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Cultural Habits that Build Trust
In this, The Faces of Business episode, David Mead, Founder, David Mead, talks about Cultural Habits that Build Trust and allow business leaders to foster a good culture in the teams and businesses they lead. As a culturalist, David brings a relatable, human approach to leadership and simple, practical tools that leaders and their teams can use daily to build trust and human connection. It allows teams to achieve higher performance, innovation, collaboration, retention, and well-being. David has spent over a decade working with and learning from leaders worldwide. He helps leaders implement good cultural habits, sharing a simple framework for leading and influencing others with humanity, regardless of role or title. David also co-authored the phenomenally successful book "Find Your Why" with Peter Docker and Simon Sinek in 2017. That has been translated into 25 languages and sold 400,000 copies. Damon's fondness for culture is no secret. He is pleased to welcome David on his Livestream. Damon asks David to share how he became a culturalist. David bifurcates his answer into two parts. The unconscious mind and conscious decision. He starts with the conscious part first. After graduating in five different majors, from architecture to forestry, he could not figure out what he would become. After college, he "bounced around between different sales jobs." David got interested in corporate training gigs and soon landed a job as a corporate trainer for a Yellow Pages company. He liked to share and incorporate new information. The progression from sales-centric sales training to training door-to-door campaigners showed David a path down to culturalism. In March 2009, during training, he met a guest speaker named Simon Sinek, who would become David's long-term business partner, co-author, and confidante. Simon shared this idea about the Golden Circle and Purpose. He explained this theory so well that it was easy to grasp. When David listened to the speaker carefully, he could figure out "why I've done really well in certain jobs. And I've done really poorly in others." He would write it down in the training material. When Simon returned to visit them, David handed him a copy of the training manual. Simon was surprised at how I translated his speech into the written manuscript. He offered David a partnership right away. Simon's first book and TED Talk came out in late 2009. That was the first time David knew about culture. Similarly, David is pleased to present his ideas and experience in a book form. From David, Damon learns that many companies hardly adhere to what they superficially say. Moreover, in training sessions and leadership summits, David says he could relate to and internalize whatever the speaker said. He believes Simon influenced him positively and shaped his career. David points out that people's flawless professional façade masks their unwillingness to change. He categorizes these types of individuals into categories. The guest points out impostor syndrome if a person in a leadership position tries "to keep that façade up." Disproportionate sense of education, experience, promotion, and achievement keeps "that humanity from coming out is so often in a leadership position." Damon reflects that one's confession of one's mistakes and weaknesses doesn't make one lesser a being. Besides, "it's easier for leaders to understand and embrace a different way of leading that builds that culture of trust." David elaborates on diverging perspectives on whether or not leaders should share their emotions and admit fallibility. Some leaders are comfortable with that, while others conceal their feelings and human side. To David, it is entirely an individual's choice. Damon invites David's comments on the concept of leadership in today's business. The guest, through analogies, shortlists some leadership traits: They care about their team. They teach their juniors productively. They help the team connect with the business's vision, mission, and goal. "All these human characteristics that make these leaders magnetic," David believes. David shares his observation regarding the change in the work environment in recent years. He bifurcates these changes into eras: the pre- and post-COVID-19 Pandemic. Before the Shutdown, we got along with our jobs and enjoyed them to a certain extent. The practice of coming to the office, mingling with people having the banter, and the like made our lives livable. On the other hand, as soon as we went remote, "we were sitting by ourselves in front of our computers." We lost the human connection, and culture was ignored all of a sudden. The guest further elaborates on the idea, saying "leaders were not prepared" for hybrid working conditions. They could not distinguish their professional lives from their private lives. David opines that besides our person and mind, we need to show up with our heart if we genuinely care about our human experience. When a coach gets tough on us, they believe we have more inside us than we think. "It's not about being nice." With a pleasant working environment, as David declares, he is not "a hippie fest where we all hug and sing Kumbaya." Rather, he refers to an organization that cares about performance, innovation, transparent communication, retention, and the well-being of its staff. Undue job stress causes "innovation to go out the window." Moreover, it leaves one more anxious and depressed. Under these circumstances, a business can barely sustain, let alone grow! Damon seeks David's advice for those who want to practice exemplary cultural practices. The guest replies that he lets people identify three traits: honesty, humility, and humanity. "These are something I believe every single one of us has inside of us already." Honesty, according to David, is not limited to telling the truth. "More importantly, it is about living and behaving in alignment with what we profess to stand for." The biggest killer of trust is "when a leader says one thing and does something else." Similarly, humility is about admitting our weaknesses without getting defensive. And significantly, it is to realize our strengths and abilities without letting ego get in the way. The guest suggests that people put these traits into practice. Damon asks the guest what plans he has while helping people. David reveals that his focus is now implementation of the ideas that he mentioned earlier. He intends to create an online course to train business leaders on his ideals. His target audience is small and medium enterprises. David wants to unlock people's captive goodness in this nine-month organizational program. "They don't have to learn anything new. They just got to become aware of what they've already got," he feels. Damon concludes the discussion by saying, "This has been awesome thinking." The conversation ends with Damon thanking David for his time.
Keys to Accelerating Execution in Business
In this, The Faces of Business, Trevor Calder, Founder, The Execution Factor, talks about the keys to accelerating execution in business so leaders can ensure their strategies come to life. Trevor brings 30+ years of problem-solving and leadership experience in international business. His education and certifications in engineering and other key philosophies like lean, Six Sigma, Theory of Constraints, and quality assurance provide Trevor with tremendous process skills. His experience in building processes and helping companies execute in various industries have given him the real-world experience to quickly pinpoint bottlenecks reducing execution speed and getting them out of the way. Trevor Calder, "The Executioner," collaborates with his clients to shift their execution capabilities to "ludicrous mode," where they get more things done. In his quest to accelerate his client's long-term economic growth, Trevor's improved organizational effectiveness leads to increased financial success. Trevor recently released his book, "Execution at Ludicrous Velocity," which helps readers understand how they can increase their execution speed to improve business results. Damon is pleased to welcome Trevor to this Livestream. He is interested in what kicked-started the Execution Factor. The Executioner replies that his company has evolved. He believes that dreams cannot become a reality unless we take practical measures in that direction. We focus on planning. But there is a downside. If we Google planning, we'll get bombarded. Moreover, between dreams and reality, execution is a missing factor. "What gets missed or underrated is the execution factor," he maintains. In his view, long-term planning "is obsolete" because "it's based on a static set of assumptions." On the contrary, reality is ever-changing. Now we plan to use situations for our benefit that makes a difference. We must consider critical factors. Execution is about being reactive and dynamic in a given situation. Damon asks Trevor about the Theory of Constraints (TOC) and other extensive training the latter has received in manufacturing. Damon further asks the latter how he applies his tremendous knowledge in his work. According to Trevor, the Theory of Constraints tells us where to focus on delivering the greatest value, unlike the other methodologies. Lean Six Sigma, as Trevor explains, is a methodology that employs teamwork to eliminate waste and lower variation to boost performance. To get rid of the different types of waste, it combines lean manufacturing/lean enterprise with Six Sigma. "All waste is created equally." He further elaborates on the idea with an example. By eliminating waste in execution, he intends to ensure that the service resources always get something to work on. "And it's really looking at it holistically." In his opinion, Lean Six Sigma is a good tool for dealing with this problem. Moreover, in Trevor's view, TOC is more reliable than any other tool. "It brings it back to the bottom line results." Damon adds that the TOC is a great way to look at what we should work on first because very few organizations have the resources to work on everything. Even if we work on everything, it may not be what we want because we might work on an area that is a constraint in our flow and process. "It does show us where we should focus." Damon asks him if these courses and approaches have helped Trevor reap the desired result. Trevor believes these approaches have rendered a very holistic structure. They are guidelines and principles. Moreover, they are flexible. We "don't have to follow it to the letter." Although it is advisable to follow the book with Lean and the TOC, a slight difference in the application will not harm. Furthermore, they made work easier to some extent. They try and optimize their local department at the expense of the overall system. To Trevor, these approaches have been a breakthrough. They positively impact their throughput, inventory, and operating expense. Trever has "a little bit of advice" for those who want to execute better. Fundamental principles are making things visible. Working smoothly in teams to run a department is a common approach. People rely on "inputs from someone else." Similarly, we can often see what's happening in the other departments. Quite often, many problems occur at the interface between one department and the next. As a result, we can start collaborating to solve those problems "and recognizing that adds value." We must think about the resources we allocate to fix that problem. "Now, all of a sudden, instead of spending time, it's not going to help flow." There has to be a unified priority system (UPS). If we want each department to do a good job, we'll group things to maximize the output and reduce setups. By aligning the priorities, we are not only better able to focus but also better able to perform. It leads to measurements. It is our responsibility to match local measurements with global measurements. Damon asks Trevor how many times the Executioner has stepped into situations where one department has slowed down another without realizing it. "That happens all the time," exclaims Trevor. To align businesses, they need a bigger picture. There is a need to use a visual board to establish priorities. They must focus on the first blockages to ensure a smooth workflow. In Trevor's view, streamlining systems guarantees value-added time. That results in more flow, more throughput, and the results. Trevor believes it has helped him reduce lead times by 25% to 30%. In the same fashion, the Executioner asserts that thinking about execution gives him X-ray vision. In his guess, it is about visibility that he can see the big picture while departments can't. "Because they're in a fog." He can, in his words, see not only where the problems are but also "see future problems coming." So, he helps them make adjustments and avert damages. Damon invites the guest's comments on protective flow manufacturing. According to Trevor, it is a software tool "specifically tailored for manufacturers." He has talked about it in his book. Manufacturers can focus on the most important tasks or work quickly. He explains its execution step by step. After creating a priority, we devise a plan, and then we execute the plan. But if we plan something for weeks, it gets less accurate and more uncertain. So, using this particular flow, "instead of planning and executing, we first execute, and then we plan." The boards use these principles to look at red tags. He discloses that flow has become his core offering. "It comes very naturally to me because I've done a lot of ERP implementations and things over the years." Trevor helps them "focus on delivering value." He is "eliminating the light problem." He also aids businesses in increasing throughput, and cash flow is improving. "So that's becoming my core, my core product, and my core focus." Trevor's approach to solving bottlenecks impresses Damon. The conversation comes to a close with Damon thanking Trevor for his life.
Creating Websites that Speak for You
In this, The Faces of Business episode, Sarah Johnson, Co-Founder, Content Director, JamboJon, talks about Creating Websites that Speak for You and how the right web pages clearly communicate your message to visitors and let you achieve your desired goals and objectives. Sarah works with business owners to define their goals, build effective sales pipelines, and develop a following of raving fans. With 36+ years of experience and 4,000+ website pages programmed, Sarah knows what an effective website looks and feels like. Sarah founded JamboJon in 2003 as a website development marketing firm helping small businesses establish strong brands. Sarah and the team at Jamobojon specialize in creating websites that help clients expand their businesses. By virtue of her extensive experience in sales, psychology, and human connection, Sarah designs websites that successfully combine technology, storytelling, and graphics. Writing has always been Sarah's passion, and over the past ten years, her work has appeared in newspapers, social media platforms, blogs, websites, and newsletters. Sarah recently finished writing her first book and has edited three full-length novels. Damon and Sarah are very excited to talk about websites. The guest reveals that she has been running websites since the early 2000s. She gives huge credit to her college internship. At Utah Salt Lake Valley, she worked in a botanical garden. College authorities tasked her with the communications department "to help create the wireframe and the content for the websites." Sarah gives details of tasks she performed. She worked in public relations, shared press releases, managed events, did graphic design, and "all the things marketers do." Website development was then a new concept. Moreover, there were no publishing tools like WordPress, Blogger, and BlogSpot. There were only HTML and Dreamweaver. Additionally, she talks about her husband, Johnny, the co-owner of JamboJon. Before starting the business, he was the marketing director for a small software company in the Valley. He worked with a bunch of programmers. She describes two kinds of programmers: "the ponytails and the propeller heads." These two idiosyncratic terms arouse Damon's curiosity. According to Sarah, "Propeller heads are the tall, thin ones who like to make jokes about this one." Ponytails are "like ice that works well." Today, the couple runs a company. They have built hundreds of websites and thousands of pages and "have helped companies all over the country with their websites." Damon furthers the discussion by asking Sarah about her writing passion. Sarah comments that her writing career started when she wrote a journal in the fifth grade. So far, she has written over 47 journals. Currently, she is working on the 48th. Interestingly, she loves writing copy. "It's one of my favorite things." A copywriter can incorporate storytelling and learn about storytelling. All content stems from the human experience. Damon appreciates Sarah's insight into the human experience. Apparently, he has come across some very self-explanatory titles. Sarah finds that relatable and gives examples of her family and grandfather's filial love. Sadly, her father passed away when she was ten. She learned about her father through the words he wrote in his "journals and all of his letters." So, she collected her family's stories and shaped them into words. Sarah talks about her grandfather, a wealthy professor-turned-businessman. "He was wildly successful," she reveals. The New York Times published his obituary. Similarly, he received a lifetime achievement award from the Smithsonian. Her grandfather acted like a father. In his letter to his wife—Sarah's grandmother, to be exact—he chronicled the struggling phase of his career. Interestingly, her grandpa's struggles sharply match Sarah's early days of her career. The guest opines that without the storytelling element, the content is boring. She believes it is important to understand human psychology. "Our brains are designed to keep us alive." There are several reasons to make the content as lively as possible. Firstly, potential customers will make the message invisible if the message is difficult to understand. In other words, people will not even see if the message does not solve a problem and is not easy to understand. Resultantly, it will disappear. Secondly, there's a part of our brain called the "reticular activating system" (the RAS). It's a filter. So our "subconscious mind processes over 11 million bits of data a second." On the other hand, our conscious mind can only focus on about 50. Because of the RAS, we can solve the problem to survive. Our brain does not bother processing stories. It focuses on issues and their immediate solutions. Damon wants Sarah to share her formula of brevity. She says we need seven to ten words to make a mark. "It's like a billboard." Describe the problem and the solution accordingly. Nevertheless, Damon believes that we must read many words to get to the solution on a website. Sarah agrees with Damon and shares her recipe for successful content writing. When she writes, she tries to make it poetic. She sends the copy to the designer. But they ask her to discard half of them because they can't have that many words. Moreover, she describes the word limit for various documents. For example, testimonials should be only one sentence. Secondly, we must use bullet points so people can skim through our content. Similarly, she advises using alliterative, poetical, and rhyming words to make content catchy. Likewise, she mentions Kindra Hall, a storytelling keynote speaker, and hails her as "a great author." She knows the art of engaging readers. "Using details will anchor people into the stories and help them see themselves in your stories." Damon finds it "really incredible." Sarah shares a piece of advice for business owners. She thinks they should be "in the trenches, building revenue, building systems, creating dreams, [and] having a passion." No doubt, anybody can write. "But are the words going to convert?" she continues, "Are they optimized for Google for keywords?" Moreover, she believes that copy must be optimized so that humans can understand and decide to take action. She encourages the listeners that if they value growth, they should find people in the team who can support their vision. Sarah thinks that business owners must take advantage of Black Friday. She believes people will spend over $13 billion on this day. Instead of substantial inflation, retailers are offering exceptional discounts and gift hampers. He further believes that the momentum stimulated by Black Friday will not end anytime soon. It may continue until the end of January. Furthermore, she has shared a key to Black Friday on her website. It is a step-by-step guide for entrepreneurs to reap the maximum benefit from the event. JamboJon has a workbook to prepare businesses for Thanksgiving and Yummy Turkey. Damon seeks Sarah's expert opinion on AI-generated copy. She says that every coin has two sides. "It is so cool that the capability of our technology is that literally, you can type in a keyword," and it will create a new version of the website. Theoretically, it is a fantastic idea. However, Google recently announced in their latest update that they are going "to ding you if you have a copy on your website." It will discourage AI-generated content. Moreover, she clarifies whether transcription counts as a copy. "There is no." This is because everything is fine if we record a video and you put it in an AI tool and transcript it. Damon mentions Marcus Sheridan, an accomplished writer. He adds that the latter suggests that a website must incorporate some questions even if their answers are not an excellent fit for the publisher. Agreeing with Damon, Sarah answers that in the past, we used to write noun-based keywords in the Google search box and hit it. Thanks to Siri and other virtual assistants, our search has become question-based. While talking about the importance of questions, Sarah comments that Google wants us to provide the most relevant answer to customers' questions. Because if Google's customers, the searchers, are not satisfied with the results Google provides, they will go to other search engines to find answers. "So, Google prioritizes their customers, their searchers, over their website holders because they want the most relevant answers to the questions." The host asks Sarah about her most challenging web development project. According to her, it is www.smithrexall.com, a pharmaceutical website in Utah County. The project was challenging because it has an ecommerce store and online quizzes. It has a Learning Management Portal and an online directory for doctors. "We're adding classes, new providers, and 100+ skews." Sarah concludes the discussion with optimistic comments. She believes she is building the future. She is playing a role "in American and worldwide cultures." She will contribute to prosperity for future generations. She hopes to provide hope and resources to her customers. "And storytelling is a great way to do that." Damon feels blessed to host Sarah for her piercing insights and enormous knowledge of the human psyche, storytelling, and content writing. The discussion ends with Damon thanking Sarah for her time.