In this episode of All Hands, Vice's Chief People Officer, Daisy Auger-Dominguez, talks about the early days of reinventing Vice Media Group’s workplace culture – amid a pandemic and global racial reckoning. Plus, she shares lessons from her book Inclusion Revolution about why training managers is just as important as ever and how she encourages everyone on her People team to approach their work with a DEI lens.
Transcript
Katelin: Welcome to All Hands, a podcast brought to you by Lattice, where people success is business success. I’m your host Katelin Holloway.
Vice Media Group started as an indie magazine covering the 1990s punk scene in Montreal, Canada. As the indie magazine grew into an international media group including television, documentaries, and an online presence, the workplace culture stayed the same.
Sexual harrassment defined the workplace culture for about a decade, until 2018 when CEO Nancy Dubuk stepped in.
But how do you reinvent a company’s workplace – and create a sense of psychological safety and belonging – after years of abuse and harassment?
Daisy:
"I had an opportunity to get everybody to hold hands and say we're going to do this and we're going to do this differently. We're not going to react to the moment, we're going to respond to what our employees need. We're not going to build lists of actions just to be performative. We're going to actually create the solutions that are necessary because we're going to do the work."
Katelin: Today’s guest tells us how she brought what she calls the “inclusion revolution” to Vice Media Group. Daisy Auger-Domínguez is the Chief People Officer at Vice Media Group, after an impressive career at Google, Disney, WarnerMedia, and Moodys. Her book, Inclusion Revolution, is a guidebook to bring meaningful change, and to root out racism in the workplace.
Daisy, welcome to All Hands.
Daisy: Oh, thank you for having me, Katelin. I'm thrilled to be here.
Katelin: You have no idea how excited I am to be having this conversation with you today. I've been following your work for a very long time. Huge fan of your book.
Let's talk a little bit about your work that you're currently doing today. So your book, Inclusion Revolution, is a playbook on how to dismantle racism in our workplaces, to create a place where everyone is included and feels like they belong and have a sense of psychological safety. So let's talk about how you lead the Inclusion Revolution as the Chief People Officer of Vice Media Group. Are you good with that?
Daisy: Oh, goodness. Absolutely. Um, we're still leading the Inclusion Revolution, Katelin.
I joined Vice on May 15th, 2020. Right at the beginning of the pandemic-
Katelin: Yeah.
Daisy: I was one of those first new hires into companies where people were just thinking, "This thing is gonna be over in a month or so.
We'll figure it out and Nancy Dubuc, who's our CEO, was very intentional about hiring an HR leader that had a D&I background and a culture background.
Because she wanted someone that would lead with culture first. That's frankly what attracted me to this role.
Vice has a long history. And, uh, and a somewhat tarnished history ... Not somewhat, a tarnished history-
Throughout the MeToo Movement. Um, but the work that has been done before I joined and since I've joined has really been about revolutionizing the organization and has really been about being at culture's edge, the way that our business is a culture's edge, but doing it with our people as well internally and bringing the best of our history while shifting what needs to be shifted to create a workplace that truly works for everyone. I've been doing that ever since. And the most, the most poignant experience for me was really just in my first couple of weeks of joining.
Little did I know that two weeks later, a man named George Floyd would be murdered-
Katelin: Mm-hmm.
Daisy: And the entire world would be awakened to concepts and trauma around race-
And racism that I had long experienced and known about. But that all of a sudden, were being put right in front of every leader and every employee. And, you know, they were some of the most volatile moments I've ever experienced in-
In my career. But it was also a moment where I felt like, you know, there's very few moments in life where your experience, your identity, your purpose meet.
And this was it for me. And I didn't call it a revolution at that moment. And it was those early months that inspired me to name the book Inclusion Revolution because I felt like I was in this revolutionary moment of change.
And, and I had an opportunity to get everybody to hold hands and say we're going to do this and we're going to do this differently. We're not going to react to the moment, we're going to respond to what our employees need. We're not going to build lists of actions just to be-
You know, out there you know, performative. And what we're doing, we're going to actually create the solutions and we're going to design the solutions that are necessary because we're going to do the work. And we're going to spend time truly understanding the logic of what led us to this place. And that's what we did those first three to six months. Um, it was really intense but it was incredibly rewarding to think about, you know, where we are now.
Katelin: That is such an incredible start to a new, a new job it's not as if you had worked with this team of people and, and you had built that trust over time. And you're right in that, that summer, the summer of 2020, was one of the most powerful moments of, of my work life, not even in a leadership role or any, any, any of that. And-
Daisy: Mm-hmm.
Katelin: I think that the reckoning that was happening in the workplace in particular, given that we were, you know, just a few months into the global pandemic. Work had been turned on its head to, to say the least. And then now-
Daisy: Mm-hmm.
Katelin: For you to be a brand new leader within this organization, thankfully having done this work and, and understanding very deeply the work, what a really beautiful opportunity to bring the team into that.
What was that first month really like or, or those first few months even really like for you as a new executive in this role?
Daisy: You know, I've described it as, as walking around with spinning plates all around you, right?
Katelin: Yeah.
Daisy: There was, you know, trying to keep everything up in the air and not letting anything fall. Um, it was incredibly stressful. Um, it was, it was so intense.
And all of a sudden, we are dealing with the, this, this compendium of forces that are impacting our employees in so many different ways. A health pandemic, a financial crisis, a racial crisis. And I was setting out to write my introduction to the company. Because that was how I was going to, this was the time for me to introduce myself and I was ...
It was about two weeks or so in the company, and I'm thinking, I'm, I'm putting myself in the mindset of speaking to more than 2,000 people all over the world-
All experiencing some of these, you know, collective fears and anxieties and a whole bunch of other things. And I knew that that email needed to convey so much. It had to share who I was, it had to set the tone for my leadership philosophy, it had to create a connection in a virtual world.
And it had to demonstrate empathy. Most importantly, I wanted to, from the very beginning, shake up the assumption as you and I know, that, you know, this would be an HR email full of platitude-
Katelin: Right (laughs).
Daisy: And no real action. Right? That's never who I've been.
I wrote this note to our employees and it was received so beautifully and wonderfully. And I think part of it, for me, was also really liberating, because it was the first time in my entire career I've said to myself, "If I don't do it, who else will?"
But it was the first time that I, that I said, "If I don't, if I don't set the tone with who I am in my full capacity-
As a, as a human in this time, then I'm not walking our talk." And so in the first couple of sentences, I describe myself as an Afro Latina from the Caribbean, D&I expert, mother.
I described my, my most salient identity, um, uh, you know, my most salient identity characteristics that, felt really me right now. And it was, part of that, my way of putting it out there so that some of those elements would connect with others. Because I wasn't speaking to them-
I was writing to them. That's an example of some of that early, um, those early moments of working at Vice and then, you know, the, the listening to employees but also the coaching of leaders-
Katelin: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Daisy: Was a big element of what I was, you know, poised to do. And, and so there is the, you know, listening to everyone and leaders, including my own peers in the C suite-
Grappling with what was happening, also recognizing, and every once in a while, reminding people, you know, "I'm also struggling with this too, you know."
Katelin: Right? I don't have all the answers.
Daisy: I was given a lot of carte blanche because I was the expert. Not just the HR expert, but the culture expert-
The D&I expert. And so all of a sudden, it was, "Okay, we'll solve all of this." And I said, "No, no, we're gonna solve this together."
Katelin: Yeah.
Daisy: So while every company started putting out lists of all the things that they were going to do. As our own clients were asking us what to do, you know, I had to find the right balance and, you know, and bring my leadership, including, you know, my own CEO along with, "Hey, we're gonna tell people we're gonna do certain things, but I'm not going to promise things that I don't know if we can deliver or not."
Katelin: Right.
Daisy: That's not how we set the tone for this. We're not going to set a bunch of arbitrary goals right now-
Because I don't have a good enough sense, not just of our numbers, but of our hiring patterns-
Of our retention patterns. I, I'm, I'm still digging into that data.
We spent about two months speaking to employees all over the world. truly listening. We designed the listening series based on research and work that I had done before with an anti racist lens, right? So we were asking questions around white supremacy that I had never been ... I ... We were using words, Katelin, that I had never been allowed to use, right?
Katelin: Yeah.
Daisy: And, you know, and by allowed I ... You know, I'm intentionally using that word, because I had literally been prohibited by
Katelin: Right.
Daisy: Leaders and colleagues and other companies from using words like white supremacy, from using words like even racist. So, you know, these are, you know, the, these were the words that prior to summer of 2020, never par- were really quite part of the lexicon of corporate America.
Katelin: Absolutely not. Nope.
Daisy: And now they are. but we were very intentional about asking questions, creating safe and courageous spaces. only listening. Nancy and I went to all these, um, series and we said something at the beginning and we said something at the end. But the hole in between was about them. And, and not surprisingly, to me, at the end of the sessions, a lot of the themes that came up were themes that I had seen over and over in organizations.
Pay equity, we were hearing it everywhere. Career pathing, growth, right?
Katelin: Mm-hmm.
Daisy: These are themes that are really consistent across organizations. Issues of,of racial disparity and, and racial animus.
Not just for us within our workforce, but also in the work that we do. You know, we have ... We're, you know, we're a company of storytellers, of journalists, of people who are out there telling the stories nobody else wants to tell. Which is, you know, what I love so much about our work. One of my colleagues puts it this way, you know, we give a megaphone to the underserved. Um, you know-
We don't give them a voice. They already have a voice.
Katelin: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Daisy: You know, we just give ... You know, we give them, we give them what they need to be able to say what they should be saying. And, and that puts them in danger. That puts them-
In places of discomfort. And so to listen to that, it was hard. It was, it was hard, it was painful. Um, but that served as the backbone of what we were able to do. And so by the end of that summer, I was in a place of a bit more firmness to say, "Oh, okay, we're gonna do this." Right?
Katelin: Yeah.
Daisy: We are, we're going to focus on managers."
Managers have always been the sweet spot that I've always tried to, uh, to address. It's, it's who I wrote my book, Inclusion Revolution for.
But we were very clear, "Oh, listen, the experience of every employee is deeply impacted by the experience with their manager."
We ask a lot of managers but we don't train and equip them to be inclusive-
Inclusive and equity minded managers and leaders. And we need to do that. And so it was very clear to me we need to focus on our, on our management, upskilling them. And not just inclusion, not just, these terms around belonging and, uh, psychological safety, we need them to know the beautiful basics of management.
Katelin: Yeah, yeah (laughs).
Daisy: My theory of a lot of this is it's actually not that complex. We over ... You know, we overcomplicate things.
This is really about being a good manager to everyone on your team. This is about listening, this is about responding, this is about caring, this is about ha- having competence in what you do.
Katelin: Right.
Daisy: Right? We call it the three Cs at Vice, and this comes from, from research ... You know, your managers should be competent, confident and compassionate. That's really the, you know, the ...
Katelin: Oh, I love that.
Daisy: At a, at a minimum, that's what we all hope from our managers, right? A manager's job is to drive culture and to drive value. And so we focused on the management piece, we focused on the structural and operational pieces of what needed to be relooked or even created. So yes, we did policies and, you know, sometimes people roll their eyes at the policies, I'm like, "You know, policies are not that bad." Right?
Katelin: Oh, I love policies.
Daisy: Oh, I, I love a, I'm a, I'm a policy wonk. But, you know, they create the guardrails.
Katelin: Yeah. Exactly.
Daisy: I am all about creativity in between. I will find you all the little unicorns in there.
Katelin: Yes, yes.
Daisy: But, we will, we will rigorously attach ourselves to what these standards are-
Katelin: Exactly.
Daisy: We also looked at our, our people's practices across the board. I said, "You know, everyone wants growth. Absolutely. But it's actually really hard to tell someone what they're gonna grow into if we don't have job levels and job architecture."
I was like, so we're gonna actually focus on that unsexy work (laughs)-
Katelin: Yeah.
Daisy: But so critical. Because I can't tell you if you're gonna go to an L2 and an L3 if I don't even know what L you're in.
Katelin: Right. Exactly.
Daisy: And I was just so hugely driven to stabilizing a workforce because this was, this was the only thing I could do, right? The whole world-
Katelin: Right.
Daisy: Was going topsy turvy. But if we could create a space within the workforce where there was clarity on expectations, clarity on goals, clarity on, where to go for what you needed and who would be there to support you and where there was deep accountability from leaders about their role in driving culture and value then that, that to me was really my purpose and, and my work.
Katelin: Thank you for going so in depth with that. Because I think that our listeners can really pull out some, some very, very tactical things you were doing in a very, very unique time, a very unique moment in history." But at the same time, you, what you came back with were very basic first principles-
Daisy: Mm-hmm.
Katelin: Of how to help. Um, whether you are, are restarting, rebuilding or developing for the first time, uh, a culture of inclusion, a culture of where, where people can grow and develop and thrive long term
Going back and really thinking about those conversations and doing a listening tour with those things in mind I think is, is very, very valuable. I wanna connect this back to your book a little bit, though. You discuss the value of holding up a mirror to see valuable feedback so that we can grow and thrive, which I love.
Daisy: Mm-hmm.
Katelin: And, and one line that particularly stood out to me, um, as it relates particularly to this work around inclusion, um, and, oftentimes frantic and chaotic approach that many companies have taken because they don't have somebody with experience in the role, they're throwing together goals or OKRs or KPIs that, that are really rooted in nothing other than saying, "Hey, team, look, we're doing something." Right? one line from your book that really stood out to me was everyone is asking for receipts, not diversity theater.
Daisy: Yes.
Katelin: So what are some strategies people, leaders and managers can use to make sure they are proactively rooting out racism across the employee lifecycle?
Daisy: Oh, goodness. I craft, Inclusion Revolution with that specific lens in mind. It begins with this internal lens to help you get clear on your truth and your truths.
And, and that is what I always tell people they have to start with. You have to truly understand the variations and your points of view of what you're trying to, to build. Because even when you're building OKRs and KPIs like who are you building them for?
Katelin: Right.
Daisy: Right? the, the basic questions that I always ask managers and, and anyone who's doing this work is you have to, you have to really dig deep and ask, "Why are you doing this work?
Why is diversity, equity and inclusion important to you?
What scares you about it? What excites you about it, right? What are you confused about, right?" The terminology, the approach, the, you know, the, you know, the potential push back. I spent some deep time thinking about that. And, becoming acquainted with the language and the work from a racial perspective is absolutely critical. Because you said this early Katelin, we, for the vast majority of us, and particularly for white people, you grow up thinking that the most respectful thing to do is not to bring up the word race.
Katelin: Right.
Daisy: It's not to speak about it. but actually, what you're doing is that you are, you're doing a, a huge disservice to yourself, because you are ill-equipped to do this work. And, you know, Robyn D'Angelo has termed that white fragility-
You know, it's, fundamentally, it's, you have the privilege in many ways to escape having these conversations.
Katelin: Right.
Daisy: You do not spend the time and energy. While those around you have no other choice-
Katelin: Yeah.
Daisy: But to live in the sore spots of racism, to live in the sore spots of inequality, to live in the sore spots of marginalization. And so that ... You know, if, if you spend enough time at the beginning of this work digging through that with a lens that is not, um, it's, you know, it's ... is, is not defensive, but truly open to sitting in some discomfort, right?
You've got it set in some discomfort about this, you've gotta be willing to just power through and think about it. so the first chapter of the book is focused on, on that level of reflection. The next three chapters are focused on recruiting.
One of the chapters is called Build Better Teams, Period. that may not sound like, you know, a racially effective recruitment practice. But the intent behind that is to truly dissect and understand what your teams have and what they don't have and...
What are the conditions that you have created to do so, right? A lot of, a lot of times throughout my career, the question I would often get asked is, how do we build a diverse workforce?" Or Daisy-
Katelin: Right.
Daisy: "How do we get more diverse people?"
Katelin: Right.
Daisy: Um, and, you know, and I've, I've grown tired of that question.
Katelin: Yeah.
Daisy: I pushed back and I said, "No. You know, the first question you should ask yourself is what are the conditions that we have created so that-"
"... this is a majority white organization?" That's-
Katelin: Absolutely.
Daisy: That's actually what you should be asking yourself. Because it's not about the deficit being on those, that diverse racial ... And by the way, I always also like to ask, "What do you mean by diverse?" Like, you know ...
Katelin: (laughing) Yeah, yeah. That really trips them out.
Daisy: You know, I was like, "What, what does diversity mean to you?" Because diverse may mean something to you, it may mean something very different to me.
Katelin: Yeah, yeah.
Daisy: When people get really testy about this, I, I asked them, "Look at your teams. Just look at your teams. Don't ask what you wanna, ask what you have too much of. How did you go to a place ..."
"How did you come to a place of having so many white men who graduated from Brown?"
I love brown, I'm just using that as an example (laughing). how did you come to a place where you hired all of the white women creatives that worked in the same network before you came here?
All of a sudden, it's these unconscious biases by these implicit biases that we have of, "Well, they know this work." I'd say, "Well, what makes you think others don't know this work or others can't learn?" And it's, it's that level of interrogation that as you, you know, as you saw in the book that I, I constantly push on, because that, that's the true way of doing this. And I talk about onboarding and, just dedicate, half of a chapter to it, because we spend all this money and then we just throw them to the wolves, right?
We just go, "Here you go. You know, I had to struggle and so you struggle, you know. I, you know ... It was okay for me." It was like, "But you haven't thought of the fact that it may have been okay for you, it may have felt seamless to you. But you actually did not have to navigate any obstacles. You actually were hired by someone who knew you who gave you a decoder ring, um-
Katelin: Right, right.
Daisy: The minute you walked in the organization." All of these other people are barely able to navigate and have no navigational tools to figure out how does one, you know, you know, how does one set up, set up, you know, yourself to be successful? How does one think about who are the, you know, what are all the unwritten rules?
Who are the people you talk to? Who are the people you don't? Where are the meetings you go to? Where are the meetings you sit in the front?
Katelin: Yes.
Daisy: Where are the meetings you sit in the back? All of these, you know, you know ... And people call them political tidbits and, you know, sociological behaviors. It's all of that. There's a lot of us, including myself, and that was me in the early part of my career, who are not given any of that-
As tools to succeed. And so you, you, you know, you succeed by, you know, by catching on to everything-
And hoping somebody, hold on to you and perhaps credentialism you in a meeting, perhaps, you know, plus ones you in a meeting, perhaps takes you as, as someone did for me, in a corner and, and says, "Hey, you know, you're not really speaking up in meetings and you need to speak up-"
"... because that's how people advance in the organization.". And so, we talk about that, you know, performance management. You know, I was floored. I was doing one of these talks with students at Wharton. And this brilliant, you know, young, beautiful young woman, uh, of color, she said, "Well, you know, the question that makes it hardest for me is when people ask me, 'How did you deal with someone who was difficult at work?'"
And it's like that question sounds quite simple,not painful at all. She said, "Well, when I hear that question, I get triggered, because I instantly think about the people who have been sexist to me and racist to me-"
"... and damaging and how I'm the one that has had to figure out how to work with them."
Have them have to work with me.
And me saying that is gonna put me in a, in a box of the difficult Black woman. And so I have to come up with another answer. And I do. But while I'm doing that, I'm carrying the weight-"
"... and the heaviness of thinking about this."
And it just floored me, Katelin. Because, again, a seemingly undangerous question-
Can be so painful. Um, and I instantly share that with my recruitment team. I instantly-
Katelin: Amazing.
Daisy: I was like ... Again, when we do this all the time, I said, "We've got to do another review of our questions-"
Katelin: Yeah.
Daisy: Because I missed that lens. How do we ask what we're trying to ask?"
How do we say it in a way that does not create unnecessary and unknown racial trauma on a candidate?
It's art and science. It's not perfect.
Katelin: Right. Yeah.
Daisy: There's lots of people that like to think that it's perfect. I have been interviewing for 20 years-
And I can tell you I have hired really well, I have hired very poorly. But, you know, but, but we wanna honor the process and we wanna honor the experience that the other individual is having. And the way to do that is to build that capacity and that skill set in yourself. And I have managed enough recruitment teams to know that a lot of these D&I trainings end up being delivered to the business and to leaders. And I've, I've always prioritized delivering that training to the People Teams first. I was like because if we don't get it-
Katelin: Yeah, yep.
Daisy: If we are not sensitive and cognizant of it, and competent and confident in our ability to speak and push back in respectful ways to call in people when needed-
Katelin: Mm-hmm.
Daisy: To stand up for each other, then the rest of the business will not model that behavior. And so to me, it's always been an honor or privilege, but also a priority to make sure that my people teams are all D&I practitioners. That's, that's, that's my grand experiment at Vice.
Katelin: I love this. And it was a perfect segue. So you, you've now been there for two years, congratulations.
Daisy: Thank you. Thank you.
Katelin: You have led this team through an incredible amount of change, a fascinating amount of change, in a relatively short period of time.
I can tell just by looking at, at the makeup of your team, the background, the perspectives, they, they all come from very different places. and I was going to say, it seems as if from the outside looking in, that everybody on your team has a deep care for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. how do you ensure that that is a part of the work that your whole team does? so that everyone is rowing in the same direction and that, that meaningful change is able to take, take hold? it shows up in your work. you have 50%, 56% of your company identifies as female. Uh, which is-
Daisy: Mm-hmm.
Katelin: Incredible work in a very short period of time. And I know that's just one stat.
Daisy: Yes.
Katelin: And I wish I had more time to list them all. But so h- how does that work really translate? How do you ensure that that's effective?
Daisy: It's everyday work.
Katelin: Yeah.
Daisy: We don't always get it right, Katelin. it is, it's a work in progress. It is, I mean, it's impossible for anyone to come to this organization and know that I'm the leader and not know that D&I is important to me, right?
Katelin: Yeah.
Daisy: I try to interview most finalists for roles on my team. The person that interviewed them, whether it was the recruiter or the hiring manager, or someone on a team has spoken to, how important this work is and how, how we do it. because I talk about it all the time.
Katelin: Yeah.
Daisy: Every communication that I have, whether it's with my team or the company includes language around our purpose and our values when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion, my vision and our collective vision. Because it's not just mine.
Katelin: Yes.
Daisy: I can come here and talk about D&I. But this is about-
Katelin: Right.
Daisy: It's about who Vice has always been and who they've always aspired to be and the work that we need to do to make sure that there's not a gap between who we say we are-
And how our employees experience us. And that's the work. I send a weekly note to my team. And there is language in that note every week around inclusion and belonging.
It's a way of modeling for them what, you know, who we are as an organization. And for them to be able to model their vulnerability.
When I'm hiring, my first, my first question is, "Okay, what does the team look like? And, and what is the composition of the, the talent pool that you hire?" Not the people I'm interviewing-
Katelin: Right.
Daisy: But what will the pool look like to get to who I have as a finalist? Because I ... you know, I ... We've gotta walk our talk, so
Katelin: It's so important.
Daisy: Interrogating, questioning what we're doing.
Katelin: Yeah.
Daisy: And, and I'll tell you, my direct leadership team is somewhat diverse but not as diverse as I'd like it to be from a racial perspective. It is more from a gender perspective, which it wasn't when I first got there.
You know, but we've got areas to work on. The level below them, richly diverse, which is fantastic.
Katelin: Amazing.
Daisy: I've got a great pipeline of talent. But I know that my direct reports, that there's work to be done there and that those under them, we can have them sitting in those roles for years. There's gonna be growth and advancement for them. And that when they sit in front of teams, I also deliver training for them so that they feel the confidence in delivering this. I tell them all the time, "I don't need to be the one that speaks about diversity. You can do that." Right?
Katelin: Yes, yes.
Daisy: "Now, if you feel wobbly, I'm happy to coach you. I'm happy to walk you through it. I'm happy to be there if you're incredibly, incredibly nervous. But do you have this, you've got this." And this is not just in the US. As well, my team in the, my team in the UK, my team in APAC,so it's also about enabling my team to know that they said, "I will listen to you, I will, I will witness with you, I will help you and, and I will push you but you can also push me."
Katelin: Yes.
Daisy: This beautiful experiment, this inclusion revolution, this radical empathy and, and equity that we're trying to build, it's not my job alone. It is all of our jobs. So the way that I do it is by making sure it's in our goals, by making sure it's in every communication, by making sure it's in how I act and behave. And by creating the space for people to be able to co-create this work with me.
Katelin: Amazing. I, I can tell already that our listeners, everyone's gonna be hitting up your job page (laughs). because that sounds like a really fun and, and impactful team to be a part of watching all of the incredible work and incredible change that has ha- has taken place in such a short, short period of time, given all of the other demands that, that the last few years have, have put on us.
So all right, Daisy, we are ready for Rapid Fire. Are you ready to, to play along?
Daisy: Bring it on (laughs).
Katelin: Let's start at the beginning of your day. Daisy, what is the best part of your morning routine?
Daisy: My cup of tea. Uh, I, I do not have caffeine. You do not wanna see me on caffeine.
Katelin: (laughs).
Daisy: But I like drinking hot tea because it calms me and it centers me.
Katelin: Excellent. Now how about on the flip side, when you, when you are at home at night, how do you stay sane? Do you, do you binge watch anything?
Daisy: I binge watch everything.
Katelin: (laughs).
Daisy: This is Us. The ... You know, former Disney, uh, exec. Everything on ABC. I'm still watching Grey's Anatomy.
Katelin: Yeah (laughs).
Daisy: Um, I grew up an only child and I've always loved content. I unwind by not talking because I spent all day doing this. I unwind by just, by absorbing.
Katelin: For yourself, this is not for your organization.
Are you more in person or do you, do you love working remotely?
Daisy: Both.
Katelin: Yes.
Daisy: I love the flexibility of being able to be home a couple of days. And I have to tell you, I love, love, love being in the office with my team.
Katelin: Yeah.
Daisy: The connection, the synergies, the rapid fire solutions and, and just being able to hold someone's hand, hug them, it, it's, there's nothing like IRL in real life (laughs).
Katelin: Real talk. I, I'm the same. Okay. Daisy, look on your desk.
What items sitting in front of you sparks joy and why?
Daisy: My banana that I'm going to have right after I'm done (laughs).
Katelin: Dear, dear audience, she's lifting up her banana (laughs).
Daisy: It's my afternoon snack. I eat all day long. when I'm done with this, I am going to enjoy it and it's going to give me my afternoon perk. (laughing)
Katelin: I love it. Okay, Daisy, two final questions here. these are going to be a little bit more difficult than banana. although I wish you and your afternoon snack well. next question. This is really difficult work that you are doing, you and your team. What personally keeps you motivated to show up every day and continue to do it?
Daisy: You know, I have a Post-it in my home office that is my constant reminder. And it says, "Embrace this work as if change is possible."
Katelin: Oh.
Daisy: And what keeps me motivated is knowing that change is possible. And I don't always feel that. I have many, many days or many times during the day-
Katelin: Yeah.
Daisy: That I question that. And whenever I do, I, I, I go to that Post-it and I remind myself, "Change is possible."
Katelin: Beautiful. And then the very last question for you is when was the last time you were deeply proud of something you have accomplished?
Daisy: Oh, goodness, I get ... This is personal. It's my daughter. I think my greatest accomplishment in life has, has been, you know, making that little human and raising her.
She made me this beautiful card and wrote a, a bunch of cute little things in it. And one of the things that she said she was thankful for, she said, "Thank you for understanding me." And I just, you know, I just, I just went just into tears.
Katelin: Yeah. Puddle. Oh, I'm, I'm getting teary (laughs).
Daisy: I was so deeply proud of the person she is becoming and, and the role that I am honored to play on her journey.
Katelin: That is so beautiful. Parenthood is absolutely one of the greatest joys. That's so sweet.
Daisy: Yes.
Katelin: Thank you for sharing.
Daisy: We have so enjoyed having you here. There were so many wonderful takeaways that we can take back to our everyday practices and put into place. Thank you so much for being so authentically you, which is exactly what we need and want more of in this world.
Katelin: Thank you.
Daisy: I hope it was helpful for everyone who's listening. Um, and, and I'm excited, um, to hold hands with all of you virtually and hopefully in person someday, um, to build workplaces that work for everyone.
Katelin:
Thanks so much for joining me on this week’s episode of All Hands, brought to you by Lattice. I’m your host, Katelin Holloway.
Next, I’m talking about Costco’s impressive worker retention rates…
" Unlike a lot of retail organizations, people come into Costco and they see fairly quickly that it is a career. These are living wage jobs with, with a robust benefit package they have the opportunity to, to find an interest and I, I go back to my own experience with this. I was the shipping department lead and I went (laughs) from that to human resources."
