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.
Speaker 2: Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast.
Speaker 2: It's episode seven to seven seven. Today's episode is called
Speaker 2: the Workplace People brag About? Have you ever noticed something
Speaker 2: interesting when people talk about where they work? Some employees
Speaker 2: avoid the question altogether, Some answer with one word, Others
Speaker 2: roll their eyes. There are people who quietly admit they're
Speaker 2: looking for another job before you've even finished asking. And
Speaker 2: then there are the rare employees whose smile, they lean forward,
Speaker 2: they tell stories, they recommend their company to friends, They
Speaker 2: proudly wear the company shirt on weekends. They become recruiters
Speaker 2: without ever being asked. Every leader should stop and ask
Speaker 2: one question. Would my employees brag about working here? Not
Speaker 2: because the paycheck is great, not because the building is beautiful,
Speaker 2: not because there's free coffee in the breakroom. They brag
Speaker 2: because of how they're treated. That is the difference. You
Speaker 2: can't force pride, you earn it. Some leaders think employee
Speaker 2: satisfaction is measured by annual surveys and engagement scores. I
Speaker 2: think it's measured by conversations that happen when leadership isn't
Speaker 2: in the room. When someone says you should come work
Speaker 2: with us, that's culture. When someone tells their spouse, I
Speaker 2: actually had a great day at work, that's culture. When
Speaker 2: a former employee says, I wish I never left, that's culture.
Speaker 2: People don't about policies. They brag about experiences. Think about
Speaker 2: your favorite restaurant, your favorite airline, your favorite hotel. You
Speaker 2: probably tell people how you were treated long before you
Speaker 2: mention what you bought. The same thing happens inside of organizations.
Speaker 2: Employees remember moments, the supervisor who defended them, the manager
Speaker 2: who listened to the CEO who remembered their name, the
Speaker 2: leader who admitted making a mistake. Those moments become stories.
Speaker 2: Stories become culture. Culture becomes reputation. And here's something else
Speaker 2: worth thinking about. Companies spend thousands of dollars trying to
Speaker 2: improve their public image. Meanwhile they're ignoring the people who
Speaker 2: could become their biggest ambassadors. Your employees are your marketing department.
Speaker 2: Every conversation they have with family, friends, neighbors, or people
Speaker 2: on socialcial media shapes your reputation. You can't buy that
Speaker 2: kind of credibility. You have to build it. I've worked
Speaker 2: in emergency services for decades. People ask me what keeps
Speaker 2: employees committed to organizations where the work is difficult, stressful,
Speaker 2: and emotionally exhausting. It isn't because every day is easy.
Speaker 2: It's because meaningful work becomes even more meaningful when people
Speaker 2: feel respected. The ambulance may be old, the station may
Speaker 2: need painted, budgets may be tight. People can live with
Speaker 2: those things when leadership makes them feel valued. Respect has
Speaker 2: incredible carrying power. And here's another truth. Employees don't expect perfection.
Speaker 2: They expect consistency. If leadership only shows appreciation during employee
Speaker 2: appreciation Week, nobody believes it. If leaders disappear until something
Speaker 2: goes wrong, nobody forgets it. The workplace people brag about
Speaker 2: isn't perfect. It's predictable. People know what leadership stands for.
Speaker 2: People know standards matter, people know they'll be treated fairly.
Speaker 2: People know good work gets noticed. That consistency creates emotional safety.
Speaker 2: Emotional safety creates trust, and trust creates loyalty. Loyalty creates
Speaker 2: stories worth telling. And now let me challenge you. Imagine
Speaker 2: someone interviewing one of your employees tomorrow, no script, no preparation,
Speaker 2: one simple question. Tell me what it's like to work there.
Speaker 2: Would you be excited to hear the answer or nervous?
Speaker 2: That answer probably reflects hundreds of leadership decisions you've made
Speaker 2: over the past year. Culture isn't built during any retreats.
Speaker 2: It's built during ordinary tuesdays. It's built during difficult conversations.
Speaker 2: It's built when someone makes a mistake. It's built when
Speaker 2: someone has an idea, and it's built when someone needs help. Employees,
Speaker 2: remember how leaders respond during ordinary moments, because ordinary moments
Speaker 2: happen every day. So here's one exercise i'd encourage you
Speaker 2: to try this week. Ask one employee this question, what
Speaker 2: makes you proud to work here? And then stop talking,
Speaker 2: just listen. If they answer immediately, you're learning what matters most.
Speaker 2: If they struggle to answer, you're learning something even more important.
Speaker 2: Don't become defensive, become curious. Every answer gives you another
Speaker 2: opportunity to improve the workplace experience. Leadership isn't about creating
Speaker 2: a company that as investors. Leadership is about creating a
Speaker 2: company that impresses employees enough that they voluntarily become your
Speaker 2: biggest supporters. People should walk into your workplace and feel energy.
Speaker 2: People should leave your workplace with dignity. People should tell
Speaker 2: others they enjoy being part of something meaningful. That's the
Speaker 2: workplace people brag about, and leaders who understand that rarely
Speaker 2: struggle to find great people because great workplaces become magnets
Speaker 2: for great employees. So as you go through your week,
Speaker 2: ask yourself one question. If someone asked your employees what
Speaker 2: it's like to work for you, what story would they tell.
Speaker 2: Leadership isn't measured by the speeches you give. It's measured
Speaker 2: by the stories people tell when you're not around. Build
Speaker 2: a workplace worth talking about. And if you want more
Speaker 2: free leadership resources, over to Paulfalloalito dot com and click
Speaker 2: on free Stuff. I have over twenty five free leadership
Speaker 2: documents you can download and start using today. This has
Speaker 2: been the seven minute Leadership podcast and I thank you
Speaker 2: for listening.
Speaker 1: For more Paul Fello Alito podcasts, visit Paulfellovalito dot com