Keeping It Real: Why We Struggle With Being Good Leaders Featuring Shelley Smith

In this incredibly powerful episode, Kris sits down with Shelley Smith, Culture Curator, Author, Speaker, and Consultant. Shelley has a passion for making the lives of others easier and less stressful and has created a world of incredible tools that serve as absolute game-changers. She talks about why culture matters and how to hire the right person and set them up for success, and shares some incredible stats around employee retention from some of her clients. Shelley and Kris talk about the return on investment that occurs when everyone is on board with the same mission and values, and the different tools she chooses to measure success and take action upon those results that really move the needle.

Key Takeaways:

[7:22] Shelley describes herself as a generalist with an eye for holistic culture and profitability. She shares the aspects of her work that she is passionate about.
[9:26] Shelley shares a bit about her background and what led to a having a career in business and education.
[19:59] Shelley shares some of the main issues she sees child care business owners struggling with.
[21:33] Shelley shares how a predictive index help us get smart about our process and measure effectiveness.
[24:24] Shelley shares what should be included in our assessments so they are not only accurate but legal and fair.
[29:40] Shelley shares what it means for a group of coworkers to be happy in today's world.
[32:33] Kris shares what tasks she has currently partnered with Shelley on to help her complete it.
[35:42] Shelley shares the most common issue that she has discovered with leaders surveying their team and clients.
[43:32] Shelley reveals the one thing that we lose focus of when we are constantly putting are fires.
[47:00] Shelley shares a new best practice that you can start to help you tackle your to-do list.

Quotes:

“Mastery of anything just takes time.” — Kris
“We do not do a good job of rewarding good behavior to our culture and values.” — Shelley
“Pick one value for 30 days.” — Shelley
“We are so focused on enrollment that we aren’t listening to what the teachers need and value.” — Shelley