Team Engineered Podcast

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Do You Really Have To Respond To All Those Alerts? And Why You're Addicted To Them!

Computer scientist Edward Tufte says, "There are only two industries that call their customers' users': illegal drugs and software." Many of us came to know him in the film The Social Dilemma, which tackles the dark side of our addiction to social media.

A really interesting concept we've come to understand is how these free platforms use us as the “product”. We've known this for a fact, but given how they've become necessary in our lives, we acknowledge the need to stay on these platforms. The challenge, therefore, is establishing the discipline of when to let our devices rule our time. We can break the cycle of addiction and get away from it.

The brain can quickly lose focus with many things fighting for your attention, especially social media. You can take ownership of your day rather than it owning you by tweaking how you think when trying to implement new habits to upgrade self-discipline.

The person most dangerous to you is YOU. The person that's the best coach for you is also YOU. I am here to remind you that whatever thoughts or feelings come to you at any given moment do not define or control you. Remember, you can choose whether to participate or not in your thoughts. You hold power to become the most dangerous person to you or be your own best coach.

Resisting daily temptations can be tough on the path of self-improvement, especially when you are doing them alone. We help individuals inside our container become better people and bigger leaders in their organizations. It's been awesome to see everyone sharing their ideas and motivating each other in the group.

Do you need support? Send us a DM, and we'd be happy to have a chat.

Learn more in this new episode of the Team Engineered show Do You Really Have To Respond To All Those Alerts? And Why You're Addicted To Them! with Jade Green and Kyle Probert. ▶️

Key points covered in this episode:

[00:00:00] Welcome to Team Engineered!

[00:01:59] The value of waking up an hour earlier than what you're used to

[00:03:37] Stacking habits & waking up without an alarm

[00:05:54] Dopamine and motivation

[00:07:38] The person who can be the most dangerous & the best coach for you

[00:10:20] The first step is admitting you've got voices in your head

[00:15:18] Kyle, on the need to respond to your phone straight away

[00:18:18] Lessons from The Social Dilemma

[00:21:50] Going on tech-free days

[00:23:21] Deliberately set up your notifications

[00:29:09] Challenge yourself to go on reset

How a little attitude of gratitude goes a long way!

As humans, we are programmed to always look for the negative and have the tendency to dwell on unpleasant events. It’s easy to see how we get so fixated on bad days that didn't go our way in our homes and workplaces.

In this episode, Kyle and I talk about the benefit of doing things differently and learning to look at the bright side of things despite our negative biases.

Many business and family cultures don't have gratitude as part of their repertoire. If we want to develop a more positive view inside our homes and workplaces, we need to learn to appreciate both the big and small things. We can overcome our tendency toward negativity by becoming more conscious of flexing our gratitude attitude muscles daily.

A fun culture can be acceptable in the workplace to build team connections. However, we must be serious too in saying the good things, appreciating our people, and giving credit where credit is due.

Often within a team of tradies, there's quite an interesting dynamic of the typical team giving each other a hard time about absolutely everything. Although this is all in the name of fun, sharing words of general appreciation rather than just joking around all the time can make a huge difference.

Remember, necessary words must be said and heard. As a leader, it is not a weakness to validate your people, especially those whose primary love language is words of affirmation – they will feel the words deeper.

Tune in to this episode of the Team Engineered show — How A Little Attitude Of Gratitude Goes A Long Way! with Jade Green & Kyle Probert.

Key points covered in this episode:

03:10 Jade shares how to start meetings with everyone mentioning what they are grateful for
04:08 Business and family cultures that don't practice gratefulness
05:32 Kyle on leading tradies & why appreciation is important
06:40 The power of words
09:09 Have mindful moments and practice being grateful for small things
12:43 Writing three milestones at the start of the day and things you're grateful for
20:48 Why a gratitude attitude is a muscle you need to flex and use daily
21:37 Tips on sending gratitude to your team & loved ones

Reducing Fear To Increase Productivity With Jade Green and Kyle Probert

Fear is present in the workplace, whether we realise it or not. The culture we keep, uncertainty, feelings of disconnect and difficult employee-employer relationships pose psychological threats to our people.

As a leader, it is essential to be mindful of how you are showing up. Ensure that your actions and interactions with people inspire instead of causing fear in them — not just at work but everywhere else.

You can't make people care if you don't care about them. Empathy and the ability to cultivate understanding and support in the workplace are crucial to preventing disengagement, poor performance, and indifference.

There is a "good" ego, and there is an "out of control" ego. Which one do you keep? The positive side of self-pride is how it drives us to be able to succeed, rise the corporate ladder and build businesses. It gets out of control when it's not in check and not aligned to good.

Just because it's being waterfalled down on you doesn't mean you need to continue the cascade. We can be all too familiar with the story of poor little Johnny. His dad comes home after a really bad day at work. He had a project that failed, and the bosses screamed at him. When Johnny approaches dad, he yells at him out of anger and stress.

How does it feel to be Little Johnny?

So if you're a leader, think about how you want to make your people feel. Just because higher management's intense anger and toxicity get down to you doesn't mean you need to cascade the same to your people down the line.

Think of your favourite boss or workmate. There's always that person for whom we always went above and beyond for. Recall great past experiences with good managers and unforgettable supervisors and adapt these as lessons to improve your leadership.

Tune in to this episode of the Team:Engineered show — Reducing Fear To Increase Productivity with Jade Green & Kyle Probert.

Key points covered in this episode:

[00:00:10] Welcome back to Team:Engineered! This week we are talking about FEAR

[00:01:22] How do we create fear in our teams?

[00:05:00] Jade describes problems with bosses and why people stop caring in the workplace

[00:07:32] Why ego isn't always the enemy

[00:09:51] Take leadership cues from your favourite boss or workmate

[00:11:12] Kyle explains why the iron fist doesn't work

[00:11:53] Assess how you are causing fear in others

[00:12:53] Annihilating Overwhelm training session and reducing the fear in the workplace

Pay Attention To The Small Things

We know that the #1 way to get peak productivity out of our people is for them to feel psychologically safe. One way to achieve this is by making sure they feel seen, heard and understood. They're not just numbers that make up our teams, but humans who help us grow our businesses and advocacies.

Pay attention to the little things, whether in person or on Zoom. These make the big things in identifying what's going on, particularly with your team members. It is crucial to notice details by being fully engaged in the conversation.

Look at the energy or how your people enter the workplace any day. Get a read and be perceptive and compassionate about what's going on. Have they come in a little bit flat or quiet? Do they try to avoid everyone? Are they not making eye contact?

Always "On" Culture. We know that as a team leader, as a boss, as a business owner, and even often as an employee – like everyone else, it's easy to get tangled up in responding to notifications and being busy. It creates a disconnect with the person we're talking to.

Multitasking can be disadvantageous to you. If all the tabs are open in your brain, it can drain your mental batteries and cognitive load. Be fully engaged when making conversations and get rid of the distractions to give those people the focus they need. And if you can't focus on the moment, be very clear that you will discuss concerns and questions immediately after so that your team will not feel neglected or just shrugged off.

Tune in to this episode of the Team:Engineered show — Pay Attention To The Small Things with Jade Green & Kyle Probert.

Key points covered in this episode:

[00:00:49] Jade Green on the meaning behind "V" and recruitment firm Velocity
[00:03:01] Kyle Probert on ice baths & paying attention where you feel cold
[00:04:36] Notice the small things with your team to build a connection
[00:08:27] What are the big connection killers?
[00:10:07] The botox face and non-verbal communications
[00:12:46] Presenting to a dead crowd.
[00:13:55] Tips when making Zoom/video calls
[00:16:46] The story of why Jade doesn't have a smartwatch
[00:21:47] Why it isn't easy to multitask.
[00:23:54] Noticing the small things & programming your Reticular Activating System (RAS), which tells our brains to look for what's important.
[00:24:23] Preprogram your brain with the Meeting Maximizer

What Causes Overwhelm? With Jade Green and Kyle Probert

Modern culture made us develop Attention Deficit Trait or ADT. We see this neurological phenomenon in ourselves and our teams, resulting in a huge mental overload followed by a pattern of overwhelm, inattention and impatience. Although ADT is less severe, it affects people's time management and decision-making capacity.

Be on the lookout for symptoms of ADT and check if you experience these on a regular basis.

A heightened distractibility and a persistent feeling of being rushed or in a hurry
An inability to sustain lengthy and full attention to a thought, a conversation, an image, a paragraph, a diagram, a sunset — or anything else, even when you try to.
A growing tendency toward impatience, boredom, dissatisfaction, restlessness, irritability, frustration, or frenzy, sometimes approaching panic.
A tendency to hop from task to task, idea to idea, even place to place.A tendency to make decisions impulsively, rather than reflecting and taking time to think them through
A tendency to put off difficult work or conversations, coupled with a tendency to overfill your day with feckless busywork
A tendency to feel overwhelmed, even when, in reality, you're not.
Difficulty in fully enjoying pleasant moments and genuine achievements.
A feeling of loss of control over your own life and a nagging sense of "What am I missing?"
A recurring thought that "Someday I will make time for what really matters, but I don't have time to do that today."
A growing, compulsive need for frequent electronic "hits," for example, checking emails, speaking on your phone, sending or receiving texts, Googling random subjects, visiting favorite websites, or playing games, coupled with almost an addict's yen for them when they are unavailable.
A tendency to over-commit, make yourself too available, allow too many interruptions, and say yes too quickly.

Overwhelm can completely derail you and your team. If left unaddressed, ADT significantly affects team performance and hampers company operations with them not realizing the cause.

Awareness is vital in ensuring that the environment you keep for your people is where connections are nurtured and conducive to a fear-free workplace. Allow your team the space and support to be open to asking for help when they feel overwhelmed—managing their anxiety from work without the apprehension of being judged.

Set boundaries and recharge your brain. Nurture positive emotions in the workplace and pursue your happy rituals and activities so you can act from a more conscious level, coming up with better creativity and better output.

Tune in to this episode of the Team:Engineered show — What Causes Overwhelm? with Jade Green & Kyle Probert.

Key points covered in this episode:

[00:00:00] Introduction

[00:01:17] Jade on how overwhelm can completely derail your team

[00:04:36] Kyle discusses symptoms of team overwhelm

[00:06:01] On getting busy being busy

[00:07:17] The compulsive need for electronic hits

[00:10:50] Kyle shares how often we use overwhelm as an excuse to

[00:12:08] Jade explains the similarities between ADHD and ADT

[00:15:09] The science behind Attention Deficit Trait

[00:18:31] Awareness is key to taking control

[00:20:03] Refrain operating from a place of fear

[00:24:04] Find out how the amazing Annihilate Overwhelm workshop can help you and your team

How To Present Yourself As A Leader

When we become adults and assume leadership positions in the workplace, we understand that poise and standing up straight can shift the way we behave and dictate how everyone else perceives us.

You only get one first impression; what message do you want to send? Jade describes the picture you've already seen before: walking into a meeting or a group setting, you naturally flock to that person who's carrying him or herself confidently. Many instances happen where everyday workers are more postured than their supervisors and managers.

Standing up straight changes how you feel, but it also changes how everyone perceives you. Kyle shares how you can allow your body to fool your mind in times when you feel scared, unprepared or insecure by focusing on one simple thing — your posture.

Posture brings power to the leader by inducing confidence, changing cognition and improving behaviour.

Team leaders run huddles like it's an inconvenience. Be careful when you start looking at team meetings as a mindless chore. I've met clients who roll in the room, check their watches, do a million other things and forget the value of why they need to huddle with their people. Non-verbal communication, body language and bringing the right energy when you show up will determine an engaging team and ensure they do what they need to do.

Social psychologist Amy Cuddy acquainted the world with the potent hack of the "power pose." Her findings teach that the body can influence the mind. Making a superhero pose for a few minutes before addressing your team or audience will make you feel more confident and capable. Body language affects you as a leader and the people around you.

You've probably come across the classic saying, "dress for the job you want, not for the job you have." This is a piece of basic advice that many people still overlook. Remember, what you wear makes the right impression and projects the image of confidence as a leader.

Tune in to this episode of the Team:Engineered show — Present Yourself as a Leader with Jade Green & Kyle Probert. ▶️

Key points covered in this episode:

[00:00] Introduction

[01:48] British hypnotist Paul McKenna's ideas on posture and confidence

[01:59] The brain is this marvelous thing that a) we have control of and b) does its own thing.

[04:23] Amy Cuddy and the power pose

[05:19] Standing up straight changes how you feel and how everyone else perceives you.

[09:15] Jade states: You only get one first impression; what message do you want to send?

[11:21] Why team leaders should stop running huddles like it's an inconvenience.

[13:00] Kyle reminds us: Stand up straight like your mother always said.

[14:13] Dress for the role that you want.

[21:06] Hack your brain through breathing.

The Art of Delegation - How to get the Monkeys off your back

How many monkeys do you have on your back?

A classic piece published by Harvard Business Review in December 1974 describes this monkey-on-the-back analogy of how managers spend so much time and energy trying to address problems jumping from the backs of their bosses, peers, and subordinates.

You must delegate tasks correctly and ensure that concerns are resolved without carrying everything on your own. Get the monkeys off your back to do your best work and not be bogged down.

On taking ownership and assessing 'Where did I go wrong?" If the tasks are unaccomplished or failed, consider if you have clearly defined what should have been the outcome. Think of yourself as a painter. You have to study every detail that will go into the perfect picture you imagine creating. Pass the vision you expect everybody to accomplish and clearly explain what the image of success should look like.

The way to simplicity is in the details. If we want a system to run simply and repeatedly, a detailed plan ensures nothing goes wrong. Set individual instructions for specific execution and teach at the granular level for each one to understand the purpose of their role.

If we want people in our team to do a great job and do it as well as we want to be done, they need to know WHY we're doing it. If they understand the why, they are far better at the how and get sold in the mission, motivated to get more skin in the game.

Eliminate the shadows. Blind spots can be the Achilles heel of any company. We can purposefully seek other perspectives to illuminate the different aspects of our projects that we cannot see. The more we limit our blind spots, the higher our effectiveness.

Tune in to this episode of the Team:Engineered show — Getting the Monkeys Off Your Back with Jade Green & Kyle Probert. ▶️

Key points covered in this episode:

[00:04:20] The story of ownership and why it is all your fault

[00:06:57] Paint that picture of success right down to the absolute detail

[00:09:06] Uncovering the problem behind the problem

[00:13:06] Remind team members of the value of each task and the purpose of their role

[00:14:41] The importance of mapping out the milestones

[00:16:59] Eliminating the shadows and blind spots

[00:18:41] Success relies on the simplicity and repeatable process

[00:25:02] The value of documenting each step

[00:31:02] Stop feeding the monkeys

Win The War For Talent with Jade Green

If the best talent can work anywhere globally, why should they choose you and your company?

Business Consultant Jade Green goes deep in this episode on how you can win the war for talent. She encourages business owners and managers to think of recruitment as an NFL talent scout going after the very best in the business.

Think about it: How did the recruiters get quarterback Tom Brady to leave the New England Patriots after 20 years to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

As a scout, you need to know who the players are and who you want, but you also need to think about how you will court them to convince them to jump ship. Always be recruiting and get ready to pull the top talent. Look at the skills and attributes to get the players with the right talent in the right places at the right time.

Every business has a culture — whether good, bad or indifferent.

If you're looking to attract people, ask first: are your job ads attractive enough?

A powerful way to do so is to describe the behaviour of the ones already on your team. Are they always pumped and ready to rock and roll the minute they get in the door? Or are they dragging their heels throughout the day to reach their deliverables?

Get honest about your culture first; if it isn't working, fix it and avoid letting your reputation in the market be pulled down by any of those.

Every talent, every team member, and every candidate is a customer. You are selling an opportunity. You are asking candidates to get on board with your company to pay with their most precious resource in the world that they can never get back – their time.

If you're getting full-time workers, they're giving you more time away from their hobbies, children, and loved ones. So you better sell it better. Make your opportunity worth their investment.

Tune in to this episode of the Team:Engineered show — Win The War For Talent with Jade Green.

Key points covered in this episode:

[00:02:46] Exercise: Who are the top athletes or models you know?

[00:06:31] There's a war for talent going on forever

[00:10:58] #1 thing you need to think about when hiring

[00:15:21] On culture and your people's behaviours when you are not around

[00:20:18] The value of having crystal clear communication around expectations and not holding people accountable

[00:21:53] Values versus virtues

[00:24:08] Why performance reviews are not effective

[00:27:57] Building your employer brand with credible reviews and social proof

[00:32:00] Writing an advertisement, not a job list

[00:38:20] Satisfying the six human needs and beating the competition

[00:47:55] Samples of excellent ads

[00:56:08] Be like an NFL talent scout

On Remote Working - Freedom Is Not Without Constraints

In 2020, over one-third of the employed work from home due to the pandemic. And, now there are reports (according to Pew Research Center) that over 61% of people want to continue working from home, even after all of the Covid-news and variants die down.

However, as employees return to the office versus working from home, it can be met with resistance. And, with our modern lives and technology supporting us, we need a much more blended approach to give team members more flexibility.

Flexible working arrangements should satisfy all the needs and create a system that will serve the team, allow all parties a win-win, and establish transparency and trust that quality work is not sacrificed regardless of the new arrangements.

When you control your calendar, you control your life.

Tune in to this episode of the Team:Engineered show — Freedom Is Not Without Constraints by Jade Green & Kyle Probert.

Key points covered in this episode:

[4:04] Learn about the generational differences between working from home versus working in the office. And how it can affect productivity.

[7:14] How can we satisfy the needs of the people in the business while still giving them freedom (and constraints)?

[10:30] Discover how to get employees to buy in on what the constraints will be when it comes to working from home.

[17:05] If you're expecting something to be finished on time, lay down those expectations clearly so your team understands what you want to accomplish.

[23:18] Unravel how to master your calendar for more freedom in your life.

[24:37] Know what energy state you need to be in to conquer your day.

Non-Emotional Feedback - Ways To Get Results Without Losing Your Cool

Do you withhold constructive feedback while managing your team? Remember, not providing honest feedback to your employees is a lose-lose situation.

Giving truthful and constructive criticism is a sign that you care personally about your team and business.

And if you are genuinely giving feedback, remember to deliver it face-to-face, whether it’s on a Zoom call or in-person — not through an email and never in a million years through a text message.

Tune in to this episode of the Team:Engineered show — Providing Non-Emotional Feedback with Jade Green & Kyle Probert.

Key points covered in this episode:

[00:24] Discover how to take control of your emotions while delivering important messages.

[02:16] Explore facts on leading with IQ (Intellectual Quotient) versus EQ (Emotional Quotient).

[06:04] When we're looking at high flow communication, the key thing is around care.

[16:52] We need to remember that our employees are not necessarily trying to make life hard for us.

[23:31] The key to feedback is having radical candor. Leaders who practice a culture of candor are seen as most empathetic and effective.

[30:21] Delivering feedback without emotion does not mean you're emotionless.

Speak So They Can Hear You With Kyle Probert & Jade Green

Does it feel like your team isn't hearing you? Look at their learning styles, and you'll find out why they may be struggling to understand. If there's no workshop or activities included in your training or upskilling sessions, everything they've been taught is forgotten just when they get out the door (or log out of the zoom call).

Tune in to this episode of the Team:Engineered show — Speak So They Can Hear You with Jade Green & Kyle Probert.

Key points covered in this episode:

[00:04:14] Jade Green explains how even if we see our people as extroverted or introverted, that doesn't necessarily mean that's how they process information. Remember, knowing their personalities doesn’t determine how they need to be able to put together their thoughts to take action.

[00:08:40] Kyle Probert shares that the best way to cement learning is to be able to teach it. It's not actually the easiest thing in the world to do. But as soon as you can teach someone how to do it, often as you're sharing information with someone, you'll have an AHA moment and realize how everything makes a lot more sense.

[00:10:28] Typically, adult learners need to integrate as they learn and actually apply it. Pay attention and make sure that you let everyone experience a teaching process that accommodates how well they absorb the information as they receive the message differently.

[00:17:03] Don't say what you want to say. Say what they need to hear and think about the outcome. Let me get this clear as a leader: It's not about you. It's about them. Ten minutes of planning on how you can communicate your message will ultimately save you so many hours when your team implements the instructions, systems and tasks effectively.

So bear these in mind every time you prepare for the people you're speaking to: What is their learning style? How do I talk so they can hear me? What's the real outcome I want to have? Does it serve me to fly off the handle or get heated? Am I going to get the results I want if I'm a calm person, but I want to excite a blaze or a dynamo? How do I raise myself into that energy to get them up with me?

[00:19:42] Create a team of unique people. These visual, auditory and kinesthetic adult learners in the workplace need to be considered when rolling out new systems and information. This doesn't mean that they're lazy. It means they operate differently; therefore, we must cater to them to create a great team and balance the different types in the organization.

[00:26:02] Communicate how you want people to talk to you.

As the team leader, if you need your team to come out with notes so that you can absorb them later, make sure that they understand why that's important to you. Communicate this: "Yes, I heard you. I was listening, and I heard all of your words, but my brain doesn't work that way. So I need you to make sure that you've got those key points down for me. It's not because I want you to write an essay every day. It's because, otherwise, I just can't absorb your information."

Communicate how you want people to talk to you, and in the same way, be wary of the learning styles that work best for ALL the people in the team, too.

Find Out Your Team's Learning Styles With These Easy Tips

As a team leader, boss, or business owner, often we feel like, "Oh my God, is anybody actually listening to me? Why does it seem that I'm speaking a different language and people just are not getting it?"

Well, I'm here to say that it's all your fault. Often it's a problem of not understanding the differences in communication and learning styles that you quickly need to see in your team.

Please don't beat yourself for it because we've all been through it. In this episode, learn how to profile people fast and see how well you can communicate with them.

Tune in to this episode of the Team:Engineered show — Easy Ways To Know Your Team's Learning Styles with Kyle Probert.

Key points covered in this episode:

[00:00:48] Hydraulics Specialist Kyle Probert shares learning and communication hacks he implements in his teams. Easily profile a student, an employee or a team member when they come into a team that can help you understand and categorize them as Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic (VAK) learners.

[00:03:29] In a diagram, Kyle shows how to assess and ask a couple of questions when you introduce yourself to someone or when you're trying to get a read on who they are and what they do.

[00:04:50] Observe without judgment: are they slow or fast? Can they catch things relatively quickly, or do you need to explain again? The next thing to look for is are people-oriented or task oriented?

[00:09:27] Kyle explores more on talent dynamics. Assess people in the team that have creative type energy and tempo energy.

[00:09:54] Adjust your communication style to people's learning styles. We all take in and process information differently. We can be categorized into these three:

Visual Learners need to see and read, including pictures, diagrams, graphs, and other observable things.
Auditory Learners need to hear the information whether in the spoken word of self and others or through sounds and noises.
Kinesthetic Learners need physical experience and engage in an activity to grasp a concept.

[00:17:48] Communicate with your team and work out how to do it without all the fancy tests and everything else. When you do, your people can hear you and actually do what you want them to do.

Flow Secrets for Leaders - How To Get Unstuck

Nothing beats having a good day at the beach for the stressed and overwhelmed business leader to be able to take a break and recharge.

In the past decades, "surf therapy" has proven its calming effect on those dealing with post-traumatic stress and children with autism spectrum disorder.

Tune in to this episode of the Team:Engineered show — Flow Secrets for Leaders - How To Get Unstuck.

Key points covered in this episode:

[00:01:29] Welcome to the show! Kyle and Jade talk about their impromptu sabbatical for two days and "forcing" flow triggers by going surfing. It can be easier said than done, but it takes intention to actively pursue having downtime and achieve recovery to expand our brains and tap into our flow states.

[00:03:48] Jade shares her first custom board, and her #1 prized possession in the entire world is her eight-foot longboard.

[00:09:35] You don't get all of the recharge benefits your brain needs running on a treadmill vs. running in nature. The excitement and unpredictability of going into nature help us more than we think we know. The reasons why surfing, mountain biking, trail running, and similar physical activities are flow triggers that keep our brain focused at the moment rather than thinking of pending to-do lists and other sources of stress.

[00:13:10] Jade explains that surfing teaches the hard lessons of being patient, waiting for the perfect wave, enjoying the process, holding your center, achieving being in your power zone, standing up, and catching the perfect waves, whether in the water or any aspect of life.

[00:21:42] Instead of wasting time and procrastinating for three hours, Kyle recommends an alternative. Putting yourself in a flow state proactively is a habit you can regularly include into your busy calendar. By slowing down, you eventually achieve your life goals faster.

[00:24:31] Know what your flow triggers are. Put yourself in a flow state proactively by engaging in nature. It's a habit you can regularly include into your busy calendar. By slowing down, you eventually achieve your life goals faster.