S2E2: Purpose Creates Alignment with Jill Canada

In this episode of Purpose Project, host Leslie Pagel explores the role of purpose in the workplace with Jill Canada, a sales leader in healthcare. Jill shares her perspectives on how purpose fuels performance and the importance of being genuine and authentic. She emphasizes the concept of being a 'lifter' rather than a 'leaner' in both personal and professional settings. Jill discusses her professional journey, the impact of healthcare technology in patient care, and the critical role of purpose in sales leadership. She also provides insights into aligning personal purpose with professional roles and underscores the significance of taking care of employees to achieve business results.

00:00 Introduction to Purpose Project

00:51 Meet Jill Canada: Personal and Professional Background

03:05 Defining Life's Purpose: Lifters vs. Leaners

08:23 Purpose in the Healthcare Workforce

13:37 Purpose-Driven Sales Leadership

26:27 Aligning Team and Individual Purpose

32:34 Advice for Employees and Leaders on Finding Purpose

41:26 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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Transcript

0:06

Welcome to purpose project. I'm your host, Leslie Pagel. And this season we are exploring the role of purpose in the workplace, how purpose shows up across different roles, industries, and organizations. Our guest on the show today is Jill Canada. Jill is a sales leader in healthcare, and she brings a fresh perspective on success. Leadership and purpose. We dive into how purpose fuels performance and the importance of being genuine and authentic when it comes to living out our purpose in our lives and in business. Let's get started.

Leslie: 0:51

Jill, thank you for being here with us on Purpose Project. I'm really looking forward to having a conversation about. How purpose shows up in the workplace. Me too. Thanks for inviting me. Absolutely. Before we dive into the topic of purpose at work, let's get to know you a little bit. Tell us a little bit about yourself, both personally and professionally.

Jill: 1:14

So personally, I am married to my college sweetheart, Andy. We've been married for 20 years. We have three wonderful kids that are age 17, 15 and nine, two girls and a boy. And, um, you know when I think about my personal life, we'll get into professional next, but what's the title that's most important to me, it is definitely being a mom and also a wife. So, that's more important than senior executive at any organization and that is, you know, what my world revolves around. And then outside of my direct family, you know, also, um, an aunt and a daughter and all of the other things. And when I think about friends, I really choose to invest in a small group of people that be able to support and love and, put the appropriate time and attention in them, which means, sometimes a smaller circle, but people that I can truly show up for but, um, if I think about what is core to me as a person as well, I just believe in not investing in relationships equally. And to think about, to be able to invest fully in certain relationships that are very meaningful to me. So that's a little bit about me personally. And then professionally I am with a startup now. It's my second company that is a startup. But also spent some time in fortune 100 companies. So done both the large company, a large strategic and startup, environment, and then always as a sales person or a commercial leader.

Leslie: 2:46

Okay, nice. So I heard a lot of, love and care for the people in your life that are close to you and, working in a sales role. For a variety of size companies, yes. Love it. Thank you for sharing that. One question I ask everyone on the show is, do you have your own life's purpose? And if so, what is it?

Jill: 3:14

So when I think about purpose, I think about things that are, you know, a long term goal and usually tying to passions or strengths that the person may have. So if I were to say a life's purpose for me, I want to first say this is, aspirational and not something that I am perfect at, but something that I am working on because it's very important to me. And that is the concept of being a lifter, not a leaner. You may not have heard this exact terminology before, and so I'm happy to define it. Love it. Um, starts with a poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, about lifters versus leaners. So let me describe what each of them are, and then can explain why it's part of my purpose. So we'll start with the negative in this case, which is the leaners. So the leaners are the people that are Um, if you take a sports analogy, in a bike race, they're the people that are always drafting behind someone else and then never taking their turn out front. So, um, In that specific analogy, it is harder to be the one out front breaking the wind. It is a lot easier. So you can go the same speed in a bike race with less effort if you are the person drafting behind that person out in front. So if you show up 100 percent of the time as the one drafting and never as the one leaning or leading, that is a leaner. Um, they're also, I'm sure there are people. And at some point in your life, you've worked with either, professionally or personally. Um, there's someone that's a constant victim. So these are the people that leave you feeling worse than when you first interacted with them or someone that, has a use for you. They come into your life, they pop up when they need something and never really with that offer of what can they give back in return. So that's to the negative side. Um, unfortunately there's more. leaners than there are lifters in the world. Generally, we see some of these behaviors a little more often. So what's a lifter? So lifter is someone in the business world that's going to show up and put their, they're going to shoulder the weight of themselves and then also others around them. They're going to take more accountability than others around them. They're going to go out front in the world of startups. you just have to jump in and lead before success is guaranteed. Thinking of in a meeting where, um, are you the person that sits back and waits till someone presents an idea? And then a, the most senior person in the room weighs in either with their Pleasure or displeasure with the idea, you know, is it that person you jump on liking or not liking the idea After the most senior person in the room has spoken or did you take the lead and you know Take a stand.

Leslie: 6:12

Yeah,

Jill: 6:13

or are you the one in the arena getting a job done? And playing the game, or you, the spectator in the stands, judging and critiquing what those playing the game are doing. Or, I think of it as really a, um, a chef or a food critic. So in a past business, we talked about this, of, hey, we have no shortage of food critics around here. There's plenty of people to talk about what's wrong with a deal, and why it has hair on it, and what's imperfect about it. What we need more of are the chefs. It's so much harder to create, and it's so much easier to sit back and judge what others have created. So, to be clear, this goes to both personal and professional life, and in no way am I saying I have this nailed, and I show up perfectly, and I'm always a lifter versus a leaner, but it is something that I'm very conscious about, and I think about, how do I do my best to, Most of the time stay in that lifter category and just be really conscious of not, sucking value from other people consistently. And when I need something from someone, when I need to lean on somebody else to make sure that I find ways to, pay them back in other ways of value. So what do I have to offer to them, um, for whatever assistance I'm needing from them?

Leslie: 7:32

Yeah. I love that the, the visuals that you put on both and the emphasis of being really intentional about being a lifter and when you do need to lean. Recognizing of a responsibility to give back in some way. Absolutely. Yes. The world does need more lifters. Yes. Yep. It, um, as you were talking about the lifters, I just kept thinking. Of the word courage, like it takes, it takes courage sometimes to, to be a lifter.

Jill: 8:08

It does. It's, it takes courage and it's tiring. It's harder work. So there's no shortcuts with being a lifter. There are shortcuts with being a leaner. Right. Yeah.

Leslie: 8:19

Yeah. Well, thank you for sharing your purpose with us. Of course. Of course. So let's shift gears and talk about the workforce. Season two is all about how purpose shows up in the workforce. And when you look at your. experience, across your career or just where it is today. How do you see purpose showing up in the workforce?

Jill: 8:41

Yeah. So for me, I am in healthcare, so it's pretty easy to have a tie to purpose, you know, the company's mission or purpose is just more straightforward for me because of that area that I work in. Right. So if I think about, when I worked for GE Healthcare, there was a technology called automated breast ultrasound that I worked with the health system on. And that was, adjunctive screening where, for patients with dense breasts. So sometimes you get a clean mammogram, meaning your mammogram is negative and you're told everything's fine. And those with dense breasts, it's like trying to find a snowball in a snowstorm. So you need additional screening. And automated breast ultrasound provided that second look and would find cancers. missed on traditional mammo. It's, it's rare, it's a small percentage, but it's still, if you think about, like, what that does for that patient and that family, if you can catch disease like cancer earlier and possibly change their outcome, Right. that purpose and mission is right there in front of your face and you wake up every day thinking, if I can implement this for a health system and we can find Five cancers you have made a huge difference in five people's lives,

Leslie: 10:00

right?

Jill: 10:00

So in health care, it's just so easy to use a A specific example for me personally, I mentioned my family at the beginning and my nine year old son, I had him when I was working for, GE Healthcare as well and covered all of the different, P& Ls or profit and loss centers of the business and including a maternal infant care business. Spreadsheets, but I didn't know that technology extremely well until my son was born nine weeks early and That technology so in combination with the health care providers that took care of him kept him alive And nothing is more humbling than to know that you individually can't do that There was nothing I personally could do to save my son when he was most vulnerable But an amazing team of healthcare professionals utilizing some of the technology that my company made gave him an incredible outcome. And now he's nine and plays football and basketball and lacrosse and is healthy and has no lasting effects of prematurity. And that is directly because of the care he received. So, in healthcare, it's never far. Patients are always top of mind. So, I'll never think about that business in the same way. And it really came to life, and I'll never forget the patient experience. So, in other technologies I've commercialized since then, or worked on since then, I may not have that same personal story, but I always think about What we're doing and how it relates to that patient and how are we solving a problem for caregivers? how are we making that patient's life or experience better and There is a direct tie to be found there, right? Have you always

Leslie: 11:56

been in health care? Yes, I never said okay. Okay,

Jill: 11:59

and there's and that also It's worth saying so there's going to be other people listening. Maybe they're an accountant or maybe they're an engineer. There is always a a tie to purpose, but it doesn't have to be found solely in your job. So this is something, you know, again, it's easy for me being in healthcare, but there's tons of other wildly important areas that you might be doing at work. And maybe that line isn't quite as clear as it is for specifically what I do, but it is there. And then there's also opportunities outside of what you do for work that you can. Um, tie to your life's purpose. Yes.

Leslie: 12:39

Yeah. That is one thing that I observed it was season one, which was all about people that have clarity in their life's purpose and they're actively pursuing it. That pursuit did not always equate to a paycheck. Yes. Absolutely. So sometimes it does happen outside of work and work has its purpose, but it might not be your life's purpose. Yes. Absolutely. Yeah, Okay. So purpose shows up in the workplace for you because it's ingrained in healthcare. Yes. It's just the nature of the industry of healthcare. It really is, um, about caring for the health of patients. And in doing that, that's very purpose driven. Also, connection to your son. Yes. A personal connection there and the impact that it had on you. Yes. Okay, let's talk about as a sales leader. How do you use purpose in your role as a sales

Jill: 13:46

leader?

Leslie: 13:47

Yes.

Jill: 13:48

So when I think about, um, what is our, my team's purpose. The R& D team expect will solve significant problems, um, for patients and caregivers. So, The rest of the team is doing their spot and building incredible technology that we believe will make a significant difference. What does that mean for my team? That means I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders because it's our job to commercialize it and to find a way to help health systems buy and adopt that technology. So the world of health care is unfortunately littered with a lot of really amazing clinical ideas. that didn't come to fruition because the right economic argument or factors weren't there. So that's what I spend my time thinking about, is how do we take what is, let's assume, amazing technology that works. Because that's what the rest of the team is doing, and doing so beautifully. So then my team and I have to take that technology and find a way to get it into the hands of caregivers that are going to utilize it, and then there's patients that benefit from that. So that's how I, spend my time thinking about it and, the rest of the team has done their part and now my team has to do our part and we have to, have that, um, North Star and mission show up so that we can bring this great technology to life.

Leslie: 15:24

Yeah. So I hear when you're, when you talk about this, it's like you're looking at the collective of the business. Yep. And recognizing each area of the business has our responsibility and our, our responsibility as a sales team. is to get this technology into the hands of the people that need it. Absolutely. So that the company can fulfill its

Jill: 15:52

purpose. Right. And if there is no, another thing we say in healthcare often is, um, there does have to be margin. You do have to sell things. So sometimes it's like a dirty word to talk about sales, but it is, if there's no margin, then there's no mission. And that is just a fact. So, and we do have to figure out a way, you know, nobody sells or adopts anything unless the value that we are providing is greater than the cost that that customer is going to pay. So usually if there's something that you're going to buy, there is some type of pain point that is whether it's, you know, In healthcare, whether it's workflow or it's, um, clinical care, it could be any number of things. But there's some type of pain that makes you want to or need to buy something. And then we, as the company, have to deliver more value than the cost of that product or service. It's just, it's a simple equation. And if you're not doing that, then they're going to go with one of their other hundred priorities that they have lined up that they could be using precious, you know, scarce resources for.

Leslie: 16:55

Right, right. Yes. I like that. margin for what was it?

Jill: 17:01

If there's no margin, there's no mission. So it's something you hear a lot of, um, nonprofit health systems talk about. Um, but it is true. So it is, you know, and it can't be a company's mission. It can't be their purpose to make money, right? That's not enough. Yeah. It's, it's a by product and that is something that. You know, but it can't be, it doesn't stand alone. So if you say, like, our company's mission is to make money, that's a 100 percent chance you will fail. Because that, that's not enough. It's not going to motivate your employee base. Customers are not going to be interested in that. Um, it doesn't start there. That is a byproduct of doing everything else right.

Leslie: 17:45

Right. Okay. Because I was, I was wondering as a sales leader, if you have had. Members on your team that are maybe more motivated by the sale, the commissions that might come with the sale, than they are the purpose. Well, one of you have, is that a thing that you've had experience with two different kind of motivators? Yeah.

Jill: 18:16

So I think it doesn't have to be either or. So if you think about it, those should be aligned incentives. So if you believe in the problem you are solving and the product that you are therefore selling, that means if you are selling more than you are helping More people, right? So if we think about, you know, how do I fundamentally think about selling? It's another I guess maybe my other life's mission should be Increasing the brand of those that sell because you know, there's such a negative connotation with sales So nobody wants to grow up and be a sales person or sales leader and nobody wants to be sold to you but if you think about like my view of selling It's not selling, it is helping people buy. So there's a mentor, a long time mentor of mine, Dan Adams, who trained me early on, very early in my career on um, sales and sales process and just, you know, long selling cycle capital equipment, how to do that. And he would always say that you're helping people that you're not selling right? And if you're interested in a long term Relationship with a client the absolute worst thing you could ever do is to sell them something They don't need so You go back to roles that I've had where I have the whole portfolio of the business which might be hundreds of products or solutions The best thing you can do is to say, if you're not the right fit, to call it exactly that. Up to and including, possibly even giving your competitor's contact information. If there, if someone else is a better fit, if you're interested in having, a 10 year working relationship with a client, and the biggest way to erode trust would be shoving in a sale that doesn't solve their problem or need And that would guarantee you're gonna lose, the next ten so, you know back to your question of is It either or? If your product or solution solves the client problem, we should all be happy if there's more adoption of that and the incentives are generally in alignment.

Leslie: 20:25

Yes. Okay. Okay. So I hear that. Being purpose driven helps you increase your own personal commissions, too. Yep, it can. They don't

Jill: 20:38

have to be working against each other. So, I mean, in theory, those should be in alignment.

Leslie: 20:43

Yeah. Do you see, sales leaders, or sales representatives, that, are more purpose driven than others, and if so, do their outcomes differ?

Jill: 20:58

So I think there's a higher percentage in healthcare, and again, I've only been in healthcare. Right. But most that I work with in healthcare are really committed to whatever their solution is. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. And they have that. patient impact as a North Star. So I do see a strong tie to purpose in healthcare sales. Okay.

Leslie: 21:23

Okay. So I'm, I'm definitely hearing healthcare, it's just a part, purpose is a part of the business. It is, in my opinion. Because of that, are there programs or communications or initiatives that, that you or the business works on to help people connect to purpose or to remind them of purpose? Do you have to do those things?

Jill: 21:49

Yeah, so I think it, is situational depending on whatever we are trying to implement. So if I used that, um, dense breast screening program example earlier, so that would be a, hey, here is our north star. Our north star is we are trying to find cancers that are not found in mammo and diagnose cancer earlier. So if that's our North Star, then we're building everything around that. So why does it matter if a timeline slips? It matters because you might miss, someone might have come in that day that just had the mammo screening, that doesn't have additional screening, and maybe you didn't find their cancer. So that just becomes existential. Right. So if you really believe in what you're doing, then you're Everything else follows from there, and a delay in that project timeline isn't just a simple delay, it is you are delaying what you set out to do, and that matters. Um, and I'll give one other somewhat, counterintuitive example, which is another early career mentor of mine named Jason Crew. imparted in me the importance of, um, the order of operations of how you take care of people. So he would say, if you ask someone in the business, Hey, what do you, who do you put first? Um, everyone would say it's our customers. Of course, like customers come first and Jason's advice. And now I fully understand this is It's actually not. So who you put first is your team. And if you take care of your team and your team feels empowered and they feel supported and they feel tied into the purpose or the mission, Then they are generally going to show up better at work and be more loyal and be, happy with what they do and feel like they are something bigger than themselves. So you take care of your team first. And then what does your team do? They're going to take care of the customers. The customer is actually second in this equation. And, again, sounds counterintuitive, but your team can't take care of their customers if they're Running around in fear and you just can't fake Happiness and loving the company it's going to come across as inauthentic So if you don't take care of that team first that team is not going to take care of that customer and if you think about it third back to like you just you can't build a company around a Hey, I want to make money or making a profit is my company's purpose. It sounds like a simple formula, but it must be genuine and authentic. So this can't be a, Oh, I'm going to do all these things with the express purpose that it's going to increase business results. It's doing it for the right reasons and the right thing. But if you do take care of your team first, that team takes care of those customers, the business results will naturally follow.

Leslie: 24:59

Love that. Yes. Well, and as an employee, don't we want to feel cared for, supported in our work in a psychologically safe environment so that we can be a, lifter. Yes, absolutely. So that

Jill: 25:14

everyone could be a lifter in business. Absolutely, and I just fundamentally believe I've been in all types of organizations and sometimes, the whole organization doesn't have, sometimes it's like individual manager specific. But, I just fundamentally believe people do their best work when they are supported. You have the accountability for your decisions. But if you're supported and feel psychologically safe, I fundamentally feel like you do better work than with the reverse. also spent time on teams and organizations that are more paranoid and believe in beating people down to get the best results. And to me, that just isn't where you're going to get your your best work, right? But you again, it has to. You have to do it for the right reasons. Otherwise, any lack of being genuine or authentic gets figured out and found, and then it'll be counterproductive to what you're trying to

Leslie: 26:03

do. Well, yeah, because you create some distrust there,

Jill: 26:07

and as they say with trust, it, I think there's a saying of it, arrives on foot and flees on horseback. It's so hard to build trust, but you can break trust in an instant. Yeah. Ten years of building trust can be gone in a minute based on, one bad decision. So, how do we avoid those types of situations?

Leslie: 26:27

Yeah, so you lead a team of sales reps. I'm, I'm over here thinking, okay, we each have an individual purpose, the company has purpose, team has purpose. Do you, do you have conversations with, with your individuals on your team? I'm imagining a one on ones or in team settings about the topic of purpose. And if so, Is it more about company purpose, team purpose, individual, all of them? How does that look?

Jill: 26:59

I would say, I haven't every time asked about purpose. It's a great, it's something I'll incorporate into my, one on ones going forward, but I have always thought about how to individually manage employees. And so talk about a different way that that shows up in the workplace. And that is, making sure that you're helping them with their career. in a way that works for them and not in what you assume works for you. So there is, um, just other terminology that I really believe in. Um, so Kim Scott is an author that, talked about rock stars versus superstars, and I won't go into it too much, but both very high performing individuals. In her words, A rock star is someone that is perfectly content in their job. Their life purpose may be outside of their professional life. So maybe they're a customer service representative by day, and they are the best one you have in your company, but maybe their life purpose is to sing opera, and that's what they want to do. And so the best for them is to be able to do their job, do it incredibly well. And maybe they want to leave at five o'clock and go home and they want to practice opera because that's what's meaningful for them. And that is their life purpose. So respecting what a rock star wants to do, which is they don't want your job. They don't want your boss's job. They want to be incredible at the job that they have. and not necessarily be on a steep career trajectory. So then what's the other side? The other side is superstars. They are on a more steep growth trajectory. There isn't a right or wrong. And they are anxious to, you know, move up and get promoted and grow as fast as possible. So again, just, just difference. But you want to be careful not to manage. One or make assumptions about people and then also just as a leader to know that it's not written in permanent marker. So in my own world, I've been in both statuses. So since we talked about my son earlier when he was born, um, the last thing I would have ever wanted for my employer to do at the time was talk to me about a different promotion with more work stress at the time that I just wanted him to live. So they allowed me to have that flexibility and do that and just be excellent at the job I was doing until such time that I was ready to take on additional responsibility. So, um, I'll incorporate the purpose question more going forward, but I think understanding, it sometimes naturally comes out when you understand what does that, what's meaningful to that employee. And just taking away your own personal bias.

Leslie: 29:53

Okay, so I love this rock star versus superstar and Understanding that Everyone can be and Both of those categories throughout their career. Absolutely. And it's about seeking to understand from the employees perspective which category they are in. Or want to be in. Exactly. What's important to them,

Jill: 30:17

not what's important to you, but putting it back into the employees camp. What's important to them.

Leslie: 30:21

Yes, okay. So, getting to know people in a personal way, you're going to start to understand what they value, what they like, and, um, and bringing that into the workforce. Most certainly. Why, why do you feel that purpose is, important in business? I think

Jill: 30:42

businesses having purpose is critical. So it is feeling like something bigger than yourself. So it is important for alignment from leadership down to individual contributors, and if you don't have that alignment, all sorts of challenges come up. So, a tie to purpose, mission, having alignment, standing for something. I think it can also, when done perfectly, this doesn't happen in every scenario. But it can also be a competitive differentiator if it's meaningful. And then there's also the flip side. So if you don't have purpose in business and the company is not aligned, then business results are going to show from that. And then also, um, I think one of the other challenges is just in execution. So it sounds so easy in black and white. You can have a great purpose or mission and vision statement, but if your actions aren't matching up to those words or stated purpose, and it's apparent for others to see, then that is certainly challenging. And you lose that trust and the goodwill. And, employees and customers being willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. If actions and words aren't aligning, then that, is problematic. But again, the inverse is true. So when all those things are in alignment and you're, as we talked about, you're taking care of the team first and the customers, and then the business results are really going to follow. And it's, everything is so much easier if there is alignment starting at the top.

Leslie: 32:20

And purpose creates that. Absolutely it does. Love that. Um I'm envisioning some people listening to this. Let's take this from a couple different perspectives. Let's take it from the employee perspective first. Someone's watching this, doesn't a connection to purpose in their job. Any advice for them? Yeah. So I

Jill: 32:40

think it is, it just doesn't have to come from your job. So there are jobs like mine where it's easy to see, there's equally many amazing careers in this world that might not have that very direct tie to your own life's purpose. And so then you get it outside of work. It sounds so much harder than it is. But if I think of, some of the best examples in my life with this, so. My own dad had an amazing career in finance with Lily, but his purpose was not to be a great financial manager and asset to the company. It was so much more, and he definitely believed in, you know, gifts of service to others, and so he voted with his time and volunteered and gave financial resources in a way that really filled his cup. So, um, You can't pour from an empty cup, as they say, but sometimes people feel like their job has to provide everything, including their purpose. And I think it's almost easier when those aren't so inextricably tied, because the other thing is, there's going to be job changes, and sometimes those job changes are involuntary. Sometimes you lose a job, and when that happens, if you're everything is that job, including your life's purpose and you feel lost, that would be much harder to take besides the obvious stress of having, you know, losing a job. So to me, great if they align. I don't think it's that way for the majority of people. So, don't not choose a career or don't stress out about or leave a career. If your day job doesn't provide that. life purpose fulfillment, there are ways to get it outside of work. And honestly, when I think about the ways that I volunteer in my own time outside of work, it's doing things completely different than my day job, which is fun and healthy and. energizing. So, doing things like volunteering in the children's ministry at church. That's so different from my day job. But if I were a teacher, that may not be what I want to do because it's what I do all the time. Right. So they probably, they might want to volunteer on their production team and do something completely unrelated to use a different skill set than they do in their daily life. Love it.

Leslie: 35:03

Okay. So you don't need it in your job. You really

Jill: 35:07

don't.

Leslie: 35:07

You really don't. Yes. Okay. So that's the employee. What about from a leader's perspective? Leading a team. any advice for bringing purpose into the team dynamic?

Jill: 35:19

I think it is critical because there has to be something, um, bigger than yourself. And again, just chasing business results alone is not going to get it done. So what is your specific bringing down to individual teams level? Is there a mantra? Is there a specific goal? But there has to be something to rally that team around that is bigger than themself. And it's amazing the results that can be achieved when everybody is You know, rowing in the same direction at the same speed. So, I'm going to use another sports example. If you think of, a crew team, that is what, that's how they get the results they do because of that perfect, in sync timing, synchronization. And that's what Matters. Yes. So having the team be focused on a tangible, specific goal, or again, it could be a mantra. It just depends on the situation. Um, but having the team all aligned is going to produce really incredible results. Love it. Any other advice? Um, I would say, Don't be afraid of the hard work that being a lifter So, if I look back at my career, there are some of the time periods of work that I'm most proud of also happened to be time periods where I was putting in grueling hours, and the problem we were after was really hard, and there were headwinds, and there were so many things that were difficult, yet when I look back on that time period, I think, That was one of the most fulfilling teams or time periods that I've ever been a part of and I think it comes down to Were you focused? Do you have great people around you? Were you focused on a common goal? And if you were those grueling hours and all of the hardships that go into it They just fade away and that's not what I remember. What I remember is How we served a particular client and what a difference we made and when you're working with incredible people and Getting stuff done. Then that's what you remember right instead of the hours that it took to get there

Leslie: 37:43

Yeah, so be lifters. Yes, because it brings joy and fulfillment maybe not in that moment always but

Jill: 37:54

It's so much more fulfilling. So if you think about it from the standpoint of if you're on a team but didn't contribute to that team's results, are you really gonna be, yeah, you might get the, in the sales world, you know, commission for it. But is that meaningful to you if you know that you didn't play a part in someone else did the work? I don't think it is. So I want to earn it. The other core of a lifter mentality is it's not a zero sum game. So I don't need you to lose for me to win. Right. And that is. So often misunderstood or under appreciated. And there are ways if I think about my girls are in all star cheer and it's very meaningful to them. And their coach always talks about training athletes from the inside out. And that's what's most important. So for those that don't know about all star cheer, sometimes you win because another team They had a mistake, and they had a stunt fall, or they had a tumbling fall, and they get a deduction for that. So, they are, their coaches are always preaching about, you want to beat people at their best. So, you don't want to cheer for someone else, and I know this sounds crazy, but it happens at these cheer competitions. You see parents excited when another team falls, because it gives their team a greater chance of winning. And that's just fundamentally the wrong way to look at it. And you want to be good enough to, in this case, beat someone at their best. And not, I win, you lose. And that's just the, that's a recipe for non fulfilling short term results and not what anyone should aspire to.

Leslie: 39:51

Yeah. Love that. Yes. Well, and I love that they're, uh, focused on that because that's a life skill. It's

Jill: 40:01

amazing. It's what, why. For me, as a parent with three kids in youth sports, they're not in youth sports because they're going to get a college scholarship. They're in youth sports because they are going to get life lessons that happen as part of being on a team that they're going to use when they're professionals and are on a team. So pretty much any, there's so few lone wolf careers these days. So to be successful in any aspect of life. You're going to need to figure out how to work with people. And there are endless opportunities for that in sports. And so, when I think about what am I most grateful for, with their coaching staff, they are great, and the girls are incredible athletes, and they're competitive nationally, and it's so much fun to watch them. But I believe they're competitive nationally, because they focus on training athletes from the inside out. And just like in the example of, You start with taking care of your team and then your customers and the business results follow. If you train athletes to be good people, I think the athletic results will follow as well. And then if you allow cultural things that are unhelpful to seep in, I think, unfortunately, the negative results follow that as well.

Leslie: 41:21

Yeah, yeah. for sharing that. Of course. Anything left unsaid on the topic of purpose in the workforce.

Jill: 41:30

I don't think so. Jill,

Leslie: 41:32

thank you for being on Purpose Project. I really enjoyed our conversation. Thank you for having me. This was great. Wow, there is so much that I'm taking away from this conversation. And one of those things is I found myself reflecting on the idea that when we take care of our employees, they take care of customers. It's a simple truth, but it can make all the difference. And what struck me is that this same truth holds for living a life of purpose. We can't show up fully for others until we've done the work to connect with ourselves. First purpose really does start with then whether it's purpose for the business or for each of us individually. So ask yourself, what is one way I can invest in myself today so that I can show up stronger for the people around me, both in my personal and in my professional life, Jill, thank you for being on the show and thank you everyone for tuning in until next time. Purpose Project is brought to you for education and for entertainment purposes. This podcast is not intended to replace the advice that you would receive from a licensed therapist or doctor or any other qualified professional.