June 19, 2023 • 45 mins
Our featured guest this episode is Mary Starr, diving into topics such as Culture by Design not Default, The Culture of Mattering, Surveys Done Right, Healthy Partnerships, Laughable Moments… and of course… Zen. We’re talking personal zen through exercise, fresh air and living in the present. We’re talking creating zen for those we lead to help humans bring their A-games in productivity, well-being and work-life balance.
As referenced in today’s show, Mary is sharing “Culture by Design…” an insightful PowerPoint of The Starr Group’s own case studies and research to accompany this program. Mary's PowerPoint, show landing page, topic resources and contact info are available at Mary Starr: The Zenquest of Leaders — zenquest.online.
Here’s a little background on today’s guest…
- Mary Starr, Executive Vice President, has directed The Starr Group since 1985. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in sociology & social work and a minor in Spanish. She went on to earn graduate credits toward her master’s degree in social work at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and graduate credits toward her master’s in business administration at Keller Graduate School.
- In 2010 Mary became a Certified Wellness Coach and in 2016 earned her Certified Corporate Wellness Specialist designation.
- Mary has served on numerous boards past and present, including: American Heart Association Board of Directors; Wellness Council of Wisconsin’s Executive Board of Directors; Board of Directors for the Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare | Ascension Foundation; Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare Diabetes Awareness Advisory Board; Well City Milwaukee Advisory Board of Directors; MarshBerry and Associates Advisory Council, Milwaukee’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For Board, The South Suburban Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and more.
- Mary has been at the helm of creating The Starr Group’s current award-winning wellness program, Fit4Life, which has received numerous accolades including National Healthiest 100 Workplaces, inducted into Hall of Fame 2022; Well Workplace Award, Wellness Council of America, since 2011; American Heart Association Workplace Health Solutions Gold Award, and many more.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jessica Ollenburg (00:00):
Thanks so very much for joining us. I am
your host, Jessica Ollenburg.
And today we are talking withMary Starr, Executive Vice
President of The Starr Group. Afew of our topics include
culture by design not default,the culture of mattering,
surveys done right, healthypartnerships, laughable moments,
(00:21):
and of course, Zen.
We're talking personal Zenthrough exercise fresh air and
living in the present. We'retalking creating Zen for those
we lead to help humans bringtheir A games in productivity,
wellbeing, and work lifebalance. Here's a little
(00:43):
background on today's guest.
Mary Starr Executive VicePresident has directed The Starr
Group since 1985. She graduatedfrom the University of Wisconsin
Madison with a degree insociology and social work and a
minor in Spanish. She went on toearn graduate credits toward her
master's degree in Social Workat the University of Wisconsin,
(01:06):
Milwaukee and graduate creditstoward her master's in business
administration at KelloggGraduate School. In 2010. Mary
became a certified wellnesscoach and in 2016, earned her
certified corporate wellnessspecialist designation. She has
served on numerous boards pastand present, including American
(01:28):
Heart Association Board ofDirectors, wellness Council of
Wisconsin's executive board ofdirectors, board of directors
for the Wheaton Franciscanhealth care ascension
Foundation, Wheaton Franciscanhealth care Diabetes Awareness
Advisory Board, well citymilwaukee Advisory Board of
(01:49):
Directors Marsh Berry andAssociates Advisory Council, the
South Suburban Chamber ofCommerce, board of directors and
more. Mary has been at the helmof creating The Starr Group's
current award winning wellnessprogram Fit for Life, which has
received numerous accoladesincluding national healthiest
(02:11):
100 workplaces, inducted intothe Hall of Fame 2022, Well
Workplace award, WellnessCouncil of America since 2011,
American Heart Association,Workplace Health Solutions, Gold
Award, and many more. Welcome,Mary, it has been such a
(02:33):
pleasure to collaborate with youand The Starr Group on so many
topics. Beyond the pleasure ofworking with you, you've
introduced us to some fabulous,some really fantastic employer
clients, and it's created somewonderfully robust
relationships. We're soappreciative of that. Thank you
very much for thoseintroductions and for all that
(02:54):
support.
Mary Starr (02:56):
You're welcome.
You're welcome, and you know,Jess, I have to acknowledge you
for putting this podcast seriestogether, I have had the
opportunity to listen to severalof your podcasts. And I have to
acknowledge you for howeducational, inspirational and
enjoyable, entertaining theyhave been. So I am really
(03:21):
honored to be a part of thispodcast series.
Jessica Ollenburg (03:27):
Thank you so much for saying that. That is
exactly what our purpose was increating this podcast.
Mary Starr (03:35):
Yes, I even listen to Gavin Quinnies, who is the
head of US HealthCenter. And TheStarr Group has worked with
Gavin and US HealthCenter forthe past 15 years. And he was a
guest on your your series. So itwas very fun to listen to
Gavin... and your other guests.
Jessica Ollenburg (03:54):
Yes, and Gavin always has a lot to say.
And it's always good,interesting stuff -- very
timely!.
Absolutely. And every guest hasbrought really a unique topic
and a unique flavor, a uniquedynamic, and it's just been
wonderful. This is... we're sohappy to have you. This is our
final show for season one. Andit has been a really enjoyable,
(04:21):
enjoyable ride and journey ofentertaining and enlightening
conversations with some reallygreat people. And thank you for
being one of them.
Mary Starr (04:31):
I'm honored. I'm honored. So glad to hear.
Jessica Ollenburg (04:34):
Tell us what's new with The Starr Group.
Mary Starr (04:36):
Sure. Well, The Starr Group is an Insurance Risk
Management Agency. And we havebeen in business since 1956. We
are currently in our thirdgeneration of leaders so very
excited for that. Yeah. And alsovery excited to share that back
(04:56):
in November of 2020, the StarrGroup actually became an
Acrisure partner. And what thatmeans is same location, same
team, same great service. Butnow what we have is the backing
of a multibillion dollarcompany... it provides access to
(05:17):
more markets for our clients,more education, more expertise,
more resources for our clients.
So what allows us is to lookforward with excitement to a
future of connecting our clientsto more solutions that can help
them grow, along with protectingboth their business and their
personal assets. So we're veryexcited for what the future has
(05:39):
to bring.
Jessica Ollenburg (05:42):
That is very exciting. It is so important to
offer those solutions, the riskmanagement and the information
pieces. And, to be able to bringmore resources is so important
today. So thank you for doingthat.
Mary Starr (05:58):
changing times...
those resources, and those needsdefinitely change.
Jessica Ollenburg (06:03):
Oh, they're changing... times are changing.
Mary Starr (06:07):
Absolutely.
Jessica Ollenburg (06:10):
As a leader, Mary, you've shined above in
your commitment to culture bydesign, rather than culture by
default. What propelled youtoward culture by design? And
how did you build a culture inan existing successful company
with existing practices, teamsand leaders?
Mary Starr (06:30):
Well, I love talking about the topic of building a
culture by design, because thatwas born within our
organization, back in 2008. Andif you recall, at that time, the
country was going through arecession. And, The Starr Group
was also going through somesignificant changes. And it was
(06:53):
at that time that I heard thewords of the CEO of the Wellness
Council of America, DavidHoneycutt. He was the CEO at
that time, and he shared thatevery organization has a
culture, but only a precious fewhave been built strategically,
consciously, and by design. AndI remember how that resonated
(07:19):
with me, probably because wewere going through significant
change at The Starr Group. Andit just made sense. So I was
committed to building a cultureby design. And I used all of the
changes at The Starr Group, asan opportunity to begin
rebuilding our organization byfocusing on building a culture
(07:44):
by design. And over the courseof the past 15 years, since
I've, since this has reallybecome my passion, I have come
up with I believe what Ibelieve, to be 15 critical
ingredients for building thisculture by design. And this is a
work in progress, you don't justjump in and build a strong
(08:08):
culture. We did itstrategically. We did it
meticulously step by step. Sothis really does take time. But
we were committed to buildingthis culture. And we were
committed to making improvementseach and every year. And I will
share just a couple of thoseinitial ingredients for building
(08:30):
a strong culture. Number one isfor the leadership team to
commit to the value of a strongculture. Because if the
leadership team is not on board,they are not going to dedicate
resources. And this initiativewill never get off the ground.
So very, very important for theleadership team of your
(08:53):
organization to be on board. Andthen number two, I recommend
starting by taking an assessmentof your current culture, there
are many culture surveys outthere, we use the one that is
provided by the Wellness Councilof Wisconsin. And when we did
that first survey, it was veryapparent to us that there were
(09:16):
enhancements that we needed tomake to our culture. So a survey
will tell you what you're doingright and where those
opportunities for improvement orgrowth are. And this as I said,
this initiative is not a one anddone. We actually administer
that survey every single year.
And over the course of the past15 years. We have an award --
(09:38):
we've built an award winningculture. We have received
regional awards in Wisconsin,and also national awards for
healthiest employer, best placesto work, most ethical business,
Future 50. So we've earned manyof these accolades since
focusing on building a cultureby design. But even so, it's
(10:01):
very important to continue tosurvey your team. So we do this
survey each and every year to,to avoid that cultural
complacency. And then the thirdingredient is really what builds
that strong foundation for ourculture. And that is identifying
(10:22):
your values, and using those tobuild your mission and your
vision statement. And Tim, and Ispent several weeks with a
leadership coach, one of ourpartners, Joan Sparks, and she
helped us do a deep dive intoidentifying what our core values
(10:45):
were. And we use those to buildour mission and our vision
statement. And again, veryimportant to us that these are
living, breathing components ofour culture. So they're listed
on our website or intranet. Wetalk about them in all of our
(11:07):
agency meetings, and every newemployee is introduced to our
core values. Over the course oftheir first seven weeks, we send
out a thought-provoking emaileach day, and we focus on one
culture per week. But our goalis to help them understand and
(11:28):
hopefully connect with thesecore values. So again, very,
very important to make themliving and breathing, and the
values, the mission and thevision statement, that is truly
the foundation of building thisstrong culture. And as I had
shared with you, this is never aone and done initiative, we
(11:53):
continue to keep our finger onthe pulse. And by doing so, we
administered a new survey. Itwas a burnout survey in 2021.
That was during the pandemic.
And the results of that surveyshowed that the majority of our
(12:15):
team was struggling, they haddealt with major life traumas,
they were struggling with fearof failure, depression,
financial stress, and theyadmitted to using unhealthy
coping mechanisms. So that wasvery concerning, to find out
that the majority of our teamwas struggling. And one thing
(12:36):
that became very apparent isthat in this hybrid environment
that so many of us are workingwithin that it's easier for
employees to hide their trueemotions. And it's easier for
management to overlook what'struly going on with their team.
So when I received the results,to find out that the majority of
(12:59):
our team was struggling, I tookthe results, the aggregate
results, to one of ourcollaborative employee
committees. And we have three ofthem, we have a wellness
committee, a fun committee andthe best of the best committee.
And those committees are made upemployees who are working on
behalf of their co workers tomake The Starr Group a better
(13:19):
place for all. And these arevery important to building a
culture as well, because it'sgiving your employees a voice,
and they become your culturalambassadors. But it was by
bringing the results of thisburnout survey to our best of
the best committee, theysuggested creating our own
(13:42):
mental health support group. AndI remember being very hesitant
to move forward with that,because I'm not a mental health
professional. The Starr Groupcertainly is not. But they were
really pushing for this. And Ithought, you know, we've always
been willing to try new thingsin the past. And so I jumped in,
(14:04):
moved forward, and I figured wecould always pull back or pivot
and change if we needed to. Butwhat we did is we rolled out a
group that we call "BeingHeard," and this is a mental
health support group for ourentire team. And this group
meets every month for an hour.
And we are currently in our 15thmonth of hosting this group and
(14:27):
the the goals of this group aretogether to work to destigmatize
mental health and for ouremployees to feel comfortable
being their authentic selves atwork and to also let them know
it's okay not to be okay, aslong as you are working to get
(14:49):
better. So again, we built thisgroup, it's been meeting for 15
months, we have had upwards of75% of our team attend these
sessions. And in these sessions,we start by sharing an
educational article, again as ameans of education, also to
provide resources, copingtechniques. So we discuss that
(15:13):
together. And then we have anemployee, a volunteer, share
their personal story. And, Jess,I have been amazed at not just
how, how willing people are tovolunteer, but how much they
want to share their story. Andresearch shows that by simply
sharing your story that actuallysupports your own mental well
(15:37):
being. And so this has been avery successful group. And I
will also share that in our mostrecent employee survey, our team
voted, this Being Heard mentalhealth support group as the
number one resource at The StarrGroup. And that says a lot,
because number one, I washesitant to move forward with
(15:59):
it. And number two, we have alot of initiatives at The Starr
Group. So for this to be thenumber one most valued resource
really said a lot. And it waswonderful to receive that
feedback. So again, that's partof always keeping your finger on
the pulse and listening to whatemployees need. Another example
(16:21):
this past year, just a fewmonths ago, we rolled out what
is called a Culture of Matteringstatement. And that is a
statement where we as a team, soit's not just management, but
our entire team, we want them tobe committed to helping their
teammates feel noticed, affirmedand needed. And to let them
(16:45):
know, let everyone know thatwhat they do at The Starr Group
matters, and that they aremaking a difference to their
teammates, to our clients and toThe Starr Group as a whole. So
again, kind of a long answer.
But I'm very passionate aboutbuilding a culture by design,
(17:07):
and very excited about thepositive results we have had,
since we've had this focus...
way beyond what I ever imagined.
So thank you for asking.
Jessica Ollenburg (17:20):
Absolutely.
Wonderful news. Thank you verymuch for sharing this. We've
seen so many similar results,but only when others follow the
exact advice that you aredelivering. If we don't have
absolute top down commitment,and execution and alignment,
then we it falls off. We haveconfusion. We have disharmony,
(17:46):
we have people who are feelingthat it's not right for them, it
can backfire, et cetera. Youhave taken the absolute, you
tell us it's a long answer, butit needs to be
Mary Starr (18:05):
a 15 year answer.
Jessica Ollenburg (18:06):
It's a 15 year answer. It's a 15 year
answer. And sometimes that'swhat it takes. I would say that
we spent that long trying tofigure out remote work
thankfully before the pandemichappened, but But it helps you
adjust when that when the timeis needed.
Mary Starr (18:24):
You are so right!
Jessica Ollenburg (18:25):
The uniqueness of humans creates a
situation where cookie cutterpractices do not work. So as you
address the assessments, and Ihear you saying that you used an
assessment from the WellnessCouncil, which is very timely,
very timely, we look at theimpact upon human beings also
(18:49):
very recently, through throughthe pandemic, et cetera. And
anytime going through arecession or any of the
extrinsic... extrinsic variablesthat can so affect our mindset,
our wellness and our motivation.
We need to turn and look to thatwe need to address that and help
(19:10):
our employees through that sothat they can bring their A
games. Thank you for doing that.
Thank you for putting so muchinto it. And thank you for
sharing the results thatengagement is fantastic. When I
hear you talking aboutonboarding and leadership,
that's an important componentonce you have this set up. Now
(19:33):
you want to bring in people whomatch those values, who match
what you're doing on a culturalstandpoint, so that their
culture aligns. One of thesurveys we used before the
wellness council is also stillused today is an Ethical Culture
(19:54):
Survey. Which gets to corevalues in another way, but if
you can look at your individualgroup of demographics, and you
can look at the needs of youremployee base, your team, and
(20:14):
address that, that's where wehave real success.
Mary Starr (20:19):
Absolutely. And to keep our finger on the pulse of
what those needs are, and whatthose changing needs are, again,
one of those those ingredientsof building a strong culture is
to survey your team. And we dothis continually. In fact, we
administer eight surveys a year,I'm very sensitive to
(20:43):
overserving our group. So Ispread them out. Most of them
are brief surveys. But thisprovides valuable input to
what's working and where thoseopportunities for growth are.
And they're only valuable if ifyour employees are comfortable
(21:04):
giving their honest feedback.
And that's what we want. We wanttheir honest feedback, we don't
want them to tell us what wewant to hear. We want their
honest feedback. So to supportthat, we impress and communicate
that all surveys areconfidential, and that what we
receive in in return areaggregate results only. So we
(21:25):
can never point our finger towho said what, unless they
attach their name to it. Andthen secondly, if you're going
to take the time to survey yourgroup, you need to respond to
every single survey. So we sharethe results, the aggregate
(21:45):
results with every of everysingle survey with our team. And
we let them know how we're goingto respond. And even if they
make a suggestion, and we're notgoing to move forward with that,
we let them know that and we letthem know why. So again, if you
want this honest feedback, soimportant to let them know that
(22:08):
those surveys are confidentialand so important that you
respond to every single survey.
And we always take the resultsto our collaborative committees,
again, the Wellness Committee,the best of the best committee
and get their input. Again,they're your cultural
(22:28):
ambassadors, and the feedbackthat they come forward with.
Honestly, Jess, they have comeup with some of the best ideas,
the best enhancements, and asleaders, we need to be
vulnerable, and we need to trusttheir input. Because again,
that's where some of the bestideas have come forward.
Jessica Ollenburg (22:47):
And as leaders, we need to be seen
learning, absolutely need to beseen learning, we need to be
seen as agreeable to change,nimble, open minded, otherwise,
we're setting a precedent that'snot going to help our team.
And thank youvery much for the comments on
Mary Starr (23:04):
Absolutely.
the privacy. Safeguardingprivacy is so important. And as
you know, with so much we do onthe legal risk management and
policy side, it is veryimportant that we're looking at
HIPAA privacy and ADA privacyall forms of EEOC privacy, and
(23:26):
to have that set up and to havemedical privacy officers know
what the boundaries are, andwhat to address, what not to
address and with whom is soimportant. And I know that you
pay great attention to that.
Absolutely.
Absolutely very important tothem. And again, that's what
supports that honest feedback.
(23:49):
And also that engagement becausethey know that this is a culture
that they can trust. And webuilt this culture on trust. So
very important.
Jessica Ollenburg (24:00):
So very important. So very important. We
have seen surveys constructed ina manner where questions were
asked that would not then beaddressed later. And that's
something where we kind of comein and damage control. Don't ask
(24:21):
a question unless you're goingto respond to it. You're just
shining a light on a problemthat you're now not addressing.
So the crafting of surveys hasto be very unique. Cannot be
cookie cutter... must omit anyquestions you're not willing to
make changes on or speak to, oryou're setting it up for
(24:46):
backfire.
Mary Starr (24:47):
Yes, and we're pretty open. We've been put in
some uncomfortable situations,but we have addressed them head
on. And again, it's it's abouttransparent and open
communication and addressing thegood with the bad.
Jessica Ollenburg (25:04):
Yes
Mary Starr (25:04):
We're willing to talk about our weaknesses. And
as leaders, we, we are growingand learning along with our
team. And it's okay to admitthat, and it's okay to admit not
having all of the answers, aslong as we're continually
striving to learn, grow. And oneof our goal or our core values
(25:29):
is excellence. So we're alwaysstriving towards excellence.
Jessica Ollenburg (25:33):
And just to circle back on that point, being
willing to not have immediateanswers is such an important
aspect of leadership. Too oftenwe see employees bluffing or
guessing, because they think,they've been taught, they've
been conditioned, or at leastnot unconditioned, to realize
(25:57):
they can go validate, they cango confirm the accuracy before
they communicate an untruth. Sowhen we're able to do that, when
we're able to take a pause andsay, I'd like to look into that
further, etc. And we set theexample for that research and
(26:19):
that verification.
Mary Starr (26:22):
Absolutely. And I think it's, what I've realized,
is, again, the importance ofcommunicating the good with the
bad. But what I've realized isthat what employees tend to come
up with on their own can be muchworse than reality. So again, to
to be honest and transparent inyour communication, because they
(26:44):
will see through that. And as Isaid, again, I've learned, if
you don't respond, what they'recoming up with on their own, can
be much worse than the worstcase scenario that you are going
to respond to.
Jessica Ollenburg (26:57):
Absolutely.
And thank you very much forthis. I bring up and together
we've brought up some of thecaveats only because this is a
shining example of doing itwell. And we want to help people
know where this could go wrong,if you're not really paying
attention and closing all thegaps. You and The Starr Group
(27:21):
have been a shining example ofdoing it well, and, and that's
why we've taken a look at it insuch a deeper dive. I also want
to tell our listeners right nowthat Mary has put together a
wonderful PowerPoint explanationof the culture by design, these
committees and many of thethings that we're talking about.
(27:44):
This PowerPoint is available atthe landing page at our website,
thezenquestofleaders.com. And itis also available at the show
notes wherever you are playingthis podcast. So thank you for
that.
Mary Starr (28:04):
Thank you for sharing that, Jess. Fantastic!
Jessica Ollenburg (28:07):
also want to talk about that exceptionally
high participation rate andcompany surveys. Again, taking a
note that we've got 75%, or moreengaging really does show that
we have that trust, and we'regetting good info. A lot of
companies struggle with that. Sokudos.
Mary Starr (28:28):
Thank you. Thank you, yes, engagement is what
it's all about. And in buildinga strong culture, that's
probably the most important goalis to have highly engaged
employees. And today, that's notthe case, I've seen upwards of
70% being disengaged. So ourgoal is to engage those
(28:52):
employees, and to have them bepromoters of our organization
because that's what engagedemployees become. They promote
your organization outside of ofthe company walls, to their
family, their friends, and alsowithin your organization.
They're talking to coworkersabout how wonderful it is to be
(29:13):
at The Starr Group. So havingengaged employees is always a
key goal of our organization.
Also because engaged employeesare more productive, they're
more creative. And when thatoccurs, our - your organization
will be more successful overall.
So again, having highly engagedemployees is a primary goal of
(29:36):
building a strong culture.
Jessica Ollenburg (29:38):
Absolutely.
And thank you for doing it sowell and being that shining
example when so many arestruggling.
Mary Starr (29:46):
Thank you, Jess.
Jessica Ollenburg (29:47):
Mary, we love laughable moments on this show.
I understand Tim's initialreaction to this initiative was
humorously polite, yet somewhatskeptical. Tell us about that.
Mary Starr (30:01):
That's a great way of putting it, Jess. So yes,
when I had heard the concept ofbuilding a culture by design,
and I was so excited, somotivated to, to jump in and
begin this process, and Tim, myhusband, and my partner who is
the CEO of The Starr Group, hewas on board, but he was
(30:25):
passively on board. And the wordI kept hearing him say, was,
that's nice. Those are nicethings that you're doing, kind
of like bringing in a treat forsomebody's anniversary or their
birthday. He definitelyinitially did not see this as a
(30:49):
strategic initiative. He justthought it was a nice kind of
soft initiative that we weredoing. And then he started to
see the comments from employeesin the surveys, and began to
realize the positive impact thiswas having on employee
retention, employeeproductivity, and recruiting
(31:12):
employees. Because as we got theword out, and it's we're all
about getting it out on socialmedia, and on our website. We're
also on Facebook and on Twitterand on LinkedIn. And as he saw
the comments, and the fact thatpeople were coming and wanting
to work at The Starr Group,because of the strength of our
(31:35):
culture. Well, I'll tell you, hestood up. And today, he is our
biggest cheerleader, and ourbiggest believer and supporter
of why having a strong culturesupports a successful
organization overall. So it wasfunny how it started. But today,
he has turned into our numberone cheerleader.
Jessica Ollenburg (31:55):
And I can hear that from Tim, that's nice.
Like I can hear him being justvery polite, very guarded, very
supportive. But until you seethose hard business results...
Mary Starr (32:10):
absolutely.
Jessica Ollenburg (32:11):
There's going to be some skepticism and that,
but certainly, certainly it'sbeen excellent branding,
excellent branding. And it's soimportant for, as you said, the
retention, the recruitment, theengagement, the culture,
creating a relaxed mind, whenyou create safe harbor when you
(32:37):
show employees that they arecared about and that their needs
are going to be met, whetheryou're looking at Maslow's
hierarchy of motivation, or whathave you, when they trust that
their needs are going to be met,they become more relaxed, and
that brings their A game. Peoplelike to bring their A game. They
(33:00):
like to do their best. Manypeople want to succeed, and want
to be in a place where theiremployers also want them to
succeed. And you can't take thatfor granted.
Mary Starr (33:11):
Now, very, very important. And again, it's that
creating that culture where theyknow what they do matters each
and every day. They spend a lotof time at work, and so very,
very important for them to feelthey're making a difference and
that their efforts matter.
Jessica Ollenburg (33:30):
So important.
Here is the question for all ofour Zenquesting leaders out
there. We've learned that tooptimize our capacity, we need
to actively refuel our tanks ashumans before our tanks run dry.
What do you actively do torefuel and calibrate when
needed? Mary, let's take thisquestion in two parts. First is
(33:52):
I'd like to know .... ourlisteners would like to know...
Mary how do YOU zen? And thensecondly, what practices have
you established for your teamleaders and your team members to
Zen and bring their A games andwork life balance?
Mary Starr (34:12):
Great question, Jess. I love this because it's
very important to me to supportmy own ability to then very
important for me every singleday to have exercise and fresh
air. And as a busy executive andas an individual, I joke and
(34:36):
when I call myself a compulsivecompleter. And I'm only half
joking because if I get on aproject, I can stay on that
project until I finish and maybeit's into the evening. So what
I've learned is that I schedulemy workouts and I schedule them
(34:56):
just like any other importantmeeting because they are just as
important as any other meeting,because if my tank is not full,
I am not going to be effective.
So I schedule these workouts,people don't need to know that
it's a meeting with my bike, andthat I'm outside biking. But
this is how I get that fresh airand those workouts in each and
(35:19):
every day. And I would also saythat, for me, it's very
important for me to stay in thepresent. There's a lot that's
happened in the past. Andthere's a lot of uncertainty and
discomfort with the future. Andso I work very, very hard to
stay in the present, it doesn'tmean becoming irresponsible, and
(35:42):
not planning for the future. Butwhat I realized is, if you are
someone who's fretting aboutabout the hypothetical that
could happen in the future,you're going through that stress
now, and then should it happenin the future, you're going
through it again. So it's veryimportant to me, and I work very
hard to stay in the present. Sothose are a couple examples of
(36:07):
how I Zen. And second part ofthe question was, how do we
support our employees doing thesame? Well, again, that's
extremely important to us. And Iguess there are a lot of ways
that we support our employees'ability to reach that Zen state.
First of all, it's supportingour diversity, equity and
(36:31):
inclusion statement andinitiatives and for employees to
know and realize, and becomfortable bringing their
authentic selves to work, that'swhere they're most productive.
That's where they're mostcreative. And that's where that
greatest engagement in jobsatisfaction will be. It's also
about some of the initiativesthat we've rolled out since the
(36:55):
pandemic. Last year, we beganwhat we call flex star, which is
unlimited PTO, we also havesomething as simple as bring
your dog to work, and also dressfor your day. These have all
been very important initiativesthat supports the overall
comfort and Zen of our team. Andwe're able to offer things like
(37:20):
unlimited PTO, because we builtthis culture of trust. And we
know that our teammates areprofessionals, and that they're
not going to abuse theseinitiatives of unlimited PTO,
and that bringing their dog towork. Maybe it was a an
emotional support dog for thatemployee. But I will tell you,
(37:41):
they become emotional supportdogs for the office as a whole.
And we generally have one or twodogs in our office each and
every day. And then something issimple, simple, as dressing for
your day. We used to have casualFridays, and that was a big
deal, but since the pandemic, itnow it's dress for your day.
You're an adult, you're aprofessional, you know if you
(38:04):
need to dress differently on acertain day because of an
important appointment that youmay have. And then also, we host
regular engagement in charityevents to support the zen of our
team. engagement events, we usedto do quarterly events, like
(38:25):
maybe it was snow tubing at TheRock or going bowling or a happy
hour. What we've done since thepandemic is we've increased
those engagement opportunities.
We have Blum coffee garden,which is across the street from
the Starr Group. So twice amonth, we host coffee time at
(38:49):
Blum. And that's voluntary.
Anybody can show up at 730. Andit's generally for an hour 730
to 830. So our group picks upthe cost of the coffee, but that
allows employees to get togetherand engage outside of that work
environment, and to talk aboutwhat's going on in their
personal lives. And then also,we schedule regular charity
(39:12):
events. Our number one charityis the American Heart
Association. And we support theHeart Walk every year and other
several other events hosted bythe American Heart Association,
but we support a lot ofcharities. The Hunger Task Force
farm is very close to ouroffice. So we have volunteer
(39:35):
events in tandem with the HungerTask Force. And what I realized
is today employees want to workfor organizations that give back
and when they are allowed theopportunity, especially during
work time to give back that thatin and of itself supports their
own mental well being. So I liketo believe even think that we do
(39:58):
a lot to support our our teamgetting to that, that position
or point of them. So veryimportant to us.
Jessica Ollenburg (40:11):
Well, thank you for that and listening to
all of those ways that you'resupporting Zen is so consistent
with the culture by design thatwe've talked about and
addressing the specific valuesof your team.
Mary Starr (40:29):
Absolutely, absolutely. It's become. You
know, it's funny how I wasintrigued by this 15 years ago,
but how it's really become apassion. And I love talking
about it. And I love helpingother organizations get to this
point. That's why I'm happy toshare the PowerPoint, happy to
(40:50):
share the struggles that we'vehad, and also the wins that
we've had. And that's wherethose 15 ingredients of building
a strong culture, that's wherethose are tried and true
ingredients. And those are thethings that helped the star
group, build this culture bydesign, which has become both a
(41:10):
local and national award winningculture that retains employees,
recruits employees, and helpsour organization to be more
successful overall.
Jessica Ollenb (41:22):
Congratulations, Mary, on all the hard earned and
well deserved awards for TheStarr Group. And thank you for
all you do. It is just sorefreshing to hear how you take
care of employees and yourenergy about it is is quite
(41:42):
frankly, infectious.
Mary Starr (41:45):
Oh, I'm so glad to hear. Thank you, Jess, that's
very kind of you!
Jessica Ollenburg (41:48):
Yes, that's it's absolutely infectious. I
can see how you could bring outthe passion in others by simply
sharing yours
Mary Starr (41:57):
That's my goal
Jessica Ollenburg (41:58):
and a wonderful, a wonderful
characteristic to be able tohave.
Mary Starr (42:04):
Thank you. I appreciate those kind words
Jess,
Jessica Ollenburg (42:07):
well deserved. Lastly, Mary, how can
our listeners learn more aboutThe Starr Group and how can they
reach you?
Mary Starr (42:14):
Absolutely. Our website, www.StarrGroup.com.
We're on Facebook, LinkedIn,Twitter. Also, my email, my
direct email is in thatPowerPoint, MStarr at
StarrGroup.com. Please feel freeto reach out to me email is the
(42:34):
best way. Again, I'm verypassionate about this. And I'm
very willing to answer anyadditional questions people may
have, offer my advice on whatworked for us and what didn't.
But I am happy to be a resourcefor anyone who is looking to
build a culture by design.
Jessica Ollenburg (42:54):
Well, thank you so much. I know our
listeners really appreciate allall the good information you
bought today. And thank you forsharing the wins. And certainly
you mentioned the struggles butthere are no wins without the
struggles. So. So thank you forthat. And thanks for being with
us today. And I look forward tocontinue to work with with you.
(43:19):
Appreciate your time.
Mary Starr (43:20):
My pleasure, Jess, and I continue. I look forward
to continuing to partner withyou as well. So thank you very
much. It's been my honor to be apart of this podcast.
Thanks so very much for joining us. I am
your host, Jessica Ollenburg.
And today we are talking withMary Starr, Executive Vice
President of The Starr Group. Afew of our topics include
culture by design not default,the culture of mattering,
surveys done right, healthypartnerships, laughable moments,
(00:21):
and of course, Zen.
We're talking personal Zenthrough exercise fresh air and
living in the present. We'retalking creating Zen for those
we lead to help humans bringtheir A games in productivity,
wellbeing, and work lifebalance. Here's a little
(00:43):
background on today's guest.
Mary Starr Executive VicePresident has directed The Starr
Group since 1985. She graduatedfrom the University of Wisconsin
Madison with a degree insociology and social work and a
minor in Spanish. She went on toearn graduate credits toward her
master's degree in Social Workat the University of Wisconsin,
(01:06):
Milwaukee and graduate creditstoward her master's in business
administration at KelloggGraduate School. In 2010. Mary
became a certified wellnesscoach and in 2016, earned her
certified corporate wellnessspecialist designation. She has
served on numerous boards pastand present, including American
(01:28):
Heart Association Board ofDirectors, wellness Council of
Wisconsin's executive board ofdirectors, board of directors
for the Wheaton Franciscanhealth care ascension
Foundation, Wheaton Franciscanhealth care Diabetes Awareness
Advisory Board, well citymilwaukee Advisory Board of
(01:49):
Directors Marsh Berry andAssociates Advisory Council, the
South Suburban Chamber ofCommerce, board of directors and
more. Mary has been at the helmof creating The Starr Group's
current award winning wellnessprogram Fit for Life, which has
received numerous accoladesincluding national healthiest
(02:11):
100 workplaces, inducted intothe Hall of Fame 2022, Well
Workplace award, WellnessCouncil of America since 2011,
American Heart Association,Workplace Health Solutions, Gold
Award, and many more. Welcome,Mary, it has been such a
(02:33):
pleasure to collaborate with youand The Starr Group on so many
topics. Beyond the pleasure ofworking with you, you've
introduced us to some fabulous,some really fantastic employer
clients, and it's created somewonderfully robust
relationships. We're soappreciative of that. Thank you
very much for thoseintroductions and for all that
(02:54):
support.
Mary Starr (02:56):
You're welcome.
You're welcome, and you know,Jess, I have to acknowledge you
for putting this podcast seriestogether, I have had the
opportunity to listen to severalof your podcasts. And I have to
acknowledge you for howeducational, inspirational and
enjoyable, entertaining theyhave been. So I am really
(03:21):
honored to be a part of thispodcast series.
Jessica Ollenburg (03:27):
Thank you so much for saying that. That is
exactly what our purpose was increating this podcast.
Mary Starr (03:35):
Yes, I even listen to Gavin Quinnies, who is the
head of US HealthCenter. And TheStarr Group has worked with
Gavin and US HealthCenter forthe past 15 years. And he was a
guest on your your series. So itwas very fun to listen to
Gavin... and your other guests.
Jessica Ollenburg (03:54):
Yes, and Gavin always has a lot to say.
And it's always good,interesting stuff -- very
timely!.
Absolutely. And every guest hasbrought really a unique topic
and a unique flavor, a uniquedynamic, and it's just been
wonderful. This is... we're sohappy to have you. This is our
final show for season one. Andit has been a really enjoyable,
(04:21):
enjoyable ride and journey ofentertaining and enlightening
conversations with some reallygreat people. And thank you for
being one of them.
Mary Starr (04:31):
I'm honored. I'm honored. So glad to hear.
Jessica Ollenburg (04:34):
Tell us what's new with The Starr Group.
Mary Starr (04:36):
Sure. Well, The Starr Group is an Insurance Risk
Management Agency. And we havebeen in business since 1956. We
are currently in our thirdgeneration of leaders so very
excited for that. Yeah. And alsovery excited to share that back
(04:56):
in November of 2020, the StarrGroup actually became an
Acrisure partner. And what thatmeans is same location, same
team, same great service. Butnow what we have is the backing
of a multibillion dollarcompany... it provides access to
(05:17):
more markets for our clients,more education, more expertise,
more resources for our clients.
So what allows us is to lookforward with excitement to a
future of connecting our clientsto more solutions that can help
them grow, along with protectingboth their business and their
personal assets. So we're veryexcited for what the future has
(05:39):
to bring.
Jessica Ollenburg (05:42):
That is very exciting. It is so important to
offer those solutions, the riskmanagement and the information
pieces. And, to be able to bringmore resources is so important
today. So thank you for doingthat.
Mary Starr (05:58):
changing times...
those resources, and those needsdefinitely change.
Jessica Ollenburg (06:03):
Oh, they're changing... times are changing.
Mary Starr (06:07):
Absolutely.
Jessica Ollenburg (06:10):
As a leader, Mary, you've shined above in
your commitment to culture bydesign, rather than culture by
default. What propelled youtoward culture by design? And
how did you build a culture inan existing successful company
with existing practices, teamsand leaders?
Mary Starr (06:30):
Well, I love talking about the topic of building a
culture by design, because thatwas born within our
organization, back in 2008. Andif you recall, at that time, the
country was going through arecession. And, The Starr Group
was also going through somesignificant changes. And it was
(06:53):
at that time that I heard thewords of the CEO of the Wellness
Council of America, DavidHoneycutt. He was the CEO at
that time, and he shared thatevery organization has a
culture, but only a precious fewhave been built strategically,
consciously, and by design. AndI remember how that resonated
(07:19):
with me, probably because wewere going through significant
change at The Starr Group. Andit just made sense. So I was
committed to building a cultureby design. And I used all of the
changes at The Starr Group, asan opportunity to begin
rebuilding our organization byfocusing on building a culture
(07:44):
by design. And over the courseof the past 15 years, since
I've, since this has reallybecome my passion, I have come
up with I believe what Ibelieve, to be 15 critical
ingredients for building thisculture by design. And this is a
work in progress, you don't justjump in and build a strong
(08:08):
culture. We did itstrategically. We did it
meticulously step by step. Sothis really does take time. But
we were committed to buildingthis culture. And we were
committed to making improvementseach and every year. And I will
share just a couple of thoseinitial ingredients for building
(08:30):
a strong culture. Number one isfor the leadership team to
commit to the value of a strongculture. Because if the
leadership team is not on board,they are not going to dedicate
resources. And this initiativewill never get off the ground.
So very, very important for theleadership team of your
(08:53):
organization to be on board. Andthen number two, I recommend
starting by taking an assessmentof your current culture, there
are many culture surveys outthere, we use the one that is
provided by the Wellness Councilof Wisconsin. And when we did
that first survey, it was veryapparent to us that there were
(09:16):
enhancements that we needed tomake to our culture. So a survey
will tell you what you're doingright and where those
opportunities for improvement orgrowth are. And this as I said,
this initiative is not a one anddone. We actually administer
that survey every single year.
And over the course of the past15 years. We have an award --
(09:38):
we've built an award winningculture. We have received
regional awards in Wisconsin,and also national awards for
healthiest employer, best placesto work, most ethical business,
Future 50. So we've earned manyof these accolades since
focusing on building a cultureby design. But even so, it's
(10:01):
very important to continue tosurvey your team. So we do this
survey each and every year to,to avoid that cultural
complacency. And then the thirdingredient is really what builds
that strong foundation for ourculture. And that is identifying
(10:22):
your values, and using those tobuild your mission and your
vision statement. And Tim, and Ispent several weeks with a
leadership coach, one of ourpartners, Joan Sparks, and she
helped us do a deep dive intoidentifying what our core values
(10:45):
were. And we use those to buildour mission and our vision
statement. And again, veryimportant to us that these are
living, breathing components ofour culture. So they're listed
on our website or intranet. Wetalk about them in all of our
(11:07):
agency meetings, and every newemployee is introduced to our
core values. Over the course oftheir first seven weeks, we send
out a thought-provoking emaileach day, and we focus on one
culture per week. But our goalis to help them understand and
(11:28):
hopefully connect with thesecore values. So again, very,
very important to make themliving and breathing, and the
values, the mission and thevision statement, that is truly
the foundation of building thisstrong culture. And as I had
shared with you, this is never aone and done initiative, we
(11:53):
continue to keep our finger onthe pulse. And by doing so, we
administered a new survey. Itwas a burnout survey in 2021.
That was during the pandemic.
And the results of that surveyshowed that the majority of our
(12:15):
team was struggling, they haddealt with major life traumas,
they were struggling with fearof failure, depression,
financial stress, and theyadmitted to using unhealthy
coping mechanisms. So that wasvery concerning, to find out
that the majority of our teamwas struggling. And one thing
(12:36):
that became very apparent isthat in this hybrid environment
that so many of us are workingwithin that it's easier for
employees to hide their trueemotions. And it's easier for
management to overlook what'struly going on with their team.
So when I received the results,to find out that the majority of
(12:59):
our team was struggling, I tookthe results, the aggregate
results, to one of ourcollaborative employee
committees. And we have three ofthem, we have a wellness
committee, a fun committee andthe best of the best committee.
And those committees are made upemployees who are working on
behalf of their co workers tomake The Starr Group a better
(13:19):
place for all. And these arevery important to building a
culture as well, because it'sgiving your employees a voice,
and they become your culturalambassadors. But it was by
bringing the results of thisburnout survey to our best of
the best committee, theysuggested creating our own
(13:42):
mental health support group. AndI remember being very hesitant
to move forward with that,because I'm not a mental health
professional. The Starr Groupcertainly is not. But they were
really pushing for this. And Ithought, you know, we've always
been willing to try new thingsin the past. And so I jumped in,
(14:04):
moved forward, and I figured wecould always pull back or pivot
and change if we needed to. Butwhat we did is we rolled out a
group that we call "BeingHeard," and this is a mental
health support group for ourentire team. And this group
meets every month for an hour.
And we are currently in our 15thmonth of hosting this group and
(14:27):
the the goals of this group aretogether to work to destigmatize
mental health and for ouremployees to feel comfortable
being their authentic selves atwork and to also let them know
it's okay not to be okay, aslong as you are working to get
(14:49):
better. So again, we built thisgroup, it's been meeting for 15
months, we have had upwards of75% of our team attend these
sessions. And in these sessions,we start by sharing an
educational article, again as ameans of education, also to
provide resources, copingtechniques. So we discuss that
(15:13):
together. And then we have anemployee, a volunteer, share
their personal story. And, Jess,I have been amazed at not just
how, how willing people are tovolunteer, but how much they
want to share their story. Andresearch shows that by simply
sharing your story that actuallysupports your own mental well
(15:37):
being. And so this has been avery successful group. And I
will also share that in our mostrecent employee survey, our team
voted, this Being Heard mentalhealth support group as the
number one resource at The StarrGroup. And that says a lot,
because number one, I washesitant to move forward with
(15:59):
it. And number two, we have alot of initiatives at The Starr
Group. So for this to be thenumber one most valued resource
really said a lot. And it waswonderful to receive that
feedback. So again, that's partof always keeping your finger on
the pulse and listening to whatemployees need. Another example
(16:21):
this past year, just a fewmonths ago, we rolled out what
is called a Culture of Matteringstatement. And that is a
statement where we as a team, soit's not just management, but
our entire team, we want them tobe committed to helping their
teammates feel noticed, affirmedand needed. And to let them
(16:45):
know, let everyone know thatwhat they do at The Starr Group
matters, and that they aremaking a difference to their
teammates, to our clients and toThe Starr Group as a whole. So
again, kind of a long answer.
But I'm very passionate aboutbuilding a culture by design,
(17:07):
and very excited about thepositive results we have had,
since we've had this focus...
way beyond what I ever imagined.
So thank you for asking.
Jessica Ollenburg (17:20):
Absolutely.
Wonderful news. Thank you verymuch for sharing this. We've
seen so many similar results,but only when others follow the
exact advice that you aredelivering. If we don't have
absolute top down commitment,and execution and alignment,
then we it falls off. We haveconfusion. We have disharmony,
(17:46):
we have people who are feelingthat it's not right for them, it
can backfire, et cetera. Youhave taken the absolute, you
tell us it's a long answer, butit needs to be
Mary Starr (18:05):
a 15 year answer.
Jessica Ollenburg (18:06):
It's a 15 year answer. It's a 15 year
answer. And sometimes that'swhat it takes. I would say that
we spent that long trying tofigure out remote work
thankfully before the pandemichappened, but But it helps you
adjust when that when the timeis needed.
Mary Starr (18:24):
You are so right!
Jessica Ollenburg (18:25):
The uniqueness of humans creates a
situation where cookie cutterpractices do not work. So as you
address the assessments, and Ihear you saying that you used an
assessment from the WellnessCouncil, which is very timely,
very timely, we look at theimpact upon human beings also
(18:49):
very recently, through throughthe pandemic, et cetera. And
anytime going through arecession or any of the
extrinsic... extrinsic variablesthat can so affect our mindset,
our wellness and our motivation.
We need to turn and look to thatwe need to address that and help
(19:10):
our employees through that sothat they can bring their A
games. Thank you for doing that.
Thank you for putting so muchinto it. And thank you for
sharing the results thatengagement is fantastic. When I
hear you talking aboutonboarding and leadership,
that's an important componentonce you have this set up. Now
(19:33):
you want to bring in people whomatch those values, who match
what you're doing on a culturalstandpoint, so that their
culture aligns. One of thesurveys we used before the
wellness council is also stillused today is an Ethical Culture
(19:54):
Survey. Which gets to corevalues in another way, but if
you can look at your individualgroup of demographics, and you
can look at the needs of youremployee base, your team, and
(20:14):
address that, that's where wehave real success.
Mary Starr (20:19):
Absolutely. And to keep our finger on the pulse of
what those needs are, and whatthose changing needs are, again,
one of those those ingredientsof building a strong culture is
to survey your team. And we dothis continually. In fact, we
administer eight surveys a year,I'm very sensitive to
(20:43):
overserving our group. So Ispread them out. Most of them
are brief surveys. But thisprovides valuable input to
what's working and where thoseopportunities for growth are.
And they're only valuable if ifyour employees are comfortable
(21:04):
giving their honest feedback.
And that's what we want. We wanttheir honest feedback, we don't
want them to tell us what wewant to hear. We want their
honest feedback. So to supportthat, we impress and communicate
that all surveys areconfidential, and that what we
receive in in return areaggregate results only. So we
(21:25):
can never point our finger towho said what, unless they
attach their name to it. Andthen secondly, if you're going
to take the time to survey yourgroup, you need to respond to
every single survey. So we sharethe results, the aggregate
(21:45):
results with every of everysingle survey with our team. And
we let them know how we're goingto respond. And even if they
make a suggestion, and we're notgoing to move forward with that,
we let them know that and we letthem know why. So again, if you
want this honest feedback, soimportant to let them know that
(22:08):
those surveys are confidentialand so important that you
respond to every single survey.
And we always take the resultsto our collaborative committees,
again, the Wellness Committee,the best of the best committee
and get their input. Again,they're your cultural
(22:28):
ambassadors, and the feedbackthat they come forward with.
Honestly, Jess, they have comeup with some of the best ideas,
the best enhancements, and asleaders, we need to be
vulnerable, and we need to trusttheir input. Because again,
that's where some of the bestideas have come forward.
Jessica Ollenburg (22:47):
And as leaders, we need to be seen
learning, absolutely need to beseen learning, we need to be
seen as agreeable to change,nimble, open minded, otherwise,
we're setting a precedent that'snot going to help our team.
And thank youvery much for the comments on
Mary Starr (23:04):
Absolutely.
the privacy. Safeguardingprivacy is so important. And as
you know, with so much we do onthe legal risk management and
policy side, it is veryimportant that we're looking at
HIPAA privacy and ADA privacyall forms of EEOC privacy, and
(23:26):
to have that set up and to havemedical privacy officers know
what the boundaries are, andwhat to address, what not to
address and with whom is soimportant. And I know that you
pay great attention to that.
Absolutely.
Absolutely very important tothem. And again, that's what
supports that honest feedback.
(23:49):
And also that engagement becausethey know that this is a culture
that they can trust. And webuilt this culture on trust. So
very important.
Jessica Ollenburg (24:00):
So very important. So very important. We
have seen surveys constructed ina manner where questions were
asked that would not then beaddressed later. And that's
something where we kind of comein and damage control. Don't ask
(24:21):
a question unless you're goingto respond to it. You're just
shining a light on a problemthat you're now not addressing.
So the crafting of surveys hasto be very unique. Cannot be
cookie cutter... must omit anyquestions you're not willing to
make changes on or speak to, oryou're setting it up for
(24:46):
backfire.
Mary Starr (24:47):
Yes, and we're pretty open. We've been put in
some uncomfortable situations,but we have addressed them head
on. And again, it's it's abouttransparent and open
communication and addressing thegood with the bad.
Jessica Ollenburg (25:04):
Yes
Mary Starr (25:04):
We're willing to talk about our weaknesses. And
as leaders, we, we are growingand learning along with our
team. And it's okay to admitthat, and it's okay to admit not
having all of the answers, aslong as we're continually
striving to learn, grow. And oneof our goal or our core values
(25:29):
is excellence. So we're alwaysstriving towards excellence.
Jessica Ollenburg (25:33):
And just to circle back on that point, being
willing to not have immediateanswers is such an important
aspect of leadership. Too oftenwe see employees bluffing or
guessing, because they think,they've been taught, they've
been conditioned, or at leastnot unconditioned, to realize
(25:57):
they can go validate, they cango confirm the accuracy before
they communicate an untruth. Sowhen we're able to do that, when
we're able to take a pause andsay, I'd like to look into that
further, etc. And we set theexample for that research and
(26:19):
that verification.
Mary Starr (26:22):
Absolutely. And I think it's, what I've realized,
is, again, the importance ofcommunicating the good with the
bad. But what I've realized isthat what employees tend to come
up with on their own can be muchworse than reality. So again, to
to be honest and transparent inyour communication, because they
(26:44):
will see through that. And as Isaid, again, I've learned, if
you don't respond, what they'recoming up with on their own, can
be much worse than the worstcase scenario that you are going
to respond to.
Jessica Ollenburg (26:57):
Absolutely.
And thank you very much forthis. I bring up and together
we've brought up some of thecaveats only because this is a
shining example of doing itwell. And we want to help people
know where this could go wrong,if you're not really paying
attention and closing all thegaps. You and The Starr Group
(27:21):
have been a shining example ofdoing it well, and, and that's
why we've taken a look at it insuch a deeper dive. I also want
to tell our listeners right nowthat Mary has put together a
wonderful PowerPoint explanationof the culture by design, these
committees and many of thethings that we're talking about.
(27:44):
This PowerPoint is available atthe landing page at our website,
thezenquestofleaders.com. And itis also available at the show
notes wherever you are playingthis podcast. So thank you for
that.
Mary Starr (28:04):
Thank you for sharing that, Jess. Fantastic!
Jessica Ollenburg (28:07):
also want to talk about that exceptionally
high participation rate andcompany surveys. Again, taking a
note that we've got 75%, or moreengaging really does show that
we have that trust, and we'regetting good info. A lot of
companies struggle with that. Sokudos.
Mary Starr (28:28):
Thank you. Thank you, yes, engagement is what
it's all about. And in buildinga strong culture, that's
probably the most important goalis to have highly engaged
employees. And today, that's notthe case, I've seen upwards of
70% being disengaged. So ourgoal is to engage those
(28:52):
employees, and to have them bepromoters of our organization
because that's what engagedemployees become. They promote
your organization outside of ofthe company walls, to their
family, their friends, and alsowithin your organization.
They're talking to coworkersabout how wonderful it is to be
(29:13):
at The Starr Group. So havingengaged employees is always a
key goal of our organization.
Also because engaged employeesare more productive, they're
more creative. And when thatoccurs, our - your organization
will be more successful overall.
So again, having highly engagedemployees is a primary goal of
(29:36):
building a strong culture.
Jessica Ollenburg (29:38):
Absolutely.
And thank you for doing it sowell and being that shining
example when so many arestruggling.
Mary Starr (29:46):
Thank you, Jess.
Jessica Ollenburg (29:47):
Mary, we love laughable moments on this show.
I understand Tim's initialreaction to this initiative was
humorously polite, yet somewhatskeptical. Tell us about that.
Mary Starr (30:01):
That's a great way of putting it, Jess. So yes,
when I had heard the concept ofbuilding a culture by design,
and I was so excited, somotivated to, to jump in and
begin this process, and Tim, myhusband, and my partner who is
the CEO of The Starr Group, hewas on board, but he was
(30:25):
passively on board. And the wordI kept hearing him say, was,
that's nice. Those are nicethings that you're doing, kind
of like bringing in a treat forsomebody's anniversary or their
birthday. He definitelyinitially did not see this as a
(30:49):
strategic initiative. He justthought it was a nice kind of
soft initiative that we weredoing. And then he started to
see the comments from employeesin the surveys, and began to
realize the positive impact thiswas having on employee
retention, employeeproductivity, and recruiting
(31:12):
employees. Because as we got theword out, and it's we're all
about getting it out on socialmedia, and on our website. We're
also on Facebook and on Twitterand on LinkedIn. And as he saw
the comments, and the fact thatpeople were coming and wanting
to work at The Starr Group,because of the strength of our
(31:35):
culture. Well, I'll tell you, hestood up. And today, he is our
biggest cheerleader, and ourbiggest believer and supporter
of why having a strong culturesupports a successful
organization overall. So it wasfunny how it started. But today,
he has turned into our numberone cheerleader.
Jessica Ollenburg (31:55):
And I can hear that from Tim, that's nice.
Like I can hear him being justvery polite, very guarded, very
supportive. But until you seethose hard business results...
Mary Starr (32:10):
absolutely.
Jessica Ollenburg (32:11):
There's going to be some skepticism and that,
but certainly, certainly it'sbeen excellent branding,
excellent branding. And it's soimportant for, as you said, the
retention, the recruitment, theengagement, the culture,
creating a relaxed mind, whenyou create safe harbor when you
(32:37):
show employees that they arecared about and that their needs
are going to be met, whetheryou're looking at Maslow's
hierarchy of motivation, or whathave you, when they trust that
their needs are going to be met,they become more relaxed, and
that brings their A game. Peoplelike to bring their A game. They
(33:00):
like to do their best. Manypeople want to succeed, and want
to be in a place where theiremployers also want them to
succeed. And you can't take thatfor granted.
Mary Starr (33:11):
Now, very, very important. And again, it's that
creating that culture where theyknow what they do matters each
and every day. They spend a lotof time at work, and so very,
very important for them to feelthey're making a difference and
that their efforts matter.
Jessica Ollenburg (33:30):
So important.
Here is the question for all ofour Zenquesting leaders out
there. We've learned that tooptimize our capacity, we need
to actively refuel our tanks ashumans before our tanks run dry.
What do you actively do torefuel and calibrate when
needed? Mary, let's take thisquestion in two parts. First is
(33:52):
I'd like to know .... ourlisteners would like to know...
Mary how do YOU zen? And thensecondly, what practices have
you established for your teamleaders and your team members to
Zen and bring their A games andwork life balance?
Mary Starr (34:12):
Great question, Jess. I love this because it's
very important to me to supportmy own ability to then very
important for me every singleday to have exercise and fresh
air. And as a busy executive andas an individual, I joke and
(34:36):
when I call myself a compulsivecompleter. And I'm only half
joking because if I get on aproject, I can stay on that
project until I finish and maybeit's into the evening. So what
I've learned is that I schedulemy workouts and I schedule them
(34:56):
just like any other importantmeeting because they are just as
important as any other meeting,because if my tank is not full,
I am not going to be effective.
So I schedule these workouts,people don't need to know that
it's a meeting with my bike, andthat I'm outside biking. But
this is how I get that fresh airand those workouts in each and
(35:19):
every day. And I would also saythat, for me, it's very
important for me to stay in thepresent. There's a lot that's
happened in the past. Andthere's a lot of uncertainty and
discomfort with the future. Andso I work very, very hard to
stay in the present, it doesn'tmean becoming irresponsible, and
(35:42):
not planning for the future. Butwhat I realized is, if you are
someone who's fretting aboutabout the hypothetical that
could happen in the future,you're going through that stress
now, and then should it happenin the future, you're going
through it again. So it's veryimportant to me, and I work very
hard to stay in the present. Sothose are a couple examples of
(36:07):
how I Zen. And second part ofthe question was, how do we
support our employees doing thesame? Well, again, that's
extremely important to us. And Iguess there are a lot of ways
that we support our employees'ability to reach that Zen state.
First of all, it's supportingour diversity, equity and
(36:31):
inclusion statement andinitiatives and for employees to
know and realize, and becomfortable bringing their
authentic selves to work, that'swhere they're most productive.
That's where they're mostcreative. And that's where that
greatest engagement in jobsatisfaction will be. It's also
about some of the initiativesthat we've rolled out since the
(36:55):
pandemic. Last year, we beganwhat we call flex star, which is
unlimited PTO, we also havesomething as simple as bring
your dog to work, and also dressfor your day. These have all
been very important initiativesthat supports the overall
comfort and Zen of our team. Andwe're able to offer things like
(37:20):
unlimited PTO, because we builtthis culture of trust. And we
know that our teammates areprofessionals, and that they're
not going to abuse theseinitiatives of unlimited PTO,
and that bringing their dog towork. Maybe it was a an
emotional support dog for thatemployee. But I will tell you,
(37:41):
they become emotional supportdogs for the office as a whole.
And we generally have one or twodogs in our office each and
every day. And then something issimple, simple, as dressing for
your day. We used to have casualFridays, and that was a big
deal, but since the pandemic, itnow it's dress for your day.
You're an adult, you're aprofessional, you know if you
(38:04):
need to dress differently on acertain day because of an
important appointment that youmay have. And then also, we host
regular engagement in charityevents to support the zen of our
team. engagement events, we usedto do quarterly events, like
(38:25):
maybe it was snow tubing at TheRock or going bowling or a happy
hour. What we've done since thepandemic is we've increased
those engagement opportunities.
We have Blum coffee garden,which is across the street from
the Starr Group. So twice amonth, we host coffee time at
(38:49):
Blum. And that's voluntary.
Anybody can show up at 730. Andit's generally for an hour 730
to 830. So our group picks upthe cost of the coffee, but that
allows employees to get togetherand engage outside of that work
environment, and to talk aboutwhat's going on in their
personal lives. And then also,we schedule regular charity
(39:12):
events. Our number one charityis the American Heart
Association. And we support theHeart Walk every year and other
several other events hosted bythe American Heart Association,
but we support a lot ofcharities. The Hunger Task Force
farm is very close to ouroffice. So we have volunteer
(39:35):
events in tandem with the HungerTask Force. And what I realized
is today employees want to workfor organizations that give back
and when they are allowed theopportunity, especially during
work time to give back that thatin and of itself supports their
own mental well being. So I liketo believe even think that we do
(39:58):
a lot to support our our teamgetting to that, that position
or point of them. So veryimportant to us.
Jessica Ollenburg (40:11):
Well, thank you for that and listening to
all of those ways that you'resupporting Zen is so consistent
with the culture by design thatwe've talked about and
addressing the specific valuesof your team.
Mary Starr (40:29):
Absolutely, absolutely. It's become. You
know, it's funny how I wasintrigued by this 15 years ago,
but how it's really become apassion. And I love talking
about it. And I love helpingother organizations get to this
point. That's why I'm happy toshare the PowerPoint, happy to
(40:50):
share the struggles that we'vehad, and also the wins that
we've had. And that's wherethose 15 ingredients of building
a strong culture, that's wherethose are tried and true
ingredients. And those are thethings that helped the star
group, build this culture bydesign, which has become both a
(41:10):
local and national award winningculture that retains employees,
recruits employees, and helpsour organization to be more
successful overall.
Jessica Ollenb (41:22):
Congratulations, Mary, on all the hard earned and
well deserved awards for TheStarr Group. And thank you for
all you do. It is just sorefreshing to hear how you take
care of employees and yourenergy about it is is quite
(41:42):
frankly, infectious.
Mary Starr (41:45):
Oh, I'm so glad to hear. Thank you, Jess, that's
very kind of you!
Jessica Ollenburg (41:48):
Yes, that's it's absolutely infectious. I
can see how you could bring outthe passion in others by simply
sharing yours
Mary Starr (41:57):
That's my goal
Jessica Ollenburg (41:58):
and a wonderful, a wonderful
characteristic to be able tohave.
Mary Starr (42:04):
Thank you. I appreciate those kind words
Jess,
Jessica Ollenburg (42:07):
well deserved. Lastly, Mary, how can
our listeners learn more aboutThe Starr Group and how can they
reach you?
Mary Starr (42:14):
Absolutely. Our website, www.StarrGroup.com.
We're on Facebook, LinkedIn,Twitter. Also, my email, my
direct email is in thatPowerPoint, MStarr at
StarrGroup.com. Please feel freeto reach out to me email is the
(42:34):
best way. Again, I'm verypassionate about this. And I'm
very willing to answer anyadditional questions people may
have, offer my advice on whatworked for us and what didn't.
But I am happy to be a resourcefor anyone who is looking to
build a culture by design.
Jessica Ollenburg (42:54):
Well, thank you so much. I know our
listeners really appreciate allall the good information you
bought today. And thank you forsharing the wins. And certainly
you mentioned the struggles butthere are no wins without the
struggles. So. So thank you forthat. And thanks for being with
us today. And I look forward tocontinue to work with with you.
(43:19):
Appreciate your time.
Mary Starr (43:20):
My pleasure, Jess, and I continue. I look forward
to continuing to partner withyou as well. So thank you very
much. It's been my honor to be apart of this podcast.
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