We recently connected with Michelle L. Steffes and have shared our conversation below.

Michelle L., looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear from you about what you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry and why it matters.

For decades, there has been an expectation in all industries, that teams who underperform are stamped with labels like, lazy, unqualified, not motivated, etc. and need to be disciplined or replaced. Granted, there are times when that may be appropriate but for a large amount of those cases, it is the culture created by the leadership.

Many leaders have reflexively, turned to intimidation, threats and pressure for performance. When team members are subject to the state of mind this response creates, performance and morale levels typically drop. In turn, this leads to a domino effect that permeates the culture. Once the culture is infected with multiple team members who feel underappreciated, devalued and frustrated, low performance is a natural outflow.

Despite the challenges of leadership and working with so many different perceptions, there is ONE COMMON THREAD. One central need in all of us, despite age, background, ethnicity, experience or industry. When leaders recognize this insatiable need in those they influence and make efforts to fulfill that need consistently, it can result in significant culture change. I refer to it as NECESSARY SIGNIFICANCE.

I experienced the power of “Necessary Significance” during the beginning of a 7 year project where I was appointed to work with executives to build a large department, during which, I had an incident that should have ended in termination of my top support leader, He showed potential but had encountered extreme challenges in his personal life which bled into his professional life in obvious ways. His infractions were destructive enough to replace him, but I opted for compassion and gave him 3 months to perform under 3 criteria. (below) The object was to show him I believed in him and to empower him to reach his full potential.

• #1 – He was assigned a mentor to coach him through his personal struggles.
• #2 – On the job, I provided engaging support coupled with accountability while I continued to believe in him and give him multiple platforms to excel. I also kept the vison in front of him, challenging him and empowering him to achieve along the way.
• #3 – Finally, he was given full autonomy to impart the vision for the organization in creative ways to every member of the team.

The result was nothing short of incredible. Not only did his life make a 180 degree turn, but out of sheer gratitude for a “second chance” and someone who truly believed in him, he poured into others on the team, believing in them and imparting the vision in multiple ways. The effect snowballed and by the end of those 3 months, the entire team became unified, empowered and committed to the vision.

Not only was there a noticeable transformation in the culture as a whole, but the change brought our numbers out of the red and well into the black.

When compassion is delivered instead of disapproval, pressure or judgement, there is release of the neurotransmitters, oxytocin and serotonin. These two are responsible for producing a sense of warmth, closeness, joy and pleasure, a reaction that can tear down defensiveness and create a bond of trust.

This is especially true in cases where compassion may not have been deserved. Producing this reaction in the brain will often lead to loyalty and commitment if consistently practiced over time and can eventually improve overall team performance.

Cognitive studies describe compassion as a form of mirroring the feelings and emotions of another creating a form of “neural resonance.” When coupled with empowerment and engagement, compassion can be very effective in transforming teams and even relationships.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My journey began when I was in my early 20’s as a young leader working for a major hotel chain. There, I learned how to inspire people to excellence, take pride in their work and perform well under pressure. I certainly made my fair share of mistakes in my early days and definitely learned what not to do. In fact, some of the hardest lessons came from my own leadership journey but I also learned many things in observing other leaders make mistakes.

One of the biggest lessons learned was the importance of listening to listen rather than listening to respond. As a young leader, I felt compelled to have all the answers but found out quickly that it was more important to be a good listener in every conversation. In many cases, they were the ones with the best answers and it caused them to take ownership and create their own solutions.

As time went on, my passion for leading from the heart grew and my passion to see people win both in life and career grew with it. After decades of building multiple businesses from ground up and leading others to become the best version of themselves, I took the 30,000 foot view of my life in 2012 and determined to apply my passions in building IPV Consulting.

Upon launching this exciting new endeavor, I put in well over 10,000 hours of study learning even more about human behavior, neuropsychology, how to rewire the brain, empower others and equip them to be their own “hero.” The more I learned, and experienced success, the more I wanted to teach others the same principles, especially other leaders. I even went to write two books about it, “Reframe and Rewire: Greatness Through Daily Routine” and “The Machine Inside Me: How to change your brain and discover the power within you!”

IPV Consulting is going into it’s twelfth year founding comprehensive programs such as:
– 5 in 5 Performance Coaching
– 3 Phase Executive Coaching
– IPV Leadership Mastery Course
– The Give Back Program
– The Reframe and Rewire Podcast – Globally reaching 125 countries to date.
– And international speaking opportunities on topics from Heart Centered Leadership and Vision, to Resilience and Emotional Intelligence.

What makes these programs stand out from others is the tools and training provided that brings real change from “the inside – out.” In other words, IPV incorporates a clear and practical knowledge of how we can rewire our brain to become the leader or individual we truly desire to be.

Principles on brain science, the effects of stress on our productivity, and how to achieve a strong state of mind. Clients learn simple daily habits that take them to new levels never thought possible, ultimately delivering results of high energy, clarity and focus in consistent and effective ways.

Leaders learn the importance of keeping it HUMAN. Of leading from the heart and not just the head or the “spreadsheet.” They begin to understand that people are motivated and inspired when they are truly valued and cared for.

So many wonderful stories I could tell about people finding themselves, some for the first time! Stories of miraculous career achievements rising from the bottom to the very top in a short amount of time, recovery from stress related damages to health, relationships and productivity. Even stories of cultures earning Best and Brightest Awards multiple years in a row!

The bottom line is that success comes from within and leadership is truly about people first!

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

Building business and fostering brand loyalty is really about relationships. It’s about caring for each other and not just going after the next “gig” or “account.” It happens when, from beginning to end, you are authentic and provide excellence while keeping your heart involved in every transaction. By treating others in a way that expresses integrity, kindness and genuine concern for the issues they face, you can not only build a better community but business will just sort of “happen.”

I am reminded of many stories where this was the case but one in particular where I consistently joined a wonderful leader for lunch about every 2 months for almost 2 years. There were no expectations except to offer kindness or advice whenever she asked for it. I would also send out small notes of encouragement to her if something popped up that I felt might help her through some difficulties I knew she was having. Eventually, she moved far away but I tried to stay in touch.

One day, about 2 years later, she called me out of the blue to offer a massive contract with her new employer creating a long term relationship with a very large company to this very day.

Other relationships were born out of consistent follow up, kind words on occasion and staying in touch or even building friendships from the initial meeting. The point is best summed up in a quote by Maya Angelou, “People will not remember what you said or did, but they will remember how you made the feel.” I find this to be true again and again.

Even if no business had developed or will develop in the future out of the relationships built, I know that IPV is and always will be a brand about the people. Afterall, IPV stands for Integrity, People & Vision. The 3 most important components to any business endeavor or community influence.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

There have definitely been excellent influencers and mentors in my life, some from books, some in relationships and some from videos. In fact, I believe we should be using our digital devices for daily personal and professional growth, making it a tool for success instead of allowing our devices to pull us into meaningless time-suckers.

I have indulged in as many as 55 audio books per year along with articles and online video teachers. It’s too difficult to nail down just a couple of them. But if I were to choose the top 3 authors/teachers who have influenced my career it would be:

1 – Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, Joe Dispenza
2 – Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill
3 – Switch on Your Brain; The Key to Peak Happiness, Thinking and Health, Caroline Leaf

And for leadership teachers:
1 – Everybody Matters, Bob Chapman
2 – The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John Maxwell
3 – Start with WHY, Simon Sinek

Over the past decade plus, I have incorporated daily listening and/or reading into my every day routine. I have found that I can achieve this alongside of life, i.e. morning preparations, cooking, chores, driving, walking, etc. This practice has empowered me to devour the wisdom of so many incredible teachers in a simple but effective way that impacts my soul and has rewired my brain to win both personally and professionally.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichelleLSteffes
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellesteffes/
• Youtube: @MichelleLSteffesCPLC
• Other: Reframe and Rewire Podcast https://ipvconsulting.com/podcastpage/