The Heart of Business
"The Heart of Business" podcast, hosted by Mo Fathelbab, is an authentic and insightful exploration of the human side of leadership and professional growth. Through candid conversations with accomplished business leaders, thought leaders, and peer group facilitators, Mo will delve deep into the personal journeys, challenges, and triumphs that have shaped their careers. Mo Fathelbab's skillful and empathetic approach creates a safe space for guests to share their truths and vulnerabilities, revealing the emotional and often unseen dimensions of success in the corporate world. Each episode offers listeners a chance to glean practical wisdom, heartfelt advice, and a profound understanding of the intricate interplay between leadership, authenticity, and personal growth.
The "Heart of Business" is the official podcast of International Facilitators Organization, LLC and hosted by IFO's founder and CEO, Mo Fathelbab. To learn more, please visit www.internationalfacilitatorsorganization.com.
The Heart of Business
Redefining Leadership: Vulnerability, Mentorship, and Empathy with Doretha Bailey
What if embracing vulnerability could transform you into a stronger leader? In this episode, join me for a heartfelt conversation with Doretha Bailey, Strategic Advisor to Executives & Board of Directors | Military Veteran | Keynote Speaker | Fixer - Organizational Development Expert, as she shares her extraordinary journey from military service to HR leadership. Doretha’s story is not just one of professional evolution but also a testament to resilience and the power of mentoring others. Her impactful work with Pathbuilders and dedication to supporting women and military communities are highlighted, showcasing the profound influence of mentorship on career advancement and personal growth.
Imposter syndrome is something many of us face, and understanding its roots can be key to overcoming it. I open up about my own experiences in building Turf Mastery’s first-ever HR department, underscoring the significance of putting people first with initiatives like a non-gender parental leave policy. This episode also sheds light on the crucial role of empathy and understanding in the workplace, especially during personal crises. Our discussions explore how genuine care for employees can lead to a more inclusive and supportive company culture, ultimately contributing to success and retention.
Lastly, we dive into the importance of vulnerability in leadership, sharing personal stories of challenge and triumph. From addressing mental health openly to reclaiming power from past traumas, the conversation emphasizes that true strength comes from embracing one's experiences without stigma. As we wrap up, I express deep gratitude for Doretha’s invaluable insights and contributions to my journey, and we touch on future endeavors, including a book publication and initiatives for homeless veterans. This episode is a powerful reminder of the impact of gratitude, personal connections, and giving back.
Please visit www.internationalfacilitatorsorganization.com to learn more about Mo Fathelbab and International Facilitators Organization (IFO), a leading provider of facilitators and related group facilitation services, providing training, certification, marketing services, education, and community for peer group facilitators at all stages of their career.
Welcome to the Heart of Business podcast sponsored by International Facilitators Organization. I'm your host, mo Fatalbab, and today our guest is Doritha Bailey, vp of Human Resources for Turfmaster Brands and mentor to women, military and veterans. Doritha welcome.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much, so honored to be here.
Speaker 1:Great to have you with us. So we first met at SHRM, I think maybe two or three years ago, Is that right?
Speaker 2:Yes, about three years ago it's gone quite quick.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it has, and you just brought down the house with your incredible sharing and vulnerability and it just really had a big impact on the entire program. So, thank you, it was incredible.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you. You know you really started that off with your vulnerability and sharing it in that moment. And I remember sitting at the table and we were all sharing and the table volunteered me to go up and speak and I did and, to be honest, I don't remember any bit of it as I went through it, but it has opened up a lot of doors and just meaning from speaking and being able to help others. So it's, it was a blessing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. Well, it was a blessing to everybody there. So thank you, it truly was. You know, I've done a lot of a lot of speaking, a lot of facilitation, a lot of emceeing of events, and really that event was truly one of the most moving to have. I don't know, it was 350 people in the room and I think most of them were in tears. Truly, I was incredibly blown away myself, and you seriously had an important part for that. So thank you once again. So let's talk about you a little bit, doritza. So let's start with the beginning. Let's talk about you a little bit, doritza. So let's start with the beginning.
Speaker 2:Tell us how your career started Well. Very interestingly, it started off by accident.
Speaker 2:We can say or the divine order, however you want to place it. So I started off in the military. My initial job in the military was chemical ordnance. I got pregnant with my oldest son and wasn't able to be around chemicals, so they put me in the orderly room, which is like your local HR department, right? So I did that for a while and then got out, went back into it.
Speaker 2:Then 9-11 happened and I was married at the time and I was actually in Germany on active duty and my ex-husband and I were determining one of us needed to get out which one of it, you know, and it ended up being myself.
Speaker 2:And from then I remember going to a temp agency really trying to figure out hey, I like this side of the house what can I do from, you know, chemical ordinance side of it, but I also like this other side what is this called? And they said human resources. So I did a lot of my building on human resources, doing little temp jobs, and then the one that really changed my life. One of the areas that I temped in was Towers Perrin at the time, and that's how I got into benefits, and so they had this really nice rigorous program that in order for you to actually get into the call center side of it with their clients is that you had to go through the training and you had to pass the test to be able to get through that. So my first civilian job was with a company called SAIC.
Speaker 1:Job was with a company called SAIC, and so I would literally drive from Virginia Beach to Arlington with a four-year-old and a two-year-old Every day. Every day, that's a four-hour drive.
Speaker 2:Yes, so I did it. It was one. I was driven. I knew what I wanted to do at that time. Then, you know, worked on making sure that I was working on a degree with that, focusing in those areas. That's actually when I got introduced to SHARM. I was looking at things and so I became a SHARM member at that time and then I just built my way up. You know, someone remembered hearing me speak at a summit that we've had when I worked for L3 Communications and when we were doing a couple of mergers with them. The organization said actually the senior VP called me and said we want you on our team but we want you to build the benefits department. So I took it on.
Speaker 2:I initially was not going to take it because I had just moved to Florida. No-transcript about my career and where I wanted to go. I really wanted to be a generalist and really understand every single thing. You know I have a love for business, so I did a lot of like just having conversations with you know financial analysts or you know the CFO, and just understanding the business side, how we were making money and how we moved on. So it just kept progressing to that, to where I'm at now. I've been, I've done some consulting work, which I love doing, and then I've also just been leading HR departments for the last 10 years.
Speaker 1:Amazing, amazing. And then you're also doing mentoring. Tell us more about some of the mentoring work that you're doing.
Speaker 2:So I've been doing mentoring for maybe 15 years. When I think about it, so, um, as you're aware, I'm a military veteran. My father's a military veteran as well, and so, um, I started off with joint forces in the DC area, um, mentoring just military veterans, Um. And then when I moved out of DC and came to Atlanta, I kept doing that and it's just giving back to the community. That raised me and then I ended up helping military spouses as well to going through that, so really tapping into what I love.
Speaker 2:Then I worked with an executive coach just recently and she heard some of my stories and you know some of the things that I've done for the mentees that I'm still, you know, mentoring. From that standpoint, I said I think you will be really great for path builders, which is, you know, hoping women get to the next level. So I currently now I'm with path builders as well, helping women. I have three mentees under me, which is a really great experience going through. So that's more of a formal side of it. So giving back is a big thing, I realize. Regardless, whatever I'm going through, I give back to people that because I just didn't have that, you know, that opportunity to really understand how to move forward, how to ask certain questions, you know how to really position myself for growth. So a lot of it's been trial and error, so I just wanted to help people have it a little bit easier than I did.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, so interesting, because you know, I know you and I have touched on this, but it's those hard things that make us who we are.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, so I don't know what you can share with us as to what really has made you who you are. I've been thinking about that a lot lately, to be honest, and it really goes back to my parents right, always telling me you know you could be anything that you want to be. And so, when I really think about, I've always called myself a fixer, but I'm also a disruptor when I think about it. And um, so, as when I moved to the states, um, I was 16 years old, um, when I moved from the states. I grew up overseas, um, germany and Japan, and you know England as well, so, so when I came to the States, being just new to the whole experience, it was eye-opening.
Speaker 2:And I remember that the school decided well, it was actually the whole county right that we weren't going to celebrate MLK Day, we weren't taking that day off, and so some of us in the lunchroom were having a conversation about it and my whole thing around it is well, why don't we just go and have a conversation with the principal? And so myself and you know another person went and had a conversation with the principal and his response was that we could do a presentation where we can put something together, but it couldn't be during the school hours. It would have to be voluntary, where we can put something together, but it couldn't be during the school hours, it would have to be voluntary. And then, not only that, that, we were going to also celebrate Robert E Lee. At the time I didn't know who Robert E Lee was, and I remember I went home to my parents. My parents were extremely upset and so they had the conversation. I'm like, regardless, I'm still going to do it. And so we did, and we put on this presentation um, the librarian who was not supposed to help us because no one from the um faculty was able to help, but she snuck and help, right, and she, she gave that to us. And so being able to use the voice and do something, that was one of my you know my pillars. But I really give that to how my parents raised me, um, and just raised us, because I have siblings and the oldest of three, so that had helped.
Speaker 2:And then some other things that I've I have done, but it's gotten to the point of I used to be free with my voice and be able to sit there and have a couple of conversations, you know from there. And then I got to a point in my life, actually in Northern Virginia, where I just silenced my voice but I would tussle inside because that just wasn't who I was. But I thought this is what the world wanted me to be and following that chain of command type of thing. But I wasn't being authentically myself, so I wasn't happy. And so now it's.
Speaker 2:I'm really big about you know my voice and being able to say something. And you know I'm really big about you know my voice and being able to say something. And you know I'm okay with being different. You know I'm definitely a visionary, but I'm also able to execute. And it took me years to get there. And when we were actually at the visionary conference where you and I had, you know the conversation, conversation, that stuff came out. I was in a hard place at that time. I was really trying to figure out which direction to sit there and go and things just started happening and I haven't been quiet since.
Speaker 1:I love that. I love that, I love that. So what things are you advocating for and why do they matter to you? What things?
Speaker 2:are you advocating for and why do they matter to you? Oh, nice one, so one. We'll hit on the veterans, right? So a lot of the veterans that I mentor are all mid to senior level, and so with them, it's the fact that they're just not monolithic. And, you know, trying to get employers to understand the credentials and the expertise that military veterans bring is way different. And then not only that, trying to get employers to understand the credentials and the expertise that military veterans bring is way different. And then not only that, trying to give them a better experience.
Speaker 2:There has been some, you know, awful experiences from what I've actually just heard from the veterans themselves and my own. You do hear a lot that companies are pro veterans, this and that, but they're more on about the body and not the brain. Right, we want you to go ahead and produce the work from a labor perspective, but we really don't want you to be the leaders in our organization, and so it's really educating that and moving forward on that side of it. And then not only that, you have I'm not going to call them the voiceless, because everybody has a voice, but those in organizations that feel that they're quiet, right, where you hear a lot of about the imposter syndrome and when you really go into it it goes to is it really the imposter syndrome or the imposter treatment, right, and you really kind of go into it and you really break it down.
Speaker 2:When you talk about imposter syndrome it's a psychological thing of doubt, right where it comes in and it moves forward. But when you really think about it, that doubt stemmed from somewhere. That doubt came from somebody telling that you couldn't do something, or somebody made you feel that you weren't, you know, belonging or whatever that may be. That's tied to it, and so diagnosing it for exactly what it is and getting to that root cause helps you really quiet that inner critic. So I've been really advocating for that piece as well too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that's. That's a lot of work for for anyone to do for themselves, let alone help other people with doing that work, right?
Speaker 2:Absolutely, absolutely. You know, and it's a continual thing that you got to sit there and work on. You know we all have our doubts and they stem from an array of different things. You know and you know one of my things and I've said it before is like when I grew up in my household and it's on my father's side of it but if you didn't have anything smart at all to say, you don't say anything, and but I found out that that was a generational thing that was said in his family and my father was really big with education and you know just history and knowing everything with education and you know just history and knowing everything.
Speaker 2:So when I would get into rooms, I would be extremely quiet because I didn't think I had anything intelligent to say, and then I would hear somebody say something that I was thinking about and it's like, oh, I probably should have said any said something. So when I'm talking to people, it's you're in that room for a reason and not to sit there and compare yourself to others and just speak up. You know, and if you don't feel that you're ready, then just educate yourself to get to a point that you feel comfortable. But you've got to understand why you are the way you are, so you can overachieve that, you know. And then again it goes back to that inner critic, where you can silence that inner critic.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So when you think about your work as VP of human resources, what comes to mind in terms of what you're most proud of, what you feel like you've really done to impact your teammates at Turf Mastery?
Speaker 2:People first. That is one of the biggest philosophies you know that we have, and actually not just talking about it, but actually living it out. So one of the great things is, when you know, I came to the organization, my responsibility was to build its first HR department, and so it was. Our goal is we want to hit 250 million in five years. Then we want to hit 500 million. So, knowing what the overarching goal is, and not only that, we want to be the number one lawn care in North America, and so it was. What are we going to need? To be able to move to those areas but also bring people along with us. And so when understanding the industry, one of the things I did was I actually did the work and went out and did ride alongs with the technicians. I'm spraying lawns and I'm actually applying it and having conversations, and people didn't even know who I was. And then, when they found out who I was, it was just like, wow, right, so getting the respect of people at all levels of the organization was the biggest thing. So when I was able to sit there and implement a couple of things for example, one of the things I'm proud of, and I actually heard one part of it at the annual conference that we went to was neonatal leave, and so it made me start really thinking about the different type of people in our organizations, that they're in different parts of their career. So one of the things was that we have a non-gender type of, you know, maternity leave, when we really think about it, or parental leave. So we have the you know, the normal leave, that's there between 10 days, that's paid, right, so that's where the adoption, that's regular birth, and you know, everything's fine there. Then we have neonatal. That's covered up to 12 weeks, that's paid. Then we have pregnancy loss and then, and depending on whatever the stage of that pregnancy loss is, the duration of that, and we have grandparent leave, so it's one, and all of those are paid.
Speaker 2:And so I have went on a ride along and we had an employee that thought that they had the old paternity leave of the five days, and so what he did was he worked three days and I just happened to be there and he was saving the two. His wife was in the hospital and his newborn was in the hospital and also had a two year old at home, and he was just working really fast and I said well, do you know we have the neonatal leave? And you know the response was no. So I wrote up to him and I told him I introduced who I was, because typically I don't do that. And you know I said this is who I am, and did you know that we have a neonatal leave that pays up to 12 weeks?
Speaker 2:He just started crying right there and that was one of those moments of this is why we do it Right, and so what that does, too, is when you do certain things like that, then people understand that you actually care Right and then they're not just a body, and then that also helps with retention. So, trying to do that and working on collaborations and building everything that we need, that's one of my biggest things I'm actually really proud of is that we're taking care of people that take care of us right and that take care of our customers. So it's just, it's the little things, but it's also the big things. So that's my, my proudest moment thus far.
Speaker 1:I love that. What a great story. You brought tears to my eyes. You know I took six weeks off when our kid was born and, and gosh, that was not enough, Isn't that something?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is, you know, and one of the things is you should never have to worry about taking care of your kid or your child in work. And I remember just feeling that way and you're just like my child is sick. Well, hold on, hurry up and take this real quick so I can get the fever down, down, so daycare doesn't call me, so I could be out and do all of that. And no one should ever have to feel that way because, again, life just happens and when you take care of people it goes a long way and sometimes, too, it's. You know. Yes, there's PTO leave and there's all this other stuff that you have, but there's nothing wrong with being a human If you've got somebody that's coming into the office. They can't be a hundred percent If they got certain issues going on at home, why not say go ahead and just go handle this situation?
Speaker 2:I had an employee that his wife had a miscarriage at six months and my thing is just go ahead and go handle that. And. But I also had a conversation of I know what it is to have a miscarriage because I've had one. Um, but I don't know from a male perspective, on how that is, because I know that you're the protector. I know that you're trying to make sure everything's okay with the family. How are you Right? What resources do you need? And it was one of those things of let me make sure you're okay, because I know you have this responsibility.
Speaker 2:And the saddest part is when he had to. They were going to ship the baby to where the baby was going to be buried from Georgia to Tennessee and he's like I can't do it. So they drove in their vehicle with the baby there in the vehicle, driving to Tennessee, and I just I couldn't fathom that, right, and but imagine what type of mindset he was in. There's no way that he would be able to do his job 100% with this weighing on him. So he didn't take leave. We didn't do any of this other stuff. It was go handle what you need to handle, right. So it's the human aspect of it and I mean he thanked me. He's like I've never had that before and I was like you know what You're valued, right. So that's what we're talking about. Is the people first? Yes, we know we got jobs that we need to do, but if you got the right people in the place, they can pick up the slack when somebody's not there, right, and then sometimes you as a leader need to just pick up the slack and just handle it right. It's because, again, there's certain things that we just can't. We can't help, either as an elderly parent, or risk a child going through something, or if you yourself is going through something.
Speaker 2:You know, I shared with you before and I shared with a lot of people in that room, of the fact of when I went through my trauma and not being seen and that was the most loneliest thing ever in the world is I can't walk, I'm bent over, I'm on the wall. And then, but no one said, are you OK? And I wasn't, and it was. I mean, it was. It was a traumatic experience for me, you know, to sit there and go through but just saying are you okay or I see you. That's it, because I really shouldn't have driven myself and I actually went to urgent care. I really shouldn't have driven myself there. The ambulance should have came and got me. Yeah, should have came and got me, you know. And so, cause, even when I went to urgent care, they immediately had me, um, in a, uh, an ambulance and, you know, going off to the emergency room, but I was not okay. And the interesting thing is, here I am fighting for my life trying to breathe and the leader at that time called and asked me about work. I can't breathe, right, but you're, you're asking me about work. So it put things in perspective and so that's where I'm at of.
Speaker 2:I think sometimes we got to have be our own testimonies on certain things. You know, uh, how we treat people. And because I don't want anybody to ever feel that way, I don't care what type of business is it, you know it is. If it's from an acquisition, I want it to be something with dignity. Right, it's because of the fact that somebody's losing something. You know, I've been on both sides of it. But if you come from a side of empathy, then people see it is easier, you know, from a communication standpoint. So it's. It's just one of those things of sometimes we don't understand why we go through what we need to, and then something happens and it'd be like that's why I went through what I did, so you can be a voice for somebody else and be able to help them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, as always, you are just inspiring and incredibly thoughtful and vulnerable and open. What's next? There's a fire in that belly of yours, I feel it. What's next for Doritha? What's next?
Speaker 2:There is finally, you know, publishing that book that you know I was telling you about. So I have a hard deadline at the end of the year to go ahead and complete that. I'm actually right now restocking my products that I have for giving, you know, veterans, for homeless veterans, care packages and self-care packages. So really excited about that and then helping people grow. That's what's next for me right now as we're going through it.
Speaker 2:But I will say you said a couple of things to me that have been very profound, that just have not left, and one of them was I remember exactly where we were. We were standing in the expo at the annual conference and we talked for hours and I told you I was an introvert and you was like, okay, are you introvert or are you shy? And I remember just staring at you, looking at you, and it was just like, oh, that's a good question. So it's one of those things of um, I take that in. You brought in another question to me which I'm not going to say on this podcast. I'll say it out there.
Speaker 2:But I have been thinking about that second question that you had. Um, I'm not going to say you've put right in my face from a mentor standpoint and it has been the most profound thing ever and you're one of the most empathetic and humble people I just have ever met and I shared a little bit with you at the last conference that I was really, really surprised, but I hear you in my head and I value you. That's the reason why I, you know, I check on you. Just I don't want anything, just to see if you're okay. You know, how are you doing, how's your family doing? So I just want to say thank you for being you and thank you for your wonderful voice and everything that you do.
Speaker 1:Thank you. Thank you, but before I say goodbye, can you tell us a bit about the book? Can you give us a sneak peek?
Speaker 2:Yes. So expect what you accept. So it's literally about phrases that you know is an inspiration leadership book that gets you there. There's some certain phrases that have been told to me that changed my life. You know some personal actually they're all personal when you really think about it. But, but it's one of the things of which way do you go through it, right? So, for example, you know I'll just give an example on the expect what you accept type of thing If you're in a bad relationship and you know it's a bad relationship, um, you've always accepted it for years, right?
Speaker 2:So why are you expecting something different? And so it's one of those things of a mindset if you're thinking about whatever that's going to be. And, um, from a personal standpoint, one of the trajectories that it was my first portrayal to be 100 percent honest is, you know, I grew up as a daddy's girl. Everything around me was about my father. I wanted to be like him and you know all this other stuff from. That's where my love of business comes from. It's from my father and helping people from him. That's where my love of business comes from. It's from my father and helping people from him, and my ex-husband at the time when he asked for a divorce, he said your father told me to divorce you. And I was like there's no way, right. And so, when I was fighting for my life, as I was telling you, I finally brought it up to my dad and he said I did.
Speaker 2:And I was at a dark place in my life, um, and it was the biggest betrayal and it had me thinking about a couple of things is because my father, um, always told me I can do whatever I wanted to, and you know, it's just, it was just a lot of that stuff was there, but that's when my voice became silent is because of the person next to me that I grew up with thinks about me in this way.
Speaker 2:Then how am I going to be able to sit there and be the best leader that I can be? And so I stayed in the shadows for a while because of that, and he apologized, you know, but it was something that did change my life and it's one of those things of do you stay there or you don't stay there, and so if I stay there, then I'm going to accept being mediocre versus accepting that I'm not Right, and so, and it's just like certain things, um, that goes in there and there's some career things that's tied to it, um, but we all go through ups downs. You know the peaks and valleys of life, and so, um, I've been writing this book since 2018. There's parts I've been going up and down and then it got to a point of I need to just go ahead and do it Right, and my voice is important and no longer needs to be silent.
Speaker 1:Your voice is important and absolutely, absolutely. Everybody needs to hear your voice. You're inspirational and you know there's a moment we talk about this concept of victimhood and you know there's this concept of the drama triangle and we talk about, you know, the moment you're in an accident. God forbid. Yeah, of course you're a victim, but will you live that way for the rest of your life? Or will you say, nope, time to take charge. I can't always be a victim, right, and that's what you did. Yeah.
Speaker 2:No, I thank you for that. It was so funny, as I was, I had dinner with Derek from Life Guides and, as we were sitting there, I said I don't want to be known for what I said, right, and just for the viewers. One of the things I mentioned is that I was raped in the military and I was working and corporate is at the time as well too and so I shared that with a couple of other things of HR really not being seen when things take place. And so I talked about COVID and you know everything that's associated with that, and so, as I'm sitting there with Derek, I didn't want to be known for the person that talked about rape and Um, and he, he looked at me and he said what's wrong with that, right, and his thing is you're not a victim, you know pretty much. And um, yeah, it gave me power, you know, to be a hundred percent honest. And um, I said okay, to the point that, um, I told my CEO. I said there are times that I'm not OK. I'm trying not to cry on this one. So I said it happened around my birthday and I said I just need you to know that if I'm telling you that I'm not OK, I need to kind of just go home, right, and you know, do whatever it is, or I'm not coming in, or whatever it was. I would have never done that if it wasn't me saying it out loud and taking back my power. And I'm OK with saying I'm not OK today and I'm okay with being, you know, happy and all this other good stuff.
Speaker 2:But what I realized is, when I'm going through those trauma, you know type of feelings or thoughts, I instantly go out to help people. I don't know what that is or whatever it is, but that's my way of coping with it. And it was, it was, it was something you know, but it doesn't define me and it it took me, um, it was okay. You know, if I, if I go through that, it's because I thought it would be like a negative connotation on me. Right, it's just like okay, now that's the stigma that's tied to me like the scarlet letter and it just, it's just not. You know, um, and I'm okay, I'm okay with it from sharing that, that piece of the story, and I've shared it with my team and and my team my team understands and gets it. And the reason why I shared it with my team is.
Speaker 2:When I was working for someone at a different organization on my birthday, they knew I love Hello Kitty, so they decorated my whole office with Hello Kitty and I was I mean, it was absolutely gorgeous and you know, I was really excited about it. But I took everything down and I made them feel that I didn't like it and it wasn't that I just wasn't celebrating my birthday at that time. So now it's one of those things that I celebrate my birthday and and I'm intentional about it, you know, and how I'm doing it and making sure I'm in a good headspace as I go through but I don't want anybody to feel that I'm not appreciative of what they've done because I went in shutdown mode, so and that's what I've done and it's been.
Speaker 2:It's actually it's been really beautiful, to be honest, you know where you can sit there and say I'm not, I'm not in the the the best mode right now, right as I'm getting in there, and but I will bounce back and I mean I don't stay there long, which is a beautiful thing. But when you allow people to see just that little piece of you, you know you don't have to go into a long you know discussion or whatever it is, but it gives people a little bit understanding of who you are versus. Oh, she's standoffish, or she's closed off, or you know, whatever that may be, or she's rude, right. So it's one of those just like no, I'm not having a good day today, or, you know, things are great. But I think that's when we talk about being authentic, what that looks like a little bit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so look. First of all, thank you for sharing what you shared with us and for your just incredible openness and vulnerability. Second of all, thank you for the incredible example you're setting for just the notion that doesn't have power over me anymore. Once I've let it out, it doesn't have power over me anymore. I love that. And then I want to just ask how did your team respond? How did your team respond when you shared something so difficult with them?
Speaker 2:I got tears from everyone and you know so it was interesting is because every single one of them said we thought you were strong, right, and not in a negative way, but it was a positive way of seeing that and it allowed them to be vulnerable and the fact that you know I actually care about them. I earned more of their respect, you know, because I've done that, and one of the things I will say that has been really great about the whole thing is a lot of them actually all of them have excelled and a lot of them are just like wherever you go, I would love to work for you, type of thing, and when people feel seen, it goes a long way and so it's been. Rewarding on that side is the fact that I see them as human beings and I don't see them as machines, but I started off with myself right and allowing them to see me, and that I don't have all the answers, but we'll figure it out together, you know. So that's that's so. That's been really, really good.
Speaker 1:Well, listen, that is a leadership lesson for the ages and Daritha, you are incredible as always, and thank you again from the bottom of my heart for joining us and just for being a part of my life, because you have certainly enriched it very much. So thank you again. You could follow the Heart of Business podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Also, podcast reviews have a real impact on a podcast's visibility, so if you enjoyed today's episode, please leave a review to help others find the show. Finally, you could find all our episodes at internationalfacilitatorsorganizationcom. Thanks again for listening and have a great day.
