Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode
of Vision Pros Live. I'm your host and coach,
Fletcher Ollingson. I'm so glad you're here.
I'm so glad that you are in this conversation.
Why? Because on this show, we talk about things
that matter. We talk about things that are gonna
get you curious about yourself, about your life.
And when we get curious, it's an opportunity
to expand. And when we get... can expand, we
can begin to realize new outcomes. So I'm glad
you're here on the show today. We have Sherry
Yellen from the Yellen Group, who specializes
in leadership. And if you've been following the
episodes that I'm host of, you know that I'm
passionate about leadership. This is a topic
that is near and dear to my heart. We need quality
leaders in our world. in our companies in our
families so welcome to the show sherry yellen
thank you thank you love your reference to curiosity
it really is at the heart of of it all yeah i
agree we're going to talk more about that too
but before we dive into what you do and who you
help i always like to start off with uh this
question and and the reason i'm asking this question
is because there's a lot of uncertainty and suffering
going on all over the world i like to remind
people that Even despite that, we can still be
the cause in creating good. And so what I want
to ask you is what's going well in your life,
either professionally and or personally? Great
question and very timely. And I will say I want
to give myself a little credit first, which sounds
a little bizarre, but I finished my dedication
page of my book. literally 15 minutes before
this call. And you're acknowledging all the people
that have been so beneficial and contributors
in your life. But the very last sentence I wrote
to my past self and I said, I see you and you're
enough. And one of the things that's going really
well is that realization that I think it takes
a lot of us a long journey to get to a point
where you recognize that the strengths and the
gifts and the abilities that you have are enough.
And that you are enough in making the decisions
and moving forward. And it's taken me a while
to get there. And it was just a kind of a full
circle moment earlier today when I needed to
send that in to the editor. And I think that's
something that all of us in leadership roles
or that are aspiring to that should celebrate
and learn to trust yourself more than you did
in the past. Wow, that is so beautiful. And I'm
just going to reaffirm that I don't know you,
but I do know that you are enough. And I want
our viewers to hear that, our listeners to hear
that as well, that if you're listening to us
right now, I want you to really breathe in. You
are enough. You are perfect, whole and complete
just as you are. Now, that does not mean you're
done evolving. But you are perfect, whole and
complete. You have all that you need within you.
You are resourceful, capable and flexible. You
have what it takes. And it does not mean you're
done evolving. But you are enough. What a wonderful
message to start the day with. Thank you. There's
a story. it's in the old testament but it's a
great story of a widow who is left her husband
dies and she's left with her sons and in that
day and age her husband left her in debt and
they were going to take her sons away from her
as payment for his debt which would have left
her in a really tough situation as a woman you
know at that time because she goes to the prophet
and she says i'm in debt uh now and they're going
to take my sons and i don't know what to do and
i just think it's such a great moment because
the prophet looks at her and asks her what do
you have in the house and you know the story
she says a jar of oil but that's exactly what
she needed and even though she definitely needed
help. And she still had a lot to learn. She had
what it was going to take to move her through
that very dark time and really become wildly
successful because the oil just keeps multiplying.
And I think sometimes, especially as entrepreneurs,
when the gremlins start into our heads, we start
to devalue. Yeah. the oil and that's the thing
that's why you're enough can hang on to that
that's that's the message that really resonates
with me yeah great reminder good reminder um
so the show is called vision pros so i want to
know what's your vision my vision is to equip
A world of leaders worth following. Oh, yeah.
Yeah. To equip a world of leaders worth following.
This is a good topic. Because there are many
people in leadership positions today that may
not be worth following. I mean, each of us has
to ask ourselves that. And there are many people,
we were just talking before the show, there are
many people in those leadership roles that were
placed there, not because they were leaders,
but perhaps just because we needed a body to
fill that role, right? They were next in line
or there was no one else. Or they were the best
of a not so good list of candidates. You know,
there's a million reasons why people get put
into leadership positions. And that's not to
disparage anybody, but not everybody is ready
to be a leader. So what does it take to be a
leader worth following? I started asking that
question a couple of years ago, and we literally
have a one question survey. What makes a leader
worth following that we have now asked thousands
of people? And definitely themes rise to the
top. So some of the overarching themes, trust.
is definitely at the top of the list, both in
they extend trust and they earn trust. Integrity
is kind of synonymous in a way with trust. That's
a good one. But I think bigger than that is that
they are people that recognize that results come
through relationships. They are relationship
builders. And it is a very unique skill set that
is going to come easier for some and going to
be more challenging for others. And I wouldn't
even venture to say that for some people, it
may not ever be a skill set that they can. They
can certainly improve, but it may not ever be
a skill set that puts them in a position where
they need to have that kind of influence over
other people. If you do the math, most of us
will spend 90 ,000 hours or more. If you're an
entrepreneur, probably a lot more of that time
at work. Your leaders can make that time meaningful
or they can make it miserable. They can lead
that company into the future and create a great
culture that just continues to have impact. Or
they can kill the very vision that started that
organization, which actually may be their vision.
There are times where you may be the visionary,
you may be the founder, the creator, but you're
not able to build the relationships around you
to get results. And it's knowing when I may need
to step aside and I can still be the visionary.
I can still be the founder, but maybe I'm not
the best person to be in that leadership role
that is conducting myself. in such a way that
I can also build the relationships that we need
for the results that we're going for. That's
extreme self -awareness and it requires humility
to be able to recognize that. But it is, to me,
a leader worth following is someone who can manage
themselves and then build the people around them.
So that ultimately they step aside. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. I like so many good things you're saying
here. And I just want to bring a spotlight to
some of them because I really want our viewers
and listeners to hear this. Yeah. One of the
strengths of a leader is the ability to assemble
a team. And so because the leader, just because
you're a leader doesn't mean you have to do it
all. In fact. We do not want our leaders attempting
to do it all. You know, I talk a lot about leadership
on podcasts and with my clients. And the two
most important things in my book are a leader
influences the thinking of the people that they
are leading. And number two, enrolls them into
a vision of what is possible. Then assemble the
team, right? Assemble the team and enroll all
the people into the vision of what's possible.
But that team is going to have different skill
sets than I have, right? I'm not meant to be
the CEO. I'm definitely not meant to be the chief
IT person. That's not my skill set, right? I'm
a great communicator and I can enroll people
into a vision, but I need a team around me. yes
to to begin to execute implement and and create
out the impact that i want to make so what and
and so you tell me a little bit about what the
yellen group does for um companies well at the
heart we help whether we're working with individuals
or entire intact teams help them better understand
how the brain learns best because that's the
equipment that they're working with first and
foremost for themselves so that they have a better
understanding a greater self -awareness can better
regulate and all the things that we need for
self -managing but then also helping them understand
how the brain learns best in how they lead and
develop their team And so at the heart of it
are seven brain -based strategies. And we really
do blend the science of learning with the art
of leadership. And it's powerful when leaders
can understand why you would approach that conversation
that way or why it's important to delegate and
delegate effectively. And actually showing them
images, brain scans of this is what your brain
looks like when it feels safe and it feels like
it belongs. And this is what it looks like when
it's under threat. And so just giving some of
that science behind it can go a long way. And
we do that through one on one coaching. We do
that through workshops. And then we do that through
a really blended approach where we'll work with
a team. for maybe up to a year. And it's a blend
of the workshops and the one -on -one coaching
to help them maybe redirect the culture, but
even better when we get to step into a great
culture that wants to be sure it's still great
five, 10, 15, 20 years from now. Yeah. Yeah.
The, the, the, The quality of a company's culture
is going to massively impact the outcomes it
produces. And now some company owners don't want
to hear that because they would just assume that,
look, I hired you, now just get to work and do
what I hired you to do. But unfortunately, this
species does not work that way. Oh, if only it
would. How much easier life would be if we could
just remove the human element. Exactly. If you
are a company owner and you're like, oh, really,
do we have to have the culture conversation again?
Yeah. Always. Yes. Right. Yes. You're never done.
There is no done. There's no graduation date.
Exactly. You know, if you think about personal
transformation, let's say you had a resolution
to lose weight or get healthy. It's not a one
and done. Let's say you hit every goal. The rest
of your life is maintenance. Yes. You don't stop
working out when you hit the goal and expect
sustainable results. Exactly. And I was just
talking with a client this morning about committing.
And I reminded her that I said, look, I understand
you've made this commitment now. And in an hour
from now, you may need to recommit. Right. Yes.
It's not a one and done because I mean, and I,
and to me that's good news because I think a
lot of us, we make commitments and then we, you
know, quote unquote fail and we feel like a failure.
But what I want people to hear is like, no, no,
no. Just because you committed in this moment,
it doesn't mean that that commitment has incredible
staying power. You have to recommit. Again and
again and again, because until it's a habitual
practice. Right. So for me, it's not like, oh,
a failure. No, it's like understand this is how
the machinery works. Yes. Right. You need to
recommit. You do. And the default setting of
this amazing piece of equipment. For whatever
reason, the default setting is moving into flame.
defensiveness if left to its own device right
if it's left without that constant reinforcement
it will default to us against them it will default
to being overly committed to being right it'll
default to protection yes exactly And, you know,
I'm really appreciating this conversation, Sherry.
And the other thing that I want our leaders to
hear, too, particularly around this idea of culture.
Culture, I'm not when we when we say culture,
at least I'm not talking about just like, you
know, having a nice lounge and the latest coffee
espresso machine. And that's that's that can
be part of culture, too. That's not what I'm
referring to. Talking about like, what's your
mindset culture? Is it is there a culture of
safety? Is there a culture of resourcefulness?
Is there a culture of collaboration? Right. Is
there a culture of of trust? That's what I'm
talking about. And that's what always needs to
be, again, recommitting to and having that fostered
and cultivated. Is that are we on the same page
about that? We are. And I'll go one step further
and say it is your defined values. or beliefs,
whatever your organization calls, you know, some
people call it your manifesto, but that you have
spent the time to define what are the values
that are going to guide this organization. You
know, we've got a lot of great literature now
and research around the power of wine, what's
your wine and all the, and that's great. But
if we have a wine without the how, then how do
you find the who? You know, how do you define
how you're going to make decisions, how you're
going to hire? How are you going to hold people
accountable? How are you going to let that high
performer go just because they delivered great
results? but they didn't do it in a way that's
aligned. So one of the most, to me, one of the
starting points is making sure that you have
clearly defined values. And that's more than
just an exercise and a poster on the wall, but
that I know that we are in an amazing place with
a company when I can go in and I could within.
you know maybe an hour or two in a meeting i
could probably guess what their defining values
are like they're living it out but they've done
that because they first and foremost clearly
defined this is it's like it's like the ruler
we're not going to guess how long 12 inches is
like you have a standard and your values have
to be defined and the biggest train wrecks that
we've encountered over 24 years are those organizations
that have not taken the time to do that and then
step two is integrated it into their every day
whether that is how we hire how we fire you know
how we treat our clients how we make financial
decisions it should permeate every every inch
of the organization and that sets the direction
for the culture yes um yeah great point and um
i i like this conversation um it reminds me it
reminds me of a chapter in the book i wrote called
the practice of feeling good uh one of the chapters
i wrote is called your values don't mean jack
and what you can do about it um you see that
Yeah, because there's something key about what
you said. Companies spend a lot of time and money
defining their values. They'll go on expensive
retreats. Hey, let's get our core values, right?
We'll list them out. We'll put a poster on the
board, blah, blah, blah. And a year goes by and
they're like, not much has changed. Defining
our values didn't really move the needle, but
it's something what you said. And the point that
I make in my book, you see, we all basically
have the same values. You and I both value health.
You and I both value financial freedom or stability,
freedom of speech. We value health, wealth, relationships,
right? Work, work integrity. And even people
who are in ill health. Value health. If you would
have asked me many years ago, like, hey, Fletcher,
do you value financial stability? I'd be like,
of course I do. But if you would have looked
in my checking and savings account, you would
have saw a big fat zero in both of them. Yes.
What moves the needle is what you hinted at.
And that's the standards around the values. That's
our standards. that breathe life into the values.
Values, in my opinion, are simply indicators
of preference. I prefer health. I prefer financial
stability. I prefer integrity in the workplace.
But without the standards, the measurements,
how can we know if we're living into those values?
And so what I heard you say was, yeah, we don't
just assume we know what 12 inches is. We have
a ruler that tells us exactly. And we're going
to measure that, you know. So, yeah, so I love
asking leaders this question, like, well, what
is your standard around communication? Can you
articulate your standard around how you communicate
with your team? What is your standard in your
company checking and savings account? Correct.
For me personally, I always have a bumper of
a minimum of $2 ,000 in my checking account.
That's my standard, right? Why? Because in my
old life, I used to get overdraft fees. So I
was like, oh, I need to have a standard around
this. How we learn. And you know that standard
is so important, especially... When it gets hard,
especially when you have to hold people accountable.
But values provide clarity. So, you know, great
question. If you've got somebody on your team
right now and you think, well, they have this,
not so much this. It's so easy to rationalize
sometimes because when you're in it, it's hard
to step back. But a great question sometimes
is if you hold that behavior up. against your
values does it match does it fit and the answer
usually is either a hell yes or hell no thank
you for the clarity because but you're right
it's an absolute standard and whether however
it is showing up and how we make decisions or
how we you know hire how we hold people accountable
If you have not agreed upon that and if you've
not made it really clear and talk about another
thing that there is no done in reinforcing the
values. If you have not done that, then we're
all operating off of the different standards.
Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. We value a clean, common
kitchen space, a break room. what does that look
like exactly what's the standard around that
then right yeah so another way of thinking about
it is like we value a good bowling game okay
great well the let's put up the bumpers because
like those are the standards that are going to
ensure that we are at least hitting the pins
right yeah so yeah standards standards help us
breathe life into those critical values so We
have a fun exercise with that that we'll do sometimes.
And when we are bringing in people for a workshop,
we'll have them on a piece of paper that we'll
have them draw out. We'll make a measurement,
let's say eight and three quarter inches. So
you just have to draw that out. And so everybody
has theirs. But then when they start stacking
them up, you know, like that. And, you know,
the question is what. what would have made sure
that we all had the same uh perception of eight
and three quarter inches well if we had a ruler
values and you know it's just an easy way for
people to understand otherwise what i believe
and what you believe may be very different oh
that is so brilliant it's fun Can I use that?
That is so good. And it's really fun when you're
working with people that are in professions like
construction or where they feel like they're
experts in that already. It's really a lot of
fun. Yes, you can use that exercise. I am absolutely
going to. That is so fun and illustrates what
we were just talking about perfectly. Yeah. So
good. So, Sherry, if people are digging what
you're saying and want to connect or learn more
or order your new book that's coming out, which
is called, hold on, my tablet just closed, which
is called The Science of High Performance Leadership.
Yes. Tell us how we can connect with you. Well,
it's easy. We're at YellingGroup .com. and right
now you can get on the first to know list it
should fingers crossed uh be out uh mid early
to mid october so we're just right there at the
deadline for it we're so excited about the book
because in it is packed with practical actions
leaders can take that was very important to me
that we understand the science behind it but
even better that they're practical applications.
And then there's a link to a portal that has
almost 40 additional templates and videos and
tools that leaders can take and use immediately.
So, yes, it's the science of high performance
leadership and then a very long subtitle. But
it's important to me. And that is that it's seven
brain based strategies to become a leader worth
following. And it really does. It really is a
map, a map to how do you build those relationships
and how do you build a culture? Yes. So that
you gain. true commitment from really talented
people. It sounds like a wonderful and, and much
needed book. And so you can visit Sherry at the
Yellen group .com. Is that accurate? No, the
just Yellen group. And there's no G on Yellen.
It's just YellenGroup .com. Yeah. And Yellen
is Y -E -L -L -I -N. Yes. So YellenGroup .com.
Connect with Sherry. Check out some of her resources
there. Grab a copy of her new book that is soon
to be released. And I also just want to say to
those leaders out there, the people in leadership
positions, thank you for stepping up. We need
leaders. We do. Now more than ever. And it's
vulnerable to lead. So educate yourself. Stay
in the conversation about leadership. Become
the best leader you can. Become a leader worth
following. Any last words that you'd like to
say before we wrap up here, Sherry? Well, I think,
you know, just my final thoughts is we are in
a... in a season of our world where it does matter
it matters maybe more than ever because with
all the ways that we have to connect we may be
the most disconnected our society has ever been
and my other my other thought is that if you
don't want to do the work if you don't want to
do the work on yourself learning how to lead
others more effectively please step aside it's
okay we were doing an emerging leaders program
one one year and about midpoint we had someone
say to us I've taken away that I don't want to
be in a leadership role I want to be a great
engineer And we need great engineers and we need
great nurses and we need great educators. And
it's it is perfectly OK to to acknowledge this
is not something I'm called to do. And I don't
necessarily want to put the effort into it. I
want to put my efforts into something else. And
that is completely OK. Yeah. Wise words. Thank
you for that. Hey, our guest today has been Sherry
Yellen from the Yellen Group. And you can visit
her at YellenGroup .com. All about leadership,
an important topic. And so connect with her,
get her a copy of her book. And now it's time
for you all to get out there. Be a source of
kindness. Be a source of contribution. You do
have something to offer this world. And I believe
in you. Thank you for being here today. I'm really
happy that you tuned in to Vision Pros Live.
I'm looking forward to seeing your reactions
as these episodes continue to move forward. This
is going to get more and more fun. We'll have
more and more engagement as well. We'll invite
people to participate in the show. And thank
you for giving us your time and attention. Have
an excellent time building out your vision and
becoming a vision pro yourself.