Episode 161: Winning at Business and Life with Brett Cooper

This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast, where business leaders share their insights. It is 6 questions in 7 minutes because successful business leaders are busy and rarely have more time to spare. So let's get to it. Question number 1: In a few sentences, please tell me who you are and what you do.

Hey Pete, it's great to be with you here on Winning at Business and Life. I'm Brett Cooper. First, I'm a son, I'm a husband, I'm a dad to two great daughters who just happened to graduate high school in the middle of a global pandemic. I'm also a speaker, an author, and an organizational health consultant. And until earlier this year, at least, I spent most of my time traveling around the country speaking at conferences and working with clients. To help them build the healthiest organizational cultures that they can have.

I—

most of my talks and most of the work that I do, I talk about a concept called DiSC EQ. DiSC EQ combines the ideas of emotional intelligence with the language of personality style. So through the firm that I co-founded, which is Integris Performance Advisors, we support primarily internal HR professionals and other leaders with access to things like assessments, facilitator tools and some workshop facilitation services.

Brett, it's so great to have you on the show. Question number 2, what's the best thing about working in your industry?

Yeah, so, so my industry broadly is organizational development. And I think the best thing for me really is that eureka moment, that aha moment when people suddenly recognize the power that they have to do something different that will, you know, in turn create a more effective, a more efficient, a more productive situation for them and for the people around them. I often say that we're really in the business of changing lives. And that's really because when people take ownership of their behaviors and the outcomes that come from those behaviors, people's lives really do change. And Pete, it's, it's not just at work. It's outside of work, too, because when they feel more in control, They also end up having better relationships with their friends, their spouses, their kids. And so I find all of that to be a very appealing part of the industry that I've chosen to be in.

I love how you describe that. There's so much energy and passion. It's— it's— I can feel it through the camera. I love it. Question number 3: I have a fictitious book with all the answers for business. What chapter would you think most companies should read?

You know, uh, this one I think, Pete, is a pretty easy one for me. Uh, it's the chapter on solving the people problem, because while it's a chapter in your book, it's actually my complete book. My business partner and I wrote a book, uh, really to give people the skills that they need to build work relationships that really work. So if your chapter is anything like our book, it's going to include some very specific guidance on how to better interact with people so they can master essential business applications, things like communicating with others, handling conflict, working together as a team, and even being a great leader.

I love it. That's so insightful. Question number 4. Other than the generic work harder, have a great attitude, and care for customers, what advice would you give to other business leaders?

You, of course, have to work hard. You got to have a great attitude. But I'd say you need to understand personality styles. You need to know what they are and how they impact your interactions. You need to start by understanding your own tendencies and your own biases, because if you don't recognize and control those, they're going to control you, and you might not like the results that you get. Then you also need to get to know the members of your team, and you need to know them as individuals. You need to understand what their communication preferences are all about so that you have the ability to adjust your own behavior for the mutual benefit of all the parties involved. You see, Pete, I really believe that leadership is primarily about relationships. And so I always encourage leaders to invest in making those relationships as healthy and productive as they can be.

It's so well spoken. And I've heard many, many times, and I'm sure you have as well, that Many people, they don't leave companies, they leave their managers. And it's a relationship issue, you know, and if they feel like it's a real positive relationship, they're less likely to leave. And I'm sure that you've seen that in your experience as well.

Over and over and over again.

Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, so true. Question number 5, what other business leader like yourself would you like to acknowledge and invite to be on my podcast?

So I'd be an absolute fool if I acknowledged anyone other than my co-author and business partner of 20 years, Evans Carrigan. He's really the brains behind our partnership. So, I think your listeners would really enjoy listening to him.

I think you're selling yourself a little short by saying he's the brains behind it, but I appreciate the referral. I'll reach out to him. So, thank you.

Absolutely.

Question number 6 is, and our final question, please tell me about your first job.

You know, I was thinking about this, Pete, and it might sound a little cliché, but my first job was a lemonade stand. I set up a table in front of my parents' house in Huntington Beach, California. Now thankfully for me, they lived on a corner right in front of a park, so I got a ton of foot traffic and drive-by traffic. And it was actually there that I learned my first lesson in operational efficiency. So there I am, I'm selling Crystal Light lemonade. I have my pitcher and I'm selling Crystal Light lemonade for 10 cents a cup and I'm selling them in Dixie cups. I don't even know if they make Dixie cups anymore, but at the time I'm using Dixie cups. And I remember this one gentleman coming up and he orders 10 cups for a buck. I'm thrilled, right? I'm like, this is great. So I set out 10 separate cups and I poured his lemonade and he proceeds to drink them all down one by one and he throws away each cup as he went, right in my trash bin. So after he left, it dawned on me that if he was gonna drink them all right there anyway, I could have just given him one cup and refilled that same cup 9 times, saved the material cost on those other 9 Dixie cups and thereby increasing my profits. Lesson learned.

Wow, and at such a young, young age. I absolutely love that story. It's so great. And it's got a great visual to it too. And the cups, I thought about that. Is there still around? And you know, they used to come with the really dumb jokes on it too, or riddles. So yeah, something from my childhood that you just spurred inside of me.

I'm guessing I dated myself by saying I was selling them at 10 cents a cup, but at the time, That's another podcast.

That's OK. So, Brett, thank you so much for being on the show. How can people find you?

Two easy ways, Pete. First, I'm on LinkedIn at Brett M. Cooper, and I can also be reached through the website of my book, Solving the People Problem, which, as you might expect, is solvingthepeopleproblem.com.

Perfect. This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast. Thanks for listening.