WEBVTT 00:00:00.270 --> 00:00:02.690 Welcome to the Live with Sondra podcast where 00:00:02.690 --> 00:00:05.290 we dive deep into business, tech, and entrepreneurship. 00:00:06.150 --> 00:00:09.349 Hosted by me, Sondra Shannon, CEO of GateMaster 00:00:09.349 --> 00:00:12.689 Technology. Each show, we explore the latest 00:00:12.689 --> 00:00:15.009 trends in ticketing attractions and guest experience, 00:00:15.369 --> 00:00:17.929 helping you stay ahead of the curve in this ever 00:00:17.929 --> 00:00:21.510 -evolving world of attractions and events. Whether 00:00:21.510 --> 00:00:24.010 you're an industry expert or just getting started, 00:00:24.269 --> 00:00:27.129 this show has insights to inspire and empower 00:00:27.129 --> 00:00:30.480 you. Today's episode is sponsored by GateMaster 00:00:30.480 --> 00:00:32.799 Technology, your trusted partner for ticketing 00:00:32.799 --> 00:00:36.000 and attraction management solutions. Let's get 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:41.759 started with the show. This is Live with Sondra. 00:00:41.859 --> 00:00:45.939 Thank you for joining me today. And I am super 00:00:45.939 --> 00:00:53.679 excited about today's live show because we have 00:00:53.679 --> 00:00:59.909 the collab queen, Deanna Jean. on this live to 00:00:59.909 --> 00:01:04.150 talk about how to power up your success with 00:01:04.150 --> 00:01:06.370 collaborative strategies so we're going to talk 00:01:06.370 --> 00:01:10.209 about this so let's welcome Deanna Jean to the 00:01:10.209 --> 00:01:13.590 stage today now we're going to talk about some 00:01:13.590 --> 00:01:16.129 of this stuff I just realized I left this I I 00:01:16.129 --> 00:01:20.549 Deanna how are you I'm good listen it's all good 00:01:20.549 --> 00:01:22.689 I heard I heard the sirens I felt at home because 00:01:22.689 --> 00:01:27.120 you know I'm in New York City I'm like Well, 00:01:27.239 --> 00:01:29.439 for those of you that don't know, I'm in Southern 00:01:29.439 --> 00:01:32.239 California right now with a couple of my kids. 00:01:32.340 --> 00:01:35.379 So we are broadcasting live from the ocean. The 00:01:35.379 --> 00:01:38.200 ocean is literally right there. And for whatever 00:01:38.200 --> 00:01:40.439 reason, the sirens are going off. So, you know, 00:01:40.439 --> 00:01:43.120 it's a live show. I think I say this all the 00:01:43.120 --> 00:01:46.959 time. It's live. And this is us just going and 00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:50.719 talking about these things that. are so important 00:01:50.719 --> 00:01:54.359 to businesses, those owning and operating businesses. 00:01:54.719 --> 00:01:58.340 And I am super excited about today's show because 00:01:58.340 --> 00:02:04.019 I know that if there's anyone out there who has 00:02:04.019 --> 00:02:06.939 not considered collaboration or that needs to 00:02:06.939 --> 00:02:09.300 understand or foster better collaborations in 00:02:09.300 --> 00:02:12.300 their business, that you are the person. that 00:02:12.300 --> 00:02:15.039 they need to be connected with and also you know 00:02:15.039 --> 00:02:17.680 collaboration is just a huge part of my heart 00:02:17.680 --> 00:02:23.300 you know it's uh it's businesses or empires as 00:02:23.300 --> 00:02:26.259 one of my mentors likes to say are not built 00:02:26.259 --> 00:02:31.060 alone and so we need collaborative strategies 00:02:31.060 --> 00:02:32.840 and we need to understand how to foster these 00:02:32.840 --> 00:02:36.439 good relationships in our business and our work 00:02:36.439 --> 00:02:39.460 in order to really be successful because you're 00:02:39.460 --> 00:02:43.750 gonna bump against The scaling of what that looks 00:02:43.750 --> 00:02:46.949 like. Absolutely. And you and I connected over 00:02:46.949 --> 00:02:51.250 collaboration. We did. We did. Well, before we 00:02:51.250 --> 00:02:52.610 get started, because I have a ton of questions 00:02:52.610 --> 00:02:54.909 for you, you know, maybe share with the audience 00:02:54.909 --> 00:02:58.009 a little bit about who you are and your story. 00:02:58.069 --> 00:03:01.069 Because I know when I met you on that stage in 00:03:01.069 --> 00:03:04.389 last December at Elevate Your Network, you know, 00:03:04.389 --> 00:03:06.169 you just brought me to tears with your story. 00:03:06.210 --> 00:03:10.719 But also, you know, I. really resonated so much 00:03:10.719 --> 00:03:13.360 with your message on collaboration. And so if 00:03:13.360 --> 00:03:15.199 you wouldn't mind just kind of telling everyone 00:03:15.199 --> 00:03:17.960 a little bit about who you are. Yeah, I mean, 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:20.900 I'll keep it as brief as possible because I'm 00:03:20.900 --> 00:03:24.780 excited to get into this conversation. So as 00:03:24.780 --> 00:03:26.639 Sandra mentioned, my name is Deanna Jean. I'm 00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:30.620 your collab queen. And experts and organizations 00:03:30.620 --> 00:03:34.139 and businesses come to me when they are ready 00:03:34.139 --> 00:03:37.180 to truly embrace the power of collaboration to 00:03:37.180 --> 00:03:40.340 do hard things. So sometimes those are businesses 00:03:40.340 --> 00:03:42.539 who are preparing for mergers and acquisitions. 00:03:43.060 --> 00:03:46.129 Sometimes those are entrepreneurs. who are getting 00:03:46.129 --> 00:03:48.990 ready to go to a new height in their business 00:03:48.990 --> 00:03:52.009 or in their life. Sometimes it's just people 00:03:52.009 --> 00:03:54.550 who are looking for a change and they want to 00:03:54.550 --> 00:03:56.590 be able to embrace that change and they know 00:03:56.590 --> 00:03:58.409 that they can go further faster through collaboration. 00:03:59.050 --> 00:04:02.389 I am their guide to helping them do that and 00:04:02.389 --> 00:04:04.669 to unlocking that superpower. And it's work that 00:04:04.669 --> 00:04:07.430 I absolutely love to do. And I love that. And 00:04:07.430 --> 00:04:10.810 I think you are you are you know, I know I'm 00:04:10.810 --> 00:04:12.610 totally going off script here. I know we had 00:04:12.610 --> 00:04:14.949 a number of things. I told you we'll figure it 00:04:14.949 --> 00:04:18.129 out. It's going to be good. Well, one of the 00:04:18.129 --> 00:04:21.089 things that I just you you made me think of is 00:04:21.089 --> 00:04:24.449 I on LinkedIn today this week and last week, 00:04:24.509 --> 00:04:27.670 I had a couple of posts that I made. And I'm 00:04:27.670 --> 00:04:29.410 sorry, I'm just looking for one of them, because 00:04:29.410 --> 00:04:34.250 what you said really reminded me of one of the. 00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:38.480 the polls that I had talking about collaboration 00:04:38.480 --> 00:04:41.920 in business. And one of the questions that I 00:04:41.920 --> 00:04:43.759 asked, let me just find this real quick, because 00:04:43.759 --> 00:04:46.360 I think it's interesting that you brought up 00:04:46.360 --> 00:04:50.060 doing hard things as a reason why we would want 00:04:50.060 --> 00:04:52.819 to collaborate. So the question that I asked 00:04:52.819 --> 00:04:55.379 yesterday was, how do you use collaborations 00:04:55.379 --> 00:05:00.779 to achieve success? And the things that could 00:05:00.779 --> 00:05:03.240 be chosen from the poll were diversity of skills. 00:05:03.680 --> 00:05:05.459 which makes sense. Sometimes we've got to find 00:05:05.459 --> 00:05:09.779 people who have other skills. Tackling big issues, 00:05:10.019 --> 00:05:15.560 their goals, and to motivate teams, and then 00:05:15.560 --> 00:05:18.819 to spark innovation. What was interesting to 00:05:18.819 --> 00:05:25.819 me is nobody chose tackle big issues. No. There's 00:05:25.819 --> 00:05:29.040 a reason why that is. And I love that those were 00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:31.379 the choices because I think that you can learn 00:05:31.379 --> 00:05:35.019 a lot about people. by the way that they respond 00:05:35.019 --> 00:05:37.819 to questions around collaboration. Because I 00:05:37.819 --> 00:05:41.019 think so often when we talk about doing hard 00:05:41.019 --> 00:05:43.600 things, a lot of times people don't want to associate 00:05:43.600 --> 00:05:45.600 that with collaboration because they don't want 00:05:45.600 --> 00:05:47.939 it to seem as if they cannot do it on their own, 00:05:48.040 --> 00:05:50.600 that they are incapable of being able to tackle 00:05:50.600 --> 00:05:52.500 hard things. Because a lot of times we're put 00:05:52.500 --> 00:05:55.180 in positions in work and in life because we are 00:05:55.180 --> 00:05:56.839 the strong one. We are the one that knows the 00:05:56.839 --> 00:06:01.550 answers. Really and truly, if you really want 00:06:01.550 --> 00:06:05.069 to tackle big issues, collaboration is the easiest 00:06:05.069 --> 00:06:07.430 way to do it because of the reasons that you 00:06:07.430 --> 00:06:10.490 mentioned. Being able to identify and find different 00:06:10.490 --> 00:06:13.910 and diverse skills, innovative ideas, right? 00:06:14.189 --> 00:06:18.470 That is the best way to be able to get to a positive 00:06:18.470 --> 00:06:21.329 outcome in a difficult situation. Yeah. Oh, I 00:06:21.329 --> 00:06:24.050 agree. And for me, it was really surprising, 00:06:24.110 --> 00:06:27.050 but I think you totally nailed it. especially 00:06:27.050 --> 00:06:28.970 women, I'm not trying to leave out any dudes 00:06:28.970 --> 00:06:32.550 here, but you know, as women, I think oftentimes, 00:06:32.829 --> 00:06:35.870 you know, we are the CEO in our homes. I talk 00:06:35.870 --> 00:06:38.050 a lot about that, especially with this audience, 00:06:38.129 --> 00:06:41.949 which is most mainly attractions are end user 00:06:41.949 --> 00:06:45.170 of the products. Like what I create at gate master 00:06:45.170 --> 00:06:49.750 is, is typically going to be a parent. That's 00:06:49.750 --> 00:06:53.529 right. Right. And in most cases, it's the female 00:06:53.529 --> 00:06:55.949 in the home that's planning these types of adventures 00:06:55.949 --> 00:06:59.850 and experiences for the family. And, you know, 00:06:59.870 --> 00:07:03.389 I can honestly say, you know, as a woman, sometimes, 00:07:03.550 --> 00:07:06.610 especially one in business who is the CEO of 00:07:06.610 --> 00:07:10.790 my home and, you know, I am planning these experiences 00:07:10.790 --> 00:07:13.129 for my family. But also there's a lot of times 00:07:13.129 --> 00:07:16.149 where, like, I feel like I got it. And sometimes 00:07:16.149 --> 00:07:18.990 we don't, right? Because we just need the help 00:07:18.990 --> 00:07:21.610 of other people. And that's been a hard lesson 00:07:21.610 --> 00:07:23.930 for me in my business, really, honestly, was 00:07:23.930 --> 00:07:27.769 figuring out how to delegate and to explore the 00:07:27.769 --> 00:07:30.389 skills and competencies of other people that 00:07:30.389 --> 00:07:34.189 could help me. Maybe even not being the smartest 00:07:34.189 --> 00:07:36.009 person in the room, like letting other people 00:07:36.009 --> 00:07:38.689 be smarter than me. That's a hard one for people. 00:07:39.250 --> 00:07:41.829 It is difficult, but you know, that's really 00:07:41.829 --> 00:07:46.189 what it means to be a specialist. So I use the 00:07:46.189 --> 00:07:48.889 analogy a lot of times where I talk to people 00:07:48.889 --> 00:07:51.170 all the time that say, you know, people come 00:07:51.170 --> 00:07:53.310 to me for answers. If I ask for help, it makes 00:07:53.310 --> 00:07:55.509 me seem weak. And I say, well, all right. Have 00:07:55.509 --> 00:07:57.670 you ever been to a doctor before? Say yes. I 00:07:57.670 --> 00:07:59.810 said, OK. Have you been to a specialist before? 00:08:00.029 --> 00:08:05.709 Say yes. All right. There's a reason that orthodontists 00:08:05.709 --> 00:08:08.949 get paid more than general practitioners. There's 00:08:08.949 --> 00:08:12.810 a reason that anesthesiologists get paid more 00:08:12.810 --> 00:08:16.680 than. general practitioners or generalists because 00:08:16.680 --> 00:08:20.420 they are very very good at the thing that they 00:08:20.420 --> 00:08:22.939 do and they don't try to go outside of their 00:08:22.939 --> 00:08:26.120 lane and when we start to embrace the idea especially 00:08:26.120 --> 00:08:29.319 in corporate environments especially in companies 00:08:29.319 --> 00:08:33.299 that um we really should reward people for their 00:08:33.299 --> 00:08:36.820 gifts instead of moving to make them be a jack 00:08:36.820 --> 00:08:39.870 of all trades our businesses are going to go 00:08:39.870 --> 00:08:43.389 so much further, so much faster. And the people 00:08:43.389 --> 00:08:45.850 within our ecosystems are going to be much happier 00:08:45.850 --> 00:08:48.570 in the work that they do. Yeah. Yeah, I agree. 00:08:48.769 --> 00:08:53.549 I think it, you know, I don't remember who coined 00:08:53.549 --> 00:08:56.230 the term, it takes a village to raise family. 00:08:56.490 --> 00:08:58.590 But guess what? It takes a village to build a 00:08:58.590 --> 00:09:01.570 business. Absolutely. Absolutely. You don't want 00:09:01.570 --> 00:09:03.389 to be the bottleneck. You don't want to be the 00:09:03.389 --> 00:09:06.049 bottleneck in the business. Yeah, I was I was 00:09:06.049 --> 00:09:08.090 talking to a business owner actually today. And 00:09:08.090 --> 00:09:10.730 and, you know, it's always fascinating to me. 00:09:10.789 --> 00:09:12.929 They're like, I'm a one man wolf pack. I'm like, 00:09:13.009 --> 00:09:17.389 no, it's not a compliment back here. Like we 00:09:17.389 --> 00:09:20.870 have to we have to grow together, you know, and 00:09:20.870 --> 00:09:23.590 and that is actually something that I often say 00:09:23.590 --> 00:09:28.809 is my job as CEO of my company is that my role 00:09:28.809 --> 00:09:32.129 is to ensure the success of everyone around me. 00:09:32.549 --> 00:09:37.529 Every person, every person. Yeah. And that's 00:09:37.529 --> 00:09:40.490 a hard thing for a lot of people to do, but it's 00:09:40.490 --> 00:09:45.450 also necessary. It's so necessary in our businesses. 00:09:45.990 --> 00:09:48.809 And that actually leads me to one question that 00:09:48.809 --> 00:09:51.990 I have for you. What role does collaboration 00:09:51.990 --> 00:09:55.750 play in achieving positive outcomes for businesses 00:09:55.750 --> 00:09:57.649 and teams? And I know you hit a little bit on 00:09:57.649 --> 00:10:00.769 that, but let me go a little deeper. Yeah. So 00:10:00.769 --> 00:10:05.610 for me, collaboration, really and truly gives 00:10:05.610 --> 00:10:09.970 you the opportunity to unlock the genius that 00:10:09.970 --> 00:10:12.149 you actually saw in people when you hired them. 00:10:12.330 --> 00:10:14.070 So when you see someone, if you think about it 00:10:14.070 --> 00:10:16.649 as a hiring manager, and you go through the process 00:10:16.649 --> 00:10:18.450 with someone and you see that spark in them, 00:10:18.710 --> 00:10:22.409 a lot of times as leaders, we get confused or 00:10:22.409 --> 00:10:25.250 we get frustrated, whereas time passes on, we 00:10:25.250 --> 00:10:27.230 start to see that folks are losing their spark. 00:10:27.470 --> 00:10:29.230 But a lot of times the reason that they're losing 00:10:29.230 --> 00:10:32.179 their spark is because The thing that we really 00:10:32.179 --> 00:10:34.379 loved about them, the thing that we were excited 00:10:34.379 --> 00:10:37.259 to make that offer for, we pulled them further 00:10:37.259 --> 00:10:40.000 and further away from those things as time goes 00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:44.220 on. So what collaboration allows us to do is 00:10:44.220 --> 00:10:47.360 to give each person the opportunity to shine 00:10:47.360 --> 00:10:50.580 in that area of expertise. But most importantly, 00:10:50.620 --> 00:10:53.960 at the end of the day on a team. We all want 00:10:53.960 --> 00:10:57.379 to be able to contribute to the positive good 00:10:57.379 --> 00:10:59.860 of the team and the thing that we do really well. 00:10:59.980 --> 00:11:03.080 So it also gives everybody a place and clarity 00:11:03.080 --> 00:11:06.919 around their specific zone so that there's no 00:11:06.919 --> 00:11:10.379 ambiguity. There's clarity and people can feel 00:11:10.379 --> 00:11:12.539 very good about moving forward with their mission. 00:11:12.700 --> 00:11:15.259 Yeah. Yeah. I love that because, you know, I. 00:11:18.090 --> 00:11:20.110 You know, working with a lot of business owners, 00:11:20.230 --> 00:11:21.909 I've had a few of them tell me over the years, 00:11:21.929 --> 00:11:23.990 like this person's not worth what I'm paying 00:11:23.990 --> 00:11:27.950 them. Right. And I agree with what you said in 00:11:27.950 --> 00:11:29.789 so much that there's a reason you hired this 00:11:29.789 --> 00:11:31.690 person. They had a certain skill set. There's 00:11:31.690 --> 00:11:35.409 something that you loved. So how do we invest 00:11:35.409 --> 00:11:39.610 into that person so that that's what comes through 00:11:39.610 --> 00:11:44.320 and they become. maybe even more valuable than 00:11:44.320 --> 00:11:46.340 what you're paying them. That's the thing that 00:11:46.340 --> 00:11:50.139 I've tried to foster in my environment is that 00:11:50.139 --> 00:11:53.960 every person that is on this team will ultimately 00:11:53.960 --> 00:11:57.320 become more and more valuable, not just to me, 00:11:57.379 --> 00:12:00.259 but to the world, right? To the world. And the 00:12:00.259 --> 00:12:02.460 way that they do that is by operating their genius 00:12:02.460 --> 00:12:06.000 zone. But what happens typically, we have a corporate 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:08.759 ladder, right? And in the corporate ladder, the 00:12:08.759 --> 00:12:11.120 idea is that if you're not moving up, you're 00:12:11.120 --> 00:12:14.570 moving out. And that's not always the right way 00:12:14.570 --> 00:12:17.269 to go. This conversation is so timely because 00:12:17.269 --> 00:12:20.389 a really good friend of mine, Tia Silas, who 00:12:20.389 --> 00:12:24.289 is the chief human resources officer for Shopify. 00:12:24.669 --> 00:12:28.549 Shopify just actually launched an amazing initiative 00:12:28.549 --> 00:12:32.309 called Mastery. And the idea behind Mastery is 00:12:32.309 --> 00:12:34.970 that they are actually going to reward people 00:12:34.970 --> 00:12:40.639 for. Really focusing in and mastering their genius 00:12:40.639 --> 00:12:43.960 zone instead of forcing people to take different 00:12:43.960 --> 00:12:48.259 paths to leadership management that might take 00:12:48.259 --> 00:12:51.779 them outside. They were really hired to do their 00:12:51.779 --> 00:12:53.980 genius zone. And I think that's so innovative 00:12:53.980 --> 00:12:57.519 and a really great way to start to continue to 00:12:57.519 --> 00:12:59.960 focus on people and the skills that people bring 00:12:59.960 --> 00:13:02.460 to the table. Yeah. And I love that because, 00:13:02.519 --> 00:13:06.720 you know, so often. You know, especially in environments 00:13:06.720 --> 00:13:09.700 like startups where people wearing a lot of hats. 00:13:09.779 --> 00:13:12.039 And I know that that can be frustrating for people 00:13:12.039 --> 00:13:13.980 because they're learning about business, even 00:13:13.980 --> 00:13:15.840 though they're they might just be an employee 00:13:15.840 --> 00:13:19.759 of the business. But I don't that that is not 00:13:19.759 --> 00:13:22.580 to to say. That's why I always say, you know, 00:13:22.600 --> 00:13:26.279 businesses are not built by one person. Absolutely. 00:13:26.500 --> 00:13:30.039 And if you are the only person in your business, 00:13:30.340 --> 00:13:32.580 you don't really have a business. You got a job. 00:13:32.799 --> 00:13:35.279 I was going to say you gave yourself a job. You 00:13:35.279 --> 00:13:37.679 have to be able to scale. And this is where collaboration 00:13:37.679 --> 00:13:40.220 is. But what I love about what you just said 00:13:40.220 --> 00:13:42.399 about really focusing on people's genius and 00:13:42.399 --> 00:13:43.960 their personal success. And that's something 00:13:43.960 --> 00:13:48.679 that I really have loved about how we handle 00:13:48.679 --> 00:13:51.620 our team members is we really do try to understand 00:13:51.620 --> 00:13:54.440 who they are as individuals, what their personal, 00:13:54.539 --> 00:13:57.779 professional, financial goals are, how that aligns 00:13:57.779 --> 00:14:01.360 with their current role. And then also how it 00:14:01.360 --> 00:14:03.740 aligns with the company as a whole so that they're 00:14:03.740 --> 00:14:06.480 not just looking at how can I get to the next 00:14:06.480 --> 00:14:08.559 place or get out. Right. Like you said, there's 00:14:08.559 --> 00:14:12.539 two places up or out. You know, how can I use 00:14:12.539 --> 00:14:16.000 my role, my position to be able to improve my 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:20.120 own life? What what what I'm curious about, though, 00:14:20.179 --> 00:14:23.940 is, you know, with the idea that in in in business, 00:14:24.000 --> 00:14:28.549 it's either up or out. How do you, what do you 00:14:28.549 --> 00:14:30.250 think the effects of, because we all know like 00:14:30.250 --> 00:14:32.409 bad managers, right? I hate to even call them, 00:14:32.610 --> 00:14:36.370 that are not interested in helping people move 00:14:36.370 --> 00:14:39.389 up. In fact, that's actually, I think what you're 00:14:39.389 --> 00:14:41.269 talking about where people get frustrated because 00:14:41.269 --> 00:14:43.710 their geniuses don't, their individual geniuses 00:14:43.710 --> 00:14:46.889 are not being used in their roles. So they're 00:14:46.889 --> 00:14:49.210 frustrated. They're not being treated as experts 00:14:49.210 --> 00:14:51.730 in things that they're experts in. And then you've 00:14:51.730 --> 00:14:57.120 got managers who, Want to be the smartest person 00:14:57.120 --> 00:14:59.059 in the room. They maybe don't want to see people 00:14:59.059 --> 00:15:03.639 pass them up. I know in in sports, a lot of times 00:15:03.639 --> 00:15:06.379 there's this idea that, you know, eventually 00:15:06.379 --> 00:15:08.259 your athlete will become better than you if you 00:15:08.259 --> 00:15:11.200 actually are a great coach. Right. Yeah. And 00:15:11.200 --> 00:15:14.059 but coaches embrace that. Good coaches embrace 00:15:14.059 --> 00:15:18.139 that. They want the folks on their team to be 00:15:18.139 --> 00:15:21.860 better than them at the specific practice, at 00:15:21.860 --> 00:15:25.190 the execution of the sport. Right. Everybody 00:15:25.190 --> 00:15:29.129 has a role because the person who's playing the 00:15:29.129 --> 00:15:33.429 game and executing is not necessarily going to 00:15:33.429 --> 00:15:35.330 be the best person to coach the team. Right. 00:15:35.429 --> 00:15:37.490 Those are two different types of skill sets. 00:15:37.590 --> 00:15:41.330 So what's important in life is that we don't 00:15:41.330 --> 00:15:44.870 require people to be practitioners. Right. When 00:15:44.870 --> 00:15:50.149 they are the thinkers. or uh you know the strategic 00:15:50.149 --> 00:15:53.230 mind of the idea that's why in collaboration 00:15:53.230 --> 00:15:56.190 we try to give each person a role you took the 00:15:56.190 --> 00:15:58.429 collab quiz right like trying to make people 00:15:58.429 --> 00:16:02.590 each identify where do i really live where do 00:16:02.590 --> 00:16:06.009 i really thrive um and then letting them take 00:16:06.009 --> 00:16:08.590 it from there and and letting things blossom 00:16:08.590 --> 00:16:11.889 and grow yeah i think that's i i i think that 00:16:11.889 --> 00:16:13.429 it's so important i love that you brought the 00:16:13.429 --> 00:16:16.649 club quiz because understanding, you know, where 00:16:16.649 --> 00:16:19.029 people are going to thrive is understanding who 00:16:19.029 --> 00:16:22.250 they are. I am a huge advocate. I know that they're 00:16:22.250 --> 00:16:24.750 not always based 100 % in science. I got into 00:16:24.750 --> 00:16:26.389 an argument with somebody the other day about 00:16:26.389 --> 00:16:29.529 like whether or not, you know, the disc assessment, 00:16:29.669 --> 00:16:34.049 for example, is accurately science. But at the 00:16:34.049 --> 00:16:36.830 end of the day, whether it is or isn't, it became 00:16:36.830 --> 00:16:39.429 a fantastic tool for being able to have conversations 00:16:39.429 --> 00:16:44.240 around how we have conversations as a team. And 00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:49.860 to me, that is I mean, it's just a facilitator 00:16:49.860 --> 00:16:52.679 for a better working environment. Right. Because, 00:16:52.679 --> 00:16:55.980 you know, not only did I find in in our business 00:16:55.980 --> 00:16:59.740 that when we understood how who was the drivers, 00:16:59.899 --> 00:17:03.379 who are the influencers, who are the, you know, 00:17:03.379 --> 00:17:06.880 analyzers and and then, you know, the stabilizers. 00:17:08.140 --> 00:17:11.460 What is fascinating to me is that now we had 00:17:11.460 --> 00:17:13.480 to ask ourselves, how do we communicate with 00:17:13.480 --> 00:17:16.259 people that are different than us? That's exactly 00:17:16.259 --> 00:17:18.900 right, right? How do we communicate with people 00:17:18.900 --> 00:17:21.539 that are different than us? How do we all come 00:17:21.539 --> 00:17:25.059 together with our different areas of genius, 00:17:25.140 --> 00:17:27.660 our different areas of expertise, and sometimes 00:17:27.660 --> 00:17:33.019 even competing priorities? How do we all come 00:17:33.019 --> 00:17:38.160 together? to achieve the same goal that is the 00:17:38.160 --> 00:17:42.759 joy of collaboration but it also really is the 00:17:42.759 --> 00:17:45.799 part of it that requires a guide it's the part 00:17:45.799 --> 00:17:47.700 of it that requires somebody that can look at 00:17:47.700 --> 00:17:50.440 it and actually identify that you know what there 00:17:50.440 --> 00:17:53.059 is a common goal that we all have here how can 00:17:53.059 --> 00:17:56.319 we all rally around that thing um to achieve 00:17:56.319 --> 00:17:59.460 that goal yeah and you know the interesting thing 00:17:59.460 --> 00:18:01.440 about i i have to just tell this story i have 00:18:01.440 --> 00:18:04.500 i have I have very few drivers on my team. I 00:18:04.500 --> 00:18:06.900 actually do think they probably are a small percentage. 00:18:07.019 --> 00:18:09.279 I think most people kind of fall into that stabilizer 00:18:09.279 --> 00:18:11.599 category. I don't want to rock the boat. I don't 00:18:11.599 --> 00:18:13.640 want to fight with anybody, which is great. They 00:18:13.640 --> 00:18:16.359 actually, and from what I found are some of the 00:18:16.359 --> 00:18:18.299 best salespeople though, which is interesting 00:18:18.299 --> 00:18:22.740 to me. Absolutely. I think the calming nature 00:18:22.740 --> 00:18:26.759 of somebody like that is very soothing to people 00:18:26.759 --> 00:18:29.359 in the sales process. So if they use that skill 00:18:29.359 --> 00:18:32.460 to their advantage. Understanding who you are 00:18:32.460 --> 00:18:34.700 and how you communicate is also a great way to 00:18:34.700 --> 00:18:38.299 persuade people or just get to know what they 00:18:38.299 --> 00:18:39.880 need and if they're the right fit for you or 00:18:39.880 --> 00:18:41.799 whatever that is in the business. But I have 00:18:41.799 --> 00:18:44.000 very few drivers. I have one in particular who 00:18:44.000 --> 00:18:47.519 happens to be my husband that is a high driver. 00:18:47.799 --> 00:18:50.460 Yeah. He's the guy that's always driving everybody 00:18:50.460 --> 00:18:53.220 nuts in the company because drivers push people 00:18:53.220 --> 00:18:56.339 to keep moving forward even when the going gets 00:18:56.339 --> 00:18:58.339 tough. This is why in collaborations, you need 00:18:58.339 --> 00:19:01.009 all types of people. That's right. and so he's 00:19:01.009 --> 00:19:04.390 the guy pushing everybody all the time and it's 00:19:04.390 --> 00:19:05.849 interesting because every now and then i'll have 00:19:05.849 --> 00:19:07.890 somebody come to me and be like oh he's bushy 00:19:07.890 --> 00:19:11.529 and you know or you know whatever that looks 00:19:11.529 --> 00:19:14.769 like yeah and and you know i'm like did did did 00:19:14.769 --> 00:19:17.829 you read about how to communicate with him because 00:19:17.829 --> 00:19:19.829 what's interesting is it goes both ways it's 00:19:19.829 --> 00:19:21.849 not just about him figuring out how to communicate 00:19:21.849 --> 00:19:25.069 with them It's oftentimes that they didn't take 00:19:25.069 --> 00:19:27.490 the time to learn how to communicate with him. 00:19:27.609 --> 00:19:30.009 And that's where the differences play a huge 00:19:30.009 --> 00:19:33.990 role in understanding how people operate. And 00:19:33.990 --> 00:19:38.309 I wish we had done the collab quiz today. Maybe 00:19:38.309 --> 00:19:40.170 you can drop that for people. Yeah, I'll drop 00:19:40.170 --> 00:19:42.829 the link so that people can see it. It's a really 00:19:42.829 --> 00:19:46.910 great way to understand, yes, how to communicate 00:19:46.910 --> 00:19:49.230 with people, but also what are people motivated 00:19:49.230 --> 00:19:52.069 by? So I think a lot of times that's the part 00:19:52.069 --> 00:19:54.250 that we miss in leadership and in management. 00:19:54.349 --> 00:19:56.970 So prior to doing the work that I do right now, 00:19:57.089 --> 00:19:59.109 I spent a decade and a half in sales leadership 00:19:59.109 --> 00:20:01.829 and management. Let me tell you something. Managing 00:20:01.829 --> 00:20:05.829 salespeople is not for the faint of heart, right? 00:20:06.109 --> 00:20:10.329 You really have to be able to understand not 00:20:10.329 --> 00:20:19.069 just what is going to uh get them to move but 00:20:19.069 --> 00:20:22.650 you have to understand really why the why behind 00:20:22.650 --> 00:20:25.130 they're doing what they do why why behind why 00:20:25.130 --> 00:20:27.750 they're doing what they do and also understanding 00:20:27.750 --> 00:20:30.450 what's motivating to them because that's going 00:20:30.450 --> 00:20:34.069 to affect how you engage the types of rewards 00:20:34.069 --> 00:20:36.470 that you put in place the types of projects that 00:20:36.470 --> 00:20:40.089 you align them to a hundred percent And, you 00:20:40.089 --> 00:20:41.789 know, I don't want to skip, but I do want to 00:20:41.789 --> 00:20:44.990 make sure we get through some of these big questions 00:20:44.990 --> 00:20:46.930 that I have, because I love that. And I think 00:20:46.930 --> 00:20:48.450 that that's great. But I also think that brings 00:20:48.450 --> 00:20:50.869 us to like enhancing client relationships. You 00:20:50.869 --> 00:20:52.670 mentioned salespeople. We mentioned salespeople. 00:20:53.210 --> 00:20:55.869 But, you know, in what ways does collaboration 00:20:55.869 --> 00:20:58.950 with clients lead to better relationships and 00:20:58.950 --> 00:21:01.269 outcomes? And I think that that is like a big 00:21:01.269 --> 00:21:04.829 part of, let's say, a sales process. So I'm curious, 00:21:05.049 --> 00:21:09.039 you know, what you think about. the collaboration 00:21:09.039 --> 00:21:12.619 that we're doing, not only with our team, but 00:21:12.619 --> 00:21:16.099 with our customers and clients or partners? Absolutely. 00:21:16.259 --> 00:21:18.720 So I strongly believe that the way that you do 00:21:18.720 --> 00:21:20.980 anything is the way that you do everything. So 00:21:20.980 --> 00:21:24.140 if you see, when you find a company that has 00:21:24.140 --> 00:21:28.099 a strong client base, that has very, very strong 00:21:28.099 --> 00:21:30.480 buy -in from their clients, it's likely going 00:21:30.480 --> 00:21:33.299 to be a company that also has very strong buy 00:21:33.299 --> 00:21:36.339 -in internally. collaboration with clients is 00:21:36.339 --> 00:21:38.259 critically important because at the end of the 00:21:38.259 --> 00:21:42.319 day that usually is the stabilizer the outcome 00:21:42.319 --> 00:21:45.059 for the clients is usually the thing that you 00:21:45.059 --> 00:21:48.819 can rally everybody internally around and it 00:21:48.819 --> 00:21:51.559 goes back to exactly what you mentioned understanding 00:21:51.559 --> 00:21:54.779 how you can align with your clients so that they 00:21:54.779 --> 00:21:57.940 become your biggest champions because at the 00:21:57.940 --> 00:22:00.630 end of the day If your clients are talking about 00:22:00.630 --> 00:22:02.029 the experience that they're having with you, 00:22:02.049 --> 00:22:03.990 if you're collaborating with them in order to 00:22:03.990 --> 00:22:06.390 achieve their goals, the switching costs are 00:22:06.390 --> 00:22:09.269 going to be very, very high. for them to want 00:22:09.269 --> 00:22:11.890 to go to somebody else, for them to want to go 00:22:11.890 --> 00:22:14.789 to another amusement park, right? We look at 00:22:14.789 --> 00:22:17.529 that and, you know, the big, big boys like the 00:22:17.529 --> 00:22:20.430 Disney's, right? At the end of the day, it is 00:22:20.430 --> 00:22:23.410 the client and the customer relationship. The 00:22:23.410 --> 00:22:26.549 fact that they are creating this experience for 00:22:26.549 --> 00:22:29.730 every single family that comes, regardless of 00:22:29.730 --> 00:22:33.470 where they live, regardless of race or creed, 00:22:33.470 --> 00:22:38.150 regardless of ability or inability, that consistent 00:22:38.150 --> 00:22:41.049 experience from the clients is actually what 00:22:41.049 --> 00:22:46.069 fuels and actually what drives and informs how 00:22:46.069 --> 00:22:49.710 the teams function and even how they hire. Yeah, 00:22:49.809 --> 00:22:53.490 of course. You know, I think so many of the parks 00:22:53.490 --> 00:22:56.819 that I've worked with over the years. they're 00:22:56.819 --> 00:23:00.519 having to give their teams the strategies on 00:23:00.519 --> 00:23:02.599 how they're going to communicate and collaborate 00:23:02.599 --> 00:23:05.480 with their customers or their guests, as we call 00:23:05.480 --> 00:23:08.940 them in attractions. How are we collaborating 00:23:08.940 --> 00:23:11.319 with them and what does that look like? Right. 00:23:11.460 --> 00:23:15.440 And in most cases, which is why I love this industry, 00:23:15.559 --> 00:23:19.000 it's that they are having these memorable experiences 00:23:19.000 --> 00:23:23.720 that are being created. And that is. That is 00:23:23.720 --> 00:23:29.079 a creation process that is so huge when we talk 00:23:29.079 --> 00:23:32.619 about collaboration, because it's not only from 00:23:32.619 --> 00:23:35.380 when you buy the ticket, which is how we're involved 00:23:35.380 --> 00:23:37.559 in the businesses. So meeting with the ticket 00:23:37.559 --> 00:23:40.779 booth, but in what's being created in the environment, 00:23:40.980 --> 00:23:45.000 how your team serves the guests and all of those 00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:48.079 things make or break those experiences oftentimes. 00:23:48.640 --> 00:23:52.099 That's right. Disney, they have an amazing. You 00:23:52.099 --> 00:23:56.980 know, I don't care if I'm in California at Disneyland 00:23:56.980 --> 00:24:01.759 or if I'm at Epcot. That's right. The experience 00:24:01.759 --> 00:24:04.880 I have with their team members is usually the 00:24:04.880 --> 00:24:08.359 same. And it's such a great study on what collaboration 00:24:08.359 --> 00:24:11.500 looks like for a team. Absolutely. And again, 00:24:11.579 --> 00:24:14.339 playing into folks' strengths. When you walk 00:24:14.339 --> 00:24:16.920 into Disney, you feel like everyone is doing 00:24:16.920 --> 00:24:19.220 the role. Everyone is executing the thing that 00:24:19.220 --> 00:24:21.900 they always dreamed of doing, whether it is that 00:24:21.900 --> 00:24:24.240 they're at the concession stand, whether it is 00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:27.259 that they are performing in one of the shows, 00:24:27.400 --> 00:24:31.079 whatever it may be. That is the experience that 00:24:31.079 --> 00:24:33.240 you want to have because, you know, getting to 00:24:33.240 --> 00:24:36.400 work at these competitive amusement parks, those 00:24:36.400 --> 00:24:39.740 are not easy roles. You go through a process 00:24:39.740 --> 00:24:43.440 and it was continual. professional development. 00:24:43.539 --> 00:24:50.859 There is continual strategy and evolution of 00:24:50.859 --> 00:24:53.660 what that next step looks like for that person. 00:24:53.900 --> 00:24:56.859 That is true collaboration at its core because 00:24:56.859 --> 00:25:00.140 as we grow, we evolve. So you want to make sure 00:25:00.140 --> 00:25:01.880 that you're solving for that too when you're 00:25:01.880 --> 00:25:04.160 talking to a teammate. When I think about it, 00:25:04.200 --> 00:25:07.900 when I started in sales, I was 24 years old, 00:25:08.019 --> 00:25:10.630 right? I had a very clear idea of what I wanted 00:25:10.630 --> 00:25:12.650 my sales career to look like. And then as time 00:25:12.650 --> 00:25:17.349 passed on, I got married and had kids. And then 00:25:17.349 --> 00:25:20.309 one of my kids is on the autism spectrum. So 00:25:20.309 --> 00:25:22.329 we had different needs there. My husband was 00:25:22.329 --> 00:25:25.109 a military service member. The things that motivated 00:25:25.109 --> 00:25:28.630 me, my why changed and shifted. So I had to be 00:25:28.630 --> 00:25:31.309 in constant collaboration with my team around 00:25:31.309 --> 00:25:34.710 what made sense for me, what kind of role was 00:25:34.710 --> 00:25:36.690 going to be the best that was really going to 00:25:36.690 --> 00:25:39.599 help me to be able to create. those positive 00:25:39.599 --> 00:25:42.200 outcomes. Well, I love that. And I think that 00:25:42.200 --> 00:25:44.819 that's great because actually, you know, one 00:25:44.819 --> 00:25:46.440 of the things that I want to know from you is, 00:25:46.500 --> 00:25:49.680 you know, how can businesses leverage collaboration 00:25:49.680 --> 00:25:55.000 and by identifying and achieving goals? Sorry, 00:25:55.099 --> 00:25:57.579 I'm tongue -tied. Identifying and achieving the 00:25:57.579 --> 00:26:00.119 right goals effectively, right? Because I think 00:26:00.119 --> 00:26:03.099 what you mentioned is... that's evolved over 00:26:03.099 --> 00:26:05.839 time and you're right in businesses in businesses 00:26:05.839 --> 00:26:08.220 i mean i i've been in in this business for 23 00:26:08.220 --> 00:26:10.880 years and i always like to say there's a lot 00:26:10.880 --> 00:26:13.740 of different sandras inside of me because i have 00:26:13.740 --> 00:26:17.380 also grown and evolved over time and one of the 00:26:17.380 --> 00:26:20.660 best compliments is that i personally get is 00:26:20.660 --> 00:26:24.660 you've changed yeah I've changed. Of course, 00:26:24.700 --> 00:26:27.359 that's what I'm supposed to do. Right. I hope 00:26:27.359 --> 00:26:29.940 so. Yeah, I hope so. Thank you for that. You 00:26:29.940 --> 00:26:32.119 know, I don't know if it's always positive when 00:26:32.119 --> 00:26:34.380 somebody says that to me, depending on where 00:26:34.380 --> 00:26:36.839 in my life they're coming from. But in most cases 00:26:36.839 --> 00:26:41.019 and I or I would say in all cases, I appreciate 00:26:41.019 --> 00:26:44.160 that because I know that that is. something that 00:26:44.160 --> 00:26:46.859 I want to do. I'm actively pursuing the change 00:26:46.859 --> 00:26:50.059 that needs to happen inside of me. And I realize 00:26:50.059 --> 00:26:53.200 that businesses don't always understand that. 00:26:53.359 --> 00:26:57.400 And so, you know, how do they leverage collaboration 00:26:57.400 --> 00:27:02.039 by achieving and identifying those goals? I want 00:27:02.039 --> 00:27:06.079 to know your secret sauce to that. Yeah. So we 00:27:06.079 --> 00:27:09.759 have a framework that we actually use that helps 00:27:09.759 --> 00:27:12.319 folks. I think any time you can create a framework 00:27:12.319 --> 00:27:14.819 around something, it really levels the playing 00:27:14.819 --> 00:27:16.500 field because it gives people the opportunity 00:27:16.500 --> 00:27:19.920 to, first of all, apply it as it pertains to 00:27:19.920 --> 00:27:23.380 them. But then it also gives everybody a tool 00:27:23.380 --> 00:27:26.079 so that we can all start at the same baseline. 00:27:26.200 --> 00:27:30.000 So we have a tool that we use called our goals, 00:27:30.039 --> 00:27:33.529 gifts and gaps framework. And many of the businesses 00:27:33.529 --> 00:27:35.910 that we work with, the way that they leverage 00:27:35.910 --> 00:27:39.230 this is to be able to understand and identify 00:27:39.230 --> 00:27:42.650 how to bring teams together and to bring the 00:27:42.650 --> 00:27:44.829 different strengths that they have. But most 00:27:44.829 --> 00:27:48.369 importantly, how to really ignite the superpower 00:27:48.369 --> 00:27:50.829 in each person. The way that it starts is that 00:27:50.829 --> 00:27:53.210 you get clear on what the goal is that you want 00:27:53.210 --> 00:27:56.009 to achieve. A lot of times on teams, the reason 00:27:56.009 --> 00:27:59.029 that we're not achieving positive outcomes is 00:27:59.029 --> 00:28:02.160 because let's be honest. Maybe our leaders haven't 00:28:02.160 --> 00:28:04.599 done a great job of being crystal clear about 00:28:04.599 --> 00:28:08.099 what our goals are. Setting the goal is the first 00:28:08.099 --> 00:28:10.740 thing. The next thing is we do a gift assessment. 00:28:11.119 --> 00:28:14.720 What are the gifts of your team? This can't happen 00:28:14.720 --> 00:28:16.599 if you don't know what they are. If you're not 00:28:16.599 --> 00:28:18.279 doing the things like what y 'all are doing at 00:28:18.279 --> 00:28:20.619 Game Master, which is making sure that you understand 00:28:20.619 --> 00:28:25.200 the personal. the professional goals, how they've 00:28:25.200 --> 00:28:27.799 changed, right? But then the last part is critically 00:28:27.799 --> 00:28:29.559 important, Sandra, because this is the part that 00:28:29.559 --> 00:28:31.980 a lot of times we miss. We talk about goals a 00:28:31.980 --> 00:28:34.240 lot of times. We talk about the gift, the reason 00:28:34.240 --> 00:28:35.720 that we hire people, the thing that they're really, 00:28:35.779 --> 00:28:38.140 really good at. But a lot of times what we end 00:28:38.140 --> 00:28:42.319 up doing is we end up making people feel like 00:28:42.319 --> 00:28:45.619 becoming punitive around people's gaps, becoming 00:28:45.619 --> 00:28:47.740 punitive around the things that they either don't 00:28:47.740 --> 00:28:50.220 do well or the things that they don't like to 00:28:50.220 --> 00:28:54.710 do. Yeah. In our framework, your gaps for your 00:28:54.710 --> 00:28:58.509 team actually become the superpower. Why? Because 00:28:58.509 --> 00:29:01.450 that's where you get to pull in people who have 00:29:01.450 --> 00:29:05.710 gifts in that area. And now situations that have 00:29:05.710 --> 00:29:08.549 in the past might have felt tense or created 00:29:08.549 --> 00:29:11.789 tension. You actually have each person now feeling 00:29:11.789 --> 00:29:13.569 really good about the role that they're playing. 00:29:13.710 --> 00:29:16.410 And now you have a more holistic team. So using 00:29:16.410 --> 00:29:18.130 that goals, gifts and gaps framework gives you 00:29:18.130 --> 00:29:20.440 the opportunity to get on the same page. to make 00:29:20.440 --> 00:29:21.960 sure everybody is working to their most full 00:29:21.960 --> 00:29:24.420 potential, and to make sure that the team that 00:29:24.420 --> 00:29:27.000 is being created for the outcome comes with different 00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:30.019 and diverse ideas and thoughts. Yeah, I love 00:29:30.019 --> 00:29:35.380 that. And you're right. We're tapping into something 00:29:35.380 --> 00:29:40.160 similar in so much that we try to understand 00:29:40.160 --> 00:29:43.450 every person on our team. Yeah. you know and 00:29:43.450 --> 00:29:45.589 as my team gets bigger that gets harder and harder 00:29:45.589 --> 00:29:47.430 for me to keep track of it all but that's why 00:29:47.430 --> 00:29:50.569 i have great collaborators that are you know 00:29:50.569 --> 00:29:54.349 from the bottom up creating this environment 00:29:54.349 --> 00:29:57.250 where they understand each person's who they 00:29:57.250 --> 00:30:00.910 are their strengths what they do and how they 00:30:00.910 --> 00:30:05.089 can make that person more valuable i think that's 00:30:05.089 --> 00:30:07.750 one of the biggest things that we miss as leaders 00:30:07.750 --> 00:30:11.910 in businesses is that you know to truly succeed 00:30:12.640 --> 00:30:16.740 How can we create more value in each person that's 00:30:16.740 --> 00:30:20.460 around us? In each person. Yeah, each person, 00:30:20.480 --> 00:30:24.200 every person matters. And, you know, here at 00:30:24.200 --> 00:30:26.259 my company, we often say, you know, it's a no 00:30:26.259 --> 00:30:28.819 blame, no shame environment because sometimes 00:30:28.819 --> 00:30:32.259 people are learning. Absolutely. We're always 00:30:32.259 --> 00:30:34.920 acquiring the skills that are going to continue 00:30:34.920 --> 00:30:39.539 to make them great and more valuable. In many 00:30:39.539 --> 00:30:44.440 ways, at least with regards to the business side 00:30:44.440 --> 00:30:47.319 that we're building, I think in terms of the 00:30:47.319 --> 00:30:49.960 work that we do, we are hiring for specific things 00:30:49.960 --> 00:30:52.039 at times because we know we need to be successful 00:30:52.039 --> 00:30:55.539 in order to make sure that our attraction partners 00:30:55.539 --> 00:30:58.539 are successful at what they do. There's not a 00:30:58.539 --> 00:31:00.119 lot of room for error when you're dealing with 00:31:00.119 --> 00:31:06.369 revenue centers. helping them to be better leaders, 00:31:06.430 --> 00:31:09.170 I think is actually the hardest thing that I 00:31:09.170 --> 00:31:11.849 found is how do we create more leaders in our 00:31:11.849 --> 00:31:16.410 company who can find these, these skills and 00:31:16.410 --> 00:31:18.710 competencies and other people that can help them 00:31:18.710 --> 00:31:22.150 be better at collaborating. And I love that framework 00:31:22.150 --> 00:31:24.450 because I think that's a big thing of what businesses, 00:31:24.529 --> 00:31:27.490 a big thing that businesses need and need to 00:31:27.490 --> 00:31:30.490 understand. Yeah. And I mean, it's everything 00:31:30.490 --> 00:31:32.390 from, so we use that framework to help people 00:31:32.390 --> 00:31:34.430 with hiring when they're trying to figure out, 00:31:34.529 --> 00:31:37.210 all right, who are the hires that we need? What 00:31:37.210 --> 00:31:39.490 is the profile of this person? You look at it, 00:31:39.549 --> 00:31:41.150 you say, all right, well, what is the goal of 00:31:41.150 --> 00:31:43.390 this hiring process? What do you really want 00:31:43.390 --> 00:31:44.990 to achieve by bringing in this hire? Because 00:31:44.990 --> 00:31:47.410 so often we'll look at it as a numbers game. 00:31:47.569 --> 00:31:49.930 We had 12 people. Now we have eight. We got to 00:31:49.930 --> 00:31:53.089 hire four, right? That's a lot of times where 00:31:53.089 --> 00:31:55.269 we come at it from, but it's like, no, like, 00:31:55.349 --> 00:31:58.910 first of all, was 12 the right number? Right. 00:31:58.910 --> 00:32:02.170 And then next is, all right, if 12 is the right 00:32:02.170 --> 00:32:05.750 number, you know, what are the skills? What is 00:32:05.750 --> 00:32:09.309 the temperament? What are what are the experiences 00:32:09.309 --> 00:32:13.329 that these four need to bring to the table? What 00:32:13.329 --> 00:32:16.410 do you already have right now in your team that 00:32:16.410 --> 00:32:18.849 can complement what's going to come in? And then 00:32:18.849 --> 00:32:21.650 where are the gaps in that team? Instead of looking 00:32:21.650 --> 00:32:23.250 at it and saying, all right, well, this person 00:32:23.250 --> 00:32:25.769 needs to be on a PIP or whatever the case is, 00:32:25.849 --> 00:32:27.930 figuring out for those new hires, how can we 00:32:27.930 --> 00:32:30.670 infuse this so that now each person who plays 00:32:30.670 --> 00:32:35.230 their role feels so empowered and so valuable 00:32:35.230 --> 00:32:39.549 on the team that they are going to show up and 00:32:39.549 --> 00:32:42.470 show out every single day in their genius zone. 00:32:43.190 --> 00:32:46.259 I love it. You know, I just love the idea that 00:32:46.259 --> 00:32:48.680 through collaboration, we can create a better 00:32:48.680 --> 00:32:51.980 world and a better workplace for people. If we 00:32:51.980 --> 00:32:54.059 think about these things that you mentioned here. 00:32:54.519 --> 00:32:58.099 And I know I'm keeping you a little a little 00:32:58.099 --> 00:33:02.680 long. OK, because I I would be it being that 00:33:02.680 --> 00:33:04.960 this this show is sponsored by Gatemaster Technology 00:33:04.960 --> 00:33:08.480 and. you know i would be remiss if i didn't ask 00:33:08.480 --> 00:33:10.599 you you know what the collaborative future looks 00:33:10.599 --> 00:33:13.900 like you know especially as technology and businesses 00:33:13.900 --> 00:33:17.700 are evolving how do you see the role of collaboration 00:33:17.700 --> 00:33:20.859 changing the future and what advice do you have 00:33:20.859 --> 00:33:22.720 for leaders who want to embrace collaborative 00:33:22.720 --> 00:33:28.880 culture and maybe even collaboration with technology 00:33:28.880 --> 00:33:30.680 if you can throw in a little bit of that i'm 00:33:30.680 --> 00:33:33.720 curious what you think about that yeah so you 00:33:33.720 --> 00:33:36.480 know I think that so many people, a lot of times, 00:33:36.480 --> 00:33:38.700 one of the core tenants that we talk about in 00:33:38.700 --> 00:33:41.960 kind of our ecosystem is the idea of collaboration 00:33:41.960 --> 00:33:45.279 over competition. And I think when it comes to 00:33:45.279 --> 00:33:49.279 technology and AI, that we have so many folks 00:33:49.279 --> 00:33:53.880 who are seeing AI as a competitor, the technology 00:33:53.880 --> 00:33:58.019 as a competitor to their skills and, you know. 00:33:58.319 --> 00:34:00.759 the things that could potentially replace them. 00:34:00.920 --> 00:34:03.220 When I think about the future of collaboration, 00:34:03.579 --> 00:34:06.339 I actually see technology playing a critical 00:34:06.339 --> 00:34:09.679 role, even at the baseline level of being able 00:34:09.679 --> 00:34:12.559 to do something like launching a collab quiz 00:34:12.559 --> 00:34:14.880 that allows for you to be able to have results 00:34:14.880 --> 00:34:17.179 spit out that help you to know what position 00:34:17.179 --> 00:34:20.539 each person plays. I think that when we are better 00:34:20.539 --> 00:34:26.090 informed about what we need on a team when we're 00:34:26.090 --> 00:34:29.809 better informed about the strengths and the challenges 00:34:29.809 --> 00:34:32.789 that each person possesses, that we can only 00:34:32.789 --> 00:34:34.789 be stronger because now we know exactly what 00:34:34.789 --> 00:34:38.250 it is that we're solving for. So I encourage 00:34:38.250 --> 00:34:41.489 any leader that's watching this and leading any 00:34:41.489 --> 00:34:45.949 type of team to embrace technology in a way and 00:34:45.949 --> 00:34:49.090 to use it as a resource and a tool and a shortcut 00:34:49.090 --> 00:34:53.780 to facilitate collaboration. in order to be able 00:34:53.780 --> 00:34:55.960 to get people into a really good place to feel 00:34:55.960 --> 00:34:58.739 good about the work that they're doing. So that's 00:34:58.739 --> 00:35:01.780 how I feel about kind of the future of collaboration. 00:35:02.219 --> 00:35:04.840 And again, with the technology, I think that 00:35:04.840 --> 00:35:07.860 we live in such an amazing time where we can 00:35:07.860 --> 00:35:12.980 get instant results, instant opportunities that 00:35:12.980 --> 00:35:16.460 allow us to be able to differentiate skill sets, 00:35:16.519 --> 00:35:18.940 to be able to differentiate jobs. We need to 00:35:18.940 --> 00:35:23.059 lean more into that stuff because... We are serving 00:35:23.059 --> 00:35:26.480 a more and more diverse world and technology 00:35:26.480 --> 00:35:28.760 is helping us to be able to bridge some of those 00:35:28.760 --> 00:35:30.480 gaps that might have existed in the past. Yeah. 00:35:30.480 --> 00:35:33.519 Oh, yeah. I love that because I think for us, 00:35:33.559 --> 00:35:36.920 you know, when we are collaborating with an attraction 00:35:36.920 --> 00:35:41.340 and we're working with them oftentimes on workflows 00:35:41.340 --> 00:35:44.179 and automation. And yes, you know, I actually 00:35:44.179 --> 00:35:48.320 have had attractions tell me, well, I won't need 00:35:48.320 --> 00:35:51.659 my team to do that anymore. And it's like you 00:35:51.659 --> 00:35:54.000 said, they see that as competition. But the truth 00:35:54.000 --> 00:35:57.059 is, is that when we take some of these things 00:35:57.059 --> 00:36:00.840 off of the plate of our team, because we are 00:36:00.840 --> 00:36:04.360 collaborating with technology, now they get to 00:36:04.360 --> 00:36:07.420 do what you've expressed. And that is be strong 00:36:07.420 --> 00:36:10.960 in their genius. I'm sure their genius is not 00:36:10.960 --> 00:36:16.760 doing a refund. Right. Let's just be real. Like, 00:36:16.760 --> 00:36:19.559 I'm sure there is no genius that nobody I mean, 00:36:19.579 --> 00:36:21.639 maybe somebody is really good at the customer 00:36:21.639 --> 00:36:24.920 service aspect and handling that particular refund. 00:36:25.099 --> 00:36:27.340 I don't want to take away from from guest services 00:36:27.340 --> 00:36:31.219 in any way. But I do think that sometimes the 00:36:31.219 --> 00:36:33.800 very small tasks that we're doing, that we can 00:36:33.800 --> 00:36:38.619 leverage technology to take that. chip off the 00:36:38.619 --> 00:36:42.539 table for our teams, then allows them to do what 00:36:42.539 --> 00:36:47.099 they do best. That's right. And, you know, and 00:36:47.099 --> 00:36:49.980 we're collapsing time. You know, I think that's 00:36:49.980 --> 00:36:53.739 one thing that I heard from you in this last 00:36:53.739 --> 00:36:58.480 little bit here is that a collaboration can collapse 00:36:58.480 --> 00:37:01.400 time. Collaborations collapse time. I say that 00:37:01.400 --> 00:37:04.960 all the time. Collaboration should collapse time 00:37:04.960 --> 00:37:10.550 and multiply impact. Every single time. Because 00:37:10.550 --> 00:37:13.949 when you collaborate, it allows for you to be 00:37:13.949 --> 00:37:16.650 able to go faster and still get a good result. 00:37:16.929 --> 00:37:19.849 So it needs to collapse time and multiply impact. 00:37:20.030 --> 00:37:23.010 If you're using a tool and it's not collapsing 00:37:23.010 --> 00:37:25.969 time and multiplying impact, it might not be 00:37:25.969 --> 00:37:31.489 the right tool, right? Yeah, I love that. And 00:37:31.489 --> 00:37:33.349 I think that's a great way to leave people today. 00:37:33.880 --> 00:37:36.699 after this fantastic conversation i love that 00:37:36.699 --> 00:37:40.159 your genius is in collaboration is with regards 00:37:40.159 --> 00:37:43.940 to collaboration yeah you're collab queen thank 00:37:43.940 --> 00:37:46.800 you so much for being here with me today thank 00:37:46.800 --> 00:37:49.679 you for having me and i mean this has been so 00:37:49.679 --> 00:37:52.619 great i just love that we're able to do this 00:37:52.619 --> 00:37:55.340 and we found so many synergies and and kind of 00:37:55.710 --> 00:37:58.329 the work that we do but also our lives in the 00:37:58.329 --> 00:38:01.010 number of children that we have the ages of our 00:38:01.010 --> 00:38:04.610 children um i love that you mentioned like moms 00:38:04.610 --> 00:38:07.730 you know being the ceo of all the things as indicated 00:38:07.730 --> 00:38:09.610 by the fact that you have your kids out right 00:38:09.610 --> 00:38:12.309 now and you're taking some time away with them 00:38:12.309 --> 00:38:16.190 right so i just love the idea that you and leaders 00:38:16.190 --> 00:38:19.099 like you are embracing collaboration more and 00:38:19.099 --> 00:38:23.179 more every day and i'm excited um to see the 00:38:23.179 --> 00:38:25.940 future of your industry knowing that leaders 00:38:25.940 --> 00:38:29.719 like you are at the helm and trailblazing uh 00:38:29.719 --> 00:38:32.920 the path thank you for that compliment you know 00:38:32.920 --> 00:38:37.500 when you when you first start especially like 00:38:37.500 --> 00:38:41.159 i i i often say i lead from the heart right and 00:38:41.159 --> 00:38:45.739 for years i i felt like that was a difficult 00:38:45.739 --> 00:38:48.780 thing for people to grasp because, you know, 00:38:48.780 --> 00:38:52.039 vulnerability is not something that most people 00:38:52.039 --> 00:38:55.019 are willing to accept in business, at least not 00:38:55.019 --> 00:38:58.500 in the old days. Today, I think having conversations 00:38:58.500 --> 00:39:01.679 like this, yes, we're having more and more conversations 00:39:01.679 --> 00:39:04.059 like this where we're realizing that, you know, 00:39:04.059 --> 00:39:06.619 vulnerability oftentimes just help with the collaboration 00:39:06.619 --> 00:39:08.760 and the relationship building that can happen 00:39:08.760 --> 00:39:11.619 in business. Business is about people. Absolutely. 00:39:12.250 --> 00:39:14.710 And relationships. And relationships. And that 00:39:14.710 --> 00:39:18.369 is something that crosses every industry and 00:39:18.369 --> 00:39:22.710 every type of business. And I hope that the listeners 00:39:22.710 --> 00:39:26.070 or the viewers that we have out there, if there's 00:39:26.070 --> 00:39:27.989 one thing that you take from this, it's that 00:39:27.989 --> 00:39:30.130 relationships are important to your business. 00:39:30.550 --> 00:39:35.289 And what I love about this new friendship that 00:39:35.289 --> 00:39:39.170 I have with you is that we were both collaborators. 00:39:41.080 --> 00:39:44.840 collaborators yeah chip builders and so we just 00:39:44.840 --> 00:39:47.960 quickly hit it off and it happened immediately 00:39:47.960 --> 00:39:51.059 it was like oh we speak the same language like 00:39:51.059 --> 00:39:54.500 this is the same thing so i appreciate it as 00:39:54.500 --> 00:39:58.079 well and and i'm excited um yeah i'm excited 00:39:58.079 --> 00:40:01.440 about about the future of collaboration i really 00:40:01.440 --> 00:40:04.460 am I'm very excited about the future of collaboration, 00:40:04.679 --> 00:40:06.320 too. And I think you're doing an amazing thing 00:40:06.320 --> 00:40:09.599 in this world, helping people recognize that 00:40:09.599 --> 00:40:13.320 collaboration is a way to power up their success. 00:40:13.760 --> 00:40:17.099 And I just want to thank you again. One last 00:40:17.099 --> 00:40:19.219 question, though. How do people get a hold of 00:40:19.219 --> 00:40:22.760 you if they need help with collaboration? Oh, 00:40:22.760 --> 00:40:25.739 wow. Well, thank you for asking. So folks can 00:40:25.739 --> 00:40:28.420 follow me. Um, if you're watching this on LinkedIn, 00:40:28.420 --> 00:40:32.099 you can follow me at Deanna Jean, D E A N A J 00:40:32.099 --> 00:40:35.260 E A N as it's spelled right below. Um, you can 00:40:35.260 --> 00:40:37.380 also find me on Facebook under the same name. 00:40:37.539 --> 00:40:40.960 You can find me on Instagram at your collab queen. 00:40:41.519 --> 00:40:45.380 Um, or you can shoot me an email. Deanna at DeannaJean 00:40:45.380 --> 00:40:48.340 .com. And let me know that you saw me on Sondra's 00:40:48.340 --> 00:40:51.840 show. And I'd love to chat with you about collabs 00:40:51.840 --> 00:40:56.139 and provide any type of insight that I can. I 00:40:56.139 --> 00:40:58.820 appreciate you sharing with us today. This has 00:40:58.820 --> 00:41:01.420 been amazing, amazing conversation. And yes, 00:41:01.760 --> 00:41:03.940 I am out here in California with my kids, but 00:41:03.940 --> 00:41:06.480 I'm always happy to take a break to talk about 00:41:06.480 --> 00:41:09.300 these things that are going to make. our business 00:41:09.300 --> 00:41:12.179 world, a better place. And you are, you are one 00:41:12.179 --> 00:41:14.139 of those people doing that. So thank you again. 00:41:14.360 --> 00:41:17.840 Thank you. And before I sign off, I just want 00:41:17.840 --> 00:41:20.880 to mention that if you are somebody like Deanna 00:41:20.880 --> 00:41:26.119 that has expertise that will help. businesses 00:41:26.119 --> 00:41:31.159 or attractions massively succeed, I want to invite 00:41:31.159 --> 00:41:34.340 you to be a guest on this live so that you can 00:41:34.340 --> 00:41:36.619 share your information and knowledge with the 00:41:36.619 --> 00:41:38.460 world just as she did. I mean, I know this is 00:41:38.460 --> 00:41:41.239 her collaboration is her genius, but you might 00:41:41.239 --> 00:41:44.719 have a genius in another area that can help attractions 00:41:44.719 --> 00:41:48.099 be better at what they do. And if that is you, 00:41:48.219 --> 00:41:50.860 I would love to talk to you and we can have this 00:41:50.860 --> 00:41:52.739 live conversation. I always tell people, I'm 00:41:52.739 --> 00:41:55.289 like, it's live. So anything goes. Anything can 00:41:55.289 --> 00:41:58.349 happen. You didn't have any kids running back 00:41:58.349 --> 00:41:59.869 around. I was praying my kids didn't open the 00:41:59.869 --> 00:42:04.750 door there. So, yeah, anything can happen. Anything 00:42:04.750 --> 00:42:06.610 can happen. It's a live show. But you know what? 00:42:06.630 --> 00:42:08.889 I think that's authentic. And what we want to, 00:42:08.929 --> 00:42:11.190 you know, I'm trying to create a real experience 00:42:11.190 --> 00:42:15.050 for people and also, you know, realize that business 00:42:15.050 --> 00:42:18.750 is being done by real people like me and you. 00:42:19.099 --> 00:42:21.440 real people who are figuring out these things 00:42:21.440 --> 00:42:25.099 that are going to make business better and help 00:42:25.099 --> 00:42:27.559 attract. In my case, my industry is attractions, 00:42:27.659 --> 00:42:29.800 but help attractions massively succeed, which 00:42:29.800 --> 00:42:33.059 is a part of our mission. So you do a great job 00:42:33.059 --> 00:42:35.619 at it. And my kids love a good amusement park. 00:42:35.699 --> 00:42:39.360 So just know that we appreciate the work that 00:42:39.360 --> 00:42:42.280 y 'all do in this industry. Well, I so appreciate 00:42:42.280 --> 00:42:45.179 that. And actually, though, what is your favorite 00:42:45.179 --> 00:42:49.190 attraction or ride? So. I'm going to have to 00:42:49.190 --> 00:42:51.730 go. It's a cop out, I know, but I'm going to 00:42:51.730 --> 00:42:54.210 have to go with Space Mountain. And the reason 00:42:54.210 --> 00:42:55.230 I'm going to have to go with Space because there 00:42:55.230 --> 00:42:58.090 are five of us. So it's me and my husband and 00:42:58.090 --> 00:43:01.590 our three kids. And that is a ride that everyone 00:43:01.590 --> 00:43:03.789 can go on because we have some folks who are 00:43:03.789 --> 00:43:07.329 a little more risk averse. But it is just a really, 00:43:07.409 --> 00:43:09.750 really fun ride. You still get, you know, a few 00:43:09.750 --> 00:43:12.389 thrills here and there. But I would say Space 00:43:12.389 --> 00:43:15.840 Mountain for sure. Oh, hey. I'm not going to 00:43:15.840 --> 00:43:21.460 say no to Space Mountain. Prior to Guardians 00:43:21.460 --> 00:43:23.760 of the Galaxy, which I talk about all the time, 00:43:23.780 --> 00:43:25.820 is one of my favorite rides. And I did get to 00:43:25.820 --> 00:43:27.579 take the whole family last year, which was all 00:43:27.579 --> 00:43:31.519 my goals. I actually wrote down in my goal. I 00:43:31.519 --> 00:43:33.340 was going to take everybody to ride Guardians 00:43:33.340 --> 00:43:34.980 of the Galaxy because it's my favorite ride. 00:43:35.059 --> 00:43:38.119 But prior to Guardians of the Galaxy, Space Mountain 00:43:38.119 --> 00:43:42.610 was a favorite of mine for sure. But what that 00:43:42.610 --> 00:43:44.110 tells me, though, is you might need to get them 00:43:44.110 --> 00:43:46.530 on Guardians of the Galaxy. Well, listen, you 00:43:46.530 --> 00:43:48.630 let us know. I mean, we're ready. We're ready. 00:43:48.730 --> 00:43:53.570 They'll be excited. Well, thank you again. I 00:43:53.570 --> 00:43:57.690 appreciate your time and your genius and your 00:43:57.690 --> 00:43:59.869 friendship. And I appreciate you being on the 00:43:59.869 --> 00:44:02.289 show and being so generous with your time. Thank 00:44:02.289 --> 00:44:05.150 you for the invite. Of course. Thanks, everybody, 00:44:05.190 --> 00:44:07.630 for joining us. Take care. Bye -bye.