Leading Through Fear & Discomfort To Inspire Change w/ Brian McComak

Often we find ourselves in antiquated workplace systems where we are expected to thrive, despite all of the changes the world has been through. In this episode, I’m joined by Brian McComak, the founder of Hummingbird Humanity. Brian started Hummingbird Humanity as an initiative to bring humanity back to the workplace.  Brian shares his wisdom on how to bring a new approach to the workplace, so you can support your employees emotionally, make them feel seen and heard, help them thrive, and feel more like their authentic selves at work. 

Tune in as Brian gives tips on how to get started on bringing humanity back to the workplace and the concepts to use so you can become a better servant leader. 

More About Brian McComak:

Brian is a consultant, speaker, author, and facilitator with over 25 years of experience in DEI, HR, culture, change management, internal communications, and employee experience. He is an openly gay man and a person with a disability who shares his lived experiences in service of fostering workplaces where humans thrive. Before starting Hummingbird Humanity, he was the Global Head of Inclusion for Tapestry where he designed and launched the company’s DEI strategy. He put Tapestry ‘on the map’ as a great place for inclusion, earning recognition from the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, Women in the Workplace and Forbes’ Best Places to Work for Diversity. Join Brian in working to create a world where we accept each other, celebrate our differences, and recognize that we truly are #bettertogether.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What inspired Brian to start Hummingbird Humanity
• Ways leaders can bring more connection to their workplace, even if you don’t know where to start
• Overcoming frustrations if you feel you are not getting results as a change agent for diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Tips on how you can communicate effectively for maximum impact

Quote from the episode:
"So I said, I'm going to try something different, and see if I can be one of those humans, who is challenging the ways that we think about creating workplaces. That's what I get to do now. My hope is that I am making a difference for certainly at least one person, but hopefully lots of people, and how they lead, how they manage and how workplaces are embracing and creating spaces where everyone can thrive. Particularly, those who have been historically most marginalized and underrepresented in the workplace." - Brian McComak

Resources from this episode:
Conservation series Hope, Hear, and The Human Spirit on YouTube

Connect with Amy: 

• Sign up for: Create A Burnout Free Team & Workplace
• Free Activity: Three Steps To Love Your Job & Life Today
• Work With Amy
• Instagram: @createmagicatwork
• Website: https://createmagicatwork.net/

Connect with Brian:

• Brian on LinkedIn
• Hummingbird Humanity 

Transcript

Amy Lynn Durham: 0:05

Hey everyone, it's Amy Lynn Durham and you're listening to Create Magic At Work. Create Magic At Work is on a mission to equip senior leaders with tools they need to be a true servant leader and actually understand what that means. improve employee engagement, retain top talent, and transform your workplace culture to have less stress and drama. So let's start making magic. Hi, everyone, welcome to another magical episode of create magic at work. Today. I am so excited for the guests that I'm bringing you his name is Brian McComak. He's a diversity and inclusion consultant, speaker, author and facilitator with over 20 years of experience in DE&I, HR, company culture change management, internal communications and employee experience. Wow, that's a lot. That's a lot of background. He's the founder and CEO of Hummingbird, Humanity. I love this name, love hummingbirds, just saw one flying by me yesterday and saw it as a beautiful sign of good luck and abundance. Hummingbird Humanity is a consulting firm that cultivates and champions inclusive workplace cultures, and human centered leadership. So of course, I had to have Brian on Create Magic At Work for him to share his wisdom with all of the listeners. So Brian, welcome to Create Magic At Work.

Brian McComak: 1:28

Thank you so much, Amy. It's a pleasure to be here and to be with all of you. Thank you for inviting me into your community. And yes, I feel like I need to edit that bio. Because I do have experience and all those things. But every time that introduction happens, It's like, boy, there's a list here. I'll share I guess I'll just mention one thing real quickly, which is, I have been someone who is innately curious and always wants to try something new and explore and learn and understand. So that's what led to all those different experiences and capabilities. So there's a why behind it.

Amy Lynn Durham: 2:02

Yeah. staying curious. And approaching things without judgment is one of the best ways that you can live your life. So thank you for starting off the episode mentioning that behavior or those things. So tell me, how did you get to where you started Hummingbird Humanity? And tell us a little bit about what it's all about? Sure,

Brian McComak: 2:22

Sure. Absolutely. Well, one of the things I have to say about your introduction is, I certainly hope that I have wisdom to share. That's a word that I feel like, it feels like it has some some weight with it and some responsibility. And, you know, what I would like to offer there is just that as much as I hope that I can share with others and help others learn and see through new lenses. I'm also on that journey of learning and growing and that's really been a guide for me on my career journey. The first career I had was in movie theater operations I worked for AMC theaters for 10 years. I opened the second megaplex with stadium seating that ever existed. I have an operational mindset that set a foundation for me professionally. And then I've spent almost the last 25 years in various human resources roles in a variety of different companies and industries and places like L'Oreal, Christie's Auction House, and Red Lobster, if you like the Cheddar Bay Biscuits there, I've had a chance to eat those at Red Lobster. About eight years ago, when I was working for the Walt Disney Company. My boss said to me, Brian, you are a great HR person but I really think you're a diversity person and she opened the door for me to join the corporate diversity council at the Walt Disney Company, which led to the work that I get to do today. My last in house role was at the Global Head of Inclusion and Diversity at Tapestry, which is the home of Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman. So if you like handbags or shoes, and personally I do, then you'll probably be familiar with some of those brands. And, you know, a couple years ago, I took the leap to, it's two and a half years ago now, I took the leap to try out the world of consulting because I just felt like I had an opportunity to make an impact in a bigger way. I just I felt like the four walls of corporate life were, they felt constricting to me, I don't, it wasn't like anything or anyone said or did anything but it just felt constricting and I wanted to spread my wings. I launched Hummingbird Humanity. And in the work that we do, we try to combine my experiences and beliefs and certainly I learned from the team that I get to work with as well around how HR practices and understanding the business and understanding change and understanding the DEI conversations and the content and the you know, the work that we're doing in that space and how do we bring all of that together to create workplaces where humans can be human, where humans can thrive? Where we help humans be the best version of themselves, which then ultimately benefits our companies as well. But we start from the place of let's amplify the voices of being heard. Let's make make workplaces better for humans.

Amy Lynn Durham: 5:14

Yeah, one of your initiatives is bringing humanity back to the workplace, which is also a huge initiative for Create Magic At Work. And when you say you felt constricted, before you left and started Hummingbird Humanity, I'm curious if I'm, if I'm judging or reaching, let me know. But I'm wondering if you felt like you couldn't be your full authentic self in that prior space. And now, no pun intended, you could spread and flap your wings a little bit more with with Hummingbird Humanity? Just wondering.

Brian McComak: 5:53

I love good pun! I love a good pun! Yes, we occasionally lean into the hummingbird part of our name. Actually, the first 6 to 12 months of hummingbird, all of our decks ended with a slide that said, let's fly. And you know, I think there's something really beautiful about that image for me of a hummingbird in particular is a bird that, I think if you glanced at it, at first, at first blush, you would underestimate what that bird can do. And it's the only bird that can fly backwards. It is actually a powerful, inventive little bird. And I think that's also true for all of us as humans is there's so much more to the story than what we can foresee. And, you know, I think the, you know, I realized that we're on an audio format. So I'm gonna just share for those who can't see me, which is all of you right now, I am a white, cisgender man. And so one of the first things that people might think is workplaces were designed for people like me, that look like me. And that's generally true. Workplaces were initially designed to elevate men, and particularly white men, and certainly white, cisgender, straight men. And I'm not saying that they're the villains, right? Like, that's just the way the world like the hundreds of years ago this happened, and that we all are living with that reality. I'm also a gay man, and I'm a person with a disability. I've battled anxiety and depression, I'm sober, I'm HIV positive. And so I've had some experiences that have been, have made me feel very different and like an "other". And I also get that I have a lot of privilege as a white, cisgender man. What I found, though, is workplaces weren't even designed for people like me, who like, I was like, I'm this sort of different human, who has a big personality and believes in the heart and soul and wants to bring heart and soul and purpose to the workplaces. Most of the people I interact with work are like, we have to make money, we have to return on investment, bottom line, p&l, although those things and I get all of that stuff and I understand the importance of it. But I actually felt like there was a better way. And I just felt like, you know, it was it was always this sort of tension for me of whether I could truly be me and also bring my best self to the work that I was asked to do. So I said, I'm going to try something different, and see if I can be one of those humans, who is challenging the ways that we think about creating workplaces. So that's what I get to do now. And my hope is that I am making a difference for you know, certainly at least one person, but hopefully lots of people and how they can, how they lead and how they manage and how workplaces are embracing and creating spaces where everyone can thrive, particularly those who have been historically most marginalized and underrepresented in the workplace.

Amy Lynn Durham: 8:45

Yeah, I was reading an article that had some findings from some neuro scientists, and sort of to what you're speaking to, we've all been thrown into these systems that were created for us to work in ways that we might not really be able to thrive in because we can't be our full, authentic selves. And often historically, these systems have been IQ centered, really greatly. And now EQ is a topic that a lot of people discuss in the workplace, emotional intelligence, do you have an emotional management strategy? Are you self aware of your emotions, all of these things? And I have to say, and the listeners know this, because this is creating magic work, you know, spiritual intelligence is that next piece, and what these neuro scientists have found is it's accessing different parts of our brain. And as I was reading the article, I was like, Well, no wonder. I know there's a lot of other issues system wise that we're working with, right? But just from this brain piece, I thought, Well, no wonder why no one can feels like they can be their full authentic selves. They're only using one part of their brain when they're at work, they're not using their whole self, they can't access that. You know, we talked, you talked about wisdom earlier, in spiritual intelligence, your higher self, is that inner place of wisdom that you can access that comes from compassion and love. And it's when you learn to create that awareness between your ego, and your higher self, and who's in the driver's seat. And so when I asked guests to share their wisdom, I want you to access that place within you that you are, that comes from compassion, and love and wisdom. And that's what ultimately what we want leaders to do. So you just got me thinking of that authenticity piece, and how we've been shut down, and only been able to use a certain portion of who we are in that way, a little bit of a tangent, but I had to say that. I love that. So yeah, if you want to comment on that.

Brian McComak: 10:51

I love that, Amy. It reminds me of a couple of things that I say, when I'm on stage or on podcasts, or even just in spirit spaces with other leaders that I have a chance to spend time with is, so one of them is that we I remember when I started working, you know, when I moved from that operational environment to the corporate environment and office environment, I remember that I knew I was supposed to, I like to like to imagine it as a coat, the coat of my emotions, I'm supposed to take off those emotions and all of my humanity, and I'm supposed to hang that coat up and put it away, while I spend my eight hours or 10 hours in the day in the office. And then I get to go back and be a human afterwards. And nobody said anything to me. Nobody said, Brian, you have to leave your emotions at the door. But I just innately knew that that was the expectation. I also think that that doesn't work like that reality is we are human. And that means we have emotions. And I'm not saying that our workplaces should be an emotional roller coaster all day, every day, like I do get we have to get things done. And we have to find ways to navigate that. I think there's a there feels like there's a better way for us to integrate and acknowledge that we are humans. And we're also professionals, and we're parents, and we're friends. And we are individuals who have are experiencing pain in the world around us because the place we're from, he's going through a war right now, or we know that our community has been historically marginalized. And like all of those things come with us. So let's find a way to see each other. And one of the ways that we we do that at hummingbird, we try to to create workplaces where humans can thrive is we believe that we haven't taught humans and this is not beyond workplaces. But just generally in particularly in the United States, there are some places around the world that have done better job with us is we haven't we haven't developed the skills or the muscles to be able to have meaningful conversations that are embracing our heart and soul and helping us understand each other. And even some of us were grew, I fortunately didn't grow up in one of these households. But many of us grew up in households where we were taught not to see color. Well, if we don't see color, we don't even begin to think about the rest of someone's story. So what we try to do is help the people in our in the companies that we work with, to create the skills and the ability to find shared humanity. So that's about how do we share about our authentic selves, or our real stories, who we are because we all have a story to tell. And we often find that even with someone who's very different with us than us, we have a shared humanity, we have something that connects us and links us. And when we have that bridge of trust, then we can start to hear about the parts of our experiences that are different. And we can build that connection and understand how we can support someone else who may not have you know, the privilege using that word that I might have. But yet we also have a connection. And so that's something we try to bring to workplaces. And it's been exciting to see how unlocking humanity and allowing people to be human at work is also helping those people in those workplaces do better work together and add value to their businesses in meaningful ways.

Amy Lynn Durham: 14:18

Hi, there, it's Amy here. Have you already experienced success in your business and life but feel like there's something more? You're desiring to feel more ease in your business & life. You want to refine your inner voice to where it becomes a powerful inner compass. You want to live in courage, clarity and confidence. And you're looking for someone that can deeply listen in a safe space to co create real results. I can help you tap into your own inner magic and turn what you say you want into a reality with my new Elevate one on one coaching program. If that sounds like something that you're interested in and you felt that feeling when I was describing it, email me amy@createmagicatwork.net, or go to www.createmagicatwork.net/workwithamy, you can apply there. Sending magic to you. Yeah, thank you for highlighting that. I've seen it firsthand in my old job before I left and started creating magic at work, connecting individuals and bringing out their unique qualities. So they can see the humanity and each other, it can't be denied that it's a win-win, it actually increases productivity and profitability. It improves employee retention, and all of these things that are data backed, which, in the some of the systems we work, they have some a lot of people only want to look at data, and for money and all these things, I experienced it firsthand, you can't deny the impact. I think what I challenge leaders and others to do is, and I'd love your take on this is some don't know where to start. They are used to just analyzing an Excel spreadsheet all day, hanging your emotion coat at the door, and they're running this team of people that are just wearing a mask all day. And yeah, maybe they're hitting their numbers. But this is a huge part of your life that you're spending all this time at. And you could do so much better. So what would you say to that leader, that executive that is saying, yeah, that all that kumbaya by the fire stuff? Sounds great, but we don't have time for it? Or where I don't know where to start? I don't feel equipped, what would be a tip that you could offer them?

Brian McComak: 16:44

It's a great question, Amy, the first thing that comes to mind is to take a step forward, and try something that feels unfamiliar, that feels different. Whether that is for you as a leader, because I generally see, there's going to be exceptions to everything I might say, but generally, I don't care where you're starting this journey on, I just want you to be on the journey, I want you to whether it's on the journey to be more human at work or being a leader who's who's seen the humans and trying to create space for the humans you lead to be more human, or if you're someone in the workplace, who is trying to find your way in navigating, understanding how to connect with people that are different from you. And even if you have influences that are driven by your cultural or religious or other beliefs that are like I have trouble connecting with someone else. But I want to try like, Great! Thank you for joining. Let's have a conversation. Let's take some steps forwards together. And we're all going to start from different places. So I think the first thing is just take a step forward and try something different. So if if that engaging from that sort of, as you mentioned, the kumbaya perspective, which I which I certainly have heard that before, is new for you, then Okay, start with asking your team members, how are you doing today, and pausing and letting allowing space for them to genuinely talk about how they are doing? And then maybe share how you're doing? Because what I also have have discovered, although I guess it probably shouldn't have been a surprise to me is, by the way, those leaders who are the numbers focused and not the kumbaya focus. They also have pain and heartache and joy and sorrow and discomfort and passion and all the things that come with the rest of us who are more maybe or more open about our emotions. So maybe share just a little bit about what what is exciting you today, or what is feeling challenging for you today. Take a step forward and see how that feels. And then see where that takes you. Because what I believe is, once you take this step forward, you're gonna find that oh, wait, that actually feels good. It feels good to connect with another human that I get to work with, in a way that's human. Then we can actually do better work together. So I would just say take that first step.

Amy Lynn Durham: 19:03

Yeah, thank you. The courage, the vulnerability, something super simple, one question and the beginning of a meeting, even if it feels awkward, or if people allowed to laugh a little bit because they're not used to it, hey, you created an environment where everyone's connecting, collaborating, communicating in a better way. It removes you as the leader to a little bit where it will free up your time because your team will be more comfortable going to each other for a collaboration rather than constantly pinging you, taking you away from whatever maybe project you're working on. So it has all these beautiful ripple effects. Thank you for bringing up something easy. It's like you're a leader. You have the responsibility for this, do something that feels simple to start. And I want to ask you, so on LinkedIn, I noticed since I more often I'm on LinkedIn a lot more now that I've left my corporate executive job, you know, talking about magic at work, I have noticed that a lot of people, and I'm not judging this or putting it down, but I have noticed that a lot of people put in their title that they're a change agent. And if I'm a leader in the workplace, and I want to be a change agent for diversity, equity and inclusion, and I feel frustrated, or I feel like I'm not getting anywhere, what is something you would say to that person or that leader?

Brian McComak: 20:31

Well, there's a few things that come to mind, I had to pause there. Which reminds me of one of my, the tools that we share with leaders that came from some of the work that I've done in the 12 step space over the years is a tool called practice the pause, where we encourage before you respond with emotion, or with you know, what you hear if you're listening to talk, rather than listening to hear. Have you processed everything? And the questions are? Does it need to be said, does it need to be said by me? Does it need to be said right now? Can I say it with compassion, care and respect? And can I say it in a way that the other person can hear it? So I you know, as you asked that question, I'm like, Okay, I'm gonna pause for a second, you know, because it's a big responsibility that leaders that we take on when we are endeavoring to be a change agents, particularly in a in a space like diversity, equity and inclusion, which feels sparks, nervousness and anxiety and fear and discomfort. And I don't think it needs to, by the way, but I understand where that comes from. So the first thing that I would offer here is, as I took that pause that came to mind is, first of all, if you're experiencing discomfort, that's a good thing. And you know, because I believe that, and certainly there is, there are studies and research to back this up that, you know, for us to evolve and change. That means that there's going to be moments of discomfort. And, actually, in my book, coming out the small humanity in the workplace, the first chapter is called fear. And it's about the fear that we have, stepping into the unknown, and how leaning into that fear is actually a really beautiful, wonderful thing. Another insight that comes to mind is realizing that we're all you know, another belief that I have is we're all programmed by the world around us. And we're now accustomed to, I can click on a button, and I can have food in my house in 30 minutes, or I can have the whatever item I ordered, delivered to my house the next day, so we're accustomed to this immediate gratification reality. Well, D I work is not immediate gratification at all, it's actually work that's never done. And so you will all once you start. I'm welcome. I'm glad you're here. But once you start, you are always going to be on that journey, you're always going to continue to learn more about yourself, learn more about others, learn about how you can treat others with, with respect and care and consideration in ways that you may not have understood before. And even for someone like me, who does this all day, every day for years, I'm still learning new things. So it's okay, if you don't feel like that you're making a difference what I would, in the bigger sense, what I would say is, are you feeling discomfort? Are you learning? Are you growing? Are you seeing moments where you're connecting with other humans in ways that you didn't before, and find the joy and the confidence in those moments to keep you going?

Amy Lynn Durham: 23:50

Finding the joy in the present moment, the present day, where you are finding the joy, like you said, and the journey, and not constantly striving to that endpoint or that destination and pulling yourself back to where you are today. I think that's very powerful. Because when we're at the end, we're at the end, whatever that looks like, right? And I think that point you just brought up really brings everyone to practice presents, even more so with others, if you're not worried about a metric, or getting to some endpoint that you're looking for in your work, but really just enjoying where you are in this moment, because you'll never be there again. Being a wise and effective change agent is a skill in spiritual intelligence. And that's why I wanted to ask you about it with the lens of diversity because we do talk about a lot of those skills. And then the other thing that is a skill with spiritual intelligence isn't making wise and compassionate decisions, and what is my skill level in that way. And when you're talking about seeing the humanity and others, because now we're sharing what's going on with me in my day, or I always say, you know, maybe share a piece of gratitude to kick off a meeting, if you just don't know where to start as a leader just start there. What that does, and what I hear you saying is it helps us lean into experiencing that we are all one. And that's another skill of spiritual intelligence, which is the experience of transcendental like oneness, like, Oh, we're so different, but we're not. You're trying to experience joy. You're trying to avoid pain, just like me, just like me. I'm trying to live a joyful life. And it's just so powerful. And to me, like, how do people not get this because it's a win win in the workplace, because everybody's happy, you make a lot of money, you're more productive, I get that I'm making the sound like all puppy dogs and ice cream right now. But I know there's a lot of hard work that goes into it. So on that note, what do you think? Or what is your definition of a servant leader?

Brian McComak: 26:15

You know, one of the things that came to mind as you were just talking through the, the realities of what's possible here, because I'm with you, right, Amy? Like, how do people not get this? Well, one thing that I that I would offer is, I actually think that this type of management, this type of leadership, is harder, it's so much harder than what we like, even when I was taught as I was growing up as a manager, it takes additional effort and intention and consideration and vulnerability. And it takes the ability to say, Hey, I get things wrong, I make mistakes, I, I don't know all the things. And by the way, when I say those things, as humans, I think all of us are like, well, of course, you can't know all the things you're you're human, so you're gonna make mistakes, and you're gonna get things wrong. And we're always learning and we're always growing, we're always works in progress. But I also get that for many of us, it's it's harder journey. Now, I also think once you practice being a leader, and a manager, who is who's taking time to connect with the people that are on your team, and a human way, who's allowing space for mistakes, and those moments to really be opportunities for growth and learning, you know, that takes additional effort and energy, but once you start doing it, it actually becomes just the way you do it. It doesn't doesn't feel like to me, hopefully, I'm doing that today. And it doesn't feel like extra to me anymore. I like it, I feel better about it, I feel like I'm better connected with the humans that I get to work with. And it feels natural to me today. But that wasn't wasn't when I when I was trained to do growing up in the corporate environment and landscape. I think the other thing that comes to mind for me as a, as a servant leader is, so one is, you know, how do you create space for this humanity to be the case, the reality? How do you allow for humans to be human? And then there's also how do you own your use this phrase that some of the team that hummingbird like, is how do you own your side of the street? So without question, there are days and moments and times where I am really frustrated around something that someone on the team did bite, right, because so I would love to pretend that I'm always this person with joy and, and compassion and care. And I really do try to earn respect, I do try to make sure I always live those values. And, and I always want to show up with those values. So when I have those moments where I'm like super frustrated, I have to say, Okay, well, let's pause before we talk. So practice the pause, as I said earlier, if there may be a conversation I have need to have with one of my team members. But let me start before I give them feedback or coaching. Is my side of the street clean? Have I shared with them what their job description and responsibilities are? Have I shared with them what my expectations are? Have I made myself available to support them? If they need a thought partner, if they need someone who is, you know, is helping them think through the best approach? Or do they need support from someone else who has a different expertise than either one of us have whatever that may be? I asked those questions before that conversation happens. And you know, I think for me, part of that servant leadership is making sure that I'm holding myself accountable first.

Amy Lynn Durham: 29:40

Yeah. I love that making sure your side of the street is clean. That's a good way to look at it doing some self reflection before you just react. I mean, that's like level five change agent right there. So thank you. Thank you for offering that.

Brian McComak: 29:56

Absolutely. Actually, one thing I'll mention is that also Yeah, something that I know, Amy, you and I talked about this as we were prepping for today's conversation is, you know, I have been in the 12 step community. And I've learned a lot from that community. I've also spent a lot of time in therapy, because I'm a human who's battled anxiety and depression, which I think I mentioned earlier. And, you know, I bring those concepts and experiences and learnings into this work that I do to help humans be human at work and create workplaces where humans can humans thrive. And keeping your side of the street clean is a concept I learned from my sponsor, and 12 Step. And, you know, it's, many of us in 12 steps will say, we wish every human could go through the 12 step program, because there's so much we learned from that experience about how we can engage each other. Now, of course, I've reframed some of the messages in the content, because it's, you know, we need to make sure it feels right for the workplace. But the inspiration is often driven by those experiences I've had, and in therapy, or in other mental health experiences, and I'm not a mental health professional, but I am a human who's tried to be a better human, and I can share those experiences with others.

Amy Lynn Durham: 31:07

Yeah, thank you. And I think it speaks to the benefits of doing your, your own inner work as a leader, and what that can bring to you and your life as well. Yeah, absolutely.

Brian McComak: 31:20

Absolutely. And we're always learning and growing. So we gotta, we gotta keep doing it.

Amy Lynn Durham: 31:25

Exactly. Sometimes it's a pain though. I'm just getting sometimes, it's like, I think I've mentioned this before, but in I got the years lost with the pandemic in 2021, I chose a skill to work on for an entire year in SQ, and it was to be a calming and healing presence, I scored a little bit lower than I would have liked in that area. And I Oh, you know, I'm gonna, I'm gonna be a calming and healing presence. 2021, this is going to be great. That's the skill I'm going to work on. And oh, my gosh, the Universe gave me so many opportunities to practice that skill. By the end of 2021, and I failed miserably many times. You know, how you're talking about good days, bad days. And I think the goal is just you recognize you repair, you recover, you practice radical self forgiveness. And you try again, I was beating myself up for losing losing it quite a bit being feisty. And it was the recognition that these were lessons. So it was like, Thank you for the practice. You know, thank you for the lesson. Thank you for bringing me this lesson to practice this. And once I shifted in that way, that really helped me. Yeah, you just got me thinking about that, while I'm shuffling your cards. At the end of every episode, I pull a card from my journal prompt card deck of 33 cards for workplace and career, and you get an affirmation, and a message meant for you and the listeners from the universe. So let's see what we got here. This one cards kind of peeking out at me. So I'm gonna grab it. Oh, well, I'm so glad we got this one. Got reward. This is a good one to get. We got reward. And there's an illustration of a bubble bath and stars coming up from it. And the affirmation is, I take time to reward myself for the work that I accomplish. So Brian, this is going to be some self reflection and courageous for you because we often don't take time to reward ourselves in the workplace. Can you share what you're proud of that you've accomplished?

Brian McComak: 33:45

Such a great question. One thing that I want to offer is that, as you were leaning into the card selection, there's a quote that I used to have on my email, which is "the world shows up the way you see it that day". So we get to choose how we see the reality of the world around us. And that's hard, by the way sometimes, because sometimes you're like, I want to be miserable. And it's okay to be sad for a day or an hour, or upset or angry, like that's where humans, but we also get to choose if we want to see it through a different lens. So I really, I really appreciate what you were what you were sharing around, you know, the sometimes the world gives us opportunities to expand our skill set, or grow and learn and sometimes those those moments are painful, but they're also they also who can have a beautiful light to them. And, you know, being HIV positive, for example is something that you know, that took me a long time to process but it's also something that is a fuel for me to be able to do a work that makes the world a better place. So something I'm proud of is you know, just talking about hummingbird for a second I launched hummingbird May of 2020. So it was you know, two months after the pandemic hit the United States. I truly just launched hummingbird because I wanted it to be way to stay relevant in the conversation. Because I moved into consulting, I was no longer in house in a full time role. And all of my work disappeared overnight in March of 2020, and I hung my shingle and said, and launched a conversation series called Hope heart and the human spirit, which was the way that hummingbird got its start. And hummingbird today is now a business working with multiple companies that has full time employees. That is, I hope, really making a difference and the lives of leaders and managers and people in the workplace. And, and it's, it's really, it's rewarding to see the, that sort of initial idea, you know, come to fruition, you know, not only make a difference in our clients and the people we work with, but also, you know, I've really tried to lean into the commitment of you know, so everything that I challenge our clients to do, I try to practice what I preach or take my own medicine, whatever phrase you want to use. And we've given up everyone on the team are all people who are from marginalized communities, and are committed to the making the world a better place. So you know, also creating a space where, you know, some of us who don't feel like we fit in other places now are having a place where they can thrive and do the work that they're passionate about doing. That's, it's a pretty cool moment. I'll also shared like on the other side of that is, I'm a new CEO, who still is like, what does it mean to be CEO? What does that look like? So I'm also just trying to figure it out. And I'm grateful to have people who show up and support me and challenge me and help me learn and grow. Because none of us do this alone. So the fact that people show up and support me is, is also pretty cool. So those are some things that I'm, I'm proud of.

Amy Lynn Durham: 36:47

Thank you. And thank you for the work that you do. I'm so grateful that there are people like you in the world that are doing this. And just for everyone listening, this is a call from the Universe to take a pause and acknowledge how far you've come and think about what you're proud of that you've accomplished so far, instead of constantly going, going going right? And that's what we just experienced today. So very powerful. Brian, if people are interested in working with hummingbird, how can they get a hold of you?

Brian McComak: 37:23

Sure. Sure. Well, I'm thank you for asking, I always love the chance to share how to connect with the hummingbirds. The best way to connect with me is on LinkedIn, which is, of course, you'll find that find it in the show notes, I'm sure my my LinkedIn link or my name, which is B R I A n and McCormick MC c o m a k. And hummingbird humanity is a little easier to spell you can also find hummingbird humanity on Facebook, and LinkedIn and Instagram. One thing that I'll highlight though, is if you go to the hummingbird humanity.com website, you can also sign up for our newsletter, we send a weekly newsletter that offers some tools and tips. And we also have a commitment to amplifying the voices of the unheard. So we always share stories about the ways that representation comes to life and the world around us. And, and those offer inspiration for many others of how you can do your own part in this work. So feel free to follow us on social media or sign up for our newsletter. Yeah,

Amy Lynn Durham: 38:25

Thank you for that resource. I think that would be great for leaders in the workplace to access that and utilize that. So thank you. Well, we definitely send some magic to everyone. So thank you for being on the show.

Brian McComak: 38:37

Absolutely. Thank you for having me, Amy. It's I love. I love that you use magic as the mechanism for sharing stories. And, you know, let's talk about creating magic in the workplace. Because I do think that you know, that's another beautiful part of being human is magic is part of our journeys in our lives. So it's really just a pleasure to be here. And thank you all for listening. And Amy, thank you again for inviting me.

Amy Lynn Durham: 39:01

Thanks, Brian. Everyone, it's Amy here. Thank you for listening to the latest episode of create magic at work and please come back often and subscribe rate and review the podcast. Keep joining us for more exciting episodes where we help you transform workplace culture to systems that create less on stress and have high productivity and profitability. You can get your own tools for the workplace at create magic@work.net I have a new create magic at work the journal that just released and it invites you to reflect about different themes for work in your career. Each section of the journal contains a topic and affirmation and to prompt questions to help you journal your thoughts, topics or like inspiring others mentorship, expansion and productivity. So connect with me at create magic@work.net also connect with me on LinkedIn under Amy Lynn Durham, sending magic to everyone and see you next time.

Unknown: 40:00

Okay