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Iris Grimm: Unlocking Leadership with Canine Insights
24 Plays7 months ago
Explore the fascinating intersection of canine behavior and corporate leadership with Iris Grimm, founder of Lebensest, LLC. This episode uncovers how canine principles can enhance leadership skills and improve workplace dynamics. Tune in to discover unique strategies that could reshape your approach to leadership.
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Transcript
Introduction to the Growth Catalyst Show
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to the Growth Catalyst Show where we believe that growth could come in many forms, professional, personal, company, sales, you name it. I'm your host, Dan Mahoney, founder of Transcendent Sales Solutions and a guide to a world of growth possibilities. I've spent my career empowering companies and their people with strategies that accelerate growth.
00:00:18
Speaker
I'm here to bring you stories of these business leaders and their trusted advisors to gain insights into their journeys and learn how they fueled their own growth. Just maybe their journey could become part of your own growth story. Are you ready? Let's grow.
00:00:34
Speaker
Welcome to the next edition of The Girls Catalyst Show. I'm your host,
Iris Grimm's Unique Leadership Approach
00:00:37
Speaker
Dan Mahoney. My next guest, Iris Grimm, is the founder of Lebensest, LLC. She is a dynamic leadership and executive coach blending American and german East German influences. Known for her dog gone leadership approach, she expertly translate canine principles into powerful insights for leaders.
00:00:55
Speaker
With warmth, humor, and a passion for dogs, Iris brings a fresh perspective to personal and professional growth. Iris, welcome to the Growth Catalyst Show. Thank you, Dan, for having me.
00:01:07
Speaker
It's good to have you and i'm and i'm I'm really excited to talk to you about today and learn about your approach. um The first thing I'd like to learn is is you know you're you know we're both based in Atlanta. We've got the knowledge over the last several months ah through one of our networking group relationships. Tell me a little bit about your background and you know and you know how did you how did you find yourself in the great place of Atlanta, Georgia?
From East Germany to Global Business Experience
00:01:32
Speaker
Well, the as you mentioned at the beginning in my introduction, I'm not just German, I'm East German. And i to be honest now, I'm very proud where I'm coming from, which means East Germany is also the the part of Germany that was under Russian occupancy, was the so-called socialist communist side. But then when the war came down down in 1989, which is actually, it's going to be November the 9th coming up,
00:01:59
Speaker
um i packed two suitcases, moved to West Germany, ah found a job there, um went back to college, started all over again, had a business degree in international business and communication. And then I wanted to get international business experience. And that is how I ended up here in Atlanta. So that was in 1995. So it's been already 29 years that I have been here in the Atlanta area.
00:02:29
Speaker
29 years. So you just came right out of that and you found a position in the Atlanta area. Yeah. Well, it was a, it was a little bit more complicated complicated than that because with all of the paperwork in order to get the work permit, et cetera. So in between, I also worked for three months with Lufthansa as a flight attendant flying internationally. And then there was the German American Chamber of Commerce here in Atlanta, who got ahold of my resume and they were the one who reached out. And that is how I came here to Atlanta.
00:02:58
Speaker
So, and I saw those in your profile of those were a couple of your positions before you started your company. So, and I, one of my questions was, is, you know, you did, you were a marketing coordinator and then you worked for, I think you worked as a sales assistant for Nortel. yeah How did you come from that? And all of a sudden say, you know what? I'm ready to start this executive leadership at coaching and leadership coaching business.
Career Shift to Executive Coaching
00:03:23
Speaker
Because when I worked in in corporate America, I realized early on that that was not the kind of life that I wanted to live. And that was not the area where I wanted to play. So back then I started on my own quest of what is it that I really want to do? So it was really important for me to find something that I would enjoy doing. And so by accident, um I ran into a lady who did career coaching, career assessments, consulting in that way. And I worked worked with her a few months, did a few assessment tests. And what I really learned at that time for myself that anything around speaking, communicating, teaching, coaching, that would be is something that I really enjoy doing. And even as a young kid in in East Germany, I always love to read personal growth and personal development books. And that is really when
00:04:18
Speaker
I started coaching training in 1989. And when I started my business and went to networking events and I said, I, I offer coaching. A lot of times people ask what sport, right? because like then Coaching life coaching or corporate coaching really was just in, in the baby shoes in, in the early 2000s. Oh, definitely. I, now that you mentioned that thinking back, yeah, there, it was pretty much sports all there's lots of coaches now, right?
00:04:47
Speaker
Lots of coaches, yeah. and um And back then, you know, you knew coaching from the sports and also from the arts. And that is where also the the business and life coaching is coming from. But again, that was really just the beginning back then, that it was an individual profession.
00:05:05
Speaker
So one of the things and again there's so many different coaching kind of platforms and there's so many different philosophies as far as how to build good leadership and how to build those type of skills how did you come up with.
Creation of Doggone Leadership Method
00:05:21
Speaker
you know, the doggone leadership approach, what it has to, you know, do with the dog now. And I, um I think of my dog. My dog is Charlie. He's never met a stranger. And, you know, all he does is stand in front of the pantry waiting for a treat, you know, no matter what. And I look at him and go, he brings me so much joy, but I, and I, maybe it's different breeds, but how could you look at your dog for that for potentially principles and coaching? I'm very curious.
00:05:49
Speaker
Yeah. So these are two questions. Let me start with the first place, how I started out. And that was really when I started, you know, my business and in, and that was actually in 2001. I mean, I also always like to go hiking. And my husband said to me, this is not Germany. You just can't go into the woods all by yourself. But if you had a dog, I would not mind you going out hiking on your own. And at that time I said,
00:06:15
Speaker
I want a dog. So when we got a dog, which was of course in the German Shepherd, hu You know, we started to do some training called Schützund, which is personal protection training. And that wasn't that is actually a sport that Germans do to to see whether a dog, a German shepherd, has all of the the the skills and the courage ah to do that kind of sport that they were bred for. And so I competed with my dog in Schützund, and we actually came in second place on ah in a national competition.
00:06:50
Speaker
And so, of course, in order to learn this in a very short time, we met with police dog trainers and really the best trainers, dog trainers here in the Southeast. And so when my dog retired, I said, now I have all of these skills. Those skills, what am I going to do with that? And so at that time, I reached out to rescue groups and said, hey, I'm i'm doing a workshop to raise money for your rescue group.
00:07:14
Speaker
um Would you be interested in me doing this for you? And they were like, sure. And that is really how I started to help um dog owners teaching principles around dog training and leadership of dogs. But then when I met with my clients, with my corporate clients during the week,
00:07:34
Speaker
I used examples of the dog training to share with them principles of leadership in the workplace. And that was really for me doing this for many years, doing the dog training on the weekend and those workshops to raise money for rescue groups. And then my leadership coaching during the week where I then said, all right, I really want to merge those two passions. And that is how dog on leadership evolved over many years. Many years. Okay.
00:08:02
Speaker
and And so now to answer your your your questions in regards to Charlie and and whether this has to do with breeds, et cetera. um Yeah, certain breeds are easier to to lead than others, right? But any dog breed needs leadership, just like you know children, teenagers need leadership.
00:08:27
Speaker
Not only that, if we are not leading our own life because there is the leading of others and then there is the leading of myself. If I don't lead my own life, then of course I would not necessarily get up in the morning when I'm tired. I necessarily would not pursue the kind of business or career goals that really drive me, right? So
Leadership Lessons from Dogs
00:08:51
Speaker
when it comes to dogs and leadership, oftentimes, and nowadays you see so many dogs that are ending up in shelters, it's not because these dogs were bad dogs, but we humans felt them in our leadership of them that oftentimes they are developing behaviors
00:09:10
Speaker
that the people don't know how to solve. And then what do people do is instead of really but working through a challenge, getting more resilient, learning, growing, what a lot of people are doing is just they discard the dog, put it in the shelter, let somebody else deal with this.
00:09:29
Speaker
Yeah, i think of I think of a dog in our family, and I won't mention who it is. i well My daughter's dog. And he is he's a great dog, but he doesn't have that discipline. he's If the doorbell rings, he goes off like crazy. you know When people come in the door, he jumps on top of everybody. He's a husky, and he's a pretty good-sized dog. so you know and And I get what you mean as far as that training, and I understand kind of what you mean. It's how it's how it kind of starts from the beginning, right?
00:09:58
Speaker
it It does, it does. And not only that is who does then the owner have to become so that the dog understands the boundaries and the limitations and the behavior that is that is required in that situation so that the dog stays safe and the human stays safe. Because if they are not getting the kind of leadership that they need, it can become dangerous no matter what kind of breed you have.
00:10:27
Speaker
You know, one thing I learned, one of my bad habits is, and I have many, but I like to watch real sometimes in the morning when I'm drinking my coffee and I saw what real to actually this morning just kind of popped up and it said, do you know what the memory of dogs are versus humans? And it talked about how a dog has a very short memory versus, you know, like if they go and they fight your shoe or chew on something three hours ago, and you come in and then discipline them. They don't they don't have memories like humans do. And and I was like, you know I never really thought about that. I mean i disagree with that. Really? OK. Well, and that's that's why I'd never believe anything on TikTok, right?
00:11:11
Speaker
Tell me about that. i was like why I don't know if you need to agree with me either but you know I'm just looking at it what I know about dogs and and here's what my thinking is and ah but also even from my experience right this has nothing to do with memory.
00:11:28
Speaker
It has something to do making that connection between an incident that happened 30 minutes ago and my reaction now because the dog cannot connect that, right? If I pick up that shoe and say, oh, bad dog, bad dog, the dog doesn't really know what that means, right? But I have seen it with my own dogs where, you know, we were in the park,
00:11:57
Speaker
um i They found a tennis ball. I said, drop it. They dropped the tennis ball. We left the park. The next day we went to the park. The first thing they did is they went to this place where they dropped the tennis ball to pick it back up again. And to me, that is memory.
00:12:19
Speaker
No, absolutely. and And yeah, I mean, it's practically, you know, it's, it's, if you're a dog owner, it's, it's easy to, to comprehend the concepts because, you know, we're all, I mean, I'm still at 11 years later still trying to train Charlie on certain things. So, you know, but now looking at this, how do you apply some of these principles in the corporate, in the corporate setting?
Corporate Training with Canine Analogies
00:12:44
Speaker
So the way I do it is, number one is when when I prepare a training program and um I know who are the people in the room, I sent them out, sent out a survey to find out who has dogs, what do they love about their dogs, and what are some challenging things um that they are having with their dogs. And then based on these answers and what I get back and based on the topics that I want to teach or that the leadership asked me to teach, I then find analogies and ways how I can merge the stories about their dogs with the principles that I am teaching, right? So let's give an let's give an example, right? please um
00:13:31
Speaker
You talked about um your dog or i you your daughter's dog, the husky, acting you know up when the doorbell rings, right? Question and ask one has to ask themselves is what is the the desired behavior that I would like my dog to see or but that I would like my dog to to display, right? And not only that, what does that behavior really um communicate what my dog is doing? Same thing is then, for example, and I i show examples of how I would train this dog to become a better um ah display, better behavior when the doorbell is ringing.
00:14:18
Speaker
Let's say I'm using the the topic of communication. Behavior is communication. right Oftentimes, best example, this dog your um your daughter's dog may be barking. There are a lot of people who may say, oh, the dog is barking. The dog is aggressive.
00:14:41
Speaker
But just because a dog barks doesn't mean that they are aggressive. We cannot just listen to the tone. We also have to listen to our own ah own gut and our own experience to decode the communication. Same thing is in companies, right? When it comes to communication.
00:15:01
Speaker
We cannot just listen to the words that people say because words really just mean 7% of communication. But there's body language, tonal voice, facial expression that all make a difference. So then when you're looking go and you're going back to your dog, I will challenge them and say, so what does there their body language actually communicate?
00:15:24
Speaker
Right? and And going through this exercise with your dog and becoming more aware of that can then also teach you in the company to say, well, I can do it here with my dog. Let me now also pay attention to the body language of my team members so that I'm not only listening to the words what they said, but the meaning behind it and also what they did not say.
00:15:46
Speaker
Let's take a moment for a quick word from our sponsor. This episode of The Growth Catalyst Show was brought to you by Transcendent Sales Solutions. Whether your company is facing uncertainty, declining sales or resource limitations, Transcendent Sales has the solution. Their team has decades of experience helping businesses find alignment to meet their growth goals and transforming underperforming sales organizations into revenue producing market leaders.
00:16:10
Speaker
They take a hands on results oriented approach to solving sales challenges. Visit transcendence sales.com to learn more and subscribe to the biweekly growth catalyst newsletter for insightful growth strategies, transcendent sales solutions, empowering businesses to reach new heights. And now back to the show. So when you're working in companies, are you working typically one to one? Are you able to do this in group settings as well?
00:16:38
Speaker
So I do the doggone leadership is mainly in group setting settings when I do leadership training. Let's say the leadership team is coming together um for a retreat or some kind of workshop like that. um And of course, also when I do one on one work with my own clients and One of my first questions always is, do you have a dog? Because if they do, I will bring in some examples from their own dogs and their own challenges with their dogs to find ways to get them engaged differently when it comes to their own leadership development.
00:17:13
Speaker
So in other words, when when clients work with me to become better leaders in in in their company, um they will also, as a result, automatically have a better relationship with their dog. And some of the issues that they had with their dogs before, they disappeared. And you're not, if you have if you're a cat person, I can't help you then. um i I'm not suitable for that. That is correct. I know my lane. I know my lane of what I know.
00:17:42
Speaker
And what I don't know, I have no problem to admit that. Okay. All right. That's funny. So it's, it's so pretty much most of your clients, they understand what it is to have pets. They understand that if I like, if so, if I said to you, look, I've never had a pet, never, my parents never let me have one. I'm 50 and I, and I never have planned to hand one. It's not going to be a good fit for you.
00:18:05
Speaker
Um, ah for, for my one-on-one clients, it is, it is a good fit because again, if they don't have k client, if they don't have a dog is no big deal. I still can work with them. I have been doing that for 24 years.
Emotional Intelligence and Dogs
00:18:18
Speaker
Now, when it comes to the the group training or giving like a workshop or a day long retreat, um, if they are not, you, if, if they say, no, we really don't want the dog on leadership approach, then I say,
00:18:32
Speaker
I'm not the kind of person for that. god yeah To me, that is by far more fun to get people engaged. It gets them out of their typical thinking of what leadership it is like. It's more spontaneous, flexible, and that is what I love. Yeah. and it and And it really is because I remember the first time you explained it to me when when we spoke on the phone and I was like,
00:18:56
Speaker
like Did you say dogs? I mean, yeah because again, it's so out of it. And I would think some people might be hesitant and for it. It is, you know, you know like me, my month lays here on the floor, like literally, and does it move? How is he and or she going to help me with leadership? You will be, you would be, you will be surprised. Yeah.
00:19:19
Speaker
you would be surprised because yeah mean there are so many analogies um between canine and corporate leadership, whether it is really about you becoming aware of yourself first and your own energy, because how often have you seen people who have anxious dogs, but then when you are looking at the humans, they are just as anxious.
00:19:45
Speaker
Not only that, you know, dogs are moving into a home, and they used to be in a, in a certain way, but as soon as they're moving into to this home, they are shifting their personality and their behaviors completely. Right? It's because dogs are swimming in our emotional soup, they are picking up all of our cues, they are picking up also our own emotional baggage. Right?
00:20:12
Speaker
Have you seen your training? Have you had clients come back and say, you know, this helped me so much, but then it also helped me with my relationship with my dog? Yes.
00:20:24
Speaker
Yes, because I, again, I always point it out like that. And so what ah oftentimes happens when I do these leadership programs and companies, there are no dogs in the room, unless it is a pet friendly organization where the pets are going to work anyway. Right. But I have had already so many people who contacted me afterwards and said, by the way, Iris, what you mentioned there in in in our program, I tried it with my dog and it's working and now this is not an issue anymore. And I even had somebody who said, you know what, just like what you mentioned, I never had a dog. Um, I never want a dog, but when, when I walked out of that, I actually, there was a short moment where I thought, wow, it wouldn't, wouldn't it be nice if I had a dog.
00:21:11
Speaker
even though they never pulled through with it. But at the same time, you know if people don't have a dog, they have friends who have a dog. you know They are seeing that with people on the street walking their dogs. And again, leadership is not something is not a title. It's not something that I do when I walk into the office. Leadership is a behavior.
00:21:34
Speaker
Right? Leadership is a skill. And not only is that, I say leadership is an equal commitment to results and relationships, never compromising one for the other. What most often happens is what you see with people in companies, you know, leaders in companies, what I say is when they go to the workplace, oftentimes they are arming themselves up, getting ready to to go into the office and functioning from the neck up.
00:22:04
Speaker
When they, it big and you know why? Because it's also all about results. We got to get results, results, results. When they come home, they are so tired of all of that that they are like functioning from the neck down. It's all about the love, the love I need from my dog. Oh, i I don't want to, I don't want to reprimand my dog or correct my dog because my dog is my best friend. I want my i love my dog and I want my dog to love me. It's all about relationship, right?
00:22:33
Speaker
But it has to be a balance of both, because ah a company cannot get results without relationships. They cannot get results without um when they don't care about their people. And just like when you are only loving your dog, but you are not setting boundaries and limitations for your dog, you are having havoc in your life, your couch is chewed up, you know your best shoes are chewed up,
00:23:02
Speaker
And you are miserable. It's a miserable life. It makes sense. Is there different environments where it it's more applicable as far as the the type of companies? Um, not really. Um, you know, it's typically, let's say, obviously, you know, in the, in the pet industry, veterinary industry, there are a lot of people understand these principles more. And, and for them, it it's much easier for that to even to click And again, veterinarians are also ah people similarly to to um physicians. They are not known for having excellent leadership skills.
00:23:44
Speaker
Um, at the same time, you know, tech companies that oftentimes allow now dogs to get into the workplace and becoming a pet friendly organization. When a company incorporates that, that is also a great way then to talk about leadership because it's an upper, this is a culture shift. You know, the the culture in that organization shifts when they are bringing pets to the workplace. So why not use this to have now an even um broader conversation about how we are also then amping up the leadership in the company at the same time. Can you talk a little bit and I'm sure you have many success stories as far as the impact that it's done as far as you know, even you know, leadership, employee engagement, all those different areas. um And giving a result, giving an experience of a company
00:24:39
Speaker
Yeah, like, ah yeah, yeah, that would be good to know.
Case Study: Tech Company and Dog-Inspired Exercises
00:24:42
Speaker
Yeah. So one example is it is a tech company that I worked with, and I worked with them for Five months. And what we've done is we've done ongoing workshops. Again, it happened on Zoom. This company was not here in town. It happened on Zoom. And what we've done is really we, number one, is identified all of the different areas where the leadership thought they needed to grow. For example, it was one of the topics was about um being more mindful when it comes to communicating.
00:25:18
Speaker
um Another topic, you know and especially also in their in their written communication, not just in in their verbal communication. And then what we used is we used mindful exercises that they also could do with their dogs. And the way we've had, we had done it, and again, this company is um in, what do you call it? They're working remotely. So those people who had their dogs um in in their office, and again, in that company, it was like there were only two people who did not have a dog.
00:25:51
Speaker
But you know they they were fine with that. I had the agreement of them that that they would be fine. So we actually also did exercises, mindfulness exercises that they they did with their dogs. And so what really helped with that too is because think about it, when people are talking about their dogs um um with other people, there is an instant connection.
00:26:14
Speaker
install that true And that is very difficult um for people that are working remotely to build that kind of connection. But because we also included their dogs into those conversations and their dogs were were on camera, et cetera, it immediately shifted also the connection and the bond of the people elm that worked in that team.
00:26:40
Speaker
You know, one of the, one of the other areas where I've seen a lot of dogs go in the, we'll call it the corporate world is dentist office. I mean, I was in my dentist office, you know, a couple of weeks ago getting.
00:26:53
Speaker
a lot of work done and they had the comfort dog walking around. And sometimes I wonder, I'm like, yeah, they have the comfort dog. I wonder if that's that's for me, but you know potentially also it's for the it's for the it's for the team as well, I think. you know And I could see the team with a dog in the office and they have, you know this is my my our friend here, if you need somebody to help, you calm me a calming thing. um I'm sure it brings, and it's an environment like that would bring ah benefit to the employees as well.
00:27:22
Speaker
Of course it does. And I didn't know that that is common in in dentist offices, but I could see it because um um having a dog there, you know, think about it, most people, they are very anxious when they're going to the dentist, right? And so having a dog there and, and the research has been done that when you are petting a dog, right, that is, is ah you are releasing, um calming,
00:27:48
Speaker
ah Hormones for yourself petting calms you down, right? So having the dog there is a great way for ah For the patients to feel calm. It's also a great way for them to um What's the word? um You know to not pay attention to what is coming at the dentist's office and by the way I'm I apologize if you hear my dogs and then usually we would cut this out of the soundtrack But based on it, it we're not going to because this is perfect oh But so, you know, it it changes their mind a bit and distracts them from the procedure from the upcoming procedure. Right. But just like, as you said, I mean, it is helpful for everybody in the company, including all of the staff members. Well, it definitely is. So.
00:28:37
Speaker
You know, my last question for you is if someone's interested, and this has been, I mean, very educational for me, learning about your approach.
Contact Information for Iris Grimm
00:28:45
Speaker
If someone's interesting in learning more, how you might be able to help them with the seminar or some type of coaching, what would be the best way for them to get ah in touch with you?
00:28:55
Speaker
They can go to my website irisgrim dot.com or they can also call me um on my cell phone, which is 404-441-5370. And again, I also have a contact page on my website. so I'm on LinkedIn, Facebook, they just Google my name. you It's hard not to find you. And you know, the one thing that, you know, and I respect you so much for what you do in his business because you've done something that I think many business owners, we dream of doing, how do I take something I love? And, and I say the word monetize it into something that I feel like when I go to work, I don't feel like I'm working every day because I'm doing what I love. And I think, you've accomplished that and I think you're ah somebody that I look up to because you've been able to accomplish which many still try and try and try and never figure it out.
00:29:45
Speaker
Yeah, well, and you know, the most important part for me is is really is also serving people not only in the corporate world, but also serving people at home with their dog. um And I always say, you know, that is how I can feed two birds with one corn. Because what really matters to me is that we as a society um become even more kind or become kinder to animals um because there are so many good animals, cats as well as dogs, even though I don't speak about cats, but so many animals who are in shelters right now ah suffering. And if I can do my little part to help people so that they are not um getting frustrated with their animal, that is a great day for them.