Overly Human

What is the difference between artificial harmony, healthy conflict, and aggressive attacks? In this episode, Traci and Rob discuss the second of Patrick Lencioni’s five dysfunctions : unhealthy conflict. They explore the benefits of healthy conflict and share some exercises that can foster healthy conflict on your team.

In his book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team , Patrick Lencioni considers an absence of trust as the foundational issue that corrodes a functioning team. Traci and Rob explore common red flags that indicate this could be a dysfunction on your team. They also offer some valuable solutions to building vulnerability-based trust among your people.

When working with a team, how do you know if your team is functioning to best achieve your company’s mission and goals? In this episode, Traci and Rob will do an overview of Patrick Lencioni’s The Five Dysfunctions of a Team . Learn how trust, healthy conflict, commitment, accountability, and team results work together to build a healthy and productive team.

What goes into compensation and raises and when should you be talking to your team about them? In this episode, Traci Barrett and Rob Harr explore the many factors that determine compensation, from the team member’s performance to external financial pressures. Also, learn how to tie compensation and bonuses to reviews through frequent feedback and transparency.

How do you build a healthy and effective relationship between a Chief Executive Officer and a Chief Operations Officer? In this episode, Traci and Rob discuss how the CEO is the vision caster, and the COO is the implementer. Learn how these roles complement each other and discover how to build a lasting CEO and COO relationship centered around healthy conflict and trust.

Do you or your employees suffer from imposter syndrome? Imposter syndrome is when someone doubts their abilities or talents and has a fear of being exposed as a fraud. Traci and Rob discuss how you can overcome imposter syndrome as a leader and how you can help your employees do the same.

How do you know if you are a good leader? What signs indicate that you're leading your team well? Traci and Rob list 10 traits or actions that you can look for in yourself to know if you are—or to challenge yourself to become—a strong leader.

To ensure that a team thrives, leaders must commit to creating an environment of accountability. In this episode, Traci and Rob discuss how you can create accountability within your team by setting clear expectations, providing the right tools, and getting out of the way to let the magic happen.

Being vulnerable is being able to show people you’re not perfect, you make mistakes, and you don’t have all the answers. Traci and Rob discuss how this may seem like a scary proposition for many business leaders, but it is the key to a truly authentic and trust-filled work environment that can foster a more innovative and creative team.

What is the difference between working ‘in’ your business and working ‘on’ your business? Traci and Rob discuss how an owner needs to pause revenue producing activities to look at the big picture and think about the company’s purpose and vision for the future. Now more than ever, these strategic pauses can lead to a more focused, disciplined, and profitable business.

Being a sole business owner can be tough, but finding and building a partnership can be just as challenging. Rob explores his 11-year partnership with Ben at Sparkbox and discusses the impact it has had on the company. Through trust, alignment, complimentary skills, and intentionality, you can create a partnership that lasts.

During this time of social unrest, Traci and Rob explore how being white means being privileged. They discuss how this came to be in America and what it means today as a business leader and as a human. Through education and empathy, we can make not only a difference in our own understanding, but we can also make a difference in the business world.

Leadership comes with a certain perceived power whether you like it or not. Your words, your actions, your emotional reactions have power. A leader must responsibly and intentionally recognize and understand how they affect and influence the day-to-day workings of their team. Traci and Rob discuss the power of leadership and how to teach new leaders on your team about their growing influence.

Do you have a vision for the end? Have you considered the best way and time for your journey within your company to come to a close? Many business owners neglect thinking about an exit plan until they are either exhausted or desperate for an escape. Traci and Rob discuss why planning ahead can help you end on a positive note and build an irresistible company to be desired by all.

COVID-19 caused much of the workforce to shift from working together in an office to working together from their own homes. For some companies, this was nothing new. But for others, it was a major shift. Rob and Traci discuss what it has been like from their perspectives and how to take the good of this situation and apply it to your company for lasting positive effects in the future.

Finding good talent is hard; keeping good talent can be even harder. What should you look for in new team members, and how can you create a culture where high performing talent wants to stay? Traci and Rob answer these questions and discuss the concept of being talent producers versus talent consumers.

Should the weight of leadership for an entire company rest in the hands of just the CEO or Owner? How do we create a rhythm where we can work on the business rather than only working in the business? Leadership teams are a great solution for an owner who feels their company has outdistanced their own capabilities alone. Traci and Rob talk about how a leadership team, when formed properly and given...

All humans desire to grow and develop. For this to happen in the workplace, leaders need to provide a structured and regular process. Performance reviews and one-on-one check-ins can seem like an outdated and laborious process to some, but they can fuel your top performers to excel if done right. Traci and Rob discuss the why behind reviews and check-ins, how to structure them, what to communicate...

Now more than ever, our country is a divided place. Differing opinions on the COVID-19 crisis along with what is sure to be a contentious political election can make for an uncomfortable work environment. Traci and Rob discuss why leaders shouldn’t shy away from this challenge. Rather they should intentionally set ground rules to maintain a strong and cohesive culture.

Do you feel exhausted, distracted, disinterested, or even depressed? You may be experiencing burnout. Burnout is common and can happen to leaders at various stages of their career for a multitude of reasons. Traci and Rob discuss what burnout looks like, why it happens, and how to hit the reset button. 

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is your ability to recognize, understand, and manage your own and others’ emotions. On today’s podcast, Traci and Rob discuss how EQ is essential to great leadership. Understanding and growing your emotional intelligence enables you to lean into your strengths and recognize your blind spots. Traci debriefs Rob on his own EQ-i 2.0 Assessment results. Listen in as he reve...

Ever wondered why connecting with some people is easier for you than connecting with others? Traci and Rob discuss how the DiSC Assessment can be a powerful tool in learning how to connect and communicate better with your teammates. Knowing your innate behavioral style along with understanding the styles that differ from your own can lead to great transformation both personally and professionally....

Traci and Rob talk about self-assessments and how they springboard us toward personal growth and development. They discuss which assessments are most effective and reliable. Discover why assessments can be a valuable tool for self-discovery and self-actualization and learn how they can enhance team dynamics, strengthen productivity, and boost engagement.

Many entrepreneurs wrestle with whether or not they should grow the size of their company. Maybe size isn’t necessarily the answer. Traci and Rob discuss how sometimes natural growth leads to companies increasing size and scale. And sometimes companies choose to grow for improvement and development goals. Most importantly, there are many questions you need to think about before trying to scale you...

When it comes down to it, many of our problems in the workplace are due to bad communication. Learning how to communicate well is a skill worth learning, especially if you are a leader of a company. Traci and Rob discuss how to develop those skills and the best models of good communication.