Latest / Make Water Work Podcast / Annyse Balkwill: De-Robotizing Water and Unlocking Creativity | Make Water Work 015
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- 0:00Sometimes very simply when someone says,
- 0:02"What do you do?" And I think I I don't
- 0:04know where to start. Like especially if
- 0:06they're not, you know, that's a guy that
- 0:07owns a coffee shop or something. I say,
- 0:09"I help d-roobbitize organizations." And
- 0:12they usually go, "Oh god, we need that
- 0:14so bad." Like it's such a relatable, you
- 0:17know, simple sentence, but everything is
- 0:21done through humans.
- 0:23And when we honor that, so much magic
- 0:27unlocks. Welcome to the Make Water Work
- 0:30podcast, where we dive into the people,
- 0:32ideas, and innovation shaping the future
- 0:35of water. I'm your host, Isaac Pellerin,
- 0:38and alongside my co-host, Megan Glover,
- 0:41the founder of 120 Water, we bring you
- 0:44insights from hundreds of incredible
- 0:46conversations we've had over the past 9
- 0:48years with inspiring and energizing
- 0:51leaders in the water industry. Each
- 0:54week, we share those stories and
- 0:56conversations with entrepreneurs,
- 0:58community champions, and innovators who
- 1:00are making water work for everyone.
- 1:03Whether you're a water professional, a
- 1:05curious innovator, or simply passionate
- 1:07about our most precious resource, this
- 1:09podcast is for you. Let's get started.
- 1:14Well, thank you everyone for joining the
- 1:16Make Water Work podcast, where we
- 1:18interview innovators and leaders who
- 1:21make water work. And so, um, Megan, I'm
- 1:24really excited about today's episode.
- 1:25Tell us who we're who we're chatting
- 1:26with today.
- 1:27>> So, today we are speaking to
- 1:29entrepreneur and founder, uh, Anise Bach
- 1:33Bachill. And, uh, Anise is the founder
- 1:36of Lumen US and host of the meaningful
- 1:39conversations with Anise. And I'm just,
- 1:42um, you know, you know those people that
- 1:43you meet and you just your energy
- 1:45connects before you even know the
- 1:47substance of like what they do. That was
- 1:49that was my initial connection with
- 1:51Anise when we met in person at the water
- 1:53tower um about a year ago. And once I
- 1:57learned more about uh her organization
- 2:00and and what she's doing and then now
- 2:02her podcast which is really focused on
- 2:05meaningful conversations with women in
- 2:07water and other leadership, I'm like,
- 2:10you know what? Like you are a badass. We
- 2:12need to have you on the podcast. And so
- 2:14I'm just so excited that schedules
- 2:16aligned and we're able to have you on
- 2:18the podcast.
- 2:19>> Welcome.
- 2:20>> So happy to be here.
- 2:21>> Yes.
- 2:21>> Thank you. Yeah. Thanks for having me.
- 2:23Happy to be here. And I feel felt very
- 2:25much the same when I met you. So
- 2:27>> this is this is awesome.
- 2:28>> Yeah. Well, we um we like to kick off
- 2:31every episode with the same question. Um
- 2:33because we've never met a person in
- 2:35water that doesn't have an amazing story
- 2:36to tell. So can you please share with us
- 2:39how did water find you?
- 2:42Well, I was looking for work right out
- 2:44of university and I had two job offers.
- 2:48One was with a chemical company and one
- 2:51was with Xenon. Do you guys know Xenon?
- 2:55>> The Xenon.
- 2:56>> It ages. It ages me.
- 2:58>> Yeah.
- 2:59>> The copier.
- 3:01>> No, Xenon was uh the they made the ultra
- 3:06the holo fiber ultra filtration
- 3:07membranes, the ones that were submerged.
- 3:10And so GE bought them, then Suez bought
- 3:13them, and they are now part of Violia.
- 3:15And that division is still going strong.
- 3:17That um office is just 40 minutes down
- 3:20the road from where I live. And I
- 3:22started there uh fresh out of school.
- 3:24I'm a chemical engineer, chemical and
- 3:26biochemical engineer by training. And so
- 3:28I started there in a an introductory
- 3:31level role. And I did process
- 3:35engineering there. I did product
- 3:36management there. I worked there for uh
- 3:38over 11 years and I had a um I thought
- 3:42of this when you asked that question. I
- 3:44had a mentor there who I just adored and
- 3:48he said, you know, he goes, "You're
- 3:50probably going to be in this industry
- 3:51forever." He goes, "As soon as you get a
- 3:52little wet behind the ears, you don't
- 3:53leave." And so, uh yeah, so I've been
- 3:56hanging around in this industry for over
- 3:5820 years, believe it or not.
- 4:00>> Yeah. and and so um so yeah GE water
- 4:03right is who acquired uh the firm and
- 4:05you were in product management. So I
- 4:08mean talk about that shift from
- 4:10corporate America and GE water really
- 4:12high-profile job in project management
- 4:14to now you went out on your own like how
- 4:16was that leap and and what kind of
- 4:18compelled you to go out and uh and start
- 4:20your company.
- 4:22Yeah, I so product management I did that
- 4:25for the majority of my time with GE
- 4:27water Xenon and then GE water and that
- 4:30really taught me everything from the
- 4:32water business from new product
- 4:34development to commercialization to
- 4:36pricing and costing to full design
- 4:41like production commissioning. So the
- 4:43whole gamut and they did it over, you
- 4:46know, I worked over multiple product
- 4:47lines and it was a global opportunity.
- 4:50And so what GE is really great at is
- 4:53teaching you about business even if they
- 4:55don't you don't exactly know that
- 4:57they're teaching you. And so it's just
- 4:59part of that culture and you I really
- 5:02learned a lot about how business works,
- 5:05how it runs, so much about our industry.
- 5:07I got to work all over the place. And a
- 5:10theme that sort of kept coming up was I
- 5:13would be in meetings where I could tell
- 5:16people were just agreeing so that they
- 5:18could end the meeting already and get
- 5:21out of the room.
- 5:22>> And I don't think that was unique to
- 5:23like where I was working.
- 5:25>> I see now that I work with other
- 5:26organizations, I see that again and
- 5:28again. And I would say to myself out
- 5:30loud uh some and lots in my head is
- 5:33there's got to be a better way to do
- 5:35this. I didn't know what that better way
- 5:37was, but then it found me. It was
- 5:39another thing that found me. So, water
- 5:41found me first and then ways of working
- 5:44and ways of facilitating uh and sort of
- 5:47really ways of leadership that all
- 5:48started to find me. And so, I I learned
- 5:53a little bit. It was outside of work. I
- 5:54learned a little bit. Uh the woman that
- 5:57was I was at a meeting and the woman
- 5:58that was running it, I could tell that
- 5:59she really did things different. And we
- 6:01were doing strange things like sitting
- 6:03in a circle and there was intuitive
- 6:05cards on the floor and this was with a
- 6:07group full of strangers. But what
- 6:08happened in that 2-hour meeting was so
- 6:10much productivity and I felt like I knew
- 6:12these people my whole life.
- 6:14>> And I was like, what kind of magic did
- 6:18you just do in this room? And I knew it
- 6:21was something. And I left home that day
- 6:24and I called my best friend and said,
- 6:27"You'll never believe where I was
- 6:28tonight." And I think I found what I'm
- 6:31supposed to be doing. Like it just hit
- 6:33me. And so then a couple of weeks later,
- 6:37an opportunity came up when I was at GE
- 6:39and they said, "We need to create a new
- 6:41product for the Z-Wave 500, which is
- 6:44their flagship. It has the the
- 6:46reinforced hyalopiber membranes flagship
- 6:48for um submerged membranes for
- 6:50wastewater treatment. We need to develop
- 6:54our next version." We've had two
- 6:55brainstorming sessions and have come up
- 6:56with nothing. And I they said, "Can you
- 6:59help us facilitate?" And I said, "Yeah,
- 7:01I got a few ideas up my sleeve." And so,
- 7:05uh, the I love him, but the R&D manager
- 7:09and the product manager for that
- 7:10particular line said, "You're crazy.
- 7:12This idea sounds nuts." And I said, "It
- 7:15sounds to me like you're between a rock
- 7:16and a hard place, so let's give it a
- 7:18shot. Like, and I'm free. I just work
- 7:19here, you know? Like, let's just do it."
- 7:21And so,
- 7:22>> so in three days and in GE speak, three
- 7:26short days. First day we went, I always
- 7:28say this because it's so it speaks to so
- 7:31much of the culture. We were we finished
- 7:33at 5:00. The second day we finished at
- 7:354:00. The third day we were wrapped by
- 7:363:00.
- 7:38>> Right. And that's like unheard of for a
- 7:40creation brainstorming. Right.
- 7:42>> Yeah.
- 7:43>> And we had a deadline on the Friday that
- 7:46was we had to pitch out to senior
- 7:47management what we came up with. It was
- 7:49like a hard line. So I knew Thursday we
- 7:51would be off so they could put their
- 7:52pitches together. They pitched 15
- 7:56concepts to product management and four
- 7:58of them became fully funded R&D projects
- 8:00and then I was at the WFTE that they
- 8:02launched that new product you know years
- 8:04later.
- 8:04>> Oh my god,
- 8:05>> that's awesome.
- 8:06>> Gosh, that is so cool.
- 8:08>> That's awesome.
- 8:09>> It was that day that I was like, "Oh, I
- 8:12knew there was a better way." It's not
- 8:15that they didn't have the ideas. We
- 8:17didn't set the conditions for those
- 8:19ideas to flow. And so, and that was we
- 8:23were winging it. Uh, this woman that
- 8:26taught me, I called her and said, "Do
- 8:27you have time to meet for a coffee? I
- 8:29really need to write some notes down on
- 8:31the back of a napkin like a good
- 8:32engineer so I can figure out how to run
- 8:34this thing, you know, in a week from
- 8:35now." And so, it was a wild experiment.
- 8:38And then it just grew after that. I was
- 8:40really lucky and I got to practice all
- 8:43over the world with people from all
- 8:44different countries. Um, and we had so
- 8:47much success that I grew the confidence
- 8:50to then
- 8:52take a huge leap of faith on my own.
- 8:55>> Oh man, that's amazing.
- 8:56>> I I love this topic of like design
- 8:58thinking and the way like the way that
- 9:00you help people um break down from the
- 9:03the uniform or the costume they want
- 9:05they think they need to show up with. um
- 9:08and creating a safe space for people to
- 9:12just unlock the side of the brain that
- 9:14says, "Well, I need to know what I'm
- 9:16talking about versus
- 9:18>> we all just need to
- 9:19>> let our guard down and know that this is
- 9:21safe so that we can actually
- 9:23>> talk about the problem and not just the
- 9:25solution."
- 9:26>> Um yeah, tell me more about about that
- 9:29that type of process like what that was
- 9:32like.
- 9:33>> Yeah. And that shows up everywhere is we
- 9:36are all so masked at work. And it's such
- 9:42a relief people. That's the feeling I'm
- 9:45always looking for in a room is relief.
- 9:48And cuz if you walk in a room with me,
- 9:50we're in a circle. There's no table or
- 9:53chairs in between us. Like we're just
- 9:54sitting in a circle of chairs and we're
- 9:57looking at each other. Once you work
- 9:59with me more than once, you start to
- 10:00notice that people start wearing fancy
- 10:02socks because we can see them.
- 10:04So that's always fun.
- 10:06>> Now I'm self-conscious about my socks
- 10:10>> and and it's it's a permission, but we
- 10:15work together to create that permission.
- 10:17So it's a co-creation process and I
- 10:20started that word, you know, 10 years
- 10:22ago when nobody knew what it meant, but
- 10:24people are starting to say it now. And
- 10:26we are co-creating together. And we're
- 10:27not only co-creating together, there's
- 10:30also another force that I think comes
- 10:32in. And there's sort of a universal
- 10:34force that we are also creating with.
- 10:37>> And when we let our guard down and we
- 10:39let our own sort of rigidity and our
- 10:41defenses down and we do it gently and we
- 10:46do it, I always say with the trust level
- 10:48that's already in the room. We're not
- 10:50going to pretend it's any more or any
- 10:51less. We're just going to work with the
- 10:53trust level that's in the room and we're
- 10:55just going to get started. And so we do
- 10:59things really simply. We have a few
- 11:01simple tools like we do hopes and fears
- 11:04about everything
- 11:05in whatever the problem is or the
- 11:07perceived problem or the project that
- 11:10you're trying to work on or the culture
- 11:11that you're trying to create whatever
- 11:13the active business need is and I always
- 11:16say don't do this work don't do
- 11:19psychological safety work or you know or
- 11:22do the work and practice safety
- 11:27and you're probably not going to be
- 11:29awesome at it when you get started.
- 11:30And it's okay. It's just a practice. And
- 11:33through that practice, you start to
- 11:34recognize, oh, when I bring that defense
- 11:37mechanism here, I see that it shuts
- 11:40other people down. Right? Like a really
- 11:43simple defense mechanism is um when
- 11:46someone says like I know, but or um
- 11:52that's common sense. Isn't that common
- 11:54sense? Right? there's just these little
- 11:56nuances that we might know might do
- 11:59unknowingly just as a bit of a nervous
- 12:02system response. So I talk about it in
- 12:04terms of how do we help create the
- 12:08conditions where our nervous system
- 12:10isn't in our fight, flight or freeze
- 12:13because that means our amydala is
- 12:15activated and our amygdala is only
- 12:17creative at saving our lives. It is not
- 12:21that innovative in general. We want
- 12:24access to our preffrontal cortex. So how
- 12:26do we create those conditions? And by a
- 12:28simple tool like hopes and fears is
- 12:32people just start to say what are our
- 12:34hopes for this. It's amazing how many
- 12:36hopes are assumed or not assumed
- 12:40and then what what are our fears? And we
- 12:43just we just start doing it. We'll work
- 12:45it like in small groups and then we'll
- 12:46come and share it with the whole group
- 12:48say and what we start to realize is that
- 12:50oh there's similar fears in the room. So
- 12:53I don't have to be so guarded.
- 12:56Oh, someone spoke the fear that was in
- 12:58my head. That was really brave of them.
- 13:01I think I can speak my next fear. And so
- 13:04then you're just starting to actually
- 13:07learn what is in the room.
- 13:11And then I wish I could wave a magic
- 13:13wand and write fears out and then they
- 13:14never show up. I wish I had that. I
- 13:16would be a gazillionaire. But I don't
- 13:18know how to make that happen. But I do
- 13:20know that when you do that, the whole
- 13:22group is prepared to navigate that
- 13:25situation. If it's a fear situation that
- 13:28shows up, you're just all it's all in
- 13:30your prefrontal cortex. You've talked
- 13:32about it before. You're prepared for it
- 13:35instead of blindsided and then relying
- 13:37on your defense mechanisms to get you
- 13:39through it.
- 13:39>> Yeah. Yeah.
- 13:41>> I mean, I I like I eat this stuff. I
- 13:43love this stuff. But I can only imagine
- 13:46going into a corporate room with water
- 13:50people and anise, what I I bet there's
- 13:55varying degrees of uh folks being on
- 13:58board or not. I could be wrong, right?
- 14:00But I guess
- 14:02>> what what have you found effective to
- 14:04those that may not be all all in or go
- 14:08along with the process? like, you know,
- 14:10how does that affect what you do and how
- 14:12do you kind of bring them along into the
- 14:14into the process?
- 14:16>> There's never a group that everyone's
- 14:18all in.
- 14:19>> Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Right. And even the
- 14:21leader usually, you know, someone that
- 14:23brings me in, they feel it, they know
- 14:26it, but they know they're doing
- 14:27something transformational.
- 14:29And so, no one's ready for
- 14:31transformation.
- 14:33It's just you do it even though you're
- 14:35not ready. You do it because your will,
- 14:38your belief in what's possible is
- 14:41greater than your uncomfortable feelings
- 14:43around it. I have one leader that always
- 14:46tells me, "You really helped me be
- 14:48comfortable with feeling uncomfortable."
- 14:50And that's where our growth edge is.
- 14:52That's where our innovation is. That's
- 14:53where we're expanding and evolving as
- 14:55leaders. So all of this work is part of
- 14:58the natural evolution of leadership, the
- 15:01natural evolution of our cultures. So we
- 15:04aren't trying to do anything. So it's a
- 15:07constant invitation.
- 15:09So that's what I I don't try to bring
- 15:11anyone along. I have no convincing to
- 15:14do, but I get them working as quickly as
- 15:18possible because when they're working
- 15:21and they care about the thing that we're
- 15:22working on, that's what's always true in
- 15:24a room. Even if they're not sure about
- 15:27this process and they think they know
- 15:28what's right and they're used to being
- 15:30the smartest person in the room, like
- 15:32whatever they're bringing in with them
- 15:34or they're nervous about opening up and
- 15:36they think hopes and fears are
- 15:38wishy-washy and they think the suit
- 15:40circle is like a kumbaya moment. I just
- 15:44allow all those feelings to be in the
- 15:46room. I'm not trying to help anybody not
- 15:49feel the way they're feeling. They just
- 15:51get to feel that way. And I have a fun I
- 15:54have a fun little story about that. Oh
- 15:55yeah, please.
- 15:56>> I was I was not on my own yet. I was
- 15:58just like a baby doing this. I was in
- 16:02>> we were in Cyprus. I just got back from
- 16:04maternity leave and we were trying out
- 16:07this sort of process in this whole new
- 16:09way. And the leader of the team in the
- 16:13Middle East, I met with him for dinner
- 16:14the night before, told him how
- 16:16everything was going to go. He wanted me
- 16:18to work with his team on some issues
- 16:20that they were having around like sales
- 16:22and um application engineering and very
- 16:24practical things. And I said, "Yeah, I
- 16:27have a great idea of how to do this to
- 16:28meet your goals." I said, "This is how
- 16:31it's going to go and it's going to feel
- 16:32a bit weird cuz everyone's going to sit
- 16:33in a circle and all these things." Well,
- 16:36we have a three-hour dinner. I think
- 16:37he's pretty good with this. And Andy is
- 16:40a dear friend. I I adore him. And and we
- 16:45get in the room and he sits down and he
- 16:47says, "What is this, kindergarten?" And
- 16:49I was like, "Oh,
- 16:51>> no."
- 16:51>> I was like, "I thought I prepared you
- 16:55last night at dinner,
- 16:56>> right?"
- 16:57>> But it taught me really early on that
- 17:00it's just okay if I'm okay with those
- 17:04feelings being in the room, they
- 17:07actually dissolve quite quickly. Or it
- 17:09might take someone a little longer. But
- 17:12I always say move at your own pace. Move
- 17:15at the trust level that you feel is in
- 17:17the room. Move at the pace that you're
- 17:19ready. I never ask anyone to write down
- 17:21or do something that they're not willing
- 17:23to do. And we move and um we'll do we
- 17:28use the group dynamic. So we will do
- 17:30something that has two people and then
- 17:32we'll do something that has four people.
- 17:34We'll do something that maybe is groups
- 17:35of eight. And so we move it around and
- 17:37they move people around and they create
- 17:40these sort of smaller, more intimate
- 17:42circles and they might create some
- 17:44content together. And then if they pitch
- 17:45that out to the team, well, I don't know
- 17:47that Joe said it or Jenny said it. I
- 17:50just know that that came up in the room.
- 17:52And and as we're doing it, I always say,
- 17:54don't filter. Just everyone's opinion is
- 17:57valid and just get it out. And then
- 18:00later in the process, you can decide
- 18:02where do you want to focus? What do we
- 18:03want to draw attention to? what just
- 18:05gets let go and honored as a great idea
- 18:07but not for today. Right? So there's an
- 18:10ease sort of and a flow that shows up
- 18:12that helps people see and feel what it
- 18:16feels like to be heard and seen and and
- 18:20how pe like they can they feel that but
- 18:24then they also see other people
- 18:25experiencing that. And so it's this
- 18:28beautiful dynamic that just creates its
- 18:30own process. And then, you know, if
- 18:32somebody knows someone that's like
- 18:34pretty uncomfortable, at a certain point
- 18:35in time, they crack a joke with them.
- 18:37And, you know, I'm pretty good at
- 18:39lightening the mood and nothing that
- 18:41we're doing is like so serious because
- 18:43like we're here to like work and have
- 18:44fun and create and problem solve, you
- 18:47know, and so yeah, that's how we tend to
- 18:50all of that.
- 18:50>> I love it. Yeah. And you mentioned
- 18:52something like it that you're generally
- 18:54brought in um at the transformation
- 18:56phase. I want to be a transformative
- 18:58leader. I am in a a business transition
- 19:01and and it's interesting because we
- 19:03we've had George Hawkins the former GM
- 19:06at um at Moonshock.
- 19:07>> I have worked in circle with him before
- 19:10pure delight and and you know he's you
- 19:12know I think he's getting to the root
- 19:14cause of you have to break the system in
- 19:17order to put the sustainable impact and
- 19:19change on the system. And I I just
- 19:22that's I find your approach so novel to
- 19:24this like it you know if we just want
- 19:27leadership or teams to behave status quo
- 19:29then we're going to put traditional
- 19:31leadership training norms on the the
- 19:34problem or the solution. But if we
- 19:36actually want transformation, honestly,
- 19:38sometimes sitting in a circle in your
- 19:39socks and seeing your boss and seeing
- 19:41what funny holes in their socks they
- 19:43have is just what you need to break the
- 19:45ice to actually humanize the work we're
- 19:47doing and and and bring to your point
- 19:49the meaningful conversations from the
- 19:52right part of the brain. So
- 19:53>> that's right.
- 19:54>> Yeah.
- 19:54>> And that they get to engage their heart
- 19:56in that conversation as well. It's their
- 19:59head. We bring our head to work. We show
- 20:01up at work and we work from our neck up.
- 20:04>> Yeah.
- 20:05But do you know where all of our
- 20:06creativity is? It's in our body.
- 20:08>> It's in our body. Okay.
- 20:10>> It's in our body.
- 20:10>> It's our body.
- 20:11>> Our second chakra if you you know from
- 20:14the traditional Hindu yogic system is
- 20:18what contains our reproductive organs
- 20:22because that's where we we create life
- 20:24from there. And so our creativity our
- 20:27energy center for creativity is there
- 20:29which is deep in our body. And the
- 20:32chakra that's above it is the I am
- 20:36chakra. The it's our um how we show
- 20:39ourselves to the world. Well, if we're
- 20:41only showing our masks to the world,
- 20:44then there's nowhere for that creative
- 20:46energy to flow.
- 20:47>> So, it's a bit of a block.
- 20:50>> So, if we help people so connect their
- 20:53head, then connect to their heart. This
- 20:55is what pay attention to what has heart
- 20:57and meaning is always one of the the
- 20:59principles that we use because what has
- 21:02heart and meaning is actually what has
- 21:03intrinsic motivation for you.
- 21:06>> Right. That's right.
- 21:07>> And it's okay if what has heart and
- 21:08meaning for you is you know killing the
- 21:11design in a spreadsheet or you know I
- 21:13think perfect. That's where we need your
- 21:15skill.
- 21:16>> Right. And but it allows people to just
- 21:18take their little mask or their hat or
- 21:20their role and I always say set it aside
- 21:22for the co-creation opportunities. We're
- 21:26here to transform and transformation
- 21:28only happens when the individuals
- 21:30transform.
- 21:32>> Otherwise, it's just business
- 21:33operations.
- 21:34>> It's business optimization. I would say
- 21:36are we doing business optimization or
- 21:37are we doing transformation? Because
- 21:39transformation
- 21:40requires a human to transform.
- 21:44And so one of the ways that we do that
- 21:45is head, heart, and then our will
- 21:47center. And our will center is that
- 21:50third chakra. So when you have humans
- 21:53who are connected head, heart, and their
- 21:56will center. Oh boy. Everything becomes
- 21:59possible.
- 22:00>> Yeah.
- 22:01>> Like everything becomes possible.
- 22:02>> Oh my gosh.
- 22:04>> It's funny. I have I have a a friend who
- 22:07has um he has a YouTube uh channel. He's
- 22:10kind of like Bill Nye, the science guy
- 22:12for art history. Um, former art teacher,
- 22:15but he also talks um to some folks. But
- 22:18one of the messages um he was sharing a
- 22:21study with me about, you know, if you
- 22:23ask any first grader who's creative in
- 22:26this room, every hand goes up. By the
- 22:28time you hit 12, it's like 30%. And by
- 22:31the time you're adults, it's like, oh,
- 22:32well, it's only the person who paints or
- 22:35like does a create traditional creative
- 22:38versus every person brings their
- 22:41creative self to where they are.
- 22:43>> It's whether or not they're tapping into
- 22:44it. And I I feel like that's a lot of
- 22:47everything you're saying is just is just
- 22:49bringing that back up that it's like how
- 22:51do we get back to that place where we
- 22:53feel safe and unencumbered to bring our
- 22:55creative self um to whatever problem
- 22:58we're solving. That's where that's where
- 23:00the meaningful change will happen.
- 23:01>> Yeah, that's right. And I am I I never
- 23:05would have said I was creative. I was
- 23:07totally that kid that's a type A. If
- 23:10people work with me, they think I'm
- 23:11really type B because it feels very
- 23:14unconstrained.
- 23:16But if you plan with me, I'm super type
- 23:18A. And so I I always say I'm a
- 23:20recovering type A. And I thought arts
- 23:23and you know drama and anything that
- 23:27wasn't science, math, like all the
- 23:30things I needed to do do do to become an
- 23:32engineer and to do all those things I
- 23:34thought was a complete waste of time.
- 23:37So I like I feel like I can do this work
- 23:42with our industry because I I am that
- 23:46person. I am the person who would say
- 23:48like I my oldest daughter is a huge
- 23:50creative. She's a maker.
- 23:52>> Got it.
- 23:53>> She's in grade 10. We're figuring out
- 23:54her life's journey and it's making
- 23:57stuff. Whether it's movie sets or
- 23:59whatever, she's a maker.
- 24:01>> And she looks at me mom and is like,
- 24:03"You can't make anything." I'm like, "I
- 24:05know. I'm not creative, right? Like
- 24:07she's so I don't she did not she did not
- 24:10get any of that from me." And so when I
- 24:13really started into this work and I was
- 24:15using an affirmation sort of this
- 24:17affirmation around building the business
- 24:19and that it was going to be where I use
- 24:21all of my creativity and for the longest
- 24:24time I just felt like a like a fraud. I
- 24:27was like what creativity? There's no
- 24:29creativity in this body.
- 24:31>> But I really had to expand my scope of
- 24:35creativity. It's not art and drama only.
- 24:39It's ways of working. It's it's problem
- 24:43solving. It's dissolve. It's you know,
- 24:46are we solving a problem or do we have
- 24:47to dissolve some issues?
- 24:49>> Are we solving or dissolving? What I
- 24:51love about this process is it dissolves
- 24:54so we can focus and I and really
- 24:57articulate the problem that we're
- 25:00solving for or the purpose that we're
- 25:02fulfilling or the vision that we would
- 25:03like to co-create.
- 25:04>> Yeah.
- 25:05>> Yeah. So, I never work with a group of
- 25:08people who are like, "Yeah, we're so
- 25:10creative. I make everyone do arts and
- 25:12crafts." I shouldn't say that. No one
- 25:13will hire me, but I make everybody do
- 25:16that at one part because if we can see
- 25:20and feel things, then they come to life
- 25:24in a better dimension. So, the
- 25:26creativity in like a strict sense of the
- 25:28world, I always say it never has to be
- 25:29good. It just has to be meaningful.
- 25:31>> Yeah, that's right. And then your
- 25:32creativity really comes to light with
- 25:34what idea would you really love to bring
- 25:36forward? How would you really love for
- 25:38it to feel at work? How what is your
- 25:40desire or your vision for success for
- 25:42this project? And articulate that.
- 25:45>> But we jump right into problem solving
- 25:47mode and right into the doing phase.
- 25:52But what we really need for
- 25:54transformation, what we really need to
- 25:56solve our biggest challenges is
- 25:59transformation, which is a combination
- 26:00of being. How are we being with one
- 26:03another? And then what are we doing? And
- 26:06that's where that old system starts to
- 26:08dissolve because systems are mostly just
- 26:10a whole set of assumptions.
- 26:12>> Oh my gosh. Wow. And we know
- 26:14>> and assumptions can only be dissolved,
- 26:16>> right? Do I I mean so I I guess uh this
- 26:20is a little bit off script but you do
- 26:21have a line of sight and do you work
- 26:23with diverse groups in water are there I
- 26:26mean are can you point to like
- 26:28commonalities of the most that like what
- 26:30needs to dissolve first or do you have
- 26:32any like key themes that you come in and
- 26:34every time you're going to be like this
- 26:35is what we need to attack first or just
- 26:37curious
- 26:38>> I never I never say this is what we're
- 26:40going to attack first I always say tell
- 26:41me about what's going on and I start
- 26:44wherever the business wants to start
- 26:48there isn't a formula.
- 26:51Um but one place that the teams actually
- 26:54I have place I have people start in all
- 26:56different areas say what area feels the
- 26:59most meaningful.
- 27:01So sometimes we start with you know just
- 27:03the leadership team but sometimes we
- 27:04start with all the leaders like one
- 27:07group I started working with eight it
- 27:08was 80 people that we brought together
- 27:09first.
- 27:10>> Wow.
- 27:10>> Yeah.
- 27:11>> Yeah. and we got and we got started and
- 27:13what they started to articulate was
- 27:15exactly what they wanted for the
- 27:17organization.
- 27:18So then the leadership team can respond
- 27:21to that and then start building from
- 27:23there and allowing them to build with
- 27:25them and sometimes we start with the
- 27:27leadership team because there's some
- 27:29work that's needed there. One thing I do
- 27:31see in all organizations
- 27:34and I think this is because of our
- 27:35hierarchal struct hierarchical
- 27:37structure.
- 27:39I always say the structure is the
- 27:40structure. It doesn't define how you
- 27:43work. It defines how the finances are
- 27:45recorded essentially.
- 27:47>> So let it have that power.
- 27:49>> Yeah.
- 27:50>> You know,
- 27:51>> and that's okay.
- 27:53um but is that a leadership team
- 27:57often
- 27:58doesn't feel like that's a team
- 28:02they so if especially if you're at the
- 28:04you know CEO level and you have some VPs
- 28:06or whatever your your chief officers
- 28:09whatever your titles are is that they
- 28:12feel like their team is supply chain
- 28:14they feel like their team is process
- 28:16design they feel like their team is uh
- 28:20sales
- 28:21and So then you have organizations when
- 28:24I think about what what could unlock
- 28:28unlimited possibilities
- 28:30is more of those teams actually learning
- 28:33how to be a team together.
- 28:36>> Yes. I you know we we do a lot with
- 28:39utilities and especially the larger up
- 28:41the size you go these silos. I'm only
- 28:45going to think about you know my
- 28:47engineers. I'm only going to think about
- 28:48water quality. only and and I often
- 28:51think like what if we what if you
- 28:53actually started to think as one
- 28:54organization versus I'm responsible for
- 28:57this P&L with these people and I I I
- 29:00could that's interesting that you say
- 29:01that because we feel that and it's just
- 29:03so hard to make change when everything
- 29:05is done in silos and you know and uh
- 29:08>> and nobody likes it. Interesting. Okay.
- 29:11Yeah. Yeah.
- 29:12>> No one's like, "I love this silo. It's
- 29:14awesome." It just creates division.
- 29:19>> And that division is only a set of
- 29:21assumptions.
- 29:23We act as if there's a real wall.
- 29:25There's nothing tangible.
- 29:28But people will not pick up the phone to
- 29:30call somebody else in a different silo.
- 29:33I have one leader that I've worked with.
- 29:35He's one of my favorites. He says to me,
- 29:38"Anise, do you know how much time I
- 29:40spend telling people to pick up the
- 29:41phone and call the other person?" He
- 29:44goes, "That comes out of my mouth like
- 29:4510 times a day." And I think, "Good.
- 29:47You're going because as soon as they
- 29:49call them, that starts, pardon me, that
- 29:53starts to dissolve.
- 29:55That silo starts to dissolve. So, we act
- 29:58as if our hierarchical structure
- 30:03is rigid
- 30:05and it's not. It's just a set of belief
- 30:08systems that told us to do that. So we
- 30:11have to create experiences
- 30:14where they can feel what it feels like
- 30:18to not operate with the idea of a silo.
- 30:22>> It's only an idea.
- 30:24>> Yeah.
- 30:24>> How interesting.
- 30:25>> Yeah. And it is kind of going back to
- 30:27that aspect of like the the way that you
- 30:30create the atmosphere to create safety
- 30:32for saying, "Hey, you can recognize that
- 30:35this is a structure from a financial
- 30:38lens or we have a P&L," but there's
- 30:40nothing that says that we're also just
- 30:43humans.
- 30:43>> Yeah.
- 30:44>> In the same room.
- 30:45>> Just humans.
- 30:46>> Yeah.
- 30:48>> Sometimes very simply when someone says,
- 30:49"What do you do?" And I think I I don't
- 30:52know where to start. Like especially if
- 30:53they're not, you know, that's a guy that
- 30:54owns a coffee shop or something. I say I
- 30:57de help drooize organizations.
- 31:00>> Oh yeah. Yes.
- 31:01>> And they usually go, "Oh god, we need
- 31:03that so bad." Like it's such a
- 31:04relatable, you know, simple sentence.
- 31:08But everything is done through humans.
- 31:13And when we honor that,
- 31:16so much magic unlocks
- 31:20and it makes everything better. It makes
- 31:23uh you know career pathing easier. It
- 31:27makes fulfillment in that role easier.
- 31:30>> Yeah.
- 31:31>> It makes meetings more productive. It
- 31:35makes relationship building not feel
- 31:38like a struggle. It makes idea
- 31:41generation and and a desire to change
- 31:44because everything's always changing
- 31:46anyways, but we think we have to manage
- 31:49change. Like we have to strangle it
- 31:51almost to manage it. And I always say
- 31:53just no. Like where's the desire for the
- 31:56change? Like tune into the desire for
- 31:59the change. Co-create it together
- 32:02because I promise you your organization
- 32:04knows exactly what needs to change and
- 32:06why it needs to change. They just don't
- 32:09feel like they can.
- 32:11>> Yeah.
- 32:13>> And so when you unlock that, all of a
- 32:15sudden things snowball and so much is
- 32:18shifting and changing and growing and
- 32:20opportunities are, you know, showing up
- 32:23and people are feeling like they can do
- 32:25it and run with it. It allows you to
- 32:29have whatever structure that you need to
- 32:31organize the organization because I
- 32:32totally get it.
- 32:34>> But it doesn't bind you by it.
- 32:36>> Yeah.
- 32:37>> Yeah. Yeah,
- 32:38>> that's I love I love that. I think um
- 32:41No, I think that is so um insightful um
- 32:46and important to understand especially
- 32:49uh in the spirit of transforming our
- 32:51industry. And I think one of the ways I
- 32:53I want to make sure we touch on because
- 32:55uh one of the ways you are also
- 32:56transforming the industry in my opinion
- 32:58um is by your new podcast. Mhm.
- 33:01>> Uh so thank you for launching a kickass
- 33:05podcast featuring amazing women leaders
- 33:08in water. Um I just what just talk a
- 33:13little bit about what uh what compelled
- 33:14you to do that and uh in your opinion
- 33:17what what kind of void is that
- 33:19fulfilling for us in the industry?
- 33:22>> Well, I've had a desire to have a
- 33:25podcast forever. I I did one for an
- 33:28organization where I spoke to their
- 33:31senior leaders to sort of humanize them
- 33:34because senior leaders in really large
- 33:36organizations start to like get
- 33:39dehumanized and people can't quite
- 33:42relate to them. So we ran it as a wild
- 33:44experiment and that's when I like bought
- 33:46the equipment. We kind of figured it
- 33:48out. We worked with this this company
- 33:49and then I loved it. shocking, but I
- 33:52loved it. And but then I couldn't figure
- 33:55out what is the in and you would know
- 33:58this. It's like how do I start it? Like
- 34:00why do I start it? What purpose am I
- 34:02fulfilling? How do I set this up? Like I
- 34:05couldn't I couldn't get there. And then
- 34:08two years ago, I hosted the women's
- 34:12circle at WFTE
- 34:14and we just had such an awesome 90
- 34:20minutes and I thought, "Oh, it's so hard
- 34:24still in this industry to find women, to
- 34:28find each other, to feel like we have
- 34:31someone to look up to, to attract the
- 34:35next, you know, group of women coming in
- 34:37and to keep them in the industry. And I
- 34:40thought, this is still such a gap. And
- 34:43so then I came home from that kind of
- 34:45fired up and energized by that
- 34:47conversation. They they got to talk
- 34:49about their own their themselves at
- 34:51WFTEC. They took 90 minutes to talk
- 34:53about themselves and their hopes and
- 34:55fears about their next steps in their
- 34:56career and they coached each other and
- 34:58they counseledled each other and it was
- 35:00a really cool event. And I thought, oh,
- 35:03when you gather women, it's so powerful.
- 35:06And I believe that the transformation
- 35:09that's required in the water industry
- 35:12requires more women involved to make it
- 35:16happen. They are natural systems
- 35:18thinkers.
- 35:20Their everyday life prepares them to
- 35:22juggle, you know, multiple things being
- 35:25true at once. It prepares them to uh
- 35:28sort of multitask and delegate. they are
- 35:31um often, you know, a nurturing whether
- 35:34they have children or not, but their
- 35:36families and their friends. There's this
- 35:38element that they're collaborators and
- 35:41co-creators. And when we have women
- 35:43lifting each other up, I think all of
- 35:45society benefits.
- 35:48And so I thought, where are all the
- 35:51voices? I want to hear the voices that
- 35:54are in the industry already. And I want
- 35:57young women to hear the voices. and I
- 35:59want to hear from young women. I just
- 36:01want a place to elevate women's voices
- 36:04in the water space. And I thought, I
- 36:06don't know how to do everything, but I
- 36:08do know how to do that. And so that's
- 36:10where that was crafted. And I thought we
- 36:13already had the meaningful conversations
- 36:15logo from 10 years ago. We knew I don't
- 36:18know, it was just a little bit of a I
- 36:21just knew we were going to use that
- 36:22somewhere. And so when we sat down,
- 36:25everyone's like, "Well, what are we
- 36:26going to name it?" And I think I said I
- 36:28think that logo that we already have. I
- 36:31think that's just it.
- 36:33>> And I said that's what we do in circle.
- 36:35That's what I do one-on-one when I
- 36:37coach. Like I have been hosting
- 36:40meaningful conversations. When I really
- 36:43thought about it preparing for WTE this
- 36:44year, I've been doing this for 28 years.
- 36:47I've been sitting in circle talking
- 36:48about leadership. I started when I was
- 36:5215 in a um in a leadership seminar that
- 36:56I was invited to. I went they sat us in
- 36:59circle and we talked with each other the
- 37:01students 15 year olds to 15 year olds.
- 37:03the leaders sat out a little bit, let us
- 37:06talk and then I went back as staff and
- 37:08then I went back as a committee member
- 37:09and I finished I did it back I went back
- 37:11for like 16 years um as as the
- 37:14chairperson of that event and then I was
- 37:17about 33
- 37:2032 there my second daughter was almost
- 37:22born and then I and then I started this
- 37:26business like two years later and I
- 37:28started practicing at work so I actually
- 37:29don't have one year that I didn't sit in
- 37:32circles in meaningful conversation since
- 37:34I was 15 and I only basically remembered
- 37:37that like maybe 3 or 4 months ago and so
- 37:40you know so so it just it seemed like
- 37:42such a fitting we hadn't even connected
- 37:44those like long dots um when we named it
- 37:48but I thought yeah that's what we've
- 37:49been doing and I believe that it's
- 37:51meaningful transformations
- 37:53um that are transformative it gives
- 37:55people the courage to transform I always
- 37:59say the way that they are desiring to
- 38:02already because we are meant to evolve.
- 38:07Not to a way they should, but the way
- 38:09that they already want to. And we create
- 38:12the conditions for them to do that. And
- 38:14then we all benefit.
- 38:15>> Yeah.
- 38:16>> Yeah. It transports folks from feeling
- 38:18isolated to feeling
- 38:21>> inclusive,
- 38:21>> supported, connected.
- 38:22>> Yeah. Like Yeah. Like we're Yeah.
- 38:25>> Um Yeah. connected and in community. And
- 38:28um that's where magic happens.
- 38:30>> Yeah. Yeah. Well, thank you. Thank you
- 38:32for starting that because I think to
- 38:33your point, it's where are all the
- 38:34voices? I think um we now have a a forum
- 38:38and I'm I'm very excited to see how
- 38:40those meaningful conversations
- 38:42transform. I would definitely encourage
- 38:44anybody um going to WTE and maybe even
- 38:47larger other conferences along the way.
- 38:49I think you are creating a really great
- 38:51platform and channel and a forum to have
- 38:54the meaningful conversations and I'm
- 38:57just uh super excited to see you
- 38:59continue that work and to see how that
- 39:01work um evolves over time because it's
- 39:03absolutely needed for transformation in
- 39:05our industry.
- 39:06>> Ah thank you so much and and there's a
- 39:08lot of brave souls who are ready to go
- 39:10in our industry. The timing is really
- 39:12great.
- 39:13>> Yes. Yeah. Well thank you so much Anise.
- 39:15people want to learn more, connect with
- 39:17you personally or professionally, where
- 39:19where should they go?
- 39:20>> Yeah, they can find me at Anisebach on
- 39:22LinkedIn. They can go to our website
- 39:24which is luminousgroup.ca.
- 39:27Um, and we are easy to get a hold of.
- 39:30>> Yeah.
- 39:31>> Awesome. Thank you so much for joining
- 39:33us. Um, yeah, we appreciate you making
- 39:36the time to chat with us.
- 39:38>> Thank you. This is such a great program
- 39:39that you're building. So, thank you for
- 39:41having me. I feel very honored uh to be
- 39:43with you today.
- 39:43>> Oh, our pleasure. Thanks. Talk soon.
- 39:48>> Well, Isaac, that was a really fun
- 39:49conversation with Anise Bachwell. I you
- 39:52know, I mentioned my immediate
- 39:53connection with her was just this
- 39:54energy. I'm like, I I love your style. I
- 39:57love how you're approaching
- 39:58transformation and I think um I think
- 40:00the podcast I mean that that
- 40:02conversation with her just kind of told
- 40:03it all. Um
- 40:04>> yeah. Yeah.
- 40:04>> Yeah. Yeah. I I was very excited um to
- 40:07meet her and in the conversation I found
- 40:09myself just kind of
- 40:11>> um because the word kept coming up, it
- 40:14was um the word dissolve and just
- 40:16thinking about how how important it is
- 40:19that um that water as a universal
- 40:21solvent is um that we honor that and
- 40:24that it it helps break down some of the
- 40:26um some of the barriers that we have to
- 40:28bring our best selves to whatever we're
- 40:30doing. And so, um, yeah, I loved the
- 40:32message that, um, that she had and
- 40:36really would very much encourage, uh,
- 40:38folks to tune in, tune in to her
- 40:40podcast. So, there's such important
- 40:41conversations,
- 40:43>> um, that we need, um, that we need to
- 40:45have, um, that keeps coming up as a
- 40:48recurring theme um, on on this podcast.
- 40:51>> And um, we're so thankful that you've
- 40:53turn tuned in to the Make Waterwork
- 40:55podcast. We love these conversations and
- 41:00we love hearing from you. Um have had so
- 41:02many great um folks reach out about the
- 41:04impact that some of these conversations
- 41:06are having on you. So if that's you,
- 41:08please let us know if there's someone
- 41:09you want to hear from who makes water
- 41:10work that you want um us to have feature
- 41:12on the podcast. Um let us know even if
- 41:15that's yourself. Um uh would love to do
- 41:17that. And um please like, share, follow,
- 41:21do all the things that you normally do
- 41:23with with a podcast. And we'll see you
- 41:25next time.
- 41:26Thanks for listening to the Make Water
- 41:28Work podcast. If you enjoyed today's
- 41:31episode, please take a moment to like,
- 41:33share, and subscribe so you never miss a
- 41:35conversation. We'd love to hear your
- 41:38thoughts and questions. Connect with us
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- 41:42Together, we can make water work for
- 41:44everyone.