I worked 26 years at ad agencies and never knew there was a thing called Learning & Development (L&D).

Like an actual team dedicated to the growth of the people who work there.

Huh.

It had been my understanding that learning was a thing that happened by having your work pissed on repeatedly, forcing you to come back with so many new ideas that one might actually squeak through unscathed and you’d be invited back for the next gauntlet.

You “developed” a thick skin but not much else. Leadership skills, communication, discernment and emotional intelligence?

Ha!

Thankfully, Jared Andres came on the DesuckifyWork® podcast to share a better way. Jared is an L&D manager at Jane App and previously led L&D at Critical Mass in Calgary. Both places put a lot of effort into helping folks learn and grow.

His thoughts?

🐱 Less pissing all over the work and more useful feedback.

🐱 Less just figure it out and more here are some things to consider

🐱 Less assuming you’ll be a good leader because you’re good at something completely unrelated to leading and more actual training

🐱 Less stay in your lane and more inviting you to create new lanes that solve the biggest challenges in the organization

He’s also got thoughts on AI that aren’t the ones you’ve already heard. And he shares a sound effect that reminds us that real, tangible things still have value in our robot world.

(If you enjoy this episode, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.)

Let the desuckifying begin. Here’s Jared.

You can follow Jared on LinkedIn. He’s always happy to chat about this stuff.

If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to dive deep into some of your own challenges at work, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session, where we can explore new, desuckified possibilities for your future.

Bye, everyone!

Bonus question from Jared to our audience:What would you say is the one barrier in your organization that's stopping your leaders from showing up at their best? And why is it there? What's keeping it there?

If you’d like to watch this episode on YouTube, please click here.

#desuckifyworkpodcast #desuckifywork #findyourwhy #findyourcape #executivecoaching #advertising #adagency #learninganddevelopment

Ad agencies are good at 3 things:

👏 Building brands👏 Driving sales👏 Making employees so miserable they would prefer to be literally anywhere else, almost as soon as they are hired. (Hence the industry-wide 33% turnover rate)

The James Agency in Scottsdale is quite good at the first two. But has failed miserably at the third. Many of their folks have stuck around for over ten years. The CCO has been there since the beginning, 20 years, with agency founder and today’s guest on the DesuckifyWork® podcast, Veronique James (known simply as V to most).

What is V doing wrong? Why is she struggling to live up to the precedent set by so many in our industry?

She didn’t get the memo.

You know, the one that says you should keep business details shrouded in secrecy, even from your top leaders. The one that says accountability is too scary and complicated. The one that says caring deeply about your clients and their business results isn’t important… just focus on the task at hand, brah.

V has this nutty idea that having a team aligned around shared values can make the work better. And make working better too.

Values like:🐱 Give a s**t🐱 Be yourself🐱 Aspire to be better🐱 Take action🐱 Contribute positivity🐱 Challenge convention🐱 Communicate honestly

Values that allowed the agency to avoid layoffs or pay cuts during COVID. And have led them treat RFPs like actual projects instead of just dropping them into the workflow like methed-up honey badgers.

Does this kind of wackiness actually work? Could other agencies follow their lead and see similar results?

Take a listen to V and see what you think.

(If you enjoy this episode, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.)

Let the desuckifying begin.

You can follow Veronique on LinkedIn. And check out her agency’s site at thejamesagency.com.

If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to dive deep into some of your own challenges at work, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session, where we can explore new, desuckified possibilities for your future.

Bye, everyone!

Bonus question from V to our audience:What is the one thing that you'd ask your younger self now, knowing what you know about your business or where you are in your professional career?

#desuckifyworkpodcast #desuckifywork #findyourwhy #findyourcape #executivecoaching #advertising #adagency #adagencyculture #employeeturnover

Quick, are you a meerkat? A chimp? A snow leopard? A wolf?

No, I’m not high. I’m talking about the 4 belonging personas developed by Dan Berger, today’s guest on the DesuckifyWork® podcast.

This may be the most important work anyone is doing right now. We are in the midst of a belonging crisis, fueled by social media, egged on by COVID and reinforced by our own lack of clarity on how to make things better.

Enter Dan.

Dan’s whole life has been centered around belonging. It hasn’t always been easy. But his work has paid off—for him and for all of us.

His quest began in the womb, a mother preparing to give him up for adoption, a son feeling that disconnect viscerally. As an adopted child, he always wondered if he belonged. As a 9 year old Israeli moving over 5,000 miles to the US, those feelings only intensified. As an adult navigating the business world and ultimately selling the startup he founded, his quest became a calling.

Where do we find belonging? How do we cultivate it? Why does it feel so elusive at times?

Dan has answers. And some practical tools that can help us find our way.

You can start by taking the belonging persona quiz on his website. (I’m a snow leopard, btw.)

Then, you should read his book, The Quest: The Definitive Guide to Finding Belonging.

Lastly, you should listen to this episode. Dan goes deep on a bunch of practical ways to increase belonging. Including

🐱 Creating a belonging mindset

🐱 Fostering a belonging culture at work, which needs to come from top leadership, not HR

🐱 And one I don’t fully agree with, but can appreciate… taking a more transactional view of work.

That last one would be misery for me, but nirvana for others. I think the key is asking yourself the question I pose to every guest: What role does work play in your life?

There’s no wrong answer. You get to decide. And I can help you figure it out, btw.

(If you enjoy this episode, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.)

Let the desuckifying begin.

You can follow Dan on LinkedIn. And check out his site, belongingquest.com, where you’ll find his belonging quiz, info on his book and a ton of other helpful goodies.

If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to dive deep into some of your own challenges at work, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session, where we can explore new, desuckified possibilities for your future.

Bye, everyone!

Bonus question for our audience:Ask this of anything you do in life: “Does (fill in the blank) give me belonging?”

If you’d like to watch this episode on YouTube, please click here.

#desuckifyworkpodcast #desuckifywork #findyourwhy #findyourcape #executivecoaching #belonging #DEI #connection #belongingpersona