How has your former teacher’s discovery of your penchant toward drumming influenced your work in workforce development? One person decided to advocate for me. One person got to the heart of me. It took this teacher some time to figure me out, but his discovery made a lasting influence on my life. I began to experience my ‘best self’ and I performed better as a student. In my current work, I have proven that successful work- force retention is where you create an environment where people want to be with you. You advocate for them and help them be their best self. As a leader, you need to ask, “What do people experience when they are around me?” Your answer can create loyalty or mistrust.
Explain your work as “The Undercover Millennial?” For four years, I went undercover in hundreds of orga- nizations, interviewing thousands of people. I would go into an organization looking for a job. In that process, I would ask workers, “What’s it like to work here.” They would tell me everything; people like to communi- cate their truth. That is the magic of all the research. I would go from employee to employee, and I heard, ‘I love my job, I love my manager, I love the culture, the customers,’ as common positive responses. I dug further to see what the truth was behind those responses. Why did people thrive in these environments? Then, I also heard the opposite, like, ‘run from here – management is horrible,’ ‘drug deals happen here daily,’ ‘bosses abuse employees,’ or ‘bosses are mean.’ Some people indicated they stayed only because they felt they didn’t have anywhere else to go due to criminal records and such.
There were very interesting responses with many common denominators from which I wrote my book. Ultimately, the goal is to help organizations retain, engage, and inspire their team members from the front desk to the board rooms and everyone in between. Navigating generational complexities, communication challenges, leadership missteps, and culture cues are the crux of my work.
What are the most interesting things for employers to know that you learned undercover?
People have a love-hate relationship with their jobs. When they hate it, they speak about the manager. When they love it, they talk about their mentor.
Automotive Recycling May-June 2021 // 53
People have love-hate relationships with their job. When they hate it, they speak about the manager. When they love it, they talk about their mentor.
iStockphoto.com/filipfoto
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