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 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.
by Shawn | May 18, 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.
Yesterday we talked about the take-charge lions of your group.
Today will be a little more fun because it’s time to highlight the life of the party… your otters.
Otters are naturally fun and relational.
When you drop an otter into a boring meeting, they’re bound to spice it up. They hate the mundane and live for creative and spur of the moment.
Otters are idea people, they’re always thinking, and they tend to live in the “outside the box” realm.
Otters bring life to your organization and you can feel it when they’re around… and when they’re not.
They love to connect people, to make others feel part of the group.
They will give you some of your best ideas, challenge the status quo and lift the spirits of the company at the same time.
They thrive around others and make great teammates.
But… like with the other personalities, they also have their weaknesses as well.
They are horrible at the details. They detest the rules, the disciplines, the step-by-steps.
They often struggle with keeping projects on task and on target.
They are so full of ideas and wanting to try new things that they can sometimes need to be reigned in.
They will be prone to missing key pieces of communication or conversations because their minds are already 5 minutes ahead.
Though they love to connect with others, they can sometimes have fun at the expense of others as well without knowing it.
Just like with Lions, your team needs otters as well. Otters make work fun. They help people feel valued and included. They bring about great new ideas and challenge others to think outside the box.
Value your otters. They breathe life into your team.
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.
