What if the finish line wasn’t the end of a journey, but the peace you could enjoy before it ends? In this episode, we share Drew’s recent “red dot” talk, titled ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’, where he shares the vulnerable story of how he learned not to chase potential beyond his health and happiness. We unpack some key insights from his talk, including his relationship with potential, what it looks like to accept the changes that life brings, and how to recognize and nurture healthy ambition. Our conversation also explores whether you can truly be both ambitious and happy and how to evaluate your goals based on what truly matters to you and your team. Tune in to gain practical tools and perspective shifts that can help you pursue success without losing yourself along the way!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Personal takes on ambition, work, and mental health behind this episode. [0:00:30]

• Drew’s “red dot” talk: how a health scare prompted a re-evaluation of his goals. [0:05:13]

• What your understanding of striving for potential can do to shape your life’s journey. [0:14:18]

• Reflections on the talk and Drew’s perspective on his delivery. [0:19:09]

• Unpacking the metaphor of the mind as an operating system. [0:25:04]

• Factors that led to Drew accepting the benefits of his new capacity. [0:33:00]

• Questions to ask to differentiate healthy ambition from unhealthy ambition. [0:44:10]

• Exploring whether you can be ambitious and happy at the same time. [0:50:00]

• Determining if a new goal is worth striving for (for you and your team). [01:01:05]

Quotes:

“The people in your life who love you, they don’t love you because of what you might be one day. They’re not in your life because they bought you low as a stock and they’re hoping to stick around until you finally pay off.” — Drew Dudley [0:09:40]

“Potential is the word other people use to describe how much money they think you should make.” — Drew Dudley [0:14:23]

“Finish lines are not the end of a journey. The finish line is the peace that you get to enjoy before the end of the journey.” — Drew Dudley [0:16:34]

“Do not chase your potential past your health and past your happiness.” — Drew Dudley [0:17:42]

“[Ask yourself:] whatever the things the people who love me the most value the most in me, how prevalent are those things in my workplace?” — Drew Dudley [0:41:41]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Field of Dreams

Drew Dudley | Everyday Leadership

Brett Elmgren | Axom Leadership

It's another development day and "team building" activities are on the agenda...are you jazzed and ready to take on your co-workers or are you coming up with every excuse for why you're going to be sick that day? Regardless of which side you're on, anyone can admit there is a love/hate response when it comes to "team development." In this episode of Good Company, join Drew Dudley and Brett Elmgren as they discuss their own takes on what makes Team Building effective and how to optimize them from team cohesion. Drew and Brett even take you through a few of their favourite activities for you to use at your next team event. Tune in to learn when team building is effective, when it is a waste of time, and how to know the difference.

What’s the real difference between a toxic workplace and a dysfunctional one? In this season opener of The Good Company Podcast, hosts Drew Dudley and Brett Elmgren delve into the grey areas of workplace culture. In their conversation, Drew and Brett discuss what makes a culture toxic, how to tell if it’s permanently broken or just temporarily off-track, and how leaders can respond accordingly. They explore the difference between temporary dysfunction and baked-in toxicity, and why too many leaders jump to extreme language without naming what’s going on. They unpack how cultures drift into dysfunction “gradually and then suddenly,” the danger of normalizing poor behavior, and why personal values are the ultimate litmus test for when it’s time to walk away. Drew and Brett also uncover their three-level model of workplace culture and share what it takes to move teams up that ladder. Join in for leadership insight that will challenge how you think about hope, emotional honesty, and the lies we tell ourselves to get through the day. Tune in now!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Introduction and outline of what listeners can expect from the episode. [0:00:00]

• They reflect on season one and the most common feedback from listeners. [0:01:20]

• Explore the difference between a dysfunctional culture and a toxic culture. [0:03:18]

• Brett’s three-tiered culture model: dysfunctional, transactional, legendary. [0:06:38]

• Drew’s definition of toxic and why tracking emotional well-being is important. [0:14:00]

• Broader implications of toxicity and the common lies managers tell themselves. [0:20:00]

• Managers chasing professional acclaim versus managers who are people pleasers. [0:27:42]

• Learn practical tips for delivering hard feedback while maintaining care and intent. [0:35:52]

• Find out what is needed to transform a toxic culture into a positive one. [0:40:06]

• Final takeaways: track trends, have hard conversations, and refocus on purpose. [0:49:15]

Quotes:

“Dysfunction can be temporary. Toxicity is baked right [into workplace culture].” — Drew Dudley [0:05:56]

“A toxic culture would be defined by an environment that forces you to violate your personal values in order to survive within it.” — Brett Elmgren [0:07:10]

“It is easier to survive financial bankruptcy than emotional bankruptcy.” — Drew Dudley [0:20:58]

“The path to toxicity is often paved with the best intentions.” — Drew Dudley [0:34:22]

“Great leaders don’t manage processes and systems – great leaders manage energy.” — Brett Elmgren [0:45:38]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Radical Candor

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Drew Dudley | Everyday Leadership

Brett Elmgren | Axom Leadership

‘Edge of the Doorway Advice’ is the wisdom we share when we skip the small talk and get straight to the heart of things. That’s exactly what we’re doing during this episode: passing on the overall insights we have gained throughout our careers that could inspire and empower others. What might it look like to ask more generous questions, both as a leader and as a team member? Along with exploring this question, we dive deep into Drew and Brett’s most pertinent advice for other leaders, from definitions and principles to relationships and practices. Join us as we explore what it means to straddle personal and company values, identify manipulative behaviors in those who lead, and learn why leadership can be considered a profession of its own. We also touch on vulnerability, using your position to create positive change, and much more. Thanks for listening to Good Company!

Key Points From This Episode:

• The ‘Edge of the Doorway’ advice we will share in this episode. [0:01:50]

• Nuggets of wisdom leading up to Brett & Drew’s ultimate advice. [0:05:50]

• Determining whether there is truly a disconnect between your values and the organization you

work for. [0:11:00]

• What to do when your personal values and the company values are different. [0:14:04]

• Unpacking what it really means to see leadership as an opportunity to create positive change.

[0:22:32]

• How, as a leader, you should approach speaking about problems and avoiding manipulation.

[0:25:30]

• The appropriate application of vulnerability in the context of leadership. [0:31:56]

• Why leadership itself is a profession and what this means for leaders. [0:36:56]

• How fear impacts organizational function. [0:41:54]

• Understanding the privilege of leadership. [0:45:23]

Quotes:

“Those three words save relationships and they save careers: elevate, don’t escalate.” — Drew

Dudley [0:07:12]

“You have to go to work every day and evaluate your role in a toxic environment by knowing that

it’s better to be financially bankrupt than spiritually bankrupt, and toxic environments bankrupt

you spiritually.” — Drew Dudley [0:09:12]

“‘What’s the most generous assumption you can make about this decision?’ is such a good

leadership mantra.” — Drew Dudley [0:13:22]

“Leadership is the opportunity to create positive change and it does take courage to do that

within every moment.” — Brett Elmgren [0:20:36]

“Leadership is about embracing uncertainty.” — Brett Elmgren [0:23:52]

“How you feel about yourself has a profound impact on how you treat other people.” — Drew

Dudley [0:41:29]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

This is Day One

Drew Dudley | Everyday Leadership

Brett Elmgren | Axom Leadership

Leadership Traits: Overrated and Underrated

What leadership traits are essential, and which ones are given more credit than they deserve? In this episode of Good Company, hosts Drew Dudley and Brett Elmgren unpack the most overrated and underrated leadership traits in today's workplace. In their conversation, they define overrated and underrated characteristics and how certain traits can help leaders create more productive workplaces and fulfilling company cultures. Drew and Brett discuss the common misconceptions surrounding charisma and why there is an inherent distrust of it. They unpack why collaboration is overrated and the concept of mindful collaboration. They also explore why education and credentials are not a silver bullet for competence, and the power of fostering personal value discovery in the workplace in addition to organizational values. Discover why leaders need to understand data, the role of agility and adaptability in leadership, why asking good questions is a vital skill, and more. Tune in to uncover the key traits to leadership success with Drew Dudley and Brett Elmgren!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Find out why charisma is not a leadership trait and how it differs from confidence. [0:04:22]
• The value of collaboration and the risk of too many people making decisions. [0:12:15]
• Learn why companies should hire based on skills and not credentials or education. [0:17:22]
• Explore the power of personal values and why they are essential for the workplace. [0:24:40]
• Discover why data literacy and storytelling are highly underrated leadership skillsets. [0:31:48]
• Discuss the need for agility and adaptability in leadership. [0:37:18]
• Misconceptions surrounding personal boundaries and how to implement them. [0:40:00]
• Why the ability to ask the right questions is a critical, but underrated leadership skill. [0:42:03]
• How leaders can improve decision-making and assess information effectively. [0:47:00]
• Honorable mentions: humility, common sense, humanity, and humor. [0:50:01]

Quotes:

“Let's work on abolishing the extroverted bias within how [leaders] run meetings and how [leaders] promote people in the organization.” — Brett Elmgren [0:09:46]

“Really, what charisma is is the ability to have people form opinions of you that are positive very quickly.” — Drew Dudley [0:11:10]

“Collaboration is not necessarily a skill. It is what emerges from developing a certain set of other skills.” — Drew Dudley [0:15:31]

“We just use credentialism to gatekeep what access people get.” — Drew Dudley [0:19:03]

“I think leaders over manage people through change when the real successful people in organizations understand that change is constant and they are business ready at all times.” — Brett Elmgren [0:37:34]

“I think a boundary is the line past which your values start to be threatened.” — Drew Dudley [0:40:24]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

This Is Day One

Making Numbers Count

Drew Dudley | Everyday Leadership

Brett Elmgren | Axom Leadership

Leadership Pitfalls: What to Stop & What to Start

Are you unknowingly holding your team back? Small leadership habits can have a significant impact on workplace culture and productivity. In this episode of Good Company, Drew Dudley and Brett Elmgren delve into behaviors that leaders should avoid and unpack the steps they can take to foster more positive and productive workplaces. They explore the power of creation-based conversations, why holding team members accountable is key, and how problem-solving conversations create better workplaces. Tuning in, you'll discover a five-step approach for handling conflicts and challenges, the "genie" question, why controlling your emotions as a leader is essential, ways opinions dilute true expertise, the idea of indirect positive feedback, and more. Join the conversation to explore how asking better questions, leveraging expertise, and providing structured feedback can substantially enhance workplace culture and productivity!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Why leaders should shift their approach from judgment to curiosity and support. [0:01:48]

• Navigating judgment effectively and why leaders should always assume good intent. [0:04:00]

• The power of reframing ideas as questions to foster engagement and ownership. [0:07:19]

• Reasons leaders should end open-door policies and focus on problem-solving. [0:11:33]

• How to create places for constructive conversations and define clear dos and don’ts. [0:14:53]

• An approach to create problem-solving conversations for effective conflict resolution. [0:17:39]

• Steps leaders can take to control their emotions when navigating conflict. [0:22:28]

• Unpack the issue of over-collaboration and the idea of a credibility scale for teams. [0:27:08]

• Ways to identify and evaluate expertise for effective credibility rankings. [0:30:45]

• Shifting from incorporating direct positive feedback to indirect positive feedback. [0:34:41]

• Examples of disempowering phrases leaders should avoid and what to say instead. [0:37:23]

• Takeaways from today's conversation and what Drew and Brett have planned. [0:49:22]

Quotes:

“We are always going to judge; that is just how the brain works. It's more about stopping the default negative assumptions as a reaction to whatever [leaders] are being hit with.” — Brett Elmgren [0:06:06]

“If venting is never followed with action, then it actually creates a culture of entitlement.” — Brett Elmgren [0:14:00]

“There is positive intent in every difficult conversation. You should not be having the conversation if you cannot find the positive intent.” — Brett Elmgren [0:16:58]

“Stop looking for who is right and stop trying to solve the problem as quickly as possible.” — Drew Dudley [0:21:04]

“The power of naming your emotion is a very important one [for a leader].” — Drew Dudley [0:23:22]

“Some of your best insight only gets offered when you ask for it from team members.” — Drew Dudley [0:34:27]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

The Opposable Mind

Drew Dudley | Everyday Leadership

Brett Elmgren | Axom Leadership

How can organizations foster trust, resilience, and connection in a world increasingly marked by disconnection and distrust? In this thought-provoking episode of Good Company, Drew Dudley and Brett Elmgren tackle the complexities of post-pandemic organizational culture. They explore why some companies thrived during adversity, the tension between engagement and accountability, and how assumptions about leadership and decision-making shape workplace dynamics. Packed with actionable insights, this conversation challenges leaders (and employees) to rethink their approach to building trust and culture. Tune in to discover strategies for bridging divides, strengthening team cohesion, and leading with authenticity in today’s ever-changing work landscape!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Improving engagement through quick office returns and intentional social connection [0:01:31]

• How resilient leaders minimized disruption by acting fast in the face of adversity [0:05:44]

• The need to accommodate diverse needs when balancing remote and in-office work [0:07:44]

• Shaping a strong culture through consistent actions aligned with shared values [0:10:31]

• Reasons that employees struggle when leaders dismiss cultural initiatives as "soft" [0:16:31]

• Five ways healthy cultures drive engagement, productivity, profitability, and more [0:18:34]

• The danger of a single story and why you can’t outsource culture to the C-suite [0:22:14]

• A simple question that serves as a litmus test for a strong organizational culture [0:26:06]

• Fostering trust and honesty within organizations in an age of disinformation [0:28:21]

• C-suite scuttlebutt: frustration with a perceived sense of employee entitlement [0:33:36]

• Employee entitlement versus the demand for a more human-centered approach [0:40:32]

• Demystifying the executive suite by helping employees understand leadership better [0:44:10]

• Practical strategies for building unity and overcoming division in organizations [0:48:20]

• Wrapping up and what's next: key takeaways and upcoming topics [0:52:32]

Quotes:

“We overcomplicate [culture] – If you want to change the culture, just change the way you do things. That's it.” — Brett Elmgren [0:12:11]

“[Organizations that have] supportive, psychologically safe, – and empowering cultures of accountability, transparency, [and] authenticity – have way higher employee engagement and productivity, like 21% higher profitability and 147% higher earnings per share.” — Drew Dudley [0:19:13]

“Don't outsource culture to your boss. You are the culture!” — Brett Elmgren [0:24:58]

“Allow your people to discover you. Don't try to introduce yourself to them.” — Drew Dudley [0:32:21]

“Engagement minus accountability equals entitlement.” — Brett Elmgren [0:35:53]

“The best cultural indicator is how generous your collective assumptions are in an organization.” — Brett Elmgren [0:53:13]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Reality-Based Leadership | Cy Wakeman

‘Why good leaders make you feel safe’ | Simon Sinek | TED

Drew Dudley | Everyday Leadership

Brett Elmgren | Axom Leadership

Building Better Workplaces: Leadership for a Post-Pandemic World

Welcome to Good Company, the podcast redefining leadership to create workplaces where people thrive! In this debut episode, hosts Drew Dudley and Brett Elmgren share their vision: inspiring leaders to transform culture and drive meaningful change. With personal stories and fresh perspectives, they explore the challenges facing today’s organizations. The discussion examines the pandemic’s lasting impact on workplace culture, raising questions about resilience, recognition, and the disconnect between leadership efforts and employee well-being. What makes people feel strong at work? Are organizations doing enough to address collective trauma and foster recovery?

Drew and Brett offer thoughtful insights on building environments where employees feel valued, autonomous, and connected. With practical strategies like improving communication and redefining recognition, this episode offers actionable ideas to help leaders build better workplaces. Listen in for a candid, thought-provoking conversation that will leave you inspired to create positive change!

Key Points From This Episode:

• An introduction to hosts, Drew and Brett, and the origins of this podcast. [0:01:11]

• What people would like to improve when it comes to their organizational cultures. [0:04:34]

• Examining the pandemic as a collective trauma and how businesses can address it. [0:06:55]

• Reflections on whether the pandemic is over in the context of work. [0:11:52]

• Unpacking the nature of happiness and what brings people joy at work. [0:14:11]

• The range of pandemic workplace experiences from positive to traumatic. [0:25:18]

• Debating a company’s responsibility for employee mental health. [0:31:23]

• Key areas where people are feeling weak and unable to access resilience. [0:41:06]

• Evidence-based approaches for creating safer more resilient work environments. [0:47:17]

• Effective strategies for showing recognition and appreciation in the workplace. [0:51:51]

• Final insights and data concerning today’s topics. [01:06:30]

Quotes:

“I don't think human beings – were meant to live in perpetual states of uncertainty. And that, to me, is what's lingering [from the pandemic] – the uncertainty persists when the pandemic has stopped.” — Brett Elmgren [0:12:12]

“I'm wondering if we're asking the right questions of employees when we say, ‘Are you happy?’ As opposed to asking them, ‘When do you feel happiest?’” — Drew Dudley [0:19:52]

“Strength is a prerequisite for happiness.” — Drew Dudley [0:23:31]

“70% of employees who are heavily monitored report higher levels of work-related stress compared to people that aren’t.” — Drew Dudley [0:45:30]

“She goes, ‘I learned a long time ago, this simple practice where whenever something negative happens, there's really only one question, that's effective. What did I learn from that experience? That's it.’” — Brett Elmgren [0:50:46]

“94% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in their career development.” — Drew Dudley [01:07:43]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

The Power of Habit

Supercommunicators

Drew Dudley | Everyday Leadership

Brett Elmgren | Axom Leadership