Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
The stories from the places where people gather.
Dana Kadwell (01:27)
And we are back chatting about Anthony interview from a few weeks ago. If you haven't checked it out, make sure you go check it out.
Last week we talked about kind of the three core principles that he has for, you know, having great company culture. And today I want to talk about, so there were two things that stuck out to me too, that I wanted to really dig into ⁓ that he said, well, there were so many nuggets, but these two are the ones I've been like really, really anxious to chat through. ⁓ One of them was when he said, certain people get you to certain spots. They aren't meant for the next evolution.
And the other part was when he was talking about character traits of leadership, the second character trait was people who look for the good. Like if you look for the good, you're going to find it. If you look for the bad, you're also going to find that. ⁓ And I think actually those two things are very well connected. And so I wanted to talk through them. ⁓ I talked about on the podcast, kind of like what stirred that on was, you know, where I've had a lot of time to reflect on the team, my last team and the realization that
you know, sometime you hire them and they're like a great employee and they're that teal employee, they have great company culture, they're bought in. They also are great at their job. And then eventually that person kind of crosses over into the what we call the red dot territory, which means they're still good at their job, but they're just not bought into the culture. And I've always struggled with that employee. And, you know, there's two employees I can think of like ⁓ in the past ⁓ that we've let go. And that was a situation for both of them. They both were.
Teal employees when I hired them and they were both Teal employees for multiple years. And then they transitioned over into this red dot category. And I remember the first time that happened, we actually sent out an anonymous survey to the team to kind of understand like their mindset where they were and all that. And then we realized there was one very disgruntled employee and like the stuff they had to say was really.
It was tough to hear, but it was also so intense and so, it just fuels anger and negativity. And by like process of deduction, we figured out who it was. Like we actually, like we didn't actually like have a hundred percent certainty when we went to that meeting. We were just kind like, we think this is you and they confirmed it was. And we let them go because we were like, you know, you're cancer, this is toxic, the way you are behaving, whatever. But it was so shocking to us because this employee, like I honestly thought,
would last till the end of time ⁓ because they're not only are they amazing at their job, but they seemed, they seemed bought in, they seemed happy. They seemed part of the team and it was really digging once we heard like the kind of these unfiltered thoughts were like, wow, like this is not the case. Part of me was upset the fact that like I personally had had one-on-one to this person and they were never honest about how they were feeling. And I was like super frustrated by that.
But I understand why now, like, ⁓ and she was actually one of the people that I reached out to and talked about on the podcast and I was like, Hey, I'm sorry. Like I had no idea.
what was happening behind the scenes. I had no idea. I shouldn't say no idea, because that's actually not fair. I don't think I attributed a lot of what I knew to what was actually happening. And I think I originally reached out, I was like, I take you to lunch? She was like, I'm not interested. And I was like, okay, cool. But I feel like I just need to say sorry. Like, I just feel like, and that's where I felt like I was being selfish in a way. Like, do I need to drag her back through this?
I don't know, maybe it was selfish that I needed closure for, I don't know, but I just needed it to be like, almost like you were right in a lot of ways. And I just couldn't see it and I hate how it went down. When I think back on it, it's one of the things that like I genuinely.
have a lot of regret for and she was so generous and kind about it. she said she appreciated the apology, but she's in a great place now and happy. And she said didn't know that she was that miserable either. And I think there was, there was a lot of that, but like ultimately to me, I've always believed in taking ownership for your fuckups at the end of the day. And that was one of my biggest and deepest
Dana Kadwell (05:51)
I don't about you, but when I first got engaged, I don't know, like feels like a thousand years ago, the first thing that I did was I created a knot wedding page. and today still they have thousands of couples signing up daily. In fact, over 7,000 couples sign up on the knot and wedding wire annually. It is one of the most trusted brands in the industry that is working with you.
It's a great way to grow your business that is easy and super
Wedding Pro is the only wedding advertising solution that combines the power of the knot and wedding wire to bring better leads and more bookings.
They send over 9 million leads annually into our inboxes. There's over 241,000 pros on the knot and on WeddingWire. And the best part is they're backed by over 40 plus years in the industry. Wedding Pro helps Wedding Pros, just like you, reach your unique business goals. I personally have been using them since a day opened the Bradford and first thing I did when I bought my two venues was sign up with Wedding Pro. So if you're interested in learning more,
head to pros.weddingpro.com to learn more and tell them that I sent you.
Dana Kadwell (07:02)
So for me, what I struggled with was I believe that the reason why they transitioned over into that kind of red dot employee was a problem with leadership. was the unaccountability that we held each other to. And ultimately it turned this thing that someone loved and believed in and had the vision and the passion for to something like, I don't know if I can get behind this. Like, I don't know if I actually believe in where
this venue is going where this business is going. And I think at the time I read it as someone who didn't respect me and someone who was challenging my authority. And I don't think that's what it was at all. I think it was really that they had lost the vision. so I want to be clear here too that like,
I think that there is always going to be roller coasters and businesses. And think they're, you know, and I think Anthony was trying to get to the point of, you know, maybe you did make that person go into that red dot employee, but it doesn't necessarily mean that is a negative thing, right? like maybe it was inevitable because the next evolution of your business.
was something different, right? And I think that there was, and I can't, I still don't know if can honestly say, like, it's the next evolution of business was the right one. I don't think it was. I think at this time when this person was let go, it was the downhill of the business. that's where everything really stemmed and started from, ⁓ was this interaction, this moment, and it was, we could never get the team back.
we could never get the team back on solid footing ever. So for two years, we just lived in this ugly, awful space, right? ⁓ But I do see that there is moments and I can see it now, like even as I'm like building these two new spaces that like this person works really well right now, are they gonna work well in the future? And it could be a yes, but you also see like they have to buy into the...
to the new vision because the vision's gonna be different, it's gonna change, it's gonna evolve into it.
But I felt like overall, like what it really did is it kind of, it kind of gave me some freedom and recognizing that not everyone's meant to be a forever employee. Maybe they are meant to be employees for periods of time. That makes sense for their, their goals, their vision, where they want to be. And I kind of already had kind of come to that conclusion. And so one of the things that like, I love to ask when I bring someone on and I hire them is what is your ultimate goal? Like, where do you want to go? And,
A lot of times in an interview, someone will be like, I want to be here forever. I'm like, no, no, like this is an entry level position. Don't blow smoke up my ass. What do you want to do? Like, where do you want to go? If you could pick your dream job that you'll be at in five years, where will it be? And the people I respect the most are the ones that are like, you know what? I want to be head of sales or I want to be a COO. I'm like, cool. Right. And I, and I can be honest with them Say, look like
we only have so many of those positions, you know, available. like not everyone can rise to C level, But here's what I want to do is if you, if you want to be a COO one day, like that's your, that's your vision. That's where you want to go. Like let's build in some of that training, some of that learning, like maybe you're taking on this piece of the job so you can understand a little bit more so that when the time is good, right. And we realize you've hit your limit.
I can't give you anymore. Like that we can then put you in a place where you can be super successful and maybe it is a different venue. Like the amount of poaching that happens from our team is insane. And what makes me so frustrated is like, just be honest with me. Just say from the very beginning that look, I just, this is, I've hit my limit here. I've hit my max. Like I can't learn anymore. I can't move up any further. Ultimately what I want to do is I want to be a chief sales officer. And I can do that at this company.
great, let me help you get there. I'm gonna help you get there because I do not want to be the one that hinders your progress and your success. And I think that there's just this fear to allow other people to grow because We're afraid of that turnover. And ultimately that person who is happy to be at their job, love to be at their job, they're slowly gonna hate it because
they're no longer getting what they need.
Dana Kadwell (11:26)
I know the most exciting thing in the world to talk about clients is insurance, but guys, insurance protects everybody. And Event Guard is making event insurance a conversation and boy, do we need a conversation. Event Guard has done so many things, but the best thing it has done is it has invested in tech to make your life as a venue owner and operator so much easier.
with Conversation AI, it transforms the insurance jargon into an easy guided conversation where you get to call the shots. There are also real people answering your questions and customer service, which is so helpful.
The online quote tool is easy, it's quick, and it creates that seamless process for your clients. And for Event Guard, the quality of Event Insurance is their top priority, which is why they exclusively use a program that is underwritten by Markle, the nation's leader in Event Insurance for over 25 years. Guys, Event Insurance is not something we need to be sleeping on, and it protects us as venue owners, operators, and it protects our clients. So to learn more,
to hear about how Event Guard can make a custom link for your clients. So it's just an easy click button. Head over to eventguard.i to see how they can help you, your venue and your clients.
Dana Kadwell (12:39)
And I think that this kind of ties back into this idea is if you look for the good, you're going to try to find it. If you look for the good in your employee and say, this person has given me an amazing two, three, four years, whatever, and has produced great SOPs, great processes to replace them, yeah, it will suck, but they've.
done such a good job of making sure that we're successful, that someone stepping into their shoes isn't going to be super hard, right? That's the good in that, that when you have an employee that's invested in your company that wants to see it grow, they're doing all the things to make your, company scalable and repeatable, which is why I say all the time, your job has to be scalable and repeatable. Every single person that works for me, it's scalable and it's repeatable because we don't know what the world's going to throw at you. We don't know what's going to happen in a month or two months, right?
we have to be able to someone repeat your job and we have to be able to grow because if we're not growing, we're staying stagnant and that's no one wants that. Right. So I, I really, really loved that. And I really needed to hear that reminder today specifically. I mean, I am in a place where there's a lot of negativity, a lot of things that like are going well, but there's also a of things that are really hard and that are like a struggle.
Dana Kadwell (13:48)
It's really easy to get stuck on the negative and it's really easy to focus on the negative. I actually like really had this feeling a couple of weeks ago. I was talking to a friend who I hadn't seen in a while and like, how are you? I'm like, Oh my God, I'm so busy. And I just felt like I was like being super negative. And I was finally in the middle of conversations. I like, look, I'm actually really happy. I'm actually exactly where I'm supposed to be. I am so grateful for the opportunities that I have and
I am so happy and I was like, I need to stop being so negative. this, yeah, there's like stress, like yes, the pressure is hard. Like yes, there is an emotional piece to what's going on in my life right now, but at end of the day, there's so much good. and I didn't really put that connection, you know, obviously then, but him saying that when you look for the good, when you focus on the good, you see it, right? You can see it, you can find it.
when you focus on the bad, like you're only gonna see the negative. And ⁓ I don't know, it's just that's gonna tell you my new mantra, like every day, like what is the good in the day? Like I can come up with the bad all day long. I can tell you how was tired. I how my commute's tough. I can tell you, you know, how stressful this is. I can tell you how this thing didn't go well. can tell you about...
The cash flow right now being incredibly stressful. Like I can talk about all those things or I can talk about all the good, like all the progress I've made. And I tell myself that all the time. Like I have owned these properties for six weeks, but you know, right now, obviously when this comes out, it'll a little bit longer, but six weeks, the amount of progress I've made in these places in six weeks is insane. It's insane. It's like, I should be so proud of it. And there's so much good there, right? but I love that. I love the idea of really refocusing, you know, not on just
the positive, but even finding the positive in our employees and our teams and focusing on on the good, focusing on the things that like even though there's turnover, even though retention may be not be what we want it to be. But why did that person bring to the table? How did it grow my business? How did it make me better? How did it my business better? And I think anytime you can look at an employee journey that way, ⁓ it's really, really beautiful. And so I'm choosing to to do that, even with my old team.
even though sometimes I don't have the warm fuzzies about certain things, I can really look at it and say, because I led them because they were on my team because of all these things, I am where I am. Like the business was successful to sell at a great price. I am confident to do it again, to repeat it.
I know what the most important positions are, like the first position I'm gonna hire because of my experience with this, because they've showed me what is possible. And all the SOPs and all the processes, all the systems we've created, it's not starting from scratch. It's actually starting from a really, really great advantage. And so I can be super grateful for that. ⁓ And I do think that time is the healer of all wounds. And I think that space...
from all of it will be great. And I hope that one day when I go back, ⁓ it's, you know, embraced and it's good and it's positive and it's happy. And, you know, I don't know if that's necessarily the case right now, but I think it could be. And I'm really, really, really looking forward to that. So, ⁓ so grateful for Anthony. ⁓ Every time I talk with him, I'm like,
Like I just feel like a renewed energy. ⁓ so just so, so, grateful for all that he has poured into, ⁓ our industry, ⁓ all that he stands for, how he makes me think about things. ⁓ his generosity, is just off the charts.
So, so, grateful for him.