Helping people thrive

Todd thrives on seeing people accomplish things they didn’t assume possible before. After he took the Gallup StrengthsFinder test, he discovered that one of his strengths was being a Developer.

He really values being able to teach someone something they didn’t know, and then see them take off and be successful.

He learned the importance of leaving things in a better state than he found them from his father. And he made sure to always be considerate towards other people.

It all comes down to your employees

What’s Todd’s long-term formula for businesses? It all has to do with the human element. While we have all this technology, these smarter, better way of doing things, we still need people, and people need to feel valued.

It’s crucial to value your employees. You need to interact with them keeping in mind that you are dealing with the whole person, not just with the worker person.

Managers need to remember that their employees are talented individuals. People will go and work where they feel most valued and most appreciated.

The deepest need of the human heart is to feel understood

Todd worked closely with Stephen Covey, a renowned educator, author, businessman, and keynote speaker.

Stephen would often say that the deepest need of the human heart is to feel understood. Once somebody feels understood, then they’re ready to be influenced.

Todd’s advice to leaders

The political climate of the US is pretty tragic and out of control right now. If Todd could wave a magic wand he would bring civility back into the US politics.

His advice to leaders? Take time to consider someone else’s opinion. Great leaders need to slow down and take the time to really understand their people. Step back and make sure that you are taking care of your talent. Leaders must always remember the fact that their employees are the ones producing the results for them and that they need to constantly invest in them.

What should companies focus on right now? In the bestselling book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey talked about production and production capability. Companies need to learn how to balance these two. Sometimes organizations can get so anxious about the results (the production), that they unintentionally kill the production capability, the very thing that’s producing the results.

We need to treat each other better

If Todd could go back in time, what advice would he gift his younger self? Have more courage. When we’re young, we’re so afraid of making the wrong step or saying the wrong thing. It’s ok to be outspoken with respect. Share your opinions, don’t hold back.

If someone wants to find their purpose, a good way to start is to sit down and write down all the situations that make him/her the happiest. What activity do you get most passionate about? At the end of your life, what do you want people to say about you?

What does the world need the most right now, in Todd’s opinion? Civility. We need to step back and reexamine the way we treat each other. Respect can be worldwide, regardless of the country you’re from.

If the talk resonates with you, we’d recommend you listen to this episode too: Link to Michaëla Berglund