good Lord's hand, they come from all different paths. We're international now. A couple of them that really stand out to me, Michael Kuzma,: he invented the self-playing guitar.   He knew people in his life who had either never been able to play the guitar and wanted to, or they had experienced some sort of an injury or illness that then prevented them from doing what they loved. And so, he created this and just said, “I want this to bring joy and be fun for people.” And I guess the part of the platform that I have for the podcast is purpose.   How are you living your purpose? Khushi Shah is 19 years old. So, she's a little bit younger than a millennial even.   Created a company called Drizzl and it is an informed, what I want to say, it's an irrigation company. And she created this as a science project in grade school. She's now in college at MIT and Harvard and Northeastern.   So, she's attending classes at all. She went to a science and math school in Chicago for high school, finished early and took a gap year at 17. And I said, “So you traveled?”   And she said, “Nope, I decided I'd just run that business full-time, Drizzl.” And so, her families of Indian descent. They'd gone to India and seen the need for water, clean water.   And she said, coming back to the States, I saw sprinklers, lawn sprinklers running and it was raining. And I thought, I need to fix that. There are products on the market that will turn a sprinkler off if it's raining.   Her product is predictive. She's 19. Yeah.   So, folks from St. Jude, folks from Midwest Food Bank, just incredible. Obviously, I can't name one.   There are so many. And those who are living their purpose in all walks of life, in all places around the world, I want to talk to.   Laura Dugger:  (55:52 - 56:07) Wow. And Kathryn, you've invested in so many people and highlighted so many people through your podcast. As you look back, what are you happiest that you invested your life in?   Kathryn Spitznagle: (56:09 - 57:07) Well, I'm a mom, boy mom. So that would have to be my first, my boys. Again, one of the women that I mentor said to me early on, Kathryn, one of the things I love the most is you're from the other side.   I said, Kelsey, what does that mean? I'm from the other side. And she said, you've already done all of this.   You've done the corporate life. You understand small business. You have a decades long, happy marriage.   You've raised your boys. They're happy. They're successful.   If you did this, we can do this and you can help us. And so that investment on so many levels, yeah, is coming back.   Laura Dugger:  (57:08 - 57:19) I love that. And would you be willing just to share anything else about your business or what all you have to offer so that we can continue learning from you after this conversation?   Kathryn Spitznagle: (57:20 - 1:00:49) Oh, absolutely. So, the book that you mentioned, Rockstar Millennials, Developing the Next Generation of Leaders. That's the book.   And it recounts so many of these leadership stories. And then in the back, as you said, are the different tools. And I have to credit the Caterpillar engineers because when I went to Caterpillar and I would tell these stories about Purina or I would live something that they had taught me.   Very early on, in the meeting, or after the meeting, some of these gentlemen came up to me and said, “That thing you just did in that meeting, can you write that down? Like what?” And they said, “Like the words and or the process.”   And so, it began. So, I'd start writing down the words and they might put a graphic with it or somehow improve it. And so, through the years, this same group kept coming back to me.   And when they saw the announcement that I was retiring, they showed up again and said, “Okay, we need one more thing, a spreadsheet.” What do you mean a spreadsheet? They said, “You know, all through the years, we have all of these tools now that we've created out of your head on this paper that we can use and we're using.”   If you can give us a spreadsheet that says, “If you're having this leadership issue, use this tool.” So, God bless the engineers.   So, I credit them, and the tools are in the back of the hard book.   What I found when I started doing workshops was people didn't want to write in the book and they also wanted something bigger and they wanted a place to make notes and doodle and that sort of thing. So that's why we have the book and then the toolkit. So, my business is Mentoring Women Millennials and I do one on one mentoring with individuals, small business primarily.   They'll bring me in to work with their women leaders, but also just individuals who are in some sort of a transition in life or that have never had a mentor and would like one. And so, I do the one-on-one mentoring also with nonprofits. And I'm now an 18-year breast cancer survivor, still in treatment.   And I also mentor breast cancer survivors. And keynote speaking. I work with the Capital City Speakers Bureau.   And so, I do speaking there and I'm prepping for a TED Talk. So those are the next things.   Laura Dugger:  (1:00:50 - 1:01:16) I love it. Always something up your sleeve. We will link to your website so that people can follow up and get in touch if that would be a good partnership.   And you may already be familiar that we're called The Savvy Sauce because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge or insight. And so as my final question for you today, Kathryn, what is your Savvy Sauce?   Kathryn Spitznagle: (1:01:18 - 1:01:49) Um, when I left Purina, um, I asked Neil, “You know, how do I ever repay this company that has given so much to me?” And he said, “Take what you've learned and help someone else.” And so, if you learn from me, that would be my ask, help someone else.   Laura Dugger:  (1:01:50 - 1:02:05) I love that. Amen. Great Savvy Sauce.   And Kathryn, you're just so poised and classy and full of insight. And it was an absolute pleasure to get to host you as my guest today. So, thank you for being my guest.   Kathryn Spitznagle: (1:02:05 - 1:02:07) Thank you. Thank you for having me.   Laura Dugger:  (1:02:09 - 1:05:52) One more thing before you go. Have you heard the term gospel before?   It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you. But it starts with the bad news.   Every single one of us were born sinners, but Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves. This means there is absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own. So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death, and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved.   We need a savior. But God loved us so much, he made a way for his only son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute. This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with him.   That is good news. Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live and died in our place for our sin. This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus.   We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished if we choose to receive what He has done for us. Romans 10:9 says, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” So, would you pray with me now?   Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus to take our place. I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to you. Will you clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare you as Lord of their life?   We trust you to work and change lives now for eternity. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.   If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring him for me, so me for him. You get the opportunity to live your life for him. And at this podcast, we're called The Savvy Sauce for a reason.   We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned. So, you ready to get started? First, tell someone.   Say it out loud. Get a Bible. The first day I made this decision, my parents took me to Barnes & Noble and let me choose my own Bible.   I selected the Quest NIV Bible, and I love it. You can start by reading the book of John. Also, get connected locally, which just means tell someone who's a part of a church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ.   I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps, such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you. We want to celebrate with you too, so feel free to leave a comment for us here if you did make a decision to follow Christ. We also have show notes included where you can read scripture that describes this process.   And finally, be encouraged. Luke 15:10 says, “In the same way I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” The heavens are praising with you for your decision today.   And if you've already received this good news, I pray you have someone to share it with. You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.

Leadership isn't simply about titles or tenure—it's about influence, integrity, and the ability to inspire others toward a common goal. In today's ever-evolving workplace, effective leadership demands more than authority; it calls for empathy, clarity, and the capacity to negotiate diverse personalities, needs, and expectations. In this compelling conversation, Cindy Watson is joined by Noel Massie—a man whose journey from part-time college employee to Vice President of U.S. Operations at UPS exemplifies the power of purpose-driven leadership. Over the course of his distinguished career, Noel oversaw hundreds of thousands of employees and thousands of supervisors, honing a deep understanding of what it takes to build high-performing teams in complex environments. As they explore the art of negotiating better leadership, Noel shares wisdom from the front lines—insights on developing people, navigating workplace challenges, and creating cultures rooted in respect and accountability. This is a story not just of corporate success, but of mentorship, service, and a commitment to shaping the leaders of tomorrow. Step into this conversation and discover what it truly means to lead—and negotiate—from a place of vision, value, and voice. In this episode, you will learn: How to negotiate influence as a leader What does it take to lead a large scale of people How to negotiate with executives Different leaderships style The four by five method What are the four perspectives and the five intensity levels And many more Learn more about Noel: Website: https://noelmassie.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noel-massie-8b7511a/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noellmassie/   If you're looking to up-level your negotiation skills, I have everything from online to group to my signature one-on-one mastermind & VIP experiences available to help you better leverage your innate power to get more of what you want and deserve in life. Check out our website at www.artofFeminineNegotiation.com if that sounds interesting to you. Get Cindy's book here:   Amazon   https://www.amazon.com/Art-Feminine-Negotiation-Boardroom-Bedroom-ebook/dp/B0B8KPCYZP?inf_contact_key=94d07c699eea186d2adfbddfef6fb9e2&inf_contact_key=013613337189d4d12be8d2bca3c26821680f8914173f9191b1c0223e68310bb1   EBook   https://www.amazon.com/Art-Feminine-Negotiation-Boardroom-Bedroom-ebook/dp/B0B8KPCYZP?inf_contact_key=94d07c699eea186d2adfbddfef6fb9e2&inf_contact_key=013613337189d4d12be8d2bca3c26821680f8914173f9191b1c0223e68310bb1   Barnes and Noble   https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-art-of-feminine-negotiation-cindy-watson/1141499614?ean=9781631959776 CONNECT WITH CINDY: Website: www.womenonpurpose.ca Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/womenonpurposecommunity/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenonpurposecoaching/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thecindywatson Show: https://www.womenonpurpose.ca/media/podcast-2/ (X) Twitter:  https://twitter.com/womenonpurpose1 YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@hersuasion Email:cindy@womenonpurpose.ca

Perhaps the single most devastating sentence I ever hear is this “I have decided to quit my job and go into full-time Ministry.” Ugh…This one sentence describes the condition of the hearts and minds of millions of Christians. It is a misunderstanding that STOPS TODAY. You don't need to quit your job to go into full-time ministry. You are already a full time fully funded, fully trained missionary. You are fully equipped and fully enabled to enter your mission field. You understand the language and the culture, and you already love the people. You know your mission. As a Jesus Follower, everything about you has been changing, and everyone around you is now benefitting from your faith, whether they believe in Jesus or not. May your vibrant faith pave the way into life-transforming conversations as you love your neighbor on your workplace mission field. 

KMOX's Sean Malone met D'Andre Braddix,Ombudsperson at St. Louis Community College, at a recent event looking at the region's workforce. He asked about these workers born between 1997 and 2012

In Week 10 of our “Christ Over All” series, we turn to Colossians 3:22-4:1. Last week, we focused on what it means to have Christ in the Home, and this week we shift to the workplace. Here, Paul offers insight and instruction that, when seen rightly, allows work to become proper worship and an effective witness.Website:www.experienceredemption.comFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/experienceredemptionInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/experienceredemption

Join host Dana Skaggs and organizational researcher Craig Mattson as they dive into the pressures of the modern workplace. Using powerful metaphors like "the wave" of digital overwhelm and the "life raft" of coping strategies, they explore why remote work often feels confusing and detached. The conversation tackles the big question: "Should I quit if my job feels meaningless?" Craig reveals the four distinct ways people find purpose—from changing the world to simply surviving the day. Ultimately, they argue that in an era of constant change, your greatest skill isn't what you do, but your ability to adapt your perspective and find meaning, even if it feels like you're just a cup of water in an ocean. Craig's Linkedin Craig's Blog

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Steven Gaffney, author and expert in change management and honest communication on his nine-step formula for effective leadership. Coaching and advising high-achieving teams with Fortune 500 clients like Amazon, Marriott and Allstate Insurance and the US government and military has led him to highlight the need for deep listening and addressing emotions. Leaders must create emotionally safe environments he argues. Encouraging honest feedback, maintaining consistency and appreciating employees' hard work fosters a workplace culture centred on achievement and achievers versus performing and performers in a world of ambiguity and change.#Business #Management

It feels really good to be back with a new season of The Art of the Suit.   My motivation to get restarted was meeting a fellow executive coach, Maureen Kyne, who is based in Melbourne, Australia.  Maureen is a remarkable businesswoman and entrepreneur in her own right and has earned her stripes coming up through the ranks in the workplace.  In her role as an executive coach, she identified a particularly alarming behaviour which she coined as "upward bullying", a subject that has been identified but not researched to any large extent. In this interview Maureen shares insights about her own success journey - one that I'm sure you will find highly motivating and then unpacks insights to how upward bullying manifests.If you are experiencing upward bullying and feel that you would benefit from joining an exclusive support group that Maureen has created, here is the link:https://maureenkyne.com.au/the-courageous-collective/There is a short application process as this is a protected space for leaders who have experienced upward bullying, and to keep it safe they validate each member. The code to get 6 months at $29AU per month is VIP - this discount code is entered on the screen where you enter card details.Alternatively, you can find Maureen on LinkedIn.I hope you found this episode of interest and useful.  PLEASE HELP ME SPREAD THE PURPOSE BY LIKING AND SHARING THIS EPISODE.   And as always if you have any ideas, suggestions or needs that can lead me to creating the content for future episodes please reach out to me at dawn@dawnklatzko.com, via my website www.dawnklatzko.com or via LinkedIn. Do Good. Be Great.  

Guest host Jerry Mathis talks with Michael Griffith and Jay Collins about Pastors for Business, a ministry bringing the gospel into workplaces and meeting real needs through Jesus' Labor of Love.  

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Technology Commentator Andy O'Donoghue examines Meta's Multi-Billion Investment into AI Superintelligence, its implications for the Workplace, and the broader societal risks.Listen here for all the details on a potentially world-altering announcement.

Culture isn't something you build later, it's happening right now, whether you're aware of it or not. In this powerful episode, Dr. Angela Jackson joins George to break down how intentional leadership can make or break your team's energy, retention, and trust. If you're building anything with people… This one's a masterclass.What You'll Learn:Why culture is always being created, whether you're intentional or notThe hidden ways leaders shape employee experience and retentionHow to recognize and reverse “quiet quitting” inside your businessThe role of empathy and flexibility in building high-performing teamsHow to build a win-win workplace that drives innovation and resultsPractical strategies to empower team ownership and close the communication loopThe difference between transactional perks and meaningful benefitsHow to intentionally develop managers and “culture carriers” in your organizationKey Takeaways:✔️Culture is created by default or design, choose wisely.✔️60% of employees feel their bosses don't care about them.✔️Startups often unconsciously build zero-sum workplaces.✔️Quiet quitting happens when leaders aren't listening.✔️Retention and results start with empathy and agency.✔️Reimagine benefits around what actually matters to employees.✔️Great managers are made, not born, train them intentionally.✔️Give team members ownership and a voice in innovation.Timestamps:[00:00] – Culture is created whether we intend it or not[04:00] – What entrepreneurs get wrong about culture[06:00] – The “quiet quitting” epidemic and what causes it[08:30] – How to hire for complementary strengths[11:00] – KPIs for culture: where to begin[14:30] – Culture carriers and manager training[18:30] – Leadership mistakes: hiring for potential with no support[21:00] – Practicing culture in 1:1 relationships[23:00] – Boundaries, burnout, and leading by example[26:00] – Why “throwing money” at problems doesn't fix culture[29:30] – Ownership mindset: every employee as a leader[32:00] – How to close the loop and truly listen to your team[36:00] – Flexibility, empathy, and benefits that actually work[38:00] – How culture impacts business outcomes[41:00] – Wrap up: start small, lead intentionallyYour Challenge This Week:Share your biggest insight from today's episode on Instagram and tag us!Start a conversation with your team—what kind of culture are you really creating?Grab Dr. Angela Jackson's book The Win-Win Workplace and begin applying at least one principle this week.Connect with Dr. Angela Jackson on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn.For more real, tactical wisdom and behind-the-scenes lessons, follow George on Instagram: @itsgeorgebryantJoin The Alliance – The Relationship Beats Algorithms™ community for entrepreneurs scaling with trust and connection.Apply for 1:1 Coaching – Ready to build with sustainability, impact, and ease? Apply here.Live Events – Get in the room where long-term success is built: mindofgeorge.com/event

In this Friday Q&A edition, Don tackles five listener questions spanning kids' UTMAs vs. 529 plans, Roth vs. pre-tax 403(b) contributions, filling portfolio gaps when a workplace plan lacks small-cap value, why indexed annuities are a costly sales pitch wrapped in deceptive promises, and how to help a recently divorced 26-year-old daughter find hope and financial focus. Along the way, he delivers mic technique tips, portfolio simplification advice, and a blistering breakdown of annuity sales incentives—plus a reminder to prioritize life and mental recovery over rushing into big purchases. 0:04 Florida heat, Friday Q&A setup, and microphone placement tips 2:29 UTMA vs. 529 rules, Roth transfer limits, and simplification advice 6:59 Mid-40s couple weighing Roth vs. pre-tax 403(b) contributions 9:29 Workplace plan fund gaps, avoiding PIMCO small-cap, and using other accounts to diversify 12:58 Indexed annuity dinner pitch breakdown—hidden costs, low returns, and high commissions 20:58 Helping a divorced 26-year-old refocus priorities, delay big purchases, and stay patient Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we chat the world of bread and the math behind it (sort of), with our special guest, Jason!Jason 'drives' us through his bread delivery route, explaining how the numbers, store stops, and fresh bread logistics all come together.Meredith tries her best to follow along, but admits… she still doesn't really understand how it works. (Bread routes are complicated, okay?)We take a fun detour into a Bread Quiz, which ChatGPT created and yes, Cass's name is in it! She's AI famous now.Oh, and surprise twist: Jason used to marry people! (As in, officiate weddings, not collect spouses

Jennifer Ingraffea is a seasoned executive leader with over 25 years of experience in the retail, apparel, product merchandising, and management sectors. In July 2025, Jennifer became the CEO of Pendleton Woolen Mills; a family-owned business since its founding in the 1860s. Before joining Pendleton, she served as Chief Product & Merchandising Officer at The North Face, prior to which, she worked at Nike in a number of high-level executive leadership roles. Jennifer and Roy discuss her new role and dig into essential leadership skills like curiosity, stewardship, and much more.Highlights from our conversation include:Core beliefs, values, and principles in Jenn's leadership playbook (2:53)Leading through cycles of massive consumer and retail evolution (5:39)Identifying areas of a business that are in need of clarification and simplification (7:36)Aligning a team towards a long term vision (11:01)Lessons learned around hiring and team building at major brands (14:58)How Jenn developed her hiring process and philosophy (17:07)What a great leader looks like to Jenn (18:36)Valuable traits that Jenn identifies when hiring direct reports (22:58)Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode.Follow Roy Notowitz and Noto Group Executive Search on LinkedIn for updates and featured career opportunities.Subscribe to How I Hire:AppleSpotifyAmazon

In praying for those I worked with, serving them above what my job required me to do and in developing real relationships with them outside of “Work”, I began to notice when their demeanor changed and they were having a bad day. I learned to ask, “How are you doing today?” I really wanted to know the answer. They would respond with “I'm Fine”, then I would respond, really? Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional? Really, how are you doing? Then I would be quiet and let them share what was really going on because they knew I genuinely cared. When they were done sharing, I learned to say, “Thanks for sharing that with me, can I pray about that with you right now?” I never got turned down.  Mind you this took a couple of years to develop but you can do it too. You can start by simply asking “How are you doing today?” 

People Who MYSTERIOUSLY Vanished From Their WORKPLACEBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/missing-persons-mysteries--5624803/support.

She says she's done, movers booked, divorce lawyer on speed-dial. Do you level up and reclaim respect—or let her go and start over? John and Nicole break down the brutal path from blindsided husband to high-value man, debating whether fighting for a dying marriage is strength or desperation.⏱️ Timestamps (approx.)0:00  Cold open: “Even though she's leaving you…”—why terms matter2:30  Shock phase: blindsided men & early warning signs they missed4:30  Kids, housework, careers—the hidden resentment load10:00  Silent checkout: subtle clues she's already halfway gone16:30  Respect erosion & masculine drift—how it starts, how to stop it22:30  Workplace validation and the “new guy” threat25:30  Bedroom shutdown: sex declines and what it really signals28:40  Cheating suspicions vs facts—panic or pattern?33:15  Level-up blueprint: fitness, finance, frame, social proof40:25  Negotiating new terms: boundaries, leadership, non-negotiables49:30  Ultimatums, timing, and knowing when to walk away59:00  Rapid-fire takeaways & next-episode teaser

Aki Ito, Chief Correspondent at Business Insider, joins Jon Hansen on Your Money Matters to discuss the memo sent to AT&T’s employees from its CEO John Stankey. Aki breaks down the psychological contract in a workplace and the language used in the memo.

Happy Birthday to Bryan! Fresh off his first week at the Edinburgh Fringe, Bryan tells us about the hustle it takes to perform at the world's largest performing arts festival. Erin saw the musical Some Like It Hot and has now been inspired to sign up for tap classes. Bryan explains the UK's Online Safety Act which now requires people to upload personal documents in order to view adult websites. Erin calls out Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters for watching porn during a work meeting, and celebrates Rhode Island for being the first state to provide workplace accommodations for menopause. For tickets to Bryan's show visit www.bryansafi.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send Dr. Li a text here. Please leave your email address if you would like a reply, thanks.In this heartfelt episode of the Make Time for Success podcast, Dr. Christine Li welcomes back the vibrant Natasha Nurse, Managing Director at MRM Education, for a candid conversation on self-discovery, late-in-life neurodivergent diagnosis, and embracing authenticity. Natasha shares her personal journey with ADHD and autism, the transformative impact of understanding her neurodivergence, and how this has shaped her life as a leader, parent, and advocate. The episode also explores how workplaces and educational settings can better support neurodivergent individuals, and Natasha's work in creating equitable, impactful spaces for learning and growth. If you're interested in stories of resilience, embracing your true self, and challenging societal norms, this episode is not to be missed!Timestamps:[00:02:00] – [00:03:42]: Reunion and setup for Natasha's neurodivergence journey.[00:03:42] – [00:07:43]: Natasha's diagnosis story and early experiences.[00:07:43] – [00:09:51]: Discussing authenticity and the emotional side of autism.[00:09:51] – [00:12:02]: Finding community with other neurodivergent people.[00:12:02] – [00:15:46]: Workplace challenges and embracing neurodivergence at work.[00:15:46] – [00:20:44]: The Black woman's experience and the importance of supportive spaces.[00:20:44] – [00:24:16]: Self-esteem, reframing neurodivergence as a superpower.[00:24:16] – [00:27:14]: Overview of MRM Education and its mission.To sign up for the Waitlist for the Simply Productive Program, go to https://maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com/SPFor more information on the Make Time for Success podcast, visit: https://www.maketimeforsuccesspodcast.comGain Access to Dr. Christine Li's Free Resource Library -- 12 downloadable tools and templates to help you bypass the impulse to procrastinate: https://procrastinationcoach.mykajabi.com/freelibraryTo work with Dr. Li on a weekly basis in her coaching and accountability program, register for The Success Lab here: https://www.procrastinationcoach.com/labConnect with Us!Dr. Christine LiWebsite: https://www.procrastinationcoach.comFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/procrastinationcoachInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/procrastinationcoach/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@procrastinationcoachThe Success Lab: https://maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com/lab                        Simply Productive: https://maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com/SPNatasha Nurse, Esq.Learn more about MRM Education: https://www.mrmeducation.com/Podcast: https://www.swellcast.com/MRMInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrmeducationFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/mrmeducateLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mrm-edu

Successful generative AI transition requires leaders to overcome cognitive biases through transparency, empathy, and hands-on engagement—empowering teams to see AI not as a threat, but as a tool for growth and innovation. That's the key take-away message of this episode of the Wise Decision Maker Show, which talks about how to mitigate cognitive biases during the generative AI transition.This article forms the basis for this episode: https://disasteravoidanceexperts.com/leading-the-generative-ai-transition-beyond-cognitive-biases/

When Jim came home one day and said, I think we should hire a prayer intercessor for iWork4Him, I didn't know what to think. We had heard from and interviewed business leaders and organization leaders from around the country with prayer intercessors on their staff. I thought it was powerful, but  I had never considered that someone should be paid to pray. We pay people to do all kinds of other things around our workplaces. Why wouldn't we pay for them to spend time interceding on our behalf with our heavenly father? It's a radical idea today, but it totally makes sense. It has changed how we do business each and every day. Consider hiring an intercessor for your business or organization today and see what a difference it makes when you have an additional set of ears listening to Him. 

A new national study from groups including Gallup and the non-profit Jobs for the Future found that relatively few employees have any influence over how new technology is adopted in the workplace. Marketplace's Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Molly Blankenship, director of strategy and impact at Jobs for the Future, about what that means for employers and employees as technology like generative AI becomes more common in the office.

A new national study from groups including Gallup and the non-profit Jobs for the Future found that relatively few employees have any influence over how new technology is adopted in the workplace. Marketplace's Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Molly Blankenship, director of strategy and impact at Jobs for the Future, about what that means for employers and employees as technology like generative AI becomes more common in the office.

“Half the battle in life is just talking about it and making sure people feel safe enough to do so.” Notable Moments: 00:03:00 – Mental health concerns in college students 00:04:10 – 40-60% of first-year students need counseling, while wait times are alarming 00:05:54 – How tech-fueled isolation is eroding real-world confidence and skills 00:07:58 – What leaders need to do: empathy, communication, and support 00:13:55 – Mental health support resources 00:15:31 – Lee's mindset shift in supporting his wife Priscilla through pain Lee Cockerell shares his deep concern about how rising isolation is impacting anxiety and performance in today's workforce. Through personal stories and experiences working with universities, he calls on leaders to be proactive, empathetic, and human-centered. With young employees entering the workplace carrying stress, insecurity, and lack of connection, leaders must create safe environments where mental health is not a taboo topic. This episode offers ways to build trust, recognize hidden signs of struggle, and make support a natural part of leadership. Read the blog for more from this episode.  Resources The Cockerell Academy About Lee Cockerell Mainstreet Leader Jody Maberry Travel Guidance Magical Vacation Planners are my preferred travel advisors. Reach out to have them help plan your next vacation. You can reach them at 407-442-2694.