29: "We Have Big Dreams, But Those in Authority Don't..."

Callie's coming in with a question that we're pretty sure many entrepreneurs have run up against...

"I've had some recent happenings with people from my town, who are wonderful people, but they don't think like us. We do think obnoxiously and bigger than maybe we should. What do you think we should do in a situation where there are really great people surrounding you, but they tend not to believe in the possibility, and it feels like it's holding you back?"

In this case, it's those in authority, and it's kind of a vibe killer. 

This conversation is blunt while also bringing curiosity to why the answer has become the answer. Because, as we know, there's always more to the story.

Enjoy and feel free to weigh in on what you would do or if you can see another option!

Got a question/suggestion/or want our advice on a topic?
We’d love to give you our unsolicited advice, so please submit your question here.

Connect with Us:
Follow along with Amanda and Callie

Instagram:
@amandalquickcoaching
@reclaimedblog
@reclaimedpage
@reclaimedbookandbean

Website:
www.amandaleequick.com
www.reclaimedpage.com

Subscribe:
Never miss an episode of Unsolicited Business Advice — available wherever you get your podcast

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:02

This is the Unsolicited Business Advice Podcast. We're Amanda and Callie, founders, moms, and friends who believe your heart is valid and your way is good enough.

SPEAKER_01 0:13

Around here, we skip the buttoned-up LinkedIn talk and dive straight into real conversations about growing a startup, balancing motherhood, and rejecting the hustle culture. Consider this your weekly reminder that business can actually feel joyful again. Uh episode 29. Yes, 29. So I have a question, and it just came to me based on our last podcast episode. So I'm gonna ask you. And you haven't heard this. No, you don't have no idea what I'm gonna say. I'm not even really sure yet what how I'm gonna say it, but um, I have had some recent happenings, dealings with um people from my town who are wonderful people. Yeah, no shade, but they don't think like me and they don't think like Brad. And we tend to, we are, we okay, we do think obnoxiously sometimes, okay. We we do probably think a little bit bigger than we should sometimes. Yeah. Or sometimes we're a little overly optimistic and whatever else. But what do you do, or what do you think we should do in a situation where uh uh there are really great people surrounding you, but uh they uh tend to not believe in possibility and it holds you back and you feel like you're just running up against a brick wall over and over again.

SPEAKER_02 1:41

Well, the very blunt answer is don't be around them.

SPEAKER_01 1:46

Yes. And I but that's that I know I love that. Yeah, some we sometimes need permission from them to do things. Okay, yes, yeah. So right. Right. Rules sometimes are rules for no apparent reason.

SPEAKER_02 2:04

Like I think it's yes together. Yeah. Yeah. And it's tough, right? Like it is, like when they're in a place of authority, essentially. Right. Okay, right, right, right. And you have an idea and they don't want to do it, whether it's because that's how it's always been done, or well, we can't let you do that because that makes more work on us and we don't want to do that. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 2:29

Or and I can I can give you a direct quote from this there's there are a couple different groups of people who this has happened with recently, but a direct quote from one of them was we can't build that for you, or you can't use that as your space, your drive-thru space, because we've never done that before. So we won't approve it because we've never done it before. And I, you know, I mean, we're the same in this. Yeah. What kind of answer is that?

SPEAKER_02 3:02

Yeah. Like that small to do with that. That's small, like that small town mindset, unfortunately. Yeah for some. Um, or I guess more this it sounds so harsh, but it's like small minded. And it's a not a growth mindset. So whatever that is. Yeah, it almost just like that feels to me. Gosh, I feel like I'm being real mean, but that just sounds lazy.

SPEAKER_01 3:28

That's see, that's where it hits me.

SPEAKER_02 3:30

It feels really like I don't want to try to figure this out.

SPEAKER_01 3:33

Yes. And Brad and I talked about that a little bit.

SPEAKER_02 3:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:36

We were like, 'cause basically for us, it came down to like, oh, because this is just a job for this guy.

SPEAKER_02 3:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:43

He this is just his nine to five. He switches a time for a paycheck. He's not really, really into that. He's not really into what he does, which is fine, whatever. People do that all the time and make it work. But we don't operate on that level at all ever. Like if something isn't vibing with us, um, we're just out. Yeah. Because we that's a very short amount of time we have on this earth and we want it to vibe, you know. Um so when you ask somebody who's doing something that they don't really even care about, they just get a paycheck for, and you ask them to kind of go outside the lines of expectation, it's like nope, hard stop. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:23

Well, and especially like depending on what their role is and what business it's with. Like if it's economic development, that is your job is to take it back. And they could even go, I need you guys to provide this, this, this, this, and put it on you guys. And then if you do, then they can check to see, but just to like, yeah, flat out, that's to me. Either that or like they don't feel like they have the authority to be able to think about it a different way. Like maybe nobody's ever given them permission to go, hey, like, if we get something random, like, let's talk about it.

SPEAKER_01 5:09

So I like I love that you brought that perspective up. That makes it easier for me to swallow.

SPEAKER_02 5:14

Rather than it's just rather than it's just I don't really care about. And maybe that's like their upper management, yeah. Is that's how they've been trained to be like, no, don't care. Yeah, not gonna happen. Yeah. Yeah. Leaders, listen up. I just went to a yeah, uh conference on like leadership culture and leadership, and it was a lot about that as like leaders, your people need permission to dream and they need permission to do, and they need permission to do these things.

SPEAKER_01 5:51

And you know, I have a hard time calling that kind of leadership leaders. It's more like manager, it's like yeah, well, if you're the manager or if you get to manage the situation, but man, it's just that's a bummer because like truly, I think that's how small towns start to die. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 6:16

Because there aren't people who are open to different ideas, and yes, just because it hasn't been done before, like things change, things evolve.

SPEAKER_01 6:27

People change, people evolve, and what people need from the world around them evolves too.

SPEAKER_02 6:32

Yeah, and like if you want your town to continue to grow and thrive, you gotta sometimes think differently. I mean, like that goes back to like when I was talking about my mentor, like Kristen, like she thinks differently and they go all in on it.

unknown 6:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:52

And I get that sometimes things don't work out. I get it. Believe me, been there a few times. But but there have been some things that have worked out, and it's like, what if this idea that you're immediately shooting down, what if it works out? What if it brings a huge influx of money into our tiny little town? Yeah, that's like what if and I can't imagine a world in which we just don't try because we don't know how it ends. That is so silly to me. I cannot even wrap my mind around that.

SPEAKER_02 7:26

Yeah. But I think, well, there's a lot, as you know, that goes into that of like what are they scared of? Right. Yeah, or like scared of for you.

SPEAKER_01 7:35

Right.

SPEAKER_02 7:36

Which is on them. That's fair. Right. Cause that's usually when people are like, Oh my god, are you really gonna do that? Because it's like they don't have the gumption to do it, and they just want everybody to be safe. Yeah. Because they live more safe. Yeah. Or they've seen it done and fail. And so they don't want that on you.

SPEAKER_01 7:54

And I respect that. I do. Yeah. It comes from a kind place. I get it. I respect it. I just train my brain to think that way.

SPEAKER_02 8:01

I mean, it just seems lazy. And it's like you're like you guys are kind of like, we're gonna do it whether we like it or not. Yeah. Until you literally legally can't. And then it's also a bummer in somebody who chases, I don't mean chases in a bad way, but like chases exciting things.

SPEAKER_01 8:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:20

So to have somebody be like, nope, no fun for you, that hurts, and that's hard because and maybe this is an opportunity to be like, maybe that wasn't the best thing, and there is another option, but you're that's true too. Oh, I think somebody has said that before. There's always more options.

SPEAKER_00 8:42

Okay. You know, I don't like it when people throw the stuff that I say back in my face. That's off limits, okay? Off limits.

SPEAKER_02 8:52

I don't think I've gotten to do that before. Yeah. Oh, I was like Brad the other day. I don't want responsibility. Aren't you writing a book on that? Like I just read that. Oh yeah. I think maybe it is of like that's the only way that you guys see it working, but maybe it's an opportunity for you guys to go, okay, if this doesn't work, what's another option?

SPEAKER_01 9:13

Moving somewhere a little bigger. Well, a little more outside of the box thinking. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:20

So what are you gonna do?

SPEAKER_01 9:22

Well, because I am stubborn.

SPEAKER_00 9:25

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 9:26

Which is what I wanted to ask.

SPEAKER_00 9:27

We're probably gonna find a way around it.

SPEAKER_02 9:29

Yeah, okay. Yeah. Okay. Ask for forgiveness instead of permission. What do you mean it wasn't allowed? We didn't know that. Oh, my God. Okay. Yeah. We check with the gas line, it was fine.

SPEAKER_00 9:42

Yes, exactly. God, please do that. It's like dig right. Please call. Please call 1-800. Dig right.

SPEAKER_01 9:51

That we're sponsored by them today, right? Yes, yeah. Right. Big check.

SPEAKER_00 9:54

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 9:55

Big check for that one.

SPEAKER_02 9:59

We base the episode around that.

SPEAKER_01 10:00

It's funny. I think we think we're funnier than other people think.

SPEAKER_00 10:05

100%. Thanks for still being here, you guys. Cassid loves us. Because they're one fan.

SPEAKER_02 10:10

Or they're like, oh, still cooler than those two. It's probably how we help people. Yeah. Oh, those sad women. Uh truth. Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 10:22

Well, thanks for that. You're welcome. And also, will you help me uh buck the norm? Yeah. Okay. Thanks, dude. For sure.

SPEAKER_02 10:31

That's what we're going to do next. Thanks for listening to the unsolicited business advice podcast. If you've got a question you want us to tackle, DM us or drop it in the comments. Your story might be in our next episode. And hey, if this resonated with you, hit follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Every review helps us reach more business owners who are ready to bring joy back into their work.