Lead With Clarity : NICOLE GREER

We sit down with Nicole Green, founder of Vibrant Culture, to talk about leading with clarity and building teams that are truly lit from within. We dig into practical ways to grow people, set clear expectations at work and at home, and redefine what “having it all” means when you’re juggling entrepreneurship and family life. 
• Defining vibrant culture as people thriving professionally and personally 
• Why entrepreneurs need energized people around them to transform ordinary into extraordinary 
• Nicole’s early lessons from restaurants and property management on service, quality, and training 
• How we juggle parenting and entrepreneurship by starting small and working in seasons 
• Using routines and clear rules to reduce stress at home 
• “Uncommunicated expectations are a premeditated opportunity to be disappointed” 
• The core mission of Vibrant Culture through performance management and daily improvement 
• Why you cannot scale a company without growing people 
• The SHINE framework: self-assessment, habits, integrity, next right steps, and energy 
• Coaching high performers up, developing the middle, and managing low performance 
• Redefining “having it all” by first defining your all 
• Building peace through financial stability and living on personal mission 
Go go watch that TED Talk. 
If you want to email me at Nicole at Vibrant Culture.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:08

Hi everyone, welcome to welcome to the juggling entrepreneurship podcast. Today I

Welcome And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_01 0:13

am the gentleman entrepreneur. We are joined by Nicole Green, a leader and a founder of the vibrant culture. Nicole is known for helping organizations and individuals create environments where people truly thrive both professionally and personally. Through her shine framework, she empowers leaders to build clarity, alignment, and energy in everything they do. Her work focuses on communication, purpose, and showing up with intention, whether in business or in everyday life. In this episode, we will explore how to lead with clarity, build a vibrant culture, and juggle the demands of entrepreneurship without losing yourself in the process. Welcome, Nicole, to the show.

SPEAKER_00 1:08

Hello, good to be here. I'm so grateful. Thank you for inviting me.

SPEAKER_01 1:12

Thank you. I gave a little bit of a glimpse of your personality and your

What A Vibrant Culture Means

SPEAKER_01 1:17

character and your brand. Do you want to add anything more?

SPEAKER_00 1:22

Well, I just, you know, my whole thing about human beings, no matter who you are, I think inside of you you have a little spark. And if you have a vibrant culture, if you have a vibrant entrepreneurial endeavor, the people that are trying to lead this endeavor, they're trying to fan that flint that spark into a flame and get get everybody excited about being here and getting everybody excited about where we're going, right? And so an entrepreneur, like in its definition, is starting something and taking something to a next level. That's what entrepreneurship is. And so whatever your product, your service is, um, you need people surrounding you that are what I call lit from within. Um, they're they're leading with clarity, they know where you want to go, they are integrating integrity. That's the eye and lit. They are good people, they have great character, they are hardworking, they want to get her done. And then the last thing is if you're an entrepreneur, whatever your product or service is, you you have to take it and you have to transform whatever's ordinary into the extraordinary. So, you know, the experience you give or whatever product you have, it has to do better than the other things in the marketplace. And so you have to give an extraordinary edge. And so you got to figure all that stuff out. So that's what I would add right there.

SPEAKER_01 2:48

Awesome, Nicole. That's a great start. Good. So tell us, how did you come up with this idea of vibrant

Nicole’s Path Into Entrepreneurship

SPEAKER_01 2:57

culture? Where do you actually start the journey and how you ended up here?

SPEAKER_00 3:01

Okay, so well, you know, uh, when I was 17, I got I got I got my first job and I was in the restaurant business, and uh I had a lot of energy. I have still have a lot of energy naturally, and um, and I loved serving people. And in the restaurant business, like you know, people the cooks would put stuff food up in the window and I would look at it and be like, this isn't right. You need to make fix this. It doesn't look right, you know. So I I understood very early on, I don't know why I understood that, but um, product quality and the way that you service the customer will put a tip in your pocket, okay? And so very early on, I was just like, oh, great service, great product, big tip. And that is being entrepreneurial. A waiter or a waitress or server, they are entrepreneurial. And so I figured that out very early. I got into property management and I ran really beautiful apartment communities all over the southeast. And um, one of the beautiful things about that is um I trained a lot of people, like because of my energy level and entrepreneurs, you have to have energy. If you if you're gonna start something, you gotta be the fuel. Bingo, there you go. Yeah, it's energy, right? And so, anyways, long story short, um, I I was always tasked by like my regional managers. They're like, we have a new manager. Will you train her? And I'd be like, sure. And so, you know, it's it's getting people trained and it's how you love on them and develop them that's gonna help you support your entrepreneurial endeavor because you have got to get people up to speed and and just as excited as you are about what you're trying to accomplish. Um, and so I learned that. And then uh I I stayed home, I have two kids. I stayed home with my kids for eight years, and then I got bored, and then I decided to start my own company. And so I started a little company doing uh coaching, but then um since 2007, I now have a catalog full of 40 different programs that I do when I do uh development, when I do training and development, and then I also help people with HR issues, uh, and then as well as doing public speaking. So uh I've grown it into a multifaceted thing, but uh I started out just being the tr like training gal at a restaurant and a training gal at the property management company.

SPEAKER_01 5:26

That sounds really fascinating. So it might be a really tough decision for you uh when you left your job for the kids, you have stayed um as a home mom for eight years, and then you started your own journey as an entrepreneur. That's right. You're still your kids are still growing during that time. How did

Juggling Kids And A New Business

SPEAKER_01 5:50

you juggle both the family life and your entrepreneurship?

SPEAKER_00 5:55

Yeah. So, like I said, I started small. I I decided that I was gonna get a certificate through through um a coaching organization to be able to do executive coaching. Uh, I ended up in my career before I stayed home with the kids being um the marketing person, a training person working in the home office. And I thought, well, I'm only gonna take a portion of that and make a business. So I created the, you know, like we all do, created a website, started doing a little bit of networking. And the way I juggled it is I, you know, I only scheduled when the kids were at school, you know, and they're both in school. And you know, here's the truth about your kids. When they're little, they need a lot of time and energy from you. But like if you have a uh, in my case, you know, a middle schooler and a high schooler, they need less time with you, they need oversight, they need one-on-one time with you, but they're pretty independent at that stage, you know. And if you've done a good job, like my kids used to come in the door after school and they knew next thing was snack and homework. Like that's that's what we're doing here, you know. And then you can go play, or then you can go wherever or do whatever. But they just kind of knew the rules at that point. We had a nice little routine and we had a schedule, and we had what I call expectations in place. So uh I'm gonna share a little quote if I may. Can I share a quote? Okay, so um, this quote is really, really good. You might want to get your pen out and write this down. Uh uncommunicated expectations are a premeditated opportunity to be disappointed. So one of the things that you know I did with my kids is I'm like, if you do this, you can expect that. If you do that, you can expect this. You know, like I they they had clear rules, clear uh parameters, principles that we operated by. And my kids had a great upbringing. And uh, you know, I always kid and say, you know, now my kids are uh they pay their own cell phone bill, they have their own homes, they have jobs, you know. I mean, because uh I think too, when you're being entrepreneurial in front of your kids, I used to tell them about my business. I'd be like, okay, guess what your mommy did today? You know, like I'd say, how was your day? And then I'd say, Ask me how my day was, you know, and it's not it's not natural for a kid to think past themselves. I think, you know, unfortunately, we're a little self-centered as children. But, you know, they would say, What'd you do today, mommy? And I said, I went to the Rotary Club, and then I went to this meeting, and then I coached this guy, and then I did this. And they're like, Oh wow. And um, and they, you know, they learned and watched my work ethic. And uh, an entrepreneur that is successful has a heck of a work ethic, and your children need to see that so that they know how to do it. So um, there's this old saying, lead by example. And so you might be juggling, but don't complain about your work, don't tell everybody how hard it is. Uh, tell everybody how fulfilling it is, and tell them what you're accomplishing and why you're doing it. I'm doing this so I can help you have a great wedding someday. I'm trying to put money in the bank so you can have an inheritance, you know. Uh, talk to your kids about the why. Um, and at the same time, you'll be reminding yourself, oh, yeah, that's why I'm doing this. So you have to keep reminding yourself.

SPEAKER_01 9:25

Yeah, and and that's a great point that you have um just said uh is remind yourself the why. Yes, why you're doing that, whether it can be a health chore, whether it can be a conversation with your spouse or with your kids, or um, I think that constant reminder not only brings in that gratitude of what you have, but also gives you the motivation to move forward in a much more healthy way. Um what do you see nowadays in the kids? What let's let's break it down because I would love to talk about your shine work, I would love to talk about your um vibrant culture. Um what is the core mission of

Clear Expectations And The Why

SPEAKER_01 10:17

um your company, the vibrant culture?

SPEAKER_00 10:20

Yeah, well, my core mission in my company is to come in and help you get a happy group of people who are on a performance management culture where they are improving every day so they are fulfilled, and so you can scale your company. Okay, and and so people who are excited about the future, they're lit from within, um, and somebody is mentoring and coaching them in a performance management kind of way, you're gonna scale your company. So, one thing that people are confused about is like we're trying to scale the company, okay. Uh, so you might buy a building, you might introduce a product, you might offer a new service to scale, but you can't do any of that without people. And so the quality of Nicole and the quality of the other five people on the team, that is true scaling. So if you teach me how to do something, now I know how to do it, now I can help you get the product out, deliver the service, secure the building, finance, do the financing behind it, whatever. But you've got to grow people to scale. And and sometimes we don't think of it like that, and that is imperative. So my shine coaching methodology, that is the the thing that the leader thinks about. So if they're coaching another person, the first thing they do with that other person is they ask that person, how do you think you're doing? Instead of, let me tell you how you're doing in your job. You get the other person to declare, how do you think you're doing?

The Mission Behind Vibrant Culture

SPEAKER_00 12:04

Now, most people, when they're asked this question, they do two things. The first thing they do is they they make themselves small. I don't know why we do this as humans, but they're like, I guess I'm doing okay. You know, uh, but then people start to declare, I started doing this, I'm learning this, I'm trying to do that. And so the conversation isn't about do more work. The conversation is about what other skills, what other efficiencies, what other efficacy can you bring to this process? But I'm making the other person tell me that they want to learn it, they want to do it, they want to improve it. So it's a totally different conversation. The H is about habits, and so there are certain habits in our work that make it more effective, but one of them is time management, change management, uh, soft skills, listening, asking powerful questions, conflict management. There's a thousand skills and habits we need to have in place. Um, so constantly challenging people around habits, and then the I is about integrity. Um, and so people need feedback, and the person and people need to receive feedback. And so, one of the things we do in a vibrant culture is we are getting a lot of feedback. Like, you know, I I have really sharp people uh that I coach, and like they will tell me, my leader never meets with me. I don't know how I'm doing. They hired you, Nicole, to coach me, but they don't even know what I do. I mean, just think about that, right? So you can't farm out your leadership, you can't give leadership to somebody else to do for you. You've got to be, you know, in integrity with that person, and you've got to know how they're doing and what they're doing, and so you've got to give feedback so that people can become more whole. Um, and it's about developing the character of the people that you're working with too. And I could talk about character till the days come, the cows come home. But then the next thing is next right steps. So, you know, sometimes you'll have a team and you'll have like some performers that are awesome, and you know what those performers want? They want, believe it or not, believe it or not, they want more interesting work that helps them learn how to go higher. So you know, so if you have a high performer, you do need to be challenging them. Now, if you have some people who are kind of in the middle of the pack, which is usually how it is, you're gonna take whatever your high performers are doing and give it to that middle of the pack group, right? And then if you have low performers, oh my gosh, you have got to be doing performance management with them to either don't miss this. This might sound harsh, but I mean this with love. Coach them into the company. Come on, let's go, let's go, right? Get them lit, get them shining, or coach them out. That was a bad hire. That guy just doesn't want to work, and those people are out there, right? So, so you need next right steps. That is the end. So the leader sits down and has four responsibilities leading, managing, mentoring, and coaching. And so if I sit down with you, should be once a week, once a month at the minimum. I mean, that's too long, once a month, but I'm setting goals next right steps with you between now and the end of the quarter, between now and next week, what are you gonna work on? And people really want to be developed, I think. You know, the good ones do. And then the last thing is is E-ish in shine is energy. And so I find that if people are sat with and talked to and loved on, they get a lot of energy. They're like, I love working here. My boss pays attention to me, sits with me, I can tell them anything, they help me solve my problems, I feel supported. Their energy will go through the roof. And there's six energies, but it that's a lot. But that that that's the methodology. So imagine if the entrepreneur with every one of the people on their team, or the right people on their team, their their direct reports, was really helping them get lit. Then the entrepreneur can go higher, but you cannot do more and go higher if you haven't empowered the people down here to do your old work.

SPEAKER_01 16:29

Yeah. That's like a five-minute, high-patch, high-energy uh motivational talk that you have just given, Nicole. Which is very, very practical, right? So there are things that are it's very practical,

SHINE Coaching To Grow People

SPEAKER_01 16:45

and that's what most of the people miss. They they think about some ideal scenario. There is no ideal scenario in real life, you just need to walk through it. Um, I know we have four minutes before we end the podcast, but let's have this closive conversation on redefining having it all. A lot of people talk about hey, having it all from the perspective of um what does truly align or fulfilling life look like for an entrepreneur and for a family. Based on your experience and based on specifically you coaching, executors, leaders, um, you know, parent entrepreneurs, um tell some suggestions and redefine having it all.

SPEAKER_00 17:37

Yeah. Well, we can define having it all, but before you define having it all, what's your all? You know, I mean, that's the thing. So what you know, and I have a TED talk, and it's called What Do You Really Want? So go go watch that TED Talk. Okay. So what do you really want is the all. And unfortunately, I don't know how you were raised, but I was always told, you know, you shouldn't want so many things, you know. You know, and I, you know, when I was little, like I said earlier, when you're little, you're like, Can I have a Barbie? Can I have this? Can I have that? Can I have ice cream? You know, that's how that's how kids are. And so that's what we're told, you know, you shouldn't want so many things. But here's what I find is most adults want uh only a few things. And um, and the few things that they want is they want some peace, P-E-A-C-E. Meaning that I have enough money in my bank account that I uh the light bill's gonna get paid, the mortgage is gonna get paid, and I'm gonna be able to put gas, whether it's $2 a gallon or $8 a gallon, I'm gonna be able to put it in the car. So that's one of your all. How can you have it all? So you do need to be really financially smart about things. You need to save, you need to invest. That's a whole nother conversation. You know, so uh being an entrepreneur isn't like having a lifestyle business, some people call it. It's about really building something that makes you financially secure. So that will give you peace. I think that having it all is um, there are some things in this life that I do like want that are extra, but like sometimes I want to go to a fancy dinner, sometimes I want to go on a trip. And so um, you know, defining what success looks like in that place. But I'll tell you the number one thing that I want is I want to be in my personal mission. So I have a personal mission statement, and I have a tool for that if you want to email me at Nicole at Vibrant Culture. Um, but it's how to create a mission statement for for your work and for your life. And so my mission statement is Nicole Greer is on a mission to energize, impact, and influence people to lead a more vibrant life. So if I helped in this conversation, then I'm on mission. And nothing fills me up. My I get it all, you know, I'm folded, I'm filled up if I'm doing that. So yesterday a woman called me. She's like, You don't know me from Adam. I got your phone number. I'm like, okay. And she said, I want to know how to be a public speaker. I know you're you're a speaker, and I said, Okay, and I gave

Feedback, Performance, And Next Steps

SPEAKER_00 20:20

her 30 minutes of my time. Not could have tried to sell her coaching package and all this kind of stuff, but she's like, I just need 30 minutes, and so I just gave it to her. I didn't get any money, but I filled up because I was on mission. I really helped that lady, yeah, and that's what we have to do makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 20:41

Yeah, very, very practical, Nicole. Um, I'm so glad we actually had um this uh forecast, and especially you as I guess, um, because there are a lot of myths around juggling, um, parenthood, and entrepreneurship. Um, we always look at the task level, but not at the core level as you were trying to mention, right? And that's that's what it feels like. Um thank you so much to be uh on our podcast. Nicole Green, everyone. Um