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[upbeat music] Welcome to season seven of the Shock Your Potential podcast. I am your host, Michael Sherlock. This year, I'm doing something different with three episodes released a week.
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00:00:12.880 --> 00:00:20.140
Mondays are snippets from my Enlightened Workplace sessions, where I focus on helping you live your best career ever.
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00:00:21.080 --> 00:00:27.440
Wednesdays, you'll get excerpts from my new book called Operation Fred: What a Street Cat Taught Me About Leadership.
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00:00:28.020 --> 00:00:35.720
You might get chapters of his story, or lessons from the leadership workbook, or even hear from special guests who are committed to the lives of cats.
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00:00:36.340 --> 00:00:50.420
And Fridays, I flash back to some of my most downloaded guests from the past six seasons. [upbeat music] Today, sit back and enjoy another session from the Enlightened Workplace.
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And I didn't wanna miss my workouts, 'cause you guys know I've been working on this really hard, and I work out three days a week at Orangetheory Fitness, so my favorite place to work out.
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So this is the first time that I ever went to a new gym, so I could use the gym here in my hometown of Spokane.
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So I went in, and I was early, 'cause I wanted to make sure, see if they had me- needed to do any other paperwork or anything.
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And I walked in, and there was a gal in there chatting with one of the people who works there, and she started saying, "Ugh, you know, this year has just started out really bad. I'm just so disappointed.
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Things that I thought were gonna happen in my job are not gonna hap- happen." And the woman behind the desk said, well, let's call this gal Sally.
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I don't know what her name was, but she's like, "Sally, tell, well, what's going on?" She goes, "Well, my company was just bought out, and we found out last week.
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And when we found out that we were bought out, it changed everything. All of a sudden, I've gone from working for a very small company to a huge company. I never wanted that.
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I also was in line for a promotion, and now it's just not gonna happen." And so she's talking and talking. The woman's like, "Oh, my gosh. That's so sad. What's going on?" "Oh, I'm putting my resume out."
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00:02:03.740 --> 00:02:16.520
And she gets going on this, on this, uh, you know, kind of a woe is me. Now, if you guys have known me at all, you know I'm not very shy, so of course, I have to insert myself into this conversation.
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[laughs] And I'm like, "Hi, so can I just ask you a question?" And I said, "Why do you think you're not gonna get a promotion? Have you been told you weren't gonna get a promotion?" And she goes, "Well, no."
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I said, "So did you get told that your job was in jeopardy, that you were gonna lose your job?" "No." I said, "Do you know much about this company that just bought you?" She said, "No."
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And I said, "So what makes you jump to the conclusion that it's going to be horrible, you're going to lose your job, or you will not get promoted and you're gonna hate it?"
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[laughs] And she's looking at me like, "Who are you, old lady?" [laughs] And I said, "Well, this is kinda what I do for a living, so I'm just kinda curious.
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Is there a different way for you to maybe look at this, rather than immediately jumping?" But I said, "Rather than making assumptions... And I'm not saying that those things won't happen.
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Look, I mean, I've been responsible for some major mergers in companies, where I really did turn people's lives upside down. I was responsible for people not getting promotions that they thought they were gonna get.
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I was responsible for people not, um, having a job anymore or having their paychecks changed.
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I mean, I wasn't immedi- personally responsible, but that was my job, and I had a lot of people that didn't like me in that process. [laughs] That happens.
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But if you don't know for sure, why do you jump to that conclusion? And are you just moving and jumping to change, or are you willing to take some time to reflect about what could be?
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And maybe that's not here in this company, but maybe it is what could be.
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Could you set yourself up as the emotional glue that could keep your small company held together, and consistent, and a positive factor during this merger?
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Could you show yourself the leader you want to be, even if right now the words that you've heard don't sound positive? How would you feel in that process, and could it change your mindset if you did dec- decide to leave?
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Could it help you to make that next choice about something you really, truly want versus something you feel you must have?" Now, why do I start this story off?
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'Cause again, like you guys always know about me, I, I insert myself into other people's conversations all the time, including, uh, some folks that I met on an airplane coming here the other day.
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Ended up talking to them about mergers in their companies. I don't know, that's mus- must be a, uh, theme for me right now. But I still think it comes down to attitude and focus.
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00:04:54.480 --> 00:05:01.500
We can be disappointed when things happen to us that we don't like. We can be angry. We can be upset. We can be petulant.
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00:05:01.760 --> 00:05:14.980
We can say, "But I'm exactly what I want to be and who I want to be, and I can bury my flag in the sand next to me." Or I can ask myself, "Am I a malleable person? Can I adapt?
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Can I look at things and realize the opportunity for them? How can we continue to get better?" Or, or, or. And the answer to the or is so big. There's so many potential ors.
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It could be, or I could adapt, or I could look at it differently, or I could recognize whether or not I'm being stubborn about something, or I could recognize that maybe I need some more accountability for somebody else who can help me, or I need to be more creative, or, or, or.
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00:05:48.260 --> 00:05:53.840
I talk a lot about not having an either/or mentality, but a both/and.
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00:05:54.480 --> 00:06:08.380
But I think the ors that we ask ourselves, if we're not saying I'm either or, but we're instead saying, "Can I look at different paths, different opportunities, different viewpoints? Can I have greater success?"
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00:06:09.160 --> 00:06:13.480
Thank you for joining us today on another episode of the Shock Your Potential podcast.
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00:06:13.900 --> 00:06:31.560
Learn more about us today at www.shockyourpotential.com and follow along with the story of Operation Fred by checking out thefredchronicles.com.
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00:06:31.620 --> 00:06:31.940
[upbeat music]
1
00:00:00.100 --> 00:00:12.220
[upbeat music] Welcome to season seven of the Shock Your Potential podcast. I am your host, Michael Sherlock. This year, I'm doing something different with three episodes released a week.
2
00:00:12.880 --> 00:00:20.140
Mondays are snippets from my Enlightened Workplace sessions, where I focus on helping you live your best career ever.
3
00:00:21.080 --> 00:00:27.440
Wednesdays, you'll get excerpts from my new book called Operation Fred: What a Street Cat Taught Me About Leadership.
4
00:00:28.020 --> 00:00:35.720
You might get chapters of his story, or lessons from the leadership workbook, or even hear from special guests who are committed to the lives of cats.
5
00:00:36.340 --> 00:00:50.420
And Fridays, I flash back to some of my most downloaded guests from the past six seasons. [upbeat music] Today, sit back and enjoy another session from the Enlightened Workplace.
6
00:00:51.400 --> 00:01:01.360
And I didn't wanna miss my workouts, 'cause you guys know I've been working on this really hard, and I work out three days a week at Orangetheory Fitness, so my favorite place to work out.
7
00:01:01.420 --> 00:01:07.180
So this is the first time that I ever went to a new gym, so I could use the gym here in my hometown of Spokane.
8
00:01:07.940 --> 00:01:13.580
So I went in, and I was early, 'cause I wanted to make sure, see if they had me- needed to do any other paperwork or anything.
9
00:01:14.400 --> 00:01:25.220
And I walked in, and there was a gal in there chatting with one of the people who works there, and she started saying, "Ugh, you know, this year has just started out really bad. I'm just so disappointed.
10
00:01:25.260 --> 00:01:32.860
Things that I thought were gonna happen in my job are not gonna hap- happen." And the woman behind the desk said, well, let's call this gal Sally.
11
00:01:33.220 --> 00:01:41.980
I don't know what her name was, but she's like, "Sally, tell, well, what's going on?" She goes, "Well, my company was just bought out, and we found out last week.
12
00:01:42.660 --> 00:01:52.040
And when we found out that we were bought out, it changed everything. All of a sudden, I've gone from working for a very small company to a huge company. I never wanted that.
13
00:01:52.600 --> 00:02:03.320
I also was in line for a promotion, and now it's just not gonna happen." And so she's talking and talking. The woman's like, "Oh, my gosh. That's so sad. What's going on?" "Oh, I'm putting my resume out."
14
00:02:03.740 --> 00:02:16.520
And she gets going on this, on this, uh, you know, kind of a woe is me. Now, if you guys have known me at all, you know I'm not very shy, so of course, I have to insert myself into this conversation.
15
00:02:16.520 --> 00:02:28.440
[laughs] And I'm like, "Hi, so can I just ask you a question?" And I said, "Why do you think you're not gonna get a promotion? Have you been told you weren't gonna get a promotion?" And she goes, "Well, no."
16
00:02:29.080 --> 00:02:41.400
I said, "So did you get told that your job was in jeopardy, that you were gonna lose your job?" "No." I said, "Do you know much about this company that just bought you?" She said, "No."
17
00:02:42.380 --> 00:02:50.100
And I said, "So what makes you jump to the conclusion that it's going to be horrible, you're going to lose your job, or you will not get promoted and you're gonna hate it?"
18
00:02:50.160 --> 00:03:00.280
[laughs] And she's looking at me like, "Who are you, old lady?" [laughs] And I said, "Well, this is kinda what I do for a living, so I'm just kinda curious.
19
00:03:00.440 --> 00:03:11.060
Is there a different way for you to maybe look at this, rather than immediately jumping?" But I said, "Rather than making assumptions... And I'm not saying that those things won't happen.
20
00:03:11.120 --> 00:03:21.600
Look, I mean, I've been responsible for some major mergers in companies, where I really did turn people's lives upside down. I was responsible for people not getting promotions that they thought they were gonna get.
21
00:03:22.040 --> 00:03:28.240
I was responsible for people not, um, having a job anymore or having their paychecks changed.
22
00:03:28.680 --> 00:03:35.860
I mean, I wasn't immedi- personally responsible, but that was my job, and I had a lot of people that didn't like me in that process. [laughs] That happens.
23
00:03:36.800 --> 00:03:48.420
But if you don't know for sure, why do you jump to that conclusion? And are you just moving and jumping to change, or are you willing to take some time to reflect about what could be?
24
00:03:49.060 --> 00:03:52.780
And maybe that's not here in this company, but maybe it is what could be.
25
00:03:53.120 --> 00:04:04.580
Could you set yourself up as the emotional glue that could keep your small company held together, and consistent, and a positive factor during this merger?
26
00:04:05.160 --> 00:04:21.519
Could you show yourself the leader you want to be, even if right now the words that you've heard don't sound positive? How would you feel in that process, and could it change your mindset if you did dec- decide to leave?
27
00:04:22.160 --> 00:04:33.700
Could it help you to make that next choice about something you really, truly want versus something you feel you must have?" Now, why do I start this story off?
28
00:04:33.760 --> 00:04:43.200
'Cause again, like you guys always know about me, I, I insert myself into other people's conversations all the time, including, uh, some folks that I met on an airplane coming here the other day.
29
00:04:44.200 --> 00:04:53.960
Ended up talking to them about mergers in their companies. I don't know, that's mus- must be a, uh, theme for me right now. But I still think it comes down to attitude and focus.
30
00:04:54.480 --> 00:05:01.500
We can be disappointed when things happen to us that we don't like. We can be angry. We can be upset. We can be petulant.
31
00:05:01.760 --> 00:05:14.980
We can say, "But I'm exactly what I want to be and who I want to be, and I can bury my flag in the sand next to me." Or I can ask myself, "Am I a malleable person? Can I adapt?
32
00:05:15.580 --> 00:05:29.120
Can I look at things and realize the opportunity for them? How can we continue to get better?" Or, or, or. And the answer to the or is so big. There's so many potential ors.
33
00:05:30.320 --> 00:05:46.180
It could be, or I could adapt, or I could look at it differently, or I could recognize whether or not I'm being stubborn about something, or I could recognize that maybe I need some more accountability for somebody else who can help me, or I need to be more creative, or, or, or.
34
00:05:48.260 --> 00:05:53.840
I talk a lot about not having an either/or mentality, but a both/and.
35
00:05:54.480 --> 00:06:08.380
But I think the ors that we ask ourselves, if we're not saying I'm either or, but we're instead saying, "Can I look at different paths, different opportunities, different viewpoints? Can I have greater success?"
36
00:06:09.160 --> 00:06:13.480
Thank you for joining us today on another episode of the Shock Your Potential podcast.
37
00:06:13.900 --> 00:06:31.560
Learn more about us today at www.shockyourpotential.com and follow along with the story of Operation Fred by checking out thefredchronicles.com.
38
00:06:31.620 --> 00:06:31.940
[upbeat music]
