Val ries interview - how to be the chief inspiration officer
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So how do you create a company culture that people actually want to work for and attract and retain both staff and customers? It's the holy grail of business, but it is elusive for so many. On today's program I'm talking with Val Ries. She is a leadership coach and the author of the brand new book Chief Inspiration Officer available online.
You can find Val at www.executive-muse.com
And on Instagram @ executivemuse
You can find David Avrin at
www.davidavrin.com
www.linkedin.com/in/davidavrin
www.twitter.com/DavidAvrin
www.facebook.com/therealdavidavrin
www.instagram.com/therealdavidavrin
Audio Transcript:
David Avrin: Listen, this is going to be a great conversation today because you know and it depending on when you're watching this or listening to this there's all this challenge, of course, about what is the new normal the new next.
David Avrin: The touch list tomorrow, but the problem of course isn't just you know operations and supply chain, all of that, but it's.
David Avrin: it's in in retaining employees there there's such a challenge in attracting and retaining the right people but it's not just from.
David Avrin: An internal perspective, but also external because, of course, nothing happens until somebody sell something and.
David Avrin: We have a whole new breed of customers and clients and patients and constituents and prospects.
David Avrin: And everybody's looking at the world differently, and so that has a profound impact on leadership, how do we lead organizations that people actually want to work for how do we lead organizations.
David Avrin: that a new generation of customers and clients want to buy from and to partner with well today we're talking to valerie's.
David Avrin: And about got an MBA she's got executive coaching credentials and she's got the brand new book, which is called chief inspiration officer and we know that because.
David Avrin: it's right behind her so if you're watching the video version on my website, or on the YouTube channel, you can see her Val welcome to the Program.
Val Ries: Thank you so much for having me.
David Avrin: So so let's back up a little bit because the because the world is different tell me what sort of brought you to where you are, I mean you you've led sales teams and others but.
David Avrin: Even even for those who who coach today and consultant work with leaders and you've got a great moniker call yourself the executive muse I love the term us because it's so loaded with with with meaning and action and deliverables tell us a little bit about your background.
David Avrin: And what led you to where you are today.
Val Ries: yeah well Thank you so much, it took a long time to come up with that name, something that I really love, but.
Val Ries: I was a registered nurse for a few years right out of school and then I got into medical sales and I fell in love with selling and working with the customer and the client and.
Val Ries: I wanted to learn more about business operations leadership, so I went and got my MBA and my boss said hey can you i'm getting promoted, will you lead a team.
Val Ries: And I thought sure I did well as an individual contributor, so why not lead a team that'll be easy and what I realized, was it wasn't so easy.
David Avrin: Not so much.
Val Ries: No, the first six months I really didn't do so well, we were the worst performing region and I was devastated and determined not to fail.
Val Ries: So I picked up every book, I can find every blog article, and I remember journaling on my living room floor and just thinking what happened, why, why can I get this.
Val Ries: And it was in that moment that I realized that I forgot what it's like to be the employee.
Val Ries: I got so bogged down in like meetings and forecasts and budgets and pushing goals and so that it almost became like robotic you need to hit your number, you need to do this, you need to do that.
Val Ries: And when people weren't I was getting frustrated and I realized that if I put myself back into the shoes of the employee, what is it that they're really creating.
Val Ries: Sure, so that's that's how I started to become passionate about leadership, because I saw things start to shift when I changed yeah yeah.
David Avrin: Let me ask your question, though, because there's a lot of people, you can think of the how this applies to a lot of different industries so some of the best teachers.
David Avrin: Are students who had a great teacher and said, I want to be that I want to have the same impact that my teachers had on me, I want to have on other people, but at what point does this.
David Avrin: sort of devolve into I want to be the person that I wanted to work for, and I want to be popular, I want to be really liked and how much of that is really recognizing.
David Avrin: Effectiveness because it is important to understand to recognize and remember what it's like to be in the employee role as well.
Val Ries: mm hmm yeah I remember sitting there thinking Okay, if I look at all the qualities of my boss that promoted me what are all the qualities that I really appreciate it and him.
Val Ries: And if I look at every single boss, that I ever worked for what were the things that I really admired and I started making this big list, and then I started ranking myself on how I was showing up and it wasn't so great.
Val Ries: And it was in that moment, where I thought Okay, if you really want to get what you need, then you have to give them what they need and they're craving things like appreciation and to feel valued and effective communication and connection.
Val Ries: And if we can do that, then I think what's happening is the employee is like the internal customer so as much attention as we give to our external customers, excuse me if we can give the same to our internal customers to our employees, then that transfers into customer world, I believe.
David Avrin: right but it let's let's talk about more specifics, because whenever anybody talks about what they do there's a voice in my brain I think there's a voice in everybody's brain that says.
David Avrin: to what end, so I do blank like there's more than than a few people who teach people how to do elevator speeches I help people do blank and blank so they can blank and blank I work with organizations.
David Avrin: In my mind here's the missing part to what end so that they can do more, what so that they can contribute more blank so they can demonstrate a higher level of X fill those blanks in for me.
Val Ries: mm hmm.
Val Ries: um so that they can be loyal engaged productive efficient positive good role models collaborative and when that happens in your team, you get more productivity.
Val Ries: Now to what end is when you start to see an employee demonstrating that they're not accountable frog in my throat today.
David Avrin: Okay sorry.
Val Ries: That they're not accountable that they're not coachable that the negative that they're toxic that they're bringing down the the energy of the team that's to the what end right, those are that's when you're building an environment and people can.
Val Ries: so to speak, get on the train moving in that direction that you want to see if you can create that it's naturally going to show you who the outliers are that's what.
David Avrin: I think sure, and do you look at that that's alexa talking to me right now alexa cancel because we are in a new world.
David Avrin: talk to me about the converse talk to me about when things are not working particularly well because we're seeing.
David Avrin: Some significant organizational challenges cross American around the world.
David Avrin: With a lot of external forces right supply chain challenges with the the great resignation is we're calling it everything else, but I know in the work that you do in your Executive coaching on leadership is is about affecting internally, what we can affect.
David Avrin: talk to me about sort of the dichotomy between what we can affect and what we can't and how that's playing out in the corporate world right now.
Val Ries: yeah such a great question because.
Val Ries: there's dysfunction and every organization, no matter how big or small.
David Avrin: People people.
Val Ries: People are people and people have different ways of seeing things different personalities and those things are going to clash, at times, so I truly believe it's the leaders job to build what I call a strong microculture.
Val Ries: Micro culture is being able to bring and united team, together with common values, no matter what function is going on around them.
Val Ries: And the way that we do, that is, first and foremost we have to acknowledge the problems right like we have to say, like I know this is frustrating I know we're having these mistakes, I know that there's confusion on.
Val Ries: You know supply chain or or whatever is going on, so that's, the first thing because of employees don't feel heard they're going to go start complaining to each other, and then you get a water cooler talk and.
David Avrin: Right or online right.
David Avrin: Online coolers and and.
David Avrin: was a glass door and some of the other things as well.
Val Ries: yeah yeah and they start they start looking for other jobs they want out because they don't feel heard you know, and it does it as a leader that doesn't mean you have to go and fix everything.
Val Ries: So many times, David when I asked leaders what their role is they tell me that they're problem solvers.
Val Ries: And I say, can I challenge that for a second and have you think about yourself, being a solution facilitator hey.
Val Ries: You if all you do is solve them problem solve Okay, and it take that if all you do is solve problems.
Val Ries: Then you're going to burn out as the manager because everyone's going to start coming and dumping things on you all the time, because there will always be problems.
Val Ries: But if we can shift to a solutions facilitator than we are encouraging the people around us to come up with a solution, even when there might not be an evidence solution, even when there's a solution that.
Val Ries: You know, we can or can't control it's like we can control our reaction to it, we can.
Val Ries: acknowledge the customer that they're frustrated there's so many things that we can do we can lean on each other to get creative, but when we're not acknowledging and we're trying to just put out all the fires all the time, then they put things pylon and people are negative.
David Avrin: Oh.
David Avrin: To that end, it sort of gives me thought about.
David Avrin: The difference between managing and leading right isn't leading the growing of the people, and if if leaders take on those challenges themselves, then there will be a constant stream of of of problems coming their way.
David Avrin: Right, I mean I mean here's the point i'm making is that that ultimately we need to create.
David Avrin: we're all going to be busy all day every day right there's no shortage cover you talked about that you know the tornado it we're going to fill up the calendar.
David Avrin: But as we look to and you help organizations build that culture, how do we get past the putting out fires to be very intentional about who we want to be internally and who what we want to exhibit externally because that's certainly what drives and and retains customers as well.
Val Ries: yeah yeah, so there are certain exceptions to every rule right there are going to be times, where you have to put out the fire because it's just what we need to do in the moment.
Val Ries: But let that be 10 maybe 20% of your day the rest of it is asking the employee to come up with their own solutions and empowering them to think through things meaning on each other.
Val Ries: Creating task forces in a meeting asking their thoughts when we do that it puts the employee more in the driver's seat and has an end sets the you're starting to set the stage that.
Val Ries: You want them to come to you with some sort of solution versus dumping, the problem so you're redirecting.
Val Ries: And to get to your question, and what you're saying like, how do we really set this precedent, this really strong and create this really strong culture.
Val Ries: I talked about that in Chapter six I believe I talked about something called the real ideal, which is getting really clear on what you want.
Val Ries: What is your ideal employee look like, how do you take every single attribute that you're looking for, how do you narrow down to like five things define it and and then start to.
Val Ries: vocalize and verbalize that those are the things that are really important to you, so you know, for example, like if you're working in sales, it could be that you're really looking for somebody that's resilient right so and then let's say you develop you define resiliency as.
Val Ries: Someone who's resourceful and when there's a challenge, they they have a positive attitude and that challenge, and they can bounce back when they get nose and they can still connect with the client and.
Val Ries: create an environment that they're not drive down when things don't go their way right so let's say you define that as a as a leader.
Val Ries: And now, every opportunity that you have when you're talking to somebody say hey i'm really looking for you to be resilient in this i'm it's really important to me that you bounce back fast.
Val Ries: you've defined this, and now you can communicate it, and when you communicate it people respond because they really understand what you're looking for.
David Avrin: But isn't it also the whole idea of institutionalizing those cultural norms i'm saying this is who we are.
David Avrin: And so, if.
David Avrin: resilience is one of those things here are the common behaviors that we expect in everyone is we create a culture.
David Avrin: The common behaviors that will lead to this, and when we have outliers we have a challenging situations, at least we have a North star.
David Avrin: to fall back on this is who we are and it's not just the the you know the the the strategic or the mission statement of the vision statement that we put on a plaque or what we put in a notebook, but these are things that that we verbalize and we reinforce we live every day culturally.
Val Ries: Yes, and and you know what the little micro culture that you develop within your own team and apartment it could feel a little different than a different another departments, you have.
Val Ries: A company that has their own like mission statement and values that like maybe HR or the executive team created.
Val Ries: But uniquely in your own department it's so important to do that and and as the leader like.
Val Ries: I when I work with my clients we define it, but I really encourage them to have that all hands on meeting and say.
Val Ries: hey I have it in my mind what I think makes a really great member of our team, but i'm curious what you guys think and walk them through the same exact exercise as a group.
Val Ries: And it can be really eye opening but, but what it also does is it unites with the leaders wanting with what the team is thinking and gets everyone on the same page and it actually is an exercise that begins to ensure that everyone's holding each other to a certain level of standard.
Val Ries: they've all agreed.
Val Ries: This is what makes a really good leader or a member of the team now.
David Avrin: we're talking to valerie's the author of Chief inspiration officer.
David Avrin: So we can talk about it, as in terms of how it manifests internally with the team and in attracting and retaining and creating a culture that.
David Avrin: Everybody knows where they are what's expected and the right people will you know it here, and you know what's the groomer broom right for those who do not but talk to me about how that is perceived and recognize and manifests externally.
David Avrin: Everybody will fall back on the Sir Richard Branson thing that says.
David Avrin: You know it's very simple if you treat your employees well they treat their customers well I don't agree.
David Avrin: I think it's a ridiculous assertion that just because somebody happy.
David Avrin: That they're going to treat their customers well, but I think when we are intentional.
David Avrin: When we articulate here's who we want to be seen as by our customers and clients and constituents and patients or others.
David Avrin: here's how we manifest that here's how we demonstrate it day in, day out, how does that internal culture, the micro cultures, the leadership that you do as the executive news, through your business, how is that.
David Avrin: How is that created a manifest recognized externally as well.
Val Ries: yeah I think it plays nice to be empowered to have the conversation with clients if they have to run everything by their manager or get everything approved then they're they're not showing up confident in front of a client and so when an employee is yes, happy and also.
Val Ries: empowered or inspired to use the title of the book and.
Val Ries: They are going to be more calm more confident more acknowledging with the customer and more curious.
Val Ries: versus what I see typically is like Have you ever I know you've.
Val Ries: everyone's experienced this right, where you have a problem you call like let's say customer service and they're like Oh, I have to talk to my manager and i'll get back to you, and now you're frustrated as a customer right.
Val Ries: But if that employee was empowered to to not only recognize that i'm frustrated as a consumer, but also to say here's what I can do for you right now.
Val Ries: And it's resolved and it's done and it's beautiful right, so I think that's where the disconnect comes from is that empowerment piece.
David Avrin: Sure, but also don't you think that having a commonality having a clear North star creates also consistency and experiences for customers as well and i'm not talking about scripts.
David Avrin: i'm talking about everybody knows who we are what's expected here's how we behave here's how we serve here's our mindset that is reinforced internally and here's how it.
David Avrin: is communicated externally, because I think so many organizations that work to create their brand and granted there's an internal brand that's important for recruitment.
David Avrin: But externally, a lot of that is driven by a measure of consistency and that starts with leadership as well doesn't it.
Val Ries: yeah I think the real ideal method where you're defining your real ideal employee and how they show up can also be transferred to now, how do we want to show up for the customer.
Val Ries: You know how do we, how do we want to handle challenges, how do we want to communicate things.
Val Ries: What kind of experience, we want to create and all of that can be defined and when those things are defined, now the employees empowered to go out and handle things in a certain way, because they understand and they they know it's okay right.
David Avrin: Right right and we spend a third of our life at work right, a third of our life we miss it because we're asleep, and so, but but.
David Avrin: let's go back to the title of your book for chief inspiration officer some organizations are recognizing the importance of a designated individual but but clearly everybody can play that role.
David Avrin: Or have that role in terms of inspiring people.
David Avrin: To dispel the notion of this being touchy feely to dispel the notion of a soft skill talk to me about inspiration, as it relates to expectations, how do we drive behavior.
David Avrin: How does somebody become inspiring in a way that produces tangible results, internally and externally.
Val Ries: yeah so as you're talking, one of the things that came to mind was one of my endorsers for the buck and somebody that is i've spoke at his association meetings and.
Val Ries: He mentioned to me, the other day that he feels like there can only be one CEO and coo and CFO and cto but there could be multiple cios or chief inspiration officers.
Val Ries: And I really love that he said that, because every everybody who is in any kind of roll it doesn't even have to be the leader, we all can be inspiring each other, we can all be.
Val Ries: Lifting each other up when we're feeling down, we can be listening to each other so.
Val Ries: Yes, it may seem intangible like what is inspiration and how do we measure that but I think we measure that by seeing a decrease in attrition.
Val Ries: And in and we measure that by a productivity, we measure that with customer scores and net promoter scores.
Val Ries: We see less sick days we see people staying later and not because they're being paid tube or asked to, but because they want to.
Val Ries: We see people recommending or friends to come into the organization, so when you increase your when you start inspiring people you all those measured things start to go up in theory.
Val Ries: except for one thing i'm gonna i'm actually going to say one thing that I do see happen when I start teaching, this is, I do sometimes see an initial increase in people leaving.
Val Ries: Which is the irony right.
Val Ries: yeah because, as the leader gets.
David Avrin: Leaving and what way you mean working with organizations some initial people who don't buy in say screw this i'm gone.
Val Ries: yeah yeah like.
David Avrin: Tell me more about that.
Val Ries: Well, they got hired maybe some of these cultural.
Val Ries: Cultural norms weren't as defined or the leader, the Leader comes in, and they didn't hire the employee and so now that they're becoming more clear on what they want, and they are becoming more comfortable with asking for what they want, you get pushback from some people.
David Avrin: No, no.
Val Ries: that's not how I always did it or that's not how my past manager did it right, and so, sometimes what I see is when I come and do the training there's this there's this little dip initially of people resisting and.
Val Ries: what's really neat about that is that the leader becomes more confident, to make the decision to part ways, because they understand now why why it's they.
Val Ries: always had that red flag, but now they're understanding why something's not right here and now, I understand it's because i'm really looking for these five things and this person checks off the box for maybe two of the five.
Val Ries: and getting all this resistance and they're not coachable it's time to part ways.
Val Ries: Right.
David Avrin: After that, but even beyond that doesn't doesn't it also.
David Avrin: don't they recognize where the toxicity affects the rest of the organization because there's a dichotomy today, the real challenge, and you know this because you're dealing with leaders every day I used to lead CEO Roundtable groups.
David Avrin: And embarking on new initiatives as well, and we have those conversations that they struggle with the any warm body dilemma.
David Avrin: Is Am I better off keeping somebody who's kind of a pain in the ass or not having that person, but we know from a leadership perspective that the.
David Avrin: Bad eggs and everybody's a good person yeah we'll give them that, but those saboteurs those inadvertent saboteurs through negativity can really spoil and internal culture and everybody's watching.
David Avrin: everybody's watching.
Val Ries: you're right and they're watching to see how the manager is going to handle it, and if you let it slide or you ignore it, it does show weakness on the leader.
Val Ries: Those things absolutely need to be addressed now here's what I typically see is people just don't know how because what happens is.
Val Ries: The person who's negative and defensive usually is because of the core they want to be valued.
Val Ries: And they want to be heard and there's Defense mechanism is to be the loudest in the room, so they can be heard.
Val Ries: And if they're the loudest in the room, even though it can feel heavier negative or defensive or angry.
Val Ries: At least they're heard, and then they feel valued right so there's a bit of this disconnect happening and many leaders don't know how to say to the employee listen, you know we hear you and you are valued and you're valued because of xyz, however.
Val Ries: However, notice that being the loudest in the room is making people uncomfortable and there's a different way to go about this it's really important we remain calm it's really important to me that we're positive.
Val Ries: And I need to see that you can come into these meetings or these scenarios and and handle things from a more calm and positive way, can I count on you for that.
Val Ries: If you can do that if you and I teach how to do that and chapter, if you can, if you can have that conversation and really conway and don't match their negative energy.
Val Ries: And we have a chance of redirecting that behavior you might have to say things a couple times, but if you.
Val Ries: I have seen about 75 80% of the cases when we we just change the way the leaders communicating what they're looking for and and they do it in that way i've seen it turn around those negative employees.
Val Ries: Sure there's outliers, of course.
David Avrin: there's outliers, and so I wanted to say is there's outliers there, there are people who, who will not be inspired who cannot be inspired.
David Avrin: And we invite them to find other opportunities.
David Avrin: Because it manifests itself both ways because let's go back to culture right so when you've got individually.
David Avrin: Individuals internally, who are negative and they're not always allowed us and room sometimes the quietest in the room, and the only way we hear them because we hear the loud side.
David Avrin: We hear the expulsion of.
David Avrin: As the wrong word of air or the you know, whatever right.
David Avrin: Or the eye rolling.
David Avrin: And that's when you take those individuals aside, can you say I unders I noticed that you seem to be a little bit distressed can we have that conversation.
David Avrin: But the point i'm making is that it's both internal and external because we have all.
David Avrin: Seen those employees and my wife is wonderful, she wants to give everybody grace they probably had yes somebody might have had a bad day but you're on the clock, so when you get that person who clearly is not happy to be there.
David Avrin: We want to give them the benefit.
David Avrin: But what does that do to you look at the opposite of inspiring to D motivate those around them to damage the brand because there's a lack of consistency, so we see it, and be here behavior both internally and externally don't we.
Val Ries: yeah and if you if you can practice, the communication formula and that I lay out I do give examples of how to do that just in day to day challenges, but also in a situation where I call you where I call out having someone on your team that is an energy vampire.
Val Ries: And we've all heard of that term right.
Val Ries: And it's just like, no matter how calm you address the situation or how much you try to redirect it just nothing's happening they're just going to.
Val Ries: push back and resist it's time it's time to part ways, because I do feel like the behavior and is where the challenges is when the behavior is bad, but the results are good So you see that a lot in sales right see.
David Avrin: An absolute superstar who's just a pain in the ass to be around you your grin and bear it because they're pulling numbers.
Val Ries: Yes, I had I remember having a top performer on my team, she was she was great and customers loved her, she always exceeded her sales numbers she drove me crazy.
Val Ries: I started to dread her phone calls and the amount of stress, because she would call me three, four or five times a day with problems and.
Val Ries: Just everything was very dramatic and negative and then she had that heavy energy on the calls and I didn't know what to say, but I remember one day just saying.
Val Ries: i'm going to call her debbie just for confidence yeah hey debbie you're great your customers absolutely love you and I want you on this team because because you bring value.
Val Ries: I do notice that every time there's a problem because you love your customer so much.
Val Ries: That it creates so much stress for you, it creates so much stress, for me, because you're coming to me with so much emotion.
Val Ries: And i'm asking for the benefit of your client, can you come to me with some ideas come to me calmly come to me with solution and also debbie.
Val Ries: Go to other departments, with the same level of calmness because you're calling customer service and operations and financing tech support with this same level of drama and then we're all managing your emotion, instead of the issue.
Val Ries: Great and I was like I don't know where this came from, but I was able to just be honest.
Val Ries: and lay it out there, and also, at the same time, acknowledge what she's doing well, which is very different than the you know what they call the sh it sandwich because I wasn't like positive negative positive, but I was.
Val Ries: Like hey this is what's what's great about you here's what i'm noticing is happening here's what I need moving forward, can you do that for me right.
Val Ries: Now so.
Val Ries: debbie turned around I was like.
David Avrin: You were intentional your your solution oriented as well here's here's The last thing I want to talk about is in the challenging time that we are that we're in right now recruiting is a big deal finding talent, is a very competitive.
David Avrin: Environment right now for for most industries most businesses.
David Avrin: And then there's others with the whole any warm body, we have a well known fast casual restaurant near our home just south of Denver that closes at four o'clock every day is its national chain, they close the four o'clock because they can't find staff.
David Avrin: like that is their new thing and they're not even open for dinner, and it is a well known dinner.
David Avrin: restaurant so there's there's got some competing forces right now there's the any warm body.
David Avrin: And then there's also on an organizational level, how do we, and maybe this is a question for you, how do leaders move farther upstream.
David Avrin: To make sure that we're attracting the right people who fit the culture that we've already established and cultivated internally how do we move upstream to recruit and hire and vet those people earlier in the process.
David Avrin: So we're bringing in the right people.
David Avrin: That we are not constantly taken off task to manage.
Val Ries: yeah so for one assuming that you've done this real ideal exercise or whatever is the equivalent in your organization right that you were really clear on the qualities that you want values, you want.
Val Ries: You infuse that into your job description, I see so many job descriptions that are very technical.
Val Ries: Employee will do this will carry this must have these skills, education, it sounds very robotic and then they're frustrated why they're not getting good candidates.
Val Ries: If we can infuse those qualities into the job description you'll start to see the those personalities come towards you more.
Val Ries: And then, if we can also do that in the questions that we ask so, for example, we talked about resiliency earlier if we can ask questions about how somebody demonstrated resiliency we're going to understand a little bit more if they're cut out from the job.
Val Ries: Thirdly, we do need to pay, I mean let's not is inspiring as we want to.
Val Ries: Be let's not, I have to make some assumptions that we are paying fairly.
Val Ries: And that we're competitive in the marketplace so I don't want to discount pay, however, if pay is a factor that is not the number one reason people stay it's appreciation.
Val Ries: True feeling appreciate it work feeling valued and, lastly, I will say that the onboarding experience matters, and there are multiple studies that show that, if the onboarding experience is not good.
Val Ries: And and good is defined as they got integrated into the team they felt part of a Community they understood the culture and people were were genuinely excited to know about them and what qualities, they brought up early on.
Val Ries: it's like a 77% increase in people that will stay past 18 months, so if if you, you know all those things are in alignment then.
Val Ries: we're going to find better candidates, but if somebody comes on board.
Val Ries: And for three to four weeks, they hear from nobody and except maybe it to set up their computer and there's been no introduction to that I see that I see that because we're busy and it's like oh i'm new to the company, but i'll know anyone yet right so.
David Avrin: You know the other thing is for people who've gone through the early process because I concur, the onboarding part is is really important it's not the three days that they learn how to log into their stuff right it's a month long or longer.
David Avrin: Those early employees have also been in the process, in many cases of a job search so they've already talked to multiple they chose you over the other opportunities, but those other ones are fresh in their mind aren't they.
Val Ries: yeah absolutely absolutely and like I like the idea of a mentor as soon as someone comes on board.
Val Ries: You have a meeting right off the BAT that you're introducing and not just like hey welcome you know, Jim to the team we're glad to have you like.
Val Ries: I want to know my gym probably wants to know hey, why is the team there Why do people love what they do so go around and asked for a few minutes like hey why don't you all share what brought you to.
Val Ries: Our company and Jim and the same what what made you choose us right and how Jim fields part of the Community he's integrated.
Val Ries: And maybe we all go around and we we asked Jim you know, Jim what is it about you that you know if we were I love this question, I actually got it from Daniel pink's book Dr.
David Avrin: Thinking about that as well yeah yeah he there's that whole study that was done with a call Center.
Val Ries: There they the call Center high turnover, so they the CEO thought that just high turnover was how it's going to be, do you know this study.
Val Ries: yeah absolutely.
David Avrin: Well, and of course everybody knows that the very famous whiteboard animation for Dr that Daniel pink did as well, he and I both spoke at a conference together but yeah but Gordon explain that, for our listeners and our viewers as well.
Val Ries: So the CEO said, you know what, let me just try something just just for fun like he didn't think that anything would happen, he took his control group which were.
Val Ries: People came in, they got the standard training they went to their desk and that's it then he did group one where he said, you know with this group let's give them.
Val Ries: A sweater with the company logo and let's introduce them at a team meeting right and then, then the second group was.
Val Ries: let's you know what let's do something different let's do all that but let's give them the sweater with the company logo and their name on it.
Val Ries: And then, instead of just introducing that the company media we're going to ask the question like hey if we were all on an island, right now, what value would you bring to our team.
Val Ries: and have them almost like sell themselves into why they're there right and so.
Val Ries: that's it, you know it took like an extra 30 minutes, and maybe a couple more dollars to engrave their name but.
Val Ries: Of course, you know the control group had this name patrician they laughed and then group one, I think it was like I have to go back and look at my percentages, but you know it's like 80%.
Val Ries: me demonstrate.
Val Ries: And yeah and then it was like three time you know hundred and 80% on.
David Avrin: Group to right so but it, but it starts with being very going through a process and whether they're hiring you or other process or or through the Book of being clear who we want to be.
David Avrin: here's who we are here's what we believe here's how we behave as a result of that, because inspiration, it can come from just.
David Avrin: Just observing somebody else loving what they do.
David Avrin: It can just come from from being surrounded by high performers, that is in and of itself is inspiring isn't it.
Val Ries: yeah well you know it's interesting when I was getting covers for my publisher on the book, most of the covers were.
Val Ries: Some sort of symbol of the LEADER being first right so let's say it was like a pencil and there was one pencil that stood out amongst all the other pencils underneath or a fish.
David Avrin: That was in the front, the Alpha leader.
David Avrin: graphically yeah.
Val Ries: And I said hey that's not what this is about, you know.
Val Ries: Being an inspiration officer is everyone is part of the team, everyone is coming together to unite and we're listening to each other and understanding each other and celebrating one another, and you know and asking each other what we think right so.
Val Ries: that's where the hot air balloon and being in the balloon and we're all on this journey together, and it also is a lightbulb I mean there's just so.
Val Ries: Much.
David Avrin: For the for the visual for those who are listening right now once again the book is chief inspiration officer.
David Avrin: I think it's a great double entendre I think there's a great conversation.
David Avrin: And I think it's an ongoing conversation that organizations need to have because what happens with your customers and clients begins, what happens with what happens within the organization and that begins with.
David Avrin: intentionality there's no shortage of players in the marketplace, who are good at what they do.
David Avrin: The question is how good, are you at how you do it and how you do it together and how visible is that to your customers and clients valerie's How do people get in touch with you, if they want to learn more about you, working with you and your new book chief inspiration officer.
Val Ries: yeah well look i'm i'm on linkedin instagram Facebook Twitter right but i'm directly executive dash news and you se COM.
Val Ries: If they go on there they're going to get so many freebies look, I have a Are you the manager everyone wants to work for quiz.
Val Ries: and takes about two minutes to do that quiz and that's that's a fun one I offer free chapter of my book, and then book readers also get the free.
Val Ries: First module of my online course, so I turn the book into an online course so book readers get a little coupon code that they enter and they get access that way.
David Avrin: cool samples are important give a sense of this, but I think the best the best sample is is being able to listen in on a great conversation.
David Avrin: We are kindred spirits valerie's thanks for being with us here on the show hang around we're going to talk real quickly on the other side of this.
David Avrin: My little plug at the end this podcast this podcast is sponsored in part by the customer experience advantage morning huddle.
David Avrin: You know some of the most innovative solutions to your biggest customer facing challenges are most often found within the creative minds of your own people, I know Val would agree with that, let me.
David Avrin: David average contribute to your morning huddle conversation with your team, you can learn about.
David Avrin: learn more about participating in my powerful global initiative, the morning huddle by visiting the morning huddle.org.
David Avrin: All of my books are available on Amazon, including my new book if I move things off to the side my new book, of course, called the morning huddle.
David Avrin: Powerful customer experience conversations to wake you up and shake you up and win more business all the rest of my books are here strategically located next to my head if you're watching the vert the visual version of this as well.
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David Avrin: You can learn more about my keynote speaking my consulting at David average.com thanks for tuning in this is the customer experience manager podcast check out past episodes leave a comment big thanks to my guest Val reese i'm David Avrin be good.