If you were designing a workplace, would it look like the one you’re in now?

Stop laughing.

Okay, now that we’ve calmed down, what’s your answer? How would you set up your teams? How would the work flow, ideally? What kinds of training (remember training?) and learning opportunities would be provided?

Put simply, what would the user experience look like?

This is the question David Greene is answering every day. With a background in UX and a passion for making work not suck, he’s perfectly suited for the job.

He’s led some great efforts while in the agency world. Creating a time off program for employees who need to care for elderly parents or grandparents. And a part-time pilot that gave people and the agency flexibility to do great work and live a great life.

That’s the goal. As David says, we should be thinking about how we integrate work with our lives, not how to build our lives around work.

I couldn’t agree more. And I think you will too, after listening to our conversation.

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Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way.

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

Let the desuckifying begin.

—

You can follow David on LinkedIn. And check out his site at greeneonline.com or reach out to him at david@evolve.work. New site at that same URL coming soon.

If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to find some calm in the chaos of work, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type “meow” in the calendar invite and I’ll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt!

Bye, everyone!

—

Bonus question from David to our audience:If your organization today, where is the experience being underutilized? Where do you look at it and say they’re not being used to their best ability? And if your five most experienced people leave tomorrow, what would actually break?

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

The conversation was so nice we had to have it twice.

It took two recording sessions for Sheri Zevenbergen and I to nail down this week’s DesuckifyWork® podcast episode. Thanks to some technical difficulties.

But it was so worth it. Sheri is coach, podcast host and delightful bundle of energy and insight. With a clear vision for how we can live a life that matters.

It’s all about the dash. You know, the one between when we’re born and when we die. Sheri calls this the “DASH Mindset.” What are we gonna do with that time?

For many folks in the business world, the answer is usually achievement. Do all the things as well as we can do them and get all the rewards that come with all the doing.

Then we wake up one day and go, what was the point of all that again?

If we want to take more ownership of our dash, we need to:

🐱 Reprogram our inner voice🐱 Learn and live by our values🐱 Build new habits

The best part of all this? If we do those things, it not only makes our lives better, it makes the lives of the people around us better too. Our family, our friends, our teams at work, the dude we see every morning at the coffee shop and do the mutual grunt/nod thing with.

This is how desuckification happens. One person at a time, one habit at a time, one choice at a time.

We only get one dash. What are you gonna do with yours?

—

Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way.

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

Let the desuckifying begin.

—

You can follow Sheri on LinkedIn. And check out her site at thedashmindset.com where you can learn more about her coaching work and check out her awesome podcast.

If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to find some calm in the chaos of work, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type “meow” in the calendar invite and I’ll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt!

Bye, everyone!

—

Bonus question from Sheri to our audience:What are you just naturally good at that you don’t even recognize? What are you most complimented on?

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

DesuckifyWork® is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

People suck sometimes.All of us.Especially at work.

Our humanity narrows.We turn into strange creatures who speak in acronyms, buzzwords and status updates.

And we wonder why it’s all so hard.We made it that way.And we can unmake it.

By becoming more relatable.

Rachel DeAlto —author, speaker and former relationship expert on “Married at First Sight”—wrote a whole book about it. Two, actually. Her latest, “The Relatable Leader” lays it out plainly:

We need to connect, communicate and inspire.

🐱 Ditch the corporate speak and just say the thing. Get to know people as people, not means to an end.🐱 Stop making assumptions and start asking people what they actually need.🐱 Have a point of view and show some some genuine energy around the work you do.

That’s what makes us more relatable. That’s what makes us better leaders. And that’s what makes work suck a whole lot less.

If you’re into that sort of thing.

Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way.

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

Let the desuckifying begin.

You can follow Rachel on LinkedIn. And check out her site at racheldealto.com where you can learn more about her books and her speaking work.

If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to find some calm in the chaos of work, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type “meow” in the calendar invite and I’ll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt!

Bye, everyone!

Bonus question from Rachel to our audience:What are you excited about?People suck sometimes.

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

A company that makes, installs and maintains piping systems in some of the hottest and most challenging environments in the world has created a work culture that should inspire any of us who work in less hazardous spaces.

I spoke with Andrew Goodwin, president of Professional Piping Systems on this week’s DesuckifyWork® podcast. People love working for this company. Retention is high, career growth is open to all and the team seems to genuinely enjoy each other.

They’ve cracked the code on Desuckifying Work and the good news is, it’s not all that complicated.

It starts by knowing who you are. They have a BAMF mentality (Bad Ass Mother-Effer) and invite anyone who wants a piece of that to join them. Word gets around.

They give a crap about their team. They invest in them, with real training dollars and consistent engagement from the top of the organization.

They create an actual process to help people learn and grow. They bring junior folks in through an apprentice program that pays people to learn on the job. Imagine that? And they have a train two, promote one policy that encourages folks to pass their knowledge along so they can enable their own advancement.

Lastly, they have fun. Dirt bike and side-by-side groups meet up on the weekends. They share inside jokes. They don’t take themselves so seriously.

I half-joked that PPS should create a separate arm that trains other companies on how to build a winning culture.

But seriously, they should.

—

Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way.

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

Let the desuckifying begin.

—

You can follow Andrew on LinkedIn. And check out his company’s site at ppsphx.com.

If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to find some calm in the chaos of work, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type “meow” in the calendar invite and I’ll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt!

Bye, everyone!

—

Bonus question from Andrew to our audience:For people who have been working with a company for five plus years, what’s the reason you stayed? Is it pay? Is it culture? Is it something beyond that? Is it that you’re afraid to change?

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

Who are you on your best day? What about your worst?Be honest.

Brad Farris, engineer turned leadership coach, took me through this exercise on this week’s DesuckifyWork® podcast. And it’s pretty wild. Here are my results:Best Day:CuriousLovingEnergeticCompassionate

Worst Day:Closed MindedStubbornCrankyShut Down

What’s fascinating is how much the two sides relate to each other. curious vs. closed minded, energetic vs. shut down, etc.

We all have these continuums that we live across. And the key is not to dismiss the “bad” side. We’re human. It’s to find ways to show up on the good side more consistently.

The way we get there is so simple And yet the steps can seem damn near impossible sometimes.

🐱 Get a good night’s sleep🐱 Exercise regularly🐱 Unpack your calendar

How’d you do on those over the past week?

If we can crack this code on this stuff, we’ll show up better at work, at home and whenever else we spend our time. And maybe solve some of the challenges that feel so overwhelming when we’re not at our best.

Unless you’re good with how things are right now. In which case, can I have some of whatever it is you’re smoking?

Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way.

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

Let the desuckifying begin.

You can follow Brad on LinkedIn. And check out anchoradvisors.com to learn more about his executive coaching work and take his self-leadership assessment.

If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to find some calm in the chaos of work, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type “meow” in the calendar invite and I’ll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt!

Bye, everyone!

Bonus question from Brad to our audience:How are you creating your best day or allowing your worst day?

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

The idea that corporate jobs aren’t physically taxing is a myth.

In many cases they are literally killing us. In almost all, they are taking an often invisible toll on our bodies, creating illness and injury through repeated assaults on our nervous systems.

Ridiculous timelines, insane expectations, ever-changing market pressures, unstable economic forces. It’s a lot.

“Hey, at least I’m not out there shoveling crap every day.” Sure. But your body (and mind, and soul) are still taking a beating.

Sarah Dawkins experienced this firsthand during her career as a nurse. It nearly broke her. Until a colleague helped her see a way through her chronic pain and depression.

Today, she works as a holistic health coach and wrote a book called “Heal Yourself” that shows how she and many others have found a way to fully heal.

My favorite insight? The idea that “little t” traumas can have just as much impact as major ones. The body doesn’t lie. If something has caused us pain, it’s going to affect us, often for decades.

The only way out is through. Acknowledge the pain and heal the root cause. A great way to start is by simply sitting quietly and noticing what you’re feeling in your body. Ask what those feelings are trying to tell you. Your inner wisdom is often smarter than the noise in your head.

If all of this sounds a bit woo, I get it. I’m about the least woo guy you’ll ever meet. But this stuff just makes sense to me. I’ve done some of the work and it actually works. It’s not magic. It’s giving yourself access to a power that many of us have shut down for decades.

If you’re feeling that weight of the world right now, isn’t it worth a try?

Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way.

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

Let the desuckifying begin.

You can follow Sarah on LinkedIn. And check out her site at sarahdawkins.com where you can learn more about her book and the amazing work she’s doing.

If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to find some calm in the chaos of work, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type “meow” in the calendar invite and I’ll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt!

Bye, everyone!

Bonus question from Sarah to our audience:Take a moment and be with your body and just check in and find a space that maybe feels heavier or darker or lighter or give it a shape or a color, but somewhere that feels different. And then ask that place, what is it that you need or what are you trying to tell me?

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

Don’t get status reports from your team. Get soul reports.

That’s the takeaway from this week’s DesuckifyWork podcast with Carin Knoop. Carin is a wonderful writer and the Executive Director of the Case Research & Writing Group at Harvard Business School.

We talked about the importance of mental health at work and how managers and leaders need a whole new set of skills to deal with the issues so many workers are facing.

Carin offers a bunch of great ideas for how to engage with employees who are struggling. Most of which boil down to the simple (but hard) act of listening. Check in with your teams beyond the to do list to see how they’re really doing. And support them accordingly.

You don’t have to be a therapist but you do need to be a human being.

Remember humans?

—

Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way.

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

Let the desuckifying begin.

Podcast Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Mental Health at Work01:15 Carin’s Background and Work02:57 The Importance of Compassion in Management04:20 Current Mental Health Landscape in the Workplace06:09 Hyperbole and Reality in Mental Health Discussions08:24 Managing External Stressors10:56 The Role of Boundaries in Work-Life Balance12:10 Finding Joy in Work and Community14:39 The Shift from Self-Care to Community Care18:17 Realistic Expectations of Work22:05 The Role of Managers in Employee Well-Being25:19 Understanding What We Bring to Work27:20 The Future of Education and Work30:00 The Impact of AI on Work and Mental Health35:54 Finding Calm in Chaos39:08 The Role of Managers in Employee Well-Being43:21 Compassion vs. Empathy in Leadership46:44 Defining Well-Being in the Workplace51:44 Creating a Supportive Work Environment

You can follow Carin on LinkedIn. And check out her Medium newsletter at carinisabelknoop.medium.com.

If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to find some calm in the chaos of work, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type “meow” in the calendar invite and I’ll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt!

Bye, everyone!

——

Bonus question from Carin to our audience:Can you share some of those little moments that you have seen at work or do at work, little tricks that help you make things better?

Be careful what you wish for.

You may aspire to an executive job, maybe even the C-suite. And there’s certainly a lot of good that can come with that kind of role.

But it ain’t all sunshine and roses.

That’s certainly been the experience for Erica Rooney, this week’s guest on the DesuckifyWork® Podcast. Erica is an author, speaker, coach and fractional CPO who spent years climbing the corporate ladder, only to find herself asking, “why exactly did I want this craziness?”

The work was intense and nearly never-ending. The system felt rigged against her (and other women leaders). And her ability to balance all of that with her role as a mom was simply a pipe dream.

It was her then 2-year-old daughter who ultimately inspired Erica to choose a better path. She realized she did not want her child to go through what she was dealing with. So, Erica created something new so she could change the world for the better.

Now, it’s her mission to help more woman get into power and stay there. This is how things will change. And if you spend more than 2 minutes with Erica, you will 1000 percent believe she can make this happen. She’s smart, strong and full of an infectious energy for her work.

She’s written a book, “Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors” that speaks to much of her experience. Some of here key points include:

🐱 Language matters and shapes culture. “People leader” says something very different from manager. “Works with” is not the same as “works for.” So choose your words appropriately.

🐱 Ditch the highlight reel style of communication and be willing to share some of the tough stuff. You’re only setting others up for failure if you tell them the bar is Insta-level perfection.

🐱 Let people work where, when and how they work most effectively. And judge folks based on outcomes. Erica would love to see the 40-hour workweek become obsolete. Me too.

🐱 Lastly, she is a big proponent of full pay transparency. It’s hard to level up a system if the system hides everyone’s level.

Nothing to hide here. Erica has a ton of ideas for how to make work better, whether you’re in the c-suite or just getting started.

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Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way.

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

Let the desuckifying begin.

—

You can follow Erica on LinkedIn. And check out ericaandersonrooney.com to learn more about her work and her book. You can also explore her community for women leaders at joinhercollective.com.

If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to find some calm in the chaos of work, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type “meow” in the calendar invite and I’ll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt!

Bye, everyone!

——

Bonus question from Erica to our audience:Do you disagree with anything I said? Am I wrong? Or what do you think about my perspective?