Episode 75: Cultivating Team Resilience and Empowerment with Rachel Llanes

Guest Bio

Rachel Llanes is the Founder and Lead Gardiner of The Gardin Group, a consulting firm that provides leadership training to organizations across North America. She has her master’s in Counseling with a specialization in Marriage & Family Therapy. Prior to starting The Gardin Group in 2022, Rachel developed and delivered trainings on peak performance, leadership, and resilience to the U.S. Military. Rachel’s vision and mission in life is to take what the social sciences know of human flourishing and translate it into non-psychobabble, concrete, bottom-line behaviors that anyone can immediately start integrating into how they live, love, and lead.

Recap & Takeaways

Key Takeaways

• • [00:00] Episode Introduction. Rachel Llanes, a master resilience trainer and founder of The Gardin Group, shares insights on fostering environments where individuals and teams can thrive. 
  • [01:59] Dane Groeneveld, CEO of HUDDL3 Group, hosts The Future of Teamwork podcast and is joined by Rachel Llanes, founder of The Gardin Group and a master resilience trainer. They discuss Rachel’s work in helping people and teams thrive. 
  • [02:47] Rachel’s background. In 2022, she started The Gardin Group to teach senior leaders the critical environmental conditions that organizations need for their people to thrive. 
  • [07:49] Rachel observed the same problems in different settings, such as family, military, and corporate teams. Despite having a background in Marriage and Family therapy and working as a personal trainer and resilience trainer for the US military, Rachel’s experiences led to developing a system for teaching leaders the soft skills needed for their teams to thrive. 
  • [09:29] The ABCs of human flourishing begin with “A” for Autonomy. Autonomy is our basic psychological need to feel respected and empowered. Disrespect and disempowerment trigger negative emotions.
  • [10:56] Negative emotions like fear and anger often lead people to shut down or wear a professional mask to conceal their reactions. However, these emotions are signals that indicate something in the environment is off and needs to be corrected. 
  • [15:01] It’s essential to address issues that affect work performance, team dynamics, and company culture. Appropriately communicating that you’ve been disrespected can help you advocate for yourself and create a healthier work environment. 
  • [18:25] Power differentials can impede transparency in organizations. Leaders should be aware of their authority and consistently seek feedback to create a safe space for open communication. 
  • [20:14] Leaders who approach challenges with curiosity and invite others to help create a safe environment for sharing ideas. 
  • [25:01] Positive group dynamics, where everyone communicates and works together synergistically, can create an energetic and empowering creative process, whereas negative dynamics can have the opposite effect. 
  • [28:07] Belonging is different from fitting in. Belonging means feeling valued, safe, and empowered to be one’s true self around others, while fitting in requires changing oneself to conform to the norms of a group. 
  • [32:16] To amplify someone’s joy when they share good news with you, show genuine interest, and ask them questions that allow them to elaborate on their news. This can be as simple as asking follow-up questions and expressing your happiness for them. 
  • [36:01] Rachel shares a personal story about how she unintentionally killed her sister’s joy when her sister shared the news of her engagement and pregnancy. Rachel emphasizes the importance of getting it right when people share their joy with us, even if we have concerns about the news. 
  • [40:43] The Gardin Group aims to help people understand the distinction between compassion and empathy at work. Empathy is a communication skill that anyone can master with intentional practice. There are five steps to empathy, which include understanding the person’s story and reflecting it to them. This skill helps build belonging and connection in challenging situations. 
  • [45:09] Rachel discusses a five-step process to support others through emotional pain. The first step is listening, followed by empathy, validation, and understanding. The fifth step involves asking what kind of support the person needs and taking purposeful action to help them. 
  • [49:32] Competence is a basic psychological need to feel effective and capable, but it is often thwarted in burnt-out employees. It is the self-evaluation of ability and the relationship between the current challenge, difficulty of the task, and skill level. 
  • [54:39] Where to find and contact Rachel Llanes. 
  • [56:41] Outro.