Speaker 1: Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
Speaker 1: performance through strong human relations, team building, and golachieving. This
Speaker 1: is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul
Speaker 1: fella Aledo. Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute
Speaker 1: Leadership Podcast. It's episode four ninety nine. Have you ever
Speaker 1: walked into work and thought to yourself, Wow, this place
Speaker 1: feels like a zoo. And I don't mean it as
Speaker 1: an insult. Think about it for a second, because you've
Speaker 1: said it, or you've heard someone else refer to work
Speaker 1: as a zoo. But a zoo is a collection of
Speaker 1: very different animals, all with different personalities, strengths, quirks, and needs.
Speaker 1: You've got the lions, loud, bold and always wanting to
Speaker 1: be seen. You've got the elephants steady, dependable, and they
Speaker 1: remember every single thing you've ever said or done. You've
Speaker 1: got the monkeys energetic, always cracking jokes, sometimes helpful, sometimes distracting.
Speaker 1: And then you have the turtles, slow to move, cautious,
Speaker 1: but when they commit, they always get there. Now, tell
Speaker 1: me that doesn't sound like your workplace, So let's have
Speaker 1: some fun with this episode. Welcome to the zoo. As
Speaker 1: a leader, you don't just run a department. You run
Speaker 1: a zoo. Every day, you're the zookeeper, the one responsible
Speaker 1: for keeping the gates closed, making sure the feedings happen
Speaker 1: on time, and ensuring the lions don't eat the penguins.
Speaker 1: And here's the serious part. If you don't know how
Speaker 1: to manage the zoo, chaos breaks out. So how do
Speaker 1: you manage it? Let's break it down. First, you have
Speaker 1: to know your animals. Every team member has a style,
Speaker 1: a rhythm, and a personality. Too many leaders make the
Speaker 1: mistake of trying to make everyone act the same. That's
Speaker 1: like trying to get a giraffe to act like a gorilla.
Speaker 1: It's not going to happen. Instead, figure out what each
Speaker 1: person naturally brings to the table and then assign work
Speaker 1: that matches their strengths. Second, you have to feed them.
Speaker 1: Right in a zoo, each animal has a diet. Some
Speaker 1: eat meat, some eat plants, some eat a mix. Your
Speaker 1: people need the right kind of recognition, motivation, and guidance.
Speaker 1: Some thrive on public praise, others prefer a private pat
Speaker 1: on the back. Some want detailed instructions, others just want
Speaker 1: the freedom to roam. If you feed everyone the exact
Speaker 1: same way, you'll have some starving for attention in others
Speaker 1: overstuffed with micromanagement. Third, keep the fences in place. Boundaries
Speaker 1: are critical. Zoos without fences are just dangerous parks. Your rules, standards,
Speaker 1: and expectations are the fences. They protect your people from harm,
Speaker 1: they prevent chaos, and they ensure the whole organization doesn't
Speaker 1: go off the rails. When you don't enforce boundaries, that's
Speaker 1: when the monkeys start stealing everyone's lunch. In Fourth, remember
Speaker 1: the guests are watching. A zoo exists for the public.
Speaker 1: Your organization exists for customers, clients, or the community, no
Speaker 1: matter how wild it gets behind the scenes. When people
Speaker 1: are watching, your team must present professionalism. It doesn't mean
Speaker 1: hiding the truth, but it does mean showing discipline and
Speaker 1: pride in what you do. And finally, take care of
Speaker 1: the zookeeper that's you. Running a zoo is exhausting. Your
Speaker 1: breaking up fights between the lions and the hyaenas, keeping
Speaker 1: the slow moving, and convincing the parrots to stop repeating
Speaker 1: gossip they overheard in the break room. If you don't
Speaker 1: take care of yourself, you'll burn out fast. Self care
Speaker 1: is an optional. It's survival. So the next time you
Speaker 1: feel like you're in the middle of a zoo, don't
Speaker 1: get frustrated, look around and laugh a little, because leadership
Speaker 1: really is like running a zoo. The animals are unpredictable,
Speaker 1: the days are long, and there's always a mess to
Speaker 1: clean up. But at the end of the day, a
Speaker 1: well run zoo is an incredible place. It's where the
Speaker 1: wild works together, where people come to see something amazing,
Speaker 1: and where everyone from the lions to the turtles has
Speaker 1: a place. Welcome to the zoo. You're the zoo keeper.
Speaker 1: Lead it well. This has been the seven minute Leadership
Speaker 1: podcast and I thank you for listening. For more Paul
Speaker 1: Fellovlito podcast, visit paulfellowalito dot com.