Bryan K. Williams Talks Worthiness and Expression

In this episode of Let's Talk Talent, host Mark Epp speaks with Dr. Bryan K. Williams, Founder of BW Leadership Academy and Strong Leader Institute.

The two discuss:

• Educating and inspiring professionals to be consistently exceptional.
• Why recruiters should put their values and mission into their recruiting materials. 
• The question, "What would the world be like if everyone did what they were good at and enjoyed?"

Learn more about Dr. Bryan K. Williams here.

Contact us today to learn more about how we predict performance and maximize human potentiality. Let’s Talk Talent!

Transcript

Mark Epp:

Joining us today is Dr. Bryan K. Williams. Bryan is the founder of the BW Leadership Academy, the Strong Leader Institute, and many other in-person and virtual seminars. He's also a best-selling author. His work today focuses on educating and inspiring professionals to be consistently exceptional. Now, I've known Bryan for a long time and for Bryan, it's not just talking the talk, although he does that extremely well, it's about walking the walk. That is certainly something I've experienced knowing Bryan over these many years. He sets the example so that others can experience in real time what exceptional looks like and how to manifest it. 

Bryan Williams, welcome to the Let's Talk Talent podcast. Bryan, I first met you going all the way back to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company when you were the Global Corporate Director of Training and Organizational Effectiveness for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, as well as leading the Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center. So, tell us a little bit about your work experience with the Ritz-Carlton and how that experience led you to where you are today.

Dr. Bryan K. Williams:

Absolutely. So it's safe to say that I grew up working in that company. I started working there when I was a teenager, so I held several different roles, 17 different roles to be exact, from dishwasher to bus boy to wine housekeeping, you name it. Eventually I was Director of Training and Development and the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas and then Director of Training and Director of Quality at The Ritz-Carlton in Atlanta. And then, as you mentioned already, Global Corporate Director of Training and Organizational Effectiveness for the company. 

But in my last role with that organization, which was now 16 years ago, I was able to help support each of the hotels, Training Directors. Each property had its own Director of Training at the time that was responsible for their hotels standards and their five diamond and five star standards and leadership effectiveness and all staff training. So, I was their corporate support liaison and I helped them in their roles. We also did a lot of leadership training and executive training at the different hotels. And then we had what's called the Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center. And that was essentially the corporate university, which became so well known that they developed a revenue generating arm that essentially provided training services and consulting services for other companies in multiple industries around the world. So I did a large chunk of those as well.

Mark Epp:

And so when did you learn about Talent Plus? How did your relationship with Talent Plus begin?

Dr. Bryan K. Williams:

So, what's interesting, is when I first met Kimberly Rath and Peggy Berche, as you mentioned earlier. I first met them when I was a guest. I was like 17, 16.17. I was a line employee, Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas, and at the time, Ritz-Carlton was all using the Talent Plus QSP, the Quality Selection Process tool. So that was the first time I got introduced to Talent Plus going through the interview as an employee. But then I eventually became certified to deliver those, to give those which was a huge milestone for me in my career. Wow. The company is trusting me to interview other ladies and gentlemen. What better way to involve people in planning work that affects them than engaging your people in selecting other people who they would work alongside. And that's what the QSP process is. And that was my introduction to Talent Plus.

Mark Epp:

You started to touch on this. What was your experience with our structured interviews and why did they resonate for you?

Dr. Bryan K. Williams:

Here's why I remember this clearly. I remember I went to a job, so I went to a job fair there, St. Thomas, which is where I'm from. St. Thomas Virgin Islands. Mark. You already know that. And I went to the job fair. I wasn't even looking for a job at the time, but I saw this ad in the paper and I went, because the ad resonated with me because the company used their value. The motto, “We are ladies and gentlemen, serving ladies and gentlemen”, that was a major part of the ad. And it spoke to my spirit and I'm like, “Oh my gosh, what's this about?” I've always considered myself to be a gentleman. So I went to the job fair, which is another important point. If you want to recruit people who align with your values, put your values and your mission and your standards in the recruitment messaging, it'll attract people who already believe what you believe.

Got to the job fair. It talked to the General Manager at the time and all that. And then we scheduled a QSP now on the day, it was a Sunday. I remember it was yesterday, Mark. It was a Sunday. And I had the flu. It was the first time in my life I had the flu. I had the flu twice in my life. First time I had the flu. So I was out. I remember being, I was still living at home at the time, my parents, I was in the room. I had forgotten the QSP was coming up. I was sick like a dog. And then I still did the QSP. And I remembered trudging to each question. Cause when you have the flu, every cell in your body hurts, right? And I remember at the end of the call, thinking to myself, “There's no way they're hiring me.” And here’s how good the QSP works. I still got hired! So clearly, it was designed to truly extract and identify a person's talent. So even if you're sick like a dog and you have the flu, the Talent Plus methodology and the tool you created is so validated that no matter the extreme circumstances you're going through, it'll still identify talent.

Mark Epp:

Bryan, earlier you said, when I was talking to you about what had you learned from your experience at the Ritz-Carlton with talent, you said something like, “everyone else has talent too.” Yet we know that not everyone else has talent for a particular role. It really is, like you said, doing things that we love to do. 

So I want to read to you our Talent Plus mission statement and see how this resonates for you, So our mission statement is, we know every person has talent. Just like you said, we know every person has talent. Talents expression is dependent upon the desire and opportunity to express it. Our mission is to discover and develop talent, creating a world where people do what they are good at and enjoy. So, thinking of that, Bryan, what that Talent Plus mission statement connects the most for you?

Dr. Bryan K. Williams:

Sure. Well, a sentence and a phrase. The sentence that connects with me is the first, is actually the first sentence. We know every person has talent. And I've already alluded to that a little bit. So yeah, you have talent. So that right there forces me to see you as a valuable human being. You have talent, so something must be good about you. That's number one. 

But the second part that I love is the phrase opportunity to express it. I personally believe that your talent cannot hide. Even if you try to suppress it, it'll seep out. For example, when I was Director of Training and Quality for the Ritz-Carlton in Atlanta, my main responsibility was to provide training and development opportunities for the ladies and gentlemen from general manager to on down for the entire property.

And that was big part of my job. I didn't have to be in the lobby. I didn't have to be in the restaurants delivering food. I didn't have to do anything. But part of my talent is I love to connect with people I'm very passionate about, connect with people. So I would schedule myself 15 minutes early, sometimes 20 minutes early to come into work. Before I started working in my office, in the training department, I would go and I would just walk the lobbies, connect with the guests, open doors, escort guests there, maybe help bust a table in the restaurant, maybe deliver, help deliver food to the room. So I was finding a way to express my talent. 

So the opportunity to express it, the opportunities are endless. It's always out there. No matter what you're doing. Even if I was delivering mail to someone's house, that talent will still come out because it doesn’t just turn on when I'm at work and turn off when I leave work. It's who I am. When I wake up it's who I am. When I go to sleep it's who I am. When I'm driving it's who I am. When I'm brushing my teeth it's who I am. On this podcast it's who I am. So that's what I'm saying. It's like the opportunity to express it. If more people were mindful about what their talents is, plural, what their talents are, and set out to use them every day, you'd see a happier world because it's impossible to use your talent and be grumpy.

Mark Epp:

Bryan, what do you think the world would be like if everyone did what they were good at and enjoyed and is that possible? Does that really make sense to you?

Dr. Bryan K. Williams:

100%. Absolutely. I think so if we are hypothesizing and we're saying that, what would the world be like if everyone was doing what they were good at and enjoyed? And then I think naturally you'll see a uptick in things like productivity, engagement. You'll see less harm done to others. You'll see more service to others right? All these things will kind of be natural out outcomes of that that,right? 

But one of the barriers there is that oftentimes we are raised to focus on what we're not good at. So, we preoccupy our time. Many of us preoccupy our time with fixing what's wrong with us or fixing what's wrong. There's nothing wrong with continuous improvement. However, that whole thing about continuous improvement really should be twofold. It should be how can I strengthen what I'm already good at and let me identify areas that may get in the way of me expressing what I'm really good at. See, you're managing those weaknesses, right? You're managing those things that get in the way. Cause if it doesn't really get in the way of you being amazing, then it doesn't matter. It only becomes an issue when it gets in the way of me expressing myself to the fullest.

Mark Epp:

Thank you, Bryan for that. As we get closer to the end of our time together today a quote that I read from you is this. You said, “It is my deepest desire for each person I work with to acquire practical and applicable tips that can be used immediately.” So, based on what we've spoken about today, what are three action steps you would recommend to our listeners that they can do today to fulfill either their own or their company's mission?

Dr. Bryan K. Williams:

Absolutely. Step number one is tell yourself that you are worthy. I'm worthy to be in this world right now. I'm worthy to be alive. I'm worth to be a spouse. I'm worthy to be a child. I'm worthy to be a parent. Like that's number one. The biggest struggle we have oftentimes is with ourselves, right? So that's one. Tell yourself you're worthy. 

Number two, identify one thing, one specific action step you can do today towards the accomplishment of a goal that you have. Pick one thing and do it today. Cause today's day one. It’s always day one. Tomorrow's day two. The choice you make today will be the choice you make tomorrow. If there's something that you want to stop doing, let's say that there's a habit in your life you want to stop doing. The best course of action is to not do it today. Forget the “I'm not going do it this week. I'm not going do this month.” No, no, no no. Don’t do it today. If you start a new habit, do it today. That's number two. And the third thing is, the third thing is whatever you want to have happen in your life, do it for someone else first.

Whatever you want to have happen in your life, do it for someone else first. If you want be recognized more, recognize other people first. If you feel like you need to be loved more, love somebody else first, right? If you feel like you need to be given more opportunities, give someone else an opportunity first. So the point really for that step three is, don't expect anything from anyone whom you haven't given something to first.

Mark Epp:

Thank you so much. I'm sure our listeners will get it because this is, and I want to go back to where we began. You started at such a young age with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company you knew, this goes back even before that, that you were worthy, you had something to offer. And you've always known you as a man who knows you have something to offer, and you give it away, give it away, give it to others, give other people those opportunities consistently, Bryan. So, I want our listeners to call us to understand that and help. We can help them be able to have this kind of sense of culture and uniqueness and inspiration in their lives as well. 

So, Bryan, as I say goodbye to you, I want to quote the book that you sent me, The Inspiration Collection. You quote in that book, the lyrics of Chaka Khan. I was very lucky to work with Chaka Khan in the mid-seventies and met her and did a video with her in the mid-seventies in London. And she says, “Through the fire, to the limit, to the wall!” Sir, here is to our friendship and continued focus on excellence. Bryan Williams, thank you so much for your time today.

Dr. Bryan K. Williams:

My pleasure, Mark. Thank you for having me and thank you and God bless Talent Plus. I wouldn't be here doing what I do if Talent Plus didn't exist and planted those seeds in me from a very young age.