This podcast episode of "Up in Your Family Business" features host Todd Rimer and guest Marcy Rankin, founder of Orchestrated Performance, discussing the power of perspective and mindset in leadership and personal development. The conversation explores how perspective directly influences engagement, resilience, and burnout in both professional and personal contexts.
Todd opens by explaining that perspective—how we choose to see challenges, workloads, and ourselves—directly impacts how engaged, resilient, and energized we feel. He notes that while many attribute stress or burnout to workload problems, it's often more of a mindset issue. Two people can face identical pressures, but their perspective determines whether they feel overwhelmed or motivated.
Marcy distinguishes between perception and perspective. She explains that perception is our impulsive reaction based on everything we've experienced, while perspective is a more strategic approach where we step back to consider alternative viewpoints. Perspective requires intentional effort to look at situations differently.
The discussion highlights how a leader's perspective influences team engagement and resilience. Marcy emphasizes that leaders model perspective for their teams and set organizational standards. By taking time to understand everyone's viewpoint before making decisions, leaders can develop a broader perspective on situations rather than responding impulsively.
Marcy shares a personal story from her military experience when she got lost while driving to play taps at a military funeral. Her superiors reprimanded her harshly without considering her inexperience or nervousness. She reflects that a more supportive leadership approach would have been more empowering and effective than public humiliation.
The conversation explores how burnout is often blamed on being overworked, but Marcy argues it's more about mindset. She explains that people facing similar struggles respond differently based on their perspective and support systems. Leaders can help prevent burnout by aligning individual growth with organizational mission and empowering team members through skill development and support.
Todd and Marcy discuss the importance of shifting from asking "what's wrong with me?" to "what needs to change around me or within me?" when facing challenges. Marcy shares an example from her speaking career, noting that instead of fixating on mistakes after a presentation, it's better to first acknowledge what went well, then later consider improvements.
The podcast concludes with insights on having a solutions-focused mindset. Marcy recommends the "Oreo cookie" or "sandwich method" for providing feedback—starting with positive encouragement, offering constructive suggestions for improvement, and ending with empowerment. She emphasizes that this approach works well for employee reviews and helps prevent deflating team members.
Both Todd and Marcy share personal stories about perspective shifts that transformed their professional lives. Marcy describes how a business coach helped her overcome a limited mindset about her value, while Todd shares how committing to leadership as a focus word changed his self-perception and professional approach.
Introduction to the Power of Perspective 00:00:04
Todd Reimer introduces the podcast episode focused on perspective and how it impacts engagement, resilience, and energy levels. He explains that while many attribute stress or burnout to workload problems, it's often more about mindset. Todd welcomes back guest Marcy Rankin, founder of Orchestrated Performance, who previously discussed burnout and disengagement on the show. Todd expresses interest in learning about perspective and its role in the workplace, curious about how it might connect with their previous discussion on burnout.
Distinguishing Between Perception and Perspective 00:03:19
Todd asks Marcy to clarify the difference between perception and perspective. Marcy explains that perception is our impulsive reaction based on our life experiences, while perspective is a more strategic approach where we step back to consider alternative viewpoints. She describes perception as being "in that little bubble" while perspective involves "taking time" to consider different ways of looking at situations. Marcy acknowledges they might use the terms interchangeably during their conversation but clarifies that perspective is more of an intentional strategy while perception is an intuitive response.
How Perspective Influences Engagement and Resilience 00:06:06
Marcy explains how perspective influences engagement and resilience at work. She describes how taking different viewpoints into account leads to more collaborative, empowering, and uplifting experiences. Regarding resilience, Marcy explains that perspective helps us avoid feeling stuck in our own limited space. She contrasts two approaches to supporting someone through challenges: merely acknowledging difficulties versus showing a path forward. The latter approach builds resilience by helping people get back up after setbacks rather than just identifying them as victims.
Leadership and Perspective 00:08:03
Marcy discusses how leaders model perspective and set standards in their organizations. She emphasizes the importance of leaders taking time to understand everyone's viewpoint before making decisions, which allows for a fuller perspective of situations rather than impulsive responses. Todd asks how leaders can identify when to interject their own perspective. Marcy explains that leaders should be attuned to unusual emotional responses or behaviors from team members, as these might indicate underlying issues unrelated to work. She stresses the importance of asking questions rather than making assumptions when something seems "off" with an employee.
Military Experience and Leadership Lessons 00:11:27
Marcy shares a personal story from her military experience when she got lost while driving to play taps at a military funeral. Her superiors reprimanded her harshly without considering her inexperience or nervousness. She reflects that a more supportive leadership approach would have been more empowering than public humiliation. Marcy acknowledges that while her superiors were right to hold her accountable, they could have used the situation as a teaching opportunity rather than just punishment. She shares another incident where she was publicly humiliated for making mistakes while playing bugle calls, which caused her to break down emotionally.
Perspective in Family Businesses 00:19:06
Todd asks about the role of perspective in family businesses where personal and professional lives intertwine. Marcy shares observations from watching her parents work together for over 30 years, noting how they effectively separated business and personal matters. She contrasts this with her father's experience working with his brothers, where personal feelings sometimes influenced business decisions. Marcy emphasizes the importance of having a clear mission and vision for the business to prevent daily disagreements from derailing progress toward larger goals.
Mindset and Burnout 00:21:46
Marcy challenges the common belief that burnout is primarily caused by being overworked, arguing it's more about mindset. She observes that people facing similar struggles respond differently based on their perspective and support systems. Marcy uses the example of not getting a desired promotion - one can either see it as making the job miserable or look for other opportunities and growth. She shares how her father and his brothers each chose different paths after their family business split, which allowed them to create successful lives on their own terms.
Leaders Helping Teams Reframe Stress 00:26:19
Marcy discusses how leaders can help team members reframe stress to reduce burnout and increase motivation. She emphasizes the importance of aligning individual missions with organizational missions and empowering employees through supporting their growth and development. Marcy suggests that leaders should help team members develop skills in areas they're interested in, especially if those skills benefit the organization. This approach makes employees feel like necessary parts of the team structure and increases engagement.
Shifting from Self-Criticism to Solutions 00:31:13
Todd and Marcy discuss the tendency of leaders to be hard on themselves when things go wrong. Marcy shares advice from her speaking coaches: after a presentation, first focus on what went well before considering improvements 24-48 hours later. She also shares how she learned to simply say "thank you" when receiving compliments rather than pointing out her mistakes. Marcy emphasizes the importance of acknowledging mistakes but then focusing on solutions rather than dwelling on failures.
Solutions-Focused Mindset 00:35:32
Marcy explains what it means to have a solutions-focused mindset. She emphasizes the importance of admitting mistakes, acknowledging how they deviate from the mission, and then focusing on how to fix the situation and improve in the future. Marcy introduces the "Oreo cookie" or "sandwich method" for providing feedback: starting with positive encouragement, offering constructive suggestions for improvement, and ending with empowerment. She argues that this approach works well for employee reviews and helps prevent deflating team members.
Actions vs. Words in Leadership 00:46:18
Todd asks whether actions or words are more important in leadership. Marcy responds that both are important, but actions can contradict words. She emphasizes the importance of following through on commitments and practicing what you preach. Marcy acknowledges that everyone, including herself, sometimes fails to do what they tell others to do, which is why it's important to constantly check one's perspective and mindset.
Leadership Traps That Cause Burnout 00:48:00
Marcy identifies common leadership traps that unintentionally spread burnout and disengagement. She warns against impulsive responses, emphasizing the value of leaders who take time to think before reacting. Marcy also cautions against "head games" with employees, such as calling them to the office without explaining why, which creates unnecessary anxiety. She emphasizes the importance of setting clear expectations and being transparent about meeting purposes to avoid causing stress.
Perspective and Emotional Responses 00:52:59
Marcy discusses how perspective influences emotional responses to situations, referencing Jordan Peterson's teachings on mindset. She shares an example about road rage, suggesting that when someone cuts you off in traffic, instead of getting angry, consider that they might be rushing to the hospital or dealing with a serious life situation. Todd agrees, sharing how he changed his perspective on driving incidents, choosing not to take them personally or waste energy on anger. Marcy adds that focusing on positive aspects of surroundings rather than frustrations can completely change one's experience.
Starting a Perspective Shift 00:57:27
Todd asks where leaders should start if they want to reset the tone in their business. Marcy recommends beginning with a personal mission - understanding one's purpose in life. She explains that having a clear vision and purpose helps evaluate whether each decision brings you closer to or further from that purpose. The conversation concludes with Todd sharing how changing his perspective and mindset about his own leadership value transformed his approach to work and made him happier and more grounded.
Marcy suggested leaders should take time to understand everyone's viewpoint before making decisions to gain a broader perspective of situations. 00:08:03
Marcy recommended leaders be attuned to unusual emotional responses from team members and ask questions rather than make assumptions when something seems "off." 00:10:11
Todd emphasized the importance of leaders telling team members upfront what one-on-one meetings are about to avoid causing unnecessary anxiety. 00:50:19
Marcy advised organizations to record positive employee actions in their files, not just negative incidents. 00:43:25
Marcy suggested using the "Oreo cookie" or "sandwich method" for providing feedback: starting with positive encouragement, offering constructive suggestions, and ending with empowerment. 00:37:14
Marcy recommended that after making a mistake, one should admit it, acknowledge how it deviates from the mission, and focus on solutions rather than dwelling on failure. 00:36:31
Marcy advised that after a presentation or performance, first focus on what went well before considering improvements 24-48 hours later. 00:32:11
Marcy suggested leaders help align individual team member missions with the organizational mission to increase engagement and reduce burnout. 00:26:19
Marcy recommended leaders support team members' skill development in areas they're interested in, especially if those skills benefit the organization. 00:28:06
Todd and Marcy advised shifting from asking "what's wrong with me?" to "what needs to change around me or within me?" when facing challenges. 00:31:13
