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Transcript 

0:05
Well, good day to everybody. Hope you're doing great today. My name is Bill Stark. I am one of the cofounders of leader. Gov. We're based in Atlanta, Georgia, and along with my business partner, Tim Fenbert. We really really enjoy investing in equipping local government leaders all around the country, elected officials as well staff and elected officials and providing podcasts and other resources for you to enjoy to kind of spur your leadership on to that next level. And we have a really special topic today. I think something that everyone can relate to. It's around motivation and inspiration. Are we motivating people properly? Are we inspiring people properly? Are those two things even related? We're going to dig into all that today. We have a really, very experienced guest today. Dr. Randy Ross is joined us, Randy, how are you today? Sir?

1:05
Bill, I'm doing great. It's a privilege to be with you on the on the interview today.

1:12
Yeah, thank you so much for joining us. For those that are listening. Randy, this, you know, we're talking city managers, county managers, public works, community development, parks, animal care, mayors, city council, commission, folks from counties, wide range of people, all leaders just trying to get better, a little bit better every day. And I'm so glad you joined us, Randy, because you've written a couple of books. I know you're you're an author, and you're a speaker, you do a lot of keynote speaking. And one of the books that we're going to talk a little bit today regarding this topic is your book remarkable. And another book that you just published called fireproof happiness and how being remarkable and having this outlook, this upbeat, optimistic attitude can really help inspire teams. And so again, thank you, thank you so much for being here today. Well, you know, I gotta confess, Randy, when when we were thinking about this podcast, you know, I have a very, like a third grade idea of motivation, I think motivation, inspiration, you know, we got to have a pizza party, Randy, we're gonna have balloons, we're gonna give out gift certificates to Barnes and Noble. And we're going to have a rah rah, and it's going to be a pep rally. And in my little world, in my small mind, you know, that's me, motivating my team to do their jobs and do it great, and all that kind of stuff. So I had this kind of maybe, I don't know, maybe it's an outdated sense of how to motivate or inspire. So can you just help us kind of level set? Like, what is motivation? What is inspiration? Are those two things even connected?

2:55
Well, it's a great question, Bill. And it's definitely worthy of exploration. I think that celebration, and an affirmation or recognition for a job well done is definitely an important part of, of what it means to be an inspirational leader. But we need to talk about this idea of motivation and inspiration. And what that looks like, I like to very clearly trying to define what we're talking about, so that we can wrap language around it and be able to not only understand it, but express it more clearly. Motivation is an important part of just the energy that people bring to any experience being motivated to do something. But here's the interesting part. For me. As I've worked with leaders, I really like to catch it more in terms of as a leader, I want to inspire people to bring their best to work every day, I don't try to motivate them to do something they don't want to do. I mean, sometimes motivation is sort of keynoted you know, I'm trying to push an agenda. I'm trying to get people to do what I want them to do, or the company needs for them to do. But I think the biggest responsibility of leadership is to help individuals connect their personal passion to corporate objectives. And when they connect their personal passion to the corporate objectives, then they're inspired to bring their best to work. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I would rather fanned the flame with in someone, then light a fire underneath them. I think sometimes motivation gets into the rah rah pep rally, you know, get people psyched up, get them to do something they wouldn't normally otherwise do. But here's, here's one thing I've learned about human nature. And I think it's always good to remember as leaders, it's simple and it's profound. You're ready for this. People will do what they want to do. It's as simple as that. And I think a lot of times, you know, we fall back on the old Freudian carrot or stick mentality. We're trying to motivate aid people through the carrot, you know, holding something out in front of them that they want, or the stick, you know, beating them up when they don't want to do it until they do it, you know, the the beatings will continue until the morale increases that kind of a mentality. And what I've discovered is that people may do for a short season, which you forced them to do, are what you incent them to do. But as soon as you leave the room, or as soon as the incentive is gone, then people will do what they want to do. So the question is not a matter of do we motivate people to do things they don't want to do? Or do we create an environment that inspires them to want to grow become better? And then that becomes their internal driver of their behavior? And I think there's a big difference between the two.

5:46
Yeah, okay. Well, okay, so you've teed it up? Pretty good. So my question is, how do I act as a leader in ways that are inspiring. And and so my behavior, my actions, as a leader, obviously, are pretty important here, right? If I act a certain way, I'll get people will be self motivated. And I love what you're saying, because I would certainly I think everybody listening would rather have internally motivated people as opposed to externally motivated. I think that's a very important part. But you know, a lot of us are still in the old school. I'm in the old school, you know, just, I told you to do it. I'm your boss, right? So do it. Yeah, let's let's be transactional. That's easy, right? So so help me help me understand and as a leader, Ottawa, act in a way that inspires others? How do I act in an inspiring way that maybe motivates others internally? If that's the right, if that's like, freezing? Yeah,

6:49
well, I sort of geek out over this stuff, I gotta be honest with you. I'm a big student of philosophy. And I like to apply the principles of axiology, which some of your listeners may know and others may not. But axiology is a strain of philosophy that talks about values, value creation, and value constructs, in my opinion, it's the best explanation of human motivational behavior. And that's what we're talking about today. But But axiology is the science of defining and understanding what is good. And being able to measure good, but more than that, it's about how do you create movements of good within organizational life. And there's some practices and some principles that we espouse. And we break many of those down in the book remarkable, that that form a culture and environment that's conducive to inspiring people to bring their very best to work every day. And so I think that's the key is to create a culture where people are excited about getting out of bed, they can't wait to get to work. So do I, you know, it's moving from I have to work, to I want to work. And when you cross over that barrier, people begin to come to work, because they're excited about being a part of something that's larger than themselves, and they're a part of the movement of goods, then you've really tapped into something powerful. And so applied axiology, I think, is is the answer to that.

8:23
And so what does that look like for me, as the leader, you know, kind of practically speaking, I've got a public works crew, I've got guys that do sidewalks, guys and gals, and do sidewalk repair and all kinds of different jobs, animal control, and I'm showing up to work each week, you know, what, what are the things I need to be keeping in mind to create this kind of culture?

8:45
Well, let's let's get real practical. Let's talk about let's define a remarkable culture because it has a trilogy of characteristics. And then let's talk about and unpack four principles. How's that? Okay, sounds good. Yeah. All right. So when we talk about remarkable culture, we define a remarkable culture as a place that has a three pronged trilogy of characteristics. It's a place where people believe the best in one another. They didn't want the best for one another. And so therefore, they expect the best from one another. So believing the best in one another is trust that you can't have any effective organization unless you have a high level of trust because trust is foundational for all healthy relationships and experiment said that trust is the commodity of leadership. So trust is essential. In a work trust is high, resistance is low. Change in progress can come quickly but the word Trust is low resistance is high, and then you find yourself with all kinds of toxic behavior within organizational life. So the first element is a high trust environment. The second element where people want the best for each other is all about compassionate connection. You know what I have your back I have your best interest at heart, I want to see you grow, I want to see you bring your A game, I'm gonna coach you up to success, all of those elements of investing deeply in one another are a part of wanting the best for each other, the second characteristic, and the third is accountability. Therefore, I expect the best from you. And that plays into coaching conversations and holding people accountable to helping them develop a sense of ownership and responsibility for the outcome. So believing the best and wanting the best for expecting the best from this. That's the trilogy of remarkable culture. But how you get there. We talk consistently about four principles of axiology. And I'll lay those out and then I'll I'll ask a question behind each one. Okay. But the first principle is what we call the principle of creativity or the maxim of creativity. And that just simply asks the question, do you create ate more value than you take? It just says that we're all designed to create value in life, that we feel good when we do good. And so people are engaged when they feel like they're a part of doing good on a level that's larger than themselves, that they're a part of a team that's, you know, making an impact in the world that they're personally leaving a legacy. And you could say that, you know, people love to do good business with businesses that do good. And that's all a part of it. That's that creativity part. So the question is, do you bring more to the table than you take away the second principle, or maximum is what we call the maximum of positivity. And that just says that, that all the good things that you want in life are a byproduct of creating value for others. If you think about it, you remember, remember Zig Ziglar. Bill, you know, he used to say, the fastest way to success is to make everyone around you successful? Well, I like to play off of that John Templeton once said that happiness pursued eludes, but happiness given returns, meaning that all the good things you want in life, success, happiness, fulfillment, are not goals that you can set. But they're the byproduct of creating value for others. In other words, I'm the happiest as a husband, when my wife is happy. You know, Happy wife, happy life. I'm the happiest as a father when my kids are happy. I'm the happiest as a team leader when my teams are happy. And so the question is not how do I become happy, but the whole idea of positivity is, do you leave a positive wake in everything that you do. And unfortunately, a lot of times leaders are moving so fast that they don't slow down long enough to smell their own exhaust, and they don't realize the negative impact of their behavior as they move in their world. So the second, you know, principle is the principle of positivity. The third is the maximum of sustainability, which says in order to continuously create value, leverage your passion and your strengths to solve problems. And this is this is where the rubber meets the road, because the the best way to create value. And the fastest way to leave a positive week is to find the biggest problem you can find and solve it. Because the bigger the problem you solve, the more value you create, the more value you create, the more valuable you become. So the question is, what problems are you solving. And this is where we get the workforce to begin to get excited about finding problems. You know, they don't, they don't deflect responsibility, they embrace it as an opportunity to create value. And then the fourth principle to wrap it all up is the principle of responsibility. And that just says, in order to make a continuous impact, I have to take responsibility for those things that I can own to produce a positive outcome. And so the idea is, how do we as team members allow our security team leaders allow team members to put their fingerprints on things so that they actually own it? We're not telling them to do it. But we're asking the right questions and allowing them to take the responsibility. Now, I know that's a lot we've unpacked a bunch. But but that's the essence of some of the main principles of axiology. And I think when we utilize those to craft a compelling culture, then we truly can build an inspirational environment.

14:37
Yeah, wow. That's great creativity, positivity, sustainability and responsibility. I like I want to go back and talk about the second one this positivity for a minute leaving a positive wake. And you mentioned it sometimes we go so fast, we can't smell our own exhaust. Never heard that before. That's pretty good. What what, you know? Could you just elaborate on that just for a minute? I mean, it's slowing down, right? And it's maybe being open to feedback and asking people, how am I perceived by you? And what can I do to create a better relationship with you? I'm sure slowing down is obviously part of that. But Can you just elaborate on that a little bit? Yeah,

15:19
absolutely. A few years ago, I read a book called relation omics. And it's all about how do we as leaders become leaders worth following? And how do we create relationally rich environments? And that's the essence of it, Bill, it's how do we create relationally rich environments, because when people are happy, they do better work, we know that research is very clear. And when they enjoy doing the work with people that they enjoy, then innovation, collaboration, creativity, performances, elevated all of those things that are accelerated when we create relationally rich environments. And, you know, you and I, we think that's common sense. But I can assure you, it's not common practice, because I walk into a lot of corporate circles and government circles that are toxic environments, where it's heavy handed command and control, do what I tell you to do, you know, don't, don't, don't get off the path stay within the, the the guard rails and the guidelines. And they're so restrictive, that people don't have an opportunity to put their fingerprints on it, and to be creative. And I think that's a real shame. I always say that the lost art of good leadership is found in asking good questions. Because when we ask good questions, we force people to grapple with the answers, and eventually come up with solutions. And I think that's the best the way that we create bench strength, and we help people bring their best to work. The whole idea of infusing positivity into the workforce, you know, my friend, Ken Blanchard used to walk around and say, We need to emphasize management by movement, walk around catching people doing things, right. They said, most managers, you know, are so intent on catching people doing things wrong, because we've been taught to intercept the entropy at its earliest phase. And I get that, you know, things are off track or they're beginning to slide sideways, you got to catch it, you got to correct it. But, but if you want to create an inspirational environment, building people up coaching them to success, affirming them, and equipping them is really what we need to be focused on.

17:41
Yeah, yeah, I like this sustainability topic as well, that maybe we could spend another minute on sustainability. And you talked about solving problems. We, when we work with local governments, a lot of times, Randy, we find out that these departments are operating in distinct silos. And they all have a job to do, and they do their job and you know, the head down, you know, in doing their deal. And we ask them, oftentimes, are you a team? And we get kind of an unusual look. And actually, they're not there. They're what we call a working group. They kind of work near each other. And what's interesting, I wanted to share this with you we have, we kind of forced them to have common goals. We forced them to get in a room and find a common problem that they can tackle together. And it is amazing. You're really right on this point. It's like let a lead solve a problem, which is looking to the future, which is leadership. But let's do it together. And let's, you know, assign tasks, whatever, do collaborative, interactive, and it does do something to the soul. I think it lights us up because we're in it together. We've we're talking about it, we're wrestling with it, it's going to solve something really important. And I like the fact that you've got this word sustainability and this whole thing around solving problems. Can you just elaborate on that for another minute?

19:08
Yeah, well, sometimes I say it this way, you can go faster alone. But you can go farther together. And I think that's very impactful. Because if we really want this to be sustainable, we're talking about going farther, we're talking about this being a long lasting endeavor, is not just going to be a short sprint, you know, we want this to have a long impact and leave a legacy and if that's the case, then we have to do this together. Because no single individual possesses all the qualities and characteristics that are necessary to be successful in any endeavor. It's always enhanced when we gather people around us who have a multitude of different perspectives and different talents and gifts to bring to the table and sustainability. is about solving problems together. When we bring our resources together, you know, here's the beautiful thing. If you're a part of a team that are value creators and not value extractors, if everybody brings more to the table, then they take away, then at the end of the day, there will be a surplus on the table that then can be shared by everyone who helped to create that value. And that's what we call the Law of abundance. You know, the law of scarcity is, if I think there's only so much to go around, then I've got to get to the table and get as much off the table for myself as I possibly can to survive. And we see a lot of teams doing that same thing. We're gonna get our share of the budget, you know, that's ours, or they fight or their territorial or the cast aspersions so that they'll be elevated. And that's all. You know, we're, we're shooting ourselves in the foot. Because it's a holistic endeavor. In other words, if it's not good for all of us, ultimately, it's not good for me either. It may be good for me monetarily. But if it's not sustainable, you know, if everybody goes to the table to get as much as they can for themselves, then it won't be very long to there's nothing left on the table, if there's nothing left on the table, go home, because it's over. And so we've got to have this mindset of sustainability. And that's when we all bring more to the table than we can take away.

21:24
Well, yeah, that's, that's really good. That's rich, that's rich. Well, I want to I want to recap here for our audience. And then before we leave, I want to hear a little bit more about a couple of the books you've written. And a little bit more of your of your speaking, opportunities to engage you with cities and counties in the area of of keynotes. But, you know, at leader gov, what we're trying to do with this podcast, Randy is provide tools provide some insights to spur on the leader to lead in a way that's, that's remarkable, to use your word that that's unique, that sets them apart, that achieves big things. And the folks listening to this podcast serve our citizens, they serve the community, and you talk about an important role. What I heard today is do you create more value than you take, on the creativity side, are good things a result of creating good things are a result of creating value for others? Do we leave a positive wake sustainability is around passion streets to solve problems, looking to the future coalescing around problems for camaraderie and success for the team. And then letting me only my part, and letting others put their fingerprints on it and owning their parts. I love these four, these four areas, that if I approach this right, as a leader, I think the natural outflow of that is people will be internally motivated, as opposed to what we talked about earlier, that external stick or carrot, so it's really beautiful. Thank you, Randy, would you share with us a couple of the book titles that you've written lately? A little bit about them? And then I guess everybody can go to Amazon and buy them? I'd love to hear you if you could just share with the audience. A few of the last books you've written? Sure,

23:14
well, the first one we've talked a little bit about that is remarkable. And it's about customer experience, and, and creating value. It's all about culture and creating the right kind of inspirational culture. I wrote a book called relation omics, and that's about training and equipping leaders to become leaders worth following. Because a lot of times people are thrown into leadership roles. And they because they were subject matter expert, or they were a good individual contributor, but they were never equipped to lead people. And so it's a crash course. And how do you lead people and create a relationally rich environment. I wrote a book called fireproof happiness, which is about infusing hope and resilience into the workforce. So that people will be able to face and embrace challenging times with excitement and be able to craft a brighter tomorrow. And I have a book coming out in August of this year 24. That is entitled make life good. And I'm really excited about that. It's a book about generosity. It's a book about creating a legacy. It's about philanthropy. It's about corporate responsibility, doing good in the community. And so it's my privilege to be able to share that content with organizations and help them craft compelling cultures.

24:33
Well, I'll tell you this, the book fireproof, fireproof happiness, I will definitely put in a plug for this book. Local governments, Randy, as you can imagine, they're dealing with, you know, still the remnants from COVID and the health issues with inflation, airy issues, all sorts of social unrest issues in many communities, hiring you know, getting good talent to come on board to the cities and counties and departments. And to be able to, to read a book fireproof happiness, I really recommend because we're in a tough spot, local government is in a tough spot in ways that private organizations do not understand. And so I think this book, fireproof happiness, I think it could be really benefit teams in the local government market. Tell us real quickly about your public speaking and that part of your work, because maybe some folks that could benefit from it?

25:26
Well, it's my privilege to be able to travel the country and really around the globe and talk to corporate groups and government groups, about these topics. And so I'm often on the road, have the privilege of talking to associations, government entities, national conferences, and we have keynotes that cover that spectrum of content that we just talked about. And so it's my privilege to be able to, to offer that as well as ongoing resources for organizations to be that immersive workshops that we provide for organizations all the way through our digital content that we can deliver globally, with a geographically dispersed audience. So depending on what the need of the organization is, whether they're local, or whether they're global, we can we can address their needs when it comes to culture and leadership development.

26:23
Yeah, awesome. And I guess all the books [email protected] And wherever books are sold,

26:29
wherever fine books are sold, we have some distributors who don't like us to, to exclusively point people to Amazon, but we can go to Barnes and Noble you can get you can get our books, wherever fine books are sold. Yeah.

26:43
And to email you for something is it? Could you want to share your website or email? Sure,

26:49
sure. So our our website is Dr. Randy ross.com. That's just Dr. Know period Dr. Randy ross.com. And to reach me personally is real simple as our our for Randy Ross, our our at Dr. Randy ross.com.

27:05
Okay, excellent. Are at Dr. Randy Ralston, calm great. It is great having you are any thank you so much for taking time and being with us and inspiring our local government leaders all around the country. Really appreciate it. And we hope you have a blessed afternoon. Thank you, Bill.

27:23
Thanks, Bill. You're doing great work, keep it up and and however we can ever compliment or assist you in your endeavors. Don't ever hesitate to ask. Okay.

27:31
Yeah, thank you. We appreciate you being with us. audience. Thank you for your constant feedback and ideas for other podcasts. If you have a topic you want us to include in a future podcast, please let us know. Bill at leader guff.com It is a joy and it's a blessing to serve you all. And we thank you for what you're doing in the community to make our lives better in the cities and counties we live in. So take care God bless and we'll talk to you next time.