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The Motivated Mindset -From Sympathy to Equity: Transforming How We Think About Disability · Military Broadcast Radio | MBR Talk

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So that or want to not just learn, but want to.
1:06
But I think that that. Hey boss, I'm Migente.
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Welcome to the motivator mindset.
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I'm your host, Jose Flores. Let's get into it, Migente.
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Today my guest is Oliver Allen, a dynamic national speaker with
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more than Cuerntano 40 years of leadership training experience.
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Oliver is the CEO of Training and Development Strategies, LLC,
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where he uses storytelling, interactive learning and real
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world experiences to help people and organizations grow.
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You know what I'm saying? Riley's career, he has LED major
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initiatives across federal and military sectors, and his
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award-winning presentations have reached audience nationwide to
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me or your me gente por Tolo sitio, including Fed Talk and
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LRP web webinars. Today, Oliver is here to
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challenge the way we think about disability with his powerful
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message from sympathy to equity. Transforming from open SAMO, how
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we think about disability, we'll explore how we can move beyond
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assumptions, breakdown barriers, and you know what?
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Create workplaces where everyone through the Mundo has a fair
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opportunity to contribute and succeed.
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MI gente, help me welcome Oliver North to the motivated mindset.
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Give me a moment. Here we go.
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The interview of the week is brought to you by Jersey Mike's,
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a sub above. Welcome Oliver to the motivated
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slides. How are you, my brother?
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Oh, man, I'm fantastic, brother, fantastic.
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Yes, indeed. I'm honored to be on the show,
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man. I got an invite.
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I'm I'm you know, I'm very impressed at OK, wait a minute.
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I don't need any more makeup. I have to send my makeup out.
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I don't need any more makeup in there.
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I'm trying to get a little of that Gray out the hair, but they
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trying to spray paint, so I have to get them out of there.
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And my brother, thank you, man, for the invite.
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I'm I'm honored to be on your show.
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No thank you my brother. At least you have Gray hair.
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You see what I'm? Saying got your blessings where
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they are. I know.
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No, it is an honor, Sir. Thank you more than welcome.
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So before we, you know, before we get into today's topic, let's
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hear a little bit about who Oliver Allen is, where you from,
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you know, give us a little of your background if you don't
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mind, Sir. I don't mind at all.
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First of all, I'm born and raised in Washington DC.
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That's right, I'm indigenous citizen of Washington, a
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resident of Washington, DC and I'm living in North Carolina.
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I moved last year. I need some peace and quiet.
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I love my city and of course I'm a die hard commanders fan even
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at 1:00 and 3:00. So you know, I just go with it.
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We going to Super Bowl in about 5 years, five years.
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I have to predict that. But to give you a little more
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about me, I was raised by a single parent and and my
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grandmother live with us. And the whole story goes where
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we lived in a one bedroom apartment for a start, my
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grandmother and I slept, we had twin beds and they and my mother
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slept on the couch. And so that just taught me about
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you don't have to stay in one place because God saw it fit
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that we moved into a better place, a better life.
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But I still have those twin beds with me, really, my humble
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meters. They're my humbling meters about
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what can be done. And we were not born to stand
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still. We was born to move forward.
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And even when you fall, you should fall forward.
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You know how that goes. Fall forward, backwards.
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The only thing I have to think about, though, I couldn't figure
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out why my parents named me Oliver Cromwell Allen.
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So I got to tell you a little bit about that story because
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Oliver Cromwell, because you know what's in the name, my name
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is very important. But I'm going to talk a little
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bit about more about that when we talk about a person with
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disabilities about naming. But Oliver Cromwell, I said,
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well, I don't know my mom and their name with my mother, when
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I asked her, she said your dad wanted him, you to be his
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legacy. So he named you Oliver Cromwell.
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And Junior. I said, that makes sense to me,
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but it must be where you get a name like that.
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I lived in a African American neighborhood.
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Nobody had Oliver Cromwell couldn't even fit it on my
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school paper, man. So I learned there's two famous
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offer Cromwells. One was in England who overthrew
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King Charles. He was a revolutionist and they
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were to call. They said we can now call you.
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King said no, I want to get out of that bureaucracy.
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Just call me the Lord Protector. I've been trying to get
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everybody to my family. Call me Lord Protector, but it
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hasn't worked yet. You know, that's the way it is.
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But I'm married to a beautiful and phenomenal woman, Marietta
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Martin Allen. Shout out, baby.
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I know she's watching. Love you much we she said we're
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growing old together. We do we share ice packs and
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Biofreeze. So it works out very well works
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out very well. Two children Krishna Deron my
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son's birthday is the day it's birthday.
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Shout out to him to doctor Deron Allen and we have 6
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grandchildren from 6 to 22. So they they up there in age but
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the 22 is in college. So I'm going to get her to call
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me the Lord protect her because she's going to need some money
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here in a little bit. So that is, you know, I joined
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the Army 18, did 21 years with them and retired.
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Then I joined the federal government and did 21 years with
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them. It's something about that number
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21 divisible by 7. You'll get it when you get it.
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But I retired out of the DEA as AGS 15 for the as AEO officer
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and started my business training and development strategies right
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after that. So that's it to the short.
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I'm a faithful, I love people and you got to love people to be
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in leadership position. So that's that's where I'm at.
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Absolutely. And and real quick, who was some
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of your influences as you was growing up?
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What was some of those like? Was anybody that influenced you
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growing up? Yeah, You know, besides my
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mother, there's a my first grade teacher, Miss Ophelia.
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Steven got arrested so was phenomenal teacher and her son
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was my very best friend because I'm the only child and he's the
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only child. So we came like brothers and she
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took me different places where, you know, New York, your
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hometown because and she took me places and even through my adult
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life, she never, she never was a down person.
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She had a stroke and she recovered.
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She had cancer and she recovered and she never went down.
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I mean, she just was always up and always encouraging.
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And when I was born to school, math was not my best subject.
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And she said, well, because my nickname is Butch.
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So she called me Butch. She said, well, this is what you
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do. You don't know the foundation of
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math. And if you get the foundation of
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math, you'll get the math. So she gave me six grade books
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in college. And she was right.
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You got to have a foundation before you can build something
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strong. And that's the lesson I always
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took from her. You, you don't have a
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foundation. You just working from somewhere
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all over the place. And that was a big lesson for
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me. And of course, somebody just
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locally by Uncle Pete. And I know people waiting for
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famous people, but these were famous people to me and my Uncle
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Pete. He was a calm and collected man,
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strong in his faith and background, strong in taking
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care of family. But his moral compass was so
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straight that he didn't get upset about it too much.
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Let's move through it. So he always look for a solution
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and work through it. Some of the great leaders I
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think about of course, is Doctor Martin Luther King, Obama, that
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was a certain thing. And of course, Colin Powell,
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that's the smoothest general. I know that when he walked into
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a room, it was an aura about him and one last person no one will
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know. And and that was First Sergeant
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Wilson, who mentored me. I was a young platoon Sergeant.
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I hadn't got my seven-year. I got it was a six and get ready
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to get 7. And he put his arms around me
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and around those senior platoon songs, which I called them old
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at the time, right, right, right.
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And put his arms around me and said this is what you got to do,
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delete this platoon. And unfortunately, he died in a
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car accident. But those are the people I
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remember the most as far as being mentors to me.
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And Brenda Gooch is still a mentor to me.
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I have to give a shout out to her out there in the Tidewater,
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but she's been my mentor in the federal government and she was
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in EO and one of my supervisors, so she took me under her wing as
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well. So you can't.
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Do it alone. No, you cannot.
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And we have a, we have somebody, LinkedIn said.
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And Oliver is a great mentor from you back.
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Oh, thank you, Yvette. Yes, she's well.
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Yes, Yvette is great. Yes, she is stupid.
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Now Yvette can definitely she when she wants something from
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me, she will get on you. Now she she finds you wherever
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you are, she will not let it go. You, you right about that.
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You right about that. And when you mention, you know,
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General Cohen Powell, I had the opportunity to join Desert Storm
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to actually meet him. I was one of the soldiers
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selected and I was just in awe of that, of him, you know, being
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from Jamaica, you know, from New York.
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ROTC graduate at that. You know, I was like, it was an
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honor to meet a man. He was so, you know, kind and
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just cared about people. That's what it's in.
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He's talking about people, you know, unbelievable,
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unbelievable. I know.
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Thank you for sharing, Oliver that.
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And you know, now we're going to get into, you know, the what
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we're here. Well, let's start with the title
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of the message, which is What is the difference between sympathy
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and equity when we're talking about disability?
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When we talk about disability, that's sympathy part, you know,
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simply is saying I feel bad for you all.
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You must have had a tough time or OK, you're doing pretty good
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for what you are. It's almost like somebody say
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you look pretty good for your age.
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Wait a minute now. But it's, it's about that thing
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with sympathy. And I'm not looking for
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sympathy. You can not look at the
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sympathy. And then when you talk about
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equity, it's meaning that I'm ensuring that you have the same
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opportunity as everyone else in that office or in that division.
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I'm going to support you. I'm going to make sure that you
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have a see a leader. Sometimes they get caught up in
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technicals. When she first get a new leader,
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you still in your technical thing, you still in your
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specialist background. But when you become a leader,
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you have to move from technician to human capital manager,
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people, business. And that's the difference in
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that leadership. So now I'm going to make sure
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that your experience here is a learning experience.
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You have the opportunity to grow.
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I don't care what you have. If we can make it work, then
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let's make it work. What is it that you need to
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succeed? And I asked every input, what do
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you need to succeed? That's my job.
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If you're not succeeding, there's something I might be
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missing that I need to do for you to get you there.
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So that's what I'm talking about here.
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And that minds, unfortunately, the difference is that when we
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talk about persons with disabilities, there's a lot of
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things that go into this that causes barriers.
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Not so I like to say, you know, the greatest barriers facing
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people with with a disability are often not medical, physical
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or technology. They are cognitive barriers,
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those things that we have perceptions and stereotypes,
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fear and discomfort and low expectations and then act upon
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that on what we think they should be or should not be.
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And that's where I'm kind of framing that today is that, you
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know, you tell when I saw you that the mindset is the biggest
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thing. You can do anything if you use
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this to the maximum level that you possibly can.
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And always growing. And I told you about my name.
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So, you know, because I wasn't always EO savvy.
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I wasn't always EOI, you know, I'm a, I'm a human being, you
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know, and everybody has some type of prejudice.
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It's about managing and working through it.
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But I'm a human being. So I started off as a young
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specialist. And one of the very first, first
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people I worked in my first five years was a man named John
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Vales. I was AGS 12.
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He was AGS 14, Senior specialist.
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John had vigil impairment, blinded in Vietnam by a grenade,
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mort attack, money. I can't even remember that.
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It's been so long ago. But the unique part about John,
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he, too, did a lot of things for veterans, as you do.
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And I had. So I'm trying to learn because,
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you know, he's blind. I'm thinking, OK, John, when's
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Washington, DC? I'm thinking, John, how do you
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cross the street, man? Everybody just goes over the
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crosswalk and John just said very kind and said, well, OK, I
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get to the light and I get a cars.
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I said that's fine, OK, that's good.
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Now let's go a little further. There's cars in the crosswalk
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and John said I just walk up to the car and beat it to death
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with my cane. I said he might just did that
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because he was a Marine man, I said.
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It. Was a Marine.
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Wow. OK, I said.
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I could just see him. I never saw him do it.
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But I tell you one thing. I stopped that crosswalk and let
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that crosswalk be open because I might run into John Fell.
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You beat up on my car. Then one of the other things I
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asked John, and what's in the name?
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What is it? To be handicapped, disabled,
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individual with the disability, person with the people with
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disability. John said, how about John fails?
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Oh, that's when I say what's in the name, right?
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Right. Call him John fails.
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Are you describing him as the guy down the hall with the cane
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or the guy down the hall that's blind, right, Right.
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How about John with the baby suit down the hallway?
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So that was a powerful lesson learned to me right there
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because I had these perceptions and some stereotypes about how
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things should be. And so that's what I say.
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We have to change how we think as leaders.
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We have to have a moral compass that guides us when dealing with
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people. And there are enough
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regulations, there are enough rules.
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We just got to have the right people in place that can think
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beyond their own perceptions in that mindset on working with
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people. With disabilities, absolutely
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no, no, thank you That father. We're going to take a quick
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break. But when we come back, Oliver,
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how you know, one of the things I want to touch on, how can, how
16:44
can we recognize a person's challenges without allowing
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those challenges to define the entire person, you know, for
16:51
people out there. So and ladies and gentlemen, we
16:54
come back if you have any questions, put them in the
16:56
comments and we'll, we'll, we'll, we'll highlight Oliver
16:59
answers. So we'll be right back.
17:01
We'll take a quick break. Thank you.
20:29
The station where our veterans voices are heard.
20:32
MBR talk. Hey, thanks for supporting our
20:35
channel by watching and listening.
20:38
Find us on the. Web at MB radio dot.
20:42
Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen.
20:43
OK, before we end the question, Oliver, what did you think about
20:45
that commercial? Was that that?
20:46
Bad. I was stinging along with that
20:49
commercial as much as I could. I really enjoyed it.
20:53
Man, that was fantastic commercial.
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That is every time I hear it. If I had hair be standing up
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man. It is stupendous bro.
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It really is, man. That is really nice.
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Yes, Sir, it is that that is singing Mr. Coffee.
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He he lets us use his music, you know, and which is really
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fortunate, you know? Yeah, amazing it.
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Touches you, man, with the pictures that go along with the
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music, you know, I said. Yeah, you know, you know what
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got me in the Army back in the 80s?
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It was be all that you can be, right?
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You remember that? Oh my God, brother.
21:27
They. Bringing it back, they are, you
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know, that was the Army most successful marketing career
21:33
ever, ever, ever, ever. And I remember I got the
21:37
opportunity to get stationed on Bragg and remember that soldier
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who said good morning first I saw myself in him.
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That doesn't look like me. Hey, what do I sign up, you
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know, and then find out that dude got a big head.
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I think he got in trouble or something.
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I don't know. But that was one of the best
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marketing things that the Army ever had.
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They got me in and be all they can be.
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It was, it was stupendous, you know, so that that's what the
22:04
one I got in, but that. That's a good commercial.
22:06
I I like that. Be all that you can.
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Oh man, Yeah. Be all that you can be.
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Bring it back. That soldier one didn't go out,
22:13
but that be all it can be is coming back.
22:16
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because that army of one, it
22:19
didn't last too long. Remember that commercial that it
22:21
didn't last too long. So you, you and I know it's
22:23
about teamwork. That's right.
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You know, just like in everything else.
22:26
So yeah, you know what happened. That's right.
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I, I, you know, this can go on. They made me the person I am
22:32
today, brother. The Army, did I tell you, took
22:36
us from DC to New York to who we are today.
22:40
It was. A tough job, but I enjoyed it.
22:45
It did the. Fullest of my ability and it
22:47
raised me from a boy to a man. And I needed the Army.
22:55
Yes, it may have needed me, but I needed the Army because I
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didn't go straight into college. And so I need the Army.
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They helped me to get my focus right.
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Yes. And let me know what's
23:07
important. Absolutely.
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So leadership in the Army was where I learned it from right
23:14
there. Absolutely.
23:15
And real quick, I'll never forget I I was in Germany and
23:20
and I said I'm gonna do, I'm gonna just do four years.
23:21
I remember going going home on leave before I got out and I
23:25
still back in New York. And here I'm thinking that for
23:27
whatever reason, I was 21, nothing changed.
23:30
These old dogs were still drinking.
23:32
Mad Dog 2020. I mean, you know.
23:36
I'm not taking any claim to drinking that today.
23:42
And I say, you know, what am I going to do?
23:44
Live with mom and dad? I was spending having the best
23:47
time of my life at that age in Germany and every other place I
23:50
went to and I went back and went to the retention NCO, the
23:54
recruiter and say, hey, sign me up, man.
23:56
And it was, it was, it was, it was, it was great after that
23:59
man. I enjoyed it.
24:02
We have a question real quick from a LinkedIn user.
24:05
And the question is, he says how does the service help you become
24:10
the leader that you are today? That's the question we had.
24:14
One of the best things that the service did, they didn't wait
24:17
till you became a leader to make you a leader, which I always
24:21
did. Kind of felt conflicted with
24:24
that in the government when you start talking about I want to
24:26
send my GS 12 or 11 to a leadership training so I know
24:30
they're not in the leadership position.
24:32
Well, that kind of puts you in a bad place when you first become
24:36
leader. But the military started you
24:39
going to leadership training as soon as you hit about specialist
24:43
4th class, you're going to B knock and then you go to a
24:46
knock. Then you go to first high school
24:49
and then you go to Sergeant majors Academy.
24:53
And if you're an officer, you go in the same trail.
24:56
It's just for officers. So they don't wait for you to
25:00
become a leader because they need you on the field running,
25:04
which may the military better as far as our military, U.S.
25:09
military, because if the Sergeant for some reason was out
25:14
of action, the specialist could take over or the private could
25:18
take over. Everybody had to know where
25:22
we're going and what we're doing.
25:24
And that was a difficult time in the federal government because
25:29
sometimes I have to use other means to make sure that my
25:31
people are ready to take on a leadership position, especially
25:34
if it's going to be in my department.
25:37
And if there was going to go somewhere else, I didn't want to
25:40
say, oh, what kind of people are you training over there?
25:42
That's the person we sent. And that's that's the biggest
25:46
thing about Leash. They didn't wait to do anything
25:49
here. They started off in the
25:51
beginning when you were a junior.
25:53
Absolutely. You know, I had the opportunity
25:55
to meet General Sinseki and I'll never forget what he said.
25:59
He said leadership is soldiering is the affair of the heart.
26:02
You got to have the heart in it. You got to, you know, it was
26:05
easy to give somebody Article 15 and kick them out.
26:08
But it's another thing, you take that soldier, you mold them,
26:10
send them to the board, you know, and that's happened to me
26:13
a lot of time. But you are absolutely correct,
26:16
you know, prepping them to be leaders, That's, that's what's
26:18
up, you know. That's a good video by Colin
26:22
Powell showing somebody asked them, how do you know when
26:26
you're a leader? And answering the same question
26:28
that was just asked by this person, I said, well, it was a
26:31
whole Sergeant that told me, you know, you're a leader if
26:34
somebody just listened to you and follow what you do just out
26:36
of curiosity. But in the short term, he just
26:43
said to be a leader, if you're cold, you can't show you cold.
26:46
If you're hungry, you can't show you're hungry.
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If you're tired, you can't show you're tired.
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And if you fear something, you can't show your fear because
26:52
everybody's looking at you for direction.
26:55
Absolutely. And I, I remembered that and,
26:58
and that's what I, I go by, you know, I, I have to leave even
27:01
though I'm human, but I have people to talk to.
27:03
I have a mentor, I have people that I talk to.
27:06
Absolutely. And before we want to break
27:09
Oliver, we had talked about what assumptions do people make about
27:13
disability that can unintentionally, you know, limit
27:16
someone's opportunities. Now let's look at it from the
27:22
cognitive side and, and you look at it when we think about that,
27:29
cause it's, it's what we got here, what we seen.
27:33
And TV messes up things sometimes too.
27:37
And now we have people that can jump out of an airplane with two
27:40
prosthetic legs. I wouldn't jump out of an
27:43
airplane no matter how many times they asked.
27:45
If that bad boy didn't fly in and fly off, I'm gonna wait till
27:48
the wings fall off, then I'll jump out.
27:50
Maybe because it's all over anyhow.
27:53
But I watched that guy jump on on on on the video and it just
28:00
changed something about this changes everything because now
28:06
people with this disability can stay in service, which they
28:09
should be absolutely. And so it's how we look at
28:13
things in that place. The the other thing when I'm
28:18
thinking about some of these barriers is that when we look at
28:21
this on that, I just go to the mindset part.
28:25
It's not can they do this? It's what would make this
28:29
possible to do it not can because you asking the question
28:34
at that time, you know, to to be a qualified individual
28:37
disability, you must have the prerequisites and the requisites
28:40
and enlarge to knowledge to do the job.
28:43
And I ask people every time I'm teaching a class on disability
28:46
about that. Who else has to have that same
28:49
requisite skill? Everybody, everybody.
28:54
So it's no different, but we make it different because it's
28:56
in a different program. So that's what you have to look
28:59
at. The other thing I find, if you
29:02
have an individual with a disability or you know someone
29:05
individual, remember when I told you about Johnsville?
29:08
Yes, Sir. That curiosity is what a leader
29:11
got to have. They must have that curiosity.
29:15
Ask the question. I asked John the question.
29:18
He was glad to answer it. You know, you're not asking a
29:21
person about it, their diagnosis.
29:24
Just tell me something about what is it that you need, but is
29:28
it something I need to know about?
29:29
Where can I look up the information?
29:32
I looked. I have individual disabilities,
29:33
so I looked up the information because I want to be
29:36
knowledgeable when he start bringing things and tell me
29:39
these things are happening or these things are going to happen
29:41
or when we make a reasonable accommodation for a person and
29:45
that's where the problem is. People don't have what they call
29:48
the interactive process. Absolutely.
29:51
The interactive, there's more findings now on the interactive
29:54
process by the EOC than anything else because people won't talk
29:59
or they're talking and say sometimes that disability
30:02
changes get it may get a little worse then.
30:06
So that's what I looked at. So I said when you, one of the
30:08
things you got to do is mindset is what's my mindset?
30:15
What if I think when I think of a person with a disability?
30:19
Where am I at with this? You know, I had to do those same
30:22
things long time ago about race and, and my and women, you know,
30:27
what do I think about this? Where am I at and why am I
30:30
there? And so if you look at yourself
30:34
first, challenge yourself, introduce yourself to people,
30:38
learn about people, understand anybody can have a disability
30:45
just like. That just like.
30:48
That some people are born with it, some people are born with
30:53
it. And you know you, I mean, you
30:54
know, we veterans with without disabilities and stuff, I didn't
30:58
come in, I was young, invincible, but things happen in
31:03
life. But people that are born with a
31:06
disability, they don't see that necessarily unless we put it in
31:12
front of them. They already know what they
31:14
have. They don't need to be reminded
31:16
of that. And so I have to look at that on
31:19
how instead of how can we help? How can we include you in this
31:27
workplace? I don't want to make this a big
31:29
deal. I want to treat just like
31:31
anybody else that comes to my job.
31:33
You know, people say you should know about everything about that
31:35
job you go to. I never knew about everything
31:37
about the job I went to. I had to.
31:39
There was a learning piece in there.
31:41
That's right. That's right.
31:42
You know, and so that becomes a big thing.
31:45
Notice assumptions. Ask rather than presume.
31:50
Focus on capability instead of disability.
31:54
Call them by their name, you know, And if you see something
31:59
going on in your workplace, don't accept it.
32:03
Teach your people. Ask the question and don't be
32:08
afraid because fear now this fear of disability because the
32:11
fear of saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing, but
32:15
you got program betters to help you.
32:16
That's right, that's right. If you say the wrong thing, you
32:21
just let that person you know. I don't let anybody.
32:23
So sometimes I say the wrong thing anyhow to people, just to
32:26
people because they don't peed me off man.
32:29
I said the wrong thing and play, but my employees would come to
32:33
me, say Oliver, I remember 1 employee, I'm not going to call
32:36
in and she might be watching. I came to my office.
32:38
I didn't appreciate, you know what you said in the meeting.
32:42
I said come on in, let's talk about it.
32:44
And you have to do that with anybody because you're not
32:47
perfect. So there's no perfect.
32:50
You work towards perfection, but there's no perfect.
32:53
And so you work towards that profession and perfection.
32:56
And then you talk with people, speak to them, and if you say
33:00
the wrong thing and they let you know, I apologize genuinely and
33:05
let me know. And I've had people talk to me
33:09
about that. I'm not handicapped.
33:12
I'm not, you know, I'm not disabled.
33:14
I have a disability. There's a difference when you
33:17
address it in that same. Yes, Sir, yes Sir, absolutely.
33:21
And no two points when I was the deep this week program manager
33:24
on 4B, the two things that interactive process, I had to
33:27
teach, you know the leaders about having that interactive
33:31
process and you know, it's like have that conversation like you
33:35
would have with anybody else, but you got to have that
33:37
conversation. You know, you can't make
33:39
assumptions about anything because you're not a doctor.
33:43
That's not your role. You know, when we start going
33:45
through the process and I tell them this is 1 category like you
33:48
said, that all of us can be part of at the end a disability or
33:53
stuff like that. I have one question here from a
33:56
LinkedIn user. And the question is, what
33:58
message do you want leaders to hear today about disability
34:04
equality, equity? I want them to hear that it's
34:09
not the regulations or rules that's holding you back.
34:13
You have everything you need to give that person the, the, the
34:20
price, skill sets. There's no such thing that the
34:24
equipment hasn't been designed yet.
34:27
I've seen so much technology that has happened over time.
34:32
I want you to think about, look at your hiring practices because
34:37
the problem right now, yes, we have a people in the workforce,
34:40
about 21% that's out there with disability that's in the
34:43
workforce and in the federal government.
34:45
Most of them are sick. The ones that have stayed the
34:47
longest are 65 and older and part of that is because they
34:51
have a job. They fear for moving sometimes,
34:54
but they have a job. The problem is that line where
34:58
they increase the grade and most the hell that just 12 and 11,
35:04
something's wrong with that. As a leader, I need you to think
35:08
of them as the same as you would think as anybody else and get
35:13
them prepared to take your job. Absolutely.
35:18
Get them the payer to take your job.
35:19
So look forward, look at the hiring practice out there.
35:22
If you're federal government, use that schedule a hiring
35:24
process. It doesn't mean that person is
35:27
going to be hired, but you have a great part to play in that on
35:32
that schedule a process. Make sure your people in your
35:35
office have had training and so that they won't see somebody get
35:40
in favor to them because we put a different light in the office
35:43
because they need that because they might have a hearing
35:46
impairment. Or we give them a a scooter to
35:49
get around the building because we want them to get to the place
35:52
or we want to change the back or we have an inter.
35:54
Don't look at it as an additional gift.
35:57
Look at it as a tool that you would give anybody else.
36:01
Absolutely. That's what's important to me to
36:04
look at that. So make your office not
36:07
disability ready, but equitable and that includes everything I'm
36:11
going to I'm making my office. So be accessible to everybody.
36:14
Make your office assess when you say everybody, don't think of
36:18
just individual disability. Think about it for all your
36:21
stand that you have in there and that make that sympathy and
36:27
equity is a shorter space than you think in there because they
36:31
can get entertainment in there and and don't worry about it.
36:36
And so stop fearing do with your job and giving people the
36:41
opportunity. Yes.
36:43
And I think you kind of answered this question from a question we
36:46
got from a LinkedIn user, say what is 1 action every leader
36:49
can take? This can take this week to move
36:52
from sympathy to equity. The first action you take is
36:55
check yourself out. Period.
36:58
Find out what you got to start with you in this matter.
37:01
And that's what I said at the beginning when I first started
37:03
with this, you know, I had a lot of checking out to do come out,
37:05
you know, as I grew in life, I'm a lot better now than with those
37:10
things. But the first thing I do is
37:12
check myself. Where am I at when I see an
37:15
individual with a disability? Where am I at with that?
37:19
And then from that point, I start reading, learning, getting
37:25
the training, coming to these podcast of going to get some
37:29
training and learning just as I learned because it should be a
37:32
natural part of leadership on how to lead people.
37:36
That's important. I don't need to build a
37:38
spaceship. I need to get the astronaut, the
37:40
big build up because I'm not going to fly the ship.
37:45
I would get people to fly it. And so I got to learn how to 1st
37:49
get past myself. I want to make sure that as a
37:53
leader that I sit down and talk with people and then listen and
37:59
then verify, clarify and then take action to help that person
38:05
out, OK? No, that's that's stupendous.
38:08
Absolutely. You know, it's just having that
38:10
communication that we we failed to have.
38:13
I got I just got text a question and I think I put it up here and
38:16
the question is what does accountability look like when an
38:20
organization claims to value inclusion all?
38:27
Right. You're going to put me on the
38:29
spot. OK, All right, all right.
38:34
Some organization have some beautiful pictures and beautiful
38:38
words about we are EO equal opportunity employee.
38:44
We value inclusion. Yes, Sir.
38:48
Well, let's say this, I have that picture of that, but what I
38:56
look at is me, how I interpret what it looks like because it's
39:03
it looks nice and pretty words and you can put it in a copilot
39:07
and they'll make it really nice for you and how you can put
39:10
things on your site. But it don't mean a thing if you
39:14
walk in the door and the door doesn't have accessibility.
39:18
No push button on there. You know, if you start looking
39:22
at an organization, when I first get to an organization, I'm
39:25
looking right when I walk to the door, I'm looking at the parking
39:28
lot to see where those handicapped parking spaces are.
39:31
People say, well, they ain't right by the building.
39:32
So they have cases where people had to walk half a block to get
39:36
to the from the parking lot to the building.
39:38
So I'm looking as a leader. You look, I look in that door
39:42
and I say if I can get those big glass doors to the government
39:44
building, they heavy for me. Yes.
39:47
Do they have a push? Button on there, then I'm
39:49
looking as I walk and if I go to the restroom, is there a
39:52
restroom that's designated for me when I get to the hallways or
39:56
when I go into a building and I find out where do we send people
40:00
when there's a fire? And then I got a rude awakening
40:04
one time. Remember you might have been and
40:05
watched when we had what I consider the earthquake.
40:08
California can send it to Tremble.
40:09
Yes, I remember that. You remember that?
40:12
Yes. Building and our job was to put
40:14
anybody that could negotiate the steps will be placed in a room
40:18
with a fire helmet on it because that's where the search the
40:21
latter could reach. That does nothing for earthquake
40:25
when your buildings are mostly glass type building windows and
40:29
you figured those that glass will become missiles.
40:33
Gotcha. Yes.
40:34
So as a leader, you got to. Look at those things.
40:36
Is your building as inclusive, meaning that it has to be
40:41
accessible as it is? So those are things when you
40:46
look at people have scooters. So let me give you an example.
40:48
A person had a scooter and they wanted to use the restroom, but
40:52
the restroom had those BIG4 rim toilet paper boxes there and
40:59
they couldn't get their scooter in there.
41:02
So I went to building management and building management said,
41:04
well, we went by the architectural guideline that
41:06
they, you know, it's got to be this distant across.
41:09
I said and that's good, it's set up for a wheelchair.
41:11
Didn't say we have to set up for a scooter.
41:13
I said that's a regulation that has some flexibility and that we
41:16
didn't use a wheelchair. We got a scooter and it only
41:19
took 4 screws. Jose only got screws.
41:21
I could have done it myself and drilled the holes in it, but I
41:25
had to get our attorneys involved to change that.
41:29
Wow, that's. What you have to do as a?
41:32
Leader, check yourself out first, then when you walk in the
41:35
place, see if it meets the needs for an individual to be included
41:41
in that workforce and identify and don't be afraid to speak up
41:45
for it. Absolutely, absolutely no.
41:47
That's. Stupendous and we got some more
41:49
quick. But before we get to more
41:51
question and I want you to anything we didn't cover it, I
41:53
want to I want to show what it is that your organization does
41:57
for those leaders who are out there who may be looking for
42:00
this information or people. So if you don't mind, can we go,
42:03
can I put up the slides and then we can go answer any other
42:06
questions and we'll take it. OK, There you go, Sir.
42:09
It's all yours, Oliver. Oh, well.
42:11
Oh, that's, oh, that's. Yes, that's, that's my website
42:14
there. Yes, I'm very proud of that
42:16
website. I end up changing it anyway that
42:18
we don't get on the website. But let me say this, training
42:21
and development strategies and we talk about creating a
42:23
transformational workforce in an organization.
42:25
We have divided up into three pillars.
42:28
You can show those pillars down Jose and that's professional
42:31
development, organizational development and Equal Employment
42:35
consulting. And so let me look at that.
42:38
Let's start with the professional development that's
42:39
looking at the individual. We do a lot of training, have
42:43
some great instructors, have some great facilitators that
42:46
help us, and these are some live pictures that we have with
42:48
people in our classes. And so it could be about
42:51
leadership, it could be about religion, it could be about just
42:53
about any subject to help a person to grow.
42:58
When we look at organization development and we say
43:00
organization effectiveness in which way depending what year it
43:02
is, we look at the larger scheme of things such as change
43:09
management. Now loads of thoughts.
43:13
So we look at the change management team building those
43:16
types of things, communications, but bigger things that help an
43:21
organization become better. We do surveys, we have all types
43:27
of assessments, mires brick. We have about 90 assessments
43:31
that we can do, some shorter than others and we have ICF
43:35
certified coaches that have for executive coaching or individual
43:38
coaching when it comes to Equal Employment Opportunity and
43:42
consulting. That's also includes things like
43:46
prevention of sexual harassment. Some of our certifying class and
43:51
let me mention this, we're going to have a new class come out
43:54
this year, come call it a disability employment program
43:58
manager. That's right.
44:00
So we're going to make that a comprehensive course.
44:03
Some things I've talked about here, we've seen other courses
44:06
and they're not bad. Not talk about anybody else, but
44:08
we want to offer something that you can leave with concrete and
44:14
have a good idea what to do as a program manager.
44:18
There's not enough classes go on.
44:19
I know that EOC has a class and they fill up quickly.
44:22
Well, we want to help out and make sure everybody has that
44:26
class. We also give the EO counselors
44:28
course that 32 hour course. We have the 8 hour refresher
44:33
course. So we do a lot with equal
44:35
opportunity, I guess because the owner and founder came through
44:38
equal opportunity. So we have those 3 pillars.
44:42
Please check them out and we can go to the next slide there.
44:48
Here's some of the things we do. Why choose us?
44:50
We design our training to meet the clients needs because we
44:54
already know state and local government do not like to hear
44:57
customized. So we talked with you to look at
45:03
what you want and design the course to what you want at no
45:07
extra charge. So we've developed the course
45:11
that fits you and because it doesn't make any sense to give
45:13
you a generic course and it's not meeting your need if that's
45:16
not the problem. We have been there and done that
45:20
all our if you looked at our instructors background, it's 15
45:24
years of better experience and all of our instructors.
45:28
And if we don't have the instructor on board, we'll we'll
45:31
go to another business to get that help to meet your need.
45:36
So we do, we are your business partner and not your vendor and
45:40
we like to stay with you for that time.
45:43
And so we're staying always updating.
45:44
So we got that real time solutions for you and
45:48
experiences for you. Cool.
45:52
And this is just some of the things do coaching management
45:55
conflict. Myers Griggs different
45:57
deployment personal assessments. We also, if you have an EO
46:01
office, we certainly can do assessments of your office.
46:05
Our organizational development, we do a lot of change manage.
46:08
We do some generational differences, policy development
46:11
that makes sense. We also do employee motivation.
46:16
All those things are there and that's just limited.
46:19
We do have a catalog. We have not put it out there,
46:21
but you'll see how you can get it without info, information.
46:24
We'll see you our full catalog of all the different things that
46:28
we do or can do. Cool.
46:33
Yes, leadership development all I'm big about leadership
46:36
mentoring programs. We don't have one.
46:38
We can build one for you. Performance management.
46:41
It's that time of year in the government where people are
46:44
going performance management. And the biggest problem, I'm
46:49
just saying about performance management, we don't train the
46:51
managers to do that thing directly.
46:53
There's a lot to it. That's why it's actually called
46:56
a performance management system. So we can certainly help people
46:59
in that particular tank. And you said we can customize.
47:02
I got to change that. We can design because I found
47:05
the government don't like customize because they feel like
47:07
going to pay more. But we're not going to charge
47:09
you anymore to make the program to fit your business
47:13
necessities. This is how you can reach out to
47:17
us. We will respond to you the phone
47:22
number there is there the info site.
47:24
So if you want something from us, you have a question.
47:26
Our prices are competitive and we really try to work to help
47:32
you. That's important.
47:33
We take us surveys of every course and no matter how they
47:38
come out, if we doing for the individual organization, we will
47:42
give you a copy survey. We don't take anything away
47:45
because we learn from it. We learn from it and we share it
47:48
with our instructors so that we all can learn from it.
47:52
And ladies and. Gentlemen, if you see on the
47:54
bottom, that is the website, that's how you can reach it
47:57
right there. And I will tell you I went
47:59
through this website. It was clear, concise, to the
48:01
point, easy to read, user friendly and I got issues with
48:05
electronics and social media, but I found it easy to go
48:09
through it and it was just right to the point bluff bottom line
48:12
up front. If I was looking for something,
48:14
it was right there. So please, there's the website
48:16
on the bottom and reach out if you have any questions.
48:20
So no, that was I wanted to get back out the way there.
48:24
Thank you for that. Appreciate it.
48:25
Absolutely. And we have.
48:26
Another question that came up and says LinkedIn user, as the
48:30
leader you are today, what's the one message you give your
48:34
younger self that came from Yvette?
48:38
I'm gonna have a talk with Yvette after this show.
48:40
I made that, Yeah. What's the one message that I
48:45
would give to Butch? My nickname, Believe.
48:52
First of all, let your faith guide you.
48:56
Believe that you can do it, and then step forward to do it.
49:03
I had an algebra teacher that told me in high school, Mr.
49:09
Allen, you know, because I never was good at math, but there's a
49:12
reason for it, she said. Mr. Allen, you should not worry
49:16
about in your senior year to take any math.
49:20
And I'm thinking as a young 18 teenager, I don't want to take
49:24
math anyhow now. But that was the wrong thing to
49:30
tell a young man or a student of anything that just, you know,
49:34
you're not getting it. Instead, you should be doing
49:36
something to help me to be better.
49:39
That's that's what should happen.
49:41
You should be doing something to help me to be better.
49:44
So that's why I say that's what I would tell myself, have the
49:47
faith and believe that you can do it and step forward and go do
49:50
it. OK.
49:52
And Oliver as we get close. To having the ending, is there
49:56
anything that you want to put out?
49:57
Anything we didn't cover, any message you want to put out, and
50:01
we got a few minutes, but I wanted to give you this
50:03
opportunity. If there was something you
50:05
wanted our audience to know, yeah, that's when.
50:09
I, I said, you know, I figured that when I have to have a
50:12
closing and I thought about singing a song, but since you
50:16
already put that out there, hey, I'm all for it.
50:19
I'm. Not going to sing a song?
50:21
And put it out there, I, I, I just let that one go on by, I
50:27
let it go on by because that's not going to work out.
50:31
But I, I, I certainly want to say it's you that makes the
50:35
difference. You the.
50:37
People, you the leader. That makes the difference.
50:41
Inclusive leadership isn't about having all the answers.
50:48
It's just not. It's about creating a culture
50:50
where everyone, everyone has access to opportunity.
50:57
Everybody in your team has something.
51:00
If you have everybody in your team has different values and
51:03
you're working through a lot of values.
51:04
And that's what happens when we have conflict.
51:07
We have stepped on someone's violence.
51:09
The most effective leaders don't ask people to overcome barriers.
51:15
They ask themselves why do the barriers exist in the 1st place
51:21
not to overcome. We look at barriers like this,
51:23
something different, you know, why are they there?
51:26
Remember I said when I walk in the building, I started looking.
51:31
I started looking because as AEO Director, I want to make sure
51:34
that I'm addressing these things from the very beginning.
51:37
The true measure of leadership is not how many people can fit
51:42
into the system as it exists. It's how willing are we to
51:45
design the system so that more people can succeed.
51:51
Don't worry about the necessary the organization inclusive
51:56
lettering. If they are, they are not.
51:59
You have your leadership responsibility.
52:02
You make your section inclusive, you make your sessions so that
52:07
people can succeed. Don't worry about the pretty
52:09
legs. Don't worry about the pretty
52:10
pictures. You'll be the pitcher of
52:13
success. And then you'll find that your
52:15
people would tell other people that this person, you want to
52:18
work in this office. You need to try to get in this
52:21
office. And that's where it lies.
52:24
And so that takes us back to my theme or perceptions.
52:28
Creed barriers, mindsets, creed barriers.
52:31
It's the hardest thing to change when it comes to Barris.
52:35
So be you. Be the be all you can be.
52:37
Be all you can be, Matt. Be all you can be.
52:41
That's right. Be no.
52:42
Oliver, Sir. Thank.
52:43
You so much for for being here and give us this all your
52:48
knowledge all your experience because that's that's going to
52:51
make a difference as somebody who's listening and I appreciate
52:54
you having as a fellow brother here you know I'm beginning to
52:58
talk to you me and Oliver had talked prior and it was pretty
53:01
cool well before the meeting. So it's just a lot of things in
53:03
common. Yeah, yeah.
53:04
He was a tanker. But I won't I won't get going
53:06
on. That's why you wearing.
53:08
All that red because he was an artillery taking the battle,
53:11
right, Right. But I really appreciate you
53:14
taking the time to be with us here.
53:17
Thank you so much. And then you know, as we and
53:20
ladies and gentlemen, as we get ready to coming to November, I
53:23
do want to talk about my my upcoming guest.
53:26
Check this out. Oliver, what we're about to talk
53:28
about this guy. It is let me get this one.
53:30
That's not the one I got to get on.
53:32
Here we go remove, remove that one.
53:35
And here it goes. So this we had the next week
53:39
we're going to have Mr. Juan Valdez.
53:40
He's a Marine Corps. I you know that's, we'll dig
53:44
them on that. You know they are brothers too.
53:47
Right here they're. Like crayons, but that's
53:49
something else. We won't get into that, you
53:51
know, but but the next, next Saturday, ladies and gentlemen,
53:55
mission healing, open service and it's going to be live.
53:59
So let me tell you, I got to meet this young man at the
54:03
Wounded War Soldier Ride in New York City, man.
54:06
And you know, after surviving critical injuries and chronic
54:09
stress, 1 continues to inspire fellow warriors, military,
54:13
family and communities throughout his journey of
54:15
healing and hope. And this is, you know, when we
54:17
talk about I'll let you know he he got hit by a sniper and I'll
54:22
just leave it at that. And he survived and I'm going to
54:24
let him tell his story. But I got to meet this man and
54:27
he inspired me. And these are the people in our
54:29
community, you know, your brothers, your sisters, they can
54:33
be anybody. So if you have the opportunity,
54:35
please be live. And you know, as we get ready to
54:38
go into veteran's day, veteran's day is every day for me.
54:42
But you know, of a month, you know, so if you can join us next
54:47
week and if you dig, if you like what this show, what we provide,
54:50
you know, I just put in the in the comments my the YouTube
54:54
supporters. That's how we bring great guests
54:56
and and and so on. But you know, again, Oliver, I
55:00
want to say Gracia Edemano, that means thank you, brother, for
55:05
being here. Hey, oh, real quick.
55:06
Did you write a book yet? I have not.
55:10
Written a book. Oh, OK.
55:12
I've been told I should write a book.
55:16
I need a ghost writer to write it because, you know, I get to
55:18
talk, you know, and I say I don't know.
55:22
Yeah, I have not written a book. And I, you know, everybody I
55:25
know has written some type of book.
55:27
Yeah. Yeah.
55:28
Maybe I'm going to do something. So this is what I asked Oliver.
55:32
When you do your book, all I ask that you come on our podcast
55:35
first so we can support you, so you can talk about your book so
55:39
we can push it out. How's that for a deal?
55:41
That's a good deal, man. But I need to start writing.
55:44
Yeah, let me start writing something up.
55:46
Hey look, if I don't get. Your events going to get on you
55:51
say hello. What's the I have to run from?
55:55
Event because she will get you if she wants you to do something
55:58
that is on you man. I mean, she has all your phone
56:01
numbers. You think you got my phone
56:03
turned back on? Yvette is awesome.
56:06
No, she is. Very good.
56:07
She is an awesome person, a wonderful.
56:09
Person, and this is from one of my fellow.
56:11
Podcasters and they love the show the hearts 3 hearts set and
56:15
and and ladies and gentlemen for for the MBR military broadcast
56:18
radio. All our podcasters are veterans,
56:20
every single one of them. So just so you know, but but
56:23
Oliver, they say they they love the show Into the weeds, Beto,
56:27
everybody have a good weekend and Oliver have a blessed
56:29
weekend Gracia for everyone. You do, my brother.
56:32
Can I say, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for everything.
56:35
I'll be This ain't just goodbye. That's from traveling in the
56:37
army. Hey, we'll talk.
56:42
Later. Thank you, Alan.
56:43
Thank you all. Hi.
56:47
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56:50
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57:09
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57:13
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