If you’ve ever been to the theater, you’ve witnessed a masterclass in communication. Each character demonstrating their ability to get what they need (or not) from each other. Creating harmony or sparking conflict. Influencing, irritating, arousing, amusing. All done for the benefit of us, the audience. Complete strangers making us care about the outcome of a make believe situation we knew nothing about just minutes before.

It’s magical, really.

And it’s the perspective today’s guest on the DesuckifyWork® podcast brings to her communication coaching practice every day. Shana Gold has been helping folks find their voice at work for over 20 years, after spending several years in the world of theater as an actor and director.

The lessons she learned play out quite nicely on the corporate stage, whether you’re presenting to a thousand person room, negotiating your next pay package or having a weekly one-on-one:

🐱 Shifting from judgment to empathy and discernment

🐱 Regulating the nervous system with breath work and sensory awareness

🐱 Bringing our outer and inner worlds into alignment

🐱 Becoming more in tune with who we’re speaking with, creating genuine connection

So, next time you go see a show, enjoy the performance. And consider taking a few mental notes as well.

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

Let the desuckifying begin.

You can follow Shana on LinkedIn. And check out her site at shanagoldcoaching.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 Shana to our audience:What would you say if you weren't afraid of rejection? Who would you be without that fear?

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

#desuckifyworkpodcast #desuckifywork #findyourwhy #findyourcape #executivecoaching #communication #connection #speaking

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