by Shawn | Jun 15, 2021 | Podcast
Today I’m excited to share some great insight from my friend and special guest Andy Storch. He is the author of the book “Own Your Career, Own Your Life“
Andy answers the questions: ” How can business leaders help their people take control of their career and is there a fear that they might lose them in the process?”
Really great insights from Andy about both of these. Find out more about Andy, his book, his podcast and more at andystorch.com
Then reach out to me on Instagram at @shawnwashburn7 and shoot me a message to let me know what you thought!
by Shawn | Jun 14, 2021 | Podcast
Today we talk about how a game called Bananagrams can be a fun way to help your team exercise their problem-solving muscles.
Check it out.
Then reach out to me on Instagram at @shawnwashburn7 and shoot me a message to let me know what you thought!
by Shawn | May 21, 2021 | Podcast
This week we’ve been looking at the four personality types as first presented by Gary Smalley.
They are Lion, Otter, Beaver and Retriever. If you missed any of the week’s episodes, head back and check them out.
Today, we’re going to talk about how all of these can work together to leverage their strengths.
The more you start to dig into these personality types, the more you’ll see them start to show up in the people in your organization.
And while some types tend to fit really well with certain roles, it’s also often happens that each person just brings that personality to their role that might not be what you would have assumed.
For example, because beavers are great with details, they make great accounts and financial specialists. Or even legal or otherwise.
But I’ve also known beavers in all kinds of other roles and I’ll see how both their strengths and weaknesses come out in those.
Lions are natural managers and leaders, but I know several lions who are in non management roles and they do a great job of speaking up, bringing to light important information and paving the way for others.
As for Otters, because of their love for being around people, they might thrive in an HR setting, but their weakness in the details could prove to be a struggle there. I love seeing otters littered throughout various groups where I’ve worked because they bring a new life to the group and a levity to what can be tough work.
And Retrievers can show up just about anywhere. I’ve often seem them sort of take on a caretaker role, looking out for coworkers, speaking up for others and doing their best to share their pulse of the organization.
Bottom line is that we each have a mix of these and we work best when all are present in a group. As well, it also helps to identify which type we are and be willing to examine those natural weaknesses that come along with that personality.
I think you’ll find the same in your business. And if you want your team to operate at its best, create a culture where strengths of one personality type feel comfortable helping to fill in for weaknesses of others.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at the four personality types. I love examining how we are each designed, what makes us special and unique and how we can grow and become our best selves in the process.
Thanks for listening to today’s episode. I’d love hear from you about today’s topic or just in general. You can shoot me an email at shawn@shawnwashburn.com or head to shawnwashburn.com/contact and you’ll find links to connect with me on social media as well.
by Shawn | May 20, 2021 | Podcast
This week we’re talking about the four personality types that you’ll find in your organization. To find out more background, go back and check out episode 22.
So far this week we’ve covered Lions, Otters and Beavers.
Today, we come to our last group… the Retrievers.
I don’t want any of them to feel sad that they were last. It wasn’t anything personal.
Retrievers are the natural feelers of the group.
They have a pulse on not only their own feelings but also the feelings of others.
They are a great barometer to your organizational culture and values, helping you to know if what you’re trying to instill is actually happening.
Retrievers almost have a special sense of these things. They can pick up when someone doesn’t feel valued, when a message is confusing or maybe belittling.
They perceive when someone isn’t being truthful or has an idea that they’d like to share but are afraid to.
They are excellent listeners. They truly value others deeply and it shows in how they interact with their co-workers.
The value that Retrievers bring is a little bit harder to see but it is critical because they shine the light on what others can’t see naturally.
And they’re pretty honest. Just ask them if what you said came across the way that you meant it and they’ll shoot straight with you.
So, their weaknesses.
As you can see, Retrievers and Lions are essentially polar opposites.
Their struggles usually come in the areas of asserting themselves, being decisive and not overthinking.
They can tend to let others roll right over them because they often may just assume that the other person is right.
And because they are such strong feelers, they can also tend to have feelings hurt more easily, though they may not show it.
Retrievers in your organization might be a little bit harder to spot. They are sometimes the quieter ones and will just put their heads down and serve or do their thing because they don’t like to bring attention to themselves.
But when you can identify them, take full advantage of their thoughts and views on the organization, initiatives, values, culture and more. They perceive far more than you know.
Tomorrow, we’re going to wrap up the week with an overview and some examples of how all four might work together well.
Thanks for listening to today’s episode. I’d love hear from you about today’s topic or just in general. You can shoot me an email at shawn@shawnwashburn.com or head to shawnwashburn.com/contact and you’ll find links to connect with me on social media as well.
by Shawn | May 19, 2021 | Podcast
This week we’re talking about the four personality types that you’ll find in your organization. To find out more background, go back and check out episode 22.
So far, we’ve discussed the take charge Lions and the easy going Otters.
Today, we’re going to take a look at the people who take care of the details… the Beavers.
Beavers LOVE the details. They love the rules, the structure, the instructions, the procedures.
They find the fatal flaw in the proposal, they dot the i’s and cross the t’s.
They excel at the analytical.
They can scan lines of code and pick out the error.
They can crush financial statements and love numbers and order.
They can often be perfectly content holed up at a desk just chomping away on data.
It is their superpower. And without them, our organizations would fall apart.
We’d miss important safety details in a procedure, fail to protect ourselves adequately in a contract.
We’d miss a crucial step in an instruction, have no idea where were financially and forget a major event that was coming up.
Beavers are like the glue that holds our businesses together.
And like each of the four, they are essential.
But also like the others, they have their weaknesses.
They are quite obviously the opposite of the otters.
And one of their challenges is to be able to think more creatively, come up with new ideas or solutions that maybe aren’t the standard way of approaching things.
Not always, but often they aren’t general connectors of people.
They can struggle when things don’t go according to plan, as opposed to the Otters who have lived their life on that principle.
I’m sure you know some Beavers on your team. And you’d do well to make sure they have access to those details or get a chance to review the data and instructions so that they’re secret skill can be put to full use.
Beavers are like the built in spell check of your organization.
Thanks for listening to today’s episode. I’d love hear from you about today’s topic or just in general. You can shoot me an email at shawn@shawnwashburn.com or head to shawnwashburn.com/contact and you’ll find links to connect with me on social media as well.
