R.O.G. Return on Generosity

"Take a mindful pause." In this episode of the ROG Return on Generosity podcast, host Shannon Cassidy discusses the habit of judging others and offers practical steps to reduce judgment and foster a more generous mindset. The conversation emphasizes the importance of curiosity, mindful pauses, reframing judgments, and setting intentions to cultivate empathy and understanding in our interactions wi...

“Generosity is giving freely without expectations.” “People want to see a human leader.” “Communication is the number one challenge.” Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Generous Leadership 02:49 The Journey to Generosity 05:51 The Importance of Communication 08:55 Understanding Generosity in Leadership 11:54 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 14:46 Generous Inclusion and Collaboration Episode Summary:...

"Generous leaders treat email as more than a task." "Thoughtful replies over quick responses." "Clarity and simplicity are key." In this episode of R.O.G. Return on Generosity, Shannon Cassidy discusses the often-overlooked aspect of leadership generosity in email communication. She emphasizes that emails should not just be transactional but should foster connection, empathy, and respect. Cassidy...

“Title IX says no person shall be discriminated against on the basis of sex…as measured three different ways, one is equal opportunities to participate, two is equal scholarship dollars between men and women, and third is, they've got to get treated the same way.” Guest Bio: Life-long advocate for access and equality in athletics, internationally recognized legal expert on sports issues, scholar a...

"We hear the message through our own insecurity." In this episode of the ROG podcast, Shannon Cassidy discusses the concept of defensive listening, a barrier to effective communication. She explains how defensive listening occurs when individuals filter messages through their insecurities or fears, leading to combative or withdrawn responses. Shannon provides clues to identify defensive listening...

“Reach isn't a measure or a strategy for how we get bigger. Reach is a measure of what we're willing to care about.” “We have to wage war against regret.” “We break the patterns of the past by choosing to be faithful in the moment.” Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Background 07:27 Reaching People and Caring for Their Needs 09:07 Walking with People and Being Helpful 17:19 The Importance of Surren...

"Generosity is the most essential capability of leadership." In this milestone 200th episode of R.O.G. Return on Generosity , host Shannon Cassidy reflects on the journey of the podcast over the past four years, emphasizing the critical role of generosity in effective leadership. She discusses the importance of oxytocin and serotonin in fostering positive relationships and leadership qualities, an...

“Take micro steps and achieve uncommon success.” “Build supportive communities and extend grace.” “Define success on your own terms and embrace uniqueness.” Chapters: 00:00 Introduction: Edwige Robinson's Journey 02:45 Believe It's Possible: Conquering Mountains and Achieving Uncommon Success 05:15 The Power of Micro Steps and Momentum 10:03 Building Supportive Communities and Extending Grace 16:0...

“Ideas aren't the problem. People have lots of ideas, but they don't have time to think. Thinking has become a daring act within organizations, and in our culture, because we are part of the ‘cult of busy’.” Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Lisa Bodell and the Importance of Simplicity 03:20 Eliminating Complexity and Drowning in Work 07:17 Challenging Assumptions and Reversing Unproductive Rules 13...

“Personal mastery is all about humility and supporting other people and having purpose other than yourself.” R.O.G. Takeaway Tips: Sit quietly. Light up your right brain. Meditation Mindfulness practices  Nature Walks without headphones or phone  Music Art Laughter Gratitude Get emotionally fit. Engage in a recovery practice. Ask for help.  Develop both personal and professional mastery. Guest Bio...

“Burnout is an excessive and sustained workload.” “Am I really the best person to be in that meeting?” “Create workplaces of joy, productivity, and growth.” “Change is possible.” Chapters: 00:00  Introduction: Daisy Auger-Dominguez's Background and Book 03:03  Chapter 1: Recognizing and Addressing Burnout 06:24  Chapter 2: Setting Boundaries and Saying No 11:03  Chapter 3: Difficult Conversations...

“How do we help others, especially those that don't have a good opportunity? But, you know, they don't have life on a silver platter. So how do we make silver platters for people?” “You never wanna go to the president and talk about yourself. You wanna go to the president and you wanna talk about the team and what the team did…” “A coach talks to you, a mentor talks with you, and a sponsor talks a...

“Generous leadership is standing up for what is right.” Chapters: 00:00  Introduction of James Rooke 03:53  Background and Influences 08:19  Lessons from Father's Leadership Style 12:08  Simplifying Decision-Making Filters 26:21  Staying Close to the Front Lines 31:15  Creating a Culture of Generosity 36:25  Humility and Vulnerability in Leadership 41:06  The Power of Small Acts 45:06 Creating Exp...

“This success isn't about me, it is literally about everybody else.” Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Background 03:00 Grid Automation and the New Energy Transition 07:38 The Benefits of Being a Generous Leader 09:49 The Power of Consistency and Self-Reflection in Leadership Episode Summary: Mike Atkinson, the Managing Director of Grid Automation in North America for Hitachi Energy, shares his bac...

“An apology is a small word, but has enormous power interpersonally.” Episode Summary: Dr. Amy Edmondson, the world's leading authority in psychological safety, discusses her background and the science of failing well. She shares her journey from growing up in New York City to becoming a professor at Harvard Business School. She explains how her mentor, Buckminster Fuller, influenced her curiosity...

“Some failures are simply the undesired result of a thoughtful experiment in new territory, and those are the ones we must learn to love.” Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Background 06:29 The Influence of Buckminster Fuller 13:23 Psychological Safety and Speaking Up About Error Episode Summary: Dr. Amy Edmondson, the world's leading authority in psychological safety, discusses her background and...

In this episode, Shannon Cassidy discusses the importance of emotional intelligence in leadership. She explains the four main components of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. Cassidy emphasizes the need for leaders to be self-reflective, practice emotional self-control, read the room, and invest in relationships. She encourages l...

“When you know better, you do better.” - Dr. Maya Angelou “Be who you are and be that well.” - St. Francis de Sales This week we are looking at Chapter 14, Share Your Brilliance. Shannon Cassidy is Founder and CEO of Bridge Between, Inc. a boutique leadership development firm specializing in generous leadership, behavioral change, executive presence, effective communication, collaborative teamwork...

“The benefit is the reward at a personal level is the reward that you see when you see others grow and succeed. Whenever I, whenever you see somebody stuck in, in, in their current situation, um, the generous thing to do is to reach out and help them find or define, um, the path that they need to follow in order to reach the next level.” George Galaz is a Canadian citizen who holds a degree from t...

“Worthiness doesn’t have prerequisites.” - Brené Brown In this episode, Shannon Cassidy discusses the concept of taking control of oneself. She uses the analogy of concentric circles to explain the areas of control, influence, and no control in our lives. The outermost circle represents things we have no control over, such as traffic or the weather. The next circle represents our area of influence...

“Qualitative research is understanding the why behind different emotions and different interests. …Quantitative is going to give you the actual sizing of how large of a conversation is. What I love about Social Intelligence and, specifically the social listening piece, is that balance of qual and quant.” Frank Gregory, Social Intelligence professional at Nestle USA. After starting his career in Ma...

“Don’t be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” - Steve Jobs "Surround yourself with people who can make you even better." In this episode, Shannon Cassidy discusses the importance of choosing connections carefull...

“The most unexpected place that I see it, (generosity) and it delights me every single time, is when we chuck our assumptions and we keep an open mind and we're generous about considering a different point of view.” Amy Volas is a sales fanatic turned entrepreneur, bitten by the startup bug many moons ago. She founded Avenue Talent Partners (ATP) after $100MM in revenue sold and two successful exi...

“We are the stories we tell ourselves.” - Shekhar Kapur Shannon Cassidy is Founder and CEO of Bridge Between, Inc. a boutique leadership development firm specializing in generous leadership, behavioral change, executive presence, effective  communication, collaborative teamwork, and conflict resolution. She provides Executive Coaching, Facilitation (team sessions, mentoring programs, leadership re...

“...anytime one of those honorees, awardees stands up to accept an award, the first things they do is to thank their mentors…what that means is better entertainment for all of us, better product for all of us, better customer service and customer care…There is no better return on the generosity of mentoring than the success that people ultimately have in the business world.” Rob Stoddard is a form...