Carl J. Cox 14:18

You mean, you care?

Scott Ballard 14:22

At the owner, like, are we supposed to? Or are we supposed to say the company line? Yeah, like the company going for this quarter? Is 

Carl J. Cox 14:31

everything for ABC Company. 

Scott Ballard 14:33

Exactly. So I have something and they’re all looking around. He goes No, it’s okay. You can say what he like he had to tell him like, you know. And so finally we got to it give people a piece of paper and they write down a couple of things then so they’re sharing it, like we match people up, and the room goes from dead serious to energy like you’re at a Husky football game against the kids and they’ve just driven into Historical winning touchdown, like it’s, it’s go down, go down. Yeah. And he’s going crazy. And you know, the place is going crazy. And I’m looking at the owners like, what’s happening. And they go, what’s happening is you’ve actually found something that really they’re excited motivated about. And that’s their dream and goal. And I go, would you give me permission to let a couple of them come up and share what their dreams and goals are? And he goes, do you think they wouldn’t I probably get asked. So I asked, I like, okay, who wants to share what their dreams or goals are? The first person, you know, hesitantly, will open, you know, raises their hand to go up, they share, there’s tears there started crying. These people have worked with this person for like, 10 years, they didn’t know that that was their dream, but they didn’t, they didn’t know anything about them in that way. And then the next person, then, then the owner gets up there. And he’s, he’s emotion, he’s like, wow, okay, this is what my dream or goal is like, for my life. And so by the time we left there, like two hours later, he not only wanted to sign up and to have everybody part of it, but he’s become a raving fan of these like, this has changed the way I look at the business has changed the way I look at my people. And it’s changed our culture. Because now we’re all in the process of winning together, not only in our work daily, but in our life, and that unforeseen momentum by coming in fully charged to the work every day because you’re winning at life. And you know, you can win at work. Wow. And it’s not a gift card, it’s not a vacation day, and it’s not a trip to here, and it’s not a parking space in the front. Those are, those don’t mean anything, because it’s not customed to who I am. If one engagement were engaged in something that they’re deeply passionate about, and then show them the connection between that and the work, the work is a vehicle for these people to achieve their dreams and goals, just like it is for the owner. So we show we make that connection. And then we come in monthly, and do these pod workshops where we get five or six of them together, and we celebrate the achievement, the progress and, and all of that, and we send them emails and videos. And anyway, so it it transforms thing because we’re winning together. And yeah, yeah.

Carl J. Cox 17:28

I’m curious. Prior to

Scott Ballard 17:32

Carl, I’m not excited about. So I mean, I don’t want you to.

Carl J. Cox 17:39

Well, the two riders, it was funny when you’re talking about I wanted to jump in when you’re talking about when they’re all looking. And I’ve been in those meetings where everyone looks the CEO to answer, right. And it reminded me of, I don’t even remember it from Coming to America, the first one Eddie Murphy, and there is the, the queen to be the future queen to be and and she goes, Well, I want to know what you like, and she goes, whatever you like. And that’s what what happens, right, is you could tell the person is not authentically happy. But we’ve been trained to operate and act that way. And and ultimately, that’s what creates the whole movie of him finding happiness of somebody who isn’t, you know, thinks for themselves, right, and actually does something. And that’s what you did here. So I’m curious. And maybe you don’t have to tell about this specific company. But maybe perhaps from your perspective with companies you’re working with? I would assume in the past, he was measuring success based on bottom line, you know, have I get a certain amount of revenues or certain amount of profits? That’s what his success was, maybe? Or maybe it wasn’t, but I’m not sure what. Yeah. So how did he or do does that organization measure success? Today? How did that change from this? This very typical, profit driven right? understanding, right? Because if you don’t have cash flow, the business dies. Right? But But how did it change now to all of a sudden The Dream Employee? How do we measure success now?

Scott Ballard 19:06

He measures success. Now first, his first measurement or KPI for that is how his people are being making progress and becoming a better version of themselves as they work with him. And as he helps them and support them, and becoming that, that that’s how that’s what excites him more than anything now. They have a gal that needed, wanted to learn how to speak English better, and get computer skills and learn kind of that English was her second language. She went to school through this program, learn how to read and write English, learn how to use the theater, and the next year in the company. She literally sold saved over $100,000 in cost that she figured out that they Didn’t need to do and they could do it a different way. $100,000 minimum wage employee, just because she was supported, and encouraged to go to school at night to learn how to read and write better understand the English language, so she can use a computer and go, why are we doing it this way we could save 30% by doing this and ordering it this way and putting it together that way. What Edith is her name one person $100,000 saving in one year. And that’s just one story of many of how now he measures that. And so the other way as yours that is retention, because none of his competitors have this program. And so whenever they try to recruit their people away that people always say, Well, what are you how are you doing your Dream Employee program?

All right, recruiting, they do it retention. And then then he measures it in that. And when you don’t have turnover, and you have people feeling good about coming to work, they also are now better at achieving the goals he puts out in front of them for their jobs. Because they’re doing it in their personal life. All the time. Now, they’re always in that mode of achieving a personal goal. Sometimes it can be as little as a book, or adopting a child.

Carl J. Cox 21:33

You know, it’s interesting. And you you mentioned that they measure retention with what’s also interesting, at least when it I’ve read, I don’t know if you had this personal experience. But sometimes the right thing, within Dream Employee, this is going to be a scary thing to say, is to actually let somebody go, meaning giving them the skillsets. And the dreams of you know what you can, you know, you could go beyond a minimum wage job, and we don’t have any positions for you. But let us help you get it because Have you seen that or experienced 

Scott Ballard 22:04

Oh, we need help. We help people leave well all the time. And the first time you do it with an owner, Carl, it’s really uncomfortable for them. Because they’re like, Okay, this is us lead bursal or there’s a lawsuit, or there’s tension or some bad thing. And we flipped out and we go, Okay, how can we help you? The Dream Employee team, the coaches, the owner, the management, help you find the next better, best job for you? Wow, you just created a lifetime customer and a lifetime salesperson for your company. Because for the rest of their life, and every job they go to every person they talk to you. If you need that widget, you go there. Because look at how I left, I left Well, that’s part of management, that’s part of doing the right thing. That’s part of what we’re supposed to do in business. But when you have adversarial relationships, and you’re not really helping the person in the area that they really are, they most value, you don’t have that ability, and they’re not forthright in saying I’m going to leave in The Dream Employee. We have people a year ahead going when I get to this point, I just want to tell you now I’m going to leave and I’m going to apply for a job over here. Right? Yep. Yep, you can plan for it. You can budget for it. You can, you know, move people around. You’re not caught with. Oh, it’s Monday, and now we’re down. 13 people

Carl J. Cox 23:40

right out there, man. That’s the classic. That’s probably one of my biggest pet peeves is hearing word down but but changing this. And and that’s where was interesting is why I wanted to I was asked you and I’m glad you had that actual real life experience. Because often when you do that retention rate or right or employee turnover, right, which is the most common metric when it comes employees, it’s all about well, we want to keep as low as possible. Of course, those companies have a really high turnover. Right? But what you want to get it down to a certain level, but there’s a healthy amount of turnover. Yes, right. There’s that those way where they are paying people to leave, right, either paying people to leave after they’ve gone through training because they weren’t committed people. And then there’s the other side of like, you’ve capped out Yes, you can’t go any further your human potential being here, right and so we have to release that. So that’s why there’s this there’s appropriate amount I think of employee turnover that should be happening. And that’s actually the highest excess it’s just it’s so against the traditional thinking. Alright, so we’re gonna we’re gonna flip this for a minute just due to once again, if I was doing a three hour segments, I don’t think you and I will be able to stop talking because we really have missed our Starbucks section. By the way, my name was put down as Carol again, there was a new employee. Sorry, my favorite place but you’ve seen this I post this many times of people misspelling my name. But it’s kind of a fun thing. Caroline, you asked about Carol? That’s right, Carrie, I’m Carol today not not. But when it was what we will stop on that. But my question for you, you personal life, you were dyslexic as as a young child and and and I can only imagine the the frustrations and the challenges of not being able to read as quick and not feeling as how did that impact you then? briefly. But how did it impact you today? What what type of how did that change you to be as a leader and as a person?

Scott Ballard 25:38

Yeah, so I’ll make this really quick. But thank you for asking that. I think it’s really important that I have voiced the dislike to community in that sense. So when I was diagnosed being dyslexic, it was in the 60s, Carl, and there was no they didn’t know really what it was in there. Nobody was trained to help a dyslexic kid. So I went into first grade. And after a couple months, I realized I was not reading and writing like everybody else, like I was the first to know and then my teacher is that you’re stupid, you’re dumb, you’re never going to be anything but a janitor go sit in the corner, because she didn’t want to deal with because she didn’t want to do so. So what it did for me was two things I really bad thing. I believed her. I believed that the authority in my life for quite a long time. You know, cuz I was taught to respect my teachers and my coaches and all that. So I believe that now the other thing that happened is because I couldn’t see any greatness in myself any ability in myself, I can see it in Carl, even when I was a little kid, I would be out playing football in the schoolyard with the guys. And and I remember I told Mark Lucchi’s a kid I grew up with it was an all American athlete, I said you’re gonna be the quarterback. And and like nobody questioned me because I knew he could throw it at the best he was the best athlete like and this was when I was 10 or 11 years old. Like I stopped him ability and my teachers and adults, I would tell I’ve got two adults and go boy, you’re really good at that. You should do more of that. So so that was the dark side was I believe the lie, the truth or the good side of that gift was I from a very young age, I really honed in on other people’s unique ability, their genius, their talents, and drawing that out in people and seeing that, and then encouraging them out of it. I call it unlimited encouragement for people. And and so so today a lot of what I do. And you know this, Carl, because we’ve talked about this done a lot of what I do with leaders, leaders of the loneliest people in the world, all these guys and gals who run these companies, they have nobody to really talk with it understands first, second, and they nobody can relate to the pressure, the stress, the tension, whatever. And a lot of people I am I’m that safe person. And I’m also the person that believes in them and helps them to rediscover the genius, the greatness that ability they have in themselves. And we work on that all the time. And a lot of these people, you know, everybody thinks they think they have the like, they’re always confident they’ve always got it together, they always got the answer. They don’t. They’re human, just like all of us. Right, but they don’t have the support system because they’re the support system for everybody else. So I become that person. And I love it. And I’m passionate about it. And I love those people. And I hold a belief for them a lot of times when they can’t prove themselves. You know, I met a guy recently that’s acquiring a company. And he got through partway through the deal, and it kind of went really sideways. And, you know, everybody said, you got to get out of this, you got to get out of it. And we talked about it. He was like, No, there’s something I need to do this. And like I just stood with him. And you know, he was right. Like, and you know, but that’s where I walk in when everybody else walks out of a leaders life like I I love that role. I don’t have to be the leader. I don’t have to be in front. I don’t I’ve done all that. But I want to be there and I want you to know you’re not alone. I want you to know I believe you I believe in the dream and goal you have for your life. I believe the greatness that God is put in you. And we’re gonna put that we want to put that out because that’s what changes the world for the better. You know, I want the best Carl J. Cox out there doing Carl and make changing the world. Like that’s my dream seeing you do that and having this book come out and reaching all these companies. Like that’s that’s how when I feel like wow, okay, well winning.

Carl J. Cox 29:54

Right? Right. Know that. Yeah. I love that. And you could see how You tie all this together of your own personal suffering. And you also had a case of your own during dream play, which we don’t have time to talk when you were running your own company experience, which helped give you once again, the empathy, right to change an understanding of of changing all of us. But what what’s at its core of all this is people changing themselves and thinking differently about themselves, not only at the leadership level, but at all the levels. And then all of a sudden, you think about some leader perspective, they no longer have to, quote unquote, manage, they can now lead, right? Because they’re using the guidance,

Scott Ballard 30:37

you need the monitor to do that, you know, then now they can be the servant leader. Right? Right. You’ve freed them to do that. And, you know, we, we really have seen over and over again, that people surprise people, like, we have leaders come to us and go, Wow, I never saw this person, like, you know, being like, at this level, or being able to do this or learn this or take this responsibility or on this part of that, like, I never saw that in them. And I go, Yeah, because you, you, we never have the vehicle to access the dream and the goal, which ignites the passion, the learning, the growing, the willingness to go out there and fail 10 times before we get a win. You know, it’s okay, when you’re in a culture where it’s okay to, to make a mistake or to fail. Like, that’s how we learn and grow and become better.

Carl J. Cox 31:33

Right, right. Well, Scott, you know, once again, I would love to continue this, we’re going to wrap up with a couple of one of our my favorite questions I love to ask, which is books and you and I both love reading books, or listening to books. What what’s what is your what’s your current? Well, maybe you could do one or both? What what’s your current book you’re reading right now? And what’s just one of your favorite books that’s on the top of your mind? Like you’ve got, you got to read this book.

Scott Ballard 32:01

Well, I you know, me well enough, Carl, to limit it to two, buddy.

Carl J. Cox 32:07

Get go. Okay, you get the route three, if you want.

Scott Ballard 32:12

So, The Big Leap, which is a book on coaching, which is a great little book on The Vision Driven Leader by Michael Hyatt. I have the most respect for Michael in every way. And, you know, this is really old school, Carl, and I shouldn’t be embarrassed, but I still love and and I’m passionate about How to Win Friends & Influence People. I know. It’s old. It’s ancient. But you know what, it’s gold. It’s like, it’s way we should be doing business. And I just,

Carl J. Cox 32:50

yeah, well, I it’s funny, I had it hanging out here. And I just moved it around. But no, I think How to Win Friends & Influence People in the classic by Dale Carnegie. And, you know, there’s some dated things in there. But the core of it is is is is just still so solid, you know, solid. So it has been fantastic and appreciate. I mean, once again, we could have gave you probably gonna give 25 different books this suggests. So we’ve been talking with Scott Ballard from Confidence Coach, Scott, where can people learn about you?

Scott Ballard 33:21

Yeah, confidencecoach.org. And on there, you’ll see schedule a free consultation, Carl knows that we I do oodles of these. There’s no obligation, we have a conversation. And it’s all about you. And it’s about your best future. We want to launch you like Carl’s been launched, to go change the world to be Carl to do this strategy to you know, to, to work in in with these people is the joy of my life. And and, you know, I haven’t worked in 10 years, Carl, because I get to do this. And you know, like this is winning for me like so. Yeah.

Carl J. Cox 34:03

And that’s another thing that you just measured success by is how you’ve been I mean that sincerely if it wasn’t for what the company is you helped put in me and why I’m such an advocate for you. And why it’s it’s an honor to have you on this is the difference not only you make with with people like myself but with with all sorts of leaders of all walks of life from Fortune 500 leaders down to as you said, the janitor, right you have that belief that every human has the potential to do great things. And that’s what I love about what you do in your heart. So, Scott, thank you once again, so much for everything that you do. Thank you, for everyone and listeners to listening to the Measure Success Podcast wishing you the very best at measuring your success.

Outro 34:46

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