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InfoQ Homepage Podcasts Deborah Hartmann Preuss on Creating Joyful Workplaces

Deborah Hartmann Preuss on Creating Joyful Workplaces

In this podcast, recorded at the Agile India 2019 conference, Shane Hastie, Lead Editor for Culture & Methods, spoke to Deb Preuss about life coaching, creating joyful workplaces, diversity and inclusion.

Key Takeaways

  • Life coaching is a skill that helps others find their best selves 
  • Culture has shifted and people know that it is possible to find pleasure at work, so autocratic leadership styles will no longer be accepted in the workplace
  • The freedom to be your authentic self reduces your stress and frees your uniqueness to bring a richness into the workplace
  • Diversity and inclusion are two different things and we need both in our workplaces
  • By paying attention to small things done consistently with intention we can build a culture that genuinely is inclusive
     

Show Notes

  • 00:48 Introduction
  • 01:33 Being a life coach in the dynamic environment of today 
  • 01:57 Help people slow down just long enough so they can hear what’s going on inside themselves 
  • 02:17 The value of sitting quietly not knowing the answer 
  • 02:31 Asking questions that elicit “ha” responses
  • 02:57 Demonstrating powerful questioning 
  • 03:16 How coaching looks is different for every person 
  • 03:34 The skill of seeing what is there and reflecting it back so the coachee notices what’s there
  • 04:16 If we are stressed and overwhelmed when bringing ideas to others that becomes part of the message we bring 
  • 04:27 Trying to teach people to be aligned with what they love
  • 04:42 This matters because it enables people to be more effective 
  • 04:57 If we can let people have their “soft and fuzzy” aspects they can bring their whole selves to the work they do
  • 05:20 It’s OK not to have all the answers 
  • 05:31 The world is moving too fast to tell people what to do – we need to share leadership and change our leadership styles 
  • 05:47 Culture has shifted and people know that it is possible to find pleasure at work, so autocratic leadership styles will no longer be accepted in the workplace
  • 06:08 When leaders can design a way forward that is rewarding to them they can make where they are a satisfying part of their life 
  • 06:24 Stress does not have to be part of the package of work-life today
  • 06:32 People who aren’t stressed out bring much more to the work that they do
  • 06:40 Authenticity as an important building block of a joyful workplace
  • 06:57 Some of the practices that Menlo Innovations embrace as part of their quest for a joyful workplace
  • 07:08 You don’t have to apologise for being who you are 
  • 07:22 The freedom to be your authentic self reduces your stress and frees your uniqueness to bring a richness into the workplace
  • 07:34 Joy is not the same as happiness
  • 07:50 To enable this to happen leadership needs to create safety so people can be vulnerable 
  • 07:54 A leader who doesn’t feel safe will have trouble creating safety for others
  • 08:10 Asking people to be vulnerable has to happen inside a place of trust
  • 08:21 There are tools which can be used to help create safe environments 
  • 08:28 We build trust by talking openly about things and being accountable to others 
  • 08:40 Advice in the book The Speed of Trust on how to build trust and to repair trust 
  • 09:08 Exploring the current state of diversity 
  • 09:20 The importance of inclusion in addition to diversity 
  • 09:28 Diversity is not the same as being inclusive 
  • 09:36 Inclusion is honestly welcoming differences  
  • 09:54 The comparison of an open space event compared to a traditional conference is similar to going from a traditional workplace to an agile workplace 
  • 10:08 Creating a space where people feel free to choose to step in
  • 10:16 How do we invite diversity rather than selecting diversity? 
  • 10:28 Inviting diversity is challenging 
  • 10:58 The desire to be inclusive is not the same as accomplishing inclusiveness 
  • 11:16 The resources are starting to be available for allies 
  • 11:28 By paying attention to small things done consistently with intention we can build a culture that genuinely is inclusive 
  • 11:52 Deb’s own work with women through Ten Women Strong 
  • 12:12 The key thing Deb brings is to help women be courageous through affirming who they are, how they are and encouraging them to be bold 
  • 12:38 How Deb got connected with the Ten Women Strong program 
  • 12:57 The program targeted at women in agile which gives a common foundation for conversations and collaboration 
  • 13:20 The common set of values that all agilists share 
  • 13:33 We are socialised to help others rather and forget to listen to what we need 
  • 14:28 What it means to work in a totally remote way across multiple initiatives 
  • 14:44 Co-active coach training conducted entirely remotely  
  • 15:09 Being an astonishingly good listener and offering that as a service
  • 15:21 The value of coaching through exploring what the coachee wants and needs 
  • 15:49 If I can help leaders bring more joy in the workplace, my work is multiplied 
  • 16:09 An invitation for anyone who is curious about coaching to book an hour to see what it’s about 

Mentioned:
Agile India
Richard Sheridan – Menlo Innovations
Book – Liftoff
Book – The Speed of Trust
Book – Better Allies
Ten Women Strong
Co-active coaching
Contact Deb at A Bigger Game

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