Crucial Talks Podcast

#metoo was started in 2006 by Tarana Burke.  In October 2017, Actress Alyssa Milano used it on twitter and the #metoo movement took off.  This episode looks at the #metoo movement as an example of a superordinate identity and superordinate goal that can bring diverse individuals and diverse groups closer together.  It is an example of how differences can be overcome when people can share an identity.  It also shows how a goal that cannot be rejected, cannot be ignored, and takes more than a single person or small group to reach is powerful.  If you would like more information, please visit www.crucialtalks.com

Storytelling has been around as long as people have banded together.  It's how we pass on information, create emotion, and change behavior.  People are social creatures and there are a lot of things that are similar between us and other social creatures.  We depend on each other for protection.  We live together to produce food and shelter.  We need validation from each other.  What differs people from all other social animals is the fact that we can fabricate reality.  We can share information in a way that allows us to make sense of the world around us.  This episode talks about the importance of storytelling to social construction and also discusses the characters we adopt for ourselves in the stories of our own lives.  Please visit www.crucialtalks.com for more information.  Thank you for listening!

The Phalanx is a close formation of warriors made famous, at least in my mind, by the movie 300.  The Spartans would form up densely in close ranks and interlock their shields, which made their ranks difficult to penetrate.  There is also an example in the movie Gladiator when the gladiators are being attacked by a superior force using chariots and long range weapons. Maximus has them form into a phalanx and they end up being victorious.  Without their close ranks, they would have been massacred. Social belonging works in much the same way.  The closer the group is, the better they can deal with external attacks.  The looser the group or, even worse, having no trust and internal strife allows people to be defeated easily.    Please visit www.crucialtalks.com for more information.  Thank you for listening!

Most of us understand Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.  It is easy to visualize the triangle with physiological needs at the bottom and esteem needs at the top.  However, even Maslow himself admitted each need does not need to be 100% fulfilled before moving up the hierarchy.  People are complex and nothing is 100% or linear in our social systems such as in families, at work, and in society. This episode talks about how to split Maslow's hierarchy into social vs. money market motivators to help us drive behavior in a positive way.  Please share the podcast with anyone you think might want to be part of our community of practitioners.  Also, feel free to reach out to me via www.crucialtalks.com if you'd like more information.

This chat is about appreciative inquiry.  Appreciative inquiry pursues changes to human systems with a focus on strengths. It is ultimately a method that takes a positive view of making changes to human-based systems.  Think of your team or company as a system.  Most systems are stable, which means they exist in the middle of the bell curve.  They're average.  There are two ways to look at issues.  One is as a problem to be solved.  This will get your "system" back to average.  The other way is to look at your strengths, values, and best practices to address issues.  This can get you to the right of the curve and make the system above average to exceptional!  For more information, please visit www.crucialtalks.com. 

This episode talks about resiliency as a capacity, much like safety can be managed as a capacity, not just a program.  Human beings belong to systems that are human-based, which means they are not linear.  They are complex.  When bad things happen, people deal with them through psychological processes.  We can use theories such as Social Identity to develop techniques to build the capacity for resilience in our organizations, our families, and our communities.  We can also use the same theories to respond after a traumatic event.  This episode is not only valuable when thinking about resilience, but try to also apply it to other organizational capacities such as leadership, safety, or communication.  Please visit www.crucialtalks.com for more information.

In this episode, we look at a three-step process to create an identity that will guide how people make decisions using the Marine Corps as an example.  This can help you when trying to establish behaviors in safety, leadership, and communication.  This helps us when we are trying to figure out how to integrate a diverse workforce and how to knock down silos that might exist in our organizations. Visit www.crucialtalks.com for more information or to connect with me.

This is a short motivation audio clip made from Episode 4.  It's for fun, but has a good message. Keep Moving Forward!!!

We all face difficult times.  Bad things happen to us. Bad things happen in our organizations.  In this episode, we talk about the importance of failing forward.  It is a positive view of failing.  We need to all keep moving forward.  The important thing is not to look at the path behind us, but look in the direction we want to go.

This episode is about human behavior.  It's like Yoda describing the force... it surrounds everything we do.  In this episode we talk a little about the old view and new view of safety.  We also talk a bit about scientific management.  This episode gives three key takeaways: 1. Realize that human behavior is part of everything we do.  2. Understand that human decision making is emotional, not technical. 3. Always consider context.  Most people want to do a good job and don't want something bad to happen.  Too many times when someone does something that results in a bad outcome, we treat that person like they were the problem.  The reality is, people are part of a larger system and we need to consider context if we want to have a positive impact.

When planning for business continuity or disaster recovery there is a strong focus on data storage, planning, information technology, policies, and risk management.  The technical parts of continuity can be solved with technology and money; however, the most important part of business continuity, people, can only be solved with leadership and communication.  This crucial chat introduces a discussion about what people need to have in order to continue work after something bad happens.  Trust, confidence, and competence are keys to making sure our teams and organizations are prepared to recover.

This episode was recorded at a conference in Philadelphia.  In two separate presentations, about two different subjects, it was clear that people were the solution to breaking barriers.  Focusing on people as a solution, and not a problems lets us develop a different lens we can use to examine the issue.  In this episode, we not only discuss the importance of treating people as the solution, we also introduce some techniques to use in order to draw groups closer together to solve problems.  If you need some tips on getting groups to collaborate, this episode can help.  www.cruicaltalks.com.

Crucial Chats are short clips to start a discussion.  The chats are much shorter than full podcast episodes.  They can be used during training days or staff meetings to start conversations and serve as training and learning opportunities. This Crucial Chat is about empowering employees.  Empowered employees need values and confidence.  Empowerment is important from safety to customer service, but we can't just say "you're empowered! Now go out and solve problems."  People need to trust that they have the information and support they need to make decisions.  This can lead to more motivated employees and healthier workplaces. In addition, if we take care of employees, they will take care of those we serve.

Crucial Chats are short clips to start a discussion.  The chats are much shorter than full podcast episodes.  They can be used during training days or staff meetings to start conversations and serve as training and learning opportunities. This Crucial Chat is about distractions in the workplace and what we can learn from pilots flying at low altitudes.  What is important at the time?  What is absolutely critical?  What is taking up room in your thoughts that should be compartmentalized and used later?

This is episode 1 of the Crucial Talks Podcast and discusses how identity drives behavior.  Since the industrial revolution, there has been a focus on scientific management.  Including the management of people.  Fredrick Taylor's idea of scientific management has resulted in if-then thinking when dealing with people.  Later, the Social Identity Theory and Self-Categorization Theory were introduced and gave us a way to view human behavior by considering the identities we adopt to deal with the world around us.  This explains a lot about how we interact with people and how we use self-talk to change our behavior and performance.  The stories we tell ourselves can be very powerful precursors to success!