[00:00:03] Speaker A: Hey, fellow leaders, do you know what that bell is for?
It is our wake up call. The world is shifting at lightning speed.
Technology is rewriting the rules.
Generations are colliding in values and expectations.
And AI revolution is unfolding very quickly and it will flip our world upside down before you can even blink.
Stress, anxiety, upheaval is at record highs.
So in this storm, the question isn't if change will hit you, it is how prepared are you when it does. Will you be the leader who panics or will you be the leader who transforms pressure into possibilities?
Right now, anxiety, burnout and uncertainty are record highs, as we said. But this is also the greatest opportunity in leadership history if you know how to lead with clarity, with courage, and with higher consciousness. This is the reason we created a super conscious leader. Not just to help you survive the chaos, but to help you rise above it and thrive, turning all this disruption into your greatest advantage. In the age of AI, you don't need to be superhuman. You just need to be super conscious.
Welcome to A Superconscious leader. I am Dr. Adil Dalal. You're watching now Media Television.
Welcome to the Superconscious Leader. Your journey to the pinnacle of leadership starts here and starts now.
Today we have a very special guest, Dr. Dante Vaughn. Dr. Vaughn, welcome to the show.
[00:02:05] Speaker B: Dr. O'. Deal, thanks for having me, Appreciate it.
[00:02:09] Speaker A: And just a little bit about my guest today. He is the founder and president of Lightpoint Advisors, a leadership consulting firm that helps executives and teams elevate culture and connection through conscious leadership practices. He's a Forbes Business Council member, co author of Amazon bestseller From Culture to Culture, and host of Lightpoint podcast, Real Leaders, Real talk, real time. Dr. Wanna thank you for joining us today and welcome to A Superconscious Leader.
[00:02:44] Speaker B: Thank you. I'm excited to be here.
[00:02:46] Speaker A: Thank you very much. And let's start with something very important to my audience. And we're going to talk a little bit about the recognition. Recognition as a task, as an important function of leadership. Something to check off a list. So it is not basically something we can just call it. As a task level item, we should have the right connection with the reward we are giving. So the challenge is transforming recognition from performance metrics into purposeful, authentic acknowledgment that nourishes trust, motivation and belonging.
So, Dr. Wan, before we jump into all the details of this, could you share a little bit about your background and how did you get into this field, please?
[00:03:41] Speaker B: You bet.
I started out more in the realm of operational leadership and through the work. Very early in my career, I recognized that you can have the greatest systems, the greatest processes in an organization.
But if you don't address leadership behavior, or shall I say leadership culture that truly impacts organizational performance and the employee experience and the customer experience, then it doesn't matter how shiny the wrench is in the toolbox if they don't know how to use it or what a wrench is. Right. So it really sparked my interest in examining not just business through an administrative side, but business management and more specifically organizational leadership. And I went down that path both professionally and academically, really seeking to understand organizational behavior and human behavior. What happens when you are trying to mobilize a group of people to be effective and efficient at realizing a vision that is set forth by an organization.
So ultimately, you know, my world today, you know, I lead a practice of organizational strategists and practitioners. We specialize in organizational leadership and growth strategies for businesses. We have we that are underpinned both by management principles, but also industrial organizational psychology, understanding the behavioral side of business and how they all interconnect to drive outcomes.
[00:05:23] Speaker A: Wow, that is so powerful. And your background, your education is in that area too, right? You have a doctorate in psychology?
[00:05:31] Speaker B: Yes, yes. So I specialize in organizational leadership and industrial organizational psychology. So I have a Doctor of management. I'm a Doctor of Management and I've in both in master's and in undergrad. I emphasize my studies around organizational leadership principles and what's really driving success in business. And most of our clients are just navigating many of the challenges that you speak of. So we do a lot of work both strategically, but also in professional and personal development of leaders so that they're most effective at what they do.
[00:06:07] Speaker A: Excellent.
And Dr. Wan, is there any particular person who affected you and who kind of was a mentor who got you into this field? What drove you into this field?
[00:06:20] Speaker B: You know, I don't know that there was someone that necessarily ushered me into this field specifically. This has been an evolution of self learning and understanding where I had the greatest power of influence and impact.
That's always been my goal and even why I named the company Light Point, that wanted to be a light point in the work that we do for people and for organizations. But I will say, say I've always had a fascination, even in my childhood, in, in understanding how groups navigate, you know, who are the influencers, who are the followers. Right. And, and what influences people to come together and do things. You know, I'm a Philadelphia native. I'm. I Grew up in the inner city. I'm a reflection of what should be a statistic. Right. And I would say that there are many people through childhood, through adulthood that inspired me. So we. So even as you talk about this idea of recognition, there were advocates that I've had along the way. And even in my professional journey, before I set out to be an entrepreneur and launch my own practice, I had advocate advocates who not only gave me critical and constructive feedback to nurture my growth, but also provided established connection and recognition for where I was having impact and where I had my greatest power to move myself, move my team in the organization.
[00:07:58] Speaker A: Excellent. And from a point of recognition, what do you think is. How important is recognition to the growth of your employees or your team members?
Where would you rate it?
[00:08:11] Speaker B: No, when I think about.
It's essential.
We can go as deep as Maslow's hierarchy if needs. Right. I mean, fundamentally, this desire for connection, belonging and impact, purposeful impact now more than ever, when you have over, you know, 60% of the working population of a millennial or younger generation, this desire for purpose driven work is rooted in not only their own assessment of if their work is purpose driven, but how it's reinforced through recognition and acknowledgement for the impact that they're having. So it's. It's paramount to how individuals connect with what they're doing and why they're doing it now more than ever.
[00:09:04] Speaker A: Correct. And how can leaders reconnect the recognition to purpose instead of the metrics?
[00:09:14] Speaker B: You know, purpose driven recognition requires a leader to move with greater intentionality in understanding true motivators for individuals. So when we talk about purpose, how do you link the organization's purpose and help an employee or team connected to what drives them?
Right. Trying to move with some misperceived understanding that everyone believes in my organization's purpose and that in and of itself drives them is a fallacy. The reality is there are aspects of if you've done a fairly good job in defining your organization's purpose, vision and mission, there's some connection, some more than others. But if I can find a pathway to connect. So what's driving you?
From the hourly employee who simply wants to work to save up for a vehicle to the person who believes that this is a career stepping stone, how do I connect your purpose for it to the organization's purpose and have meaningful dialogue and conversation around that, that's where I think that's the part of the work that is required to truly foster this sense of connecting recognition with purpose, even down to how we approach recognition because not everyone wants a purpose pizza party and a gift card. Right. How do we again drive recognition acknowledgement and connect it to what it means to team members? I think that's where the harder work begins.
[00:11:08] Speaker A: Very true. And I can give you an example. We were having a courtly luncheon and someone was recognized during that quarterly luncheon in front of a over 900 people.
And that person didn't show up for work for the next three days. Literally had to send someone to his home to get him back. And he says, I won't come back. I do not like being called out in front of so many people. And my manager knew that. How did you allow that to happen? And we had to apologize to him and get him back because he did not want to be recognized in that way. And that always stuck with me because as you correctly point out, recognition is personal.
Different people want it in different ways. And a good leader would understand the needs of their employees before they recognize them. Would you agree?
[00:12:04] Speaker B: I agree wholeheartedly. I have an equivalent story in that I remember working with an industrial client and I believe they were a manufacturer in CPG and they were hosting quarterly town halls and celebratory events for their team members and they were investing thousands of dollars in prizes and what have you.
And yet they were struggling with retention and just with high turnover metrics. And while there were many factors that contributed, some of the feedback that we solicited from the workforce included how disgruntled and frustrated they were as it related to those quarterly celebratory events. And the CEO just couldn't, I put so much money into this. I don't understand. That's very ungrateful. And, and when you, when we began to unpack the frustration, it came across to many team members as disingenuous.
[00:13:18] Speaker A: Yes, exactly.
[00:13:19] Speaker B: Insincere.
[00:13:20] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:13:21] Speaker B: And part of what perpetuated that was they would give out these exorbitant prizes, you know, flat screen TVs and, and all kinds of stuff without any understanding of the connection or understanding of their, the demographic of their workforce.
[00:13:41] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:13:42] Speaker B: They, they facilitated the sessions in English. They had a predominantly Spanish speaking workforce. They had no translation of any of the information that was being shared. So if you were not somewhat fluent in English, you didn't understand what was being said.
So the demo, the demographic of the employees, many carpooled, many rode their bicycles to work or walked. They did not have vehicles and many were roommates. They, they, they, they didn't live in an environment that, you know, would would warrant two flat screen TVs. They didn't even know how they would get it home correct, let alone what they would do with it. So and you start to pull back. There were many other challenges there. So to your point, Dr. Du, I think having a connection and understanding true drivers.
[00:14:37] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:14:37] Speaker B: You know, Instead of buying US thousand dollar flat screen TVs, imagine the impact of something that really related to our lived experience.
[00:14:49] Speaker A: Excellent.
[00:14:50] Speaker B: And you know, subtleties in that.
[00:14:52] Speaker A: Yeah, thank you very much. This, you know, example is very important for people to understand that.
So Dr. Wan, excellent input and we'll be right back folks. Up next, Dr. Wan shares how personalized appreciation can transform connection and performance in the workplace.
Stay tuned. We'll be right back.
Imagine partnering with a firm that fuses lean precision with AI foresight, turning every process into a profit engine built on the foundation of operational excellence.
Hi, I am Dr. Adil Dalal, founder and CEO of Pinnacle Process Solutions.
For 20 years we have empowered over 9,500 leaders across 25 industries and 5 continents and delivered savings from a million dollars to 39 million dollars via rapid transformations using AI digital tools, Lean Agile and Six Sigma technologies.
Through our award winning work workshops, Lean AI frameworks and human centric coaching, we elevate culture, eliminate waste and ignite sustainable operational excellence.
Elevate your people, accelerate your performance, visit pinnacle process.com and reach your pinnacle today.
And we're back. Let's continue this powerful conversation.
Welcome back to a Superconscious Leader. Want more of what you're watching? Stay connected to a superconscious leader every NOW Media tv Favorite live or on demand, anytime you like. Download the free Now Media TV app on Roku or iOS and unlock non stop bilingual programming in both English and in Spanish. You can also catch the podcast version right from your website at NowMedia TV. From the business innovation to purpose, leadership mindset Change Now Media TEAMI is streaming around the clock, ready whenever you are.
So welcome back. I am joined again by Dr. Dante Wan and we're diving into the importance of personalization and recognition. It's a topic very close to my heart and leaders often treat appreciation as one size fits all. But the real connection happens when you tailor recognition to the person, not the position.
So, Dr. Wan, what has been your experience with people who have used one size fits all recognition?
[00:18:08] Speaker B: The reality is in those scenarios, while broad recognition has its place and can be generally accepted only through the lens that at least the organization is doing something to acknowledge my contributions or the broader group's contributions. So There's a, there's a communal experience that comes with that. But the challenge you have is when organizations take those moments that should be, you know, varied and selective and then they treat it in a transactional manner and they do so on rinse and repeat. That's where it starts to water down its impact.
There's a time and a place when you can do a communal acknowledgment or recognition for a job well done across the team. And then there's a time when more personalized, individualized or selective recognition strategies have the greater impact. Especially when you're talking about short interval recognition strategies.
[00:19:18] Speaker A: Yes, I totally agree. And you know, I talk. In fact, in my first book, the twelve Pillars, I wrote about this topic because whenever I completed a project, I would budget the recognition as a part of it.
So for example, I ran a major acquisition program of something called a Colorado needle. And at the end of that project I gold plated that needle. I encased it in a plastic in a beautiful case.
We had signatures of all the executives, including myself. We signed that and each of the members from our team as well as the acquired team were handed this out. And I'm telling you, even if you go today to the office, you will see that in their queue.
So it is so important to personalize a recognition. And have you seen examples where that has led to more motivation and trust with their leaders?
[00:20:20] Speaker B: Absolutely. And to your point, sometimes it's a departmental wide effort and sometimes it's truly individualized for a high contributor.
The key is understanding that the recognition of one or a few still translates to the recognition of many. As long as over time all those engaged on the team are recognized in some way. And what I mean by that is people. This is experiential learning. Now we're getting a little into adult learning theory, but experiential learning suggests that I just me observing that another team member receive recognition is also psychologically uplifting, especially in the premise that that could be me or will be me by hitting certain goals and objectives and targets. So when you talk about performance or improvement in performance, that becomes essential. Let me give you an example of something that's really grassroots.
We had a quick serve restaurant chain of clients and they at the individual store level seeking strategies around engagement, retention and improvement of productivity. And part of which had a lot to do with their window operation.
And there were a couple of key employees who played a pivotal role in their performance metrics.
And through coaching around more direct intentional engagement, one found that there was one key member of the team, whose motivation had a lot more to do with saving up. He was getting ready to go to graduate school. He needed a vehicle.
And through that, so this manager got some construction paper and some things, created a thermometer that would track hours worked. And in the employee's mind, the hours equated to how much money this individual was able to save.
And as he kept working hours and achieving certain targets, they would tick the meter up, the thermometer up. Now, mind you, this wasn't an extra bonus. This wasn't anything but a shared experience, Even though it was tracking how well we'll say Timmy was saving toward his car for grad school.
But everyone got involved in Timmy's thermometer. Then it became a thermometer for the team.
So something that became individually motivating for Timmy. In fact, he was more open, inclined to work overtime.
He got excited around the idea of working longer and contributing more. So that's something that you wouldn't perceive as recognition, but became very individualized and celebratory. And then it became multiple thermometers of different team members wanting to set personal goals for themselves.
[00:23:26] Speaker A: How cool. That is such a nice way to recognize your people. And as you said, the shared experience.
On the flip side, Dr. Owen, today we're seeing in almost every industry, Even in the self serve industry, you're seeing these screens with 15%, 20%, 25% on there, which is put in front of you as you're standing in line.
What are your thoughts on that? The tipping culture which is happening in our country, Is that recognition? You think so? That that is part of the recognition culture? Is it something different?
[00:24:06] Speaker B: You know, that's a great question. I.
It depends on what an organization considers important to recognize. Right. Recognition in and of itself, you can recognize many things.
You can recognize low perform. We got to understand that recognition programs are meant to be motivators.
[00:24:28] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:24:29] Speaker B: Motivators can be triggered through positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement. You could have someone, you could put a ranking up of performance, and you have a low performer who doesn't like to be at the bottom of the list. And therefore because they don't like to be, works harder to get above the list.
So I think we. So part of my education is also around distinguishing reward versus recognition.
[00:24:57] Speaker A: Right.
[00:24:58] Speaker B: Because they're not one in the same. So let's go to the tip scenario.
[00:25:02] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:25:03] Speaker B: So celebrating that someone received a tip, as long as the messaging, that could be a slippery slope. We have to make sure that we are clear about our intent around the Recognition strategy or program, what do we want as an output? And a lot of times organizations don't think through that. The minutia in, okay, what does this foster or perpetuate in the employee experience that becomes motivating and do we want it and what type of motivation are we trying to foster? Let's be really clear about that. So I think it has a lot to do with the organizational culture and the interest that they put in how this program will drive an outcome. So for some organizations it may make sense to post tip of values and amounts and earnings and all that. For others, it may not make sense.
[00:25:54] Speaker A: Very true, very true. So, Dr. Wan, what are some effective ways you found where a leader can find exactly how to recognize their team members?
Where as we talked in the first segment, they will not get upset about it, and it's truly customized recognition for the employee.
[00:26:17] Speaker B: So I think foundationally, leaders have to ensure clarity is established around what good looks like, what goals and objectives are, and what they mean as an outcome for achieving them. Okay, let's start there foundationally. Because when we can have clarity around those things, recognition or correlating recognition to those goals and strategies has a payoff for the organization and the individual mutually.
Because oftentimes I enter organizations where there's so much ambiguity around, okay, what am I targeting? What is the goal? Because putting recognition strategies around a never ending goal loses its muster over time.
[00:27:09] Speaker A: Correct.
[00:27:10] Speaker B: Like now, let's get 5% more growth and then 5% more growth. So I think getting clarity around that. The other piece I would say is there are organizational goals and objectives that warrant recognition and then there are those buoys, the buoys that are set along the journey that indicates either at an individual, team or departmental level, that the activities, the actions that are going to help us achieve our goals are being achieved or accomplished or recognized. So I think understanding what the buoys are not just the end result, the end destination, all the subtle steps that aren't necessarily related to a direct KPI that could still be recognized for people showing up, being positive in their mindset, being critically thinking, raising problems, raising challenges, seeking solutions, or being solution oriented, all those things warrant effective recognition.
[00:28:11] Speaker A: Excellent. And you know, one of the things which I used to do is when a new team member joins, I had a survey created for them on recognition. So they were specially on recognition.
What would you like to be recognized with and whatnot?
[00:28:30] Speaker B: Love it.
[00:28:30] Speaker A: Some people love movie tickets or other things. Some people prefer time off for the family. So having a clear understanding of that really helped me Customize my style of recognition with my team members.
But Dr. Wan, your insight into individualized recognition are invaluable for those who want to learn more about you, your leadership coaching or consulting work. Where can they connect with you? Sir?
[00:29:00] Speaker B: They can Visit
[email protected] They can also find us on LinkedIn. You can also even visit drdontevaughn.com Just any platform to reach out and connect. We'll be glad to further the conversation.
[00:29:16] Speaker A: Excellent. Thank you Dr. Vaughn.
Folks, do not go anywhere. We'll be right back with Dr. Wang.
Stay tuned. We'll be right back.
Imagine partnering with a firm that fuses lean precision with AI foresight. Turning every process into to a profit engine built on the foundation of operational excellence.
Hi, I am Dr. Adil Dalal, founder and CEO of Pinnacle Process Solutions.
For 20 years we have empowered over 9,500 leaders across 25 industries and five continents and delivered savings from a million dollars to 39 million dollars. We have rapid transformations using AI digital tools, lean agile and six sigma technologies.
Through our award winning workshops, lean AI frameworks and human centric coaching, we elevate culture, eliminate waste and ignite sustainable operational excellence.
Elevate your people, accelerate your performance.
Visit pinnacle process.com and reach your pinnacle today.
And we're back. Let's continue this powerful conversation.
Welcome back to a Superconscious Leader. I'm here with Dr. Dante Vaughn. We're exploring how recognition, when done right, becomes much more than a program. It becomes a very heartbeat of your culture. So many organizations launch recognition initiatives that fade over time. True culture change happens when appreciation becomes part of the daily rhythm. A shared behavior model by leadership and lived by by everyone.
So Dr. Wan, why do recognition programs often lose meaning or momentum over time?
[00:31:43] Speaker B: I believe recognition programs lose momentum or engagement because they lack stable foundation.
What is your program grounded in?
How is it rooted in the life cycle of the organization?
Because, and I mean that both in the context of the broader mission, but also in the context of day to day.
[00:32:14] Speaker A: Right.
[00:32:15] Speaker B: Effective recognition programs means I'm not just going to acknowledge or recognize your contributions or your impact or your needs.
[00:32:25] Speaker A: Right?
[00:32:25] Speaker B: On a quarterly or monthly or annual basis.
I'm not gonna just solely tie it to my bonus or compensation program or your annual or quarterly performance review. Those things lack sustainable grounding. If I want an effective and sustainable recognition program, I want to do so in shorter interval and in a manner that expands and contracts with the organization. And how the demographic and population of our organization also shifts. I want it to be a part of the heartbeat, to your point earlier, of my business, which means then recognition can be embedded in every aspect in how we operate. Recognition starts with leadership, engagement, and recognition begins with how I start my day, how I start my shift. And I could be calling out top performers from yesterday's production line today and how that correlates to the goals that we have set for the current day based on performance or underperformance from the prior day. That is a form of recognition.
[00:33:44] Speaker A: Excellent.
[00:33:44] Speaker B: All the way to check ins throughout the day.
Polls that I could be issuing, statuses on projects that I could display.
All of these are subtle forms of recognition around progress, around opportunity for growth, around successes. When you start to integrate recognition strategy, a part of the day to day, week to week, and how we actually operate the business, that's where you get real and true sustainability. Don't treat it like an initiative like you said, or a program in and of itself. Treat it like it's embedded as the core operating system or part of the core operating system of my business.
[00:34:27] Speaker A: Excellent. And you bring out a good point that it has to be part integrated in. And you're familiar with Mr. Zig Ziglar, one of the greatest speakers, and he was once asked about motivation and he was asked that hey, motivation, it does not last for long. You got to keep doing it. He says you have to take a bath every day.
Correct. You can take a bath once a week and say why didn't it last for me? Similarly, we all need to recognize people. We need to create a program where it's a continuous because as Abraham Laszlo said, it's a pyramid. You've got to go. Different layers of recognitions are involved as you go up the chain. So you cannot do it once and forget it. Correct.
[00:35:19] Speaker B: That's right.
[00:35:21] Speaker A: Also, Dr. Wan, one of the key things we have to understand is the generation shift today in the organizations, the new generation.
What are your thoughts on how do we recognize them? Because their mindset, their, you know, understanding is very different from the Gen X baby boomers and others. What has been your experience there? Please?
[00:35:45] Speaker B: You know, I find in and I'm glad you brought this topic up and I'm speaking on this topic in December. This because we are in a multi generational.
[00:35:55] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:35:57] Speaker B: Work workplace, be it hybrid or what have you.
The key is first mitigating or avoiding presumptions around the multi generational workforce and what motivates them. So our lived experience doesn't always translate to the experiences of an organization. So I think investing in not assuming what motivates and seeking to understand.
And you raised this point in an earlier segment around this conversation and communication that's so essential in fostering the motivation of a millennial younger generation.
Research suggests that much of what motivates an individual has to do a lot with feeling, purpose driven in the work or the task before them. And then also how the work they are doing or being asked to perform connects to a longer term goal or objective that they may have for themselves on a personal level. Not everyone's gonna carry the flag like the owner of an organization does.
To your point, we have to accept that some are here for a moment, some are here for extended period of time and some may be here for a lifetime. And they all are going to have unique motivators seek to understand what they may be. But again, research suggests for this younger generation it's going to require whether you think it's as a business leader too progressive or not. Yeah, you're going to have to understand or seek to understand how does your purpose and connect to what we ask of you to get the greatest version of you in our business.
[00:37:54] Speaker A: Fantastic. And Dr. Wan, can you share a couple of examples of really where you found this recognition is above and beyond what others are doing?
[00:38:06] Speaker B: Sure. You know, I had an organization there, they're a retail display manufacturer and.
[00:38:16] Speaker A: The.
[00:38:17] Speaker B: Focus on the businesses around design and creativity and manufacturing best practices and meeting client demand.
But you know, given the nature of their business, you know a lot of designers and both on the CAD side and then you have a lot of new apprentice in the business who are trying to learn the trade of display making and furniture making. And then you have so you have all these different multi generational dynamics existing. And again because they are organization that cares about the employee experience, they wanted to establish recognition programs. And what they found was on the younger generations while they were doing the monetary stuff and the celebratory events and all those things, there were other programs in the organization that they weren't even necessarily sharing because they had legacy committees formed around their community outreach and scholarship program and other things.
And when we partnered with them to seek to understand how we could expand these strategies, what we found is there were more employees wanting to get involved, meaning do more work related to community outreach and causes that matter to them and felt pushed out or isolated from those things because of the legacy committee members and activities that had become almost cyclical and transactional. So it wasn't until the organization started to open up these different campaigns and initiatives and solicit insights into what are other nonprofits that you may be interested in that connects to our core values. And so all of a sudden you had this emergence of younger generation of team members wanting to get involved in areas that as an outcome are going to foster sustainability of the very programs that they had once isolated to this legacy group. That would be an example where what motivates an individual from a purpose driven standpoint has a lot more to do, but you have to seek to understand.
[00:40:30] Speaker A: Exactly. And one point which you bring up very well in this example is that recognition doesn't always have to be monetary.
Correct. Sometimes this is a totally opposite where you're in fact spending your time on something, but it has to relate to that human side.
So it is so important to encourage people to drive towards their purpose. And sometimes giving up their own time can be rewarding to them because they know they are doing something good. So what a powerful example. Dr. Wang, thank you for sharing that.
[00:41:08] Speaker B: Spot on. And I just want to add one subtle note. I know we're wrapping up this segment, but imagine instead of viewing your work or your job, your 9 to 5 in this context as an inhibitor of your ability to do the things that motivate or inspire you, like community service and community outreach. Imagine now seeing your workplace as a means to. I'm actually getting paid and compensated because I'm at work, but I'm also doing this other thing that I'm really passionate about.
[00:41:44] Speaker A: Yes, very true. It's so powerful.
I think in the next segment, Dr. Wan, we are going to go deep into the superconscious leader and recognition, how important it is for the future generation as we come in the age of technology, AI and other things, the human side of things, the recognition, how, how will we be able to do that in a better way?
So, folks will be right back. Coming up next, Dr. Wan and I will go deep into the topic of superconscious leader and how genuine recognition can help drive the spirit within the human side of things and really help humanity thrive in the age of AI. So please do not go anywhere.
Thank you, Dr. Wan. Stay tuned.
Stay tuned. We'll be right back.
Imagine partnering with a firm that fuses lean precision with AI foresight, turning every process into a profit engine built on the foundation of operational excellence.
Hi, I am Dr. Adil Dalal, Founder and CEO of Pinnacle Process Solutions.
For 20 years, we have empowered over 9,500 leaders across 25 industries and 5 continents and delivered savings from a million dollars to 39 million billion via rapid transformations using AI digital tools, Lean Agile and Six Sigma technologies.
Through our award winning workshops, Lean AI frameworks and human Centric Coaching, we elevate culture, eliminate waste, and ignite sustainable operational excellence.
Elevate your people, accelerate your performance.
Visit pinnacleprocess.com and reach your pinnacle today.
And we're back. Let's continue this powerful conversation.
Welcome back to A Superconscious Leader.
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Prefer podcasts? Listen to a super conscious Leader anytime on Now Media TV website at NowMedia TV covering leadership, mindset, business transformation and more. Now Media TV is available 24 7, bringing you the stories that will truly inspire you. So as we close today's episode, we're exploring the ripple effect of gratitude, but in the New Age of technology so Dr. Wan, thank you for really sharing your insight on this important topic.
Now, as we get into the age of AI, as the human importance is somewhat waning in this age of technology, what do you think is the importance, the increased importance of recognition, and how are we going to recognize our people in this new age?
[00:45:40] Speaker B: When I think about this age of adopting AI, it's a tool that still requires interface, understanding, acceptance at a human level.
And as long as we have humans interacting in any manner, even as the end user or as the developer, it requires us to consider what's necessary and what contributions should we seek from these individuals to make it matter.
AI is only valuable because human beings believe it to be so.
Or to the extent that we want to learn more about it, we want to look for integrations, we want to look for innovations as it relates to AI or any new technology.
We are what makes it important.
We are what puts value on the things that exist in our universe. So I think in that context, understanding what's going to motivate or drive individuals still remains prevalent and important in how we operate. If I want a culture of innovation to equip my organization to adopt AI, for example, then the culture of innovation requires me to do some things to foster that. To put an individual in a mindset to want to learn, discover, test, analyze. These things require me to understand well, what are the factors that are going to make or help my individuals or team members click in that manner, function, operate in that manner, it still connects back to the factors that personally motivate us So I would argue that AI is in fact pushing the requirement as it relates to recognition strategies because we're going to be stretching our team members.
[00:47:45] Speaker A: Right, Very true, very true. What you're saying is true.
Now if you are, you know, as we recognize, we are recognizing leaders, recognize their people, but at the same time there is also recognition to the internal customers, your internal team members.
Within the teams we always say please, thank you and those things. But recently if you read the report, I think Sam Almond or one of the leaders has mentioned that putting the please and thank you for AI is actually wasting billions of dollars because the power it takes for AI to run is significantly more. Is that going to shift some of the things how we operate? Because the amount of interaction we have with AI would the same then be translated to human beings where we forget to say these important things to each other.
What are your thoughts?
[00:48:49] Speaker B: That's a great question. And you'll have me go down a whole rabbit hole, Dr. Dill. But that's a whole new segment as it relates to just core values that we still practice and exhibit as a society. But in this context, I believe if anything, at least in the short term, there's enough desire interest in those courtesies where not having them through the use or application of AI will put greater importance and emphasis on the employee. I mean the human experience and their practice of those things. It will actually help us stand out and affirm that the power and value that we also bring as the human interface is in those more personalized, empathetic, considerate courtesies that exist in our exchange as human beings that a computer could never authentically replicate. It's like the difference between going in through a drive through. Think about how much we were praising Chick Fil A when we went through a drive throw and they actually referenced us, our order by name and said please and thank you. And those subtleties and gestures like that helped propel Chick Fil A in that exchange from a drive thru standpoint. So imagine that importance still exists and I think it'll help. It'll if anything, help us understand our importance as humans.
[00:50:26] Speaker A: Very well put. So I think it actually will bring.
The distinction between humans and machines will be very clear.
Now let's. I want you to visualize a few years, 10 years from now you have human beings and then you have robots which look like human beings.
Where do you think recognition? If you have both of them, you are the leader who has both of them on your team. You think recognition would be the same for both of them?
[00:51:02] Speaker B: Well, you know, the machine doesn't require recognition. It requires programming. It requires maintenance. Right.
So let me rephrase. Recognition is simply its existence and its sustainability very different than. And so not very different, excuse me, than the human. Humans require recognition for their existence and their sustainability. Sustainability in life, sustainability in their contributions.
So the nuances.
My approach with a human has to include details that I don't have to consider with a robot.
I think with that, ideally, it will afford organizations more capacity to actually invest in the human interaction because they'll have not as much emphasis around that for the robot.
I'd like to think optimistically, 10 years from now, organizations will say, the folks I'm hanging on to are so essential to the sustainability and how we operate, including the maintenance and continuity of our robots, that I better invest in whatever's necessary to help them sustain. Sustain. And recognition strategies are a big part of that.
[00:52:27] Speaker A: Excellent.
So basically what you're saying is I should stop giving treats to my Roomba, right?
[00:52:36] Speaker B: It may be programmed, I would say adjust the programming so that it doesn't require.
[00:52:47] Speaker A: Very quickly. Could you share a story where gratitude transformed both culture and a career of someone with the very short time we have?
[00:52:58] Speaker B: I will say in many stories, I have encountered individuals that have worked for organizations for over 20 years. Really high turnover.
[00:53:12] Speaker A: Right.
[00:53:13] Speaker B: Undesirable environments, especially in the manufacturing world, you know.
And the stories I've heard have all related to my. Why I stayed is because my company, over all of the different levels and roles I've had in the organization, empowered me on the basis of what I was learning, how I was applying, my learning to drive outcomes and the opportunities that were afforded to me as a result of it. I felt respected, I felt valued, and I felt like I had a path forward for growth and advancement. As long as I had those things, I stuck around. And I think that has been consistent. And I've been in excellent.
Far too many organizations to count to know that those are fundamental in the human experience.
[00:54:07] Speaker A: Excellent. Dr. Wan. This has been such a rich and insightful discussion. And very quickly, where can people follow your work and learn more about Lightpoint and yourself, please?
[00:54:22] Speaker B: Sure. Just visit
[email protected] you may also find us on LinkedIn and any major social media platform.
We welcome the opportunity to connect and engage in these important conversations.
[00:54:39] Speaker A: Excellent.
Thank you, Dr. Wang. Pleasure having you on the show, folks. Remember, gratitude is contagious and recognition is very critical to human beings as we go forward.
Remember, in the age of AI, you do not need to be superhuman. You just need to be superconscious.
