🎆My new podcast episode #108 of the My Curious Colleague 🔍 #CPGCX podcast is now available! Listen in as Andrea C. McLean, MA, BCC, CPEC , Founder at ACM Coaching Group and I delve into the world of personality assessments and coaching.
🔗Links here: https://lnkd.in/g42HNUrp
https://lnkd.in/e738cff
A couple of highlights:
🌟 Discover the power of self-awareness and growth with personality assessments! P.S. take the PrinciplesYou assessment tool for Free!
🚀 Join Andrea McLean on the podcast for insights into coaching and unlocking your potential.
How to take the (free) PrinciplesYou assessment: https://principlesyou.com/
Offer: First 10 people to DM Andrea, get a choice of a free 15-minute debrief session with her after taking the PrinciplesYou Assessment , or a copy of her book Decide to Be Your Future Self.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Denise Venneri (00:01):
Welcome to the My Curious Colleague podcast
with your host, me, DeniseVenneri. We'll be talking all
things consumer relations with afocus on consumer product goods
organizations and the brandspecialist and analyst roles and
responsibilities. So if you likeCPGs, like I like CPGs,
(00:22):
marketing, insights, and caringdeeply for your consumers, Well,
take a listen. Hello, my curiouscolleagues. This week, I'm
curious about who you arethrough understanding yourself
via personality assessment toolswith a dash of coaching.
(00:42):
And with me this week to do justthat is my colleague, Andrea
MacLean, founder of ACM CoachingGroup. Hi, Andrea, and welcome
to the podcast.
Andrea McClean (00:56):
Hi, Denise. Thank you for having me on the
pad, podcast today. It's mypleasure.
Denise Venneri (01:01):
Oh my gosh. My honor. We've known each other
for a while and just kind ofhitting and missing over the
years, connecting, so this isthis is great. Let's begin with
you sharing with us how you gotto this point in your career,
and you've done so much.
Andrea McClean (01:21):
Thank you, Denise. I, you know, I think
like all of us, we get to thepoint where we do some
reflection and, you know, what'snext in our career, but, but
actually to get to the coaching,this started about 8 years ago,
I actually was on the SOCAPboard and you and I have been so
cap members for many years. So Iwas on the board of directors
(01:42):
and we had an off-site where wehad to do Gallup strengths
finder. And, you know, we hadthe group, kind of debrief in
terms of how we work togetherbased on our strengths. But then
we also had individual sessionsand the woman who did my
debrief, she said, you know,based on your profile, I think
you'd make a good coach.
And that was 8 years ago and Ikind of parked it in my head. I
(02:04):
never thought about it. Youknow, I kept on with what I was
doing with my corporate career.But then a couple of years ago,
I started thinking about, youknow, what's next, what do I
really want to do next? And thenI remembered the comment about
being a coach and it felt like Ihad been coaching my whole life.
And interestingly, a newcolleague had joined our company
and he had come from a verydifferent environment and he had
(02:27):
to get used to the culture andhow to navigate. And 1 day he
said, you know, before I go intoa meeting and I say things, I
think, you know, what wouldAndrea do? And then I realized,
you know, I'm, I'm really acoach. So, so, you know, yeah.
So I, you know, when and did allof the certifications actually
have 3 now, I think I need tostop.
But, Yeah. So I, you know, whenand did all of the
(02:47):
certifications actually have 3now, I think I need to stop.
But, yeah. And then, you know,set up the coaching group
because I figured I had toformalize it if I was going to
practice. So that's how I got towhere I am.
Denise Venneri (02:57):
Oh my goodness. That's great. And you also have
a 9 to 5. Job. Yeah.
To, doing some other things thatwe may have to save for another
episode. You know, why why is itso important to, you know, be
coached? Or I guess the outcomeis understanding yourself. It
(03:21):
and and having someone help youunderstanding of it.
Understanding yourself.
It's a little bit of, like,early employee experience. I
think you were ahead of thecurve, frankly, but it's even
more important now. Why do youthink there's this shift to
understanding yourself and howyou interact with others? You
know, what are the the benefitsto that overall, would you say?
Andrea McClean (03:44):
Yeah. Sure. So I think, you know, and again, you
know, based on coming up throughmy career, there are times when
you believe that you need to belike somebody else or fit a
certain mold. And I think themore you understand what your
strengths are, what yourpersonality type is, how you can
really be a team player or aleader, I think all of us, when
(04:07):
we really understand who we areat the core and how we either
interact with others based onwho we are, or, you know, find
out what motivates us, then wecan figure out what our places
or what our role is in the teamand in the organization, and
then we can be bettercontributors. So I think
everything starts with knowingwho you are and not trying to be
(04:30):
like a cookie cutter or a carboncopy of somebody else.
And, and that's where differentpersonality assessment tools can
help.
Denise Venneri (04:38):
Right. Okay. So let's build off of that. And if
you wouldn't mind, I likeexamples. I like breaking things
down.
It helps me understand better.Let's let's pretend, or why
don't you share with me? I wedon't have to pretend. How would
you approach coaching forinternal folks? So, like, really
(05:01):
get into it.
What's the first step? Like, whoreaches out to who? Does a
company say, hey. You should goand coach so and so, or does an
employee feel, alright, they maynot be bringing their whole self
to work and they reach out toyou. And then what does it look
like from there once, you know,the the 2 people are together?
Andrea McClean (05:22):
Sure. So it it can act actually go either of
the 2 ways you just mentioned.So it could be that a company
could say that we have a programand we need some coaches and,
you know, here's what we wantyou to help, whether it's, you
know, in my case, I've coachedinternally to help women develop
and grow and become moreconfident in themselves and
(05:43):
figure out how they're going tobest demonstrate their
leadership skills. So that couldbe the company engaging you to
coach, but then you could haveothers who you meet maybe
through a mentorshiprelationship or otherwise who
say, you know, can you help tocoach me? Here's where I, you
know, I think I have someopportunities for growth.
(06:03):
I go into a meeting for example,and I, you know, kind of afraid
to share my opinions and then,you know, I can kind of unpack
the what's driving that, youknow, what are the belief
systems that they might haveabout themselves, why they're
feeling that they're not eitherempowered or, you know,
confident enough to say whatthey want to share. So, so it
(06:26):
can go either way. And for me,my coaching is about everybody
being unique. So I start withthe individual and what, what do
they want to accomplish out of acoaching engagement or a
coaching session? I mean, forsome people it could be 1
session and they're fine.
You know, that's just what theyneeded to kind of give them a
(06:46):
spark to keep going. And thenfor others, it might be, you
know, 3 or 6 sessions. So again,it's not a 1 size fits all from,
from my perspective, it's reallywhat the client is needing based
on where they want to go or howthey want to grow.
Denise Venneri (07:04):
Love that. So session 1. Mhmm. You know, is it
how long is that, and what areyou accomplishing in session 1?
Andrea McClean (07:13):
Yes. And you
Denise Venneri (07:14):
can choose on the session 2. What it, what
does that look like? And whendoes this assessment tool kind
of come in?
Andrea McClean (07:20):
So session 1 typically is what I call this
discovery session. And for, youknow, any coach will tell you
that it's about 15 minutes. It'sa free session and it's really
to get to know the client andfor the client to get to know me
because I'm not the coach foreveryone. And neither is
everyone my client. There'sgotta be a synergy and, you
(07:43):
know, you've gotta have thatchemistry to work together.
So that that's the firstsession. If you want to even
call it a pre session where youkind of get to know whether or
not, you know, are we going tobe a good partnership here? And,
and can I really help thisperson? Are they willing to take
the accountability and do what'snecessary to experience the
(08:04):
growth that they're desiring?And then from there, session 2
could be around what are thegoals they want to set for
themselves and then use of someassessments.
So 1 of the assessments latelythat I have been introduced to
and got certified to coach isprincipals. And, you know,
there's Myers Briggs, there'sdisc, there's Gallup, strengths
(08:26):
finders. There are a number ofassessments out there, but what
I really like about theprinciples you assessment is
that it, it looks at how youthink, what motivates you and
how you work with others. And soit gives you the opportunity
when you understand who you areand how you think and what
motivates you and how you workwith others. It gives you the
(08:48):
opportunity to flex at times, ifyou need to change some of the
traits, to be able to connectwith somebody else who might
have a different personalitytype.
So it's a, it's a prettythorough assessment that gives
you really good understandingand context of how you can
operate, not only in the workenvironment, but personally as
(09:10):
well.
Denise Venneri (09:11):
I believe taking the test is free.
Andrea McClean (09:13):
Yes, it's free. It's a free assessment at,
principleschool.com.
Denise Venneri (09:19):
Okay. Well, maybe what's next then is kind
of using because I did go out tothe to the website, and they
talk about architectsarchetypes.
Andrea McClean (09:30):
Architize. Yeah. Mhmm.
Denise Venneri (09:31):
Yep. And there's maybe 9 or 10. But they seem
like, you know, familiar words.It wasn't Mhmm. I know I back in
back in the day, Myers Briggs, Ithought, you know what?
This is this is too high levelfor me. I can't even understand
what it's like. So, dig ontodisk a while back too, and
(09:52):
that's like 4, 4 archetypetypes. Well, we can't struggle
with that word. But this seemslike right in the middle there.
So let's let's bring this to areal example. If you're
comfortable sharing, you know,someone, you don't have to
mention their name, that you'vecoached. Take me through the
details, you know, how you moveforward. And then, of course,
(10:18):
I'm gonna assume it's asuccessful outcome and what are
they doing today. So there's alot packed in that 1.
Andrea McClean (10:23):
Yeah. Sure. And and just to kind of hone in on
what you were saying about thearchetypes and you know, how
it's in simple language, thingslike, are you a leader? Are you
an advocate? Are you anenthusiast?
Are you a giver? Are you anarchitect? Are you a producer?
Are you a seeker? Are you afighter?
Are you a creator? Or are you anindividualist or even a
(10:46):
peacemaker problem solver orinspirer? So, so I'll give you
the example. I had a client, shewas an account manager and her
top 3 archetypes were primarily,she was a peacekeeper, but then
followed up, that she was then aproblem solver and an inspirer.
So those are the top 3archetypes and that's what you
get in the report.
(11:06):
What are your top 3 archetypes?So as a peacekeeper, she was
good at understanding whereeverybody was coming from
emotionally and, you know, shewas able to communicate well and
she could bring people togetherand adapt her behavior to suit
whatever circumstances, youknow, existed in the work
environment. And she alsoremained calm when there were
(11:27):
any tense situations, but therewas a growth opportunity for her
because she didn't want to stateher opinions and ideas, you
know, in a forceful way, atleast she interpreted it, that
it would be forceful. And shewas overly reliant on compromise
to, you know, to get thingssorted or move, move things
(11:50):
along, as an ideal solution. Butshe, you know, could sometimes
be taken advantage of by otherswho were less giving.
And so, you know, she, shewanted to support through
problem solving and she was veryindustrious and, you know, she
was very professional and, youknow, again, very supportive,
(12:11):
conscientious, responsible, andgood at motivating people to
kind of get behind anychallenging issues and work to
resolution. And then when westarted to look at the, you
know, how she preferred tothink, how she engages with
others and what motivated her
Denise Venneri (12:28):
Yes.
Andrea McClean (12:28):
From her thinking patterns, she was
detailed. She was reliable, butshe was also creative. Those
were her highest scores and herlowest score was being
practical. So, you know, she wasmore of the blue sky, but, you
know, practical, wasn't thestrength for her. And then how
she engages with others.
(12:49):
She was very nurturing. She washumorous and leadership was, was
a strength for her as well, buther lowest score was tough. So
going back to where I was sayingthat she, you know, she didn't
want to rock the boat, so tospeak, in terms of, you know,
making any decisions that shethought, you know, would be kind
of, you know, maybe not, notperceived as, as well, she
(13:13):
wouldn't want to be perceived astough. So, so again,
Denise Venneri (13:18):
you know, she did
Andrea McClean (13:22):
want to be perceived as tough. And it came
across because that was 1 of herlowest scores in terms of how
she related to other people andthen how she applied herself. Or
this has to do with themotivation side of it. Her
highest scores were that shewas, she was energetic and she
was composed, but her lowestscore was that she was
autonomous. So again, notwanting to be the 1 to make that
(13:45):
tough decision or to say, youknow, well, this is what we have
to do again.
She was too reliant oncompromise because she wanted to
keep things calm. She didn'twant any tension in the team. So
when we looked at the results,you know, she realized that, she
was, she could be bold if shefelt like the team was behind
(14:08):
her, but she wasn't being boldif she felt she had to make a
decision. And, and at this pointshe was an account manager and
she had some aspirations tobecome a leader. So, you know,
she figured out that she couldcreate contingency plans and she
gravitated towards new andinnovative approaches when she
(14:30):
was setting goals.
And she would also strive beyondwhat seemed possible or what
others thought was possible. Andbecause she had this capacity to
remain calm and, you know,collected when there were tense
situations that was for her agood way to kind of keep the
team motivated, even when therewas a lot of turmoil happening
(14:51):
or a lot of change happening inthe business. And so she
realized that she needed to beable to flex and be more tough
at times when, when thesituation called for it and to
realize that, you know, itwasn't that she was being
necessarily, you know,disruptive to the team that
actually by being tough, shecould make those decisions that
(15:14):
could move the team forward. Aslong as she was explaining why
she was making the decision and,you know, what was the whole
context behind why that decisionwas made. And so, you know, she,
she actually sat with that for alittle while.
And then she came back to me andI got this beautiful thank you
note from her saying that it wasextremely valuable, this
(15:35):
information, having done theassessment, and then me walking
her through and coaching herthrough the assessment, because
it showed her some blind spots.It showed where again, she
wasn't taking that leadershipposition when she needed to, but
she was more reliant oncompromise and always getting
everybody to agree on the team.And she actually got confidence
(15:57):
and was promoted to shortlythereafter to lead a team. And,
you know, she said, because ofwhat I learned about myself, I
realized where I needed tochange some of my behaviors and
flex as we call it in order tobe able to communicate more
appropriately and be the strongleader that I needed to be at
times in this team, new teamsetting. So for me, that was
(16:19):
gratifying to get a thank younote, you know, that was saying
this was great.
And here's how I plan to applythe learnings as I move forward.
So this is where I think toolslike whether it's principles,
you, which is what I'm talkingabout today, but any tool that
can help you to betterunderstand yourself will only
(16:39):
help increase, you know, the,the confidence that you have and
your capability as a leader or ateam player in any organization,
particularly when you're in acustomer service environment,
you know, I'm thinking that, youknow, when you think about the
types of calls that come in, soa call center and the person
(17:01):
who's on the other end of theline, I think if you understand
how you communicate and you'reable to understand how they're
communicating, I think you cancreate a better bridge and be
able to have a more productiveconversation in that
environment.
Denise Venneri (17:16):
Oh, interesting. I love that, sort of applying it
to the contact centerenvironment. Obviously, knowing
yourself and knowing the tool,you can kind of guesstimate
where the consumer is comingfrom. You know, obviously, you
don't know their types and all.I said it correctly correctly,
(17:37):
but you can begin to shape,okay, I think you're aware of
your reaction to something.
Right. Mhmm. Now you could, youknow, adjust that. Yeah, that's
an interesting application. Lovethat.
I also I loved your example. Whocouldn't, you know, sort of
relate to some of the things yousaid? I know I'll just talk
about my generation. You know,peacekeeper Mhmm. Was, you know,
(18:01):
a big a big thing.
And it took me a while to sortof break out of that. I know
personally. But the other thingI learned was just this
permission, getting to knowyourself deeply, and the the 1
thing the 1 big thing she neededto work on about, like, being a
little bit more forceful and herfear of being pigeonholed. I
(18:22):
love the idea of the flexibecause Mhmm. You know, it just
kinda frees you up.
Like, oh, okay. I don't have tobe that person all the time
because that's you're not reallywhat I'm comfortable with. But
in choiceful places, I can I canbe this person? And, you know,
it kind of freeze to me, as youwere saying, it kind of felt
(18:45):
very freeing. And I love it.
Andrea McClean (18:47):
And actually, it's interesting that you're
using the term freeing becausein the principles you,
terminology it's called freetrait. And so, you know, it's a
free trait when you demonstrate,you know, or, or flex to be able
to connect with somebody else.But the truth is just, as you
said, if you're free trading toomuch, that can cause stress.
(19:11):
And, you know, so you don't wantto be the other person, you
know, for an extended period oftime, but there are times when
you might have to flex and besomewhat like that person to
communicate and to build thatbridge so that you're able to
move something, whether it's aproject or a meeting forward.
Denise Venneri (19:30):
Love love that story. Hey. I know we had talked
about perhaps pulling togetheran offer for our listeners. Is
that something you wanted toshare at this time?
Andrea McClean (19:43):
Absolutely, Denise. So, for anyone, well,
it's for 10 people, the first 10people who will direct message
me, and you can find me onLinkedIn, you know, or an
Instagram, Andrissy McLean,
Denise Venneri (20:01):
Okay.
Andrea McClean (20:01):
But it's, it's either, or you can go to my
website, as well.Www.andracmcleendot
Denise Venneri (20:11):
com.
Andrea McClean (20:12):
Okay. And, the offer is for 10 people. First 10
people is either to get a free15 minute debrief session. So I
would ask you to take theprinciples you assessment first,
and you can get to that throughprinciplesu.com. So take the
assessment and you can get a 15minute free debrief session with
(20:33):
me to, again, walk through thereport and explain, you know,
how, how to interpret it and howyou, you know, can, can show up
as yourself, but where you mightneed to flex at times.
And then all, or you can get afree copy of my book, decide to
be your future self. I don'tknow if you want me to show the
book, but here it is. So yes, soit's, it's either or either the
(20:59):
free 15 minute coaching sessionor a free copy of the book and,
US mailing addresses only justbecause of the cost of postage.
Denise Venneri (21:08):
Got it. That's so generous of you. Thank you so
much for that. I appreciate it.I hope everyone excuse me.
I just talk right over you. Ihope everyone or at least the
first 10 people will takeadvantage of that. I may
secretly go in into your GMunder the domain perhaps. But,
(21:28):
anyway, this has been great. Isadly, we're wrapping up here.
I know there's so many otheraspects of your career that we
could have you back for anothersession, so I throw that out for
you to to think about. But thishas been awesome and I really
appreciate you taking time outof your afternoon to to chat
with me.
Andrea McClean (21:47):
Well, thank you, Denise. It's, it's been my
pleasure. And, you know, again,I want to empower particularly
women to become their bestauthentic selves. I think, you
know, I want to leverage myexperience over the years and I
really want the next generationand actually people in my
generation to decide to becometheir future selves and become
(22:09):
their best selves based on allthe tools that are available
today and coaching that'savailable. So thank you so much
for having me on.
Denise Venneri (22:22):
If you've learned even a kernel of an idea
or was inspired by this episode,please consider rating and
reviewing the podcast on ApplePodcasts. Be sure to share out
the hashtag CPGCX because CPGCXreally and truly rocks.
You have been listening to theMy Curious Colleague podcast
(22:43):
with Denise. Thank you for yourtime.
Welcome to the My Curious Colleague podcast
with your host, me, DeniseVenneri. We'll be talking all
things consumer relations with afocus on consumer product goods
organizations and the brandspecialist and analyst roles and
responsibilities. So if you likeCPGs, like I like CPGs,
(00:22):
marketing, insights, and caringdeeply for your consumers, Well,
take a listen. Hello, my curiouscolleagues. This week, I'm
curious about who you arethrough understanding yourself
via personality assessment toolswith a dash of coaching.
(00:42):
And with me this week to do justthat is my colleague, Andrea
MacLean, founder of ACM CoachingGroup. Hi, Andrea, and welcome
to the podcast.
Andrea McClean (00:56):
Hi, Denise. Thank you for having me on the
pad, podcast today. It's mypleasure.
Denise Venneri (01:01):
Oh my gosh. My honor. We've known each other
for a while and just kind ofhitting and missing over the
years, connecting, so this isthis is great. Let's begin with
you sharing with us how you gotto this point in your career,
and you've done so much.
Andrea McClean (01:21):
Thank you, Denise. I, you know, I think
like all of us, we get to thepoint where we do some
reflection and, you know, what'snext in our career, but, but
actually to get to the coaching,this started about 8 years ago,
I actually was on the SOCAPboard and you and I have been so
cap members for many years. So Iwas on the board of directors
(01:42):
and we had an off-site where wehad to do Gallup strengths
finder. And, you know, we hadthe group, kind of debrief in
terms of how we work togetherbased on our strengths. But then
we also had individual sessionsand the woman who did my
debrief, she said, you know,based on your profile, I think
you'd make a good coach.
And that was 8 years ago and Ikind of parked it in my head. I
(02:04):
never thought about it. Youknow, I kept on with what I was
doing with my corporate career.But then a couple of years ago,
I started thinking about, youknow, what's next, what do I
really want to do next? And thenI remembered the comment about
being a coach and it felt like Ihad been coaching my whole life.
And interestingly, a newcolleague had joined our company
and he had come from a verydifferent environment and he had
(02:27):
to get used to the culture andhow to navigate. And 1 day he
said, you know, before I go intoa meeting and I say things, I
think, you know, what wouldAndrea do? And then I realized,
you know, I'm, I'm really acoach. So, so, you know, yeah.
So I, you know, when and did allof the certifications actually
have 3 now, I think I need tostop.
But, Yeah. So I, you know, whenand did all of the
(02:47):
certifications actually have 3now, I think I need to stop.
But, yeah. And then, you know,set up the coaching group
because I figured I had toformalize it if I was going to
practice. So that's how I got towhere I am.
Denise Venneri (02:57):
Oh my goodness. That's great. And you also have
a 9 to 5. Job. Yeah.
To, doing some other things thatwe may have to save for another
episode. You know, why why is itso important to, you know, be
coached? Or I guess the outcomeis understanding yourself. It
(03:21):
and and having someone help youunderstanding of it.
Understanding yourself.
It's a little bit of, like,early employee experience. I
think you were ahead of thecurve, frankly, but it's even
more important now. Why do youthink there's this shift to
understanding yourself and howyou interact with others? You
know, what are the the benefitsto that overall, would you say?
Andrea McClean (03:44):
Yeah. Sure. So I think, you know, and again, you
know, based on coming up throughmy career, there are times when
you believe that you need to belike somebody else or fit a
certain mold. And I think themore you understand what your
strengths are, what yourpersonality type is, how you can
really be a team player or aleader, I think all of us, when
(04:07):
we really understand who we areat the core and how we either
interact with others based onwho we are, or, you know, find
out what motivates us, then wecan figure out what our places
or what our role is in the teamand in the organization, and
then we can be bettercontributors. So I think
everything starts with knowingwho you are and not trying to be
(04:30):
like a cookie cutter or a carboncopy of somebody else.
And, and that's where differentpersonality assessment tools can
help.
Denise Venneri (04:38):
Right. Okay. So let's build off of that. And if
you wouldn't mind, I likeexamples. I like breaking things
down.
It helps me understand better.Let's let's pretend, or why
don't you share with me? I wedon't have to pretend. How would
you approach coaching forinternal folks? So, like, really
(05:01):
get into it.
What's the first step? Like, whoreaches out to who? Does a
company say, hey. You should goand coach so and so, or does an
employee feel, alright, they maynot be bringing their whole self
to work and they reach out toyou. And then what does it look
like from there once, you know,the the 2 people are together?
Andrea McClean (05:22):
Sure. So it it can act actually go either of
the 2 ways you just mentioned.So it could be that a company
could say that we have a programand we need some coaches and,
you know, here's what we wantyou to help, whether it's, you
know, in my case, I've coachedinternally to help women develop
and grow and become moreconfident in themselves and
(05:43):
figure out how they're going tobest demonstrate their
leadership skills. So that couldbe the company engaging you to
coach, but then you could haveothers who you meet maybe
through a mentorshiprelationship or otherwise who
say, you know, can you help tocoach me? Here's where I, you
know, I think I have someopportunities for growth.
(06:03):
I go into a meeting for example,and I, you know, kind of afraid
to share my opinions and then,you know, I can kind of unpack
the what's driving that, youknow, what are the belief
systems that they might haveabout themselves, why they're
feeling that they're not eitherempowered or, you know,
confident enough to say whatthey want to share. So, so it
(06:26):
can go either way. And for me,my coaching is about everybody
being unique. So I start withthe individual and what, what do
they want to accomplish out of acoaching engagement or a
coaching session? I mean, forsome people it could be 1
session and they're fine.
You know, that's just what theyneeded to kind of give them a
(06:46):
spark to keep going. And thenfor others, it might be, you
know, 3 or 6 sessions. So again,it's not a 1 size fits all from,
from my perspective, it's reallywhat the client is needing based
on where they want to go or howthey want to grow.
Denise Venneri (07:04):
Love that. So session 1. Mhmm. You know, is it
how long is that, and what areyou accomplishing in session 1?
Andrea McClean (07:13):
Yes. And you
Denise Venneri (07:14):
can choose on the session 2. What it, what
does that look like? And whendoes this assessment tool kind
of come in?
Andrea McClean (07:20):
So session 1 typically is what I call this
discovery session. And for, youknow, any coach will tell you
that it's about 15 minutes. It'sa free session and it's really
to get to know the client andfor the client to get to know me
because I'm not the coach foreveryone. And neither is
everyone my client. There'sgotta be a synergy and, you
(07:43):
know, you've gotta have thatchemistry to work together.
So that that's the firstsession. If you want to even
call it a pre session where youkind of get to know whether or
not, you know, are we going tobe a good partnership here? And,
and can I really help thisperson? Are they willing to take
the accountability and do what'snecessary to experience the
(08:04):
growth that they're desiring?And then from there, session 2
could be around what are thegoals they want to set for
themselves and then use of someassessments.
So 1 of the assessments latelythat I have been introduced to
and got certified to coach isprincipals. And, you know,
there's Myers Briggs, there'sdisc, there's Gallup, strengths
(08:26):
finders. There are a number ofassessments out there, but what
I really like about theprinciples you assessment is
that it, it looks at how youthink, what motivates you and
how you work with others. And soit gives you the opportunity
when you understand who you areand how you think and what
motivates you and how you workwith others. It gives you the
(08:48):
opportunity to flex at times, ifyou need to change some of the
traits, to be able to connectwith somebody else who might
have a different personalitytype.
So it's a, it's a prettythorough assessment that gives
you really good understandingand context of how you can
operate, not only in the workenvironment, but personally as
(09:10):
well.
Denise Venneri (09:11):
I believe taking the test is free.
Andrea McClean (09:13):
Yes, it's free. It's a free assessment at,
principleschool.com.
Denise Venneri (09:19):
Okay. Well, maybe what's next then is kind
of using because I did go out tothe to the website, and they
talk about architectsarchetypes.
Andrea McClean (09:30):
Architize. Yeah. Mhmm.
Denise Venneri (09:31):
Yep. And there's maybe 9 or 10. But they seem
like, you know, familiar words.It wasn't Mhmm. I know I back in
back in the day, Myers Briggs, Ithought, you know what?
This is this is too high levelfor me. I can't even understand
what it's like. So, dig ontodisk a while back too, and
(09:52):
that's like 4, 4 archetypetypes. Well, we can't struggle
with that word. But this seemslike right in the middle there.
So let's let's bring this to areal example. If you're
comfortable sharing, you know,someone, you don't have to
mention their name, that you'vecoached. Take me through the
details, you know, how you moveforward. And then, of course,
(10:18):
I'm gonna assume it's asuccessful outcome and what are
they doing today. So there's alot packed in that 1.
Andrea McClean (10:23):
Yeah. Sure. And and just to kind of hone in on
what you were saying about thearchetypes and you know, how
it's in simple language, thingslike, are you a leader? Are you
an advocate? Are you anenthusiast?
Are you a giver? Are you anarchitect? Are you a producer?
Are you a seeker? Are you afighter?
Are you a creator? Or are you anindividualist or even a
(10:46):
peacemaker problem solver orinspirer? So, so I'll give you
the example. I had a client, shewas an account manager and her
top 3 archetypes were primarily,she was a peacekeeper, but then
followed up, that she was then aproblem solver and an inspirer.
So those are the top 3archetypes and that's what you
get in the report.
(11:06):
What are your top 3 archetypes?So as a peacekeeper, she was
good at understanding whereeverybody was coming from
emotionally and, you know, shewas able to communicate well and
she could bring people togetherand adapt her behavior to suit
whatever circumstances, youknow, existed in the work
environment. And she alsoremained calm when there were
(11:27):
any tense situations, but therewas a growth opportunity for her
because she didn't want to stateher opinions and ideas, you
know, in a forceful way, atleast she interpreted it, that
it would be forceful. And shewas overly reliant on compromise
to, you know, to get thingssorted or move, move things
(11:50):
along, as an ideal solution. Butshe, you know, could sometimes
be taken advantage of by otherswho were less giving.
And so, you know, she, shewanted to support through
problem solving and she was veryindustrious and, you know, she
was very professional and, youknow, again, very supportive,
(12:11):
conscientious, responsible, andgood at motivating people to
kind of get behind anychallenging issues and work to
resolution. And then when westarted to look at the, you
know, how she preferred tothink, how she engages with
others and what motivated her
Denise Venneri (12:28):
Yes.
Andrea McClean (12:28):
From her thinking patterns, she was
detailed. She was reliable, butshe was also creative. Those
were her highest scores and herlowest score was being
practical. So, you know, she wasmore of the blue sky, but, you
know, practical, wasn't thestrength for her. And then how
she engages with others.
(12:49):
She was very nurturing. She washumorous and leadership was, was
a strength for her as well, buther lowest score was tough. So
going back to where I was sayingthat she, you know, she didn't
want to rock the boat, so tospeak, in terms of, you know,
making any decisions that shethought, you know, would be kind
of, you know, maybe not, notperceived as, as well, she
(13:13):
wouldn't want to be perceived astough. So, so again,
Denise Venneri (13:18):
you know, she did
Andrea McClean (13:22):
want to be perceived as tough. And it came
across because that was 1 of herlowest scores in terms of how
she related to other people andthen how she applied herself. Or
this has to do with themotivation side of it. Her
highest scores were that shewas, she was energetic and she
was composed, but her lowestscore was that she was
autonomous. So again, notwanting to be the 1 to make that
(13:45):
tough decision or to say, youknow, well, this is what we have
to do again.
She was too reliant oncompromise because she wanted to
keep things calm. She didn'twant any tension in the team. So
when we looked at the results,you know, she realized that, she
was, she could be bold if shefelt like the team was behind
(14:08):
her, but she wasn't being boldif she felt she had to make a
decision. And, and at this pointshe was an account manager and
she had some aspirations tobecome a leader. So, you know,
she figured out that she couldcreate contingency plans and she
gravitated towards new andinnovative approaches when she
(14:30):
was setting goals.
And she would also strive beyondwhat seemed possible or what
others thought was possible. Andbecause she had this capacity to
remain calm and, you know,collected when there were tense
situations that was for her agood way to kind of keep the
team motivated, even when therewas a lot of turmoil happening
(14:51):
or a lot of change happening inthe business. And so she
realized that she needed to beable to flex and be more tough
at times when, when thesituation called for it and to
realize that, you know, itwasn't that she was being
necessarily, you know,disruptive to the team that
actually by being tough, shecould make those decisions that
(15:14):
could move the team forward. Aslong as she was explaining why
she was making the decision and,you know, what was the whole
context behind why that decisionwas made. And so, you know, she,
she actually sat with that for alittle while.
And then she came back to me andI got this beautiful thank you
note from her saying that it wasextremely valuable, this
(15:35):
information, having done theassessment, and then me walking
her through and coaching herthrough the assessment, because
it showed her some blind spots.It showed where again, she
wasn't taking that leadershipposition when she needed to, but
she was more reliant oncompromise and always getting
everybody to agree on the team.And she actually got confidence
(15:57):
and was promoted to shortlythereafter to lead a team. And,
you know, she said, because ofwhat I learned about myself, I
realized where I needed tochange some of my behaviors and
flex as we call it in order tobe able to communicate more
appropriately and be the strongleader that I needed to be at
times in this team, new teamsetting. So for me, that was
(16:19):
gratifying to get a thank younote, you know, that was saying
this was great.
And here's how I plan to applythe learnings as I move forward.
So this is where I think toolslike whether it's principles,
you, which is what I'm talkingabout today, but any tool that
can help you to betterunderstand yourself will only
(16:39):
help increase, you know, the,the confidence that you have and
your capability as a leader or ateam player in any organization,
particularly when you're in acustomer service environment,
you know, I'm thinking that, youknow, when you think about the
types of calls that come in, soa call center and the person
(17:01):
who's on the other end of theline, I think if you understand
how you communicate and you'reable to understand how they're
communicating, I think you cancreate a better bridge and be
able to have a more productiveconversation in that
environment.
Denise Venneri (17:16):
Oh, interesting. I love that, sort of applying it
to the contact centerenvironment. Obviously, knowing
yourself and knowing the tool,you can kind of guesstimate
where the consumer is comingfrom. You know, obviously, you
don't know their types and all.I said it correctly correctly,
(17:37):
but you can begin to shape,okay, I think you're aware of
your reaction to something.
Right. Mhmm. Now you could, youknow, adjust that. Yeah, that's
an interesting application. Lovethat.
I also I loved your example. Whocouldn't, you know, sort of
relate to some of the things yousaid? I know I'll just talk
about my generation. You know,peacekeeper Mhmm. Was, you know,
(18:01):
a big a big thing.
And it took me a while to sortof break out of that. I know
personally. But the other thingI learned was just this
permission, getting to knowyourself deeply, and the the 1
thing the 1 big thing she neededto work on about, like, being a
little bit more forceful and herfear of being pigeonholed. I
(18:22):
love the idea of the flexibecause Mhmm. You know, it just
kinda frees you up.
Like, oh, okay. I don't have tobe that person all the time
because that's you're not reallywhat I'm comfortable with. But
in choiceful places, I can I canbe this person? And, you know,
it kind of freeze to me, as youwere saying, it kind of felt
(18:45):
very freeing. And I love it.
Andrea McClean (18:47):
And actually, it's interesting that you're
using the term freeing becausein the principles you,
terminology it's called freetrait. And so, you know, it's a
free trait when you demonstrate,you know, or, or flex to be able
to connect with somebody else.But the truth is just, as you
said, if you're free trading toomuch, that can cause stress.
(19:11):
And, you know, so you don't wantto be the other person, you
know, for an extended period oftime, but there are times when
you might have to flex and besomewhat like that person to
communicate and to build thatbridge so that you're able to
move something, whether it's aproject or a meeting forward.
Denise Venneri (19:30):
Love love that story. Hey. I know we had talked
about perhaps pulling togetheran offer for our listeners. Is
that something you wanted toshare at this time?
Andrea McClean (19:43):
Absolutely, Denise. So, for anyone, well,
it's for 10 people, the first 10people who will direct message
me, and you can find me onLinkedIn, you know, or an
Instagram, Andrissy McLean,
Denise Venneri (20:01):
Okay.
Andrea McClean (20:01):
But it's, it's either, or you can go to my
website, as well.Www.andracmcleendot
Denise Venneri (20:11):
com.
Andrea McClean (20:12):
Okay. And, the offer is for 10 people. First 10
people is either to get a free15 minute debrief session. So I
would ask you to take theprinciples you assessment first,
and you can get to that throughprinciplesu.com. So take the
assessment and you can get a 15minute free debrief session with
(20:33):
me to, again, walk through thereport and explain, you know,
how, how to interpret it and howyou, you know, can, can show up
as yourself, but where you mightneed to flex at times.
And then all, or you can get afree copy of my book, decide to
be your future self. I don'tknow if you want me to show the
book, but here it is. So yes, soit's, it's either or either the
(20:59):
free 15 minute coaching sessionor a free copy of the book and,
US mailing addresses only justbecause of the cost of postage.
Denise Venneri (21:08):
Got it. That's so generous of you. Thank you so
much for that. I appreciate it.I hope everyone excuse me.
I just talk right over you. Ihope everyone or at least the
first 10 people will takeadvantage of that. I may
secretly go in into your GMunder the domain perhaps. But,
(21:28):
anyway, this has been great. Isadly, we're wrapping up here.
I know there's so many otheraspects of your career that we
could have you back for anothersession, so I throw that out for
you to to think about. But thishas been awesome and I really
appreciate you taking time outof your afternoon to to chat
with me.
Andrea McClean (21:47):
Well, thank you, Denise. It's, it's been my
pleasure. And, you know, again,I want to empower particularly
women to become their bestauthentic selves. I think, you
know, I want to leverage myexperience over the years and I
really want the next generationand actually people in my
generation to decide to becometheir future selves and become
(22:09):
their best selves based on allthe tools that are available
today and coaching that'savailable. So thank you so much
for having me on.
Denise Venneri (22:22):
If you've learned even a kernel of an idea
or was inspired by this episode,please consider rating and
reviewing the podcast on ApplePodcasts. Be sure to share out
the hashtag CPGCX because CPGCXreally and truly rocks.
You have been listening to theMy Curious Colleague podcast
(22:43):
with Denise. Thank you for yourtime.
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