Have you wondered, what does it mean to be a team player?
Teamwork makes the dreamwork and this episode has Porschia being joined by guest, Andrea Mackenzie. Andrea is team and leadership development expert who helps growth-oriented, small business owners and executives hire, develop, and lead their teams towards higher performance, lower stress, and stronger leadership.
Andrea dishes out top notch tips for how you can enhance trust in the workplace and use your communication skills to create a dynamic and thriving team. She also shares the secret to balancing between individual work and teamwork. Listen in to learn what it means to be a team player and how you can use teamwork skills to get an EDGE in the workplace.
As a thank you for listening to this episode of the Career 101 Podcast, we are sharing our FREE master class – Career 911: Solving the Top 5 Challenges Executives and Professionals Have! It’s a training based on solving the common problems our clients have experienced to reach their goals. You can get access to the master class here!
Porschia: [00:00:00] Hello, today we are talking about Teamwork 101 and what it means to be a team player with Andrea McKenzie. Andrea is a hiring strategist and team and leadership development expert who helps growth oriented small business owners and executives hire, develop, and lead their teams towards higher performance, lower stress, and stronger leadership.
She brings her over 20 years of experience in corporate roles and consulting, uh, that spans almost every business function and size from small businesses to fortune 500s, to her unique approach to serving her clients. As an MBA certified professional coach and award nominated Colby certified consultant, her approach combines [00:01:00] elements of business consulting, leadership coaching, experiential learning, and specialized assessments that help her clients drive towards the change they desire most.
With a first hand understanding of team success factors, she helps clients use their unique strengths and leadership styles to overcome challenges. Andrea enjoys working with clients who aim for growth and well being for themselves and for those they hire, serve, and inspire. Hi Andrea, how are you today?
Andrea: Hi, Portia. I am doing great. Thank you so much for having me on and in this wonderful Fly High Friday.
Porschia: Yes, it is a Fly High Friday. We are excited to have you with us to discuss Teamwork 101. But first, we want to know a little more about you. So tell me about seven year old [00:02:00] Andrea.
Andrea: Seven year old Andrea. Seven year old Andrea is still very much alive. She is a performer at heart, a creative singer. She will just get out and say it and disrupt. That’s basically who she is and she’s still alive. So, um, yeah, that’s me. Yeah,
Porschia: okay. So, what were some of the games that, uh, seven year old Andrea was
Andrea: playing?
Ooh, oh, that’s really interesting. Games. Um, what did I like to play? I mean, I spend a lot of time by myself, really. Um, so, I don’t know if I played games so much as I played music. Uh huh. I was playing music. I was always you know, from the earliest Fisher [00:03:00] Price piano or xylophone or something. I was always making noise.
So I would say the game was pretend. That’s the game I played. I pretended to be a rock star. Okay. I was, I was dancing around with my sister, you know, all of that good stuff. Yeah. Yeah,
Porschia: so what were you pretending to be when you grew
Andrea: up, Andrea? Yeah, I mean, that was, I mean, imagination is everything, even now, you know, just, just dreaming.
And, uh, I think really using my voice, right? So singing, yes. You know, speaking, all of those things, I think, uh, are encompassed in the same thing. It’s, it’s, it’s self expression, um, and, um, philosophy on some level. I mean, it all sounds kind of weird, but even as a small child, it was always, um, theorizing, and, and what ifs, and how else, and Asking the question why five times to get to some [00:04:00] deeper, uh, meaning.
So, yeah, I think I was pretending to be the rock star, um, the singer. I think I was embodying that, not just pretending.
Porschia: Yeah, yeah. Well, seven year old Andrea sounds like a lot of fun. I mean, Andrea today is still a lot of fun, which I know, and I’ve known for, for years, but seven year old Andrea sounds fun too.
So tell us. Andrea, what was your first job? Oh,
Andrea: yeah. Um, Well, I come from both sides of my family, entrepreneurs. So, um, I’m sure it was something that I was selling on a corner somewhere. And or a chore that I was figuring out how to make money, uh, doing something around the house. But my real, my first job where I was, You know, getting paid from someone outside of my neighborhood and or family was at an ice cream, as an, as an ice cream store, uh, at this, um, this resort in, uh, New Hampshire.
And, uh, [00:05:00] I just remember smelling like dairy all day, you know, it becomes a very messy job. Um, but I very much enjoyed making those, you know, eight scoop banana splits for some family that came in to, to enjoy it. And. Uh, serving people, and people love ice cream, so it was great to just give people that, that joy of sugar, I
Porschia: suppose.
Yeah, yeah, well, you were giving, giving the smiles and the sugar at the ice cream store. So, I want you, Angia, to kind of, um, Fast forward a little bit to, um, your career. So for some people, this is, you know, after college, um, or after they, you know, started getting deeper into the working world. Tell us about some highlights or pivotal moments in your career before you started your business.
Andrea: Yeah. Wow. Okay. Um, so [00:06:00] I went to college for music. I got a bachelors of music. So I was following my dream. I would say follow your dream is, is, you know, sort of a big one. Um, but coming out of undergrad with a music degree, and I think a lot of people come out of undergrad with a degree that Isn’t necessarily the most marketable thing.
Um, you then have to really advocate for all of all of who you are, right? And all of what you bring to the table and think outside of the box and. Um, I think a pivotal moment was, um, early on understanding that it’s all about who you know. I mean, the first few jobs, like, it was always about who you knew.
It didn’t matter how many resumes I wrote or how many times I threw it out. It was always about someone who knew me. Who knew what I was, how smart I was, how capable I was, how driven I was. And that was where I would make the connection. So I think that was an early lesson that, I mean, it’s still a lesson all right now.
You know, it’s all about making [00:07:00] great relationships with people and being authentic. Um, so, you know. That moment of kind of getting into the workforce and really doing things that were related to music, technology. I was in, um, music distribution, music retail. I got into audio in the studios. I mean, all the things that were sort of ancillary to the creative part.
I was still doing the creative part and I always will, but you have to, you know, figure out how you’re going to get that paycheck. And what I realized also very quickly there was that I was going to move very laterally. So it was going to be lateral job, lateral job, lateral job, um, partially because of, you know, not having the degree or, or just sort of being downplayed because of my, my arts background.
And, um, I don’t think that, that I necessarily wouldn’t have overcome that somehow without going in for my master’s, but I decided to go back and get an MBA. Um, and I think the other big thing there is. Man, when you decide to go back to school, and I was like 30 at the time, [00:08:00] a long time ago now, and you decide to go back and you’re going to go get that degree, use it, because when you’re in school.
When you’re in school, people will talk to you. I’m getting a degree in XYZ. Will you just sit down and chat with me about what it’s like to be you, or be in your career, or be in your company? People, the doors are open for you then, and I think that was one of the things I realized so succinctly going in, was I was gonna, this was not necessarily just about me learning.
This was me, about me making really Smart connections and with great people, great people. Um, so yeah. And then, and then another pivotal moment was coming out of, um, my MBA. And, you know, I still, you know, I don’t think I’ll ever know what I want to be when I grow up, honestly. I was like, I’m just going to dabble in everything.
So I went into consulting, which is a great place to drink from the fire hose and learn everything under the sun. Um, but I [00:09:00] also quickly realized that. The, you know, the, the, the kind of thing you’re doing in that world and, and the environment and these huge corporations really wasn’t as much of where my heart was.
I wanted to be an entrepreneur and I knew it even in business school, I was studying that. So, you know, going out on my own and, um, again, using the relationships. I mean, that’s the theme, right? And not, not using, but developing and continuing to reach out, continuing to stay connected. That’s the, that’s the thread, even, even as an entrepreneur, right?
Just continuing to build relationships. Yeah. You made
Porschia: a lot of great points there, Andrea. Um, a couple of things I want to touch on. Um, you shared quite a bit about, you know, getting that MBA and that master’s degree, um, because it was different than the, the music degree. Um, a lot of our clients. [00:10:00] I’m just wondering, you know, should they go back and get a master’s degree or a PhD or something like that?
Tell me what was that motivating factor that made you decide, yes, I’m going to enroll, I’m going to do this and get a master’s
Andrea: degree. Yeah. Well, oh, this is a, this is actually kind of a tough thing to admit. Um, on one hand it’s money. Right. On one hand, it was bringing my resume and skill level up to par.
And honestly, like I said, I would have done it without the MBA. So I talked to people about this a lot. Actually, it’s it’s not always about it wasn’t necessarily about that. Um, I, I think there was, there’s two things. One was, was money, like wanting to work for someone else, there was a value there. Um, did I need to be an entrepreneur?
No. Um, but I loved it. I enjoyed it. So that’s good, right? The second part of [00:11:00] it is, um, to be to have sort of a credential to have sort of to be an expert to have to be valid somehow. And I think looking back on it now as a more mature person, right? I didn’t need that either. So I think it’s really important when you’re looking at what it’s.
What you, what you’re going to learn and make sure it’s aligned with who you are, make sure that it really is not just about what you think other people need you to have on your resume or about, I got to make money because those are, those are not the places that you necessarily want to come from. So, again, going back and admitting that that’s where I was a little bit sort of in fear.
Um, and I think I could have done it a different way, and, you know, that’s something I talk to people a lot about is, is it right? Is it, is it really worth spending that investment? Uh, not always, so it’s not, I wouldn’t say that’s the linchpin. That’s the thing you have to do. Absolutely not. You have to really look at your own [00:12:00] individual, um, heart’s desire, your own individual, um, strengths, and, and what is going to complement that in terms of what you learn, you know, Uh, so there’s no easy answer.
It’s a really an individualized thing. Yeah.
Porschia: Absolutely. And I ask you that because, uh, a lot of our clients ask that and, uh, I see a lot of different just beliefs around master’s degrees. Some people think that’s the thing that’s gonna Change their life and then they’re going to make so much more money, um, or, you know, people are going to look at them a different way and, um, some to your point of doing it for your own reasons.
I think that’s really important. And then also being strategic, looking at what this master’s degree is in. And then your longer term career goals is also really important because I see some clients who haven’t quite done that. Thank you. And then there are generally more conversations to be [00:13:00] had. So thank you for sharing that with us.
So Andrea, I want to know a little bit more about some of your career challenges before starting your business. So can you share what some of those
Andrea: were for you? Yeah. It’s interesting about sort of looking back on Where I was motivated or what I was trying to accomplish in my career versus how stressed I was, like, to the NBA and saying, Well, I should do this, right?
There was also another part of me that was like, I really just want to go find out what it’s like to be in a master’s program. So there was a little bit of a heart’s desire there. You know, the same thing with With getting into consulting and pushing myself there, there was a little bit of a heart’s desire in like, challenging myself, like, I’ll figure it out [00:14:00] kind of thing.
I needed, I needed a challenge. I needed to get, like, that sink or swim atmosphere. It was very good for me. Um, but the challenge was, I was really good at what I was doing, but I was stressed out. All the time. And when you’re good at something, people just keep giving you more of it. So it’s like, okay, so now, here we go, I’m great at this, I keep getting more of it, and it’s really stressing me out.
And it wasn’t until years later, When I understood my strengths a little bit more that it was like, Oh, duh, I went to school for jazz. I’m an improviser. I’m not a planner. I’m not a researcher. Yes, I can force myself into those things. Smart people, people that have that cognitive ability will, will push themselves and force themselves in a lot of ways.
And getting into this idea of what a team player is, Right. What is its team player? [00:15:00] Um, I think there’s a little bit of a misnomer that you have to sacrifice something about yourself in order to be a team player. Um, and I think that’s where I was. I was thinking I needed to sacrifice what I wanted or what I enjoyed or what I, what I felt was in my stride, right, in terms of improvisation.
I had to be really buttoned up and perfect and all these things. And so I think, um, you know, that, that’s, that’s the challenge is, is, is really understanding who you are and getting to be yourself and not stressing yourself out through force because that’s what you think you need to do or be. Does that make sense?
Porschia: Oh, it makes a lot of sense. Um, I personally had my own, uh, consulting stories that led to a lot of stress and late nights, early mornings. So I can definitely relate to that. And I know that our, uh, clients and people in our community can as well. Um, so I think this is a good segue, Andrea, uh, [00:16:00] to, um, You becoming a coach, right?
And starting your own business. So what would you say was the defining moment that made you want to become a coach?
Andrea: The defining moment was getting a coach. I started my business and someone said, you know, everything you’re saying here, I think you could really, you know, talk to my, my business coach. And I kind of like rolled my eyes because I didn’t, I didn’t understand what a coach was.
And, and I think there is a sort of way too many cooks in the kitchen with that terminology and what it means. And I was like, well, what could it hurt? This person’s referring this person to me. And I fell in love with the whole modality by experiencing it myself. Um, and then, uh, I was like, well, how do I, how do I learn how to do this?
Um, and that’s where I met you, actually. You were one of my, um, you were a [00:17:00] great example for me because you were ahead of me in the coaching world and, um, went, went to IPEC and decided to drink the Kool Aid, so to speak. I mean, really, I mean, I walked away from the first. You know session there with just just glowing just like oh my gosh You know if people could really understand this stuff and and how it works, you know, maybe that’s a little bit vague here but it’s like You just understand that Empowering the way you can empower people through a coaching modality is so huge and then what’s interestingly enough Over the last couple of years.
I’ve really learned how to meld that that in with being also being a consultant and a teacher and a trainer and a mentor and all those different modalities and I think that’s where the real magic happens is when you understand how to switch those different things off for different clients and different people at different levels.
It’s fun. It’s really fun.
Porschia: So [00:18:00] you made a lot of great points. We did meet each other through IPEC. And so for, uh, the listeners out there, IPEC is the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching. And, um, Andrea and I are both certified professional coaches, uh, through IPEC. And we’re both, um, master practitioners of the Energy Leadership Institute.
Index assessment. And if someone is interested in learning about coaching or, uh, anything like that, you can go ahead and, uh, just reach out on our contact page, uh, and mention that in your message and we’ll send you some more information. Uh, but as Andrea mentioned, coaching can be very transformational.
And I love Andrea, what you said about really melding it together with the consulting that you do and the mentoring that you do, um, to really help your
Andrea: clients. Yeah, I mean, I get the same question a lot of times, by the way, about going for a coaching [00:19:00] certificate that I get around going for the MBA, right?
It’s like, well, do I need it? And, you know, all these different things. And it really does come down to, I mean, I think the number one thing to check in with is, does it sound fun? Does it, does it light you up? Does it sound like someplace you want to go? Because you can’t really go wrong in that regard, right?
But if you’re looking for something to get you something else, that’s, that’s a very different. Approach you’re looking for ROI. You’re looking for those kind of things. Yes. It might get you there, but really dig into what it is You what do you want? What sounds fun to you? You know, that’s what life’s about Yeah,
Porschia: and to that point if it does sound fun to you I recommend that you do some research on different, you know certification programs and degrees because I also Have had quite a few clients Andrea that It sounded fun.
And, you know, that research on which program they actually joined, they, they kind of skip that part a little bit. So, um, [00:20:00] you definitely want to think about what is important for you when it comes to a degree program or any kind of certification program when you jump in. So, Andrea, I know you are a teamwork program.
expert. From your perspective, what
Andrea: is teamwork? That’s good. Um, the word team gets used a lot. It’s, it’s used in a lot of different ways, and I think it’s important to know along a spectrum how much you’re collaborating with people. Uh, not every team is alike. You know, some teams, they just have certain touch points and then they go.
There are individuals and they’re doing their thing like a sales team kind of thing. Um, so really teamwork is different for every group or team that you’re working. There could be two people on a team. There could be 1800, right? All these kind of things. So it’s, there’s not a one size fits all. This is how everybody works together.
But I think there are some principles that [00:21:00] are really important. Um, yeah. One is knowing how and when to collaborate, and communication is a piece of that, um, collaboration always requires communication. Communication is sometimes not even two sided in some people’s cases, so really understanding how other people need to Mm hmm.
Um, receive information, how they need to share information and the communication way. It’s very important to understand who is on your team. It’s really is what makes all the difference, right? So knowing each other, trusting each other. Learning what the things are that are going to stay the same. That’s what trust is.
Trust is basically this idea of, like, knowing that something is grounded in, in almost certainty. It’s okay. I know this person’s on the same page with me in terms of values. I know this person’s on the same page in terms of how we’re going to work together, in terms of goals, in terms of results that we want to get.
Um, you know, there’s a lot of different [00:22:00] dynamics on teams. There are, you know, when you talk about teams, obviously, you know, one of the things we talk about a lot is leadership. I think everyone is a leader. I know everyone is a leader, right? I believe that is true. We’re leading ourselves somewhere. It may not be the outcome we’re looking for, but we’re leading ourselves somewhere.
So everybody, getting everybody on a team to think as a leader. To really know themselves to really know each other and teamwork is essentially collaborating together in some way, shape or form to get to a goal. If we don’t know where we’re going, how do we get the right people in the right seats? How do we, you know, know what our to do list is our action items?
Who’s doing what? So, yeah, and I’ve been on every kind of team you can think of from volunteer teams to project teams to long haul, you know, corporate teams, you name it. Um, there’s no one size fits all. Um, there’s a lot there.
Porschia: Yeah. Oh, [00:23:00] there’s, there’s definitely a lot there. And what I really like about what you were saying is you talked about the different team dynamics.
Right. And how those are important to teamwork as a whole. Uh, one thing you said that was really, really interesting to me that I think a lot of times people don’t even consider with teamwork is knowing how and when to communicate and collaborate with other people. So that’s really a great distinction that you made there.
Andrea: Yeah, there’s, there’s a bit of a misnomer that collaborating all the time. Like, we talk about, you know, or really innovative teams, or where it’s just like, oh, we just have everybody all the time, everybody, or 18, 000 meetings. No! No! You have to know who you have, and what they’re doing, and what is their purpose in that meeting, and stuff like that.
All of that, right? Otherwise it falls apart and I mean, I’ve seen companies where people are in meetings more than half their work week [00:24:00] and I’m like, what is happening here? Uh, so, you know, you really have to know how and when and I would need a specific case scenario and, and know who’s on that team to really be able to dig in there and say, this is, this is your prescription kind of thing for that, uh, for this goal.
The end result, I mean, and if we talk about end results to, um. When you’re talking about actually, like, being the authority figure, being the boss, so to speak, right? The direct manager of other people, you’re responsible for a team, um. It’s just so important to understand what the results you’re looking for are, and to not micromanage every single person on how they’re doing everything, because people do things differently.
Um, and the more you know yourself, the more you’ll understand how different everyone else is from you. Um, communication is another great example of that, right? If you’re somebody who just wants the bottom line, just Give it to me straight and you’ve got somebody on your team who’s really needs to give you the [00:25:00] detail.
I mean, you gotta let them ask the questions and give the detail or they’re going to be in a lot of stress. So going back to that idea of how I was working when I was in project teams all the time, right? I know the way I was Being required to share and gather information and, and, and track things to every last inch degree was not necessarily my natural, how my natural way of doing things.
And so, um, if I had had a different. You know, um, what’s the word? Um, measurement, performance measurement around just the result. I would have done it very different. I wouldn’t have felt like I had to do right. So, um, yeah, it’s really all about the individuals on the team coming together in the way that they work best.
Porschia: Yes. Yes. Um, speaking to that, that uniqueness, I think about the team and the individuals on the team is really important. And I like what you said about really understanding that balance [00:26:00] between individual work and teamwork. Uh, and I agree with you. I think there is this assumption with words like innovation and creativity that everyone’s got to be in a room collaborating all the time.
And so I think that’s a great point. I usually say, um, to clients that if you are having a meeting about the meeting. Something is missing, because I mean, there’s a lot of people having meetings about the meeting about the meeting. And, um, that’s when I think it’s a good time to step back. Um, so another question, Andrea, that we would love your insight on, um, what does it mean to be a team
Andrea: player?
Yeah, that’s a good question. And I kind of touched on a little bit earlier when I was talking about, um. [00:27:00] One of the myths, I think, is this idea of having to sacrifice yourself, having to sacrifice who you are for a team, right? Just take one for the team kind of thing, right? And yeah, sure, absolutely. Every once in a while, we do things for the greater good, and it’s, it’s great.
But if you feel like you’re doing that all day long, you’re probably in the wrong job. So really be aware of that, right? Um, being a team player, in my opinion, Okay, so this is my opinion, is giving your best. Your best. Right? And It’s only going to be a win win. It’s going to help you, and it’s going to help everyone else.
When you’re in a team, being able to speak up about what you can provide that’s gonna be stellar, your thing, your strengths, your values, your skills, bringing that to the table and volunteering it on a regular basis, being your best. That’s all, that’s, that’s what it’s all about. People will, you’ll be authentic.
People will want to be [00:28:00] around you. You’ll build better relationships. And if you’re in a role where I say to you, better your best, and you’re like, ugh, do I have to, right? Then you’re in the wrong role, right? You, you gotta go find that thing where you’re constantly, you’re not in competition with anybody else but yourself.
You’re just trying to better what you do. You’re just trying to get to the next place in terms of who you are and where you want to be, okay? That will just shine everywhere else. You’ll find ways to find that win win where you’re giving and someone else is giving, right? And that’s what it’s all about, is contributing yourself.
It’s not about this misnomer of sacrificing all the time. Yes, that’ll come into play every now and again. And people will be like, really wowed when you go there, you know. But giving your best, that’s, that’s what’s gonna get, it’s gonna be a win win. It’s gonna be for you, and it’s gonna be for everybody else.
Yeah. Along
Porschia: those same lines, Andrea, um, how do you think being a team player can [00:29:00] impact someone’s career?
Andrea: Ooh. Well, I think it really comes down to one of the things I just said about which way you’re looking at being a team player, because if you’re looking at being a team player in terms of sacrificing yourself, guess what happens?
You end up doing all these things you don’t like doing and then you get pigeonholed as the person who does all those things and you may be really good at those things and now all of a sudden your career has gone down a path where you don’t want to go. Um, if you take it the other way, where I said you better your best and you do something that’s really lighting you up and you’re going where you can contribute yourself, your strengths, your values, your skills, it’s going to make your career soar.
You’re only going to end up where you want to go because you’re excited about what you’re doing every day and you’re not learning all these things and taking one for the team and, you know, doing all these things in that, that regard where you end up in a place you don’t want to be. So it really depends on the framework around how you look at things and really getting into that.
I contribute who [00:30:00] I am authentically and at my very best, you will continue to do that. People will start seeing you that way. That’s your brand, right? And you become a leader. You become a leader. I mean, you are a leader. Right? By, by, uh, by default, but you can lead yourself into the place you want to be, or you can lead yourself into a career where you’re doing all the things everyone else wants you to do.
And there you go.
Porschia: Yeah. Yeah. Um, that’s great. And it, it kind of definitely leads where I wanted to go. So many of the professionals in our community are interested in becoming better leaders, Andrea, uh, which involves. Being better teammates, uh, what advice would you give to an executive or professional who wanted to work on their teamwork
Andrea: skills?
Yeah. Okay, so aside from the first Piece that I said around working on yourself and bettering your [00:31:00] best and showing up and, and, and being you authentically and contributing yourself when you’re thinking about other people, right? When you’re thinking about how do you treat other people? How do you treat yourself?
Right? How do you become a better team player? People want to be around people that are positive that are. Um, that care. I really believe that is true. And in fact, the metrics are showing it right now. People are saying that they will give up compensation. They’ll give up career progression for well being in the workplace.
This is beautiful to me. It makes me so excited to see that people care about this because we spend like half of our waking lives at work. So yes, we should feel well at work. So if you can be somebody who promotes that, yeah. Where you care about other people, where you, and you show it by, by modeling that caring for yourself.
It’s going to be a much better place to work in terms of team player. Now, the other side of the coin is, well, [00:32:00] we still need to get results, right? We’re not all sitting around going to the spa every day, right? So we still need to get results. And there’s going to be stressful times. There’s going to be conflict, all of those things.
So building trust, getting to know the other people, getting on the same page about results. Those are kind of like, like, rule number one, rule number two, right? Know who you’ve got, know what you can trust about them, know what they do, um, and really make sure that you’re on the same page about what that result is that you’re looking to get, and hold each other accountable, you know, accountability.
I mean, yeah, it might require a meeting, not a dreaded meeting, but some way that works, again, looking at how people communicate, you know, and making sure that it’s, it’s, it’s working for everyone, um, right. Getting everyone’s points of view. And, um, yeah, I mean, that’s really it. Yeah. I
Porschia: think that, you know, the trust that you’ve mentioned a few times, uh, during this episode is really [00:33:00] important.
A lot of times I think people take trust in teams for granted, and then to your point, if they’re doing that, some of the other areas like the positivity and, um, you know, the accountability or even being able to have boundaries to have self care kind of go out the window when, when trust isn’t there. So thank you for highlighting that for us.
Uh, and then also, you know, about getting results. So sometimes, um, I think sometimes teams think so much about team building, right? And the relationships that you’re right, uh, that component of actually getting the results can go by the wayside.
Andrea: That’s the reward. People want to know they’re getting to the finish line every now and again, right?
I mean, goal setting, making sure we, even if it’s individual goals that kind of map to a larger goal. Um. And I just want to say one more piece about trust. You don’t have to like someone to trust them. [00:34:00] Right? I mean, and sometimes you like people and there’s things you don’t trust about them. So it’s a tricky thing, right?
Sometimes you’ll be like, I love everyone I work with. It’s great, but when people do what they say they’re going to do, when you know how they work and you can Like really bank on that. You don’t even really have to, they don’t have to be somebody that you’re going to go hang out with, right? Trust is a very, very different piece.
And yeah, sometimes you have the same values that you trust in the other person. But yeah, it’s another important thing to note. Oh,
Porschia: yes. You do not have to like someone to trust them. Great point. Great point, Andrea. So what are some of the biggest mistakes you see teams make? I think we’ve kind of inadvertently talked about some of them, but from your perspective.
Andrea: Um, I don’t really know where this comes from. I know I read it, like, I don’t know, a hundred years ago, that, um, [00:35:00] pretty much every people problem comes down to, um, some type of hiring issue. And I would say that hiring is is your greatest opportunity for growth and change and not just hiring also assembling teams for certain types of things.
So when you assemble a team, and essentially, you’re hiring them for that particular project or that particular role. Right? So making sure that you’re assembling the right people in the 1st place is probably the place, the root cause of most issues. Right? And when I say the right people, I’m talking about what they do.
Thank you. What they know in terms of skills and what they value because you don’t want somebody to come in who has the greatest resume on the planet and bowls everybody over with their personality or their negative energy or their, you know, dictatorial ways or whatever that’s like. I’ve seen that happen.
I’ve seen that happen at the top. Um, so you want to make sure that when you’re hiring, you’re getting the right people. And that’s number one. Okay, now you’ve hired [00:36:00] everyone. You don’t have any open roles. Now what? Right? Because everything’s falling apart. What’s the mistake? Um, I think there’s still an element of aligning people with the right tasks.
So we talk a lot about roles, but let’s break it down even further into tasks and, and really examining what people are doing. Sometimes you can just look at that when you get to know how people work and you go, Oh, this task really should be over here and this should be over here. It’s kind of like when I used To do process improvement in the consulting world, you’d be looking at swim lanes and you go, wait a minute.
This is this particular step is in the wrong swim lane. We need to move this to a different department altogether. Right? So really looking at how people work, what they’re doing, um, and placing people in the right, um, Not just the right roles, but the right tasks within those roles and start to look at things a little bit more fungibly than you’re already looking at them.
Um, it’ll also help you when somebody happens to be out for a week or a month or something to know who else you got [00:37:00] to work on things that’s gonna be able to be able to pick it up real quick. Um, so knowing your team strengths, um, knowing, you know, where you might need to make redundancies and skills and things like that I think is really important.
Um, There’s so many things, though, that, so many ways, it really is about the specific team, right? Sometimes it’s personality conflicts that are an issue, and, and, you know, what mistake did somebody make there? I mean, there’s any number of mistakes, um, that happen on teams. Yeah.
Porschia: So from the perspective perhaps of someone who is an employee and maybe they’ve just been put on a team and they don’t have any control over who else is on the team or what tasks the team has to do, what is something that that employee could do perhaps to just kind of help their team, um, be, I don’t want to say be [00:38:00] better, but really, um, to be productive, I guess.
Is,
Andrea: is what I’m asking. Productivity. Productivity. Ooh. Um, So, I guess the thing is, is going back to my, my answer around teamwork in general, it’s like bettering your best, being your best self, making sure you’re contributing the thing that you do, constantly looking for places where What you’re great at what you want are things that you’re contributing because you don’t what you don’t want to do is completely continue to sacrifice for the for the greater good of the team.
You’re going to end up in stress. You’re not going to like your job. You’re not going to like your life. And that energy is going to seep into everything anyway. So it’s just going to make the team go downhill, right? So you can’t win that way, really, right? It has to be where it’s good for you and good for the team or else it’s going to fall apart.
So finding where you can contribute. Thank you. Right? Whatever that is. And and amping that up to the next level, right? Finding the places where you can do that. And frankly, I mean, I’ve seen [00:39:00] situations where somebody steps up to the plate like this is what I do. And this is what I’m great at. And somebody keeps squashing it and saying, No, again, you’re not in the right role.
It behooves you and the employer to get out of there and go find the right thing. It really does. I mean, it’s, you know, I know, you know, we might want to live in this place where we’re trying to stay stable and all these different things. But that’s just Transcribed going to lead you down a path where you don’t want to be.
So, um, you know, if you don’t have any control over who you’re around, you don’t have any control over what you’re doing, and you just want to make it a more pleasant place to be for now, because, you know, maybe you do have one foot out the door, I would say listen, listen, listen, listen to people, hear them, listen for their energy, um, have compassion, you know, all of that kind of stuff, right?
I mean, if nothing else, just try to energetically. You know, put yourself in somebody else’s shoes and try not to make up stories about what they’re doing and, you know, all those kind of negative energy things that come into play, right? [00:40:00] Competition, stay in your lane, you know, make yourself better, all that kind of thing.
Think about, you know, making, again, the win win, making yourself better while making the team better, um, or else it’s going to implode. It really will. That’s great advice.
Porschia: Great advice. Uh, so can you tell us about some of the assessments that you use to
Andrea: help with teamwork? Oh, yeah. Um, I mean, there’s many different types of assessments, right?
I mean, I’ve gone into real deep assessments with Process improvement and value stream mapping and all those kind of things where you’re really digging into every single person. I mean, those, there’s lots of ways to assess how people are working, what they’re doing and all of that. But as you know, and as you stated at the beginning, I’m a Colby certified consultant and Colby is is probably, I mean, I, I think it’s one of the lesser known assessments, which like boggles the mind because it’s such a quick win.
Um, and I use it in hiring. [00:41:00] It’s EEOC compliant. So you can actually use it to assess how you expect someone to work in a role and then hire somebody to that how, which is 80% predictive of how they’re going to behave. So it’s kind of like, there’s no magic bullet in hiring, right? There’s not, you’re never going to hit every single, it’s, it’s like dating.
You’re never going to, you know, immediately know that this person’s going to be your forever person, right? It’s the same thing with hiring. But the closest thing I have ever seen is this Colby assessment and partially because it doesn’t really change how you work doesn’t really change. So it’s something you can trust.
Something that you can rely on. It’s something, you know, somebody does. Um, and so it, it pinpoints one part of how someone behaves that no other assessment goes as deep on and pinpoints as specifically as Colby. So. You can use it as a tool to understand your own leadership and what you need to delegate, which I love using that with my business owners that I work with because once they open their eyes up to, oh my gosh, this is my gap.
I really need this [00:42:00] for, oh, I need more of what I do. I need a redundancy here. That’s where you’re like, okay, like I know exactly what I need to hire. Um, But I also love working with teams like larger teams or smaller teams where we just, everybody gets to know each other, all of a sudden you see how people need to communicate, how they need to plan, how they need to track, what they will and won’t do when change comes about, um, how they handle space intangibles, I mean it’s such an amazing assessment, I can’t, I can’t say enough about it, at this point anybody who works with me pretty much, we’re going to know their code, we’re going to know how they work, um, because it just immediately brings an extra layer of, you know, Um True objectivity, actually, to, okay, this is what you’re going to do and what you’re not going to do.
Like, let’s get real about it. Yeah. Yeah. That’s why I love it.
Porschia: I’ve, uh, taken the Colby assessment, as you know, and I, I really do enjoy it. Um, so tell us about your business, Lead with Harmony,
Andrea: Andrea. [00:43:00] Yeah. Well, Lead with Harmony is, um. Even, even the name Lead With Harmony. I already said I’m a musician, right?
There’s a double entendre there, right? There’s something about it being, you know, my own passion, my own heart’s desire, but also having people have alignment, right, and be vibrating with what they’re doing, that heart, that harmonious kind of vibe in their work, right? And leading from that, and not just the lead, not just the person you, the obvious, you know, direct manager, person of authority, but everyone, right, leading with that harmony of, of, of really focusing in on what they love, know, and do, right?
When I say love, know, and do, the do part is Colby, right? How, how we work, right? So love, know, and do. Um, and I use it to help. People hire, uh, I use it to help people, um, really learn about their teams, get out of the dysfunction, all the things we talked about, right? There’s a, there’s an element, um, of [00:44:00] everything we’ve talked about that.
I, I come in and customize, um, team programs for, for companies. And then when it comes to entrepreneurs, I mean, I believe very highly in it. This sort of Richard Branson concept of you roll up the red carpet to your employees even more than you do to your clients, because that’s going to be where your employees are really rock stars and serving clients.
And if it’s a large company in serving internal, you know, departments or whatever, whatever your stakeholder is, um, so that’s really what lead with harmony is all about is helping people hire, develop and lead people for greater growth. And greater well being in the workplace. Wow.
Porschia: Very big mission. Um, I, I really enjoy listening to you talk about Lead with Harmony and the teamwork, um, initiatives that you lead.
Uh, we’ll be providing a link to your website and other social [00:45:00] channels in our show notes so that people can find you online. Uh, but what is the best way for someone to get in touch with you,
Andrea: Andrea? If anyone has any questions about what I’ve talked about here, they can absolutely just shoot an email to me, andrea at leadwithharmony.
com. Happy to answer questions about anything we’ve discussed, and of course they can visit leadwithharmony. com to find out more about what I’m doing. Great, great.
Porschia: So, what is your definition of career
Andrea: success? Uh, career success. It’s another one that there’s just no cookie cutter, right? But I feel like it’s an internal thing in your mind, you know?
It’s like, are you, are you already a success in your mind? That’s it. I mean, you’ve got to already be there. It’s kind of like that, the idea of manifesting in the end, right? You’ve got to be in your mind, in your vision, where, where you want to be. Um, success is, is [00:46:00] where. You’re driven by, um, that vision, not by fear, not by, um, worry and all of that, right?
You’re driven by a beautiful vision of who, who you are, and it’s already here. It’s already here for you.
Porschia: I love that definition. I’ve never heard anyone really talk about being driven like that in terms of, um, career success. Beautiful, beautiful. Uh, so Andrea, how do you think executives or professionals can get a positive edge in their career?
Andrea: Positive edge. The word edge always makes me feel like we’re talking about competing, and so I would say don’t compete with anyone but yourself. Be a creator. Create something. You know, be somebody who’s out there. Um, again, being your best and just continuing to [00:47:00] create, be a unique person, be authentic, you know.
Um, and the other thing, and I said this a few times already too, but I’ll just hammer it home, is be around great people, great people. And I don’t just mean because you think they can get you something. Be around people that are positive, who are driven by some sort of lightness, some sort of, you know, vision, some, some sort of beautiful energy, be around those people, get those mentors, get those partners, right?
I wouldn’t be on this podcast if I, I didn’t keep in touch with you, right? You are one of those great people. So I feel like that’s. That’s, that’s where the magic happens is, is, is really staying in a great mental, mental place yourself, bettering that part of, you know, bettering your best, getting better all the time, coming as an authentic person and then surrounding yourself with people who do the same thing.
And even, even if you’re not, you don’t get the exact outcome you want, how can, how can life [00:48:00] get any better than that, right? I mean, that’s what I’m saying is like six, the word success. Right. It’s already here. If you allow it to be
Porschia: very deep, very deep. Uh, Andrea, you have shared a lot of wisdom and, uh, I think some, some secrets with us that I, and I say secrets because I don’t think that a lot of it is really on the surface and, and people kind of think of things in terms of teamwork or their career this way.
So, uh, I’m sure our listeners can use it to be more confident in their teamwork and in their careers. We appreciate you being with us.
Andrea: I appreciate you having me on, and I’m having a great Fly High Friday. Like I said, this has been awesome. I wish all the best to you and your listeners, and, uh, you know, we’re always gonna stay in touch.
Yes,
Porschia: yes. Thank you, Andrea.
