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The Build a Vibrant Culture Podcast explores the real-world strategies behind building strong work culture, improving organizational culture, and leading with clarity in today’s fast-changing business environment.
Hosted by leadership expert Nicole Greer, this podcast features conversations with business leaders, executives, and entrepreneurs who are shaping modern business culture through effective communication, leadership development, and intentional management practices.
Each episode delivers practical insights into leadership and business, including topics like team communication, project management, career growth, and creating workplaces where people perform at their best.
You’ll gain actionable tools, frameworks, and leadership skills you can apply immediately through coaching concepts, real-world examples, and professional development strategies, whether you’re a manager, executive, business owner, or emerging leader.
If you're looking for guidance on building a thriving organizational culture, improving communication, or advancing your leadership career, this podcast is designed for you.
Learn more about training, coaching, and courses at https://vibrantculture.com
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/build-a-vibrant-culture-nicole-greer/
For speaking inquiries: https://vibrantculture.com/speaker-kit-request/
Download our training catalog: https://vibrantculture.com/catalog-request/
Want to be a guest? Send your request to podcast@vibrantculture.com
[00:00:00] Nicole Greer: Welcome everybody to the Build a Vibrant Culture podcast. My name is Nicole Greer and they call me The Vibrant Coach, and I have three of my homies with me today.
[00:00:09] Nicole Greer: So for 15 years I have been working with the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. Charlotte, North Carolina, people, where The Vibrant Coach was born. I know. And so in Charlotte, North Carolina, I've been working with the School of Professional Studies for a very, very long time, 15 years in fact. One of my homies on the call surprised me and brought me white roses on my anniversary when I was teaching at the DuBois Center in...
[00:00:34] Nicole Greer: We don't have a downtown, everybody, we have an uptown. Uptown Charlotte. So in Uptown Charlotte, and these three ladies, I've worked with them for a very long time and I want to celebrate the, the work that we do there. And also for all of you HR, human resources, learning and development, and leaders out there you may not know the the programs and the training and the leadership development that you can get through a certificate program at UNC Charlotte.
[00:01:01] Nicole Greer: So I invited these ladies on here 'cause first of all, we couldn't even get the podcast started 'cause we were having too much fun talking about life and love and the pursuit of happiness. And so I finally have them here. But I'm gonna go around and I'm gonna start with Anna. Anna, welcome to the show.
[00:01:16] Nicole Greer: Tell us about you and your little piece of the School of Professional Studies part.
[00:01:21] Anna Mullen: Thank you, Nicole. I'm so excited to be here. I am Anna Mullen and I'm a business development director for corporate training and executive education. So we basically help corporations strengthen their workforce through customized learning and development opportunities.
[00:01:37] Nicole Greer: Yeah.
[00:01:37] Anna Mullen: I've been with UNC Charlotte now for about five months so fairly new. Exactly, yay. But not new to workforce development. So I love what I do. I love being a part of this learning and development puzzle and all the things that we offer.
[00:01:55] Nicole Greer: Anna and I have been having such a great time and, the customers and the people that we work with are municipalities businesses here in the North Carolina area.
[00:02:04] Nicole Greer: And, and, and don't we have reach outside of Charlotte as well? I mean, we work with people... i'll be on a call and this person's like, "I'm in San Diego." I'm like, "How in the world did Taylor Faulkner find somebody in San Diego to join the UNC Charlotte call?" But she does. I don't know how she does it.
[00:02:17] Nicole Greer: So next person I'll call on is Taylor. I'm so glad you're here.
[00:02:21] Taylor Faulkner: Nicole, thanks so much for having us. I'm excited about today. Y'all, I am a program director. I manage professional development programs in the School of Professional Studies, and the programs that I oversee are our HR certificate, our L&D certificate, and our HR exam prep.
[00:02:38] Taylor Faulkner: Cool ... and so those programs, they just get folks that are from one end or another, right? Some folks are career changers and trying to get their toe into a new industry. Other folks are seasoned. They wanna reskill, upskill, stay on top of the skills. And then something I've kind of been sitting on for a little while, but I feel like now is a perfect time to share- Oh
[00:02:58] Taylor Faulkner: and also, I know, breaking news. You hear- heard it first on the Build a Vibrant Culture podcast. Yes. We're also launching a certified financial planner certificate that I will be managing, and we're hoping to open that up for enrollment here in a few weeks. But you can start the program next year.
[00:03:15] Taylor Faulkner: So I've been working on that over the last year. And so yeah, my programs are really in that business sector, is the side that I manage. So I know Krystle will get to talk about a different sector that she serves. Yeah.
[00:03:26] Nicole Greer: Yeah. And I will tell you the Edwards Jones, the Ameriprises, the Merrill Lynches, all of those companies are absolutely dying to find people who would go into financial planning and would get their CFP.
[00:03:40] Nicole Greer: This is an enormous opportunity to get your people. And, and, and there are people sitting there with their CF- their, their people who are their advisors, and they need a program to get those people through. So, oh, I'm so excited for you. Excellent. Yeah. 'Cause being a CFP is no joke.
[00:03:57] Taylor Faulkner: Oh, it's like being a lawyer, but for money.
[00:03:59] Nicole Greer: Right. Right, right. You got to test, you got to take the test, you got to do the stuff. But-
[00:04:04] Taylor Faulkner: Totally. Mm-hmm ...
[00:04:04] Nicole Greer: very lucrative. You'd be sitting at 45 years old, 50 years old, going, "I'm in the money." Okay, so really good. Really good. Okay. All right, Krystle, I'm so glad you're here. Tell us all about you and what you do.
[00:04:17] Krystle Kunnathur: Yeah. Well, I'm so happy to be here, Nicole. Thank you for having me and having us. I also am a program director. I work with Taylor on the public side, offering professional development to anybody who may want it. I focus mostly on leadership development programs, so I have an online leadership development program, but I also have in-person, hybrid leadership development for fire and EMS.
[00:04:43] Krystle Kunnathur: So, that's kind of the sector I focus on, but I also have a meeting and event planning certificate program as well as a forensic accounting certificate. So kind of all over the place, a nice little cornucopia of programs that I manage, but of course, always focused on improving oneself and kind of leveling up in your career.
[00:05:04] Nicole Greer: Yeah. So good. I'm gonna point this question first to Anna, but then Taylor and Krystle can, they can be jump in and, so the first question I'm gonna ask you- you ladies is, let's start with the big picture. When you think about the School of Professional Studies, which, just, just stop for a minute. Professional studies, right? So I wanna be a professional in my line of business. I wanna really know what I'm talking about.
[00:05:26] Nicole Greer: I wanna be an expert in my field. Who are you really here to serve, and what do those leaders need today that they may have not needed five or 10 years ago? What do you think? Anna, we'll start with you. What are the skills people really need?
[00:05:39] Anna Mullen: So corporate training and executive education is a little bit of a different style or delivery mode than other opportunities within our division.
[00:05:49] Anna Mullen: So we basically serve groups- Your group of 10, your group of 20, your group of 200. And what happens is corporations come to us and they say, "We've identified either a skill gap or an opportunity," and with a group of people, and it may be something on generational differences. And, we've got four different generations that are in our workforce today, and companies are trying to figure out how to meld that and make them all work to the best of their abilities together.
[00:06:16] Anna Mullen: Could be emotional intelligence. It could be communication. Communication feels so basic, but it's, it's something-
[00:06:22] Nicole Greer: Oh, God, everybody needs it
[00:06:23] Anna Mullen: ... that all of us do really well. Yes. And so the way that we work together with companies is to help identify what those opportunities are. We customize. We create training specifically for those learning and development needs, and we come to you.
[00:06:38] Anna Mullen: So we can come into your workplace and deliver training on-site at your convenience or we can do it at the DuBois Center, which, as you said, is Uptown Charlotte. And we've got all kinds of space available there. So I think the differences in how we work and putting all those puzzle pieces together is, regardless of whether you're training one or 200, we have a solution for that, and it's really just listening to the customer and understanding what they need.
[00:07:04] Nicole Greer: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
[00:07:04] Anna Mullen: Today's needs are different, Nicole. As you mentioned, technology is changing things faster than we can wrap our heads around. Some people are keeping up well, some are not. That's one of the biggest questions that I'm asked is, burnout. Burnout's happening really quickly. Mm. How can you address that?
[00:07:20] Anna Mullen: How can you help us address that, and how can we have a healthy workforce?
[00:07:25] Nicole Greer: Yeah. Yeah. And, and here's the thing. We, we put people in a room when we talk about a subject matter, but don't miss this, everybody listening. Don't miss this. Just putting your people in a room And slowing down for four dang hours, or eight hours, crazy talk, a whole day away from our normal work helps people stop, breathe, think, and come back to their work in a more healthy place.
[00:07:51] Nicole Greer: And so Anna can help you do that. And
[00:07:52] Anna Mullen: and- Also, and
[00:07:53] Anna Mullen: learn, Nicole, I love that point. I love to sit in the back of a room-
[00:07:57] Nicole Greer: Yes
[00:07:57] Anna Mullen: ... and watch you deliver, but I like to watch the connections that happen. Because often you're pulling people from this department and that department, and in their busy, regular paced workday, they don't communicate.
[00:08:10] Nicole Greer: No.
[00:08:10] Anna Mullen: They
[00:08:10] Anna Mullen: don't see each other. They- They don't know what the other one's doing. And I watch light bulbs go off, all these a-ha moments where people are like, "Oh my gosh, that's what you do? And this is all I have to do to make this work?" And-
[00:08:24] Nicole Greer: Yeah ...
[00:08:24] Anna Mullen: it's, it's the communication that happens on the sidelines that, in my opinion, is as important as the training that's going on.
[00:08:33] Anna Mullen: But companies don't slow down to do it enough.
[00:08:35] Taylor Faulkner: Mm-hmm.
[00:08:36] Anna Mullen: And so when we have the chance to foster that, it's amazing.
[00:08:40] Nicole Greer: Yeah, I agree. Okay, I'm throwing the ball- Yeah ... to you, Taylor. Talk, talk about what do these learners need today that they might not have needed five or 10 years ago? What are you seeing?
[00:08:49] Taylor Faulkner: Yeah. So I have to echo what Anna said about communication. For me, we, on our side, hear and see a lot about just gaps in human skills, people skills, right? Yeah. So, Facts ... communication, adaptability, critical thinking, collaborating, change management, which Nicole Greer teaches at UNC Charlotte for us. So I think, I think the biggest thing is, being able to take information and run with that, apply it.
[00:09:19] Taylor Faulkner: I think knowing something, having knowledge, and then applying it to a messy workplace are, are different things, right? And so I, I, again, it's, it's usually, the gap isn't usually what folks know- It's how they're able to apply it in the first place
[00:09:37] Nicole Greer: Oh my God. Yeah. Write that down.
[00:09:38] Nicole Greer: Application, application, application.
[00:09:41] Nicole Greer: Okay.
[00:09:42] Taylor Faulkner: Yeah, so that, that's what I see on my side. I wonder if Krystle will see the same thing. Again, it, it's funny 'cause we have our different audiences, but even Krystle and I both managing professional development programs there's sometimes some, some niche needs in different sectors. So maybe that, that human skill side is that L&D HR lens, that I'm seeing more often than not, so.
[00:10:04] Krystle Kunnathur: No, that's, that's actually what I see as well for a lot of my... For fire and EMS especially, it's, it's learning how to be a people leader, how to manage not only the people around you, but also yourself, manage up, manage sideways- Ooh ... all of that stuff. And going back to your question, Nicole, I used to work in the enrollment office, so I have seen...
[00:10:26] Krystle Kunnathur: Gosh, I've seen s- School of Professional Studies' professional development change over the last eight or nine years since I've been in there.
[00:10:34] Nicole Greer: Yeah.
[00:10:34] Krystle Kunnathur: And it was a lot of CPAs or people who are certified coming for their recertification credits. Yeah. Now it's more holistic educational experiences to help people either break into a new career or level up in the career that they're in.
[00:10:50] Krystle Kunnathur: We have people fresh out of high school that come through our program, so it really does run the gamut, but it really is focused more, more so now than five or 10 years ago on holistically developing the person as opposed to just transactional, "I need my eight, eight recertification hours.
[00:11:10] Nicole Greer: That's what I need." Yeah, credits, so the CPA thing is, is good. Exactly. Right. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. But, and, and here's the thing. I, w- I, we teach the... I teach in HR with, with Taylor, and I think one time, maybe it was a year ago or so, I had the essentials of HR, and I would say 70% of those people were not in HR
[00:11:30] Taylor Faulkner: Yeah, yeah
[00:11:31] Nicole Greer: but they were like, "I wanna do this." And I'm like, "Okay, here's what we need to do." And, and don't miss too w- it's very practical. If you went back and watched the videos of me teaching that, it'd be like, "Okay, you need to join SHRM, you need to join ATD, you need to call me when you get that done, you need to go on LinkedIn, be friends with me, you gotta start your network."
[00:11:47] Nicole Greer: I mean, we're really helping you do practical things too in these, these things. It's not like getting a four-year degree where you're reading big, fat books and writing giant papers. It's not that, right? It's like the, "Here's your to-do list so you can get this done."
[00:12:04] Taylor Faulkner: Mm-hmm.
[00:12:04] Krystle Kunnathur: This is how you be successful in your chosen field.
[00:12:07] Taylor Faulkner: Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah.
[00:12:08] Nicole Greer: Yeah. Yeah. Okay, really good. Okay, so we're gonna go in the reverse order this time. All right, Krystle, you're up. Adult learners, okay, are juggling careers, families, financial responsibilities and a lot of them have a fear of going back to school. But like I just said, this is not getting a big, fat MBA or something, although we can get you one of those at UNC Charlotte.
[00:12:30] Nicole Greer: Sure. What, what, what do you think about that? What do they need to truly thrive if- Yeah ... if they get into a program with y'all?
[00:12:37] Krystle Kunnathur: The biggest thing that comes to mind is flexibility. So for all of the programs that I manage, each time I've offered them, I've tried to make the barriers to entry lower. So if it is financial, we've implemented payment plans.
[00:12:51] Krystle Kunnathur: If it is schedule, we try to do more flexible asynchronous offerings. I think one of the most important things is meeting people where they are. And honestly, it is, it is the reality for our adult learners. They've got careers, nine to fives, they've got families, of course financial responsibilities, and also fear.
[00:13:11] Krystle Kunnathur: That is a reality for a lot of people. And I come into it saying "You're not alone. It's, you know what? It's a little bit scary, but y- you can do it." So I think flexibility, but also coming at it from a human perspective making sure they know that they are supported, they can do it, and yeah, hopefully they're able to succeed at the end of all of that.
[00:13:34] Taylor Faulkner: Mm-hmm.
[00:13:34] Nicole Greer: Yeah. And, and, and I'll t- I'll tell you people will say things, and this really bothers me, everybody. I'm, I've got my stuff in a wad over here over this thing right here. So people will say, "Why do I wanna do that? Why w- why would I wanna go s- do this?" Well, 'cause it's not about the piece of paper, although these ladies are gonna send you a piece of paper that says you did this thing, okay?
[00:13:57] Nicole Greer: It's about learning something new-
[00:14:02] Taylor Faulkner: Mm-hmm ...
[00:14:02] Nicole Greer: which makes you more valuable. So today I don't know this, 10, 10 weeks later, I know this. That makes me more valuable. Don't miss that.
[00:14:13] Taylor Faulkner: Totally. Okay. Totally.
[00:14:14] Nicole Greer: Taylor, what do you think? What do you think about this one?
[00:14:16] Taylor Faulkner: What- Yeah, flex- flexibility is huge. Krystle hit the nail on the head with that one.
[00:14:20] Taylor Faulkner: And, and Nicole, you teach some asynchronous stuff here and there. We try to add that more and more for, for flexibility. But I think, it- That, that also needs to be paired with an educational environment that sees what they are bringing to the table. And, and again, we've talked about career changers a lot.
[00:14:36] Taylor Faulkner: Someone might be new to financial planning, they might be new to HR, whatever, but they're not new to life. Right. They're not new to work, right? Right. And so they have a lot of transferable skills, and I think once they realize that and you remind them, that builds confidence and just their success takes off like a rocket.
[00:14:56] Taylor Faulkner: I mean, I've, I've heard you in class before even saying especially our teachers out there, right? I mean, boy, do they have some skills. That's a group that can-
[00:15:04] Nicole Greer: Oh, if you can manage-
[00:15:05] Taylor Faulkner: ... bring in just about anything ...
[00:15:06] Nicole Greer: 35 five-year-olds.
[00:15:08] Taylor Faulkner: Right. Right. That's what I'm saying. So I think reminding them "Your skills are so transferable.
[00:15:13] Taylor Faulkner: We see what you're bringing to the table. Let's talk about how to apply it in this new setting, this new sector, this new realm," right? And when you pair that with flexibility and people that care about them, and people that are willing to pick up the phone for them, that is the recipe for success.
[00:15:29] Taylor Faulkner: That's what we do.
[00:15:31] Nicole Greer: Yeah. Absolutely. Okay, Anna, I'm gonna switch it up on you- we hear so much about the skills gap, right? And from where you sit, what are employers telling you they need most when they pick up the phone and call you and say, "We got a group of 10, we got a group of 20, we got a group of 50, 100"?
[00:15:46] Nicole Greer: What are they saying people are missing? What do you think?
[00:15:48] Anna Mullen: So it's interesting. I think right now with the fast-paced change that is happening everywhere we're hearing requests for "Help us, our people are burned out. What can we do? How do we instill motivation? How do we get back to people wanting to come into the office?"
[00:16:05] Anna Mullen: Because we're also seeing that shift as more and more companies say-
[00:16:08] Nicole Greer: Oh, yeah, back to work
[00:16:09] Nicole Greer: everybody. ... "
[00:16:11] Anna Mullen: Hey, we need," that morale. So I'm helping a lot of companies now with pieces. We actually have a four-part webinar that we corporate training and executive education is kicking off on September 16th that's from burnout to balance, and it's free.
[00:16:28] Anna Mullen: And we're doing this because we are recognizing just how many companies are saying, "Help." And it's all around burnout, motivation or lack thereof, and just really encouraging people to be their best in the office. So we're, we're ask- we're getting a lot of asks for help there. We're also getting a lot of questions around encouragement on people actually stepping in- And raising their hand and signing up for open enrollment courses on their own.
[00:17:00] Anna Mullen: And it goes back to the question that you just asked. We talk about professional development. Yeah. Well, professional development is really personal development, and it's an investment in you.
[00:17:10] Nicole Greer: That's
[00:17:10] Nicole Greer: right. That's right.
[00:17:11] Anna Mullen: And people don't sometimes sign up because they think, "Oh my gosh, I'm gonna go back to my desk and I'm gonna have 92 more emails in my inbox."
[00:17:18] Anna Mullen: And I wanna say to people, you're gonna have that regardless. It doesn't matter what you're doing. Amen. But if you stop and take that, that time to develop yourself personally, which translates to professionally, but it also translates to who you are at home- Yes ... and in all the spaces that you show up, why would you not want to do something that im- just gives you better opportunity and enhances your own personal skills?
[00:17:45] Nicole Greer: I don't know, Anna, why people wouldn't wanna do
[00:17:51] Nicole Greer: it.
[00:17:51] Anna Mullen: Me neither. I don't know either. Especially- We all need to be lifelong learners ...
[00:17:53] Taylor Faulkner: especially when, employers I feel like spend a lot of time and money trying to put together benefits for you to take advantage of. And we hear all the time how underutilized, professional develop-
[00:18:03] Nicole Greer: Oh my God.
[00:18:04] Nicole Greer: We could go down a bunny trail on that
[00:18:05] Taylor Faulkner: ... those benefits are. I know. I know, so.
[00:18:08] Nicole Greer: Yeah,
[00:18:08] Anna Mullen: yeah. I promise that work is still gonna be there when you get back.
[00:18:11] Taylor Faulkner: Amen.
[00:18:12] Anna Mullen: That- Just take these, take these couple hours in some of our courses, let Nicole Greer deliver something that's amazing and funny- ... and, and stretches you in a way that you might not wanna be stretched, but you walk out of there and you think, "Oh my gosh, look at me go."
[00:18:27] Nicole Greer: Yeah.
[00:18:28] Taylor Faulkner: I'm glad I did that. Yeah.
[00:18:29] Nicole Greer: Well, I'll tell you. The, I have this joke, and sometimes I, I, if I, it depends on what kind of crew I get. You get a class and you're, like, feeling it out for the first little bit, but I tell people all the time, well, there's three types of people that, that, that come to professional develop- or come to training or come to their learning and development activities.
[00:18:44] Nicole Greer: There's three ways people come to it. First person is what I call the vacationer, and, and that person like, "Oh, you mean I don't have to do my real job right now? I can just sit here, and I can be, I can sip on my drink, and I can eat a snack? Are there gonna be snacks?" "Is there gonna...
[00:18:58] Nicole Greer: and where are we doing this? Is this at a hotel? Are we going out of town? What are we doing?" And so that person's like, ooh, vacation. And then we have the second type of person who I call the hostage. And so the hostage is where Anna Mullen's talking to some HR director or leader, and they're like, "My team's going to training."
[00:19:15] Nicole Greer: And that person's like, "
[00:19:16] Nicole Greer: I can't believe we gotta go to training. This is a bunch of BS, and I'm not sure I wanna do
[00:19:20] Nicole Greer: this, and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah," and 92 emails, right? And then the third person- The third person is my person. That is the lifelong learner. They're like, "We're going to training? I have my pencils, I have my, zipper pocket with a protractor in here, and I'm ready to learn."
[00:19:34] Nicole Greer: They are there, right? And and I will tell you, I think those are the people who are maybe emotionally intelligent. It makes them happy that somebody's investing in them. Doesn't that just make sense? So I don't know. Who are you? Listening. Yeah, all the lifelong learners are listening to the podcast.
[00:19:52] Nicole Greer: None of the hostages, I don't know what they're doing. Okay, so let's ask the next question. All right, Krystle, you're up. So, how has AI changed the conversation around professional development? What skills do you believe are more important, less important? What are you doing about this whole dang AI thing?
[00:20:08] Nicole Greer: Yeah. I personally am in love with AI. I can't get enough.
[00:20:11] Krystle Kunnathur: I am too. You've asked the right gal.
[00:20:13] Nicole Greer: Okay.
[00:20:13] Krystle Kunnathur: Yeah, I've got my email pulled up, and I've got my AI pulled up every day.
[00:20:18] Nicole Greer: That's
[00:20:18] Krystle Kunnathur: right. So I think from a training perspective or professional development perspective, again, it goes back to that human element.
[00:20:26] Krystle Kunnathur: Even my own self as I'm using AI, AI can hallucinate. AI is very confident in itself, even though it could be inaccurate. So I think having that human element, editing, those type of things I, I think again, yeah, that's, in my opinion, that's what becomes more important when technology gets smarter
[00:20:48] Nicole Greer: Yeah.
[00:20:49] Nicole Greer: And I mean, and I'm sure at UNC Charlotte is Jimmy cooking up some AI courses and things like, like math- Yeah ... right? Okay, so-
[00:20:56] Krystle Kunnathur: Oh,
[00:20:56] Nicole Greer: yeah ... yeah, so Taylor, your thoughts on AI and how integrating it, what's important, what's not, what do you think about it?
[00:21:02] Taylor Faulkner: Yeah, I think I'm also an AI user. I'm more optimistic about, about the AI.
[00:21:07] Taylor Faulkner: Me too. Of course, I understand all... I understand the debate. I do think we have a responsibility in education to help people develop that capacity to keep adapting to whatever comes next and to, remember, hey, we have this thing called human judgment, make sure you're using it, yeah. So I think, I think our job in professional development is, yes, we can train you on how to use these tools, right? But I think the future is really more about instilling in people and helping people learn how to think alongside AI and how to get it, your thoughts to the next level, your productivity to the next level your team to the next level.
[00:21:45] Taylor Faulkner: Tho- those type of things. So keep that judgment piece. And it's great if you know how to use it. How can you work alongside it to just get that, get that next level going, I think. Yeah.
[00:21:58] Nicole Greer: Yeah, absolutely. And, and for all you listeners out there, I have had a- at least four AI authors on the show. I'm having this one coming up soon.
[00:22:08] Nicole Greer: I'm putting it right in front of my face 'cause I got my background on. But AI adoption at work this guy's gonna come on. And then I had another gentleman on and, and it was really revolutionary. What he was saying was, leaders need to choose a philosophy about AI and give guidelines on how to use AI, but AI will never be able to lead anything.
[00:22:36] Nicole Greer: So leadership development is huge. I mean, that's what he said. He said nobody can motivate everybody. Like, when I do AI, it's one-on-one, but a, a leader touches all the people, right? Mm-hmm. So that's never gonna go away. But it's gonna take the skills that we teach in all of these programs that we do, right? Okay. So I just mentioned a minute ago, okay, I'm coming to you, Anna.
[00:23:00] Nicole Greer: I mentioned a minute ago about being a lifelong learner. And so it's like a mind, mental model, right? I finished my education is where some people live. And then how do we, how do we shift people, and how are you guys setting things up so people think, "Developing myself is what I do in my career."
[00:23:17] Nicole Greer: It never stops. What do you, what, what do you think about all that?
[00:23:21] Anna Mullen: It never stops. It should never stop. And so when you think about developing myself in my career, maybe you're not looking to jump to that next level, but are those around you? You influence everybody- Yes ... all day long. And so it fascinates me when, when people get to a level of complacency, "I'm happy here."
[00:23:43] Anna Mullen: You might be happy here, but how are you affecting those around you that are trying to, to excel and, and jump to that next stage? And so I often challenge people with- What do you wanna do next? What would you do outside of your job that would improve? What would you... And I just start with questions, because I think when you, when you start asking people questions, and maybe they're not easy questions, maybe they actually require you to think and have a little bit of, of introspect upon where I've been and where I'd like to go, sometimes you can you can convince people, and, and I think convince might be the wrong word, but you can just start that thought process of what next.
[00:24:24] Nicole Greer: That's right. Plant a seed.
[00:24:24] Anna Mullen: Yeah. Mm-hmm.
[00:24:24] Nicole Greer: Plant
[00:24:24] Nicole Greer: a seed,
[00:24:26] Anna Mullen: what's next? Mm-hmm. What am I missing out on today because I think I have enough education? You never have enough education. Mm-hmm. But it doesn't require a new four-year degree. I love that you mentioned earlier, it's not the big books and the big tests and all the big pages.
[00:24:41] Nicole Greer: No.
[00:24:41] Anna Mullen: We're s- I'm, I'm asking you for two, four, or eight hours to just talk about one area of your life that maybe you could make two or three small changes, but it might just change the way you do so many things. Mm-hmm. So just I'm, I'm asking for intentionality. Let's be intentional about what you want to do in your day-to-day life.
[00:25:02] Anna Mullen: Where are there speed bumps? Where are there hiccups? Is it listening? Is it, let's go back to communication, is it, When you talk about emotional intelligence, I think we all think we're emotionally intelligent.
[00:25:14] Anna Mullen: Until we get into a pickle, and then y- you walk out of that situation and you're like, "Man, I wish I had handled that differently."
[00:25:21] Nicole Greer: That's right.
[00:25:22] Anna Mullen: How do you handle that differently, though? What skills do you need to hone? What do you need to talk about out loud with people who can be sounding boards who are not echo chambers?
[00:25:31] Taylor Faulkner: Mm-hmm.
[00:25:32] Anna Mullen: And I think that's a lot of what we offer in this corporate training and executive education piece. How do you round out what your, the skills your people already have? How do you soften, how do you round, how do you soften those corners and those edges on people that are already, director level, VP level, who think they have it all?
[00:25:53] Nicole Greer: Mm-mm.
[00:25:53] Anna Mullen: They
[00:25:53] Anna Mullen: really don't. Yeah.
[00:25:54] Nicole Greer: Yeah. Yeah. And h- and, and here's the thing we all even Nicole Greer who teaches this stuff, I mean, you know why you teach stuff? 'Cause you need it. You know what I mean? Yeah. Right? Right? It's like, why am I drawn to this stuff? Nicole, you need emotional intelligence.
[00:26:09] Nicole Greer: You need to be a change agent. You need, this. That's what, that's why we're doing it. Okay. All right, Taylor, I'm coming for you on this next one, okay?
[00:26:16] Taylor Faulkner: Yeah.
[00:26:16] Nicole Greer: So, people who are enrolling in your programs, we already talked about there's all these people that wanna move or switch or get their toe in the door, as you said.
[00:26:23] Nicole Greer: I love that. What are people really hungry for right now? When you sit and you talk to the people that enroll, what are they saying? Because don't miss this, leaders. Your people, this, this is what's on the street. This is what people are thinking.
[00:26:37] Taylor Faulkner: Yeah, I think people some people wanna see a promotion.
[00:26:40] Taylor Faulkner: We know certain motivations. I think some people, they want that credential that validates the work that they're already doing. They wanna see that on paper. And I think, those that are career changing are, again, putting that, p- putting your toe in the door there.
[00:26:55] Taylor Faulkner: But I think underneath everything, people are looking for that momentum and that next step. And for career changers, you know- We tell them, even though you don't have experience in the field... Ag- I talked about this earlier too, so I feel a little repetitive, but I think they just haven't learned how to translate their experience into the field yet.
[00:27:16] Taylor Faulkner: So I think they're just hungry for education to give them the skills, to give them that credential, and help them see a possibility for themselves that they haven't been able to quite piece together on their own yet. Yeah.
[00:27:29] Nicole Greer: Yeah. So when we teach these courses, sometimes we'll, we'll go to the fancy Dubois Center.
[00:27:34] Nicole Greer: Mm-hmm. Everybody write that down. Go visit. It's very fancy, very, very nice. And so the Dubois Center, okay sometimes will be asynchronous, sometimes will be online. We'll do the Zoom. But the other thing that I think is so important, Taylor, is that when I'm teaching a class I'll throw four or five people out in a breakout room and they will talk about something, and then like Taylor said earlier, there'll be one person that's been doing HR 20 years and a school teacher who wants to be an HR person, and it's like, boom.
[00:28:01] Nicole Greer: So the, the another side benefit of this, especially in Krystle and Taylor's programs, are you're gonna start building that network of people- Mm ... who can help you get down the road on what you're trying to do. So I think that's a big part of it as well.
[00:28:15] Taylor Faulkner: It is. And Nicole we talk about following folks on the LinkedIn and in class we have that plug, follow each other on the LinkedIn.
[00:28:22] Nicole Greer: Yeah.
[00:28:23] Taylor Faulkner: But you know, the more and more that I've gotten deeper into these programs, I love the LinkedIn. I'm on the LinkedIn.
[00:28:27] Nicole Greer: Oh my God, I
[00:28:28] Nicole Greer: love
[00:28:28] Nicole Greer: it too.
[00:28:28] Taylor Faulkner: Follow me. I love it, but the LinkedIn is not enough. You got to go to the Lunch and Learn and rub elbows. You got to go say, "Hey, let's catch up for coffee," right?
[00:28:40] Taylor Faulkner: Yes. And build those connections. You don't just follow and then ghost and leave the LinkedIn, right? So I love what, I love what you're saying about networking, and I love the LinkedIn, but it's not enough. You got to go rub elbows and, and just grow those connections and relationships, 'cause you never know where- that next opportunity is gonna come from,
[00:29:00] Nicole Greer: that's right. And, and I wanna say one thing too about, you know when we're saying there's not big fat books and big giant tests there, there is a knowledge level you have to pass, okay? So you do have to come and pay attention and, and do, do the work, right? But I'm a, I re- I do a ton of recruiting in Build a Vibrant Culture.
[00:29:18] Nicole Greer: So I, work with companies and they're like, "Can you help us find this person? You know us really well now. Can you help us?" And I say, "Yeah." But when I look at resumes if somebody has their four-year degree from 1984, which would be like me, okay? But, but they don't have any other education listed there, I'm like, "Rut-roh."
[00:29:39] Nicole Greer: Because truth telling, honesty, and candor, if you had a four-year degree in 1984, your degree is outdated 'cause it is 2026, everybody. And so, and so, if you go in there though, but it says, "I have a cer- certificate in HR, I have a certificate in whatever, and a certificate in whatever," I'm like, "Oh, I wanna hire this person.
[00:29:59] Nicole Greer: They are my lifelong learner," right? So there is the getting the piece of paper, but there's also the stuff that you're gonna learn. It's just a win-win-win all the way around, I think. Okay. All right. Krystle, let's talk about employers, okay? Okay. What could organizations be doing differently to create a stronger- Culture.
[00:30:17] Nicole Greer: Let's see. They're do- like that. Culture. Okay. What could they be doing? Because to me, a vibrant culture- Mm-hmm ... is the people are lit. Hey, does everybody want to get lit here? Everybody say, "Yes, I want to get lit." All right. Which means- Ooh, education. Right. That my brain is turned on. Okay. So for those of you who thought something else, you definitely need to sign up for courses.
[00:30:38] Nicole Greer: But anyways, so lit means lead with clarity. Where are you going? Where are you taking your people at work? Integrating integrity. Like, how can you become more full, more knowledgeable, more whole? What, what do, what do you need to do to hone your, your skills? And then T, transform your ordinary career, right?
[00:30:56] Nicole Greer: Okay. So what do you think people need to do with, with your programs to build a vibrant culture?
[00:31:02] Krystle Kunnathur: Yes. So I'm actually... I'm glad you asked me this question, Nicole.
[00:31:06] Nicole Greer: Me too.
[00:31:06] Krystle Kunnathur: I am... I'm very fortunate in my fire and EMS leadership programs the organizations have actually built our programs into their promotional process.
[00:31:16] Krystle Kunnathur: So, I'm, I'm thrilled at that. But it's really just being intentional, seeing the value in leadership development, not only for the individual, but for the organization. And they've built it in in many different ways. And it can either come at the front end "Okay, while you're up for promotion, let's have you go through this program as, as part of getting that promotion," or they've already gotten the promotion.
[00:31:40] Krystle Kunnathur: Now, okay, let's have them go through the leadership development program. And it's really fantastic because students who have gone through my program are now in- Higher levels, they're more seasoned than the-
[00:31:50] Nicole Greer: Right, they're battalion
[00:31:52] Nicole Greer: chiefs. Yay.
[00:31:53] Krystle Kunnathur: Yes, exactly. Right. Yes, if you're a battalion chief or if you're a chief you- you've probably gone through our program if you're in North Carolina-
[00:32:01] Nicole Greer: That's right
[00:32:01] Krystle Kunnathur: Hopefully. And you're now saying, "Hey, we've got these captains coming up or these lieutenants and they should go through this program as well," because it does help them build the new skills, confidence, and hopefully set them up for success in the in the new level that they're leading at.
[00:32:17] Nicole Greer: That's right.
[00:32:18] Nicole Greer: That's right. So don't miss what she just said, everybody. She said that her program is now integrated into, what, the- the city of Moo- town of Mooresville, city of Concord, whatever.
[00:32:29] Krystle Kunnathur: Yes.
[00:32:30] Nicole Greer: Those are our great little towns here in North Carolina. Yes ... but that takes a ton off that leader-
[00:32:35] Krystle Kunnathur: Mm-hmm ...
[00:32:35] Nicole Greer: to coordinate with UNC Charlotte, 'cause I'm gonna help you get fire university in place, right?
[00:32:41] Krystle Kunnathur: Yes.
[00:32:42] Nicole Greer: Yes. Yes. So good. So good. Ladies, we need two hours to talk. That's what I know, and, ... we just don't have enough time. But we love learning and we want you all to think about maybe, figuring out how you might partner with UNC Charlotte to get your people where they need to be, fix some of the things that are driving you crazy in terms of communication, emotional intelligence, motivation, burnout, all the things we've mentioned today.
[00:33:05] Nicole Greer: So, we've talked a lot about building a vibrant culture, developing l- leaders. So what qualities do you believe future leaders are going to need the most? So we're gonna do a rapid fire round here. So I'm gonna come for you, Anna. Name two qualities you believe leaders in the future are gonna need most.
[00:33:22] Nicole Greer: What do you think the two qualities are? You're on the hot seat. Go.
[00:33:24] Anna Mullen: The ability to listen and to slow down.
[00:33:28] Nicole Greer: Oh my gosh, so good. All right, Taylor.
[00:33:30] Taylor Faulkner: I think adaptability- Yes ... and curiosity.
[00:33:36] Nicole Greer: Oh my gosh. I just coached a guy this morning that's "My people are not curious." I'm like, "Oh, you gotta teach them to ask powerful questions."
[00:33:41] Nicole Greer: All right, Krystle. What's up? You're on mute. There you go.
[00:33:46] Krystle Kunnathur: Man, I wish I wouldn't have gone last. I was gonna say, ... curiosity came up in my mind a few times as we were talking, so I'm sorry- Okay ... Taylor, we're gonna be twinsies here. Okay.
[00:33:54] Nicole Greer: Well, that's just a double dip,
[00:33:56] Nicole Greer: people. This is important. There we
[00:33:57] Nicole Greer: go.
[00:33:58] Krystle Kunnathur: We're double dipping. And then I- I th- I'm gonna say it again, be humanistic. Understand that your people are people, and lead with care, and show- show the people around you that you care.
[00:34:10] Nicole Greer: Yeah. Yeah. This- this thing of empathy. Everybody write that down, empathy. Okay. All right. So let's find out who we're really dealing with here.
[00:34:19] Nicole Greer: Okay, Anna, coffee or tea?
[00:34:21] Anna Mullen: Coffee.
[00:34:21] Nicole Greer: Taylor.
[00:34:22] Taylor Faulkner: Coffee.
[00:34:23] Krystle Kunnathur: Coffee.
[00:34:24] Nicole Greer: Krystle. Okay, so sorry tea people. All right. In person or Zoom, what do you think? I'm going to Krystle.
[00:34:30] Krystle Kunnathur: Zoom.
[00:34:31] Nicole Greer: Taylor.
[00:34:33] Taylor Faulkner: In person, but I appreciate Zoom.
[00:34:36] Nicole Greer: Anna, what do you think?
[00:34:37] Anna Mullen: In person.
[00:34:38] Nicole Greer: Okay, okay. All right. Very good. All right. Let's see, Krystle, early bird, night owl?
[00:34:43] Krystle Kunnathur: Night owl.
[00:34:44] Nicole Greer: Night owl. Taylor? Night-
[00:34:45] Taylor Faulkner: Night
[00:34:46] Taylor Faulkner: owl. Yeah ...
[00:34:46] Nicole Greer: Anna?
[00:34:47] Anna Mullen: Early bird.
[00:34:48] Nicole Greer: Me too- oh, Anna. These... I'm in bed by 8:30. What is wrong with these two? Same. Okay. All right. A skill everyone should learn. I'm starting with Taylor.
[00:34:58] Taylor Faulkner: Communicating with people that don't think like you.
[00:35:01] Nicole Greer: So good. Okay, Krystle. What do you got?
[00:35:03] Krystle Kunnathur: That would solve so many problems, wouldn't it?
[00:35:07] Krystle Kunnathur: We were talking about generative AI. I don't think everybody should learn it, so this isn't really answering your question, Nicole. But how to use that technology or use new tools utilize them as best you can as a tool, but not as a crutch.
[00:35:21] Nicole Greer: Yeah. So I'm gonna interrupt our rapid fire round just to say something real quickly. So ladies, I was with this company I work with, they do welding, ma- fabrication. Okay? And I, I, I went in there to work with this team and I'm like, "Y'all are handing everything down verbally. This is ancient wisdom that you're handing down.
[00:35:41] Nicole Greer: You have nothing written down in a procedures manual. You've got to get things written down in a procedures manual." And they're like, "Do you know how long that will take?" And I'm like, "Yes, I do. Five seconds, that's how long it will take." And they're like, "Come on." And I said, "Okay." So I took down my PowerPoint and I put up the AI on the screen and I said, "Name a process that you have."
[00:36:01] Nicole Greer: And they're like... I don't know what they told me. Wig, nig, tig, stig, something, whatever it was, it was some kind of welding thing. And so they helped me put it in the prompt. I asked them questions, we put it in the prompt, and then I said, "Make me a procedure that is cut and pastable into my procedures manual."
[00:36:17] Nicole Greer: And it went, brt in five seconds. And I was like, "All right, fellas, is this right?" And they're like, "That's pretty good." I'm like, "I know." And so y'all- Mm ... you gotta, you got, that is a skill you have to do. You have to at least go play with it. Okay. All right. Anna, a skill everyone should learn.
[00:36:37] Anna Mullen: I'm going old school- Okay
[00:36:39] Anna Mullen: and out of the workplace, growing food and cooking.
[00:36:44] Nicole Greer: Oh, stop.
[00:36:45] Anna Mullen: It seems a lot of things that impact and affect us.
[00:36:50] Nicole Greer: Do you have a garden, Anna?
[00:36:51] Anna Mullen: I
[00:36:51] Anna Mullen: do. I do.
[00:36:52] Nicole Greer: I'm coming over. Just put your address in the chat. I'm coming over.
[00:36:55] Anna Mullen: And I cook all the time. You're welcome. You're all welcome around my table.
[00:37:00] Nicole Greer: Okay, good.
[00:37:01] Nicole Greer: All right, all right. Taylor, a skill you wish you had. Something... Okay. So we, you gotta practice what you preach. What are you working on, Taylor?
[00:37:09] Taylor Faulkner: Hmm. I wish I was a little more of a patient person. I can turn it on when I need to turn it on. I think that's the Aries in me, 'cause I'm ready to move at all times and fire on all cylinders.
[00:37:18] Taylor Faulkner: So I, I have to intentionally work on being patient and a patient person.
[00:37:24] Nicole Greer: Okay. What are you working on, Krystle? What are you teaching yourself? Or what are you go- what are you teaching, learning?
[00:37:29] Krystle Kunnathur: I feel like I'm really copying you, Taylor. I'm like, "
[00:37:32] Taylor Faulkner: Oh-" "...
[00:37:32] Krystle Kunnathur: yeah, I need some patience as well." I'm, I mean, I'm, I'm a Virgo, so it's more patience with myself.
[00:37:39] Krystle Kunnathur: But it doesn't have to be perfect. Progress over, over perfection. But yeah, being more patient and maybe give myself and others more grace.
[00:37:48] Nicole Greer: All right. Anna, what are you, what are you learning?
[00:37:51] Krystle Kunnathur: Organizing and simplifying.
[00:37:53] Nicole Greer: Okay. Very good. Yeah. So FYI everybody I am learning about positive intelligence. I am a positive intelligence coach now.
[00:38:01] Nicole Greer: I just keep adding all these coaching things to my, my pocket. So if you've never read the book by Shirzad Chamine about positive intelligence everybody, you need to get it. Okay. Here will be, here will be our last question of the podcast, last question of the podcast. Finish this sen- sentence.
[00:38:16] Nicole Greer: Taylor, learning should always be...
[00:38:20] Taylor Faulkner: Fun. I'm a K12 teacher at heart. That's my background, so we gotta have fun.
[00:38:26] Nicole Greer: Yeah. And don't miss her big career transition, right? And, oh, but I gotta tell you what she had. She had to go through the fire and the flames of running camp, summer camp at UNC Charlotte. Oh. Can you imagine running summer camp for children at UNC Charlotte?
[00:38:40] Nicole Greer: Oh my gosh. Everybody bow to Taylor Faulkner right now. Okay. Okay. All right. Krystle, finish the sentence for me. Learning should always be...
[00:38:49] Krystle Kunnathur: Accessible.
[00:38:51] Nicole Greer: Yeah. And that's what we're talking about. Yeah. Anna, learning should always be...
[00:38:56] Krystle Kunnathur: A priority.
[00:38:57] Nicole Greer: Yeah. Very good. All right, everybody. Call up my friends. Go on the LinkedIn.
[00:39:02] Nicole Greer: Find Miss Krystle, Miss Taylor, and Miss Anna, and make new friends with these people. Get them in your network. Ladies, thank you so much for being on the Build a Vibrant Culture podcast.
[00:39:11] Nicole Greer: I'm so grateful for all of you ladies in my life. I'll talk to you guys later.
[00:39:15] Taylor Faulkner: Thank you so much. Thanks, Nicole.
[00:39:18]