We recently connected with Rodney C Burris and have shared our conversation below.

Rodney C, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with something countless entrepreneurs have had to figure out on the fly – how have you dealt with the rise of remote work?

I appreciate this question. I have had the opportunity to facilitate many other management teams through this thought exercise.

And thus, this question prompted me to first view this from the perspective of an employer, but then answer in through the lens of an employee.. .

In other words, “If I were to hire skilled individuals to work remotely, what would I hope to gain from them?”

And in an instant, the answer was clear as day. “Productivity” — Increased productivity, to be more precise.

So the real question for me then would be, how does working from home increase my own feelings of productivity, as a professional?

And the answer to that came quite readily as well. — “Work-life balance”.

When work and life is in balance, there is a reduced stress. When work and life are balanced, there is higher morale. When work and life are in balance, I feel a greater sense of purpose & connectivity to the outcomes; resulting in creative and proactive troubleshooting & goal-setting. Furthermore, when creativity is flowing and proactivity is rewarded, productivity is increased.

Increased productivity is directly connected to achieving a sense of greater work-life balance. — There are many ways for an employer and employee to achieve this; working remotely can be a great methodology to do so.

Foundational to all of this is ensuring both the employee and the employer, the company and the staff, are embarking on a healthy relationship from the start. Both of them have to be intentful in their mutual selection of each other. Like all relationships, there has to be the potential for good long-term compatibility, as well as initial attraction, in order to establish there is “good fit”. Because both descriptors (ie, long-term & initial-attraction) are qualitative in nature, these can be determined subjectively based on esteemed mutual need, with grace, liberty and flexibility.

These are the qualities of today’s workplace as we move into tomorrow.

And it is the reason why both clients and our colleagues, our staff and our supervisors, our partners and our providers, should find value in exploring the opportunity to work together, remotely.

-RCB

Rodney C, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

**Rodney C Burris Is One Of The Nation’s Top Leaders In Unlocking Human Potential And Inspiring Organizations to Greatness!**

Raised in the inner cities of Baltimore and Jacksonville, Rodney is the son of a hardworking single mother.

Because his father often battled substance abuse, the family spent time in a homeless shelter and endured poverty and domestic abuse.

Despite this adversity, Rodney still earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from The Johns Hopkins University and a master’s in Nonprofit Management from Capella University.

Rodney has assisted numerous companies with team-building, communication, data evaluation and program development.

His workshops and seminars are among the most popular in the United States and abroad!

-RCB

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

One of my favorite quotes is, “Courage is not the lack of fear, but instead it is the decision to move forward in the face there of…”

I learned that quote, as a post-secondary (college) student. — Today, I am a Success Coach, and just like we cannot have courage with the presence of fear, we only gain success in the presence of struggle.

College provided me (and so many others like me) an opportunity to be exposed to brand new horizons. Often, our ability to achieve different and better outcomes for ourselves is intrinsically tied to our exposure to alternate modalities of success. This is true for all people everywhere, and is especially true for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

As a student from a disadvantaged background, I found myself competing with more than just the lack of up-to date textbooks; I also had to battle the stigma that came along with being smart, the ostracism that came from peers for doing well in school, the unpopularity of choosing to do homework/classwork. This was all very tough to deal with. Fortunately, my educational institution was like an oasis; it provided a safe haven and a sanctuary to get away from the societal pressures embedded within a disadvantaged environment.

This oasis factor was both a gift and curse. I believe the good things about it are obvious, so I will elucidate the not-so-great aspects. Namely this: because it was a safe-haven and an oasis, it unintentionally shielded me from the harsher realities of the world beyond the academic environment. Within the environment, I could utilize certain techniques, approaches and practices. Outside of the environment, those skillsets did not work well. I was able to make it through due to a series of mentors and givers in my life. This sort of support is invaluable.

In my role as a Success Coach today, my own success comes in understanding this struggle, how to over come it, and explaining it in ways that make the most sense for us at that time.

As leaders (parents, teachers, pastors, educator supervisors, directors, etc) it is absolutely paramount that we understand this dynamic, as it helps the students translate the skills they are acquiring in the educational environment into a practical modality for success, in their broader worlds.

I understand this dynamic.
I teach it to others.

I look forward to doing the same with you and your team.

-RCB

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Earlier in my career, my wife and I were expecting two little bundles of joy — Aaliyah and Anthony. I was working a nonprofit job and needed some additional money. I had a coworker who was like a mentor/big brother to me. He took me under his wing, sat me down, and did a comprehensive job search with me.

We found an opportunity that was looking for funny, engaging, positive and magnetic individuals who could capture the hearts & minds of an audience — particularly a high school audience. The goal was to equip these students (and their families) with the tools, information and products to help them make the most out of the next several years post high school graduation.

All I needed to do was send in a video of me talking for about 5 minutes or so on any topic of my choosing. — Now, back then, lol there was no uploading. Instead, a physical hardcopy had to be made, put on some cassette or disc, and sent in. My mentor was soooooo happy for me. He said that this opportunity was going to revolutionize my life, and that I was on my way Straight to the Top! He marched me around to all the managers of our company, and told them, “Guys, get to know Rodney Now, He wont be with us long, he found this opportunity tailor-made for him, and he’s gonna be taking off like a rocket soon…” He was so proud of me. All I had to do was do a video.

But I was scared.

Actually, I just had debilitating insecurity that was masked by an extroverted personality. On the outside, I seemed bright, chipper, happy, well-pleased, intentional, focused. On the inside however, my infrastructure was wafer-thin, the result of a lifetime (childhood) of instability, let-downs, protective bubbles, transient fatherhood frequent house moves/relocations, etc. I just didnt have the substance of a person with good foundation. So although outwardly I seemed cool, calm and collected, on the inside, I was miserable. — But sense I knew how to put on a show, people always seemed to gravitate towards the extroversion, while overlooking the empty depression beneath. So when my mentor sent me home that Friday to go make the video (and start this journey), I knew as I was leaving that I had no intention of recording that video.

I had all kinds of excuses:
“I needed a haircut..”
“I didnt have time…”
“The weekend was extremely busy…”

BUT my ace in the hole was going to be this little nugget right here:

“I didnt have a recording device…”

And it was true. I didnt.
The problem is that James had one that I could’ve used, but I talked myself out of asking for it (“perhaps it would be inappropriate…etc”)

Needless to say, when I returned to work on Monday and James met me at the door, I should’ve not been shocked to hear him ask me how did my video submission went.
And to tell the truth I wasn’t shocked…by that.

But I was completely taken aback by his Response, once I told him I hadn’t done it.

He. Became. Incensed.

At first he tried to wrap his mind around the lame excuses I was offering. When we both realized that those were empty at best, we then both came to accept that I simply didnt do it out of fear and self doubt.

James was livid.

He was so proud of me, and so happy for me earlier; all of that passion turned into a sort of righteous disappointment. He told me “Dont you Ever let someone be more happy about your future than you are for yourself.” And with that, he walked me back around to each manager, saying that he “Apologized” on my behalf, that I actually didnt believe in myself enough to put forth the effort, and that I would in fact be going Nowhere.

OUCH. … I was crushed.

But I didn’t realize that tough treatment actually boosted within me an inner grit to reevaluate and do better. That week, I got a haircut, found a recording device and talked to an imaginary group in my room about the fatherhood project I was passionate about.

And I sent it in…

I don’t know if James was a psychic or if he just had a lot of good faith and good will for me as his little honorary bro, because he was Exactly Right. My experience with that company was the first in a healthy succession of companies that had me driving all over the city, traveling up and down the state, and flying all around the world. I have been to 4 of our seven continents, multiple countries, and almost every single State in the Union.

He gave me permission to pursue My Dream.

And now, I just want to do the same for others.

-RCB

Contact Info:

• Website: https://RodneyCBurris.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rodney.c.burris
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rodney.c.burris
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodneycburris
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/rodneycburris
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RodneyBurris
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@rodneycburris

Image Credits
Photos By Bridget. Emma Burcasel. James Dwight.