Latest / Women Who Make It - A Females in Food Podcast with Angela Dodd / 15. The New Rules of Leadership and Retention with Roxanne Davis

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15. The New Rules of Leadership and Retention with Roxanne Davis · Women Who Make It - A Females in Food Podcast with Angela Dodd

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: People want to feel like they matter.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_01: They want to feel developed.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_01: They want to feel seen.
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  SPEAKER_01: And like we said before, connected to a future inside of the organization.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Women Who Make It.
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  SPEAKER_00: Real conversations with women in the food and beverage industry who are building careers, leading teams, and figuring it all out.
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  SPEAKER_00: After years of building females and food, I've had conversations with some of the most brilliant women in the industry.
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  SPEAKER_00: And they shared the real stuff.
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  SPEAKER_00: The pivots, the boundaries, the burnouts, and the moments of is this even working before it finally clicked?
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  SPEAKER_00: So I hit record, and now you get to hear it too.
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  SPEAKER_00: We're women who make it.
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  SPEAKER_00: So let's dig in.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to Women Who Make It, where we go beyond titles and talk about how leadership actually happens inside organizations, across teams, and through real decisions in the food and beverage industry.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: Today I'm joined by Roxanne Davis, Senior Vice President of Manufacturing at Post-Consumer Brands.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: Roxanne is not only leading large-scale operations, she is also deeply involved in how talent is developed, supported, and retained across the organization.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: And today we're going to dive into all of that.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Roxanne, welcome to the show.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: I am so excited to have you on the podcast.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: This is going to be a great conversation today.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Angela.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: I'm really excited to be here as well.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: So before we start diving into some of the questions, I want to start by just stating what some of the things that we're seeing in the industry right now as we lead into this conversation around your leadership and what you're seeing inside the workplace, but more broadly.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: And so what we're seeing is across the industry, right, the expectations around leadership, growth, connection are all rising.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: And at the same time, it feels like organizations are becoming more complex, fast-paced, and in many cases difficult for people to navigate.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'm curious from where you sit, does leadership feel harder today than maybe a few years ago?
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: Are you noticing any real changes or shifts for you personally as it relates to this changing landscape that we're in?
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think that that's a great question, Angela.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_01: And I know as we were prepping for this, I really had to reflect on that a little bit.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: And what I would say is, yes, I do think it's feeling like leadership feels harder today than it did even really just a few years ago.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_01: I think organizations are moving faster, expectations are higher, people are navigating constant change while still trying to perform at a high level.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_01: And I also think that employees are looking for something maybe a little bit different from leaders today, still expecting strong results and direction, but I think they're also really looking for transparency, connection, development, support, which really creates a much more complex leadership environment than I think what many leaders were really operating in in their careers.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, if I sort of reflect on that in total, I think the one of the biggest shifts is that leadership today requires a much stronger ability to navigate people through uncertainty and change.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: And it's not just about managing execution.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think that's so, I think that's so true.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: I see that lens and seeing that shift from, you know, it's not just about managing that performance, but really about navigating that constant change.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm curious, as you look across your organization, is there anything that you've done to help individuals navigate that change or something that you're seeing working across the board, especially for more of the emerging talent?
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: Like I think not just navigating change, it happens at all landscapes in the organization, but I think specifically for some of the emerging younger talent and coming into organizations, how to really, you know, grasp the culture at the same time, the culture's changing so quickly.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: I want to get your thoughts on that.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think one of the most important things that I've seen has been really um impactful for really early career people coming in is getting involved so that there's a support structure and a system around them that the company is part of.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um we used to have this engagement survey that we um had, and one of the questions in it was, do you have a best friend at work?
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_01: And we always thought it was like a really strange question to ask.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_01: But the degree to which you have someone that you really trust at work that you can confide in and that you can talk about a lot of the stresses that we have, and again, it's about building that connection point, I think has really mattered more than what uh originally thought.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_01: And so when an early career person comes into an organization, building that connection, I think is one of the key things that drives whether they're successful or not.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_01: And there's lots of ways to build that connection.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think the the connection piece that drive her community is, I mean, we're seeing it across the board, even in, you know, across even the females and food community, but more broadly just in the conversations that I have in the industry.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: When you think about retention as a whole, though, because I know as a as you're sitting in your seat as a senior executive in a massive organization, and you think about retaining talent, what do you think matters most right now?
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: Because even we were getting back the the first go-around of the state of women and the industry results.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: And we know from last year it seemed like there was a more of a tone around gaps in leadership development.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: But we we also know there's been a lot of investment and leadership development over the past few years, but there still seems to be this some of this turnover and in the industry.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um and I'm talking more broadly in the industry right now, like more trends, right, than than necessarily in your organization.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: But I think there's something to be taken away for people listening in.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: You know, when you think about retention, I I know for the younger emerging talent, you said community is really important in connection.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: Is there other areas that you think are really driving employees to stay right now?
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it and maybe I'll just expand on that a little bit, Angela, um, because I do think that one of the biggest drivers of retention is that connection and belonging.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: At post-consumer brands, you know, we've developed or we've invested heavily in leadership and development, like you mentioned.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: I think a lot of organizations are doing that.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_01: So much so that in the last several years we've really doubled down and created an entire function that is focused on leadership and development.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: But I think what we've realized is that these development programs alone aren't enough if people don't feel connected to their teams, their leaders, and their future inside of the organization.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_01: So I know you and I talked before, you know, coming out of COVID, I think a lot of companies underestimated how much of that connection piece was lost.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_01: And as people came back to work, not everyone felt that same level of engagement being supported or really truly seen.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: And one thing that I personally spend a lot of time on is talking with employees at all levels about their careers, their goals, you know, really what motivates them, where they want to grow, what frustrations they may have.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_01: And it helps me get a better understanding of the organization, but it also builds a lot of trust and connection.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that people stay where they feel seen.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I think they stay where they feel valued, where they feel developed, where they feel connected to something bigger than just their job.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_01: And I think it's really important, especially with early career employees.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_01: I think they want growth, they want connection, mentorship, you know, a sense of something, something where someone's investing in them.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_01: We actually uh had an early career individual create an early professionals network at Post, and they meet very regularly, again, building some of these community pieces that have allowed for individuals to get in jobs.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: So not necessarily like what you would traditionally think of an employee resource group, um, but for a specific need that that community was looking for.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_01: And I think it's been really successful for that early career group to create that sense of community and connection.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: I I if I'm recalling from another conversation you shared with me as well, that you guys, as you're thinking about placing interns, even, you know, instead of putting one person at one location and putting it across, you know, the manufacturing network, choosing two or three locations and putting several interns at that spot just to drive more community amongst even those intern cohorts.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we have three um facilities where we're uh we've created a kind of a group of intern cohorts.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_01: We actually also in the manufacturing organization have what we call an operations leadership development program.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it's similar to a lot of other CPGs with some rotational programs in different roles and different locations, but we bring those individuals in in groups where they're kind of a part of a team that's rotating through.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: And they're also very connected to people who've been through the program in the past.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, finding places where you can drive connection, I think is really important for a company to do to create that connectedness as much to the company as it is to the people that are there.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I kind of agree more.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: Having trusted people around you, right?
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: Because at the end of the day, we're spending so much time in our job.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um so if you're not having fun, if you don't enjoy the people around you and you're, you know, at the end of the day, we're making food, right?
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: We're not, we're not doing um brain surgery.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: And so having fun and making sure you're not losing sight of that culture and and the people within it that are making food for the world, right?
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely critical to retaining.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to actually get into the talent council that you created at post.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm gonna, we're gonna go there next.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: But before we do, I also want to ask, you know, for those listening that might be at its smaller organizations where they don't have big manufacturing networks, they don't have several manufacturing sites, what advice would you have for them if if it was a CEO or senior executive team sitting in those chairs and looking at, you know, my resources are really tight, right?
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not a Fortune 500 company, I'm I got really tight budget.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: Is there small things that you've seen specifically in like rewards or motivation and Gen Z and like how people are wanting to be recognized or appreciated now than before?
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_00: Because I hear a lot of like millennials or boomers like the recognition or appreciation, how you want to receive it is it's changing.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm curious what you're seeing from that angle and what advice you would have for smaller organizations.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, so Post has done a few different things around recognition that I think are kind of creative and have been pretty impactful.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_01: Like a lot of organizations, I think it doesn't matter size or scale.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we have a recognition program tied to our values that we call the Love Awards, so slowing our values every day.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and they're nominated by peers.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and we have quite a few employees at our plant locations that um get nominated for going above and beyond what their normal duties would be, um, as well as in our corporate location.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_01: But the ability to have, even at any size organization, a way for people to nominate other people that they work with to recognize when someone's gone above and beyond sort of what they've been asked to do.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and that's had a personal impact on you, especially if you can tie it to your company's core values and they really resonate with them so that they're not just hanging on a wall.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_01: They're actually something that you're seeing outwardly and how people behave.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_01: And then you can recognize someone for that.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: It's really impactful.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_01: So we do that in a monthly way, and then we have quarterly as well.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we also have awards that we um and recognition that we do within our employer resource groups.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_01: And um, and they're you know, fun.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_01: They're tied to um the brands that we have, uh, and there are four different things that are tied specifically into employer resource group within, you know, a women's organization.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: Who are the people in the company that are really uplifting and creating space and visibility for women?
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_01: Who are people that are mentoring women in the organization?
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_01: So we have some um specific awards that are tied to things that are really part of our values.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I think that that's something that you can do at any size organization.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think that's a great call out and love the piece of the peer-voted side of it because it's one thing if it comes from the leadership team, which is great, but to like know that your colleagues around you are uplifting you and seeing you and appreciating you in that way, I think can drive a ton of engagement and impact in one's overall like that feeling of belonging at work.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: So, one of the things you shared a couple years ago at our summit was this creation of this talent council, which I love it so much.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I want you to share it because I think there's a lot of insights to be taken from some of our listeners and in what you do at Post from the Talent Council and also the impact that it's had in bringing visibility because this sits home specifically right now as we're seeing the results coming out from the state of women industry, and people are saying visibility and recognition are one of the top barriers to promotion, right?
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I think this translates so well into what you've been doing and been doing for years with the talent council and how to raise that visibility and recognition.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_00: Tell our listeners a little bit more about what you helped create and the impact that it's having within the organization.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I um I love to talk about the talent council and not because I created it, because it's been really impactful.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_01: And it's probably one of the things that um I'm most proud of um since moving into our manufacturing organization at post.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_01: And so maybe I'll start with the problem that we were trying to solve.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_01: So um it was really pretty simple.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_01: We had, you know, a fair amount of turnover, we had pretty weak internal mobility, so not a lot of people moving um within the organization.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_01: And we were spending quite a bit on external recruiting, mostly because people either weren't seeing career opportunities internally or leaders, quite frankly, just didn't know where talent existed and we weren't tapping into it, which had sort of a double, double negative uh effect.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_01: You know, at post we have 17 facilities, we have a large supply chain.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_01: Leaders often only knew talent within their immediate area.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_01: And I would say that that's not just a big company phenomenon.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_01: I think even at small organizations, um, sometimes you get kind of head down and you really focus in and you really only know the talent in your area.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_01: So what really surprised us, and I'll talk a little bit about the formation of the meeting that we do in a minute, but I think what really surprised us when we got into it was how many strong people were really essentially invisible outside of their own plan or function.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_01: And that's really been the impact that we've been able to see.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_01: So talented individuals that probably could have grown into bigger opportunities weren't even brought getting brought into the conversation.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um so instead of implementing, you know, a complicated system, we didn't have really time or resources to have a lot of, you know, a fancy system that you might see at a big organization.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_01: Really, all we did was we created a dedicated monthly cadence of meetings where uh leaders across not only manufacturing, but supply chain, all of the functions, safety, quality that are kind of in that supply chain operations world, we get together and we actively discuss talent.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_01: So we look at open roles, we look at future openings, we talk about high potential talent, and we talk about development opportunities as we see people that are coming through the organization knowing what their career goals are.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_01: And we talk about how do we prepare for them to be ready for those future roles.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_01: So we talk about talent that might be ready now that needed additional development, and we also uh have been able to give stretch assignments to some people to help prepare them for kind of you know bigger next roles.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's really been, I would say, some pretty powerful conversations that have created more intentionality around talent movement.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_01: That's been probably the most powerful part.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_00: I think you have to carve out that time.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_00: A while back you said something to me that as a senior leader, and that I hope you correct my quote if I'm wrong, but as a senior leader, you know, you should be spending 80% of your time on talent.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_01: It was somewhere Yeah, I think it was like 60%.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: But like I I spend a large percentage of my time on talent, succession planning, thinking about future talent needs, um, especially with the leadership and development function that we have now.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_01: Like what are the key skills and competencies that future talent is going to need?
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_01: And how are we intentionally developing that within the company versus having to go externally to find that?
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_00: The point overall, right, is that you're you're being intentional about it and also calibrating to like, are you are you consistently spending that amount of, you know, spending a large amount of time thinking about talent and and succession planning?
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_00: Because I think all too often for senior leaders it's very easy to get into execution in tactical mode, I think is the right word.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: And kind of put that talent or succession planning to the back burner and until it becomes a screaming problem, right?
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_00: Until you have a big gap to fill.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I love what you guys have done to to stay in front of it and carving out that intentional time every single month as an execu as a senior leadership team to talk about the talent across the network and what roles are open and how do you prepare people.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_00: And as you think, as we transition specifically into your team, because uh when I think about visibility, it's one piece to kind of be talking about those individuals when they're not in the room, right?
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_00: And elevating their visibility amongst another group of people, but it's a it's another skill set for somebody to intentionally raise their visibility.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm curious what type of coaching or or what are your thoughts on helping women or today's generation just raise their own visibility?
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_00: Like what types of steps do you encourage your team to take to make sure that you know what they're doing, right?
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_00: To make sure that their peers know the work that they're doing.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_00: And I think so often this is a gap in that we're not advocating for ourselves or we're sharing about our own accomplishments.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_01: It's a great question.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I, you know, would echo kind of what you just alluded to that I believe um I as a leader should be being purposeful about um creating space and opportunities for people to have visibility.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_01: But equally as important, I think um employees have a responsibility to engage and participate in creating visibility for themselves.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I think you can't just keep your head down and hope to be seen.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, you know, I don't think that that is the way to accomplish that.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_01: And we've talked a little bit about this connection piece, but there's some side benefits to the connection point as well.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_01: You know, at Post, we have a lot of different pathways, as I've mentioned, for folks to engage in the organization.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_01: We have mentorship programs where employees can participate as mentors or mentees at every single level.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_01: So you just sign up and you're like, hey, I'd love to be a mentor.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_01: I'd also like to have a mentee.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_01: That is a way to engage within an organization and one that also develops both paths.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_01: As I mentioned, employee resource groups, getting involved in cross-functional projects is a great way to raise your hand and say, hey, I'd really like to do this, and that can create visibility through your job, as well as broader, you know, organizational involvement both inside and outside of work.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_01: You know, those types of experiences help build relationships, it can help expand visibility and really create opportunities where you can share what you're working on and contributing.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_01: You know, part of even me coming on this podcast has been tied into uh talking about some of the things that we've been doing that's created this opportunity even for myself, right?
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_01: So part of it is um is engaging and talking about the things that you're doing.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_01: One thing that I uh have talked about with folks that I've mentored over the year is it takes a lot of energy and time to network and to talk about it.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_01: So being very intentional about who you're networking with and why you're networking with.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_01: And I think a lot of times people can feel like that, that isn't an authentic way to build relationships.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_01: But I think you can be intentional about building relationships and understand um what the purpose is and recognize that there's only so many hours in the day.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_01: And so um, if you're gonna take that time, especially from a career development, being very intentional about it is really just protecting your time as well.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_00: I say every time I, every time I step out of the house, right?
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_00: How am I either filling my own cup or thinking about career progression, developing relationships, but using that time in the most intentional way because it is our most precious finite resource.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um we don't have a lot of time.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_00: And so I wanted to actually transition.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: You brought up such a good point around some of your own personal brand.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to dig more into not just the personal brand side of it, but also more your own career journey.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I think there's I think there's so many lessons, and because we could have the opportunity to, you know, the the vibe of this podcast is that vulnerability, there's such a big opportunity to pass on some of those learnings to to women who are navigating not just corporate, but maybe a manufacturing environment like you have over the years that historically tends to be very male dominated.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_00: And so when you have thought about your own visibility and personal brand, you know, as you said, coming on this podcast, being uncomfortable, doing something like that is one way of it.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: How else, what other things have changed over the years as as you have thought about building your personal brand?
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: In advancing your career.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_00: Have you taken any specific steps that you think would impart some wisdom into others as they're navigating that path?
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, I think the conversation in this podcast kind of all flows together, right?
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think early on in my career, I really felt like personal brand was about working hard, working long hours, always being visible, always being available.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I think over time I've realized that it's much more about strategic connection and impact.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, results matter tremendously, but relationships matter as well.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_01: And um building that strong internal and external network can really help you become a much more effective leader and also broaden your perspective, which can only enhance that as well.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_00: Relationships are so key, both when things are going well and when things are going bad, right?
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um to help be able to lean on the why and for people knowing who you are and what you're doing and how you're doing it is critical in that path.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: So as you've to your point, early in career, working hard, keeping your head down, these are these are still things people are doing today, right?
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_00: And as we think about sustainability and burnout, this is a conversation that's you know, we've we've had more than once.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_00: And you and I have talked candidly about this and and the struggles of is it really work-life balance, or is the conversation really shifting to sustainability?
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: And the data that we're seeing come out this year, and what's been really shocking to me is you know, last year we saw there's some gaps that people would like addressed, and there's a lot of conversation around work-life balance.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_00: But now there's this tone of can I keep doing this?
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_00: Is this sustainable?
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_00: What do you think leaders are underestimating right now when it comes to burnout and sustainability in the workplace?
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's, I mean, everything that you said just resonates um so well.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, I think leaders are really underestimating the impact of the constant change.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_01: And I have said it, I've heard other people say all the time, surely things are going to slow down at some point.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_01: And I honestly just don't think that they are.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's the world that we live in now.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_01: You know, there's constant state of change, not only in work, but in the world.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_01: And it's, you know, I think a lot of a lot for people to process.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_01: And I think a lot of times for organizations to be successful, they need to kind of operate in this constant state of change.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_01: You know, the challenge with that is I think that people can only absorb so much change for so long without it impacting, you know, as you alluded to, energy, focus, and really just even your overall well-being.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_01: So I think if I think about that sustainability piece, uh, I think it means creating um environments where people can perform at a high level over time and not just survive sort of these like bursts of intensity.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_01: Personally, uh, I know you and I have talked about, I have some clear boundaries about sort of things that I'm putting in place to allow or that I have put in place to allow for me to have some separation and you know, family time and things like that.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I think from a leadership standpoint, um, normalizing that boundaries are good and acceptable and we should have them is really important in modeling that behavior.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_01: If I constantly operate in a crisis mode, I think my folks would assume that that's the expectation.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't want to see that for them and I don't want to see it for myself.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so I think that modeling of that behavior, creating and setting boundaries, which I gave myself permission to do, you know, about, I don't know, 20 years ago.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I think that is really, really critical in the world that we're operating in now.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_00: Are you comfortable sharing any of those boundaries that you've set with our listeners?
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_01: I know that at one of the summits that you had, I shared a personal story around creating space for my family and really defining myself as more than just my company.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_01: Previously, um, you know, early career, head down, you know, run almost running constantly all the time.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I my last organization, I was in four states in six years, and it was kind of everything, and it's high to find myself.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_01: When I introduced myself, I'm Roxanne, and this is the company I work for.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_01: And um, I had my son, and I was like, wow, like I want to be more than that.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_01: I want to introduce myself as, you know, I'm Roxanne and I'm a wife and a mother and more than just that.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_01: I still am very career motivated, I'm very career driven, and have continued that, but I just needed it to be more.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_01: And I think creating the boundary of I'm gonna leave and make sure that my family has family dinners every night.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_01: That's been like a non-negotiable while my kids have been growing up.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_01: There's only been a handful of times while they were growing up that weren't able to do that.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe I'm in early so that I can leave and go to an event.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_01: I'm pretty strict about times that I leave, but I'm back on at night.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_01: And my folks know that if I'm sending an email at nine o'clock at night, they're not expected to respond.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_01: That's just how I work.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_01: I typically don't do lunch meetings.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_01: I was wondering if you were gonna bring that up.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_01: I know, I know.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_01: I don't always like to share that one.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um and I've joked that unless it's my boss or my CEO scheduling a meeting, I typically don't do lunch meetings just because I need time to recharge.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_01: And to like, yeah, and honestly, just have a break in the day.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I don't know about you, but every single hour of my day is like single, sometimes double booked.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_01: And so just having that time mentally to break and prepare for the afternoon allows me to be a better leader and come fully prepared to give as much as I gave in the morning, right?
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_00: I think I think it's a powerful boundary that more people need to embrace of like, I'm gonna take a lunch hour and I need this to to recharge and to have that.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like anywhere else in the world, we would not need to explain this.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_01: But it sounds really small.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_01: But it in even in talking to you now, I was like, I don't know, do I say that?
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_01: It's almost like our culture has created this.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_01: When you're at work, it's like all day long, right?
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_01: And so um, I do think that it's it's a small thing that actually is a big thing um when you put it in practice on a daily basis.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_00: It's hard to put into practice in a daily schedule when time is crunched and people are like, but I really need to talk to you about this.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_00: So I think it's powerful.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for sharing that.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_00: I I think more people need to embrace it.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_00: And for our international friends listening in, you can think that we are just a little silly here in the US.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um it's uh the working lunches.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we need to take more breaks.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_00: But yes.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_00: So as we come to a close and you think about the next couple of years ahead of us, um, you know, we're the one of our closing questions here.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_00: I just think it's a moment for reflection as we as we look forward and knowing that AI is forcing us to move at a faster pace.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_00: We have people that are being exhausted from digitization, but also AI is allowing these efficiencies, but it doesn't always mean that we should be doing more, right?
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_00: It's we're we're pushing ourselves to a different level of max.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_00: And this combined with all the mergers and acquisitions and the and the political landscape and the terrace, like what do you think is one thing that will truly separate companies who want to retain and grow that talent in this very demanding environment?
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_00: And I know we've had lots of, we've you've mentioned lots of great things over the last 30 minutes.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_00: I'm wondering if there's if there's one thing looking forward that you're like they're missing this if they're not gonna do this.
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I I mean we've talked a ton about it, like you said, throughout the conversation.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_01: But I think that something that will separate companies that retain and grow talent from those that don't will, and it's really simple in my mind, will really just come down to whether companies truly make talent a priority.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_01: So not just through programs, but through culture, through leadership behavior, that intentionality to create connection, growth opportunities.
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we talked about visibility, that real sense of belonging.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_01: People want to feel like they matter.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_01: They want to feel developed, they want to feel seen, um, and like we said before, connected to a future inside of the organization.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I think that companies that focus on that consistently treat talent as one of their most important strategic assets will be the ones that um, you know, thrive long term.
• 31:07
  SPEAKER_00: I couldn't agree more.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I think it is something that all the noise I think has allowed us to move away from and in a time that we're gonna need to double down more than ever to get back to a place of human in the midst of AI and digitization.
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_00: So, Roxanne, I am so grateful.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_00: I'm grateful not just for your friendship, for your for being in this community, for so supporting other women, but showing up here today and and truly sharing what you're building and the ways that you're truly supporting those around you.
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_00: I I don't think enough people say the appreciation and and give that credit.
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I just wanted to give that space to you now of how much you are doing to support those around you and how you continue to show up to do that.
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you so much.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_00: I am I am truly grateful for you being here today and and for everything that you do every day.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_00: So this has been really, really fun.
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_00: And thank you for sharing your lunch hour too with me.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_01: I appreciate it.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for giving me the forum to talk about something I'm so passionate about.
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, this has been wonderful.
• 32:11
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• 32:15
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• 32:21
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• 32:22
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• 32:30
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• 32:38
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for listening.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_00: At the end of the day, we're not just making food, we're making moves where women make it.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_00: We'll see you next time.
• 32:47
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• 32:49
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• 32:55
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• 33:05
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• 33:12
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• 33:17
  SPEAKER_00: We're not just making food, we're making moves.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_00: We're women who make it.