May 13, 2025

Beyond Balance: Creating Fulfillment in the Modern Workplace with Dr. Tracy Brower

Beyond Balance: Creating Fulfillment in the Modern Workplace with Dr. Tracy Brower
iHeartRadio podcast player iconSpotify podcast player iconAmazon Music podcast player iconAudible podcast player iconPandora podcast player iconApple Podcasts podcast player iconPodchaser podcast player iconDeezer podcast player iconAudacy podcast player iconYoutube Music podcast player iconSpreaker podcast player iconPodcast Addict podcast player iconCastbox podcast player iconJioSaavn podcast player iconCastamatic podcast player iconCastro podcast player iconFountain podcast player iconGoodpods podcast player iconOvercast podcast player iconPlayerFM podcast player iconPocketCasts podcast player iconPodimo podcast player iconPodurama podcast player iconPodverse podcast player iconPodyssey podcast player iconYouTube podcast player iconRSS Feed podcast player icon
iHeartRadio podcast player iconSpotify podcast player iconAmazon Music podcast player iconAudible podcast player iconPandora podcast player iconApple Podcasts podcast player iconPodchaser podcast player iconDeezer podcast player iconAudacy podcast player iconYoutube Music podcast player iconSpreaker podcast player iconPodcast Addict podcast player iconCastbox podcast player iconJioSaavn podcast player iconCastamatic podcast player iconCastro podcast player iconFountain podcast player iconGoodpods podcast player iconOvercast podcast player iconPlayerFM podcast player iconPocketCasts podcast player iconPodimo podcast player iconPodurama podcast player iconPodverse podcast player iconPodyssey podcast player iconYouTube podcast player iconRSS Feed podcast player icon

Join in as we engage with Dr. Tracy Brower, sociologist and author, to discuss redefining work-life balance and cultivating fulfillment in today's dynamic work environments. Drawing from her extensive research and publications on happiness, work-life fulfillment, and the future of work, Dr. Brower offers insights into building cultures that prioritize well-being, connection, and purpose. This conversation is for leaders aiming to navigate the evolving landscape of work and employee expectations.

Working on Purpose is broadcast live Tuesdays at 6PM ET and Music on W4CY Radio (www.w4cy.com) part of Talk 4 Radio (www.talk4radio.com) on the Talk 4 Media Network (www.talk4media.com). Working on Purpose is viewed on Talk 4 TV (www.talk4tv.com).

Working on Purpose Podcast is also available on Talk 4 Media (www.talk4media.com), Talk 4 Podcasting (www.talk4podcasting.com), iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify, Audible, and over 100 other podcast outlets.

Become a supporter of this podcast:https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/working-on-purpose--2643411/support.

WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:02.439
The topics and opinions express in the following show are

2
00:00:02.439 --> 00:00:04.080
solely those of the hosts and their guests and not

3
00:00:04.120 --> 00:00:07.000
those of W FOURCY Radio. It's employees are affiliates. We

4
00:00:07.080 --> 00:00:10.160
make no recommendations or endorsements for radio show programs, services,

5
00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:12.560
or products mentioned on air or on our web. No

6
00:00:12.640 --> 00:00:15.519
liability explicit or implies shall be extended to W FOURCY

7
00:00:15.640 --> 00:00:18.359
Radio or its employees are affiliates. Any questions or comments

8
00:00:18.359 --> 00:00:20.600
should be directed to those show hosts. Thank you for

9
00:00:20.679 --> 00:00:27.519
choosing W FOURCY Radio.

10
00:00:28.280 --> 00:00:31.719
What's working on Purpose? Anyway? Each week we ponder the

11
00:00:31.719 --> 00:00:34.920
answer to this question. People ache for meaning and purpose

12
00:00:34.920 --> 00:00:38.280
at work, to contribute their talents passionately and know their

13
00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:41.719
lives really matter. They crave being part of an organization

14
00:00:41.799 --> 00:00:44.520
that inspires them and helps them grow into realizing their

15
00:00:44.600 --> 00:00:47.640
highest potential. Business can be such a force for good

16
00:00:47.640 --> 00:00:51.240
in the world, elevating humanity. In our program, we provide

17
00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:54.359
guidance and inspiration to help usher in this world we

18
00:00:54.399 --> 00:00:58.719
all want working on Purpose. Now here's your host, doctor

19
00:00:58.719 --> 00:00:59.799
Elise Cortes.

20
00:01:04.879 --> 00:01:06.799
Welcome back to the Working and Purpose Program, which has

21
00:01:06.840 --> 00:01:08.959
been brought to you with passion and pride since February

22
00:01:08.959 --> 00:01:11.640
of twenty fifteen. Thanks for tuning in this week. Great

23
00:01:11.680 --> 00:01:14.239
to have you. I'm your host, doctor Elise Cortes. If

24
00:01:14.239 --> 00:01:16.120
we've not met before and you don't know me, I

25
00:01:16.159 --> 00:01:21.879
am a workforce advisor, organizational psychologist, management consultant, local therapists,

26
00:01:21.879 --> 00:01:24.319
speaker and author. My team and I at Gusto Now

27
00:01:24.359 --> 00:01:27.799
help companies to unlive and fortify their operations by building dynamic,

28
00:01:27.879 --> 00:01:32.120
high performance cultures, inspirational leadership, and nurturing managers activated by

29
00:01:32.159 --> 00:01:35.000
meaning and purpose. And did you know that inspired employees

30
00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:38.120
outperform their satisfied peers by a factor of two point

31
00:01:38.120 --> 00:01:40.920
twenty five to one. In other words, inspiration is good

32
00:01:40.959 --> 00:01:43.159
for the bottom line. You can learn more about us

33
00:01:43.159 --> 00:01:45.879
and how we can work together at Gusto dashnow dot

34
00:01:45.879 --> 00:01:50.079
com or my personal side at Leascoortes dot com. Before

35
00:01:50.079 --> 00:01:52.040
we get into today's program, I'm thrilled to announce that

36
00:01:52.079 --> 00:01:54.239
registration has been open for a while now for a

37
00:01:54.319 --> 00:01:57.159
fabulous new conference for women for which I'll serve as

38
00:01:57.159 --> 00:01:59.840
the MC. It's called Thrive in twenty five and is

39
00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:02.799
jam packed few days in Chicago June twenty fifth through

40
00:02:02.799 --> 00:02:05.519
the twenty eighth, twenty twenty five and is designed to

41
00:02:05.920 --> 00:02:09.360
develop women as whole selves, from bolstering your mindset to

42
00:02:09.400 --> 00:02:12.719
your financial acumen, to leadership, to incorporating nature and art

43
00:02:12.759 --> 00:02:15.560
into your life to raise consciousness, and much more. You

44
00:02:15.560 --> 00:02:18.120
can visit thrive in twenty five dot com from more

45
00:02:18.120 --> 00:02:21.479
information and register using my promo code Gusto all caps

46
00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:23.759
to gain access to the free books and programs I'm

47
00:02:23.800 --> 00:02:24.800
gifting to participants.

48
00:02:24.919 --> 00:02:25.599
We hope to see you.

49
00:02:25.599 --> 00:02:28.879
There getting in today's program we have with us today

50
00:02:28.879 --> 00:02:33.439
Doctor Tracy Brauer. She's a PhD sociologist studying happiness, work,

51
00:02:33.439 --> 00:02:36.159
life fulfillment, and the future of work. She's the author

52
00:02:36.199 --> 00:02:38.719
of the Secrets of Happiness at Work, then Bring Work

53
00:02:38.800 --> 00:02:42.039
to Life. She is the vice president of Workplace Insights

54
00:02:42.159 --> 00:02:45.680
with Steelcase and a senior contributor to Forbes and Fast Company.

55
00:02:45.960 --> 00:02:48.919
Today we'll be talking about happiness and work, life fulfillment

56
00:02:49.039 --> 00:02:51.159
and how we can put them into action and into

57
00:02:51.199 --> 00:02:54.360
our culture. She joined a study from Holland Michigan. Doctor

58
00:02:54.400 --> 00:02:56.599
Tracy A hearty welcome to Working on Purpose.

59
00:02:57.479 --> 00:03:00.039
Thank you thanks for having me looking forward to it

60
00:03:00.120 --> 00:03:00.520
so welcome.

61
00:03:00.560 --> 00:03:03.599
I'm delighted that we met through Forbes and as I said,

62
00:03:03.639 --> 00:03:05.159
before we got an air. When I saw what you

63
00:03:05.199 --> 00:03:07.280
were doing, I went on LinkedIn and look, she's got

64
00:03:07.319 --> 00:03:10.000
to come on. We are so aligned. And so let's

65
00:03:10.039 --> 00:03:13.719
first celebrate your books here. So this first one, Bring

66
00:03:13.840 --> 00:03:18.039
Work to Life, beautiful book, it's just gorgeous, then, which

67
00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:20.439
came out in twenty fourteen. And then this one, The

68
00:03:20.479 --> 00:03:23.360
Secrets to Happiness at Work, and I love this. This

69
00:03:23.360 --> 00:03:25.639
one came out in twenty twenty four So we'll be

70
00:03:25.680 --> 00:03:28.479
talking ladies and gentlemen from both of these books as

71
00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:30.919
we go along here. So kudos for bringing those to life.

72
00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:32.120
I know what that takes.

73
00:03:33.199 --> 00:03:37.199
Thank you appreciate it. Yeah, they're like children at some level.

74
00:03:37.240 --> 00:03:40.199
Oh, no question, Yes, and they something may behave on

75
00:03:40.240 --> 00:03:42.599
their own sometimes and make their own decisions, don't they

76
00:03:43.120 --> 00:03:48.400
without consulting the parent? Yes? I know. Well let's start

77
00:03:48.400 --> 00:03:50.479
with this this first topic that I just thought was

78
00:03:50.560 --> 00:03:53.800
so I don't know, it kind of tickled me when

79
00:03:53.840 --> 00:03:56.639
I was reading it that you wrote about how work

80
00:03:56.680 --> 00:03:59.599
life balance was such a wrong notion in twenty fourteen,

81
00:03:59.639 --> 00:04:02.680
and another better way to appreciate that and approach it,

82
00:04:02.719 --> 00:04:05.000
which I want to get to. But what I find

83
00:04:05.039 --> 00:04:07.800
so amazing about that, doctor Brower is that you know today,

84
00:04:07.840 --> 00:04:10.280
here we are in twenty twenty five, and boy, is

85
00:04:10.280 --> 00:04:13.240
that really a central issue for people today. So let's

86
00:04:13.240 --> 00:04:15.719
talk a little bit about why. And I agree with

87
00:04:15.759 --> 00:04:18.199
you why work life balance is the wrong term. What's

88
00:04:18.240 --> 00:04:20.839
the better term to work for and aspire to?

89
00:04:21.639 --> 00:04:24.319
Yeah, it's so relevant, isn't it. It's like a time

90
00:04:24.360 --> 00:04:26.759
work to think that that was eleven years ago, that

91
00:04:26.800 --> 00:04:28.600
we were writing about it, or that I was writing

92
00:04:28.639 --> 00:04:30.959
about it at the time, and that you were aligned

93
00:04:30.959 --> 00:04:33.240
with that as well. I mean, I think the problem

94
00:04:33.279 --> 00:04:36.120
with work life balance is it's really zero sum, right.

95
00:04:36.120 --> 00:04:38.560
It suggests that there's work or there's life, and we

96
00:04:38.639 --> 00:04:43.000
have to make some choice. That's first. Secondly, it's precarious, right,

97
00:04:43.079 --> 00:04:45.000
Like we're going to balance and we're going to fall,

98
00:04:45.079 --> 00:04:47.720
and we're not going to be able to have it all.

99
00:04:48.079 --> 00:04:50.920
And I actually think that it's not enough, Like we

100
00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:55.519
can really strive for more than just work life balance.

101
00:04:56.120 --> 00:04:59.360
And the thing that is most important is that work

102
00:04:59.399 --> 00:05:01.920
is actually part of a full life. I mean, we

103
00:05:01.959 --> 00:05:04.800
all need vacation, we all need time away, but we

104
00:05:04.959 --> 00:05:08.720
also crave to make a contribution to our community, to

105
00:05:08.839 --> 00:05:13.920
express our talents, to have an instinct to matter and

106
00:05:14.040 --> 00:05:16.319
work is part of that, you know, getting off of

107
00:05:16.360 --> 00:05:19.720
the couch, getting out of the door, working with people

108
00:05:19.839 --> 00:05:23.639
either virtually or in person, who kind of care what

109
00:05:23.680 --> 00:05:26.560
you're doing and are counting on you to be part

110
00:05:26.600 --> 00:05:30.279
of the deliverable and are counting on your contribution. Those

111
00:05:30.319 --> 00:05:33.920
are really healthy and helpful and constructive parts of a

112
00:05:33.920 --> 00:05:34.680
full life.

113
00:05:35.040 --> 00:05:38.680
Yeah, I completely agree. And I remember also many years

114
00:05:38.680 --> 00:05:40.480
ago when I was when I was speaking and then

115
00:05:40.519 --> 00:05:44.600
at that time about how outdated that work that idea

116
00:05:44.759 --> 00:05:48.160
was work life balance, and then of course integration is

117
00:05:48.199 --> 00:05:52.000
really powerful. I also like work life harmony as something

118
00:05:52.079 --> 00:05:54.759
to go for as well. I think that's really powerful,

119
00:05:54.800 --> 00:05:57.480
and the idea of dancing and having it all kind

120
00:05:57.519 --> 00:05:58.480
of thing. I really like that.

121
00:05:59.279 --> 00:06:03.439
Yeah, like navigation as well, because there are abs and flows,

122
00:06:03.480 --> 00:06:06.800
there are ups and down seasons of life. Right we're

123
00:06:06.920 --> 00:06:10.240
navigating that effectively and integrating work in life. That's really

124
00:06:10.399 --> 00:06:12.439
that's really the best week. Get that it gets.

125
00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:15.000
Absolutely and just really quick. On that note, I had

126
00:06:15.319 --> 00:06:18.800
Rashad Tabaccuola on my on my show a few weeks

127
00:06:18.839 --> 00:06:20.959
ago or I guess it was last week, and he

128
00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:23.240
wrote a book called Rethinking Work, and he really talks

129
00:06:23.279 --> 00:06:26.800
about how diverse the workforce is today. You have people

130
00:06:26.800 --> 00:06:29.439
that are you know, entering and wanting to go all out. Man,

131
00:06:29.480 --> 00:06:31.279
I'm just I'm going for it, I mean going for

132
00:06:31.279 --> 00:06:32.759
the gusta. And you have people that are like, I

133
00:06:32.800 --> 00:06:35.199
need to take care of younger children or maybe my parents,

134
00:06:35.600 --> 00:06:37.480
or I'm trying to sunset. I just want to work

135
00:06:37.519 --> 00:06:41.759
seventy five percent or fifty percent, and you know, accommodating that.

136
00:06:41.920 --> 00:06:44.519
And because we want to be able to accommodate and

137
00:06:44.639 --> 00:06:47.240
include many people in the workforces we possibly can for

138
00:06:47.360 --> 00:06:50.720
a healthy nation and to get people more opportunities. And

139
00:06:50.759 --> 00:06:54.399
I think there's so much opportunity to help leaders recognize

140
00:06:54.399 --> 00:06:56.800
and learn how to accommodate that, how to pull off

141
00:06:56.800 --> 00:06:57.399
that dance.

142
00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:00.279
Yes, I love that. And you know, we talk a

143
00:07:00.319 --> 00:07:02.800
lot about generations at work today. And I always like

144
00:07:02.879 --> 00:07:07.439
to think that life stage is actually a more salient concess.

145
00:07:07.879 --> 00:07:10.160
Where we are in life a lot of times matters

146
00:07:10.240 --> 00:07:12.920
more than how old we are, and we have different

147
00:07:12.959 --> 00:07:15.600
priorities at different points in our life. We all care

148
00:07:15.639 --> 00:07:18.560
about growing our career, but that might be a higher

149
00:07:18.600 --> 00:07:21.399
priority when we're early career, right. We all care about

150
00:07:21.480 --> 00:07:25.199
leaving a legacy or mentoring others or coaching others, but

151
00:07:25.240 --> 00:07:28.279
that might be a higher priority as we're later career.

152
00:07:28.399 --> 00:07:31.079
Right in the mid career, we're threading the needle and

153
00:07:31.079 --> 00:07:33.959
connecting the dots, and so I think that's key for

154
00:07:34.079 --> 00:07:38.480
leadership is understanding uniquely on what people's priorities.

155
00:07:37.879 --> 00:07:41.800
Are totally align. I don't think there's really tunity. Things

156
00:07:41.800 --> 00:07:45.360
you could say, Tracy, that I wouldn't say. I agree. Okay,

157
00:07:45.399 --> 00:07:47.519
So this is a term that I had, I hadn't

158
00:07:47.519 --> 00:07:49.319
really heard before, and this is one of the reasons

159
00:07:49.360 --> 00:07:51.480
I love. This has been ten years and I part

160
00:07:51.480 --> 00:07:52.720
of the reason I do to show the way that

161
00:07:52.759 --> 00:07:55.199
I do, Tracy, is it really is kind of curated

162
00:07:55.240 --> 00:07:57.959
content I pull out from your book, the stuff that

163
00:07:58.040 --> 00:08:01.160
builds on or ads a freshing way, something that we

164
00:08:01.199 --> 00:08:04.360
haven't talked about before. So I hadn't really heard of

165
00:08:04.399 --> 00:08:06.680
this idea of work life supports the way that you

166
00:08:06.800 --> 00:08:08.680
describe it. I mean, of course I know this exists,

167
00:08:08.680 --> 00:08:11.199
but I hadn't hear spoken about that way. So let's

168
00:08:11.240 --> 00:08:13.800
talk about what our work life supports, why are they

169
00:08:13.800 --> 00:08:17.319
important to organizations? Just kind of give our listeners of

170
00:08:17.360 --> 00:08:20.120
viewers a little bit of orientation on how leaders can

171
00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:21.560
use these. Yeah.

172
00:08:21.720 --> 00:08:24.439
Absolutely, So I think about work life supports as kind

173
00:08:24.439 --> 00:08:28.480
of the benefits, policies or practices that support people in

174
00:08:28.560 --> 00:08:31.680
whatever stage of life they are, as we were saying,

175
00:08:31.720 --> 00:08:35.120
that help them in terms of navigating, in terms of integrating,

176
00:08:35.159 --> 00:08:38.559
in terms of finding this harmony. And I really love

177
00:08:38.639 --> 00:08:41.960
there's a concept by Patricia Voyd Danoff who is a

178
00:08:42.240 --> 00:08:44.919
researcher in this area of work life, and she talks

179
00:08:44.960 --> 00:08:49.840
about capacity and demand, and so our sense of having

180
00:08:50.159 --> 00:08:53.960
the appropriate navigation or integration or balance for those people

181
00:08:53.960 --> 00:08:58.799
who prefer that language, is really relative to our sense

182
00:08:58.879 --> 00:09:01.480
of demand, how much demand we feel is being placed

183
00:09:01.519 --> 00:09:04.440
on us, and our sense of capacity to deal with it.

184
00:09:04.799 --> 00:09:07.720
And so when we think about work life supports, they

185
00:09:07.759 --> 00:09:11.600
can work on either the demand side or the capacity side. So,

186
00:09:12.039 --> 00:09:15.159
for example, if we give people more flexibility and when

187
00:09:15.279 --> 00:09:18.039
and where and how they work, that might reduce a

188
00:09:18.120 --> 00:09:21.879
sense of demand. Or if we give people wonderful opportunities

189
00:09:21.919 --> 00:09:25.600
for growth or learning or coaching, that might give them

190
00:09:25.639 --> 00:09:28.399
increased senses of capacity in terms of how they're able

191
00:09:28.440 --> 00:09:31.919
to address the demands that they're facing or the responsibilities

192
00:09:31.960 --> 00:09:34.399
that they're facing. So I really like that idea of

193
00:09:34.440 --> 00:09:37.600
work life supports that work on both the demand and

194
00:09:37.639 --> 00:09:42.039
the capacity side and are very diverse and varied in

195
00:09:42.120 --> 00:09:45.159
terms of what we can bring people from employee assistance

196
00:09:45.200 --> 00:09:50.200
programs to affinity programs to ergs, employee resource groups to

197
00:09:50.799 --> 00:09:54.840
great leadership, to coaching, to learning and growth to flexibility,

198
00:09:55.320 --> 00:09:59.120
lots of different ways that we can mix and really

199
00:09:59.159 --> 00:10:00.759
deliver those fits to people.

200
00:10:01.799 --> 00:10:04.240
What I like about that tracy that I so that

201
00:10:04.320 --> 00:10:08.240
so speaks to me is when those are well situated

202
00:10:08.279 --> 00:10:11.320
and well structured and managing an organization, as you know,

203
00:10:11.840 --> 00:10:14.840
what happens is now we get more of the fuller

204
00:10:14.919 --> 00:10:18.360
human being who we can work with to tap. So

205
00:10:18.399 --> 00:10:20.480
you're you know, so one of my guests told me,

206
00:10:20.480 --> 00:10:23.440
I forget who it was sometime ago that most most

207
00:10:23.559 --> 00:10:26.799
employees are really only because of lots of constraints and

208
00:10:26.840 --> 00:10:30.000
other things put pulling on them, really giving five percent

209
00:10:30.039 --> 00:10:32.679
of their potential at work. What if we got to

210
00:10:32.799 --> 00:10:36.679
ten percent, twenty percent? How would that change your game? Right?

211
00:10:36.759 --> 00:10:38.720
So that's why I'm such a fan this idea of

212
00:10:38.960 --> 00:10:42.559
incorporating work life supports to be able to unleash, you know,

213
00:10:42.759 --> 00:10:44.039
much more of that person.

214
00:10:44.759 --> 00:10:47.399
Yes, and the other model that I really like is

215
00:10:47.440 --> 00:10:51.159
thinking about whether work is nurturing or extractive. I think

216
00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:53.519
a lot of times we think of an extractive model.

217
00:10:53.559 --> 00:10:55.879
We're pulling as much as we can from people, and

218
00:10:55.919 --> 00:10:58.960
we want the best from them. But what if work

219
00:10:59.039 --> 00:11:01.679
was nurturing? What if you left feeling even better than

220
00:11:01.679 --> 00:11:05.519
when you arrived. What if you're feeling even more, even

221
00:11:05.559 --> 00:11:08.320
more fulfilled and energized.

222
00:11:08.960 --> 00:11:10.840
That sounds good to me, which takes us where I

223
00:11:10.840 --> 00:11:14.320
want to go next. Work as a source of happiness,

224
00:11:14.440 --> 00:11:17.200
a men's sister. And back on that life stage thing.

225
00:11:17.879 --> 00:11:21.399
You know, I'm sixty and I have got I work,

226
00:11:21.519 --> 00:11:23.720
I've got way more energy, I've got things to do

227
00:11:23.759 --> 00:11:26.879
in this world. I'm living my purpose and I do

228
00:11:27.000 --> 00:11:30.799
finish the day oftentimes feeling man, that was a great day, right,

229
00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:34.440
and I want that for more people. I will first

230
00:11:34.480 --> 00:11:36.080
just say a quick story that when I was out

231
00:11:36.120 --> 00:11:39.320
speaking at a conference I guess it's been two weeks

232
00:11:39.320 --> 00:11:41.720
in New York City and it was on the inspirational Leadership.

233
00:11:41.720 --> 00:11:44.200
I gave the keynote and afterwards this young man came up.

234
00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:45.919
He said, I loved everything that you said, and I'm

235
00:11:45.960 --> 00:11:47.960
so aligned with it. And he said, I'm so reminded,

236
00:11:48.480 --> 00:11:51.279
He says, today I am I'm a videographer for this

237
00:11:51.360 --> 00:11:53.799
conference company, and I absolutely love, love, love what I do.

238
00:11:54.320 --> 00:11:56.919
He said, But five years ago I got into this.

239
00:11:56.960 --> 00:11:59.360
Five years ago, he said. Before that I'd been working

240
00:11:59.480 --> 00:12:01.360
for the postal service for many, many years, and I

241
00:12:01.519 --> 00:12:04.440
just particularly just really didn't I hated what I was doing,

242
00:12:04.960 --> 00:12:08.000
to the point that he said, almost every single day

243
00:12:08.759 --> 00:12:11.200
I went looking to find a way to take myself out.

244
00:12:11.440 --> 00:12:13.720
Could I walk in front of a car? Could I

245
00:12:13.840 --> 00:12:16.720
let myself all down and flight of stairs? Can you imagine?

246
00:12:16.919 --> 00:12:19.559
This is real? So, listeners and viewers, if you're feeling

247
00:12:19.639 --> 00:12:23.039
this way, obviously there's help for you. And leaders know

248
00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:25.960
that there are people on your team who feel this way.

249
00:12:26.159 --> 00:12:29.000
So let's talk about happiness. Let's talk about and I

250
00:12:29.080 --> 00:12:33.000
like how you talk about choosing happiness, choosing fulfillment. You're

251
00:12:33.080 --> 00:12:37.919
activating that you're reaching for. It's there for you. Yeah.

252
00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:40.879
Absolutely. I think one of the biggest myths of happiness.

253
00:12:41.279 --> 00:12:44.200
I think about the silver platter myth. That's the idea

254
00:12:44.279 --> 00:12:47.480
that when the silver platter arrives and everything is as

255
00:12:47.480 --> 00:12:49.919
it should be, then I shall be happy. Another way

256
00:12:49.919 --> 00:12:53.480
to think about this is when then thinking, when I

257
00:12:53.519 --> 00:12:55.679
get through this hard project, when I get through this

258
00:12:55.679 --> 00:12:57.840
thing in my personal life, when I get the promotion,

259
00:12:58.360 --> 00:13:02.279
then I shall be happy. And we're in reality empowered

260
00:13:02.320 --> 00:13:06.879
to create the conditions for happiness. And the paradox of

261
00:13:06.919 --> 00:13:10.759
happiness is the more we really strive for happiness for

262
00:13:10.799 --> 00:13:14.200
its own sake, the less likely we are statistically to

263
00:13:14.240 --> 00:13:18.519
accomplish it. For two reasons. One, we're chasing something which

264
00:13:18.679 --> 00:13:22.120
reminds us we don't already have it number one. Number Two,

265
00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:25.320
if we're chasing happiness for its own sake, that tends

266
00:13:25.320 --> 00:13:29.720
to be more personally oriented, which is negatively correlated with happiness.

267
00:13:29.759 --> 00:13:34.080
More positively correlated with happiness is contributing to others, thinking

268
00:13:34.080 --> 00:13:37.360
about how we are reaching out, thinking about how we're

269
00:13:37.399 --> 00:13:40.799
helping and connecting with others. And so that's the paradox.

270
00:13:40.879 --> 00:13:43.679
So when we turn that and think how do we

271
00:13:43.759 --> 00:13:47.759
create the conditions for happiness and how do we empower

272
00:13:47.799 --> 00:13:50.720
ourselves to do that, that gets us there a lot faster.

273
00:13:50.840 --> 00:13:55.080
Actually, I appreciate too how you talk about you know,

274
00:13:55.200 --> 00:13:57.000
when you can start to recognize some of the things

275
00:13:57.000 --> 00:13:59.720
that you can do, you know, what is happiness and

276
00:14:00.159 --> 00:14:02.840
we talk about it, it's immersion. So when we immerse

277
00:14:02.879 --> 00:14:06.080
ourselves in something, we can start to tap that that happiness.

278
00:14:06.080 --> 00:14:08.480
It's vibrancy and I love that. Why my company is

279
00:14:08.480 --> 00:14:11.759
called Gusto now, it's because we are looking to help

280
00:14:11.840 --> 00:14:15.679
organizations to increase their vibrational capacity, of their energy and such.

281
00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:18.320
You also say that happiness is mattering, which is what

282
00:14:18.399 --> 00:14:21.240
you talked about earlier. And so when you can start

283
00:14:21.279 --> 00:14:23.879
to recognize, well, what, how how would I know if

284
00:14:23.960 --> 00:14:26.320
I was happy? You know, these source of things you

285
00:14:26.399 --> 00:14:28.879
might be engaging in these kinds of activities.

286
00:14:29.440 --> 00:14:32.240
Yes, exactly, it's not just bond bunds and butterflies. It's

287
00:14:32.279 --> 00:14:35.759
that dedication, it's that vibrancy, it's that mattering, and it's

288
00:14:35.759 --> 00:14:37.960
that immersion, which are similar to the flow state.

289
00:14:38.080 --> 00:14:41.840
Actually, yes, absolutely, Okay, So we got to talk about purpose.

290
00:14:41.960 --> 00:14:44.720
You talk about how we can choose purpose and why

291
00:14:44.759 --> 00:14:46.679
it matters so much, So let's talk about that.

292
00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:50.960
Yeah, So purpose is actually three things. Purpose is a

293
00:14:51.000 --> 00:14:54.399
sense of something greater than ourselves number one. Number two,

294
00:14:54.519 --> 00:14:56.879
it's a sense that we can make a unique contribution

295
00:14:56.960 --> 00:14:59.360
to that thing. And number three, it's always got to

296
00:14:59.399 --> 00:15:02.039
be about people. Well, we will sign up for fifteen

297
00:15:02.039 --> 00:15:05.639
percent annualized growth as good corporate citizens. But what will

298
00:15:05.720 --> 00:15:07.600
really get us out of bed in the morning is

299
00:15:07.600 --> 00:15:11.720
thinking about how we're affecting humans, how our work affects

300
00:15:11.799 --> 00:15:13.799
his work and her work and their work, and then

301
00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:17.879
finally humans at that value chain and purpose tends to

302
00:15:17.960 --> 00:15:20.759
be more community oriented. A lot of times we think

303
00:15:20.799 --> 00:15:24.600
about meaning as more personal, purpose as more community. We're

304
00:15:24.639 --> 00:15:27.240
showing up together to do something and we each have

305
00:15:27.279 --> 00:15:28.159
a role to play.

306
00:15:28.840 --> 00:15:31.360
I really I like how you talk about that. I've

307
00:15:31.360 --> 00:15:32.799
been in the purpose space for a long time, but

308
00:15:32.879 --> 00:15:35.919
I like how you talk about that. Okay, so I

309
00:15:35.960 --> 00:15:38.159
also like how you talk about how you know it

310
00:15:38.759 --> 00:15:41.799
grounds you and it and it connects you. I really

311
00:15:41.879 --> 00:15:44.919
like that too. It focuses you. You also say that

312
00:15:44.960 --> 00:15:48.519
focuses grounds and connects you, and I think that's really powerful.

313
00:15:48.639 --> 00:15:50.320
When I'm out speaking, a lot of people are like,

314
00:15:50.399 --> 00:15:52.519
you know, desperate to find their purpose, and they also

315
00:15:52.559 --> 00:15:55.279
think it's got to be something like we're saving you know,

316
00:15:55.639 --> 00:15:58.960
you know, eight billion starving children someplace, and then it

317
00:15:59.000 --> 00:16:02.279
doesn't need to be that way. You're setting yourself up

318
00:16:02.279 --> 00:16:04.200
for complete failure really and disappointment.

319
00:16:04.679 --> 00:16:07.200
Yes, exactly. I always say, we don't have to be

320
00:16:07.240 --> 00:16:09.960
solving world peace or world hunger. We're doing the small

321
00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:13.000
thing that we do well. It's that idea of ekey guy,

322
00:16:13.120 --> 00:16:15.519
your reason for waking up in the morning. It's the

323
00:16:15.639 --> 00:16:18.639
Japanese grandmother. Her reason for waking up in the morning

324
00:16:18.759 --> 00:16:21.759
is to make soup for her family. It's the small

325
00:16:21.960 --> 00:16:25.279
thing that you do that matters to other people. And

326
00:16:25.320 --> 00:16:27.240
so I think if we can take the pressure off

327
00:16:27.240 --> 00:16:29.320
in terms of purpose, think about purpose now with an

328
00:16:29.720 --> 00:16:33.200
upper case P, but a lowercase P. Right, we're doing

329
00:16:33.240 --> 00:16:37.480
our best. We're making our contribution. We're making our unique contribution,

330
00:16:37.720 --> 00:16:39.039
and that really really matters.

331
00:16:39.799 --> 00:16:41.840
Beautiful And on that note, list let our listeners and

332
00:16:41.879 --> 00:16:45.440
viewers consider that possibility and opportunity and take our first break.

333
00:16:45.799 --> 00:16:47.720
I'm alis QUOTEZ, your host, who've been on the air

334
00:16:47.720 --> 00:16:52.240
with doctor Tracy Brauer, who is a PhD sociologist studying happiness, work,

335
00:16:52.279 --> 00:16:54.799
life fulfillment, and the future of work and serves as

336
00:16:54.799 --> 00:16:58.080
the vice president of Workplace Insights for Steelcase. We've been

337
00:16:58.120 --> 00:17:00.840
talking about some of the concepts that she researchers and

338
00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:03.519
she knows work well in the organization. After the raak,

339
00:17:03.559 --> 00:17:06.079
we're going to start talking about passion We'll be right back.

340
00:17:21.480 --> 00:17:25.039
Doctor Elise Cortes is a management consultant specializing in meaning

341
00:17:25.079 --> 00:17:28.920
and purpose. An inspirational speaker and author. She helps companies

342
00:17:29.000 --> 00:17:32.799
visioneer for greater purpose among stakeholders and develop purpose inspired

343
00:17:32.880 --> 00:17:36.839
leadership and meaning infused cultures that elevate fulfillment, performance, and

344
00:17:36.920 --> 00:17:40.119
commitment within the workforce. To learn more or to invite

345
00:17:40.119 --> 00:17:43.119
Elise to speak to your organization, please visit her at

346
00:17:43.119 --> 00:17:46.400
Elisecortes dot com. Let's talk about how to get your

347
00:17:46.440 --> 00:17:55.200
employees working on purpose. This is working on Purpose with

348
00:17:55.319 --> 00:17:58.519
doctor Elise Cortes. To reach our program today or to

349
00:17:58.599 --> 00:18:01.279
open a conversation with Eli, send an email to a

350
00:18:01.400 --> 00:18:06.680
lease A lisee at a Lascortes dot com. Now back

351
00:18:06.680 --> 00:18:08.039
to working on purpose.

352
00:18:13.319 --> 00:18:15.000
Thanks for staying with us, and welcome back to working

353
00:18:15.039 --> 00:18:18.200
on purpose. I'm your host, doctor release Cortes, as I too,

354
00:18:18.240 --> 00:18:21.119
am dedicated to creating a world where organizations thrive because

355
00:18:21.119 --> 00:18:23.359
they're people thrive, and they're led by inspirational leaders that

356
00:18:23.440 --> 00:18:25.559
help them find and contribute their greatness, and we do

357
00:18:25.599 --> 00:18:28.319
business that betters the world. I keep researching and writing

358
00:18:28.359 --> 00:18:30.359
my own books. So one of my lateies came out

359
00:18:30.400 --> 00:18:33.519
called the great revitalization, how activating meaning and purpose can

360
00:18:33.599 --> 00:18:35.920
radically in liven your business. And I wrote it to

361
00:18:35.920 --> 00:18:38.720
help leaders like what we're talking about here, understand the

362
00:18:38.759 --> 00:18:41.960
needs of today's very diverse workforce and then help build

363
00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:44.680
a culture instead of practices to be able to address

364
00:18:44.680 --> 00:18:47.000
that for them through twenty two Best Practices. You can

365
00:18:47.039 --> 00:18:49.160
find my books on Amazon or my personal site at

366
00:18:49.240 --> 00:18:52.079
Leastcoortes dot com if you are just joining us. My

367
00:18:52.119 --> 00:18:54.440
guest is doctor Tracy Brower. She's the author of the

368
00:18:54.519 --> 00:18:58.119
Secrets to Happiness at Work and Bring Work to Life.

369
00:18:58.960 --> 00:19:01.640
So let's talk about passion. And before we do, let

370
00:19:01.640 --> 00:19:04.319
me situate one of the things that's kind of interesting

371
00:19:04.359 --> 00:19:07.559
for my world is as a logo therapist, what that

372
00:19:07.599 --> 00:19:11.039
really speaks to is it's the it's the philosophy that

373
00:19:11.240 --> 00:19:14.480
our major concern as humans is finding meaning in life

374
00:19:14.480 --> 00:19:16.400
and work, and it's our it's our chief source of

375
00:19:16.519 --> 00:19:19.599
energy as well, and we have our and our and

376
00:19:19.640 --> 00:19:22.200
our meaning is always registered along our value systems. So

377
00:19:22.279 --> 00:19:24.039
why you find meaningful will be different from what I

378
00:19:24.079 --> 00:19:27.119
find inful because we have different values. So when I'm

379
00:19:27.160 --> 00:19:30.839
out speaking to audiences very often, I will usually at

380
00:19:30.880 --> 00:19:33.680
some point fairly early into the conversation, I will deliver

381
00:19:33.759 --> 00:19:36.759
a question. As I'm situating these kinds of meaning, these

382
00:19:36.799 --> 00:19:39.240
sources of meaning, I'll ask the audience what are you

383
00:19:39.240 --> 00:19:44.720
passionate about? And as I delivered the question and it

384
00:19:44.799 --> 00:19:47.920
sinks into the minds of the audience members, they do

385
00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:51.960
give They do say things that they find, you know,

386
00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:53.880
what they're passionate about. But what would you guess is

387
00:19:53.920 --> 00:19:56.720
the number one most often given response.

388
00:19:58.119 --> 00:20:00.880
I would say probably family, personal matters.

389
00:20:02.480 --> 00:20:05.039
Those are given. However, by far and away, the most

390
00:20:05.079 --> 00:20:07.759
common answer giving them, the one that's given the most

391
00:20:07.759 --> 00:20:13.640
often is I don't know. People recognize in that one

392
00:20:13.680 --> 00:20:15.960
moment when I deliver the question that they do not

393
00:20:16.119 --> 00:20:19.599
have an answer to the question. So why they've gotten

394
00:20:19.640 --> 00:20:21.519
on the hamster wheel and they've lost their connection to

395
00:20:21.559 --> 00:20:24.359
their passion. So I wanted to talk about you know,

396
00:20:24.400 --> 00:20:27.880
you have a section in your book about discovering your passion,

397
00:20:27.920 --> 00:20:31.680
and I think people desperately need that, Tracy. So let's

398
00:20:31.680 --> 00:20:35.000
talk about one, why is passion important at work? And

399
00:20:35.039 --> 00:20:36.720
then we can get into how we can start working

400
00:20:36.759 --> 00:20:38.440
on discovering it. Yeah.

401
00:20:38.559 --> 00:20:41.000
Absolutely, I mean passion is important at work so that

402
00:20:41.039 --> 00:20:43.839
we stay energized passion is important at work so that

403
00:20:43.880 --> 00:20:47.160
we stay on the path of what's most important to us,

404
00:20:47.160 --> 00:20:50.400
and it helps us make choices that will help us

405
00:20:50.400 --> 00:20:53.039
to be most energized. And I always like to say

406
00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:56.519
that the best case scenario is when we have the

407
00:20:56.519 --> 00:20:59.400
most possible overlap between what we love to do and

408
00:20:59.400 --> 00:21:01.839
what we have to do. And it's a myth that

409
00:21:01.880 --> 00:21:05.039
we would ever have perfect overlap. Some people have it,

410
00:21:05.079 --> 00:21:07.559
but I think it's less common, right, But the more

411
00:21:07.640 --> 00:21:10.319
overlap think about a Van diagram, the more overlap we

412
00:21:10.319 --> 00:21:12.960
can get, the better. So knowing your passion helps you

413
00:21:13.000 --> 00:21:15.720
make choices, it helps you tune into your energy. I

414
00:21:15.720 --> 00:21:18.920
think it helps you connect with other people better as well.

415
00:21:19.000 --> 00:21:23.039
It also helps you perform better. And we know that

416
00:21:23.079 --> 00:21:25.519
we tend to be healthier as well. So there's so

417
00:21:25.640 --> 00:21:28.880
many benefits not only for individuals, but for teams and

418
00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:30.119
organizations as well.

419
00:21:31.559 --> 00:21:34.880
Yeah, and so I like the idea. You know, you

420
00:21:34.920 --> 00:21:37.599
talk about some things you can do. Start embracing your

421
00:21:37.599 --> 00:21:41.279
first person, you know, consider what is that you love

422
00:21:41.359 --> 00:21:43.079
to do, all this sort of thing, Imagine yourself in

423
00:21:43.119 --> 00:21:46.359
a situation that you might love. So I think people

424
00:21:46.400 --> 00:21:48.839
have forgotten how to do some of these things.

425
00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:51.839
Yeah, exactly well, and I think there's sort of a

426
00:21:51.880 --> 00:21:56.200
process component and then there's a content component. So from

427
00:21:56.200 --> 00:22:00.039
a process standpoint, statistically, there's some research that when we

428
00:22:00.039 --> 00:22:02.640
put ourselves in the first person that's actually really helpful.

429
00:22:02.680 --> 00:22:04.960
Sometimes we think about our passion or we think about

430
00:22:04.960 --> 00:22:07.839
our future in the third person, like we kind of

431
00:22:08.119 --> 00:22:10.680
think about it in an observational way, But if we

432
00:22:10.759 --> 00:22:13.359
really put ourselves in that position and imagine what that

433
00:22:13.400 --> 00:22:16.799
would be like, that's really helpful to connecting with our passion.

434
00:22:17.200 --> 00:22:20.279
The other thing we can do is really really think

435
00:22:20.319 --> 00:22:23.680
about what advice would we give to our younger selves,

436
00:22:23.759 --> 00:22:26.079
you know, that's one way to think about it. Or

437
00:22:26.960 --> 00:22:29.640
think about what would your tomorrow self say to your

438
00:22:29.640 --> 00:22:32.119
present self in terms of the choices that you're about

439
00:22:32.160 --> 00:22:34.319
to make, or your next to yourself say to this

440
00:22:34.480 --> 00:22:37.000
self in terms of the choices that you're about to make.

441
00:22:37.359 --> 00:22:42.039
And I think there's always this important balance between looking

442
00:22:42.119 --> 00:22:45.400
toward the future and then also reflecting on the past.

443
00:22:45.839 --> 00:22:48.160
In fact, this is a little bit of a tangent.

444
00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:51.440
But when we're in nature, there's some new research that

445
00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:57.519
helps us flow better between past, present, and future orientations.

446
00:22:57.799 --> 00:23:01.880
So when we're thinking about our passion. We can reflect

447
00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:04.319
what did we love to do as a child, or

448
00:23:04.359 --> 00:23:06.799
what did we really love to do in that one

449
00:23:06.960 --> 00:23:10.480
job that we loved best, Or when we had that

450
00:23:10.559 --> 00:23:13.480
amazing boss, what was it that that boss blought out

451
00:23:13.519 --> 00:23:13.799
in us?

452
00:23:13.880 --> 00:23:14.039
Right?

453
00:23:14.079 --> 00:23:18.519
That's the reflection past element, And then we can also

454
00:23:18.519 --> 00:23:21.440
think about the future. What might we like that to

455
00:23:21.519 --> 00:23:23.839
be in the future. I had a colleague who used

456
00:23:23.839 --> 00:23:27.039
to every year she would do a vision board where

457
00:23:27.079 --> 00:23:29.559
she would kind of do a collage literally a collage

458
00:23:29.599 --> 00:23:31.359
and say, you know, what do I want that future

459
00:23:31.440 --> 00:23:33.839
to be. If we spend too much time in the future,

460
00:23:33.839 --> 00:23:35.759
we give away the present. If we spend too much

461
00:23:35.759 --> 00:23:38.119
time in the past, we give away the present. But

462
00:23:38.160 --> 00:23:40.319
when we find that balance between the two, it can

463
00:23:40.359 --> 00:23:43.039
be a really really good way. I always like to think, too,

464
00:23:43.440 --> 00:23:46.240
if you're procrastinating on something, what is it that you

465
00:23:46.400 --> 00:23:48.759
love to do while you're procrastinating?

466
00:23:49.039 --> 00:23:52.200
Right? Or that's a great question, yeah, like kind of.

467
00:23:52.119 --> 00:23:55.319
Fun, right? Or what would you do if if you

468
00:23:55.400 --> 00:23:58.119
won the lottery and you didn't have to worry about

469
00:23:58.160 --> 00:24:01.799
any money, or you know, and your mortgage, you're buying groceries,

470
00:24:01.799 --> 00:24:03.960
what would you do? Some of those are really good

471
00:24:04.039 --> 00:24:05.319
clues to our passion.

472
00:24:07.559 --> 00:24:11.519
Just as a side note, I let's see last October

473
00:24:11.599 --> 00:24:15.240
I keynoted another conference here in South Texas, and after

474
00:24:15.279 --> 00:24:18.000
I spoke, it was also on inspirational leadership. The organizer

475
00:24:18.000 --> 00:24:19.200
got up and she said, I want you all to

476
00:24:19.240 --> 00:24:20.960
know that the reason I brought at least to you

477
00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:23.480
as for this year speaker is because I sat in

478
00:24:23.519 --> 00:24:25.799
her audience in February and she asked that pesky question

479
00:24:25.839 --> 00:24:27.960
about what are you passionate about? And I was one

480
00:24:27.960 --> 00:24:30.079
of the people that didn't have an answer, And she

481
00:24:30.160 --> 00:24:33.640
said after the conference, after that session, I went looking

482
00:24:33.720 --> 00:24:35.920
for just what is it that really lights me up

483
00:24:36.559 --> 00:24:38.640
beyond what I'm doing in my job, And I realized

484
00:24:38.640 --> 00:24:41.720
I love to teach. So I have this adjunct job

485
00:24:41.759 --> 00:24:44.519
at the local university and I've been teaching on the side,

486
00:24:44.559 --> 00:24:47.200
and all of that has been spilling over into the

487
00:24:47.240 --> 00:24:49.680
rest of my life. And she goes, I know my

488
00:24:49.720 --> 00:24:51.279
boss is in the room. She's going to say, Oh,

489
00:24:51.319 --> 00:24:55.000
that's what happened to you. Yeah, that's what happened to you, right,

490
00:24:55.119 --> 00:24:58.119
isn't that great? And so it's so beautiful and so

491
00:24:58.359 --> 00:25:01.480
important to go find and pursue what you're passionate about

492
00:25:01.519 --> 00:25:05.000
ladies and gentlemen. It's so important for your whole life.

493
00:25:05.160 --> 00:25:08.599
Yes, exactly. And there's that relationship to energy, and there's

494
00:25:08.640 --> 00:25:11.680
actually the relationship to our last segment as well. If

495
00:25:11.720 --> 00:25:14.400
we look at the work life literature, we know that

496
00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:17.279
there's spillover. When I'm happier in my work, I tend

497
00:25:17.319 --> 00:25:20.160
to be happier in my work or my life outside

498
00:25:20.160 --> 00:25:22.200
of work, but a lot of people don't know the

499
00:25:22.279 --> 00:25:25.960
opposite is also true. So we can think about happiness

500
00:25:26.039 --> 00:25:28.240
both inside of work and outside of work as a

501
00:25:28.279 --> 00:25:32.480
full range. So when I do things like volunteer work

502
00:25:32.599 --> 00:25:36.559
or community service, or I work in my neighborhood with

503
00:25:36.680 --> 00:25:40.279
people that matter to me, that happiness that I derived

504
00:25:40.359 --> 00:25:44.440
there actually increases my perception of happiness in my work.

505
00:25:44.759 --> 00:25:48.359
But it's all about passion. It's all about what energizes us,

506
00:25:48.400 --> 00:25:51.279
and what are the things that we're excited to work

507
00:25:51.400 --> 00:25:56.680
hard for when even when something is hard, we're really

508
00:25:56.720 --> 00:25:59.519
still energized to do that. That's frequently a clue to

509
00:25:59.559 --> 00:26:00.000
our pastime.

510
00:26:01.079 --> 00:26:03.440
I think that's just that's brilliant advice, and of course

511
00:26:03.440 --> 00:26:06.640
I aligned with it. I mentioned you mentioned relationships. Let's

512
00:26:06.640 --> 00:26:08.880
talk about that next, and again I love the idea

513
00:26:08.920 --> 00:26:13.039
that this it's empowering. And you say, choose relationships, and

514
00:26:13.079 --> 00:26:15.640
there are many ways that you talk about how to

515
00:26:15.720 --> 00:26:19.279
really develop them. So let's talk about how you help

516
00:26:19.279 --> 00:26:21.440
people understand how to choose relationships.

517
00:26:21.920 --> 00:26:26.119
Yeah, so relationships are so critical. We know that well being, depression,

518
00:26:26.200 --> 00:26:31.319
anxiety issues are at a height today, record levels of depression, anxiety,

519
00:26:31.359 --> 00:26:34.400
and well being issues. Fifty percent of people today globally

520
00:26:34.400 --> 00:26:38.279
say that they're lonely. But when we lean into relationships,

521
00:26:38.279 --> 00:26:41.400
that makes a huge difference. There's also some beautiful research

522
00:26:41.440 --> 00:26:45.519
out of BYU that having two or three close friends

523
00:26:45.759 --> 00:26:51.400
is more important to health outcomes than diet, exercise, or drinking,

524
00:26:51.480 --> 00:26:55.720
and on par with smoking. So as a habit, having

525
00:26:55.759 --> 00:26:59.440
two or three close friends, whether we're introverts or extroverts,

526
00:26:59.480 --> 00:27:02.359
is really really critical. So how do we create those

527
00:27:02.400 --> 00:27:06.200
friendships and relationships? I think first we're really really leaning

528
00:27:06.240 --> 00:27:10.720
in and focusing. Attention is one of our most scarce

529
00:27:11.039 --> 00:27:13.720
resources today with everything coming at us and all the

530
00:27:13.720 --> 00:27:17.519
complexity and all the distractions. When we're really focused on

531
00:27:17.599 --> 00:27:21.359
another person, both virtually and in person, that makes a

532
00:27:21.440 --> 00:27:26.160
huge difference when we ask questions, when we attend to

533
00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:28.640
other people when we're paying attention and say, Gosh, how

534
00:27:28.680 --> 00:27:31.279
are you doing today? Or Gee, what's up for you today?

535
00:27:31.319 --> 00:27:35.319
That makes a difference when we listen, when we express empathy.

536
00:27:35.839 --> 00:27:39.200
All of those things seem like no brainers, like yeah, yeah,

537
00:27:39.240 --> 00:27:41.960
tell me something I didn't already know. But I think

538
00:27:41.960 --> 00:27:46.440
we're better at understanding those things cognitively or intellectually, and

539
00:27:46.519 --> 00:27:50.680
sometimes we're not as good at executing. And so we

540
00:27:50.720 --> 00:27:56.000
require an intentionality and a focus today, especially given all

541
00:27:56.000 --> 00:27:59.640
the competing distractions that are kind of out there competing

542
00:27:59.640 --> 00:28:00.880
for real relationship attention.

543
00:28:01.680 --> 00:28:04.920
I appreciate those are actionable, and I do think people

544
00:28:04.960 --> 00:28:08.279
need some coaching on that. It's I think I don't think.

545
00:28:08.319 --> 00:28:10.039
I do know that a lot of things happened to

546
00:28:10.119 --> 00:28:12.200
us during the pandemic, and we did lose some of

547
00:28:12.400 --> 00:28:16.680
our social intelligence, our relational intelligence, and the relational muscle

548
00:28:16.759 --> 00:28:20.440
to build those relationships, and so I think we do

549
00:28:20.519 --> 00:28:22.839
need to be able to develop those again in a

550
00:28:22.880 --> 00:28:24.720
new and even better way than we even used to

551
00:28:24.839 --> 00:28:25.559
use in the past.

552
00:28:26.200 --> 00:28:28.880
Yes, exactly. I always talk about the concept of social

553
00:28:28.960 --> 00:28:33.200
jet lag. Younger generations may not have even had the

554
00:28:33.319 --> 00:28:36.440
experiences right, and so now they're building that muscle. I

555
00:28:36.480 --> 00:28:39.079
love the way that you use the word muscle and

556
00:28:39.160 --> 00:28:41.440
social jet leg maybe for those of us who have

557
00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:43.720
been out there. But then, oh my gosh, there was

558
00:28:43.759 --> 00:28:47.839
this pandemic reset, and I think we're still relearning and

559
00:28:47.960 --> 00:28:51.839
kind of renorming some of those behaviors that are required

560
00:28:51.880 --> 00:28:55.599
and again the intentionality and focus that's required.

561
00:28:56.200 --> 00:28:59.720
Yeah, no question. I do want to quickly cover here

562
00:28:59.759 --> 00:29:01.799
because I know, we guess got a whole show just

563
00:29:01.839 --> 00:29:04.640
talking about this next topic about choosing a healthy culture

564
00:29:04.680 --> 00:29:07.079
over a toxic one. We know that one of the

565
00:29:07.119 --> 00:29:10.720
big reasons that people experience or the companies experience such

566
00:29:11.000 --> 00:29:14.119
numbers during the Great Resignation is people were leaving toxic

567
00:29:14.160 --> 00:29:17.119
managers and toxic cultures. That was a big drive for that.

568
00:29:17.720 --> 00:29:20.039
So you talk about you kind of compare and contrast

569
00:29:20.079 --> 00:29:22.880
several different ways here, but some people may not realize

570
00:29:22.880 --> 00:29:24.880
that they're in a toxic culture. So if you can

571
00:29:24.960 --> 00:29:27.480
just kind of cover off on how we can choose

572
00:29:27.839 --> 00:29:31.480
a few aspects of a healthy culture over a toxic one.

573
00:29:31.400 --> 00:29:33.359
Yeah, I mean, I think we're really really looking for

574
00:29:33.440 --> 00:29:39.200
culture attributes that really build our resilience. We may be

575
00:29:39.319 --> 00:29:41.960
in a situation where there's tons of stress at work,

576
00:29:42.039 --> 00:29:45.119
but stress can actually be really motivating. There's a beautiful

577
00:29:45.160 --> 00:29:48.319
concept of you stress right, that's the just right amount

578
00:29:48.319 --> 00:29:51.400
of stress and challenge and growth. So I think we

579
00:29:51.480 --> 00:29:54.759
need to really look at what are the aspects of

580
00:29:54.799 --> 00:29:57.920
relationships within the culture. Do we feel more or less connected.

581
00:29:58.240 --> 00:30:00.559
We can look at aspects of leadership in the culture.

582
00:30:00.599 --> 00:30:04.000
Do we feel motivated by vision and mission? Do we

583
00:30:04.079 --> 00:30:06.960
trust leaders? Do we feel that strong sense of inspiration

584
00:30:07.079 --> 00:30:09.359
from leaders? I think we can look at whether or

585
00:30:09.400 --> 00:30:13.200
not there's enough consistency, enough process in the culture, or

586
00:30:13.240 --> 00:30:16.960
whether it's just really chaotic. We may be in a startup,

587
00:30:17.079 --> 00:30:20.160
we may be in a really fast paced culture with

588
00:30:20.240 --> 00:30:23.319
a lot of shifts and changes, but if there's still

589
00:30:23.319 --> 00:30:26.759
a respect for boundaries, I think that is an acid test.

590
00:30:27.119 --> 00:30:29.160
And then I think we can also look for to

591
00:30:29.240 --> 00:30:32.400
what extent is the culture able to adapt and learn

592
00:30:32.480 --> 00:30:36.839
and grow based on competitors and markets and customers. Those

593
00:30:36.880 --> 00:30:40.119
are aspects of a healthy culture, where a stagnated culture

594
00:30:40.240 --> 00:30:42.759
might be more toxically oriented.

595
00:30:43.079 --> 00:30:44.119
I think the other thing.

596
00:30:44.079 --> 00:30:48.480
Is that the most sustainable communities are the ones that

597
00:30:48.599 --> 00:30:51.759
meet the needs of both individuals and the community as

598
00:30:51.799 --> 00:30:55.480
a whole. So are we feeling like we can bring

599
00:30:55.720 --> 00:31:00.839
ourselves be ourselves? Those are critical elements as well as

600
00:31:00.839 --> 00:31:03.119
whether we're able to contribute to the bigger picture of

601
00:31:03.160 --> 00:31:08.079
what the culture is trying to accomplish.

602
00:31:06.640 --> 00:31:10.559
Beautifully said Tracy beautifully said, I think, like I said,

603
00:31:10.920 --> 00:31:13.359
not everybody really fully understands what is a good culture.

604
00:31:13.359 --> 00:31:15.079
Maybe you don't have a lot of work experiences. You

605
00:31:15.119 --> 00:31:17.640
don't know what's really good, you don't know what's really bad.

606
00:31:18.160 --> 00:31:20.640
And so it's important, I think, to be able to distinguish,

607
00:31:20.680 --> 00:31:21.880
as you did in your book and as you just

608
00:31:21.920 --> 00:31:24.880
did there, to help people recognize, oh, this is actually

609
00:31:24.920 --> 00:31:25.319
not good.

610
00:31:25.880 --> 00:31:27.640
Yeah, exactly exactly.

611
00:31:28.279 --> 00:31:29.680
You do have a section in your book too about

612
00:31:29.680 --> 00:31:32.559
when it's time with choosing leaving. I forget what the

613
00:31:32.799 --> 00:31:35.359
chapter is, but when it's time, when you've chosen this

614
00:31:35.440 --> 00:31:36.799
time to move on, that's.

615
00:31:36.680 --> 00:31:39.920
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely, And I've got a little matrix. Any

616
00:31:39.920 --> 00:31:42.640
good sociologists can you make it to you buy two matrix? Right,

617
00:31:42.759 --> 00:31:45.440
But I always thought I like to think about to

618
00:31:45.519 --> 00:31:48.480
what extent are the issues in the culture, either episodic

619
00:31:48.640 --> 00:31:51.799
or systemic, Like is this just a one time thing?

620
00:31:51.880 --> 00:31:52.720
It's going to pass?

621
00:31:52.759 --> 00:31:52.920
Oh?

622
00:31:52.920 --> 00:31:54.960
My gosh, we're in the middle of a hard situation

623
00:31:55.640 --> 00:31:58.119
or is it more systemic? It's a pattern that repeats

624
00:31:58.119 --> 00:32:00.720
and repeats and repeats over time, So that's one element

625
00:32:00.759 --> 00:32:03.640
to think about. Think about that on the horizontal access

626
00:32:03.640 --> 00:32:06.359
for example, and then think about how much can you

627
00:32:06.720 --> 00:32:09.799
affect that thing. If it's a smaller thing, and oh

628
00:32:09.839 --> 00:32:12.559
my gosh, you can make a big difference for yourself.

629
00:32:12.559 --> 00:32:16.599
For others, it might be really wise to stay, for example,

630
00:32:16.920 --> 00:32:19.400
But if it's a systemic issue and you just don't

631
00:32:19.440 --> 00:32:21.359
feel like you've got a lot of impact on that

632
00:32:21.400 --> 00:32:24.359
thing or a lot of agency over that thing, then

633
00:32:24.400 --> 00:32:26.359
it might be a good idea to leave. So I

634
00:32:26.559 --> 00:32:29.599
like to think about not just agency in terms of

635
00:32:29.720 --> 00:32:32.920
how much I can impact the thing, but also structure

636
00:32:33.160 --> 00:32:37.279
in what ways is the organization structured or in what

637
00:32:37.319 --> 00:32:40.799
ways do it patterns or systemic kinds of issues that

638
00:32:40.839 --> 00:32:42.519
are getting in the way of a healthy culture.

639
00:32:44.079 --> 00:32:46.960
Good food for thought for our last break, I'm your

640
00:32:46.960 --> 00:32:49.119
host Doctor Really's cortezu Doo on the air with doctor

641
00:32:49.160 --> 00:32:53.480
Tracy Brauers. She's a PhD sociologist studying happiness, work, life

642
00:32:53.519 --> 00:32:55.799
fulfillment in the future of work and serves as the

643
00:32:55.839 --> 00:33:00.119
vice president of Workplace Insights with Steelcase. We've been talking

644
00:33:00.160 --> 00:33:03.880
a bit about why happiness is important, purpose culture, things

645
00:33:03.920 --> 00:33:05.799
like that. After the break, we're going to talk about

646
00:33:05.799 --> 00:33:08.960
how you can start to improve your communication, which is

647
00:33:09.079 --> 00:33:13.079
radically important, especially when you are managing either a hybrid

648
00:33:13.240 --> 00:33:14.839
or a remote team. We'll be right back.

649
00:33:30.240 --> 00:33:33.799
Doctor Elise Cortez is a management consultant specializing in meaning

650
00:33:33.839 --> 00:33:37.680
and purpose. An inspirational speaker and author, she helps companies

651
00:33:37.759 --> 00:33:41.039
visioneer for a greater purpose among stakeholders and develop purpose

652
00:33:41.119 --> 00:33:45.480
inspired leadership and meaning infused cultures that elevate fulfillment, performance,

653
00:33:45.519 --> 00:33:48.559
and commitment within the workforce. To learn more or to

654
00:33:48.599 --> 00:33:51.519
invite a lease to speak to your organization, please visit

655
00:33:51.559 --> 00:33:54.759
her at eliscortes dot com. Let's talk about how to

656
00:33:54.759 --> 00:34:03.319
get your employees working on purpose. This is working on

657
00:34:03.359 --> 00:34:06.920
Purpose with doctor Elise Cortes. To reach our program today

658
00:34:07.079 --> 00:34:09.800
or to open a conversation with Elise, send an email

659
00:34:09.880 --> 00:34:15.559
to Elise alisee at eliscortes dot com. Now back to

660
00:34:15.679 --> 00:34:16.800
working on Purpose.

661
00:34:21.960 --> 00:34:23.639
Thanks for staying with us, and welcome back to Working

662
00:34:23.719 --> 00:34:26.440
on Purpose. I'm your host, doctor Relise Cortes. I mentioned

663
00:34:26.440 --> 00:34:28.840
in the last break that my book, The Great Realization

664
00:34:28.960 --> 00:34:30.800
came out. What I did for you is I created

665
00:34:30.800 --> 00:34:33.440
a very simple three page assessment that you can pull

666
00:34:33.440 --> 00:34:36.760
off my Gusto dationanel site to find out the extent

667
00:34:36.800 --> 00:34:39.199
to which your organization is meeting the needs of today's

668
00:34:39.199 --> 00:34:41.960
discerning workforce. It will help you tremendously to isolate where

669
00:34:41.960 --> 00:34:44.519
you can start to make some improvements if you are

670
00:34:44.559 --> 00:34:46.679
just joining us. My guest is doctor Tracy Browers. She's

671
00:34:46.719 --> 00:34:49.119
the author of The Secrets to Happiness at Work and

672
00:34:49.239 --> 00:34:52.440
Bringing Work to Life. So one of the things that

673
00:34:52.480 --> 00:34:54.400
I one of the many things I appreciate about your

674
00:34:54.400 --> 00:34:56.559
book too, is just I like how you situate an

675
00:34:56.639 --> 00:34:58.760
idea of then you give us some actionable ways to

676
00:34:58.800 --> 00:35:01.599
be able to start to address that. So obviously, as

677
00:35:01.599 --> 00:35:04.199
I mentioned before the break, communication is so so important

678
00:35:04.199 --> 00:35:07.079
and people don't recognize how much it takes to be

679
00:35:07.159 --> 00:35:10.840
effective at communicating. So let's talk about I like your

680
00:35:10.880 --> 00:35:15.559
five c's how people can be more effective in their communication. Yeah.

681
00:35:15.760 --> 00:35:18.639
Absolutely, I mean one of the first things is that

682
00:35:18.679 --> 00:35:23.800
we need to focus on clarity. Neurologically, we prefer certainty,

683
00:35:23.920 --> 00:35:27.679
and we look for certainty, especially from our leaders. But

684
00:35:27.800 --> 00:35:30.760
leaders can't provide certainty. We don't have crystal balls, and

685
00:35:30.800 --> 00:35:35.400
so especially as the world becomes more uncertain, the thing

686
00:35:35.400 --> 00:35:38.119
we need to really really focus on is clarity. What

687
00:35:38.159 --> 00:35:40.840
are we wondering, what direction are we going, What are

688
00:35:40.880 --> 00:35:42.519
the things that we know, what are the things we

689
00:35:42.599 --> 00:35:45.079
don't yet know but that we're exploring. So I think

690
00:35:45.920 --> 00:35:47.960
clarity is one of the one of the really really

691
00:35:48.039 --> 00:35:52.400
key things. Another thing that is fascinating is the level

692
00:35:53.079 --> 00:35:57.639
to which we need consistency in leadership. Consistency is one

693
00:35:57.679 --> 00:36:02.360
of the number one things that's correlated with trust and credibility,

694
00:36:02.639 --> 00:36:06.639
also correlated with retention for leaders and so that is

695
00:36:06.719 --> 00:36:09.840
consistency between what I'm saying and what I'm doing. Right,

696
00:36:09.880 --> 00:36:12.000
I used to work with the leader and he used

697
00:36:12.039 --> 00:36:15.280
to say, brilliantly, you're behaving so loudly I can hardly

698
00:36:15.320 --> 00:36:17.000
hear what you're saying. He used to say that to

699
00:36:17.039 --> 00:36:20.360
his director parts, which I just thought was brilliant. So

700
00:36:20.400 --> 00:36:23.400
we need consistency between what we say and what we do.

701
00:36:23.960 --> 00:36:27.920
We need consistency in terms of how we how we

702
00:36:28.000 --> 00:36:30.639
show up over time, Like the tracy that you get

703
00:36:30.679 --> 00:36:32.960
today should be the same tracy that you get tomorrow.

704
00:36:33.039 --> 00:36:36.119
In a year from now. We need consistency and how

705
00:36:36.159 --> 00:36:39.440
we treat people across the team, so we're we have

706
00:36:39.519 --> 00:36:44.360
that equitability. Equity, sorry, equitability, that's a new word for tonight.

707
00:36:44.519 --> 00:36:47.719
I that equity, right, And I think the other thing

708
00:36:47.920 --> 00:36:50.079
is that we really need to make sure that we're

709
00:36:50.119 --> 00:36:53.360
consistent in terms of when we're available and how we

710
00:36:53.440 --> 00:36:58.360
are present. Another element of really interesting research is that

711
00:36:58.599 --> 00:37:04.239
people prefer a consistently bad leader to a leader that

712
00:37:04.360 --> 00:37:07.280
is erratic. That research was done a couple of decades ago,

713
00:37:07.360 --> 00:37:10.079
and then it was repeated recently. We don't want to

714
00:37:10.159 --> 00:37:13.519
wonder at what's going to be happening from day to day,

715
00:37:13.559 --> 00:37:16.599
which we're going to get right, so we want that

716
00:37:16.760 --> 00:37:20.639
consistency and predictability. The other thing that's really really important

717
00:37:20.639 --> 00:37:26.440
as we think about communicating effectively is presence and accessibility.

718
00:37:27.039 --> 00:37:29.760
I always say, we don't need to be twenty four

719
00:37:29.800 --> 00:37:33.519
to seven on call constantly, but when we are present,

720
00:37:33.599 --> 00:37:36.800
when we are accessible, when we are visible, that gives

721
00:37:36.840 --> 00:37:41.280
people a real sense of stability in a world where

722
00:37:41.320 --> 00:37:46.320
we are fearful and anxious. That presence and stability, that

723
00:37:46.440 --> 00:37:49.880
center of gravity is really important. And leaders don't have

724
00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:53.039
to be social workers right. I think sometimes leaders can say,

725
00:37:53.079 --> 00:37:56.280
oh my gosh, the demands today on leadership are incredible.

726
00:37:57.440 --> 00:38:00.320
But leaders don't have to be social workers. Leaders don't

727
00:38:00.320 --> 00:38:03.199
have to solve all the problems. But to the extent

728
00:38:03.280 --> 00:38:07.599
that they can provide resources, that they can be present,

729
00:38:07.679 --> 00:38:10.519
that they can ask questions, that they can listen, that

730
00:38:10.519 --> 00:38:14.320
they can demonstrate that they really are tuned into an employee,

731
00:38:14.400 --> 00:38:19.400
those things really contribute to effective communication and the leadership role.

732
00:38:20.519 --> 00:38:24.960
I also liked how you emphasized the embracing curiosity, really

733
00:38:25.000 --> 00:38:27.960
being curious when you're when you're communicating, instead of maybe

734
00:38:28.000 --> 00:38:30.719
assuming or imagine they don't need to know this, so

735
00:38:30.800 --> 00:38:33.679
really recognizing, you know what, how are they responding, And

736
00:38:33.679 --> 00:38:37.559
then of course being proactive constantly reaching to communicate, especially

737
00:38:37.599 --> 00:38:40.000
when we are managing a high hybrid or a fully

738
00:38:40.079 --> 00:38:43.199
virtual team, that is essential today and I one thing

739
00:38:43.239 --> 00:38:45.840
I've recognized in the organizations that are struggling and are

740
00:38:45.840 --> 00:38:49.400
trying to force a return one hundred percent back to

741
00:38:49.440 --> 00:38:51.960
the office, part of what happened is they did not

742
00:38:52.119 --> 00:38:55.280
have a good structure in place to encourage or develop

743
00:38:55.519 --> 00:38:59.440
that capacity to communicate in an effective way across a

744
00:38:59.519 --> 00:39:01.800
hybrid or our remote team and therefore they thought they

745
00:39:01.800 --> 00:39:05.199
were failing, which, of course we're going to talk about next. Yeah.

746
00:39:05.320 --> 00:39:08.599
Absolutely, Yeah, I always like to think about that. This

747
00:39:08.679 --> 00:39:11.320
is sort of the great sift in terms of leadership.

748
00:39:11.360 --> 00:39:13.239
I mean, the best leaders have always been the ones

749
00:39:13.280 --> 00:39:17.119
who managed to objectives, manage to outcomes, inspire people even

750
00:39:17.119 --> 00:39:20.039
through really really hard times. But the pandemic was a

751
00:39:20.079 --> 00:39:22.519
bit of an acid test in terms of leaders who

752
00:39:22.559 --> 00:39:24.440
were able to kind of step up to the four.

753
00:39:25.119 --> 00:39:28.280
And from a curiosity standpoint, curiosity is kind of the

754
00:39:28.320 --> 00:39:33.119
basis for empathy, right, Like, positively have to respect people,

755
00:39:33.239 --> 00:39:36.960
and respect shouldn't require understanding. I shouldn't necessarily have to

756
00:39:37.039 --> 00:39:40.760
understand everything you stand for deeply in order to respect

757
00:39:40.800 --> 00:39:45.159
you as a person. But curiosity provides a foundation for

758
00:39:45.280 --> 00:39:49.000
that empathy as well. Gosh, what's going on for you?

759
00:39:49.119 --> 00:39:51.840
Where are you coming from? Tell me about your perspective.

760
00:39:52.199 --> 00:39:55.000
Those things are really really fundamental, I think in terms

761
00:39:55.079 --> 00:39:58.199
of how we lead and how we demonstrate that care

762
00:39:58.280 --> 00:39:58.800
for others.

763
00:40:00.400 --> 00:40:02.679
Right there with you, sister, I can't disagree with anything

764
00:40:02.679 --> 00:40:06.920
that you've said so far, Right, I want to talk

765
00:40:07.079 --> 00:40:11.639
next about our go Next, we talked about this idea

766
00:40:11.679 --> 00:40:14.679
of really failure and this, and where people organizations were

767
00:40:14.719 --> 00:40:16.119
changing a lot of what they were doing because they

768
00:40:16.119 --> 00:40:17.480
felt like they were failing and were not being the

769
00:40:17.480 --> 00:40:19.880
metrics or whatever. But I want to also talk about

770
00:40:19.920 --> 00:40:22.320
it from the vantage point of, you know, the individual experience,

771
00:40:22.360 --> 00:40:25.000
and I like how you part of what you talk

772
00:40:25.039 --> 00:40:28.559
about is choosing growth and learning from failure. And I

773
00:40:28.599 --> 00:40:31.320
think a lot of people are frightened silly of failure,

774
00:40:31.360 --> 00:40:35.320
and I understand, but it has so much utility. So

775
00:40:35.400 --> 00:40:38.079
let's talk about how we can learn from failure and

776
00:40:38.119 --> 00:40:39.039
in the process grow.

777
00:40:39.719 --> 00:40:42.199
Yes, Oh my gosh, I love this topic because we

778
00:40:42.320 --> 00:40:44.679
are afraid of it, and I think social media has

779
00:40:44.719 --> 00:40:47.920
contributed to this. You know, comparison is the thief of joy,

780
00:40:48.000 --> 00:40:50.159
and we want to, you know, be good at things

781
00:40:50.239 --> 00:40:54.800
all the time, and the instant gratification contributes to that mindset.

782
00:40:55.159 --> 00:40:59.239
But when we can fail effectively, when we can reflect

783
00:40:59.280 --> 00:41:02.480
on what didn't as well, when we can be vulnerable

784
00:41:02.519 --> 00:41:05.480
and open about that, we build relationships. When we can

785
00:41:05.559 --> 00:41:08.000
look at how we can do better next time, we're

786
00:41:08.199 --> 00:41:11.880
able to do better next time. There's some research there's

787
00:41:11.920 --> 00:41:16.119
a fifteen percent rule of failure. When we fail more

788
00:41:16.280 --> 00:41:19.000
than fifteen percent of the time, we might say to ourselves, oh,

789
00:41:19.519 --> 00:41:23.559
this one isn't for me. Maybe ballet dancing isn't my

790
00:41:23.639 --> 00:41:26.559
best approach in terms of my career. But when we

791
00:41:26.599 --> 00:41:29.719
fail less than fifteen percent of the time, we may

792
00:41:29.760 --> 00:41:32.039
say to ourselves, oh, I've kind of got this one.

793
00:41:32.039 --> 00:41:34.800
I'm going on to the next challenge. Because we really

794
00:41:34.880 --> 00:41:39.320
do crave challenge as humans, and we all need time

795
00:41:39.360 --> 00:41:41.679
to relax and do things that aren't so hard, But

796
00:41:41.760 --> 00:41:45.440
we also crave that stretch and that growth. So when

797
00:41:45.480 --> 00:41:49.039
we're able to put ourselves out there, when we're able

798
00:41:49.079 --> 00:41:52.239
to look for the promotion, when we're seventy percent of

799
00:41:52.280 --> 00:41:54.679
the way ready for it, when we're able to give

800
00:41:54.760 --> 00:41:57.639
people growth opportunities and we know that it will take

801
00:41:57.679 --> 00:42:00.079
them a bit to kind of get there, those are

802
00:42:00.119 --> 00:42:05.039
really positive aspects of both individual and leadership approaches. When

803
00:42:05.079 --> 00:42:09.519
we look for that opportunity to fail fifteen percent of

804
00:42:09.559 --> 00:42:13.199
the time, when we push ourselves enough that we fail sometimes,

805
00:42:13.480 --> 00:42:16.400
that is actually really really important to our growth process,

806
00:42:16.519 --> 00:42:20.639
and it's also important in terms of vulnerability. We tend

807
00:42:20.639 --> 00:42:24.119
to have this paradox of relationships as well, like we

808
00:42:24.199 --> 00:42:27.639
feel like we should always be our best, but ironically

809
00:42:27.760 --> 00:42:30.880
when we're more vulnerable when we share gosh, this is

810
00:42:30.880 --> 00:42:33.079
where I struggled, or this is where I could use coaching,

811
00:42:33.199 --> 00:42:34.800
or oh my gosh, I feel good about this part,

812
00:42:34.840 --> 00:42:37.079
but I could really use help on this part. That

813
00:42:37.159 --> 00:42:40.480
kind of vulnerability in terms of where we're not succeeding

814
00:42:40.519 --> 00:42:44.440
perfectly is actually really really good for building relationships as well.

815
00:42:45.559 --> 00:42:48.679
One hundred percent. Okay, Now I cannot let you get

816
00:42:48.679 --> 00:42:51.039
off the air without talking about how we can choose

817
00:42:51.079 --> 00:42:54.360
success by playing more. I love this whole concept, and

818
00:42:54.440 --> 00:42:58.000
I love, love, love seeing this embraced as a strategy

819
00:42:58.000 --> 00:43:01.760
inside organizations as a cultural practice. And I love how

820
00:43:01.800 --> 00:43:05.159
you talk about how play Foster's innovation and you say

821
00:43:05.440 --> 00:43:09.360
playfulness is linked to humor and the distance from haha

822
00:43:09.679 --> 00:43:14.199
to aha is short, and I think that is delightful.

823
00:43:14.239 --> 00:43:16.079
So let's talk about how we can play more at

824
00:43:16.159 --> 00:43:17.199
work and get the benefit for you.

825
00:43:17.320 --> 00:43:21.199
Yes, Yes, isn't it cool? And there's actual academic research

826
00:43:21.239 --> 00:43:23.559
on this. There was a beautiful study where I think

827
00:43:23.800 --> 00:43:28.440
productivity increased by twenty percent when teams were playing more together.

828
00:43:28.840 --> 00:43:30.599
And I think we can think about this both in

829
00:43:30.679 --> 00:43:35.320
terms of play and being playful, and all of those

830
00:43:35.360 --> 00:43:38.199
are really really good for our sense of energy play

831
00:43:38.519 --> 00:43:41.119
as well. Let's get together and do some gaming. Let's

832
00:43:41.159 --> 00:43:44.760
make this a playful workshop environment for our new product development.

833
00:43:46.079 --> 00:43:48.719
Let's play in terms of the time that maybe we're

834
00:43:48.760 --> 00:43:52.000
spending with our customers and we're bonding through that experience.

835
00:43:52.480 --> 00:43:56.360
Play works well because we have to figure out the rules.

836
00:43:56.599 --> 00:43:59.360
It gives us a sense of challenge. It gives us

837
00:43:59.360 --> 00:44:03.119
a new context within which we can unleash our creativity.

838
00:44:03.199 --> 00:44:06.679
So absolutely, that distance, as you said, from haha, we're

839
00:44:06.760 --> 00:44:09.920
laughing together, we're playing together to aha is a very

840
00:44:10.119 --> 00:44:13.800
very important proximity. But I think we can also think,

841
00:44:13.920 --> 00:44:15.840
like you know, some people listening might say, you know,

842
00:44:15.920 --> 00:44:18.960
I'm really not that playful, especially at my age and

843
00:44:19.000 --> 00:44:21.800
at my level. But I think we can also take

844
00:44:21.840 --> 00:44:26.039
a playful approach. So how do we turn the problem

845
00:44:26.119 --> 00:44:27.880
inside out? How do we look at it from the

846
00:44:27.920 --> 00:44:31.239
opposite vantage point. I was in a workshop one time

847
00:44:31.280 --> 00:44:36.079
and we were doing design thinking, and we were designing

848
00:44:36.880 --> 00:44:43.920
the worst possible experience in terms of a playland for kids, Like,

849
00:44:43.960 --> 00:44:47.320
how could you design the worst possible experience? Oh my gosh,

850
00:44:47.360 --> 00:44:50.639
I would have long lines and rides that were you know,

851
00:44:50.679 --> 00:44:53.400
the height was two tall so no kid could get

852
00:44:53.440 --> 00:44:57.000
on or I might not have enough snacks or juice

853
00:44:57.039 --> 00:45:00.679
available for you know, for going through the park. And

854
00:45:00.960 --> 00:45:04.519
we used that upside down thinking to really think about

855
00:45:04.639 --> 00:45:09.639
new solutions. And so the point is when we think playfully,

856
00:45:09.719 --> 00:45:13.000
when we think in unexpected ways, that can also help

857
00:45:13.079 --> 00:45:16.440
us with innovation and creativity and with kind of feeling

858
00:45:16.440 --> 00:45:18.760
more fulfilled in our work and feeling more connected to

859
00:45:18.800 --> 00:45:21.760
other people as we're kind of going through that journey together.

860
00:45:23.360 --> 00:45:26.480
Hi in, I'm in. I like having fun too. Okay,

861
00:45:26.559 --> 00:45:29.639
So we're going to finish the show talking about courage

862
00:45:29.679 --> 00:45:32.199
practicing courage, and I love the five ways. I would

863
00:45:32.239 --> 00:45:33.719
love for you to I'll cue them up for you.

864
00:45:34.119 --> 00:45:36.400
I think this is really actionable for our listeners and

865
00:45:36.480 --> 00:45:39.239
viewers to think about how they can practice courage and

866
00:45:39.639 --> 00:45:41.960
why it's important. So the first and one that you

867
00:45:42.000 --> 00:45:43.400
talk about is standing with.

868
00:45:44.079 --> 00:45:47.920
Yes, Yeah, absolutely, How can we stand with other people

869
00:45:48.000 --> 00:45:50.679
we see that somebody needs our support? How do we

870
00:45:50.719 --> 00:45:51.559
stand with them?

871
00:45:53.039 --> 00:45:53.360
Awesome?

872
00:45:53.400 --> 00:45:56.519
And then stand up yes? How are we standing up

873
00:45:56.559 --> 00:45:59.960
for our ideas? How are we standing up for our perspective?

874
00:46:00.920 --> 00:46:04.199
That one's really important, And I think another one is

875
00:46:04.239 --> 00:46:08.880
standing down. I think to We're so about standing up

876
00:46:08.920 --> 00:46:12.480
for things, but we don't need to fight every single battle,

877
00:46:12.559 --> 00:46:16.639
and sometimes standing down is also a really really good idea.

878
00:46:17.159 --> 00:46:20.320
Another idea that I really like related to professional courage

879
00:46:20.519 --> 00:46:24.719
is still standing. There's another element of professional courage that

880
00:46:24.800 --> 00:46:28.679
has to do with persistence with grit. Sometimes, whether we're

881
00:46:28.719 --> 00:46:32.239
standing with someone or whether we're standing up, we've got

882
00:46:32.280 --> 00:46:34.440
to keep at it. And so that's a really really

883
00:46:34.480 --> 00:46:39.000
big one. Another element of professional courage is related to

884
00:46:39.039 --> 00:46:43.079
the failure conversation we had, like owning up to our mistakes,

885
00:46:43.480 --> 00:46:49.159
being authentic, being transparent, being able to kind of stand

886
00:46:49.360 --> 00:46:51.320
up to the fact that I don't know it all

887
00:46:51.400 --> 00:46:53.039
and I need other people's input.

888
00:46:54.360 --> 00:46:57.639
I also love your stand for What do you stand for? Yes,

889
00:46:58.280 --> 00:47:01.559
I don't know if you've seen the movie Nonas on Netflix?

890
00:47:01.760 --> 00:47:02.039
Have you?

891
00:47:02.199 --> 00:47:05.039
It's great. It's a great movie that really speaks, so

892
00:47:05.039 --> 00:47:07.199
it definitely is about courage. He's going first stream to

893
00:47:07.199 --> 00:47:12.360
open a restaurant that's cooks are all grandmothers Nonas. But

894
00:47:12.480 --> 00:47:16.800
he's an inspiring leader. He totally models that, and he

895
00:47:17.280 --> 00:47:19.480
totally empowers his team and in the process of all

896
00:47:19.519 --> 00:47:24.599
this tracy, he totally energizes and invigorates and you know,

897
00:47:24.960 --> 00:47:26.480
some of them were in retirement homes. He pulled them

898
00:47:26.480 --> 00:47:28.039
out of retirement homes to come and cook for them

899
00:47:28.360 --> 00:47:29.880
and they just are on fire.

900
00:47:30.400 --> 00:47:30.559
Right.

901
00:47:30.679 --> 00:47:33.440
So there's so much sony ways that we can practice

902
00:47:33.480 --> 00:47:36.440
what we've been talking about in today's show. So I

903
00:47:36.440 --> 00:47:37.920
think you know that this show is listened to my

904
00:47:38.039 --> 00:47:41.480
people around the world who are interested in either the

905
00:47:41.519 --> 00:47:43.719
topic that we're addressing that day, or they're just they're

906
00:47:43.760 --> 00:47:46.480
trying to continue to develop their management, their leadership, They're

907
00:47:46.519 --> 00:47:49.079
trying to become better versions of themselves, create these cultures

908
00:47:49.079 --> 00:47:51.239
where people can really come alive. What would you like

909
00:47:51.280 --> 00:47:52.079
to leave them with today?

910
00:47:52.719 --> 00:47:56.000
Yeah, I mean I would leave them with We're in

911
00:47:56.039 --> 00:47:59.840
this critical moment right, Like we can think so intentional

912
00:48:00.199 --> 00:48:02.559
about the purpose of work and the way that work

913
00:48:02.679 --> 00:48:05.719
can be both the center of gravity and an opportunity

914
00:48:05.840 --> 00:48:09.480
for connection and purpose and fulfillment. And so the more

915
00:48:09.519 --> 00:48:11.480
that we can kind of do that for ourselves, the

916
00:48:11.559 --> 00:48:14.119
number one way people learn is through watching other people,

917
00:48:14.119 --> 00:48:17.159
listening to other people, experiencing other people. So we don't

918
00:48:17.159 --> 00:48:19.440
have to be perfect, but when we can do our best,

919
00:48:19.440 --> 00:48:21.840
thing goes a long way. And when we can connect

920
00:48:21.840 --> 00:48:24.800
with others and seek to empower them as well. Trying

921
00:48:24.920 --> 00:48:27.280
and doing our best is a really, really big deal today.

922
00:48:28.760 --> 00:48:31.119
I completely agree, and I'm so delighted to know you

923
00:48:31.159 --> 00:48:33.599
better now because I've read your books and at you

924
00:48:33.639 --> 00:48:35.360
on the program. Thank you so much for coming on,

925
00:48:35.400 --> 00:48:38.119
working and purpose and sharing your beautiful heart, mind and soul.

926
00:48:38.239 --> 00:48:39.199
Really lovely to have you.

927
00:48:39.760 --> 00:48:41.039
Thank you, I appreciate it.

928
00:48:41.920 --> 00:48:43.599
Listeners and viewers, you're going to want to learn more

929
00:48:43.599 --> 00:48:46.360
about doctor Tracy Brower, the work she does, and her books,

930
00:48:46.400 --> 00:48:48.320
so you can visit her at her work at her

931
00:48:48.400 --> 00:48:51.920
personal site Tracybrower dot com. Let me spell that for you.

932
00:48:52.400 --> 00:48:55.880
It's t r a c y b r ow e

933
00:48:56.239 --> 00:48:59.800
R Tracybrower dot com. Last week, if you missed the

934
00:48:59.840 --> 00:49:03.119
Life Show, we are on with Futurists for Shad Tobakuwala,

935
00:49:03.239 --> 00:49:07.320
the author of Rethinking Work, Seismic Changes and Where, When

936
00:49:07.400 --> 00:49:10.239
and Why. We talked about the numerous ways the diverse

937
00:49:10.280 --> 00:49:12.880
workforce has evolved just in the last few years, and

938
00:49:12.920 --> 00:49:16.039
how organizations can respond in their culture, leadership, and practices

939
00:49:16.360 --> 00:49:19.679
to attract, engage, and retain them in very fresh ways.

940
00:49:19.760 --> 00:49:21.880
It was incredible what this man has put into his

941
00:49:21.880 --> 00:49:24.320
book and his work. Next week, we'll be on the

942
00:49:24.360 --> 00:49:27.480
air with David Cohen talking about his new book, Live

943
00:49:27.599 --> 00:49:30.679
Life Swift. Swift, of course, is an acronym which will

944
00:49:30.719 --> 00:49:33.400
teach us various ways to elevate our lives. See you there,

945
00:49:33.440 --> 00:49:35.280
and remember that work is one of the best adventures

946
00:49:35.280 --> 00:49:37.639
and means of realizing our potential and making the impact

947
00:49:37.639 --> 00:49:39.760
we crave and can give us the opportunity to do

948
00:49:39.800 --> 00:49:42.760
business that betters the world. So let's work on Purpose.

949
00:49:46.000 --> 00:49:48.639
We hope you've enjoyed this week's program. Be sure to

950
00:49:48.679 --> 00:49:52.360
tune into Working on Purpose featuring your host, doctor Elise Cortes,

951
00:49:52.480 --> 00:49:55.679
each week on W four C. Why Together we'll create

952
00:49:55.719 --> 00:49:59.800
a world where business operates conscientiously, leadership inspires and passion

953
00:49:59.800 --> 00:50:02.840
for performance, and employees are fulfilled in work that provides

954
00:50:02.880 --> 00:50:06.000
the meaning and purpose they crave. See you there, Let's

955
00:50:06.039 --> 00:50:07.119
work on Purpose.