Setting Expectations in the Workplace

w/ Ben Winter

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Transcript - Setting Expectations in the Workplace

Rich: On this episode of team building saves the world.

Ben: The only reason anybody gets upset is because an expectation hasn’t been met it’s based off of Einstein. Well, let’s put it that way. He said, that’d be, you can’t solve a problem at the same level it was created. Is that what you said? That, that is what I that’s, what I’m seeing is a lot of people are like, I don’t, I mean, there’s just like, none of us have experienced this before.

Right. Let me ask a question. Do you like being wrong? Does anybody like being wrong? Nope. Nobody likes being wrong.

Rich: Hello team, once again, it’s me, your old friend, Rich Rininsland host of team building saves the world. The show where I speak to the leaders and innovators and the team building. From all across the globe, trying to find out what about that industry is so important, especially in the world of today. And today we are daring to face our expectations with the writer of what to expect when having expectations, Mr. Ben Winter. But first I need to share some love with my supporters at team. If your team is ready to experience teamwork through the power of play, then visit team bonding.com to learn more. Now team, please join me in welcoming the writer improv artist event host and the co-founder of success improv Ben Winter.

Ben that is a small group of people. I keep trapped under my desk, just for these occasions. How are you today, sir?

Ben: Fantastic.

Rich: Good. Thank you so much for coming on board with this. Could you take a second and just explain to my team out there, who you are and how you got into the world?

Ben: So I have been doing a lot of personal growth over a long period of time.

And during that process found my way into an improv class and I absolutely just fell in love with doing improv. And from there, I started playing with a troop that I’ve been with for over a decade. And then, uh, I started my own business and then everything just sort of mixed together. And I, I found that, uh, you know, team building worked really well with just my improv troupe.

And so it was like, well, is it improv it? You know, what the personal growth is and all that stuff. So I just kind of threw it all together and created this amazing team-building process. And, uh, through that teaching. Kind of learned this whole world of about expectations. And I was like, Hey, there’s, there’s some untapped stuff here that people don’t think about when it comes to expectations. So I just kind of gotten into this personal growth offering sort of mode of life.

Rich: Okay. So go back a bit, before you got into the expectations, what was it that your improv was doing with team building?

Ben: As I kind of said my improv troupe, we work really well together. It’s, it’s almost effortless as a team because we get together and, you know, if somebody is having a bad day, we just would kind of call each other on it, but in a very loving, caring way.

And we’re able to work through things very quickly and easily. We have a lot of trust amongst each other because we, we all follow the same set of rules and most people don’t realize there are rules to improv. Um, so when they first find out about that, they’re like, w what are you talking about at improv if you just make it up? I’m like, well, yeah, you get it. You gotta have a foundation that would have start with and . You know, when I started really exploring that foundation and those rules of improv, I said, you know, that those rules work in everyday life. They work with teams, they, they just work. And so teaching the rules and techniques of improv, and when it comes to a team, will inevitably help that team grow and work better together.

Rich: Now, where did you find a niche for expectation?

Ben: Part of the teaching is around. One of the rules of improv is called be specific. Uh, and during that rule, you kind of have to spell things out for people. And what is that? That’s expectations. That’s communication. That that is one of those big pieces. And every, every time that I was teaching it, I would always say the only reason anybody gets upset is because an expectation hasn’t been met.

And it’s a cool saying, it seems to hold true. I’ve yet to be proven wrong by all means, bring it on. But. But it’s great to find a problem that’s even better. It’s a solve that problem. And so I kind of sat with it and I, and I played with that and said, okay, well, the moment in time, you’re upset. There’s gotta be something you can do with that.

And so I created this flow chart and I’m like, you’re upset. And the end goal is peace. Like let’s fill in the middle there. And so I started asking these questions. I’m like, did you even know you had the expectation? Which most of the times we don’t and just. Kept going from there. And after the flowchart was finished, as like, there’s a lot more depth to this.

And I kind of feel like I need to write a book to fill in the blanks of people. Like, you know, why haven’t you share that expectation? You know, there’s a lot of fear around sharing expectations sometimes because we don’t know how the other person’s gonna react and okay. Is it even a reasonable expectation to have in the first place?

So it just, it became this evolution. Uh, in, in the works of kind of just exploring this world expectations.

Rich:  Well, can you give me a little brief, a brief example of a direction you can go on that flow chart you were talking?

Ben: Yeah. So as I said, you started the moment of being upset. That’s a great trigger point in life to know like, Hey, I can do something different here.

Now the first question is, did you know you had the expectation? So if you didn’t know, you had. You know, there’s, first of all, there’s no reason to be upset because nobody can meet that expectation. Not even yourself, if you didn’t even know you had it. Um, so you can kind of take a step back and explore that new found expectations, say, where did it come from?

Why do I have it? You know, is it something I learned from my parents? Is it something I learned from society? Where is it coming from? And, and is it something I truly want in life and right there, you can just kind of make a decision. Like, no, that sounds a lot, like my mom and I didn’t like it when she said it back then.

So I don’t want to know like how many people say I don’t want to be like my parents and then they grow up and say, that just sounded like my mom. Ah, you know, so yeah, that’s where it comes from. We learn it from our parents. We learned it from our past and that’s. That’s kind of the first thing to do. You know, if you did know you had the expectation, you know, you can kind of continue on and let’s see.

Did you know you had it?? Yes. Have you shared that expectation? You know, a lot of times we don’t share the expectation with other people and if we don’t share it, then how can they, how can they meet us? How can they fulfill that expectation? How do we even know they bought into your own expectation if you haven’t shared it with them and it builds from there because if you’ve shared.

And it’s reasonable and you’ve had a conversation about it and you’ve negotiated and you’re both in agreement, you know, it’s, first of all, you’re very unlikely to be upset at that. And if there’s, you know, still an agreement and it still goes unfulfilled and you’re still upset. Well, there probably was another expectation.

And you got to start back at the beginning.

Rich: So you have this, you have this, this great idea of this, this thought process of dealing not only dealing with expectations, but realizing you even have them in the first place. How do you decide you want to take this to the marketplace?

Ben: The book. Yeah. Oh, so a lot of my background has been in personal growth and this is just a different way of looking at personal growth and it works in it.

Every aspect of life, business, relationships, family, like everything, we all have expectations around everything. So it’s definitely one of those pieces of good personal growth that once you have a grasp on it, you have a new tool in your toolbox that can help you get through something that is.

Uncomfortable. Sometimes

Rich: it’s interesting. Cause every time I we’ve been discussing a lot, especially about work-life balance employee wellness over the past a few episodes of the podcast and everybody is coming at me with this tool in your toolbox analogy. Um, so that that’s great. Uh, yet one more tool for the toolbox apparently.

Um, yeah. So what are some methodologies that you have for actually dealing with expectations

Ben: well, mine is based off of it’s based off of Einstein. He said that the only way to solve a problem is a different level than it was created, or you can’t solve a problem at the same level, it was created something along those lines.

And one interpretation of that is that you can’t solve an emotional problem emotionally. So, you know, some people, when they have an emotional issue, they have to go work out, they have to do some mental exercise, they have to go meditate, which would be kind of on the spiritual side of things. Right. Um, you know, whatever works for them.

It’s not, I’m going to have some emotional breakdown to solve this emotional problem because that doesn’t work. It just makes it worse. Yeah. And so what I’ve done is I’ve created a mental process for an emotional problem. Uh, and it’s, it’s just one thing. That might be the difference for one, one or two people out there that haven’t found what works for them.

One of the things that I always look at is Tony Robbins. He’s very well known in the personal growth area. Right. And some people have absolutely loved him and they worshiped the ground. He walks on and other people can’t stand him. And, you know, they just have these two schools of thought and then, you know, there’s other people out there that are doing personal growth and there’s new people entering the arena all the time and you connect with one or the other.

And none of them are saying anything different than the other. They’re just delivering it in a different way, using different words, but it’s all the same concepts when you really break it down. It’s all the same stuff. Okay. And so I’ve, I’ve not created anything new, I’m just doing it in a different way.

And the one thing I like about that. If you don’t like Tony Robbins go find somebody else. But as long as you’re growing as a person, as long as you’re putting these tools in your toolbox, as you will, then you’re going to be a happier person at the end of the day. And if that’s not what we’re all striving for, I don’t, I don’t know what the point is.

Rich: Well, there are people out there who aren’t striving for it. They didn’t even realize that it’s something they can strive for.

Ben: I’ve seen the videos

Rich: and expectation that, that, you know, they’ve never had. Might be one of those. I need to do personal growth. I need to actually, you know, broaden my own horizons, which has exactly, exactly, but we have, especially in the world of today, I’m not even talking about business anymore.

What we’re all seeing is so much emotional arguing. This isn’t a logical choice that I’m making. This is a point of my emotional belief. And if you are against it, then you are forever against me. Is there anything you could recommend to people who are facing that kind of, I wouldn’t say blockage . To their own personal experiences, you know, to help them move forward.

Ben: Yeah. Well, that’s, that’s my next book.

Rich: Great.

Let’s get a sneak peek.

Ben: Oh yeah. It’s, it’s, it’s a topic that it hurts my brain when I, when I explore this topic, because the best way I can put it is it’s all about perspective. If you want to be right about something, you will find the perspective to be right.

Sure. If you want to be, if you want to, let’s just take something as stupid as being a flat earth advocate. Okay. Do you think the earth is flat? I hope Rich. You don’t think the earth is flat because then I’m offending you completely, but that’s okay. Right? Yeah.

Rich: We’re fine so far.

Ben: Okay. So in the, in the world today, there are people who think the earth is flat and they have videos and social media and all these things to prove that they’re right about their perspective.

Right. Even though some of the proof. Not proof in any way, shape or form, like somebody put a level on the ground. And so you see it’s level. Wow.

Rich:  But how is that an expectation then? I was, how is it or is the expectation that I should be believed?

Ben: Yes. The expectation really comes to, this is the perspective I grew up with.

So I expect other people to have the same view. Okay. And that’s the way that it comes down to. So let me take it to a real life scenario. If you grew up hating these certain person, because of the way they look like, let’s just say you grew up racist because that’s what your family did. Then that’s your perspective on life?

That’s your expectation? Your expectation has everybody have that color? Persuasion is bad. Okay. So that is your expectation growing up, because that was your perception as a child. So when your perception and your expectations of life are challenged, well, I may ask a question. Do you like being wrong?

Does anybody like being wrong? Right? Nope. Nobody likes being wrong. Now, if you figure it out on your. You’re like, oh, I was wrong. You might beat yourself up for five minutes, maybe an hour, but you’ll get over it. You’ll move on. You’ll be like, I have new information. Yay. I’m a better person. If somebody tells you you’re wrong and we have plenty of proof, I don’t proof of it on the internet.

They will fight you for it. Like you said they will fight and fight and fight and fight. You know, just the world of politics today, you know, Democrat and Republican, you’re wrong, you’re wrong, you’re wrong, you’re wrong. They will not give because it’s this battle of you’re wrong versus you’re wrong rather than, Hey, let’s get on the same page and talk about the same thing rather than decide that you’re wrong about it before we even get that on the playing field,

Rich: or let’s at least find something that we can work together on as opposed to just being against each other.

Ben: Exactly. That’s where the expectations really come in is around the perspective of how we grew up and what the parents, the friends, the society that we grew up in have morphed our brains into what is right and, and that’s our expectation of life. And so when that’s challenged, we fight back because we don’t want to be wrong.

It’s a subconscious fight that comes out. It’s just lashes out and it’s like, I dunno why I’m lashing out, but you’re trying to make me wrong and that’s not okay. Okay. And unless you’re doing personal growth, you’re not going to recognize it as such, and you’re just going to flash out and that’s just your life.

Hmm.

Rich: This is, this is great. And this is very fascinating. I want to get back to this. Do you need a brief second here so I can tell all my team out there about a company I’m so proud to be a part of team. Team bonding was founded over 20 years ago with one simple question. How can employees have a great time while fostering strong, authentic bonds between people who work together?

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Visit team bonding.com to schedule your event now, team bonding when you want seriously fun results. All right. So we’re talking about how people are with their expectations. They’re coming head to head against one another. Let’s talk more about the business side of this, especially in a post pandemic.

People now are starting to go back to work, but that might look different for different organizations. What kind of expectations are we seeing out there from the office side and from the employee side?

Ben: I think from the employee side, let me let’s start. There is employees are, are easily, especially introverts are easily going and saying.

I work really well from home. Did you not see the results that I created this past year from working at home and being an introvert? I’m very happy to be at home by myself. Whereas extroverts are like, hell yeah, let’s get back into the office. I miss people. I miss the conversations. Yeah. Like, can we just all work in the lunchroom together and not like go to our own offices or cubicles.

Um, and so you’re, you’re going to have this weird dynamic of people wanting to be able to choose where they work, because they’ve had proof that it works right now. There are some industries where absolutely things have suffered because the lunchtime banter sometimes. Solve problems that people didn’t even realize they had.

Um, you know, it’s, it’s like that whole brainstorming thing where it’s just kind of comes together and you can’t, it’s harder to do when you’re by yourself and you’re not in a zoom meeting and so on. Uh, it’s not impossible. It’s just more difficult now Bosses they have their preconceived ideas of how business is supposed to work and along the lines of being wrong, or right.

They’ve been challenged over the last year. You know, there’s a lot of people. It only works if you’re in the office. But then they’ve been sort of proven wrong over the last year that that’s not the only way you also have people who are interested in the financial side of things of like, Hey, how much money did we save by not having an office?

Or if we got rid of this monthly expense of this office space, you know, what could we do instead with that money for this business? And so a lot of people’s perspectives and expectations of how business is supposed to be run or are kind of up in flux of like, what should we do. And hopefully the decision makers are kind of taking into account what the employees want, because there are plenty of employees that are like, can I please just keep working from home?

Sure. And there are some people who are like, I just heard a NPR, something, but they were talking about people that have moved from like California to Idaho for cost of living, because now they can work remotely. And now I don’t know Idaho, like the real estate market is doing through the roof because everybody’s moving to it.

Idaho, but. Oh, Oklahoma, South Dakota. I mean, we don’t know where it’s going to happen next, but if people are allowed to work remotely, they can have these high paying California jobs, but then they move out to, you know, someplace where the cost of living is a quarter of what it was. Now. They’re able to save money and do more with it, with that money.

So, uh, the whole world’s changing in that aspect. And, you know, I think the expectation right now is just be ready for whatever.

Rich: Yeah. It sounds more like now people dealing with the lack of expectation the unknown as it were about how this is all going to function. Is that what you said?

Ben: That that is what I that’s what I’m saying, because it is a lot of people are like, I don’t, I mean, there’s just like, because they, they haven’t, none of us have experienced this before.

I mean, there might be a few people that were around during the night in 1918, but I doubt it. And maybe they’re not cognitively there anymore. I mean, they’re over it a hundred years old.

Rich: Well, yeah, they’re probably not in the marketplace.

Ben: Yeah. So this is not a thing that any of us have ever experienced before.

We don’t have a past to draw from this is all new territory. So our expectations are all mixed because whatever we can pull from, isn’t a direct correlation. So we’re trying. Merge ideas and thoughts together, uh, to come up with something that works for us.

Rich: So people should be able to expect that expectations themselves are going to change as we’re going either back to this hybrid reality, where sometimes people are in the office and most times people are still working from home.

How do you recommend people deal with, you know, the creeping expectations that aren’t here yet? Like you might have a boss who just comes up with, we’ve been doing fine, but I need people back here with me so that we can spitball ideas off of each other as the day is going on. And then suddenly these people who were happily working remotely are now being told they have to spend X amount of hours in the office every week, you know, with these things that haven’t happened yet creep up. What kind of recommendations can you have for them?

Ben: I would say definitely be flexible and definitely share your own expectations with your boss. Like it’s not, I personally don’t feel like it should be a one directional thing, right? That’s not the, that’s not the society we live in. So they have their expectations and you have your expectations.

At some point you have to come together and communicate. I know this is a hard concept to do in today’s world. Communication is, is something we’ve all forgotten how to do, but it is important for us to communicate our expectations so that we can come to a common ground and, and negotiate. What’s going to work best for everyone.

And I think as long as you’re willing to share and come together and take each other’s expectations into account, everything’s going to be better now, are you going to get what you want? Maybe Um, I mean, that is one thing about being an employee is you have less say than being a business owner, right. Or at the top of a business.

And that’s why, you know, there’s plenty of people out there that go and start their own business. Cause they don’t want somebody telling them what to do. But there are other people who are just perfectly happy, like reporting to their boss and being told what to do. So it, wherever you land on that scale, you have to be willing to, to have those hard conversations sometimes of saying, I, I get, you want us back in the office.

Do you get that? I love working from home and I’m so much more productive from home because I’m not interrupted by all the extroverts who want to talk to me, you know? So, so maybe the boss can see like, okay, maybe if you work from home three out of the five days a week, Well that worked for you. And then maybe, you know, it’s a negotiation at that point.

Rich: Okay. So you’re talking about communication, not only at the point of a potential conflict, but all throughout.

Ben:  Absolutely. Okay. And then the whole point of communication is to avoid conflict it’s to preemptively, keep it from happening.

Rich:  Can you give me an example of that? Like what, what are some of the things that you’ve seen, where if they had only started talking to earlier or, or all through that, it would have been a little bit better without going into too many specifics about company names or individually.

Ben: Well, I I’ll just bring it back to the top of the flow chart is you’re upset if you’re upset, you’ve already, you’ve already reached beyond that point of fixing it before.

It’s a problem. So if you, you can still think that workflow and say, well, I have an expectation. My boss has an expectation. Neither one of us has said it yet. So before either one of us gets upset, one of us needs to initiate the conversation. And, you know, whoever I’m going to say cares the most probably gets to start that conversation.

But if you’re, if you see this is where society is moving of going back to the office and you’re like, I don’t know. Then maybe it’s pre preemptive of you to go and talk to your boss and say, Hey, I see this as happening through society. Do you have any ideas of what’s happening for us? And are you, are you contemplating people being allowed to work from home indefinitely?

And it just starts the conversation, you know, it’s not making them wrong. It’s just asking questions. Uh, and I think as long as you’re asking questions, you know, it’s, you’re just inquisitive. Yeah. Trying to make anything happen. You’re just creating this magical thing called communication and dialogue,

Rich: Any other recommendations you want to give to anybody else in the, in the workplace who are, you know, maybe struggling right now.

Um, even, even before they, that has even come up for them. You know, they, the boss might not have even said yet. It’s time to come back. It’s time to come in. The the other side of it, the, the outgoing person who loves being, you know, the center of attention in an office space for that person who can’t really go to the office now and live in that social world

Ben: my, my big advice for everyone, both employees and employers. Be willing to have those hard conversations of sharing expectations. I once had a corporate job and I went to my boss and I said, Hey, I know we do yearly salary increases usually around two or 3%, whatever it is I’ve been in this job for quite a while.

I’m in a senior role, not getting paid the senior wage, et cetera. Let’s talk about an and an extra raise. You know, what does that look like? What do you need for me? Like how do we get there? Okay. And that’s me sharing an expectation of, I want to raise outside of the norm. I deserve a raise outside of the norm, whatever the expectation kind of subtly inset, but I had told him, this is what.

And we had that conversation. He’s like, well, this is what I need from you over the next six months or over the next year, or, you know, whatever it might be, you know, they’re going to share their expectation. Then you come to an agreement, you negotiate, you have that conversation and then you both know what you’re working for.

They see it, they keep an eye on it. You inform them along the way. And I think that’s one of the biggest pieces that’s missing a lot. Yeah. And our job system is right. People are afraid to go to their boss and say, I have an expectation of something in this, in my work environment. I spend a lot of time here.

I want X, Y, and Z. What can we do to make that happen? Um, and employers need to be okay with employees saying,

Rich: what about that person? Sorry. It didn’t mean interrupted with what about that person who feels like this is just inside them. You know, the person who’s still working from home because they don’t have to go back yet.

But there’s something about, you know, they’re, they’re saying to themselves that the worries that they have are just in their own head. This isn’t even anything I have to deal with yet. What kind of recommendations would you make for them?

Ben: So on the flow chart, there’s a question that says is this expectation reasonable.

So all those thoughts that are going through your head, you first have to say, are they reasonable thoughts? Because it is, it just worries that are general or is there actually substance there? Because if there’s substance there, then you can actually take preemptive action. You can actually go to your boss and say, Hey, these are things that are worrying me right now.

And these are, this is what I ultimately want. I worry about going back to the work environment. Um, I’m worried about my productivity because I’ve been doing great from home and I’m afraid I’m not going to at work or in the office. Um, I’m afraid of the commute and people forgetting how to drive, which by the way, I’ve, I’ve witnessed people seem to have forgotten how to drive.

Rich: Right. I did one event live. I did one, I facilitated one event live since we started opening up. And I had to be in Boston, Massachusetts at 7:00 AM, which means very little traffic was on the road. Comparatively speaking, as to what it would be in an hour or two hours. What have you? I was white knuckled the entire time driving because I had been in a car.

Of course I’d been driving to the store. I’d been driving my daughter to and from school, so on, so forth, but being on that road by myself on a highway with others. Terrified me. And the entire time I kept saying to myself, why am I feeling this way? And it was because I didn’t know what it would be like with other people.

Ben: Again, it is legitimately a fear of people going back out into the world with a bunch of people after so long of not interacting with them and other people. They’re like, eh, it was like a taking a week off going on vacation.

Rich: So it was a long week’s vacation.

Ben: Yes, it was. But that’s in their mental state there. It’s like, nothing’s really different. So you just kind of have to go with that and say, is it reasonable? Be feeling what I’m feeling and having these, these worries and thoughts. And if you really do feel like, yeah, that is a legitimate, reasonable thing to, to fear or think about, then bring it up to your boss and say, Hey, I know you guys haven’t made any decisions, but this is weighing heavy on me.

And I need to know, like, what are you guys thinking? Where do you think it’s going to go, maybe help set my mind at ease so I can focus on what actually matters. Right?

Rich: And if anything, just even broaching the subject might be enough to make your boss start thinking. If this person is feeling this way and said something, maybe there are other people out there who feeling the same way, but are in speaking. So maybe I should reach out to them

Ben: yeah. And hopefully it, and that is my hope for anybody who’s in a managerial position of like, please be aware of the employees. Like if one of them has an issue, they all do at some level. Like it’s, it’s not like let’s not single people out. There’s too many people on this planet for one person to have the only thought on the subject.

It’s, it’s kinda like, you know, somebody came up with Chipotle and then all of a sudden there’s Qdoba and Chipotle at the same time, it’s like, Anytime you think of this, like Uber and then all of a sudden Lyft and it’s like, they don’t happen individually. They happen in pairs. And then, you know, that’s not a one-time thought. So

Rich: Ben, thank you so much for coming on board. This has been a fantastic conversation. I’ve really enjoyed it. Um, I know for a fact, because of the research I did on you, that people can not only buy your. But they can also download your flow chart. Can you tell them where they can go to

find that?

Absolutely. You can go to having expectations.com and the flow charts free to download, uh, you know, stick it on your fridge, put it in your cubicle and you know, just remind yourself, put it in your car. So when you’re in traffic angry at everybody, you know, you can go right to that question. Is it reasonable for me to expect everybody to know how to drive?

But trust me, it’s not.

Please be stopped when you’re reading. .

Ben: But even just as a subliminal reminder of like, oh, there’s expectations on the road, but yeah, don’t be reading it while driving that’s that’s not safe. Um, you know, yeah. Download that for free. Put it up all around you and then, uh, yeah, the, the links to the books and everything are right there on the site.

Rich: Thanks so much, Ben. I, like I said, I’ve really have enjoyed being with you and I hope you still enjoy being here because now it’s time for my speed round. Awesome.

I enjoy all the cheese.

Ben: I

Rich: really, really do. All right, Ben, just to remind you, I know I told you about it before, but I want to let you know, this is a 62nd question and answer. I’m going to ask questions. You’re going to answer as fast as you can. Just silly nonsense questions. Basically, the way I came up with all this is because everybody, whoever comes into a team building event has the expectation that this is torture.

So for them, I give, I give facilitators and team building people like us, a little taste of that torture myself. Perfect. So once the music starts, I’ll start asking questions. If you are feeling competitive at all, the number to beat from earlier, this season was 13. Okay. So let’s see if we can get you there.

What’s your name?

Ben: Ben.

Rich: What’s your favorite movie?

Ben: Shawshank redemption.

Rich: Do you have any kids?

Ben: One.

Rich: Which of your friends are you the most proud of ?

Ben: Bill?

Rich: What’s your favorite ice cream?

Ben: Mint Chocolate chip

Rich: Would you rather live for a week in the past or the future?

Ben: Future

Rich:  What’s your favorite childhood memory?

Ben: Getting a puppy.

Rich: If you eat any one food for the rest of your life and nothing else,

Ben: pizza night,

Rich:  if you could be a cartoon character, which one would you like to be?

Ben: Phineas and Ferb?

Rich: That’s true, but okay. If you could actually live in a television home, which one could you,

Ben: uh, simpson’s

Rich: favorite childhood book,

Ben: Berenstein Bears.

Rich: Are you a leader or a follower?

Ben: Leader

Rich: Ben Ben 12. Oh. Oh. Oh, that was so good though.

Ben: The house one messed me up.

Rich: That’s okay. You did a great, well, well done. Thanks again, ladies and gentlemen, please. My team. Give it up for Ben Winter. Ben. Thanks one more time for coming on board. I had a great conversation with you. I hope you enjoyed yourself.

Ben: I did indeed.

Rich: Thank you. And thank you my team. Once again, that’s going to be at, we’re wrapping up. Another episode of team building saves the world. If you are new to this podcast or a longtime friend, please remember to share this with all of your friends and colleagues. We’ve got some really important conversations going on in the season.

We want to make sure everybody gets a chance to hear them. Plus you can find out all about us and all the social medias at team bond podcast. Please go ahead and look for us there. We’re also on YouTube where we put snippets of these. Leave us a like, leave us a comment. If your comment is nice enough, I will actually share it online or rather on a future episode.

And if it’s not nice enough, I might still share it on a future episode, but watch it like, Hey, thank you one more time, everybody. You can find us not only on social media, but of course at team bonding.com/podcasts for this and all past episodes and all future episodes. Come on. When you hear us, that’s going to be it for me, my team, once again. Never forget if you are within the sound of my voice, you are now forever on my team and I’m always going to be on yours. Have a great day team and I’ll see you next time.

It’s been said that you learn more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. So why not put your coworkers to play with the help of the team at team bonding team bonding was founded over 20 years ago with one simple question. How can employees have a great time while fostering strong, authentic bonds between people who work together?

Their catalog of innovative events include scavenger hunt, jeopardy, and much more each activity, whether it’s. Virtual or hybrid maximizes the impact of team building with an accent on fun. Visit team bonding.com to schedule your event now, team bonding. When you want seriously fun results.

In this episode, Rich speaks with author, speaker, actor, improvist, entrepreneur, traveler, and father Ben Winter. In order to reach common ground in a world full of people with different expectations, there has to be communication. Over the past 18 months, a lot has changed including employees’ and managements’ perspectives on how a business should be run. Listen to how communicating your expectations in the workplace is more important than ever.

Ben Winter certainly hasn’t been idle in life. A couple of years out of college and he started doing things and going places he never would have expected. From traveling to personal growth to marriage and child to divorce and parenthood to entrepreneurialism and inspiring others. Ben has flown an airplane on his own and has been scuba diving in the Galapagos. He has seen the animals of Tanzania and has traveled all over Europe with a 6-month-old child in tow. He has performed improv for over a decade, acted in several plays, and even a movie.  He has also owned several businesses.

His biggest passion is exploring the mind. In all of his personal growth work, the one constant was that it all stems from the mind. Between personal growth and improv, he found this weird realm called expectations. And while most people would shy away from such a thing, he decided to tackle it head-on.  Along his journey, he decided that “the only reason anyone gets upset is because an expectation hasn’t been met.” And begin teaching that in his Success Improv business.

He noticed that there has to be a way to use that upset feeling to fix the situation. And he created the amazing “How to stop being upset” flow chart.

From there it was a simple step of taking everything that he has explored on the subject and put it in a book called, “What to Expect when Having Expectations.”

" As long as you're growing as a person, as long as you're putting these tools in your toolbox, as you will, then you're going to be a happier person at the end of the day."
- Ben

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Pretty cool stuff! Checkout more episodes.

Season 5 | Episode 1
Finding the Bottom Line of CSR: Cultural Empathy

In this episode of the Team Building Saves the World podcast, we speak with guest, Doug Manuel as he shares his insights on finding the bottom line of CSR through cultural empathy. Drawing from his extensive experience and thought-provoking keynotes, Doug shares his stories about the intricate nuances of shaping company culture and fostering effective teamwork. Through compelling anecdotes and practical strategies, listeners will uncover the secrets to aligning organizational values with individual passions, and fostering collaboration and cultural empathy. Doug’s expertise illuminates the path toward a thriving workplace culture, from the power of storytelling to the importance of empathy and continuous learning. Join us as we uncover the keys to success in tomorrow’s companies, and learn how to actively shape and redefine your workplace culture using cultural empathy for lasting impact. 

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Season 5 | Episode Trailer
Team Building Saves the World Podcast – Season 5 Trailer

Consider this season your exclusive insider’s guide to unlocking the door to organizational success. Tune in as we embark on an exciting journey exploring the vast world of business, skillfully decoding the very DNA of tomorrow’s company culture.

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Season 4 | Episode 20
Putting It Into Practice

Lisa Nordquist’s Proven Strategies To Transform Your Organization. On this episode of Team Building Saves the World we wrap up Season 4 with leadership expert Lisa Nordquist. Join us as we explore practical insights, success stories, and actionable strategies for effective leadership, employee engagement, and organizational change. Listen as we uncover the keys to putting theories into practice, as Lisa shares her invaluable experiences and innovative approaches, guiding listeners towards a transformative journey in pursuit of organizational excellence. You don’t want to miss this one.

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Season 4 | Episode 19
CSR Meets Holiday Team Building

On this episode of Team Building Saves the World we dove into the distinction between corporate social responsibility and regular charitable team building events with our CSR Creative Director Baylee Goldstein. The holiday season is a perfect time to bring your team closer together. Join us as we explore creative holiday giving ideas that not only foster camaraderie but also benefit those in need. We’ll provide ways your team can give back year-round and how to make a lasting impact this holiday season while improving employee engagement & company culture.

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Season 4 | Episode 18
Team MOJO: You Have It, Or You Don’t

In this episode of Team Building Saves the World, we delve into the concept of Team MOJO with Diane Egbers—how to cultivate it and sustain the vital synergy that leads to exceptional productivity and performance in organizations. We explore the key ingredients for building Team MOJO, the role of emotional intelligence, strategies for adapting to changing team dynamics, and its connection to mental health and inclusion in the workplace. Be sure to listen to gain insights and practical advice from Diane in improving team synergy, leadership development, and executive coaching.

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Season 4 | Episode 17
Why Failure Doesn’t Suck

Mistakes, failures, errors, blunders, and mishaps. Are you feeling uncomfortable yet? No one is perfect, but we all hope for a perfect performance at work. Guess what? It’s not going to happen! In this episode of Team Building Saves the World, we dive deep into the world of workplace culture with company culture expert Chris Dyer. Discover why avoiding mistakes may hinder your organization’s growth, and learn how embracing failure can be a catalyst for innovation. Chris shares practical examples of how cultivating a culture that welcomes risk-taking and learning from failures can lead to colossal business success. We also explore strategies for effective team building and employee engagement, making this episode a valuable resource for leaders and individuals aiming to thrive in today’s evolving business landscape.

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Season 4 | Episode 16
Breaking Free From Boring Corporate Training

Regular corporate training can be blah. In this episode, we explore innovative corporate training approaches that go beyond traditional methods with Jayne Hannah and Amy Angelili. They discuss transformative programs like Laughter Yoga and how they can aid in motivating your team, reshape work culture, enhance teamwork, and inspire personal growth. Join us as we champion a new era of engaging corporate training that sparks lasting change.

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Season 4 | Episode 15
Optimizing Engagement Through Employee Listening

An employee listening strategy is more than just a survey. It’s a process—asking employees for feedback, understanding and analyzing their perspectives, and taking meaningful action to improve employee experience and engagement. A survey alone does not improve engagement. Listen as Shane McFeely, Ph.D. speaks with Rich about what research shows employees want from their organizations when it comes to employee surveys and what organizations can do to create and improve upon their employee listening strategy. Don’t miss this episode packed with practical tips for crafting a more engaged and empowered workforce.

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