Transcript

Embracing People-First Approach for Thriving Workplaces | Bred to Lead #002

From YouTube Channel UCNFpdzMKNcVkP3kn1x1lXMw · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 32 min · 4,923 words · 30 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Embracing People-First Approach for Thriving Workplaces | Bred to Lead #002", an episode of YouTube Channel UCNFpdzMKNcVkP3kn1x1lXMw published July 5, 2024 (32 min, about 4,923 words). It mentions 14 people, works and ideas, including Bread to Lead, People-First Leadership, 21st century, People First Result Second, I Believe I Can Fly.

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 5:00: People-First Leadership, 21st century, Bread to Lead
  2. – 15:00: I Believe I Can Fly, The Fearless Organization
  3. – 20:00: Jesus Christ, Servant leadership, The Wiz
  4. – 25:00: Shan Harris
  5. – 30:00: 21st century, People First Result Second, People-First Leadership, Scrub Ball
  6. – 32:25: Bread to Lead, 21st century, People First Result Second

Notable quotes from "Embracing People-First Approach for Thriving Workplaces | Bred to Lead #002"

  • Welcome back to bread to lead the podcast where we explore what it means to be a leader who puts people first I'm your host Dr Jake Taylor Jacobs and I'm thrilled to have you join me for another.
    about Bread to Lead · at
  • Right for me to sing it and I don't know if I can even say his name but it started I Believe I Can Fly think about the mic that I'm talking on right now somebody in their mind thought about it dared to be different and if I were to be quite.
    about I Believe I Can Fly · at
  • And experts in the field Amy edmanson a professor at Harvard Business School and the author of The Fearless organization has spent decades researching psychological safety and…
    about The Fearless Organization · at
  • It means being willing to be vulnerable I know y'all don't like to be showing people do y'all remember on The Wiz you can't win and you can't break even and you can't get out the game what were the what if the wiiz just.
    about The Wiz · at
  • Biblical podcast but I can't help the God that I serve when I started to study Christ I started to study people in Scripture that embodied what true servant leadership looked like I started to see the people who practice people first.
    about Jesus Christ · at
  • People who were once shy and reserved have become confident in vocal leaders Shan Harris is one of them she was quiet reserved didn't want to talk to anybody and I promise you…
    about Shan Harris · at
  • Friends and start a conversation about what it means to be a leader in the 21st century read books like mine people first result second and articles on the topic attend…
    about People First Result Second · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

Books & papers

Companies & orgs

  • Bread to Lead — Company · 3 mentions · first at
  • The Wiz — Company · 1 mention · first at
  • Scrub Ball — Company · 1 mention · first at
    First result second and articles on the topic attend workshops and conferences like scrub ball if you're in the healthcare and seek out mentors enroll models who embody these…

Products & tech

Concepts & topics

  • People-First Leadership — Concept · 3 mentions · first at
    Thrilled to have you join me for another Deep dive into the Art and Science of people first leadership in our last episode I shared my personal story and my journey of…
  • 21st century — Concept · 3 mentions · first at
    Life I also invited you to join me on the re quest to redefine what leadership means in the 21st century and to explore how we can create workplaces where everyone can Thrive…
  • Servant leadership — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Christ I started to study people in Scripture that embodied what true servant leadership looked like I started to see the people who practice people first leadership I realized how shortsighted and damaging this approach was of being.
  • Diversity and Inclusion — Concept · 1 mention
  • Project Aristotle — Concept · 1 mention

Full transcript with timestamps

welcome back to bread to lead the podcast where we explore what it means to be a leader who puts people first I'm your host Dr Jake Taylor Jacobs and I'm thrilled to have you join me for another Deep dive into the Art and Science of people first leadership in our last episode I shared my personal story and my journey of discovering the power of people first leadership and how it transformed my approach to business and life I also invited you to join me on the re quest to redefine what leadership means in the 21st century and to explore how we can create workplaces where everyone can Thrive and make their unique contribution today today we're going to take the exploration a step further by delving into the first key principle of people first leadership redefining leadership itself because the truth is the way we've traditionally thought about leadership is no no longer serving Us in today's fast-paced

everchanging world for too long leadership has been associated with authority control and individual heroics we've celebrated leaders who are decisive assertive and charismatic I ain't going to lie y'all I got a little bit of Charisma I got a little bit of drip in my dip a little walk in my talk Dr Jake just got it y'all and the thought is that as a leader you have all the answers and can single-handedly steer the organization to success but as the world has become more complex interconnected and unpredictable this model of leadership has started to break down in a world where change is the only constant where problems are too big for any one person to solve and where the most valuable assets are knowledge in creativity we need a new kind of leader we need leaders who are adaptable collaborative and emotionally intelligent leaders who can Inspire and Empower others rather than just directing and controlling them leaders

who are more focused on asking the right questions than having all of the answers themselves and most importantly leaders who put their people first recognize izing that the key to success lies in unleashing the full potential of every individual y'all I sounded like Martin Luther King or something right there didn't I sounded good right there but in fact that's the absolute truth we need people that are willing to change the way that we see leadership as a whole matter of fact if I were to be honest with you if you were to think about the biggest organizations all over the world one thing that you're going to have to see is how bad their collapse were I'm talking about and they're bad usually people like to stay inside of organizations as long as everything is thriving but what happens to the organizations when excuse my French sh hit the fan now if you know it's mean you know exactly what I'm talking about

when stuff hits the fan you can tell the type of leader that that person is based on what people do when crap hits the wall I'm going to be honest with you unfortunately I dealt with some moments in my life where I thought I was a great leader and then when crap hit the wall everybody left with the crap and not a lot of people stayed and so I had to adapt in a bunch of different ways to be able to see leadership in a different way more in a human way like a servant toe Type of Way servanthood Godlike to where I looked at people for the heart and the humans that they were and the more I realize the more that I P ped into people's heart more that I saw their potential I was emotionally connected to them now one thing I will tell you is to never get too involved in people's personal situations because all of a sudden you going to be they answer to all they issues and unless you want to be a

pastor step up out of that send them to a counselor or Pastor because that ain't what you are you're not that but this shift in leadership is backed up by a growing body of research and evidence Studies have shown that companies with more diverse and inclusive leadership teams are more Innovative and financially successful the employees who feel valued supported and empowered are more engaged productive and loyal there's an emphasis on loyalty and that leaders and those leaders who prioritize Trust transparency and psychological safety create cultures where people can take risks learn from failures and Achieve breakthrough results yeah I'm about to tell y'all a little secret that y'all don't know depending on who I talk to my name is not Dr Jake I'm Dr jakisha now I know it sounds a little funny like how can this upright strong masculine man that calls himself a great leader call himself jakisha it just depends on who

I'm talking to I may be jakisha to the ladies in my organization and I may be a that man to the fellas it just depends on who I need to be to make them feel safe mentally emotionally and spiritually to be able to open up their hearts to me and whatever I can do to add value to their life I will be that as long as it doesn't supersede my time and my energy to be who I am and as long as it doesn't deter or take away from the value or my leadership capability within the organization these are the things that you have to imagine and understand you have to be more than just your position in order to lead people to transformation and this is the key when it comes to leadership at its core when people leave you are they better when they leave you as a whole or are they just better skill set wise because if they're just better skill set wise they're always going to be trying to look for an opportunity to

make more money somewhere else or look for the next best thing because your opport has ran out but when you open up and you lead now I did not say tell them that you're family or that we're we're together or we're best friends we're going to go to the end of the Earth that's not your job as a leader to decide if they're going to be here to the end it is your job to assess where they are as a holistic human being and be there to give some give them support or invest in their support you don't have to be the end all be all but as a leader leading organization you need to find resources finances money or opportunities that your team can get access to information and people that are much larger than you or that can bring a different type of capability or different type of value to your team so they can grow as a holistic person there's nothing worse than dealing with somebody that's extremely skilled but

they suck with emotions or they suck with common sense or they suck with spiritual connection there's nothing worse than finding and working with somebody extremely talented that's disconnected from the world those are the things that we have to really focus on and we have to actually hold on Michael Jackson said go on and make a change what he said for once in my life yeah hold on gotta feel real good gotta make a difference gonna make it right he said cuz I turn up the corner on my favorite do and world is changing my mind he said you got to look in the mirror okay my voice may not be that good however you do get the point don't you you got to look in the mirror and look at you first and ask yourself am I everything that I should be matter of fact ask yourself this if I were in the shoes of the people I want to look up at up to me am I the best example that I could be or am I just the better the

best example that they can see uh-oh are you the best example that you could be or are you just the best example that they can see because depending upon the perspective or the lens of the person looking up to you will determine that your real value and these are the things that we have to understand as we continue to grow Studies have shown that companies that have more diverse and inclusive leadership teams are more Innovative already said this and financially successful Studies have proven this and so we have to do a better job at understanding that we have to create a world and a culture where people can actually learn from failures and we appreciate breaking through ceilings so that we can get to better results seeing life from a different lens one of the most compelling pieces of research on this topic come from Google's famous project the Aristotle study for those who aren't familiar back

in 2012 Google embarked on a quest to discover the secrets of effective teamwork they analyzed data from about 180 teams across the company looking at everything from personality traits to skill sets to social habits and emotional Norms what they found was extremely surprising guess what they found let me see let me see let me see let me see let me see let me see let me see what see you know what they found they found that the most successful teams weren't necessarily the ones with the smartest people or the most harmonious relationships instead the key factor was psychological safety the belief that you can take risks and be vulnerable in front of each other without fear of punishment or embarrassment think about this think about the classes when you were in school that you participated the most in want those teachers open to anyone's ideas no matter how crazy crazy it was no matter how crazy your answer

was they were like that ain't quite it and you went absolutely the opposite way but I can see where you're going it didn't destroy the thought that you felt like man I added value they embrac the fact that you said something they just kind of told you it was wrong in a different way most of the companies that we think about now let me take a little communion break most of the companies that we think about or even the organizations that we create we think that we have to be it's about business it's about order we can't let people know we drink liquor we can't let people know that we indulge we have to be straight about the paper No Gray areas only black and white I used to be that way but guess what happens when you're in an environment that is like that you create an environment that's not safe for people to create and Innovation and change within any industry is open to creativity and creation Mo some of the

most beautiful things that we enjoy today first started with an idea with joy with laughter with passion it started with things that came from this place of of imagination imagine the plane that we ride in that came from somebody's IDE idea that we could fly well I wanted to sing a song but I don't know if it's right for me to sing it and I don't know if I can even say his name but it started I Believe I Can Fly think about the mic that I'm talking on right now somebody in their mind thought about it dared to be different and if I were to be quite honest it is kind of sad to see people with so much potential that want to be creative that just wants to live they get caught up in this Cog of a machine they're a cog in a machine stuck in this Loop of being like what they see that sucks the people that create change are the people that look at what they see and they dare to think of a different

world a different organization a different way of living now order is ired so everything is with reason but think about the last time you stopped dreaming and why was that think about the last time you stopped believing and why was that think about the last time you believed in yourself and why was that the true art of leadership is to first lead yourself the second piece of leadership is to decide where you are leading you these are the things that matter most and when this study was done this is what they saw the best teams were the ones where people felt safe to speak up to challenge ideas to admit mistakes and to ask for help where there was a shared sense of trust respect and belonging where the leader role was not to have all of the answers but to create a create the conditions for everyone to contribute their best thinking and work this finding was echoed by other studies and experts in the field Amy edmanson a

professor at Harvard Business School and the author of The Fearless organization has spent decades researching psychological safety and its impact on learning Innovation and performance matter of fact in her work she found that psychological safety or psychological safe places workplaces are not just happier and healthier but it's also more adaptable and successful when people feel safe to take risks and speak up they're more likely to identify and solve problems to come up with creative ideas and learn from their failures When leaders prioritize TI psychological safety they create a virtuous cycle of trust engagement in continuous Improvement but creating psychological safety is easier said than done isn't it it requires a fundamental shift in how we think about leadership and power it means letting go of the ego and the need to be right all the time it means being willing to be vulnerable

I know y'all don't like to be showing people do y'all remember on The Wiz you can't win and you can't break even and you can't get out the game what were the what if the wiiz just told people he didn't have all the answers way he wouldn't have felt so naked when they exposed them being vulnerable is true strength it shows people that you're willing to say what you don't know and what you don't have so they can see the human side of you so the things that you do know that you're confident in they can back you 1,00% it's okay to admit when we don't have all the answers it means creating a culture where everyone feels valued respected and heard this is something I've had to learn the hard way in my own leader leadership journey early on I thought being a leader meant projecting an image of strength and confidence and infallibility matter of fact I never smiled I didn't laugh I didn't chuckle I

was just like whatever face you just imagine you wrong for that but that's how I was I was quick to shut down opinions and take credit for successes while blaming others for our failures but as I start started to study I told y I don't mean for this to be a Biblical podcast but I can't help the God that I serve when I started to study Christ I started to study people in Scripture that embodied what true servant leadership looked like I started to see the people who practice people first leadership I realized how shortsighted and damaging this approach was of being aggressive always having the answers looking for results only first I wanted to know how can we get to the results now right now bring me the paper right now and I didn't think about the damage that it was bringing to the people that were involved in my organization and the mentality of what was being created that results mattered

more than integrity and doing right by the people that we served I remember one pivotal moment when I was leading a high stakes project we had a major roadblock instead of trying to fix it myself or aign blame I called a team meeting and simply asked what are we missing what do we need to do differently to get back on track and at first there was this uncomfortable silence because people were starting to be like okay he trying to set us up he trying to fire us and I don't want to say nothing but then one by one guess what happened people started to speak and they started to speak up they shared ideas I never considered they pointed out flaws in our approach and offered to take on new responsibilities by the end of this meeting we had a brand new plan in A Renewed sense of commitment and excitement y'all I was behooved because the people that started to speak up were the people I was like

if I only had a brain like on the whiz I didn't know if they actually had a brain I didn't know if they had a brain I thought they were just a scarecrow but that also showed my shortsightedness as a leader y'all for the first time I saw some of our most pessimistic staff light up with joy when I finally just considered their perspective that experience taught me the power of leading with questions instead of answers of creating a space where everyone feels safe to control attribute their thoughts and ideas end of trusting in the collective wisdom and the creativity of the team since then it's been my priority to make psychological safety a top priority in my leadership practice I start every team meeting by reminding people that there are no stupid questions or bad ideas matter of fact we start our meetings talking about gratitude what are you most grateful for I regularly show share my own failures

and vulnerabilities and I encourage others to do the same I make it a point of publicly acknowledging and appreciating people's contributions even when they challenge my own thinking and can I tell y'all something as a leader nothing boils your behind more than somebody boiling your behind telling you what you was wrong what they saw what they see and you immediately want to justify yourself but the moment that you try to justify will be the moment that they clam up because at the end of the day you control their fate of having a job or not having a job and I didn't want an environment where people were scared to speak up I needed to find a way to help them be psychologically safe but at the same time start steering them in the right way of providing me data and information that I needed for them to support their opinions but the first step is psychological safety and what it did was it forced me to say if I'm going to

bring an idea before my team let me be the most research and data driven when I bring it so if they have ideas and they poke holes in it I can provide Solutions and reasons why it's going to work despite what they say or despite what their push back is and you would be surprised how much more stronger our offers became how much more stronger our position in the market became when we thought of things that way the results have been transformative I've seen my teams become more Innovative adaptable and resilient I've saw individuals blossom in ways I've never could have imagined people who were once shy and reserved have become confident in vocal leaders Shan Harris is one of them she was quiet reserved didn't want to talk to anybody and I promise you today there's not a day that goes by she don't get on my behind about something and I get mad like Dam I gave her a little bit too much power but seeing her develop and grow

and get confident in her abilities that's what you're here to do leaders true leaders create leaders true millionaires create millionaires people who are truly impactful create people who are truly impactful if you are one of one within your mix and of your world you're not doing what you're supposed to do as a leader to grow and develop people therefore you're going to have an organization that lives and dies with your decisions and can I tell you something God is God alone to do that you can't carry people's burdens you can help the load you can help them carry it just a little bit but they have to be able to have the skill sets and the power and the strength to carry it on their own people who were stuck in their ways have embraced new skill sets and approaches now what I will tell you people who are stuck in their ways they GNA find every way to stay stuck but it's your resilience of collaboration praising

when they step out their sell and they going to look at you crazy like what he got up his sleeve what she trying to do but you have to be patient enough to understand that most people are not used to having leaders that actually care about their disposition that care about their changes and that sees the little things that they do to try to buy into to the full system and you as a leader have to be so people focused that you see every even even the smaller changes because isn't that what God does with you he Embraces you and gives you blessings and gives you anointing just for the small things that you do it's not even the biggest things these are the smallest things and it's absolutely amazing and the people who were disengaged and apathetic have become passionate advocates for our mission and our values of course creating a psychologically safe workplace is not a onetime event it's an ongoing process

you have to think about it every day now I'm not telling you just to take people's dumb ideas now we can't do that but what we can do we can teach them how to bring ideas to the table train them on how to get data to back their feelings and emotions so when they come to the table with a feeling or an emotion it's systematically shown to them how to bring their emotions and back and here's the thing here's the thing here's the thing here's the thing here's the thing once you show people how to take their emotions and try to find data that backs it you're actually going to find out that a lot of people are going to realize they're more emotional than data driven and you're not even going to deal with a lot of the issues that you used to deal with it's an ongoing thing it requires consistent effort attention and Leadership it's not always easy especially in the face of stress conflict EX external pressures and

financial loss but the payoff is more than worth it when we create workplaces where people feel safe valued and empowered we unleash a wave of human potential that can transform organizations and communities past our imagination we build trust Foster Innovation and inspire a sense of meaning and purpose that goes beyond just making a profit what good is being a profitable company if everyone hates each other and it's looking to undermine each other and and take advantage of each other and trying to find what's next or what's the next up how can I circumvent the system to make myself look better but honestly caring about people isn't that what leadership is really about not just achieving short-term goals and metrics but making a positive and lasting impact on lives of others not just being a boss or a manager being a mentor a coach and a servant to those we lead not just wielding power and authority but

empowering and uplifting others to reach their full potential that's the kind of leadership I aspire to practice and promote through this podcast even through my companies a leadership that puts people first that creates psychologically safe environments and that redefin success in terms of well-being in growth of every individual holistically I truly believe that this kind of leadership is needed now more than ever in a world that is becoming increasingly divided disconnected and uncertain we need leaders who can bring us together who can help us navigate complexity who can Inspire us to be our best selves we need leaders who are willing to challenge the status quo to stand up for what's right and to create a much more just Equitable and sustainable future for all leaders who are not afraid to be vulnerable to admit their mistakes and to keep learning and growing and most importantly leaders who

put their people first who measure their success by the positive impact they have on others this is the leadership Revolution and I believe we are in the midst of it I'm committed to being a part of it and I hope that by listening to this podcast you will be inspired to join me in this Revolution and to become the type of leader and the kind of leader our world so desperately needs so as we wrap up this episode I want to leave you with a few key takeaways and action steps one reflect on your own leadership style and mindset are you more focused on having the answers or asking the right question on projecting strength or being vulnerable on achieving results or empowering others take an honest assessment of where you are and where you want to be number two start practicing psychological safety in your own team and organizations Begin by sharing your own failures and vulnerabilities remember

you ain't got to be Jesus he already died for encourage others to do the same make it clear that there is no shame in making mistakes or asking for help and that everyone's voice and perspective is valued in weighed some may be weighed a little bit more heavily than others but we will take the opinion box create a regular space for people to give and receive feedback and to challenge ideas in a constructive way number three educate yourself and others about the importance of psychological safety and people first leadership share this podcast with your colleagues and friends and start a conversation about what it means to be a leader in the 21st century read books like mine people first result second and articles on the topic attend workshops and conferences like scrub ball if you're in the healthcare and seek out mentors enroll models who embody these principles and lastly look for opportunities to be a

people first leader in your own life and work whether you're leading a team a project or just your own career make a commitment to putting people first and creating psychological Safety Stand Up For What You Believe in don't be soft even when it's difficult and most importantly never stop learning growing and pushing yourself to be the best leader that you can be I know that this kind of leadership isn't always easy it requires confidence courage humility and perseverance but I also know that it is deeply fulfilling and that it has the power to change lives and transform this world so I invite you to join me on this journey of redefining leadership for the 21st century to put your people first create PS psychological safety and to unleash the full potential of every every individual to be the leader who inspires empowers and uplifts others and who leaves a legacy a positive impact and change thank you for listening to

this episode of bread to lead hope you found it valuable and inspiring I look forward to contining this conversation with you if you have any questions comments or feedback please do not hesitate to reach out to me through our website or social media channels and if you haven't already subscribe like follow and share this to somebody that really needs this information until next time remember that leadership it's not about perfection but about progress It's about having the courage to be vulnerable to admit your mistakes and to keep learning and growing and most importantly it's about putting your people first and creating a world where everyone can Thrive and make their unique contribution so go out there lead with your heart your mind and your soul the world needs more people first leaders like you and if you don't have it already go on and go get people first result second and I'll see you on the

next episode of bread to lead peace

Questions about this episode

What is discussed in "Embracing People-First Approach for Thriving Workplaces | Bred to Lead #002"?

In order: 0:00 People-First Leadership, 21st century, Bread to Lead; 10:00 I Believe I Can Fly, The Fearless Organization; 15:00 Jesus Christ, Servant leadership, The Wiz; 20:00 Shan Harris; 25:00 21st century, People First Result Second, People-First Leadership, Scrub Ball; 30:00 Bread to Lead, 21st century, People First Result Second.

What is mentioned in this YouTube Channel UCNFpdzMKNcVkP3kn1x1lXMw episode?

14 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Bread to Lead, People-First Leadership, 21st century, People First Result Second, I Believe I Can Fly, The Fearless Organization. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Embracing People-First Approach for Thriving Workplaces | Bred to Lead #002"?

The episode runs 32 min; the transcript is about 4,923 words in 30 timestamped sections.

More from YouTube Channel UCNFpdzMKNcVkP3kn1x1lXMw

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated November 19, 2025.