Episode 78: Finding Trust and Clarity in Teams with Cali Ressler

Guest Bio

Cali is a strategic thought leader re-imagining talent and leadership practices. She has spent the past 2 decades directing the creation of innovative visions and overseeing teams and workplans across industries in organizations at various stages of growth.

Cali is a highly skilled and respected expert in the areas of Organizational Culture, Talent Management, Employee Experience, Leadership, Performance, Engagement, Change Management, Organizational Effectiveness, and Employee Communications.

She is known for her exceptional abilities to inspire and motivate others and cultivate an atmosphere of trust, transparency, and high performance.

Recap & Takeaways

Key Takeaways

• • [01:28 – 04:58] Dane introduces Cali Ressler, author of “Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It” and “Why Managing Sucks and How to Fix It,” Director of Talent and Organizational Consulting at Accenture
  • [02:39 – 04:53] Unexpected, Fulfilling, and Never-ending
  • [04:55 – 09:00] Fulfillment in work and in becoming a mother of four kids, publishing books, consulting with organizations across industries to transform their cultures and elevate employee experiences
  • [09:03 – 11:04] A continuum and balance of saying “yes” and “no” and thoughts on being pulled into the right opportunities.
  • [11:06 – 16:22] Results-only work environments, Cali was one of the co-creators of that program, giving employees autonomy and accountability to deliver results
  • [16:23 – 19:02] The outdated idea of “manage by walking around” and mindsets of that ideology are still alive in a post-pandemic, virtually-accepted world.
  • [17:33 – 18:58] Status in Teams, Slack, instant-messaging platforms. And how people color-code themselves and their activities to work online. Subconscious “MBWA” mentality.
  • [19:04 – 20:18] “How should we be looking at this?” Running reports to understand behavior and employee output during the pandemic
  • [20:18 – 22:49] Talking about trust in teams, being curious about where people are mentally, and the pandemic causing people to wake up to see how we could work differently.
  • [22:49 – 25:03] Decentralized responsibility for workplace design and employee experience is fuel for success
  • [25:04 – 27:08] Four fundamental needs in wellbeing: Health, Financial, Mental, and Physical
  • [27:08 – 29:53] Cali asks Dane about human bodies working on fumes, and Dane references Dan Miller, a health coach. He talks about how, chemically, our bodies aren’t designed to run on adrenaline and cortisol all day and how modern life triggers those chemicals via social media, phones, email, and more.
  • [29:53 – 34:48] Recognizing burnout early: prioritizing sleep and exercise, asking for help, having a list of people to keep you on track
  • [35:36 – 41:46] Clarity is essential for successful teams now and in the future. Big “P” purpose and Small “p” purpose
  • [41:47 – 43:20] “We’re losing the thread, we’re losing the plot in the story, and we need to bring it back”
  • [43:28 – 47:56] Dane recaps the interview with Cali