Wake Up Eager Workforce 
Episode 112 Transcript

Suzie Price: [00:00:00]
Hi there. Today I'm talking with HUB International Senior Vice President of People, Strategy and Culture. Her name is Amy Lugar. You are going to want to tune in today if you want to learn from a people and culture pro, because that is what Amy is. And as you listen to this episode and learn from Amy, you're going to see and feel what it looks like to be a great match for your role. So we always talk about job fit. Well, Amy is a perfect match for what she's doing, and you're going to be inspired by her example and hear many encouraging insights. I can't wait to share it with you. Michael. Hit it!

Intro: [00:00:38]
Welcome to the Wake Up Eager Workforce Podcast, a show designed for leaders, trainers and consultants who are responsible for employee selection and professional development. Each episode is packed full with insider tips, best practices, expert interviews and inspiration. Please welcome the host who is helping Leaders, trainers and consultants everywhere Suzie Price.

Suzie Price: [00:01:08]
Hi there. This is Suzie and you're listening to the Wake Up Eager Workforce Podcast. Here at this podcast, we cover everything related to helping senior leaders and internal and external consultants create a high commitment, low drama, wake up eager workforce. Bottom line we help leaders and organizations make good decisions about their people. We help organizations create a wake up eager workforce. And that means on Sunday night, the people who work for and with you, if you have a wake up eager workforce, aren't sad that they have to go to work the next day. They're a good fit for their role. They want to do the work that needs to be done. They feel respected and appreciated by their leaders. They know what's expected of them. Wake up eager workforce creates a great life for each individual who gets to live this, and it creates a very productive and successful business. And we have lots of research from lots of different types of surveys that help us understand that when you have somebody who's a good fit and they enjoy coming to work every day, they're six times more likely to be committed to the work, and they're three times more likely to say they have a high quality life. So we love being a part of this work. We love that you've tuned in. I love this interview with Amy Lugar, and I'm so happy that I get to share it with you.

Suzie Price: [00:02:29]
This is episode 112, and the title of today's episode is Life and Work Is About Impacting Others. Don't be relationship lazy. Hmm, that's a good insight, right? Don't be relationship lazy. We're going to talk about that and how we can make sure that we're impacting others. The tracker link is that catchy phrase. So if you want to find the show notes, you want to get some of the links to some of the things that I mentioned and that we talk about, go to pricelessprofessional.com/relationshiplazy. It's all one word pricelessprofessional.com/relationshiplazy for the transcript. So you can read the transcript. You can download it. You can get links. Here's what we're covering today. We talk about how leaders can combat disengagement in the workplace. Maybe you have some people who are not involved and they're not enthused and they're actively disengaged or they're actively or quietly quitting. How can we combat that? How leaders can balance appreciation and course correction conversations. That is always a tricky, tricky thing to find that balance. Am I appreciating enough? Am I helping them correct enough? And we we go into some detail around that. We talk about the key factors in finding the right people for the right seats in an organization, what motivates individuals to be the best they can be in their career. And we do our Wake Up Eager Strengths segment, so you get to learn about Amy's top strengths in regard to what motivates her.

Suzie Price: [00:04:03]
We have a fun conversation around that and we talk about how we can overcome our potential "overdo's" of our strengths. So we all have strengths. We need to know what they are. We do our strengths a lot because it's what we're comfortable with, what is natural to us, and so always understanding, okay, I'm going to use my strengths consciously because that's going to help me be successful. And then I'm also going to be more successful because I'll be able to catch it when I overdo the things that I'm really good at. And we all have those, well, sometimes we call them blind spots.

Suzie Price: [00:04:32]
Let me tell you a little bit about Amy's background. She's a seasoned professional with a wealth of experience in the Human Resources and in the insurance industry. She's currently serving as a Senior Vice President of People Strategy for the Southern Region or the South Region at HUB International. HUB International is an amazing company I have the good fortune to work with, and I get to work with people like Amy. It's an amazing group of people. So you'll learn more about HUB International as well during this conversation. Amy is SHRM Certified as a Senior Certified Professional in Human Resources. She's got a really strong background in Human Resources. Over 12 years at HUB, and has had other professional positions in this field.

Suzie Price: [00:05:17]
She also has a Master's of Science, Industrial and Organizational Psychology degree from the University of Tennessee and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Winthrop University. She brings a unique blend of expertise, insight, and dedication to everything she does. In her current role at HUB International, she's entrusted with maintaining the happiness of her employees, keeping people productive whether it's through ensuring low burnout rates, creating a work environment employees look forward to, or benefits and everything that goes into keeping people interested and involved in the work. She leverages her extensive industry knowledge and collaborative approach to drive results and exceed expectations. She has a lot of dedication to her profession, which you're going to hear about, and that combined with her commitment to employee and client satisfaction and continuous improvement makes her a super valuable person on the HUB International leadership team. She's a true industry expert. She's driven by it and you'll sense it and feel it. This genuine desire to make a positive impact in the lives of others. Also, Amy lives in Charleston, South Carolina. I'm from South Carolina, so I always feel a personal connection with her because I grew up in Columbia, South Carolina. I'm very familiar with Charleston, so it's just a pleasure to have her on the show. Let's go to this fun and interesting interview with Amy now.

Suzie Price: [00:06:43]
Welcome, Amy. I'm so glad you're here.

Amy Lugar: [00:06:45]
Hey, Suzie, I'm so glad to be here. Thank you.

Suzie Price: [00:06:47]
Thank you for agreeing to share your wisdom with us today. We're going to kick it off by talking about employee engagement. And what we often see is, we have this concept that of quiet quitting or sometimes it's loud quitting where people are still on the job, but they're unhappy. So they're either doing the minimum or they're doing the minimum and they're being loud about it. They're unhappy. Especially on social media and things like that today. What are your thoughts about that? What are the three mistakes that leaders make that contribute to that? And what can they do to turn around somebody that's quiet quitting or loud quitting?

Amy Lugar: [00:07:22]
Yeah, it's a great question, Suzie. And it's funny, even though some of these things that pop up in our world as buzzwords really aren't new concepts, they're just something kind of rebranded. There's a lot of, I think, tried and true methods that our best leaders use to combat this disengagement. If I were to say the the number one issue that I see leaders make is that you can't just be task driven and relationship lazy. You have to recognize and understand the importance of relationships and people and those people relationships are more important now than I really think they ever have been. When I think about our best leaders and what they're doing to to combat this quiet quitting aspect is they're really focused on engagement and connectivity. And those sound like high level concepts. Okay. So what does that really mean? What am I saying when I say they're focused on engagement and connectivity? I think there's three categories that I see leaders excelling at when I break that down. And it's knowing your people. Really know your people. Not know what they're logged in and completing and how many emails they send or activities they completed.

Amy Lugar: [00:08:37]
But knowing what their goals and their dreams are, and then supporting them and helping create opportunities for them to achieve those dreams. The second aspect of that, I think, is being involved and that's really understanding their roles. And I don't mean the nitty gritty or the day to day technical details of the role. I mean, the bigger picture stuff like know when your folks are struggling, be there to coach them and guide them and know about their wins so we can recognize and celebrate them. And, Suzie, I think the third thing that really kind of wraps all this up for me, where I see our leaders really excelling with employee engagement, is consistent and transparent communication. Such an intentional focus on making sure people understand where they fit, that they're well informed about the business they're building trust with their team. They know that, gosh, I know where we're headed, and I know we're in it together. And I know my place on the journey. It just keeps that kind of individual and collective team connections really strong.

Suzie Price: [00:09:37]
That's great. I love the three aspects because it covers kind of the structure, the task and the person. While the whole time the person's being thought of top of mind.

Amy Lugar: [00:09:50]
Yeah. It's just a little bit of a shift. It's kind of an old school way of thinking now to be just so focused on the work. We've got to get the work done through people. We just can't ignore that.

Suzie Price: [00:10:01]
No, no. And people have spoken and they continue to speak with their turnover and their loud quitting and quietly quitting. And the recent Gallup study for 2022, I think, says that 51% are accepting offers or open to offers, either actively looking or open. That's pretty high number. And their research pretty is pretty solid.

Amy Lugar: [00:10:25]
You can't be reductive and win in this space. You've got to build it into your culture. So they don't take the call in the first place.

Suzie Price: [00:10:31]
Yes. People can underestimate that. I love the language of you can't be relationship lazy. What if you're not someone who that comes natural to. So we're going to talk about style later on, but you and I are both the kind of people who are active by nature. We like this part. But what if someone, they like people, they care about people, they're good to people, but that's not their top strength. What would be one thing that they could do tomorrow that maybe they haven't been doing if they've grown relationship lazy. What would you say?

Amy Lugar: [00:11:11]
It really is the simple things. I don't think it's rocket science. If I think about folks that aren't necessarily as motivated, go back into my, my TriMetrix that you've taught me. If they're not necessarily as motivated by relationships and connectivity, maybe they're motivated by learning and curiosity. Okay. So I want to know what's on the plate. I'm going to pick up the phone and just check in and say, what are you working on today? How can I help you today? Find something to connect over that meets your same sense of purpose as a leader. People don't connect over the same things, and I think that's okay.

Suzie Price: [00:11:44]
Yeah, just reach out. Just do it.

Amy Lugar: [00:11:45]
Just reach out.

Suzie Price: [00:11:46]
Pick up the phone, just reach out. And I think the other thing is one simple thing is appreciating something verbally. A lot of times people in their mind will think, oh, that was a really good job. Did you stop and maybe pick up the phone? Which would make it different too, wouldn't it? As opposed to email? Hey, good job, you know. But maybe you call and say, hey, you know, when you did so and so that was really good.

Amy Lugar: [00:12:08]
You know that that really is smart, Suzie. Because there is something it's almost kind of lost. We have to really rethink about everything we're doing in our post-Covid world. There's a lot less person to person communication. And we really are hungry for something that feels much more genuine and connected. Something as simple as instead of sending a quick email and then off to my next task, I'm going to not be relationship lazy. I'm going to pick up the phone. It might take me just a second longer, but the impact of that is so much more than the impact of the email. And it kind of comes back to you too, because when I get an email back, that makes me feel good. But when I hear that person's excitement on the other end too, from the recognition fills my bucket back up, and then I'm kind of recharged.

Suzie Price: [00:12:55]
Ready to go. Some of the loneliness studies, i don't know if you've seen any of that, but like 82% of all employees are feeling lonely, but they're not going to tell you about it. You'd never know. They may seem like the same old Suzie or the same old Amy. She's fine, but they're not going to talk about it. Right. And so we are just realizing that a lot of people are feeling disconnected.

Amy Lugar: [00:13:18]
And it's just the little things that can make a difference.

Suzie Price: [00:13:21]
Okay. Great. I love that you pointed all that out. And we're not going to be relationship lazy at all. That's right. And one thing I've noticed about HUB now I'm on the outside looking in very much on the outside, but I see all the LinkedIn and I get to communicate with your team and see things that are going on there. And it feels like that HUB is a big company, but they do a lot of small company things that are about appreciation, which we just talked about. How does such a big organization create this kind of culture? How does that happen? I think it's amazing. And your view on that, what some of the critical elements are, because I think you generally do this well. And then let's just talk a little bit more about appreciation and course correction. But let's just talk about HUB as a culture. What do you think? How does it happen?

Amy Lugar: [00:14:12]
Wow, what a great compliment Suzie. That's really awesome to hear. HUB and HUBs leadership, HUBs values. I mean, they really are like no place I've ever encountered or worked at before. So I love hearing your outside perspective too. And you're not truly an outsider. You've been with so many of our leadership teams. So I appreciate what you're recognizing there, because I do think it's a very special company. We kind of joke sometimes that we're the biggest small company you'll ever work for. That's kind of our joke. That's kind of a big part of our secret sauce. If you stop and think about it, you don't feel like a a cog. And oh my gosh, Suzie, we now have over like, 18,000 and counting employees. And you don't feel like one of 18,000. Our leaders feel really strongly in keeping our folks engaged and connected with our company, connected with each other, our clients, and just overall our mission. The connectivity piece is so important to us. We also try really hard here. I've felt it myself. I feel it with other folks I talk to, to empower people not only to just do the right thing for each other, for our clients, but also empowering people to grow their own path to help support the growth of the company. It's hard to describe, but it's a really cool organization full of people who really care about each other and the work we're doing, and because we are so heavy in growth mode, there's all kinds of opportunity that you can take advantage of here. And I think all of those really positive aspects and then leaders that have very strong values and really care about employees and make employee focused decisions, all of that comes together into something really special.

Suzie Price: [00:15:57]
It is a special sauce. I really agree with that. And I was so surprised when I first started working with you all how entrepreneurial you are. But then I began to understand. How you do a lot of mergers and acquisitions of brokerage firms. So that makes sense. So you're acquiring companies who are already kind of that individualistic entrepreneurial, and you haven't while you bring them in the fold. You kept that alive. That's big. That's important.

Amy Lugar: [00:16:24]
It's not like franchising. It's not like we we go find the best mom and pop burger shop, and then we turn them into a McDonald's. You know, you don't do that.

Suzie Price: [00:16:32]
I've been in my business for a long time, but I worked in big companies as big or bigger than HUBs. So I had a certain perception as to what it was going to be like. And I'm pleasantly surprised all the time. You know, it's really neat. It's really neat. So the connectivity and the keeping people involved. And then the other thing that I heard that was a little new, but I see it is empowerment.

Amy Lugar: [00:16:55]
Yeah. I mean, gosh, just for example, in the past couple of years we've had and this is just one example of it, but when I'm close to it, because I'm involved in a lot of our diversity activities and employee groups, we have and I think I've talked to you before about the HUB Women's Network. That was our first employee resource group. And in the past couple of years, I should have counted before coming on to talk to you today, but I think we probably have 7 or 8 now employee groups that are getting started. And these aren't things that HR has on their goal list this year to open up two more employee groups. It's not coming from a department or from the top. It is employees saying, oh, okay, I have an opportunity here to create something. Our newest one is our Young Professionals Group.

Suzie Price: [00:17:40]
Nice.

Amy Lugar: [00:17:41]
And they're getting together. And these are employees that want to stand up and do something and get more involved and engaged with each other, help each other. So I think that's really cool. And such a positive health indicator of a culture. Also, yes. Like no matter where you are in the organization, you're feeling empowered. You can make a difference. You can get together and do something positive. You are not just your tasks that you do every day you are.

Suzie Price: [00:18:15]
Let's put that on a big billboard. You are not just your tasks.

Amy Lugar: [00:18:19]
That's right.

Suzie Price: [00:18:22]
I'll write that down because it's like that is so simply said. But it's like, yeah, if you can get that across.

Amy Lugar: [00:18:28]
You know what you made me think of? We should say you are more than your to do list.

Suzie Price: [00:18:34]
YES! There we go. And you know, there are so many studies, like the Harvard study where they follow 8000 people for, I don't know, 20 years. And so what do they need the most? What makes them thrive? And the biggest thing was a sense of connectivity. Connecting to people feeling like they belong a sense of belonging for example, for that group. Some people are head it up and then they'll have meetings and then every quarter and they just kind of figure it out. It's not like a set template. And maybe somebody from Human Resources kind of helping it along. Is that how it works?

Amy Lugar: [00:19:08]
It is. So they're still in their planning phase and kind of getting what they want their mission to be with how they want to interact together and kind of grow and recruit. But we have someone who who heads up diversity, equity, inclusion and community for us here at HUB, and he helps guide. But then he also is very great about helping connect all of our employee groups so that it's groups helping each other, like ones that might have been around longer, like HUB Women's Network, and talking to those folks who kind of pioneered in some of these areas, help our new groups. So it's it's really a lovely thing because it also builds in some mentorship and allyship. It's a lot of fun.

Suzie Price: [00:19:46]
Yeah. And it speaks all to squashing this sense of loneliness. Yes. All to ownership and empowerment. Yeah. That's fantastic.

Amy Lugar: [00:19:57]
Yeah. And I love that the groups are helping each other because it also focuses on the inclusivity aspect of diversity and focusing on the things we want to accomplish together and celebrating our uniqueness and our differences.

Suzie Price: [00:20:09]
Yeah, that is awesome. Talk a little bit about appreciation and course correction. We have to do both. And that is the biggest leadership challenge in the world is, oh, I can't appreciate them if they're not doing very well. I've got to always just talk about what they're doing wrong or, you know, they're my great person. So I can't tell them what they're doing wrong. You know? So trying to find that balance is an ongoing leadership tool that is important. Talk a little bit about how you've learned to balance that or how you help others figure that out. What would you say?

Amy Lugar: [00:20:40]
I think if you're one of those leaders that has mastered what we were talking about before with trust, communication, knowing your employees, you're in a much better space to also give, to give feedback and to give feedback in a way that it's heard, because you've already built some trust there. But because you're right, we kind of do have to strike that balance between, uh, you know, it sounds like at HUB it's just an all out love fest.

Suzie Price: [00:21:05]
We still have to have these conversations.

Amy Lugar: [00:21:09]
We have to build in that accountability. So, you know, not only do we have that strong appreciation for each other that kind of binds us together, but there's also strong values and work ethic and strong goals that we have as a company. So we have to make sure that we're driving our accountability because there is definitely a bar of excellence at HUB. So I think our best leaders really master that through keeping in mind growth mindset and also making the assumptions that folks want to do a good job, I find that it's a little bit more relaxing for our leaders if they can go into having feedback conversations with a growth mindset, this is going to be productive. Set the employee at ease. Also, this is how we grow, and it's much better, I think, to have a culture. I think about my own team. I would much rather know about mistakes so that we figure out how we can learn from them, or if there's a process of improvement to put in place. So I think our leaders really need to help create that culture where we can talk about those things in a way that is comfortable enough, that people can take all that feedback in and they'll go be more successful. But you're right. You can't do too much in one place. It really is a balance. But when those relationships are there, it is so much easier to be able to give constructive feedback.

Suzie Price: [00:22:38]
Yes, the relationship piece is what I was just thinking. Then also the the idea of if it's challenging. So our style might be if you have the High I Style, they might feel a little uncomfortable because it's like all about people. Not always. It just depends on our level of experience because our style does not define us or someone who's a little bit more cautious. But the idea is, the other thing that I always think about is take some time to prepare before you have that conversation. If they're having to take a lot of time, they're right on track. Instead of thinking I should be able to just wing this and have this conversation. And if it's a bigger issue, spend some time really defining what the issue is and then get them involved and talking to them. Get yourself very clear. Because if we're frustrated when we go into the conversation, then we want to throw everything in, you know, the 20 things that have been bothering us. Let's talk about them, like, no pick up the biggest thing right now if that's the case, you know, so it's just interesting.

Amy Lugar: [00:23:37]
It's funny. Like I keep thinking relationship lazy now. There's parallels to personal relationships. It's the same thing with your partner you want to. There's something you want to talk about, but you don't want to throw everything in the kitchen sink. And let's just, you know, because you can because your emotions get involved or either you're not prepared. Yeah.

Suzie Price: [00:23:57]
Or you're frustrated at work or home.

Amy Lugar: [00:23:59]
Yes, absolutely. You can't be relationship lazy anywhere. There's no place you can just check out.

Suzie Price: [00:24:04]
It's worth it. It's an effort worth it because there's so much more fun to have these connections. You know, it helps our health and everything else. So anything else you would say about appreciation, correction, anything that standing out.

Amy Lugar: [00:24:20]
I really just think they're kind of the different side of the same coin, you know. And that coin is relationships, communication. So conversations I'm in, I'm getting feedback and I'm getting appreciation like it's not something that you need to save and hold on to either one of them. Give them real time because we're always growing and adapting real time. So I think, again, I have a few leaders in my mind that are kind of exemplary of, you know, some of these questions I knew we talk about today and I think about how they do it. And, you know, they it's it seems effortless, but it really is about the relationship, communication, and not holding on to things but just talking about them.

Suzie Price: [00:25:03]
Yeah. That's great. Let's talk about putting right people in the right seats. We've talked about it being the silent killer or productivity and profitability. It's not always silent, but sometimes we don't realize how costly it is to have the wrong people in the wrong seats. Talk a little bit about how you coach and guide people to do a better job in that area and what you personally do or professionally do.

Amy Lugar: [00:25:24]
I love this question. It's kind of like the magical part of what we do. It feels like.

Suzie Price: [00:25:30]
Magic. We got secret sauce. We got magic, I love it.

Amy Lugar: [00:25:34]
You know what's funny, Suzie? You already know this stuff whenever you're interviewing people, but it would be funny to give a little test and just say, okay, you listen to these five interviews. Are they a High I? Are they a High C? You know, you can tell immediately.

Suzie Price: [00:25:50]
Yes. You can see their style. Yes.

Amy Lugar: [00:25:53]
I can't hide it. I can't hide it. I'm very descriptive and imaginative.

Suzie Price: [00:25:57]
It's great. It's beautiful.

Amy Lugar: [00:26:00]
I do think that this is something really important. And I do think it is kind of where the magic happens is. Especially if you're in an organization that values this and gives you the time and space and empowerment to think about it. Because I kind of think about it in three ways. So it's not just the people, it's the people, the seats and the match. So, you know, if I were to put those in order. So kind of the first step, the people finding the right people, first thing, do they fit our culture and our values? Are we aligned? Uh, you know, technical skills, those things need to be there too. But at our, at our core, the foundation of the house, or are we on the same foundation together? And then just as important are the seats. It's not a given that the seats that were on the bus are the same seats that need to be there when one of those seats vacate, you know what I mean? Like, you know, constantly reevaluating are the seats I have and are the vacant seats that I have to fill, or those are the ones that align with the company's strategy and align with future growth. Do we still need the role as it was maybe when I filled it five years ago? So really kind of opening your mind up to not making that assumption.

Amy Lugar: [00:27:12]
And then it's the match is is the seat that I have or the role that I have. Does it fit the strengths and the passion of this wonderful person? I found. Because then when that match happens, gosh, I feel like you've kind of ticked all the boxes. I've, I've got my little pool of people ready to get on the bus, and they all are the right people. Now I just have to find the right seat. So I've got my pool of right people lined up ready to go. I've evaluated my seats are the seats that are on my bus, the ones that are going to take me to where our company is going and where growth is needed. Now I'm just looking at, oh, what does that seat need? And does it match Suzie's passion and all of her strengths and matching them up? That's very simplistic, but when I go back and kind of had opportunities to to build teams or coach leaders that are building teams or even just if they have a vacancy that maybe they've had some retirements, you know, in our industry retirements. So they haven't had a seat be open in a long time reevaluating, do I what do I even need anymore? Is it still that same role or is it something totally different? I feel like this is the real, real fun part of what we get to do.

Suzie Price: [00:28:14]
Yeah. That's amazing. So entrepreneurial. And and you said, oh, it's, it's so simple or some, some of the language like that, it's like wow. But you know, how great is it. You know it's not simple. It's like so beautiful. And not everybody's very good at this. You know a lot of companies are not good at it. And we always say it gives you the competitive advantage, which is the secret sauce and the magic happening over here at HUB International. That's amazing.

Amy Lugar: [00:28:38]
It is our people.

Suzie Price: [00:28:39]
And I love how you started with do they fit our culture and our values? Are they aligned? That's key because.

Amy Lugar: [00:28:45]
People know too, you know people. People will know too. And then they'll they won't feel that match either. One thing I like about HUB a lot, and I know with our recruiting team, with Tori, who you work with, one of their philosophies is when we're recruiting people and talking to them again, it's people first. I want to sell someone on how awesome HUB is, because I feel like a career HUB is like this little gift we are giving people, but it's only a gift to the right person. It's more important to help that person, that candidate we're talking to find where they're going to do their best and they're going to flourish. So while we do want to make sure we're so excited about HUB and our growth and the company, we need to kind of balance out selling someone and really understanding that person and helping them, kind of coaching them into, is this the place for you? And if not, that's okay. You know, if you have other offers, let's talk about things and see which one might actually be a better fit, because it's more important to help that person find the next step in their career. That's really right for them, whether it's HUB or not, because it's more of a failure, I think, to even if we we win a great candidate in a year, you know, we talk them into something that they didn't feel was right. We weren't sure it was right, but we thought they were awesome. So much better to really keep them front of mind in the process and not just winning an awesome employee to our team that that may or may not be all the right fit, you know what I mean?

Suzie Price: [00:30:12]
Yeah. And it really is. What I always think about too, is that it's it really is people first when you help them not take on a job that's not a fit, you know. Yes. Because who's been in that kind of role before? I mean, I have in my career, I haven't for a long time now, so I'm very blessed. But there were times where I talked my way into a position, convinced them I was great. And then I'm in there and I'm miserable.

Amy Lugar: [00:30:35]
Exactly. And then, you know, you're kind of it's very disruptive. And then I also think about, you know, for, for selfish purposes and recruiting, I'd rather identify that first, because then we've also found the candidate and maybe some referrals that we will connect with longer. Because we were very honest. It was a good experience for them. We helped them, even if it wasn't that our role was the right one. Like we've created some some kind of lasting referral. Relationships with folks like that are people that maybe it was the right person. But not the right seat at the time. And then when we're ready for each other, the match happens because it was people first and not Suzie. I'm like having this, like light bulb moment. It all comes down to people first, not task first. It wasn't checking the box and filling a role. It was the person first.

Suzie Price: [00:31:22]
Yes. And the funny thing is about the person versus you have to know what the job really needs and then see how they really fit or don't fit. So it all, you know, the whole process is, uh, is, uh, magical, I think, and it's great that it's integrated in your company, uh, and the way that it is. That's wonderful. Anything else you want to say about hiring and promoting? Do y'all use this in promotions, too? I'm sure you do. The process or the thought process? You think different when you're doing that?

Amy Lugar: [00:31:50]
No, I think the the best companies find a way to to promote, I don't want to say just don't potential but recognizing potential and that someone doesn't have to have arrived. You know, there's a lot of things, you know, attitude versus aptitude and potential and there's a lot of other factors that go into promotion. So I do like it HUB, that there's a lot of opportunity for people that have displayed the right types of soft skills and attitude, and are also doing a good job to take on some stretch and growth assignments. There's a lot of trust that we put into the potential of our folks to not blind trust, because then there's also development programs and support. But it you know, it really is um, you know, we've just recently made some promotions, internal promotions into key roles across our organization. We really do like to figure out how we can keep growing with our best people and look at potential and all the skills that they bring to the table. So I think it's probably the same thing. It's, you know, kind of a winning formula.

Suzie Price: [00:32:54]
Yes, it is, it is. And I like the, the idea of the growth assignments too. Yeah. So I don't have to change my title. But hey they gave me a new assignment, you know, so being a really good delegator of projects, it's to the right people.

Amy Lugar: [00:33:09]
Gosh, we have like, countless people whose role has grown, but they haven't moved into a different role, if that makes sense. Like as the company has grown, their roles grown, responsibilities grown. And, uh, and I'm one of those people, like, I feel like I've grown up my career has grown up in the company. I wish I knew the exact number of employees when we started, but I feel like it was closer to 5 or 6000. And so it's just kind of amazing the opportunity.

Suzie Price: [00:33:33]
Yeah, it's a it's a always get the impression. Now of course I'm an outsider so you can correct me. But it feels very, very fast paced, fast paced in the best kind of way. Like, okay, the trade's going fast. Hop on.

Amy Lugar: [00:33:44]
Yes. Very much, very much exciting it is. We try not to say this anymore because it might seem overwhelming, but we do kind of joke about it's like drinking out of a fire hose. We try not to say that because, you know, you kind of plant a seed of, oh my gosh, how to handle this? But sometimes it is like that.

Suzie Price: [00:34:00]
Yeah, well, if you're up to speed with it, you know, my husband's a race car driver. And so we, you know, when he's up to speed. Yeah. You know, I use all these car analogies. That's why, uh, but, you know, when you're up to speed, it's a thrill. I mean, is it when you're up for. Up for it when it's a match, you're okay with the pace or the energy? The high energy? Yeah.

Amy Lugar: [00:34:20]
Yeah, I think that's the key. What you just said when you're a match for it. And that's one thing we really try to do is give. I'll use like an old school air word, but like a realistic job preview. As much as we love HUB, we will try to make sure people understand the the good, the bad, the ugly, so to speak, of the role. Because for the right person, the bad and the ugly is just like, oh, sounds like a challenge I'd like to work on. It's not a deal breaker. Yeah. And that and that very kind of simplistic way you can, you can speak to something and see if someone, um, if it sounds like something that they, that would be a fit for them. And pace is definitely one of them at home.

Suzie Price: [00:34:57]
Yes. So let's talk a little bit about you. We have a segment that we do called Wake Up Eager Strengths, and we talk a little bit about what I always know is the more we can learn about other people's assessments and how they how they scored, that we learn more about ourselves. So the more I share this, like people have been kind of commenting that it's helping ingrain the information and so on some of your Wake Up Eager Strengths on the Motivators. This is what puts, according to the assessment, what puts gas in your tank is you are very creative and problem solving. You tend to be futuristic, strong, influencer, resourceful and influential in creating effective results. Optimistic and process improvement, capable of addressing conflict to achieve a win win scenario and motivates others to be the best they can be. And that comes from having people and learning the Motivators. Individualistic and Utilitarian is your top drivers. What say you about that? Do these insights ring true for you, and if so, what way?

Amy Lugar: [00:35:59]
This is like the hardest part of the segment. Suzie. Like talking about yourself. I would love to be that person, so I hope that my team would say this sounds. A lot like me, I think, um, certainly pieces of that definitely resonate with me. And you really also just described all the things I love about my job and the culture at HUB.

Suzie Price: [00:36:17]
We've been talking about match. So there we go. Yes. Futuristic influencer, effective results, optimistic and process improvement. Yes, yes. Even displayed that too. So people have already experienced all this with you on this call, you know. So it's what according to the assessment, what drives you. So you get to do those on your job every day.

Amy Lugar: [00:36:37]
Oh yeah. So yes. So I also say pretty regularly that HUB is my my forever company. And it is I don't say my forever job because my job seems like it's a little different every six months, maybe even faster than that. My, my job certainly grows. So I don't say this is my forever job, but it's my forever company. And I, you know, listening to the things you just kind of rattled off are the things that really, really do motivate me. So and I have those things at HUB, you know, I have a very, very supportive leader, um, my direct leader, um, the leader of our HR function, the CEO of our company, you know, we're aligned from a value standpoint. And I've worked places before where, you know, the higher you up you go in a company, you see things that felt different when you were in a different role. And you have to reevaluate whether or not your values are still aligned with leadership and culture of that company. I can tell you at HUB that I've that I've never felt that, in fact, the higher up exposure I've had to leaders in the company, the more it validates my belief in the company, the values and the leadership. So, yeah, you know, I think you're right. I think that's why I am so engaged and connected with my organization, because it it is a match to the things that also motivate me, as well as just my basic values as a person.

Suzie Price: [00:38:00]
That's wonderful. And the Motivators, I mean, so the Utilitarian is I want to get a return on investment. I want to make sure we're efficient and effective. And then the Individualistic is I'm willing to lead, I'm willing to be out front. I'm going to, you know, network and bring people together and kind of be an influencer, you know, so when you get to do that, you light up like you are lit up. Yeah. And you talk about so that's wonderful.

Amy Lugar: [00:38:26]
And then I'm excited about that.

Suzie Price: [00:38:28]
Yeah. And we talked a little bit uh, as we've been talking today about your DISC or Styles of the DISC. And then um, so your style according to the assessment is the D and the I, which is brings a sense of urgency. So that's that energy, creative problem solving. Uh, will to win. So we've got to win. We got to go, go, go, uh, forward looking ease and interacting with people and being deadline conscious. Yes. What do you think about those those are some of your strengths too.

Amy Lugar: [00:38:56]
Yes, yes. And you know, it's funny, even before I knew the DISC, when I knew when I've taken different assessments like this, like, um, I think there's one I took that was like the colors and then DISC. They're all the same type of thing. Yeah, I'm always whatever a high DI is, and it always kind of makes me chuckle because I feel like I'm my own worst enemy, because I do enjoy people and relationships so much. And at the same time, I have a very high sense of urgency to get work done, stay on task, and be goal oriented. But I kind of joke with it. Like on the outside, I'm like, yes, tell me about all your puppies. And on the inside I'm like, oh, I gotta go. I gotta get back to work. Yeah.

Suzie Price: [00:39:34]
Yes.

Amy Lugar: [00:39:35]
Like I don't want to. I want to hear about the puppies and see all the pictures, but I gotta work too. And and then I find myself showing my puppy pictures and I'm like, what are you doing? So it is, um, it's been funny. That's something that that I think they are strengths, but sometimes they're in conflict with each other. And I've had to kind of figure out how to manage that and manage it too, so that, you know, just because I have such a high sense of urgency that I think about, like, okay, why am I so my high urgency and High Utilitarian can lead to stress? Yes. Like if I'm wasting time, I in fact, I was just talking to my HR leader about this the other day that it gives me a lot of stress when I'm not using time efficiently. And I was talking to her about it and asking for coaching on like, how can I better manage some things and what are my blind spots? And it's great. I'll tell you, it's great at HUB that I have a leader, that I can have such a transparent conversation with that I don't mind saying, oh my gosh, this might be a weakness, but can you help me? Like again, that's the culture at HUB. Yes. I'm kind of marveling at like what wonderful leaders we have here. And I specifically have two great ones, but that is something that I feel like I have. While their strengths when taking kind of far and you've seen all my results, sometimes they're they're high, like it's something I really have to work with. And I keep getting down to my why am I feeling stressed right now? Is it just because of my style and I just need to chill out and smell the roses? Or is there really something I need to get busy on? You know what I mean?

Suzie Price: [00:41:03]
Yes, yes. And what I think is, uh, you. Have leaders who listen, but you also, even before that, have an awareness of specifically what it is. Otherwise it's just rattling around in your brain. To me, that's why I, I think that these are great because it reduces judgment of ourselves and reduces judgment of others too, because then you can say, oh, that's why they're doing that. And then the other thing is, is it helps you reduce the conflict just with awareness. Oh, the part of me that loves to interact also wants to be practical. So I know what's going on. It's not like can't figure it out. You just feel like, oh, I feel all this tension. We call it like a me me conflict. You know, I want to really hang out and talk puppies. But the other part of me really wants to do this. And most people, when they first get their results, will say something like, you know, is this a psych test? I'm like, no, it's not a psychological test. And they'll say, you know, it's a little weird. Is that weird? Am I weird? And like, no, you're not weird. Every person has the same kind of inner tension about things. It's just being able to label it and then put things in place to help you meet the need of the people. Peace, and also meet the need of the efficiency. Peace. You know?

Amy Lugar: [00:42:09]
Yes, yes. And it really has helped me. You're so right. Like just being able to look through these and, and have something, whether or not you agree with everything in there, it still gives you some moment of self reflection and to kind of like noodle on it or even take it to, you know, trusted coworkers and teammates and, and talk to them about it and how you show up when you're with them and, and even especially when you have those great relationships, then being able to help you with something, if it is something that causes you stress or keeps you from, you know, I think there's so much value in meeting people where they're at or understanding people so that you can give them what they need in a conversation so that, you know, we can get on the same, same page. So even just being able to have a safe conversation with folks and say, hey, these things that are part of my nature, are they preventing me from showing up the way I'm intending to? And can you get especially if you're talking to someone who might be your opposite or a little different from you? I think those conversations are really powerful and they help you look at things differently. Yes, and.

Suzie Price: [00:43:15]
I love the reason I love this segment is highlighting strengths, because it is so powerful to know what you're good at and to not shy away, you know, just say, yes, I'm really good at that. And then whoever's strengths are totally different from yours. Wow, that's fantastic too, you know? And when I know what my strengths are, I can then manage that, you know, because they are the things we like to do. So we do them a lot. Yes. You know. Absolutely I love that. I love that you're having that kind of conversation. That's amazing. So you sound like you have great leaders around you. I'd love to hear who's most influenced you to your greatness, who who's been in your world and what do they do? What do they say? Why are they your top people who've influenced you to my greatness?

Amy Lugar: [00:43:58]
Suzie, I like that, I know.

Suzie Price: [00:43:59]
Yes.

Amy Lugar: [00:44:01]
Well, so when I, when I think about, uh, leaders in the organization right now, when I think about just like the people right now who have influenced my career, it is the people who have been supportive and and help create opportunities. Like, I like that expression of, you know, you know who your allies are whenever they they'll say your name. And when you're not there in a room full of opportunities, whatever that expression is. I feel like I've been very lucky at HUB that I have these supporters, whether it's the people that I've interacted with, is like my my direct leader, I, I think he's amazing. Or if it's we have a new chief Human Resources officer. She's been here over a year. She's amazing. She's the one I was just recently having the hey help me. This is giving me stress conversation. And then even like peer to peer leaders, just the supportive, empowering, engaged want you to help you excel culture. And when there's failures, you know, because they happen, because we're entrepreneur, we're taking risks. We're trying new things. It's the not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Like, okay, this happened. How are we going to keep it from happening again? These are growing pains, that type of approach. It's just been great. I could talk about my leaders that have all day long, but to maybe think about like more foundationally.

Suzie Price: [00:45:14]
Yeah. Characteristics the supportive created opportunities. Yeah. Talking about you behind your back in the best kind of way. You know, kind of way.

Amy Lugar: [00:45:23]
That's right.

Suzie Price: [00:45:23]
And then not hard when there's mistakes you know kind of forgiving around those and using.

Amy Lugar: [00:45:30]
Future focused you know like okay what what caused it. Yeah. Because again kind of going back to that whole course corrective thing, you know, and assuming that people don't want to screw up, like what caused it. What was it. Human error. Okay. Well then, you know, that's, you know, hey, we double check your work and everything. Is there a process that you could audit or do something differently or even like these? My leaders have been great. You know, they they don't even go there so much as just allow me to come back and say, hey, here's what happened, here's what we're going to do next, you know? And yeah, it's the support. The support. But I think even before that, like this might be a little silly, but if I really think about who's had the most influence, it really is my parents. It's really my upbringing. It's not. And the environment they created. I've been so lucky that HUB found me and we made a match. I've been so lucky with that and the leaders that are here. But if I think about like the biggest influence and probably even just my makeup, my parents raised my brother and I to really, like, believe that what whatever we want to do, like this is your life. Whatever you want out of your life, you you can do. And I don't mean realistically. Like every kid gets a trophy kind of a thing or hey, yes you can president. But yeah, you know what? If you want to and you work hard and you do the right things, there's a possibility. Don't wow. Don't crush your dreams. Yeah. So there was you have to have you have to put in all the effort in the work. But don't don't restrict yourself. Don't limit yourself. Don't don't fail before you get out the gate. This is your life. You go figure out what you want and own it.

Suzie Price: [00:47:11]
So you got the support from the very beginning of them seeing your possibility. Yeah.

Amy Lugar: [00:47:16]
What wonderful, wonderful parents and brother that probably like very foundational for a lot of just, you know, my personality.

Suzie Price: [00:47:24]
Yeah that's fantastic. And you and you radiate that and then you and then people can get that from you. Maybe they didn't have a family like that, but they can. I mean, to me, that's the biggest thing we can do for people is, is not get stuck in their quagmire and look toward the future of what's possible. You might have to get in the quagmire with them a little bit sometimes, but meanwhile, at the same time, you're holding the vision of what's possible. Yes. Yeah, that's that's a beautiful thing in the world. That's great. Kudos to your folks.

Amy Lugar: [00:47:52]
Yes. Wonderful parents.

Suzie Price: [00:47:54]
How about any specific books or training or that have been most instrumental in your development? Some some major things that you think moved you forward?

Amy Lugar: [00:48:04]
You know, this probably won't surprise you, Suzie. Honestly, even though I have degrees, I have a professional certification. I do try to read every now and then and do like ongoing education. If I think about like the most instrumental and impactful things, it is the experiences and learning from the people from around me that really has been most instrumental. And it might just be the way I learn, you know? But I can't say, oh my gosh, this book changed my life. But I can say working on a project with someone or going going through a really challenging, um, situation, you know, those things are what stick with me. And learning some of those experiences from people around me are what have stuck with me more so than things that I've I've read.

Suzie Price: [00:48:49]
So it hands on, hands on experience and you just and.

Amy Lugar: [00:48:52]
People learn from it.

Suzie Price: [00:48:53]
You know that makes sense. Very good. When you think of the word successful, who's the first person that comes to mind?

Amy Lugar: [00:48:59]
Huh? I feel like I'm I'm not answering any of these questions the way that you, I would ideally want because I can't think of a person, but I think ideal.

Suzie Price: [00:49:06]
It's your ideal. It's what I do thinks that's what we want.

Amy Lugar: [00:49:11]
I really, like, tried to blank out my mind as soon as you said, what's the first person that comes to mind? And I'm like, and my mind is blank, but I have a feeling it's it's a when you tell me success, it's a feeling and not a person. Uh, and it's like just kind of this warm, fuzzy feeling of contentment with where you are. If you pressed me like I would, I would probably think, you know, like, right now in my life, I feel successful. And it's because I feel very content in all the aspects of my life. You know, I, you know, I've talked about have I got this dream career that I love, I've got this dream team that I get to work with from. Talk about how great my leaders are, but the team I work with is just I mean, they fill my bucket every day, learning from them and helping, like, we all grow together. But then, you know, I've got wonderful family. I've got I'm married to my soulmate. I have a great stepson. Like that's success. Like, am I just I'm content everywhere. I got a dog I love and I mean, that's a good.

Suzie Price: [00:50:10]
Stuff going on. That's the way we like it. Awesome. So success is finding that whatever it is that makes your heart sing, being able to live that. Yeah.

Amy Lugar: [00:50:20]
And I guess I am not only on the right seat, I'm on the right bus. We're going to the right location. Like, I feel like life is good. Yeah.

Suzie Price: [00:50:27]
And the things that led you there are all the things we've been talking about. You using your strengths, looking for the best in people, all of that. I mean, if anybody's wondering whether it's quote unquote pays off, if you put people first and build that and don't become relationship lazy, there's our role model for this, right? Right. I mean, you know, I mean that would you say that that's kind of what's led the path. I mean, you did the work, you got the degrees and. Yeah.

Amy Lugar: [00:50:58]
And and maybe it's also kind of knowing, knowing what does make you happy and knowing that you're in control of it, like I think and I got. At this from from my results in the TriMetrix. I'd already always felt this way, but I didn't know the measurement of it. Like there's so much and feeling like you are the captain of your own ship and that you make things happen. Things don't happen to you. So when I was in school, I learned that as internal and external locus of control, there's so much empowerment from a mental health standpoint, from make it happen. Like I think that's one, if I would call it a strength. I don't know if you consider it a strength, but I think that's something that's really helped me. Like, you know, if I'm in a situation that doesn't feel right, I can fix it or forget it or get rid of it. You know, like, I'm either going to fix this, I'm going to get rid of it, and I have the most stress when I can't do either of those two things, but I have to find my way out of it. But I think that's been really key. And, you know, some people say, too, that you can't always be like seeking for something else to make you happy. You really have to find happiness and contentment in the small things and and reevaluating like what really does matter to you.

Suzie Price: [00:52:06]
Yeah, I love the contentment. Like feeling satisfied. That is a word to contentment and satisfied. Or like I'm really satisfied. It means you like every day. You like what you're doing and who you're doing with. And that's really what when people are seeking happiness, that's the that's it Mecca right there. Yeah. It's wonderful.

Amy Lugar: [00:52:27]
I don't mind winning the lottery. That'd be cool too.

Suzie Price: [00:52:29]
Yeah, well.

Amy Lugar: [00:52:32]
But I'm not waiting to be happy for that.

Suzie Price: [00:52:35]
You're not you're not unhappy now. It's like contentment doesn't mean I'm not reaching for more. It just means I'm accepting, I guess. I guess I don't know what the official word it means, but I'm accepting or I'm thankful for what is here.

Amy Lugar: [00:52:48]
Yeah, yeah. And I know you've heard this before, Suzie, but I think I heard it, like, the first time, maybe 4 or 5 years ago. The research around gratitude. And if you're feeling gratitude like you physically, you're going to say this much more eloquently. But the way I think of it is you. You, your body physically cannot feel something negative like stress. So if you take a moment like when they say go to your happy place, like that's what that expression literally do it. Yeah. Because it will, it'll stop all that. Whatever those thoughts are that are going on that are bringing you down. Yeah, that's a great positive tool too.

Suzie Price: [00:53:21]
And you can rewire your brain. I mean you can rewire that negative bias because there is some negative bias. But if you don't tap into it you can change it. And you are doing that and setting the role model for it. It's fantastic. Oh, tell us what you would say to your 25 year old self.

Amy Lugar: [00:53:39]
Um, it might be the same thing I'd say to myself now. And maybe that's just be kind to yourself, you know, we can be like our own worst critics. Like, this feels a little painful for me, Suzie, because I feel like it's all like Amy, Amy, Amy, when you're making me feel great, I love it. Like it's it's. I appreciate it, and I'm grateful for it. But you in the back of my mind, I'm also like, oh my gosh, stop talking. Good grief. You know, so just being kind to yourself and recognizing, recognize and appreciating the things about you that are unique and special. You know, we we have this, um, mentor program that we're doing with HUB Women Network, and someone just said we had a session earlier this week and someone shared something really insightful. She said, when she's talking to herself and she's not talking to herself and her best voice, she'll ask herself, hey, look what I want to be friends with someone who's talking to me like that. She said, no, I wouldn't, so don't talk to yourself like you wouldn't want to talk to your friends or other people because you know you matter too.

Suzie Price: [00:54:41]
That is so good. And you know, we, like you were talking about empowerment. You know that you can make things happen. It's it's also how you like you said, you can make things happen in your own own language to yourself.

Amy Lugar: [00:54:51]
Yes. Fulfilling prophecies.

Suzie Price: [00:54:54]
And you know, we have you on here so that we can learn about you. And people have said, have Amy on your podcast hear what she has to say, so thank you. That's good. It's all wonderful and it's fun. It's fun to learn more about you and your influences and your thoughts. And you see such a big picture, you know, across the organization. It's very insightful. Thank you. Let's talk about Billboard. Yes. Would you put a billboard somewhere? And if you did, what would it say?

Amy Lugar: [00:55:25]
So this is a quote that I really like. It sounds a little harsh when you first hear it, but then when I first heard it, I thought, oh, that's harsh. And then I chewed on. I was like, oh, I like it. Uh, and this is a quote. It's a Jackie Robinson quote. A life is not important except for the impact it has on other lives. Sounds a little harsh at first. And you know what? I probably would reword it because I'm, uh, you know, if I were to have said it, I would have been more like, your life has so much more meaning when you are impacting others. But you know what? I like this, um, I like this approach better because it kind of sprays some cold water on your slap upside the head and kind of, you know, get out, get out of your own space. You know, life is about helping others. Life's about the impact you can make to others. Life's about selfless acts. Whether we're talking. We've talked a lot about leadership and a culture at the company, but rather it's in a family role or in a community role. Like there's just so much value to looking kind of beyond ourselves and our needs and looking to others. And then selfishly, I find that it also helps me like if I'm in a in a funk, it kind of helps me put things in perspective and, and shed some things that I'm holding on to that I'm like, why is that? Why is that bothering me? This isn't so bad. There's something, uh, it's probably some science behind endorphins or something about doing something for other people. And then also just the, um, the ripple effect impact of it, too. I like that quote. The first time I heard it was like, oh, that feels cold. And then I was like, oh no, this feels impactful.

Suzie Price: [00:56:50]
A life is not important except for the impact it has on others lives. Yeah. Well, you think about it, you know, ultimately there's an end time for us all. And so it would be nice to know at the end of the day that we look back and say, I did what I intended to do. And that involves doing, you know, using our talent, you know, so it's selfishly taking care of ourselves in that way, selfishly, so that we can even be of value to others, because if we don't take care of ourselves, we can't do that. So it's a lot in there. I like that. And Jackie Robinson said that, which is particularly meaningful.

Amy Lugar: [00:57:28]
Isn't it? I thought so too. And I think it's interesting too. Sometimes when I look at myself on paper, I on on the disc profile like high utilitarian, high individualistic, like social is not very, um, high up there, which I think is interesting because I feel like I have motivators that are very social, but they just display a little differently. Sometime offline, you're going to have to tell me, like, what is up with my mix of motivators? But I think you can even be very high leadership, control, utilitarian, motivated, and and still also be motivated by the difference and the impact and just the little things that you can do in the world to.

Suzie Price: [00:58:08]
Well it has to do with, you know, your personal skills that under the hood part. So the empathy that you have that I mean, so that's separate your empathy and your understanding of others. And, um, you know, this idea of putting people first and it has to do with your life experience and then how you were brought up. So the motivators are just what you like to do seven days a week. So it's where so the way you are of service to others is in your leadership role. You know where and not everybody can wants to be or needs to be Mother Teresa on the street feeding the feed the poor.

Amy Lugar: [00:58:39]
Right. Okay.

Suzie Price: [00:58:40]
You can you can, uh, create a company that can donate money to Mother Teresa. You know what I'm saying? That's why we gotta we gotta value each one of the motivators and just say how precious they are, you know? And so if we get to do that, then, then we are adding value in the world because we're bringing our best self toward things. And we're and look, think about all the people that you touch and have touched over your career, you know, so that's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. So you're and it's also what you're talking about is the balance of what could be potential overdos on the motivators. Right. So you know, that's why it's great to know our strengths. You know, you can do an overdo but with awareness you don't. And you're not doing the overdo, you know. So it's not a blind spot because you're managing it. And we we all have it. Every one of us. Like I can share too much knowledge because I love knowledge.

Amy Lugar: [00:59:46]
You know Suzie we love that. And we love when you we love when you come do sessions for us. I just tell everybody when they listen to the recording, most people when they listen to a recording, they speed it up because they're like, well, at least I do because I'm High Utilitarian. With you, Suzie, I'm like, slow it down because Suzie is giving us a lot of information and you're going to need to slow it down to process it all.

Suzie Price: [01:00:07]
I'm particularly sensitive to that because that is my overdo, you know. So it's okay. How do I how do I simplify and not go in too much detail. Make sure I'm paying attention to what that person needs. Not all that I want to share. I mean, so we all have a thing, but it's it's it kind of makes me laugh at myself when I do it as opposed to, you know, then say, okay, you could do better next time.

Amy Lugar: [01:00:29]
You know what I think? I think it is all great too, because people know that they're going to get it. You know, they're not going to be bored. They're going to get a lot of information. And now that we have technology where we're recording it, I think in person I would be like, oh my gosh, I think I got 15% of what this brilliant woman just said. But now I'm like, no worries, I have the recording. I can go back and look at it. Or she could do it again and I'll catch something. Else. Yeah, that's right. I always learn something new. Not doing that too, you know, I always. Learn something new with you, Suzie, and I appreciate the process.

Suzie Price: [01:01:01]
It is a process. It's a fun process, though. We need to do it in joy. And we. And it's just the. The tools help us sometimes just understand all those differences. So you know, so last bit of advice or wisdom that you would like everybody to take away from today. We've talked about a lot of great things.

Amy Lugar: [01:01:16]
It's kind of a theme that we keep talking about. And it really is what jazzes me up to when I think about the opportunity we all have for empowerment and positivity and the impact that has on others, and probably making sure people even recognize, like our leaders and coaches recognize that they they can and they do have more opportunity to make a positive difference than they even realize that that what you know, because I think you can sometimes, you know, at the end of the day, as a leader, go home and just say, wow, okay, I'm not responsible for an individual product anymore. So I don't even have a work product to show for my day. And I think two people might be mad at me, and I'm not sure that I'm even, you know, making it home in time to to cook dinner for my family or, you know, whatever it is that your, your inner dialogue is saying you failed on, I think it's easy to lose sight of all of the positive impact you're making without even realizing it. So just just knowing that you are making a difference, you can make a difference. The effort you're putting in there is worth it. What you do matters that it's it's not for naught and that culture and impact, it truly is measured one person at a time and you know you are that person. You are that person that's making a difference, one person at a time.

Suzie Price: [01:02:32]
I think that's a bit of the best advice I've heard in all these things. So I love it. It's I think every leader needs to hear that. So we're going to put that on repeat.

Amy Lugar: [01:02:42]
Awesome.

Suzie Price: [01:02:46]
Thank you for sharing your shiny wonderful self today. Appreciate you being on the podcast.

Amy Lugar: [01:02:51]
Thank you. This was so much fun. I appreciate it and I look forward to future chats with you.

Suzie Price: [01:02:57]
I hope you enjoyed the interview and the discussion. It's amazing to me every day and we talk about it. Is that how hope can be so large and growing so much and still have this special secret sauce? They have figured out how to keep people involved and enthused in the work, while remaining agile and empowering people to be entrepreneurial as even as they grow and grow and grow. I've been working with them since 2015, and I've just seen the growth and been amazed by the entrepreneurial approach. The other thing I want to say about Amy, and then I'm going to wrap up with some of her leadership advice and with a couple of recommendations of other, other things you can go listen to related to this topic is I want you to know what a role model Amy is in so many ways. And one of them is, I want to point out is with TriMetrix, if you use TriMetrix and if you don't, I'll explain real quick. There is this part of TriMetrix. It's a Tri Modal tool. It measures three sciences and one of the sciences is acumen. And it's based on this science that has these six dimensions about how we think and make decisions. And in the car analogy we call it your horsepower. So it's the power of who we are. You can't see the engine in the car, but that power, that horsepower in the engine is what makes the car drive, drive fast, with ease.

Suzie Price: [01:04:19]
And then so what we say is with the horsepower part, with TriMetrix, with the acumen part, if we can be really good in the world view and how we make decisions and then how we see ourselves, we have really high horsepower. And Amy is a shining example of that. When you when we talked about who she is and what matters to her and all the energy and balance that she brings. So she's a shining example of when she's making decisions. She uses those dimensions that we measure in the dimensional balance page graph, which is she balances the big picture, which is strategy, with the things that have to get done in with how you take care of people. And she always puts people first, but she's always thinking about strategy, getting it done, and then how do we care for people. So she shows that and then she's doing all of that from a very strong sense of who she is. She talked about how her family had impacted her. She has strong alignment with her work and personal roles, and she has great hope for the future. And all of that is measured in this acumen graph that with these six dimensions, it's how we work in the world and how we see ourselves. And the higher those numbers are, and those are all things which are so exciting about this part of the assessment and development is the higher or stronger we are in each of those areas in the dimensional balance page graph, then the greater opportunity we have to do great work.

Suzie Price: [01:05:48]
We bring a strong sense of self to what we do, and then we bring this ability to make really good, balanced decisions because we think of all the aspects. So hopefully, hopefully that made sense to you. But all I would say is just see her as the role model that she really is, and then how her strength comes and can be seen in how she thinks and makes decisions from the acumen tool. Now, she gave us some really great leadership advice. The first, and it's what this episode is based on in regard to the show notes is don't be relationship lazy. So I hope you're inspired to be more than ever, not to be relationship lazy. If you want to go back and look at the show notes, go to pricelessprofessional.com/relationshiplazy. That's all. One word lowercase pricelessprofessional.com/relationshiplazy to get the show notes and kind of revisit this. Some of the other key things that we talked about or that she said that were very memorable and good to keep in mind, is people are much more than their to do list. And that's that whole idea of understanding. We got to have strategy and we want to know what the strategy is. We've got to get things done. Yes, yes, yes. And we got to have the people, but we have to always put the people part first.

Suzie Price: [01:07:03]
So people are greater than the tasks are greater than the strategy. That does not mean that strategy and tasks don't matter and don't play a key part in everything. But we remember to put people first. So people are much more than their to do list. And so one of the things is being people first. It means that we ensure that people are a great fit for the company and that their strengths are needed in the role that they're going into. And so that's why Amy is such a shining example in her region on how they use metrics and how they use that in their whole interview process and just how they work. TriMetrix is just one piece of the puzzle, but the power of that tool is that it helps us look at what are their strengths, what are the strengths that we need for the job. And we often refer to those as their superior performance attributes. What are the superior performance attributes for the role and what what are the superior performance? Attributes of this person, what are their strengths and where do they match? And it's much more than just our resume and our work experience. And so that's the piece that really speaks to. And when we do that, we are putting people first. So sometimes people aren't a right fit for a role and maybe they need more development. But with, you know, with understanding of what the role needs, then you can figure out how you can help a person come along to be a match to the role.

Suzie Price: [01:08:23]
Or if you know that so many things don't match what the job needs, then it's easier to say, okay, let's see if they fit in another area. Or maybe they're just not a fit for the company. Have that kind of conversation. I love her her reminder about to all leaders everywhere, not to lose sight of the positive impact you can have on others and that the extra effort is worth it. So keep that in mind. It's hard to be a leader. Kudos to you if you're saying raising your hand and saying I'm willing to lead this group. Sometimes it's you're not always thanked, but what you what you need to remember is that extra effort is worth it, and that you can see the difference down the road and doing it because it's the right thing to do, to encourage and to lead and to help people bring the best of who they are to work. Even if it doesn't get acknowledged. It is the right value to place as a leader in the work, and it will come back to you. Sometimes you don't get to see it all the time, but that extra effort is worth it. So again, the show notes is that pricelessprofessional.com/relationshiplazy. There you'll get links to an interview I did with Ian Day. He wrote a book called Challenging Coaching and it's a really, really good book and a great conversation that really has stuck with me about balancing this idea of giving support and challenging others, and that we can do both.

Suzie Price: [01:09:51]
So I would go check that out. Uh, the links for that are in the show notes at pricelessprofessional.com/relationshiplazy. And then there's another episode that I did with Anne Waldman who is in Human Resources at HUB. She was with HUB for a long time and then, for family reasons, has taken a hiatus from the, uh, from that full time work. But what we talked about with her is, and it's one of our most popular episodes, is about it's okay to be who you are and the importance of developing self and other awareness. And we have a great conversation about TriMetrix and the assessment certification process because she went through it, and then how to use TriMetrix to become a great leader and coach. And again, that was one of our most popular episodes. And you can find that one if you want to go straight to it at pricelessprofessional.com/anne. And so you can also get a link to Amy Lugar's LinkedIn, um, which we have at the uh, show notes page, pricelessprofessional.com/relationshiplazy. And so thank you for tuning in. Thank you, Amy Lugar, for being on the podcast and sharing your goodness and all the good you're doing. And for all leaders everywhere who are focusing on bringing out the best in people.

Suzie Price: [01:11:11]
We appreciate you. We value you. Thank you for helping focus on creating a wake up, eager workforce and for tuning in. If anything you heard today was helpful to you, we sure would love a review. Reviews help people find us. Helps me kind of know that what we're doing is being heard. I got an email from somebody the other day who said, hey, I've been listening to your podcast and it's really helped. And that just, you know, I they Mark Twain used to say I can live on a compliment for a week. Well, yeah, I floated on that compliment or that thanks. Or that, you know, that somebody listening to this for probably two weeks. So anyway, leave us a review if you're not sure how to do it, you can go to Apple and it'll walk you through it. We show
you how to do it at pricelessprofessional.com/review. That's one word pricelessprofessional.com/review. We show you how to how to do that. If you do do that I've got a free assessment I'll send you and you can share it with a friend. So kudos to you. Goodness to you. Go out there and have a great day. Uh, do everything you can to create your own wake up in your life, get in alignment with what your dreams and your strengths. And boy, you can help others. So we'll see you on the next episode. Thanks for tuning in.

Outro: [01:12:35]
In this episode of the Wake Up Eager Workforce podcast was brought to you by Priceless Professional Development. Thank you for tuning in. If you enjoyed today's show, head over to pricelessprofessional.com to gain access to more professional development resources.