PODCAST EP. 6: Individualism vs Teamwork with Rita Ernst, Part 1

5/31/2023

Episode Summary
Rita Ernst, Positivity Influencer and Consultant, joins Tim Sweet on the show to talk about big changes in business. When exactly does a business go from thriving to struggling, and why? Rita’s hint is that it happens far before the impact is seen in the financial bottom line. She and Tim unpack the signs.

Rita identifies how a change in work habits is the first sign of a business in the midst of change. She illustrates this with examples from COVID, where organizations all buckled down and gave their all during the first years but now are experiencing a push back, a difference in how people are interacting with customers, work that was always on time before now being unfinished. This is where righting the business should start, but businesses wait until they see it in the bottom line to call in a consultant like Rita or Tim.

Tim Sweet and guest Rita Ernst dissect how an individual can right the course of a business going through big change. If everyone is afraid to say the hard truths to the boss, how will change begin? It’s not about being toxic, it’s about showing up with an honest desire to help. Positivity is the key ingredient in Rita’s book Show Up Positive and she discusses specific lessons from her book with Tim. It’s a conversation every level of employee in a business needs to hear.

About Rita Ernst
In 2005 Rita Ernst left corporate life and established her independent consulting and coaching practice. She has an extensive catalogue of satisfied clients in organizations that range from construction to pharmaceuticals to non-profits.
Rita leverages her expertise in organizational psychology to craft solutions for business owners and staff members that break through the hostility while restoring pride, teamwork, and profits. Through her ground-breaking training and lessons, she reveals how to intentionally cultivate positive thoughts and behaviors instead of automatically reacting from the trappings of a depleting cycle of frustration and discontent.
Resources mentioned in this episode:

Peter Block

Contact Tim Sweet | Team Work Excellence:

Contact Rita Ernst | Positivity Influencer, Authour, Consultant:

Transcript
Rita Ernst: [00:00:00] You need to stand up and challenge that behavior and stand for your values in that moment. And that is showing up positive. So it's not about just smoothing everything out. And like we were talking about earlier, it's not about avoiding conflict at all, but it is about being true to who you need to be to have the workplace around you that you desire.
Tim Sweet: [00:00:28] I'd like to ask you some questions. Do you consider yourself the kind of person that gets things done? Are you able to take a vision and transform that into action? Are you able to align others towards that vision and get them moving to create something truly remarkable? If any of these describe you, then you, my friend, are a leader. And this show is all about and all for you. Welcome to the Sweet On Leadership Podcast Episode 6.
Welcome to the Sweet On Leadership Podcast, where we unlock the secrets of the most influential, trusted and impactful leaders in business today so you can become your best version of a leader. And now your host. He once saved a company $2.5 million with a $15 rubber stamp, and he won't shut up about it. Tim Sweet.
Tim Sweet: [00:01:23] Hey, everybody, welcome again to the Sweet On Leadership podcast. I'm joined today by my friend Rita. We're having a great conversation already and we want to pull you into it. Today we're going to be talking about really what is it like to be part of an organization that is going through big changes. And many organizations all around the world right now are facing this. I mean, we're coming out of perhaps the most tumultuous time that many of us have been through. And so in talking to Rita, I'm learning all sorts of new things, although we share that, you know, as you said, we share this collegial passion for improvement and everything else, Rita. But I'm just learning all sorts of things, and I want to make sure that we get this down and we're recording it. So, Rita, welcome and thank you very much for coming on today.
Rita Ernst: [00:02:09] Thank you for inviting me, Tim. I love getting together with colleagues like you because I'm a solopreneur, so I sometimes really miss having my experts around me where we can just kick things around and stuff. And so it's so fun to get to just talk shop with you and oh my gosh, we're going to let everybody else listen in while we talk shop. How cool is that?
Tim Sweet: [00:02:32] I think so, because it's funny, when we pick up a vocation like this, many people don't have that luxury of working on leadership science, and working in operational science, and really making that their focus. Most leaders out there, they have to have the day job. They've got promises to keep. They've got metrics to manage, they've got targets to hit. And that means that they don't have time to always sit back and look at the business. They're working in the business, not on the business. And so for people like us, I think we're in a pretty special place when we can play with it and see what's working, you know, that's what we bring to organizations. So let's use that and talk more today. As we have been getting to know each other and as we've been sharing our professional experiences, I really want to have you articulate, because I think it's so unique in its own way, what are the triggers that you see? What is the moment that you know that a business needs to consider change, it needs to consider something different?
Rita Ernst: [00:03:35] Well, unfortunately, I think that most businesses miss that moment by the time I'm walking through the door. So let me answer from the place of if I were whispering in a business owner's ear what to watch for, how to know when that moment is. That moment is always showing up in the people before it shows up in the bottom line.
Tim Sweet: [00:04:01] Can you tell me a little bit more of that? Because I think that's great.
Rita Ernst: [00:04:03] If you really dial in and you listen to your people and you have genuine, meaningful, open, courageous conversations about what's not working, what could be better, what's making your job difficult? I've been watching Silicon Valley on HBO, we just recently got a subscription to HBO Max and I've been catching up on some shows, and Silicon Valley is one of those. And there's this hilarious moment, I don't even know what season it's in, where the CEO of the company has this wise, like, Dalai Lama type personality person who's his sidekick that he's talking to. And he looks at him and he says, People aren't afraid to tell me the truth, are they? And you just see it all over this guy's face. And he's like, Um, no. And your people know so much, they are interacting with customers differently than you are. They are interacting with their peers differently than you are. And even if you don't intend to be in an ivory tower, as a leader it is very easy to end up there if you are not being very intentional about how you are showing up in the organization and the way that you are engaging with people. So most of the time, if you are talking to your folks and really talking to them, you will see where things start to fall off before you start to see it in the financial documents. But most of the time when people are engaging with folks like you and I, it's because it's now costing them money. It's really hitting the bottom line of the business. And the financial pain is there. Yes.
Tim Sweet: [00:05:40] So if we're looking for those steps that are before the financial pain is the impetus, what would you suggest people keep an eye out for if their staff may not be bringing them exactly what they think, if they may not be having the hard conversations? What kind of indicators do you see on the people side that are perhaps nonverbal, that are situational? What could a leader look out for?
Rita Ernst: [00:06:06] I think you see a change in work habits. It's one of the key things that happens and it usually goes something like this. So there was some traditional time line when people were in the office and working, and then all of a sudden people are working extra hours and it's looking a little chaotic in the office. And you can see the start of the burnout kind of stuff building. And then you actually see a drop off where people start to vote with their feet. They're like, well, screw this. You know, they're not saying that out loud, but in the back of their minds, they're saying, Screw this like I've got a life to live. Yeah. You're willing to put all this time in. I work with a lot of independent business owners. You're the business owner, you're making all this money, you're just paying me a paycheck. I'm not getting paid to work this hard. I'm not getting rewards for this. But you can actually sort of chart it. It shows up in how people show up doing their work, the volume of work that they're doing, the amount of time that they're spending. And then this moment of standing up for themselves, you know, even if it's silently, when they start to vote with their feet. When all of a sudden there's work that needs to get done and nobody's around to finish it, or you're chasing down deliverables because your team isn't completing stuff on time or in time. And that's not been typical. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. Like there's a huge alarm bell that says there's something to look for. Yeah.
Tim Sweet: [00:07:31] I can get down with that. And that's very much how I think about this as well.
Rita Ernst: [00:07:34] I'm curious to know what you've seen though. Like, how would you answer that? What do you see?
Tim Sweet: [00:07:38] Um, I really feel that there's a sense of imbalance and what I call it is the work/self balance, right? And so employees, leaders, owners, they're always trying to balance all of their different roles in the world. And two of those that show up at work that are usually having to be considered is how the person represents and advocates for themself - their dreams, their needs, how they see growth, and how they show up as an agent and advocate for the needs of the corporation or for the company. And so these two things can or are always having to be kept in balance. When they're out of balance, what I see is that you go through these periods where, all right, you know, the business is dealing with a pandemic. It's all hands on deck. And so people start to give up their energies that they put towards themselves and put them into work. And so things go out of balance and they start to work harder and we see them showing up and yes, they're getting a lot done, but they're liquidating their own self to do that. And at a certain point, this builds up to such an imbalance and such a tension that it has to snap back. And at that point, we see the rebellious statement where it's finally, you know, why am I working this hard, and this isn't working for me, and I feel like I'm being damaged in some way. And we see it snap back. And so what I look for is often when you see businesses that are not necessarily always all about the employee or it's always all about the work, but that they're going through these wild swings, these oscillations, right? And one month it'll be all about making sure that we're coming together. And then if you talk to the employee, you'll usually hear that, Oh, yeah, well, this will last for a while and then we're going to go back to the other and you really can pick up this sine wave. This oscillation.
Rita Ernst: [00:09:33] Yes. Yes, that oscillation. I love it. And you know what that made me think of, Tim, in terms of how do you notice. If you are an executive or a business owner especially, if you start feeling resentment for the amount of work that you're putting in or for the way your team is showing up, if you're starting to feel resentment, like why am I working so hard and why aren't they matching pace with me? If those are the conversations, again, like, big alarm bells, right, these are early, early indicators. It's like the hurricane siren is going off in your business. And if you don't do something, you're going to end up without a roof. You're going to end up with trees. Yes.
Tim Sweet: [00:10:19] It is work on fire. And with a few clients we use the phrase stop, drop and roll when you feel like that. When you feel that your life is on fire or that things are sort of burning, stop what you're doing, right, and drop down into the processes. Drop down into the work and really take a moment to get underneath the task of the day. And how are we actually collecting? How are we talking? How are we organizing the work? What's the source of stress here? What's the underlying driver? And then consider how your role has to change, how your role, is your role - in your earlier example - to go and tell the boss, to go and say something. Is that something you're not doing? And you need to take that and actually make that part of how you show up. Because I see if people just work harder at what they've always done, then they get to where they, I like to use the phrase 'be careful you don't get where you're going'. Right? Because if you just go faster and you barrel ahead, you could be part of your own misery. The way in which you're approaching work could be part of it. It's not always to blame ourselves, but it's to really take a look at and say, what's within my sphere of influence? What can I change? And perhaps I'm actually not fulfilling part of my responsibility the way I should. And that could be as easy as put your hand up and raise the issue. There's other reasons people don't put their hand up and raise the issue. But as an example, stop, drop, look at your role.
Rita Ernst: [00:11:47] Well, you know, one of my favorite mentors and most impactful to me, in terms of my own personal professional development in this field, is Peter Block. And Peter Block has this wonderful teaching that is when you choose safety and security, you give up your power. And that is exactly what happens in organizations. This piece you're talking about, role, and is it my role to speak up? Is it my role to advocate for what I need? When we choose safety and security in our role, well I don't want to rock the boat, I don't want to get yelled at, then we give up our power to try to change anything that we need changed. And so for most people, one of two things happens. You either sort of die on the vine and you just stay and collect your paycheck and you work as a miserable thing, or you pack up your toys and you go to another place. And the question that's always there is, was there a choice that you could have made somewhere way earlier that where packing up your toys wasn't what had to happen here, but you chose safety and security in silence. And so you know, you gave up your power to create what you wanted.
Tim Sweet: [00:13:02] It's really a fascinating area because we're in an era right now where everything is about inclusion and psychological safety and making sure that we have healthy cultures and these kind of things. And often that's misinterpreted as we can't hurt anybody's feelings. We can't collide with anybody. We have to maintain this superficial politeness or we have to we have to make sure that everybody is happy all the time. That's not what psychological safety means, right? And choosing the status quo or choosing to remain silent in order to avoid offending somebody or a negative consequence on yourself, and I mean the stats in this area are really quite alarming when you look at how many people would rather the long term outlook suffer than hurt a person's feelings in the moment. And again, I'm not talking about being rude and toxic. I'm saying being willing to collide with somebody and ask them a question that might make them uncomfortable, that even might offend them, and say, I'm going to risk something here with this person in order to better them and myself and the situation around us. And I'm not going to shy away from that challenge. I'm going to rise to that challenge. That's such an interesting observation that you make, Rita, because it's like people want to do the right thing and the right thing is protect people's feelings, and I don't always think that that's the best approach. Be respectful, yes. Long term feelings, big picture identity stuff. Absolutely. Stand up for your staff. But telling them that perhaps how they communicated or didn't communicate a piece of information to you and essentially saying you want it done a certain way or you need it done a certain way or you'd suggest a different way, that's not the time to avoid potentially hurting someone's feelings because you're suggesting that they didn't get everything right all the time? I don't know.
Rita Ernst: [00:14:53] I love where you are. I want to hang in here for a minute and just put a little more meat on this beautiful platter that we're that we're building in this conversation. Because my background is psychology. And I am not a trained therapist. I do not practice as a therapist. A lot of my clients call me their business therapist because we do this intensive conversation around themselves and their feelings and all of these things. But I do lean into a lot of psychology and the science of psychology and some of the better tools that come out of therapy. And one of the things that you learn in therapy is the only person responsible for your feelings is you. If we can let go of this idea of hurting other people's feelings, because that is somebody else's response to your words and your language. And so you can be very thoughtful about those things. You can be thoughtful about your tone. You can be thoughtful about the words that you use. You can use permission statements, you know, other kinds of things. There was a saying from very early in my career that has always stuck in my mind, which is 'feedback in the absence of a request is a nuisance', right? Isn't that how we all feel when somebody offers us feedback? Or you could do that better advice or whatever, and you're not like open. It's a disinterest kind of response.
Tim Sweet: [00:16:20] There's no growth at play, right?
Rita Ernst: [00:16:22] But it feels like a nuisance. And so, you know, when you're offering something to somebody and you have not laid the right groundwork for them to be open and ready when the relationship and the conversation and context isn't right, sometimes it'll land that way. It'll land like a nuisance. It won't really get you what you want. So there's all kinds of things that are within your control that you can do to try to be heard to the best of your ability. But at the end of the day, the first thing you got to do is get your intention right. And that's probably one of the lessons that I teach every leader I touch, is start with your intention. And when your intention is truly from a place of helping and building somebody else up, not correcting them, not fixing them, right? There's a difference between wanting to fix somebody and wanting to help and lift them up. And when you can make those distinctions and you can operate from those distinctions, your success rate will likely climb.
Tim Sweet: [00:17:23] And it does change the nature of why we open up uncomfortable conversations. Also, what I just took from what you said, which I thought is a point that I'd like to really highlight, there's a skill or a style or a personal comfort or confidence that comes with voicing what you feel and becoming and achieving that openness. And again, I think it's learning the language or learning your style or learning how you approach a conflict or that crucial conversation is such a skill that many people don't have. They've avoided the tough stuff because they don't know how to make it maybe not safe, but they don't know how to to make it effective, to make it growth oriented, to include the request and not just make it a nag or somebody bellyaching. There's a skill to that. I know that it's something that I've had to learn and perfect and spend a lot of my days in the middle of, is how to position and...
Rita Ernst: [00:18:16] We're both consultants. As a consultant, you're always asking tough questions and naming hard things. If you're not, you're, you know--.
Tim Sweet: [00:18:25] -- you're not helping.
Rita Ernst: [00:18:26] You're not going to be successful. So those are skills that we get to practice all the time. But I am just nodding my head furiously in agreement with you that yes, when people keep choosing avoidance, it is to their own professional detriment. Now, in the US, you can tell me if this is the same in Canada, but one of the most interesting things, and I share this sometimes in leadership talks that I give, is that in the new generation, in fact, it might be in my book, in the new generation, our education system has shifted to more group and team type learning. So when I was coming through school, everybody had their own little individual desk and you sat in your desk and you weren't really encouraged most of the time to look at, talk to, do things, occasionally there might be a project - now it changed in college, but I'm talking in through K through high school - now work is very collaborative and people are taught how to come together and work as a group and accomplish things and they have all the same challenges of, you know, this person isn't pulling their weight and those kinds of things, but they learn to navigate that now in school. And so there is some capacity and capability that kids are entering the workforce with. And yet I think we have norms in place that really don't allow them to tap in and use that skill set. And like so many things, when you don't use it, you lose it.
Tim Sweet: [00:19:56] Yeah, so much of this is about how we show up. And so can you tell us a little bit about your book from the title on through to what you think are the why people should consider that as a support for everything we just talked about? Because I think we're there.
Rita Ernst: [00:20:11] Okay, lovely. I love to talk about my book. The book is called Show Up Positive, and it is in two parts. So I really tried to think about you as the reader when I was writing the book and designing the layout of the book. And so the first part of the book is - and it's about a 50/50 split on the number of pages - the first part of the book is the call to action. And it really explains the impetus behind Show Up Positive, which I'll share here in a minute, why I've written this book and its relevance to this moment that we are in. And then the second part of the book is more of a road mapping of what to do to get yourself into the Show Up Positive mindset. In part two there are 50 show up positive behaviors that are defined in guidance given on ways to incorporate them into business. But at the core of the book and the whole why behind the book, what happened during the pandemic, is that I started getting calls from essential businesses, and the leaders of these essential businesses are like, We're imploding. And I know, I know some things I need to do. I need to get all my employees together. We need to get reconnected. We need to get back on the same page. We need to find our teamwork again. We've sort of fallen out of all of that, but it just feels overwhelming. I don't know what to do. I don't know where to start. And I said, I can help you with that.
Rita Ernst: [00:21:45] Let's figure this out. And what was so interesting is they all started from this place of, I need to get my whole team together again. Like they really felt that that collegial-ness and community was missing. And so in both instances, the first two clients that I did, one of the first things we did was we brought everybody together in an all employee meeting. However, what we did is not spend all of our time talking about what's wrong or where we're going. We spent a huge amount of time looking backwards, talking about where we've come from and who we are. So we talked about the history of the organization, and how people connected into the organization, and the culture and the values implicit in the organization, and in the leaders of the organization where you have the founder still engaged in the leadership of the business. And that remembering of what it used to be like, how it used to feel in the organization, and remembering why did I join this company? What did I come here to do? Why was I so excited to become a part of this? Just helping people remember those things, because they've been stuck in this COVID conversation that, you know, you're getting it on the news, you're getting it on your social media feeds, you're getting it in your family discussions. This was in 2020, early 21, when the rules were constantly changing. We, you know, we were learning all the time about how this spreads. Do we need to wipe down surfaces? Do we need to, you know, it was just constant, constant, constant change.
Rita Ernst: [00:23:29] And that was just consuming all of our time and attention. And it was creating anxiety and fear to boot. So from a psychological standpoint, we had our fight or flight system kicked on in high gear, which is why we kind of went a little crazy because we were acting from that place of our amygdala hijack versus the logical prefrontal cortex in the front of the brain. And so just explaining all of that to people in part one and really helping them understand that we do know how to have amazing organizations. I interviewed people in these companies and they said we would trip over one another to serve our customers. We were seamless. We just helped each other out naturally. Nobody had to ask. Nobody had to wait. I cared deeply about this company, like you could put my name on the sign out front because that's how much ownership I feel for us delivering to our customers. So these are people who were very engaged and integrated and it just fell off. And now they're missing that. They were longing to get that back, but not really sure the pathway to do that. And the answer is rather straightforward. Honestly, if we created it before especially, we can recreate it again. But we have to start remembering and we need to get reconnected to, not that you are replicating who you've been, but it's that feeling and that mindset that you had, and that intention that you had at that time.
Tim Sweet: [00:25:05] There's great confidence that comes from looking at the facts that we've actually been there before. And it's funny, when you talk to organizations, often talking about that kind of stability when people are triggered or when they've gone through this type of low level trauma, to them it feels like they have no ability to get back there. It's like so far off and just remembering that they've already been there. I mean, there's that classic pie chart which you draw the one sliver and it'll say, you know, here's what we know we know. And then you draw another tiny little fractional sliver on this thing, 5% of the pie chart. Here's what we know we don't know. And then we used to, I use this all the time, you draw the rest of the pie chart and you'd say, here's what we don't know we don't know. But I've always said that there's a piece of this pie chart that's missing. There's a fourth piece that's quite large, and it's we've forgotten what we already knew. You know, we already learned something and because we're moving so far and so fast, we've shelved it. Or because there's been a bright new shiny thing, we've declared it obsolete and moved forward. And I don't think for a moment you're suggesting that we move backwards and pattern off of something that's, because life has evolved. We're two years farther ahead. But that grounding that you're talking about, that you're giving people, is really, it's a confidence boost. When you say remembering why I joined the company in the first place, remembering what we stood for or when things were clear, we can stand for that again, albeit in a different way. We know what it felt like to be stable. We got to be all about what we are next. Sure, but what are we jumping off from? What's our foundation?
Rita Ernst: [00:26:55] And, you know, it didn't take that long. It didn't take that long, but the impact was so enormous. And of course, that wasn't the only thing that we did. But, you know, it gave us then, like you said, it was the perfect foundation to then start talking about our current celebrations and our current achievements and other things. But giving them in this perspective of, at one company had a woman say, it took me three years to get a job here. Like that, I just kept showing up and checking in, because the position that she wanted was limited and somebody was in that role and she's like, as soon as it's like, you know, when you have your dream house and you're like, if it ever goes on the market, we got to make an offer. Same thing. She was like, this is my dream job. And when this position is available, I want to be top of mind. We think about that, think about that, and to now be at this place and during the pandemic where she's questioning like, I don't know if I belong here anymore. I don't know if I should stay here anymore.
Tim Sweet: [00:28:03] And maybe it is time to go. It's possible.
Rita Ernst: [00:28:05] It is.
Tim Sweet: [00:28:07] Those memories have been pushed aside out of survival. And as you say, we've gone down into that lizard brain and we're just like, things are very, very reactionary. So taking a moment to really, to reground, I think is just, that's really, that's a great suggestion, like bravo. I think that that is brava. That is awesome. So.
Rita Ernst: [00:28:31] Well thank you. So you know the book is, it is really meant for individuals and there's work there for teams, organizational work, as you can appreciate, Tim, really requires more consulting from people like us to kind of bring it all together. But the biggest message that I want people to get from the book is that you have agency, you have power, and that if one person can come into your team and can change the dynamics such that they disrupt your team and erode your ability to perform as a team, one person can come in and pull it all together, you know, so just be that person. The really simple call to action is to be the coworker you wish you had. Instead of waiting for somebody else to change and allowing that to dictate, if you feel like you need more honesty in your team, then you show up and start being the honest person. If you need more camaraderie, then you show up and be a good friend and colleague to the people around you in the way that that means to you. If, you know, whatever it might be that you feel like is missing, that you are longing for, when you think back to when you really loved being a part of this team, what it was like, if people were helping, more helpful to one another, you set the new standard and do it for yourself.
Rita Ernst: [00:30:02] You're not doing it to prove somebody else bad. You're not doing it to, you know, it's not a vanity thing. It's a if I start being this person again, then I can feel better about myself. I can contribute. And what's so interesting about this is it's risky. It's really super risky when you start because you are standing against the team norms that have you trapped in this really negative space. And that's why people feel so stuck. They feel so stuck because the norms have now evolved around maintaining this negativity. So it takes a little bit of courage to go against, because you might get rejected. People might make fun of you, you might get bullied a little bit. But at the same time, when you do this for yourself and for your commitment to what you want to bring into the organization, there are some people that are going to look at you and go, I would much rather hang out with Tim and be a part of that conversation than this backbiting, backstabbing stuff going on over here, and they will start to migrate.
Tim Sweet: [00:31:08] Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Rita Ernst: [00:31:09] You become this beacon of possibility for others. It will happen in that way. But it does take a little bit of courage to be the one to stand. And I'm not talking about swallow it down false positivity. You know, when people are being disrespectful, when people are harassing others, you need to stand up and challenge that behavior, and stand for your values in that moment. And that is showing up positive. So it's not about just smoothing everything out. And like we were talking about earlier, it's not about avoiding conflict at all, but it is about being true to who you need to be to have the workplace around you that you desire. I believe this from day one, walking out of my graduate school, I'm a behaviorist in psychology. And so I do believe that we have the power and the potential to generate things in our lives that we want and need.
Tim Sweet: [00:32:11] I think that that is a really great message to end on. So, Rita, I want to thank you for being here. I think that you've encouraged me to bring the past into the conversation a little bit more and to remember what has happened. And I've always been a believer in, you know, before we start sort of pointing the fingers at why something isn't happening or waiting for somebody else to create that change, that positivity in our work environment, that we have to first say, you know, perhaps this is my role. And when you have a team that's coming together and every one of them feels it's their responsibility to ensure that the team is functioning well and that everybody on that team is benefiting. Amazing things happen.
Rita Ernst: [00:32:54] It's changing habits. And changing habits take focus and intention.
Tim Sweet: [00:33:00] And a feeling of license and the ability to take action.
Rita Ernst: [00:33:03] Yes. So it's important that you, you know, have a plan and you work that plan. And so I figure with 50, you've got a lot to choose from. And it can be every week. It could be you could work on one behavior for a month and you would still be successful. So, but start. The thing that won't work so well is trying something new every day. You're going to wear yourself out. You really need to sort of take that more yoga style mindset of like, you know, really getting in intentional and building the practice, building the muscles, you know, the mental muscles to show up consistently in this way that you want to show up.
Tim Sweet: [00:33:45] And don't be afraid to specialize if it's something that really is impactful and it's how you lead or it's how you bring positivity or it's how you, people can be specialists. They can be better at one style of leadership or engagement than anybody else is. Hey, don't apologize for it. Like, do it. Do it a lot. Right?
Rita Ernst: [00:34:07] Yes. And encourage every little nugget of positivity you see in others around you. A lot of times the most subtle things, but having somebody notice when you bring something into the interaction or the experience, is reinforcing both positively and negatively.
Tim Sweet: [00:34:31] It's a great place to start. So, Rita, we're going to call that one. I'm really happy with that. I think that there's lots there for you out there that are listening to embrace and chew on. There's actions that you can take and instill some of this thinking into your lives and you'll probably see immediate change, and a move towards a brighter future. And I love that suggestion about, hey, let's not forget our roots. Let's not forget why we're here and where we came from, and engage on that. And Rita, before I let you go, let's just remind people, if they want to find you, what's the best way for them to connect with you?
Rita Ernst: [00:35:05] My website has everything that you will need to find me, and all my social media links, my book information, everything. It's IgniteExtraordinary.com. That's also my social handle on Instagram and Facebook is @IgniteExtraordinary, and of course I'm Rita Ernst Positivity Influencer on LinkedIn, so I'm happy to connect with people, and if you purchase the book, read the book, have questions, I have a Monday show that I do at 12:45 Eastern Time every Monday, that introduces one of those positivity words from the back of the book. And then immediately following that, there's a link where you can join a community conversation. So please come join the community and let me help you navigate this next chapter of your life and how you want to show up in your workplace.
Tim Sweet: [00:35:58] Awesome. Rita, I want to thank you again for being here today and we'll do this again real soon.
Rita Ernst: [00:36:03] Thank you for the invitation, Tim. Have a great afternoon.
Tim Sweet: [00:36:06] Thank you. I appreciate it.

Skills, Tools, and More to Improve Leaders, Teams, and Cultures