Work Positive

Give Before You Take: AI as Force for Equity | Bala Muthiah

Episode 187 | Give Before You Take: AI as Force for Equity | Bala Muthiah How do you create people-first technology that scales for high-performance teams? How do you lead engineering groups under pressure as you develop resilience and innovate sustainably? How do you champion AI as a force for equity rather than replacement, democratizing mentorship and surfacing areas for growth?  Transform your approach to empathy, psychological safety, and long-term growth on this episode of the Work Positive Podcast with Dr. Joey Faucette and Bala Muthiah [https://www.linkedin.com/in/balaarjunan/]. Bala is Director of Engineering at Lyft, leading the engineering groups responsible for real-time decision systems that support millions of riders and drivers. His work centers on creating environments where teams thrive under pressure. He prioritizes empathy, psychological safety, and long-term growth as he champions AI as a force for equity and leadership.  Listen as Bala explores: ☀️ How community shaped him from home to neighbors to extended family, teaching him he stands on the shoulders of giants ☀️ Why women leaders played a huge role in his development, with his first mentor being female and continuing through his career ☀️ The power of coffee walks and why real meetings happen after the meeting, rather than clicking the red button on Zoom ☀️ How starting meetings five minutes late and ending five minutes early gives you time to breathe, reflect, and avoid jumping from meeting to meeting ☀️ Why work is no longer the number one priority for people, which is completely the right thing as individuals develop their community Bala transforms how leaders think about technology by proving that as you bring together analytical skills and people skills, you unlock potential and become a better engineer and a better person. 🔑 Key Insight: "I am standing on the shoulders of giants. I'm taller and able to do things because I am built on top of somebody else's hard work. Someone gave me the opportunity, the learning, and knowledge. Every single opportunity I see, a friend of mine recently shared this: respect the opportunity. Anything you get, respect it. That teaching and that culture helped me stay grounded. Engineers are heads down solving problems, usually not very known for people skills. But as these two come together, you really unlock potential. You become a better engineer and a better person. It's a collective gain. Both benefit from each other. That's the formula I kept and it got me where I am." 💡 Your DOT (Do One Thing): Do two things. First, regardless of where you work or who you work with, as you ask someone "How are you?" and they tell you "I'm good," don't stop there. Ask "Tell me more." That opens up insights and creates better relationships. Many times we ask people how they are, they say good, and we walk away. Some of us ask the question and walk away rather than even listening. Be curious about them. Second, give before you take. Imagine the world as we all give before we take. The world transforms into a much better place. Whether you're talking or creating relationships, always give first before you take anything from that relationship. That makes the whole thing better. People come to you. You are one person who gives before you take, but there are ten people who come to you and give. Mathematically, you actually get more than you give. Note: The views expressed in this episode are those of Bala Muthiah and do not represent the views of his employer. ----more---- Connect with Bala Muthiah: * Visit BalaMuthiah.com [https://balamuthiah.com/] to read blog posts and discover podcast appearances * Connect with Bala on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/balaarjunan/] * Reach out via email on his website [https://balamuthiah.com/] (Bala loves connecting with people to learn) * Discover how a 30-minute conversation triggers more insights than reading any amount of books * Learn how to create environments where teams thrive under pressure #GiveBeforeTake #PeopleFirstTechnology #AIForEquity #CoffeeWalks #TellMeMore #StandingOnShoulders #CultureEatsStrategyForBreakfast #WorkPositive ----more---- 🎙️ Love the Work Positive Podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes to help others discover how to grow people and profits with a positive work culture! 🔗 Stay connected with Dr. Joey Faucette: * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@workpositive7529 [https://www.youtube.com/@workpositive7529] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoeyfaucette/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoeyfaucette/] * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkPositiveToday/ [https://www.facebook.com/WorkPositiveToday/] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workpositive.today/ [https://www.instagram.com/workpositive.today/]  * Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.joeyfaucette [https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.joeyfaucette] 📧 Know someone who'd make a great guest on the show? Email analiza@getpositive.today with your recommendation!

Make Well-being Visible in Your Culture | Dr. Jamie Hardy

Episode 186 | Make Well-being Visible in Your Culture | Dr. Jamie Hardy How well do you understand the direct connection between performance and health in your work culture? What creates teams who are energized, engaged, and endure rather than quietly dimming or walking out the door? How do you embed executive well-being into the very culture of work rather than treating it as an afterthought? Transform your approach to retention and performance on this episode of the Work Positive Podcast with Dr. Joey Faucette and Dr. Jamie Hardy [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjamiehardy/]. Dr. Jamie is a clinical pharmacist, executive well-being consultant, speaker, and founder of Innovative Wellness. With over 20 years in healthcare, she partners with corporations to optimize talent engagement, retention, and productivity by delivering science-backed consulting and energizing keynotes. Known as "the lifestyle pharmacist," she brings both clinical authority and cultural insight to today's most urgent well-being conversations. Listen as Dr. Jamie explores: ☀️ Her origin story of being escorted from her office to the emergency room as she felt symptoms of a heart attack ☀️ The three transformations she made: prioritize fueling brain and body, reset nervous system in real time, embrace strategic rest as performance multiplier ☀️ Why well-being culture compounds retention results rather than just annual surveys that miss the building dumpster fire ☀️ How the Leadership Retention Index reveals patterns contributing to depletion in your organization sooner than annual surveys ☀️ The 70% gap between what people leaders think they're doing and how people receive it Dr. Jamie transforms how leaders think about well-being by proving that as you make well-being visible in one place, you create cultures where top talent thrives rather than dims. 🔑 Key Insight: "I was so focused on the job, the output, the productivity, how I was being perceived, how I was showing up. I wasn't taking care of the person who was helping to lead the strategy: myself. I was not leading myself well at that point in my career. It shook me to my core and forced me to level up how I was leading myself. I had to prioritize how I was fueling my brain and my body even on my busiest days, even as the calendar was stacked. I had to invent a system to reset my nervous system in real time. I had to lean into this concept that strategic rest is important. It's a performance multiplier rather than a weakness. That ordeal showed me something else: I wasn't the only one. The curtain had been lifted. I was not the only one who had experienced physiological transformations and mental transformations because the work was all consuming." 💡 Your DOT (Do One Thing): Find one place inside your organization where well-being is invisible and make it visible. You can start with the morning huddle, the monthly team meeting, or the quarterly business meeting with senior executives. Pick one space where well-being is practically nonexistent and start that conversation. Share something you discovered listening to this episode that you can do in your life as a leader. Model it. People love to hear you say "try this because I tried it" rather than "do as I say." You can initiate these conversations, processes, and forward momentum in your organization. It all starts with one conversation and a person courageous enough to initiate it. Connect with Dr. Jamie Hardy: * Visit LeadershipRetentionIndex.com [https://drjamiehardy.kartra.com/page/s1m124] for your FREE Leadership Retention Index (complete in 5 minutes, reveals patterns contributing to depletion) * Visit DrJamieHardy.com [https://drjamiehardy.com/] for actionable tools, strategies, and blog designed with executive performance and leadership in mind * Connect with Dr. Jamie on LinkedIn at Dr. Jamie Hardy [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjamiehardy/] * Follow on Instagram at @DrJamieHardy [https://www.instagram.com/drjamiehardy/] * Discover how to integrate well-being strategies and solutions into your leadership culture * Learn how to close the 70% gap between what leaders think they're doing and how people receive it #Executivewell-being #StrategicRest #PerformanceMultiplier #well-beingCulture #LeadershipRetentionIndex #TheLifestylePharmacist #CultureEatsStrategyForBreakfast #WorkPositive 🎙️ Love the Work Positive Podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes to help others discover how to grow people and profits with a positive work culture! 🔗 Stay connected with Dr. Joey Faucette: * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@workpositive7529 [https://www.youtube.com/@workpositive7529] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoeyfaucette/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoeyfaucette/] * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkPositiveToday/ [https://www.facebook.com/WorkPositiveToday/] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workpositive.today/ [https://www.instagram.com/workpositive.today/]  * Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.joeyfaucette [https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.joeyfaucette] 📧 Know someone who'd make a great guest on the show? Email analiza@getpositive.today with your recommendation!

Augmented Leadership in a BANI World | Bob Johansen

How do you navigate the chaos as work transforms faster than ever before? How do you lead people through a world that feels brittle, anxious, non-linear, and incomprehensible? How do you want to be augmented as generative AI reshapes every aspect of work? Transform your approach to strategic thinking and future-focused leadership on this episode of the Work Positive Podcast with Dr. Joey Faucette and Dr. Bob Johansen. Bob is a distinguished fellow at the Institute for the Future, the longest-running futures research group in the world. He's a former university basketball player who scored 20 points against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a strategic thinker who has shaped how leaders navigate uncertainty, and the author of multiple groundbreaking books including "Navigating the Age of Chaos [https://amzn.to/49oXaxU]" and "Leaders Make the Future [https://amzn.to/3QZ3WEk]" (Third Edition). This is Bob's fourth appearance on the Work Positive Podcast.  Listen as Bob explores: ☀️ Why VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) is no longer VUCA enough for what we're about to experience ☀️ How the BANI world (brittle, anxious, non-linear, incomprehensible) requires leaders who choose how to be augmented rather than replaced ☀️ Why the big story is humans and computers doing things together that have never been done before rather than computers replacing people ☀️ How Bob uses his customized ChatGPT nicknamed "Stretch" at the beginning of his writing process to stretch his thinking rather than at the end ☀️ The power of keeping a daily gratitude journal to stay grounded as you navigate chaos and create positive work cultures Bob transforms how leaders think about the future by proving that humanizing generative AI means you create cultures where people choose how to be augmented, discovering comprehensibility through optimism rather than fear. 🔑 Key Insight: "VUCA was coined at the Army War College in the late 1980s, post-Cold War period, and it was US-centric. BANI is much more global. Brittle means systems break suddenly. Anxious means we're all in emotional states where we're kind of overwhelmed. Non-linear means cause and effect are disproportionate. Incomprehensible means our brains can't process what's happening. The question becomes: how do you want to be augmented? We're all going to be augmented. We just don't know how. If you're a leader now or if you're even curious, you gotta be experimenting with this stuff. The real question boils down to what can humans do best and what do we want to keep for ourselves, what can computers do best, and what do we want to do together. That's where I get really optimistic about creating work cultures today." 💡 Your DOT (Do One Thing): Keep a daily gratitude journal. Get a small journal and write down one to three things you're grateful for every day. This one practice has a profound positive impact on your ability to navigate chaos and lead with hope. Also consider starting meetings with a moment of gratitude. Ask team members to share one thing they're grateful for today. It can be about work or something personal. Watch how this simple practice transforms your culture and grounds your team in optimism rather than anxiety as you navigate the BANI world together. Books by Bob Johansen: * "Navigating the Age of Chaos [https://amzn.to/49oXaxU]" (co-authored with Jamais Cascio and Angela Williams) * "Leaders Make the Future: Ten New Leadership Skills for an Uncertain World [https://amzn.to/3QZ3WEk]" (Third Edition: 10 New Skills to Humanize Leadership with Generative AI) * "The New Leadership Literacies [https://amzn.to/3P3J4et]" Connect with Bob Johansen: * Visit iftf.org [https://www.iftf.org/] for the Institute for the Future resources and research * Connect with Bob on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-johansen/] * Discover how to humanize generative AI and choose your augmentation path * Learn the 10 new leadership skills for uncertain times #BANIWorld #AugmentedLeadership #HumanizeAI #NavigatingChaos #FutureOfWork #GratitudeJournal #CultureEatsStrategyForBreakfast #WorkPositive ----more---- 🎙️ Love the Work Positive Podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes to help others discover how to grow people and profits with a positive work culture! 🔗 Stay connected with Dr. Joey Faucette: * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@workpositive7529 [https://www.youtube.com/@workpositive7529] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoeyfaucette/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoeyfaucette/] * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkPositiveToday/ [https://www.facebook.com/WorkPositiveToday/] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workpositive.today/ [https://www.instagram.com/workpositive.today/]  * Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.joeyfaucette 📧 Know someone who'd make a great guest on the show? Email analiza@getpositive.today with your recommendation!

From Roots to Fruits: The Soul of Leadership | Dr. Joey Faucette

How do you create a continuous learning positive work culture when only 23% of employees worldwide are engaged in their work? What if three out of four people on your team are among the ranks of The Working Dead, costing the global economy $8.9 trillion in lost productivity annually? How do you grow a culture that starts with souls, not systems? Discover the proven framework to grow your leader soul and cultivate a root-to-fruit culture on this special LinkedIn Live episode of the Work Positive Podcast. Dr. Joey Faucette unveils his groundbreaking Root-to-Fruit framework from his latest book "Leader Soul: Grow a Root-to-Fruit Culture," drawing from insights of six remarkable Work Positive Podcast guests who have done this internal work themselves and helped countless others do the same. Listen as Dr. Joey explores: ☀️ Why organizations that grow today don't start with systems but with souls, doing the internal work that creates external transformation ☀️ How leader soul is like a fruit tree with roots (inside job), trunk (seeing and being seen), branches (core essentials), flowers (permissions), and fruits (care and creation) ☀️ The three permissions framework: Permission to Feel, Permission to Fail, and Permission to Fly that protect the flowering of workers ☀️ Why values only become real when translated into specific, observable behaviors, not vague words like "integrity" and "excellence" ☀️ How trust deposits are small but withdrawals are large, with ratios of 5-to-1 or even 10-to-1 requiring consistent sustained attention Dr. Joey transforms how leaders think about culture by proving that when you grow from your roots through your trunk, branches, and flowers to fruits, you create a Work Positive culture where growing people grows profits. 🔑 Key Insight: "Picture a tree that produces beautiful oranges. We see the fruit and admire it. We might even try to study the oranges themselves. But the fruit comes from the roots. The organizations experiencing behavior problems throughout aren't dealing with a bottom issue but a top issue. The executive team is the root. The organization-wide behavior problem is the fruit. Words like 'integrity' and 'excellence' have been eroded by marketing. Everyone claims them. If a value can mean anything, it means nothing. Replace 'core values' with 'core essentials' and ask what does this look like in practice. Culture doesn't live on posters or in values statements. It lives in the hearts and minds of your people. The only way to know what's really in their hearts and minds is to be with them." 💡 Your DOT (Do One Thing): Choose one stage of the Root-to-Fruit framework based on where you have the best opportunity to grow. Then return to that chapter's Do One Thing challenge and do the one that resonates most strongly with where you are right now. Do it well. Build the habit. Then add another. Small, consistent actions create lasting change. A grand, unsustainable gesture is worth less than a small practice you maintain for years. Be patient with yourself. Be persistent with your practice. Trust the process. That's how you avoid going rogue in your leader soul and grow a root-to-fruit culture. The Root-to-Fruit Framework: * ROOT: Leader Soul is an Inside Job (Ask "Am I being the leader I want to be right now?" three times daily) * TRUNK: The Power of Seeing and Being Seen (Write three handwritten notes to team members this week) * BRANCHES: Core Essentials that Reach for the Sky (Define five specific behaviors for one core essential, three violations) * FLOWERS: Permission to Feel, Fail and Fly (Focus on strengthening one permission, ask for feed-forward) * FRUITS: Cultivate a Culture of Care and Creation (Identify one team member, schedule weekly leader soul cultivation meetings) Featured Work Positive Podcast Guests: * Alison Jones (Practical Inspiration Publishing, The Extraordinary Business Book Club podcast) * Christian Muntean (Fortune 500 transformation, automotive dealership example) * Chester Elton (Anxiety at Work co-author, "Am I being the leader I want to be right now?") * Roger Gerard (former Chief Learning Officer for Cardinal Health, "Lead with Purpose," go and see leadership) * Robyn White (Three Permissions: Feel, Fail, Fly) * Jeff Gibbard (Lovable leadership, trust deposits and withdrawals, care foundation) Connect with Dr. Joey Faucette: * Get your FREE copy of "Leader Soul: Grow a Root-to-Fruit Culture [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F5BXYCL8]" on Kindle or by messaging Dr. Joey on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoeyfaucette/] * Get "L.E.A.R.N. @ Work: The Race to Develop Talent [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQJML1HZ]" on Amazon for talent development framework * Take the FREE Work Positive Culture Assessment at workpositive.today [https://workpositive.today/] * Message Dr. Joey on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoeyfaucette/] for personalized culture transformation strategies #LeaderSoul #RootToFruitCulture #ThreePermissions #CoreEssentials #CareAndCreation #LovableLeadership #CultureEatsStrategyForBreakfast #WorkPositive ----more---- 🎙️ Love the Work Positive Podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes to help others discover how to grow people and profits with a positive work culture! 🔗 Stay connected with Dr. Joey Faucette: * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@workpositive7529 [https://www.youtube.com/@workpositive7529] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoeyfaucette/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoeyfaucette/] * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkPositiveToday/ [https://www.facebook.com/WorkPositiveToday/] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workpositive.today/ [https://www.instagram.com/workpositive.today/] * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.joeyfaucette [https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.joeyfaucette] 📧 Know someone who'd make a great guest on the show? Email analiza@getpositive.today [analiza@getpositive.today] with your recommendation!

Free to Lead: Unleash Your Hidden Leadership Genius

Episode 183 | Free to Lead: Unleash Your Hidden Leadership Genius | Will Steel What are your hidden beliefs that keep you from fulfilling your purpose as a people leader? What's the invisible script or background soundtrack playing in your head? What are your blind spots as a result of this head trash? How do you dismantle the constraints that limit your performance and your fulfillment so you can act freely, lead powerfully, and create results that once seemed impossible?  Transform your approach to leadership on this episode of the Work Positive Podcast with Dr. Joey Faucette and Will Steel. Will helps people leaders around the world dismantle the constraints that limit their performance and fulfillment, enabling them to lead with clarity, purpose, and authenticity. His new book is "Free to Lead: Unleash Your Hidden Leadership Genius." Listen as Will explores: ☀️ How he failed RAF officer training by keeping his head down, then graduated with a leadership trophy by just being himself ☀️ Why his hidden belief "I'm not as good as people think I am" kept him from fulfilling his potential as a pilot ☀️ How vision work requires every single person to align and own it, not just numbers but being leaders in their field ☀️ Why if someone can do 80% as good as you, that's a win because you're not doing it and you get to sleep ☀️ The power of stopping blame and taking responsibility for everything as the source, not the victim Will transforms how leaders think about their constraints by proving that when you stop blaming others or circumstances and take full responsibility, you become forever powerful because you're the source of all of it, not at the effect of anything. 🔑 Key Insight: "I tried to be what I thought I was supposed to be during RAF officer training - keeping my head down, staying out of trouble. After 16 weeks, my flight commander said he couldn't graduate me because I was like a ghost. So I did it again and said screw it, I'm just gonna be myself. 18 weeks later I graduated with a leadership trophy because I was just being myself. When I work with teams on vision, every word has to fit. If one person says 'I don't think that's true because we do this,' we wait and resolve it. We change one word if needed until everyone aligns. By the end, people read it out and it's theirs, they've created it together, they own it. If someone can do 80% as good as you, that's a win. Why? Because you're not doing it." 💡 Your DOT (Do One Thing): Stop blaming others, the situation, or the circumstances and take responsibility yourself. Stand in it and say "Alright, this has happened. How can I be responsible for all of this?" It's not blame. You're not blaming yourself or beating yourself up. You're simply taking responsibility. When something fails, instead of saying "They're terrible and they don't know how to do their job and I shouldn't have to tell them all this," say "I'm responsible for that. I didn't really tell them exactly what I needed to have happened." Come from a place where you stop blaming anybody else and stand as responsible for all of it. You're the center of the universe in your company or business. Once you do this, you're forever powerful because you're not at the effect. You're not a victim of anything. You are the source of all of it.   Connect with Will Steel: * Get "Free to Lead: Unleash Your Hidden Leadership Genius [https://amzn.to/4sJomyq]" on Amazon  * Visit willsteel.com for background and to connect https://willsteel.com/ * Connect with Will on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-steel-business-coach-high-performance-transformation/]  * Follow on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/willsteelcoaching/] and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/will.steel2020] at steel coaching * Schedule a conversation (Will's work is bespoke and requires conversation to understand what you're dealing with) #FreeToLead #HiddenBeliefs #TakeResponsibility #StopBlaming #VisionWork #DelegateEverything #CultureEatsStrategyForBreakfast #WorkPositive   🎙️ Love the Work Positive Podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes to help others discover how to grow people and profits with a positive work culture! 🔗 Stay connected with Dr. Joey Faucette: * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@workpositive7529 [https://www.youtube.com/@workpositive7529] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoeyfaucette/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoeyfaucette/] * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkPositiveToday/ [https://www.facebook.com/WorkPositiveToday/] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workpositive.today/ [https://www.instagram.com/workpositive.today/] 📧 Know someone who'd make a great guest on the show? Email analiza@getpositive.today [analiza@getpositive.today] with your recommendation!