(EOS Episode 30) Building A Workplace Culture with Respect, Clarity and Gratitude

Psychological safety gets confusing when it turns into a buzzword. In this episode of Traction for Your Workplace Goals, Certifed EOS Implementer Michele Mollard defines it in plain terms as a culture built on respect, clarity, gratitude, and accountability. 

MIchele talks through how leadership behavior cascades, why employees crave clear expectations, and how to give hard feedback without draining trust. 

Episode Resources
More Information
Email Michele

EOS-Traction for Your Workplace Goals is a Livemic Communications production.

Transcript

Richard Piet 0:02

Hi, Richard Piet. Welcome back to Attraction for Your Workplace Goals. Michele Mollard is a certified EOS implementer, and she's helping folks get past what roadblocks may be toward the goals for their business. And that's what we talk about on this podcast. Hello, Michele.

Michele Mollard 0:22

Hello, Richard.

Psychological Safety Without The Buzzword

Richard Piet 0:23

You know, it's interesting about words. Words sometimes have no meaning. Sometimes they have meaning. Sometimes they have significant meaning. Sometimes they get charged, maybe even with the wrong meaning. Today we're going to talk about a couple of words and help you think about what they mean, particularly as it relates to the workplace. What are those words, Michele?

Michele Mollard 0:51

Yeah, and I just want to make sure that uh I've put a little disclaimer in here about it. So the word is psychological safety. I am all for it. I am all for it, but I think it's getting a little charged, as you put, um, Richard. And so I wanted to maybe flip the script or put my, not even flip the script, put my definition to it. And I think that if I've done a lot of reading on this uh and kind of why I want to speak to this today, is making sure that we understand really at the root cause of why it was established and why it was needed. Um, and for me, it is about a culture that has respect, that has clarity and has gratitude. And when we have cultures that have respect, clarity, and gratitude, I might even throw an accountability in there. We have that. People want it. They deserve to have those cultures. Um, and everything about EOS makes those cultures. But I just wanted to talk about it, uh, Richard, and just kind of put it out there for engagement, uh, hopefully, uh obviously for sure, you and I. Uh, but what else is out there to talk about more? And so I just wanted to share that. And I had a uh customer of mine uh in the meat industry. Uh, there's a great little newsletter, I think it is, and maybe even a publication called The Meeting Place, M-E-A-T-I-N-G. Really fun uh place. Uh a little plug. I don't get paid for that, but uh, they don't even know me. Um, and there was a really great article in there that talks about this. So uh if you don't have any other questions, I'd love to just read what she thought was around this idea of having a place with respect, clarity, and gratitude.

How Leader Behavior Cascades

Richard Piet 2:29

Yeah, let's hear it.

Michele Mollard 2:30

Yeah. So I'm just uh pardon me looking down, I'll I'll kind of pull my notes up a little bit, but pardon me looking down, but I do want to make sure it's right because it's really important to make sure that these words are right. So one of the passages that she loved was when leaders demonstrate consistency, accountability, and respect, those behaviors cascade throughout the organization. Conversely or oppositely, the leaders who tolerate poor behavior or ignore the small issues lack the same standards, mean the behaviors will cascade through. And so I always say, as goes the leadership team, so goes the rest of the organization. So I just wanted to kind of talk about this consistency, accountability, respect, again, gratitude and clarity, right? Accountability, clarity, uh, around the same thing, Richard. And so I think it's just a really great passage to share.

Richard Piet 3:27

You know, I when you were reading that, I was thinking about saying it a different way, but I don't know if it's the same. For example, uh, very often there might be a leader in an organization who sets the tone for that organization.

Michele Mollard 3:43

Yes.

Richard Piet 3:43

And and that trickles down whether that's good or bad, I suppose. It reminds me of that, what you were saying in those words, that uh sometimes we, I presume, don't necessarily know as leaders how we're affecting the rest of the organization in what we do. And that could be good or or not.

Michele Mollard 4:05

Yeah. So, Richard, you know I played soccer, and so as a big uh player of that sport and and loved it. And when I was in high school, I was literally a starting freshman uh on a very prominent women's soccer team in New Jersey uh in high school. And the coach said to me, Michele, I know you're only a freshman, but they're all watching you. And I'm like, I don't want that responsibility, right? I didn't really know. Uh, you know, again, it was fine. I, you know, I was I, you know, it sounds really egotistical, but I was a leader. I was, I showed up, I played well, right? And so when I had a bad day, meaning, you know, I don't know, I wasn't the most popular girl that day, right? And back in the day of high school and the dramas that come with that, uh, and I showed up differently on the soccer field, the whole team showed up differently. And it's not fair for me, but as a leader, we have to recognize that we do do that. So what's your point is when I wasn't showing up with clarity, accountability, respect, uh, energy, whatever those things are, that my team was responding. And so you're absolutely right uh that we do that. And so we have to show that we have to show that we're one team, one vision, one voice, and recognizing that when we don't, we have to also recognize that it's not always the leadership team, right? There's some people that lead with power without title. Um, and so sometimes you have a mid-manager, even an employee, that they will show there, and then the employees will emulate that. So they could be even peers, right? And so we have to we have to watch it as leadership team members, right? And so that's a challenge. But we also have to watch those personalities coming out within our organizations that are leaders that are in a good way, right? And an employee that's been there six months, that is leading and people are watching. That's fantastic. And then there's people that have been there six years and are leading not well, right? Tainting the tool, tainting the tank, tainting the water, and we're not doing anything about it.

Clarity Versus Micromanagement

Richard Piet 6:02

Wow. I I'm just letting that resonate a second in my own head, much less the rest of us. But uh that is true. I think we have uh the the leaders come through, and also those who are leaders then have the opportunity to come through, I guess. And and sometimes we do, and sometimes maybe we have more more work to do. You know, uh, I think it's inferred that respect, clarity, gratitude, accountability are good things, but let's talk about why. Why are those things good? What do they do for us?

Michele Mollard 6:37

Yeah, I think for me, obviously the word clarity, right? But the accountability, and so what it does for us as humans, it it gives into the actually the second passage that the the employee or the client was talking about is that employees crave it. We really do crave it. And now, just thinking about too the delineation between micromanagement and management. And I'm using my hands that some of you just listening, you won't be able to see it, but if you're watching, you can. Like micromanagement, my hands are about four or five inches apart, right? When it comes to management, they're a foot, a foot and a half, two feet, miles wide, right? And so the clarity that we can give them is the guardrails that are miles wide, not necessarily this uh really, really tight micromanagement piece. And so uh I'm gonna read again what she was prepping. People crave clarity, clear expectations, consistent follow-through, create this psychological safety or create an environment where respect, clarity, and gratitude uh are exist and predictability will shine. And so it's just really about um having those two things, um, having these two things, right? We're talking about the consistency uh on the team and making sure it's doing. And so what it does is it breeds this culture of accountability, it breeds this safe place for people to be. And we as managers, leaders, don't always have to be the ones giving them the clarity. It could be the team, it can be all the different things that are happening with them uh that makes this culture. And so the next step of that is people really do want that clarity. And I think that um there's a great book out there, uh Radical Candor. Uh also Brene Brown is, you know, clear is kind, it's such an amazing thing. And so some people hold back um that piece of conversation because they're scared about doing it, but delivered well is such a phenomenal piece, right?

Deposits And Withdrawals With Feedback

Richard Piet 8:38

That's the part that people get nervous about, right? They do. Oh, this could be a difficult conversation. Well, maybe it is, but the approach may make all the difference.

Michele Mollard 8:53

Yeah, and if I have respect, if I've given them clarity, if I have given them gratitude, I have poured into them when things are great, then I can make a withdrawal, right? A feedback that's not so great, right? So think about like a gas tank. Um, if I keep filling that gas tank or a well with greatness when they are great, and then I have to take a little withdrawal or even a big withdrawal, I'm not hitting the bottom of that tank. We've talked about this before as an analogy. I just love that analogy because people get it, right? But I can remove stuff, I can give them hard, critical feedback, but they know that it comes from a place of love, it comes from a place of respect, it comes from a place of clarity, comes right. And so here we are circling back together. And I think that's where we're we're missing that sometimes is that we haven't made enough deposits into them as humans to be able to make those withdrawals and we know that it's going to be reacted. Now, there's there are some people that cannot take feedback. Let's be real. I'm not, I'm not, I don't live in utopia where uh I have given somebody all the great praise that they do, and then you take a withdrawal and they're literally quit. I mean, they literally walk out and be like, Well, what's one bad thing that you said to me and I'm out? Right. Um, that does happen. And if that happens, then I I I don't lose sleep over that um personally. Like I don't want to squirrel.

Richard Piet 10:13

Yeah, or back to the right people in the right seat. Maybe that's not the right person. Yeah.

Michele Mollard 10:17

Correct, right. Yeah, there's a whole other there's a whole other podcast for that one, uh, which we probably actually think about talk about.

Richard Piet 10:23

So this is interesting because it is psychological in some ways. Uh people respond to their circumstances, their environment, the people around them, the things that get said. And that can be different for everybody, or each individual. Oh, absolutely. So this requires a certain amount of I was gonna say expertise, I guess, in a in a manager to try and help them uh be the best person they can be in the environment. So this there's a skill to that.

Michele Mollard 11:01

Yeah, and I think the biggest thing that I would share, and it's not uh I probably take it for granted that leading is not that hard for me, but if we there's a saying in the world of EOS, systemize the predictable so you can humanize the exceptional, right? And so the the problem is that we haven't systemized enough things. We haven't said, this is what I want for your expectations, giving clarity, giving role clarity, giving outcomes, giving measurables that they need every single week. When we do that, it leaves space for us as leaders to see that, recognize that, and then yet pour into them. And so sometimes when we don't have a whole team rowing in the same direction, we're running after, I'll say problem children, right? Problem uh employees, and we're spending a lot of time on that and not spending on the great employees. And if we had all great, it just allows more time, right? And so I think yes, you're right. Uh, but but but creating a culture that we have that everybody's there or 80% of our people are there, that it then gives us breathing room as leaders to be like, oh my gosh, I need to get to know them. I need to understand, you know, how Michele wants her praise, which is very different than probably how Richard wants his praise, right? And so that we can do, you know, jokingly, you know, if if Michele gets praise, she wants her name in lights in Vegas, and you want to know to thank you, right? Like, I mean, right? And and it's a it's a matter of personalities. It's a I mean, maybe it's reverse, Richard. I don't know.

Richard Piet 12:32

Um I was gonna say the same thing.

Michele Mollard 12:34

Maybe it's reverse. Uh, but that's my point, right? And so we we you to your point, we have to know our people, we have to know what they need. But fundamentally, let's give the bedrock, let's give that foundation of respect, clarity, gratitude in the base so that we're building the house. The house is made for them, the house of what they need, feedback and constructive feedback, feedback, positive, negative uh improvements, whatever. I, you know, I speak very, very frankly, so I would call it negative. Uh, how do we improve them? Right? That all can come and it's it's an easy, easier conversation because we've set that foundation.

Root Causes And Getting Unstuck

Richard Piet 13:09

So I I don't we we don't need to go down a negative path, I suppose, but uh what you've described is your interpretation of psychological safety, which is different than maybe the charged version of what those words mean.

Michele Mollard 13:28

I think anything, any word or group of words, right? I mean, let's just use sustainability, right? In an environmental uh aspect, right? It was such a buzzword for a long time. I'm not sure if it is, I'm not in that in space anymore. But it can be like, oh, you are you are just don't care about the environment whatsoever. And I'm like, what how did that word get to that? Right. Um, and that's what I'm kind of sharing is, you know, absolutely believer that every employee, every person, every leader, I mean, there's some leaders in organizations that don't feel like they have respect, uh, clarity, and right. And so it's not a matter of where they sit uh in the org chart, we call it an accountability chart. It's not a matter where they sit that, it's providing this culture, right? And so, yeah, I mean, I don't want to go down a negative realm because I it was never, if you if you do the research around it, it was never intended for that. It was giving a a place and a space for people to uh have that and they deserve that as humans. They are human beings uh and they deserve that. I just wanted to kind of give a little bit different spin on it. Um, so we don't, you know, I don't get people charged up about it if it's a buzzword that kind of rubs them the wrong way or the right way, right? It gets them charged. I don't know.

Richard Piet 14:43

Respect, clarity, gratitude, accountability. Think about those words. Yeah. And speaking of thoughts, here's Michele's final thought for you before we go from this episode.

Michele Mollard 14:56

Thanks, uh, Richard. I appreciate that. My final thought is if this is something that you're struggling with, if this is something that you're struggling with trying to have to set up in your organization, this respect, this clarity, this gratitude, uh, I would love a conversation with you, but do some thinking about it. Do some kind of where does it come from? What's the root cause of it? Is it you? Right. And sometimes we have to look inside, put a mirror up, and be like, oh, it is me, uh, or I'm not consistent in the way I do that. Is it somebody else in your organization uh that you're just not ready to have those tough conversations with? Uh, I would love to talk to you through it in that and saying, hey, it's Bob. Uh sorry, Bob, if you're listening, it's probably not you, but Bob, if it's if it's you, if it's Bob, let's have a conversation around it. Uh, I would love to be your sounding board, your thought partner around how to help you get unstuck. It really is about uh helping everybody reach their full potential, everybody reach uh the company and the goals that they want, the entrepreneur being able to have everything that they want for their business. And if I can just have a conversation, that's what my role is. That's what I'd love to do for you.

Richard Piet 16:01

So Michele Mollard, certified EOS implementer. There's the word. Contact information in the show notes for this episode. And we invite you to subscribe to Traction for Your Workplace Goals. You'll get a little alert when these episodes come available. Just go find us where you find podcasts. We're back soon. Take care. Bye.