Dominic George: The Mask and the Mirror

Welcome to "Humor in the C Suite," where host Kate Davis explores how humor can transform work cultures with guest Dominic George, an expert in leadership coaching for black men. In this week's episode, Dominic shares insights from his extensive career in coaching, including how he integrates humor into his work to foster trust and relatability among leaders. With a background from Columbia University and a mission-based approach through his company, Vision Leadership for Life, Dominic emphasizes the importance of authenticity and intentionality in leadership roles.

Key Takeaways:

• Humor is universal and essential in leadership roles, as it creates trust and relatability among team members, breaking down barriers in communication.
• Leaders should aim to be more relatable, moving beyond traditional authoritative roles to foster genuine connections with their teams.
• Authenticity is crucial in leadership. Dominic coaches individuals to embrace their "mirror moments" instead of hiding behind a mask, ensuring they bring their true selves to work.
• Despite the evolving work environment, humor and intentional relationships remain cornerstones in promoting productivity and collaboration.
• Life, according to Dominic's philosophy, should be lived with intention, and humor is an integral part of that journey toward effective leadership.

"Humor is universal and invites trust quickly when you're creating spaces where you get to laugh together."

Resources:

• Book: "The Authentic Edge: Leading Without Losing Yourself" by Dominic George.
• Dominic's Linkedin

Tune in to the full episode to immerse yourself in the inspiring conversation between Kate Davis and Dominic George, and to uncover more profound insights on harnessing humor and authenticity for effective leadership. 

Additional Links & Resources:

• Interested in being a guest on Humor in the C-Suite? Reach out to book a call with Kate!
• Learn more about me and my work at katedavis.ca

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Humor in the C-Suite! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow the podcast, share it with your friends, and leave a rating or review. Your support helps the podcast continue to grow. 

Hosted by Kate Davis
Edited by Chris @ Wider View Studios

Transcript

0:00:03 - (Kate Davis): Hello, I'm Kate Davis and this is Humor in the C Suite, a show about how leaders use humor to create an extraordinary work culture. Hi everyone and welcome to this week's episode of Humor in the C Suite. My guest this week is Dominic George, a leadership coach for black men. He founded Vision Leadership for Life over five years ago, specializing in guiding mid level professionals to to senior leadership roles.

0:00:29 - (Kate Davis): With a master's from Columbia University, he leverages his education and expertise to provide tailored coaching that fosters confidence and resilience. Dominic's mission extends beyond career progression, aiming to reshape the narrative for black men in leadership through personalized sessions that equip clients with the tools needed for influential leadership. We had a great conversation. His positivity and energy is electric and contagious. You guys are going to love this episode.

0:01:01 - (Kate Davis): So please welcome Dominic George. So grateful to have you here. I usually start off the podcast by just having you tell everyone your story. I love what you do and what you're doing, so. And then we'll get into how you use humor in your all your coaching and everything.

0:01:21 - (Dominic George): Well, my name is Dominic George. I'm a leadership strategist, essentially executive coach, founder of, of Vision Leadership for Life. Life standing for live intentional forever. And I believe that people's potential is infinite and I just absolutely love the progression of people moving forward. And so like I said, I'm originally from California, moved to the East coast about 10 years ago and have just loved it ever since.

0:01:52 - (Dominic George): And I've been coaching for, I would say about half of my life at this point, but in official capac over the last 20 years, coaching individuals, whether directly or indirectly. And I'm just a lover of life. I am a husband, eldest of six brothers and so many brothers. It was a fun household growing up. But I just, yeah, I love life when I'm not coaching. I'm probably doing some level of artistry, drawing and landscape. I'm also into architecture and design, so a plethora of things that I'm interested in and do in my spare time. But in essence, a life strategist and executive coach.

0:02:44 - (Kate Davis): Oh, all of that just sounds incredible. I can't wait to ask you questions.

0:02:50 - (Dominic George): Yes.

0:02:52 - (Kate Davis): So within your coaching, you. You've really been doing it seriously for 20 years, which is an incredible, incredible career in coaching. And I know the industry has changed a lot in terms of, you know, just being like the diversity of it. You know, when I was a kid, most leadership were scary men, you know, like I do like, you know, like I always remember Principals at school being these, you know, really scary men.

0:03:22 - (Kate Davis): And now when I just spoke at a principals conference and it was mostly women, and I was like, wow, that I never thought I would see that happen. Within your speaking practice, do you find that your techniques and how you're approaching things has changed a lot?

0:03:41 - (Dominic George): Absolutely. Especially as the workplace changes. You're essentially speaking to a different audience as you grow and develop. I think the technique and the skill is often similar in that progression, but people's interests, people's needs and desires tend to shift as you speak to different types of audience. And so, absolutely. I'm always a adamant, lifelong learner and interested in evolving at every single point. So I would definitely say in the last 20 years, I've evolved and changed in my approach as well.

0:04:14 - (Kate Davis): Absolutely. And you know what? Like, leadership used to be, like, you have to be the most authoritative in the room. Now I feel like it's. You need to be the most relatable.

0:04:24 - (Dominic George): Absolutely.

0:04:24 - (Kate Davis): How are you using humor or, like, in your. In your coaching?

0:04:29 - (Dominic George): You know, my first job ever, actually, I would say the first maybe three jobs that I had, I had the pleasure and the opportunity of working with really close friends. It just by happenstance, like, my friends would join into the work that I was doing, or vice versa, I would join into the work that they were doing. And it was such a gift because it helped me learn how to have fun at work while also progressing forward in my own career.

0:05:00 - (Dominic George): Because when I was, like, in those moments where I was getting in what I call my nerds or just uncomfortable, whatever it is, and I was trying to progress forward and be a certain way, my friends would always call me out and be like, what are you doing? Who are you right now? And we would always, like, come, like, get pulled to the side and just laugh about something. And so in my coaching practice, that is a central point of how I create my identity with others and become that relatable individual.

0:05:35 - (Dominic George): I believe if you're not having fun at work, it's probably not the right place for you, because we're on this planet for so long or a short period of time, rather. And you only have a short period to make an incredible impact. And I believe you should have fun along that journey. And so I'm always looking for the laughable moment, the laughable opportunity in the pain sometimes, because leadership can be painful.

0:06:02 - (Dominic George): And it. It really creates an atmosphere where you get to move forward quickly when you're laughing with others and you're having fun in the work that you're doing and hopefully it's impactful, whatever you've decided to do.

0:06:15 - (Kate Davis): Yeah. And it really does trickle down from there in terms of leadership and everyone that their, you know, who is working under them or they're guiding. And I do, I have that as well. I call that imposter syndrome. When I first started, right. You're always like, my real. Aren't I? And you're like, yeah, you are. Yeah, it's really interesting. Do you find that humor, like, within your coaching realm? When you are coaching leaders, do you find it really helps with collaboration and stuff like that and building trust?

0:06:48 - (Dominic George): Yeah, absolutely. Trust. I find when people are comedic or just comical in general, I gravitate to that myself on a personal level. And so it automatically invites trust for me. I know that depending on who you work with, the lines can be a little blurred and you have to be sensitive to how you approach humor in certain ways. But I find that it really does build trust rather quickly when you can make someone laugh and feel comfortable in their space or in a new space if they're a new employee or even if they're more senior and you're just getting to know them.

0:07:30 - (Dominic George): Creating those spaces where you get to laugh together is, I think it's a point where you build the relationship quicker and that trust gets to develop and then you get to continuously make impact as you're sometimes having those hard conversations because you get to rely back on, hey, we're actually. We have a relationship where we get to laugh. We also get to be serious in those moments where it calls for it.

0:07:59 - (Kate Davis): A rapport, you know, that back for that is it is hard to build and you know, really building, working on that in the good times. So when, when, you know, work does become challenging, you work better as a team, for sure. Are there any techniques you're using within your coaching to help them trust those moments or to trust that they can bring levity into their workplace and people are still going to get the job done?

0:08:24 - (Dominic George): Yeah. The first question I asked in a coaching session was, what was the best part of your week? And that usually invites an opportunity where people get to drop their shoulders a little bit. They get to think, um, like, what was actually fun about your week? Because we often come with as leaders, we're addressing problems, we're creating solutions, but we often forget about the fun moments. And there's so many fun moments in this lifetime.

0:08:51 - (Dominic George): Um, and so that's usually the first question I'll ask is like, what was the best part of your week? And that usually lends to what was fun. And if they don't call it out, I'll just call out directly, where did you have fun today? And then we'll laugh about it.

0:09:06 - (Kate Davis): So, I mean, it really does play a role in building strong relationships. But within that, do you find that, have you encountered like challenges or misinterpretations? How are you getting them to really hone into that?

0:09:19 - (Dominic George): Absolutely. And I had a moment where it just turned out horrible. I was trying to create laughable moments with this person. And I remember they were so serious, like they would come into work. It was all about business. And some people operate like that where business is business. And then you in your nine to five and then you leave at five and then it's like the party person comes out. And I remember I was trying to build a rapport with this person and creating moments of laughter and we just weren't clicking in the moment.

0:09:52 - (Dominic George): And there was a moment where I thought it was extremely funny. I won't repeat the scenario because it might be triggering if they listen to it. But I thought it was extremely funny, like that moment. And I just started laughing. And so that was the moment I thought it was fun. And then later that person came to me and they felt like I was attacking them in that laughter. And it made me realize through that conversation, that difficult conversation that we had, that I have to be conscious of the power that I hold in my leadership position because someone else's interpretation is not always going to be my interpretation.

0:10:34 - (Dominic George): And there's a line between what's fun versus is what's business, and you just have to figure out what that line is. I often rely on emotional intelligence to really define what those lines are. But comedy is a. It's a. A line that's. Yeah, it's. It's definitely a perspective and a line that's hard to. To cross if it's in with the.

0:10:58 - (Kate Davis): Wrong person to fix that relationship.

0:11:00 - (Dominic George): Absolutely. And that's always the goal, right? The. Like, how do you continuously build trust when it's broken? And it took some time, it took some us making time outside of the workplace, outside of the actual work to really understand, like, who are you? Where are you coming from? What does this mean when you do X versus Y? And just having those clarifying conversations so that you can get to a point of relational building.

0:11:29 - (Dominic George): And then eventually that. That trust then leads to laughter. But that was a moment where it definitely went left and right wrong. But I learned so much from it.

0:11:38 - (Kate Davis): Did you ever think, oh, you're just not My person. Like.

0:11:44 - (Dominic George): There are certain people. There are certain people like that. I didn't think it of this person, but I have had those moments where I'm interacting with someone and I'm just like, we're not going to click in this laughable way. And so I just. Yeah, and that's okay. It's unfortunate because I do want to laugh at everybody, but there's some people where it just. It doesn't click, and you just have to accept that.

0:12:11 - (Kate Davis): Okay, So I feel very like. Because I was reading up on you, obviously, and you. You have a lot of black men in business. You say that on your. And, you know, like, being authentic and empowering them and teaching different leadership like that. Do you find that there's a difference when you're dealing with the race card? Or am I allowed to see. Even I'm uncomfortable. I'm like, am I allowed to ask this?

0:12:42 - (Kate Davis): I like. It just. It becomes this, like. But you do like that. That seems to be, like, who you're helping. Is that correct? Or am I.

0:12:51 - (Dominic George): Absolutely. Well, no, absolutely. That's definitely my population that I primarily work with in my leadership development. And, Kate, you can ask all the questions you want. This is an opportun where everybody gets to learn. I get to learn.

0:13:05 - (Kate Davis): Yeah, it's. It's so interesting to me because I find, you know, there's still a lot of racism out there. We know that. And especially when it comes to leadership and C suite people, I don't see a lot of women in those roles either, quite frankly, or it's, you know, few and far between unless they've started their own companies. And I think the dynamics is changing. But I definitely think, you know, when I. When I see your leadership for life and all that, like, it's such a tremendous tool that people can use within, you know, those worlds.

0:13:43 - (Kate Davis): Are you finding the humor's very different, you know, or.

0:13:49 - (Dominic George): I actually think that humor is universal. Like, people want to laugh and they want to have a good time, and when you laugh hard, you just feel good about yourself. And so I actually think humor and laughter is universal, but the interpretation of who you're speaking to change based on your experience of that individual, that culture, that population. And sometimes that prevents people from actually having the relationship or prevents individuals from getting to that point where they can actually laugh together.

0:14:24 - (Dominic George): Something that I work with leaders around is understanding, like, what's your mass versus what's your actual mirror? And when I think about the masks that people wear at work in life, it's often something that's Harding them, it's something that they feel like they have to put on a Persona or a perspective in order to relate to people versus the mirror. When you get up in the morning, you're looking in the mirror, or you go to the bathroom at the break or on your break, you're looking in the mirror and you're looking at yourself, and that's who you truly are.

0:15:03 - (Dominic George): And sometimes, like, people often talk to themselves in the mirror, either via motivational or maybe you've had a hard day and you just have to look yourself in the eyes and say, I got this. But it's that mirror moment where you're actually looking at your reflection, you're looking at yourself and your own identity. And what I coach around is how can you create more mirror moments in your leadership?

0:15:26 - (Dominic George): Because when you are authentic and you're truly yourself, that's when you invite the relationship. That's when the transparency and the authenticity and the honesty gets unfolded where people feel trust enough to be able to laugh with you. And so I often coach between those two things.

0:15:44 - (Kate Davis): I love that. The mask in the mirror. That's brilliant. Like, I honestly love that so much because, like, look, I'm. This is pretty much it. You get what you're. You know, sometimes I'm told I'm too much. And for those people who think I'm too much. You're not my people, you know, Exactly.

0:16:04 - (Dominic George): Yeah, okay.

0:16:05 - (Kate Davis): I can get that. But I love that. And. And trusting that you're enough to bring to them.

0:16:10 - (Dominic George): Yeah, exactly.

0:16:12 - (Kate Davis): I think is one of the hardest things. You know, we're just, you know, talking about that, you know, sort of imposter syndrome. So. And knowing that you don't need that mass, you know, people, we want to take it from transactional to human. We want leader. You know, in the book Humor. Seriously, it's a great book, everyone. You should read it. But, you know, they really talk about, you know, the one thing that workplace people say they want their leaders to be is human.

0:16:41 - (Kate Davis): To sound like a real perky. And, you know, and we do, we.

0:16:45 - (Dominic George): Feel, which is so hard in this AI space.

0:16:48 - (Kate Davis): Yes, but even more important now, right?

0:16:52 - (Dominic George): Yes, exactly.

0:16:53 - (Kate Davis): Even more important to bring yourself, because AI can't be you. It can't pretend to be, apparently.

0:17:02 - (Dominic George): But it's definitely not you. And you brought up a great point, Kate, around both imposter syndrome and also essentially, like, feeling worthy. Like, you're worthy of your accomplishments, you're worthy of your position, you're worthy of the things that you say you want to go out and do your dreams, essentially your goals. And sometimes that imposter syndrome pushes us. And a lot of the black men that I work with end up wearing that mask because of that imposter syndrome.

0:17:32 - (Dominic George): But I believe, just as you named, you're worthy of your dreams and your desires and your leadership spot. And I believe that when you're positioned in a way where you get to have those mirror moments, you get to be authentically yourself in every sense of the workplace, whether that's in the boardroom, in a leadership meeting, or in a donor meeting, like whatever the landscape is, the more you can authentically bring yourself, it invites the laughter, invites the, the worthiness conversation.

0:18:07 - (Dominic George): And when people get to be themselves, I believe that that's when the imposter syndrome dissipates and you create those laughable moments with people.

0:18:17 - (Kate Davis): That's amazing. And you know what? Like, I can't even tell you how often I have to tell myself I am worthy and I'm deserving. And for me it's like, I feel like I should hire you for my coach. Tell me. But it's true. Like, I get in my head, I'm, you know, and, and then we can scroll for hours and look at everyone's lives looking so incredible. And then you start questioning yourself and, you know, all those things.

0:18:47 - (Kate Davis): And then. Yeah, so I, I think that's like, to the point of really bringing your authentic self to work. I, I feel like levity and humor allow us to do that. And it's not about telling the next best joke. It's really about not taking ourselves so seriously and bringing that to work, which is so incredible. Do you think humor really helps with productivity and collaboration?

0:19:16 - (Dominic George): I'll tell a story and the answer is yes. But a while ago I went into social work, school and business because I wanted to blend the two mental health and business dynamics. And, and at some point I thought I was going down the route of I actually wanted to be a therapist because I love people. I love helping people get to a state of wholeness in that well being. And I was going through this exercise with a therapist who were training other therapists.

0:19:47 - (Dominic George): It was called behind the Mirror, where we got to watch families go through therapy. And, and they were, everybody signed up for it, like they knew what was happening. But there was a moment where the trainer said a comment and everyone was like making comments around what they thought that should happen and what was the next question and how the therapy session needed to look. And she turned around and she said, you all give yourself Too much credit. You're not changing these people's lives.

0:20:19 - (Dominic George): They're the ones changing the lives. You're just the vessel to do it. And we all started laughing because we were all taking that moment so serious where it was like, we're impacting this person's life. And we got to ask the right question in the right timing. And she was like, you give yourself too much credit. You're not that important. And we just busted out laughing. And it was that moment where she pulled in laughter and comedy that allowed us to relax, which made the whole therapy session so much better because we were being our authentic self, even though we were behind the mirror asking these questions.

0:20:53 - (Dominic George): And yes, when you invite that humor, it makes life so much easier. I talked about dropping your shoulders at work. It's so important to be yourself. And we don't create enough moments where we get to be human and get to relate to each other, because the world will tell you there's a million and one problems, and then you forget all the possibilities and the solutions that you've built along your journey, that it becomes a stressful place. And again, I love to laugh.

0:21:23 - (Dominic George): My whole friend circle is actually comedians, so it just makes life a lot better.

0:21:28 - (Kate Davis): Yeah, amazing. It really does. Hi, it's Kate. I can't believe you made it halfway through the show. Look, if you or anyone you know would like to be a guest on Humor in the C Suite, I would love to have you. So email me kate davis.com seeing do you find, like, within your work of coaching, have you ever, ever come up with someone, you're like, oh, no, I, you have to stop. Like, you're like.

0:22:06 - (Dominic George): There are. Yeah, yeah. I, I, I coin those people, difficult people, and we all have them in our life. The. Yes, there, there are many difficult people in the world. And I believe that there's always a way to touch those people in a way that inspires them to move forward. And so, yes, I've had those moments where I'm like, this is maybe not going to work for us, but that's also me in my own imposter syndrome of like, am I good enough? Am I worthy enough to coach this person to the next level?

0:22:38 - (Dominic George): And sometimes I have to go to my own executive coach or my own journal and write about those things before I get into those sessions or those coaching dynamics. Because it's really not about me, right? Going back to that trainer, it's not about me. It's about that person who is looking for their growth, their development, and their next step. And so I have to get out of my own way and, and realize that again, I'm the vessel to help you get to that next level.

0:23:06 - (Dominic George): And that usually helps me get through that, that moment. And, and often I'll just call it out like, this was a difficult moment. We had a difficult conversation. And how do we move past this? Because when you don't address the elephant in the room, that's when the laughter stops and that's where the tension grows. And so I'll just call it out directly in a way that works for them.

0:23:28 - (Kate Davis): Oh, amazing. It's so important just to, it's so funny because I go into coaching sessions where I have like 10 leaders in a boardroom and I'll have like three hour workshop with them, right. On how to use humor. And what kind of, you know, style of humor do they use? And it's hard to be a leader and use sarcastic or you never want to hunch down, like just certain rules. But I, I get nervous. I'm like, this is really intimate setting. It's not like I can do stand up or tell jokes to 10 people.

0:24:02 - (Kate Davis): You know, like, that's weird. And it puts a lot of pressure on them to laugh or pretend laugh. Like, I don't wanna, I don't wanna do that. But I do find I had some, I had a coach say to me, it's like going to the mechanic. And I've said this on the show before, but it's like going to a mechanic and you got a rattle in your car, right? And then you go to the mechanic and it won't make the rattle when you drive around and they can't fix it.

0:24:24 - (Kate Davis): It's good for me when people can't find that humor say, no, this. How am I using humor in my, my office as a doctor or as, you know, or in military or. By the way, they always have the best senses of humor. I find like the highest level of, you know, pressure jobs. But I do find, you know, when those difficult moments do come up, I, I think what you just said is perfect, you know, to really talk about it, really address it, but at the same time, you know, know who's in the room.

0:24:57 - (Kate Davis): So.

0:24:57 - (Dominic George): Yeah.

0:24:58 - (Kate Davis): Yeah, yeah, great.

0:24:59 - (Dominic George): It's a really, it's really about seeing people because everyone wants to be seen, heard and, and feel valued in the workplace or in life in general. And the more you could see people, I think it makes you a better leader.

0:25:13 - (Kate Davis): Yeah. And do you think it's important, do you think humor as a leader is an important element Absolutely.

0:25:19 - (Dominic George): And you had named something earlier around not being able to be sarcastic in the workplace. And yes, that could be a downfall for many people. So many of my friends are sarcastic and I get them and I love it. And there was a moment in the workplace where I was leading a high performing team, large team, on a national scale, and there was one person who was extremely sarcastic. I remember that this person was like rubbing shoulders with everyone in the way in which they showed up at the workplace. But I was like, I get you, I want to laugh with you. And I had this moment where I got to pull them to the side and talk about the impact that they were making on others.

0:26:05 - (Dominic George): But we also created a moment where we got to be sarcastic with each other because that was our language of laughter in that moment. And we got to share that dynamic. And so sometimes you just have to find your people and realize when you're impacting others in a way that's not beneficial to their growth and development. And so I love that moment where I got to find that person in.

0:26:28 - (Kate Davis): The workplace and HR wasn't called in.

0:26:30 - (Dominic George): Yes, exactly.

0:26:34 - (Kate Davis): He's the worst. Hr.

0:26:36 - (Dominic George): Yes.

0:26:38 - (Kate Davis): We're not firing anyone. Oh my God. Okay, so you're coaching. You're truly inspiring with your brand. I love the leadership. Leadership for life and what life can you just. What does it stand for again? I love that.

0:26:57 - (Dominic George): Yeah. So life is live intentional forever. I talk about this often in my coaching as well. Around intentionality. Right. It's about how you set yourself up as a leader from the start. And if some of us have made mistakes in how we've entered in rooms and that first impression, but you can always be intentional at how you like shift that dynamic, how you show up in the workplace and even how you exit an organization.

0:27:24 - (Dominic George): Like intentionality is so important because it defines your character. Right. I coach around supporting people with understanding their leadership DNA. And it's actually in my book. I wrote a book called the Authentic Edge Leading Without Losing Yourself. And inside of that book, I talk about your leadership identity and your leadership DNA and how you define that. Right. Which is your story, your values and your non negotiables as a leader.

0:27:56 - (Dominic George): And one of the things I love when people are coming to the realization that they can actually bring their story to work, they can actually bring their values to work and have boundaries around their non negotiables to be a leader. But it, I think character is like just showing up as, as yourself and being intentional about that is so important. So life is live intentional forever.

0:28:26 - (Kate Davis): So great. So great. And in that intentionality, Ken, there is a place for humor in that.

0:28:32 - (Dominic George): Absolutely.

0:28:33 - (Kate Davis): There's a place for levity. And those finding those moments, especially with your people that you are leading, you know, as you said before, really does build trust and bring everyone together. That's incredible. Yeah.

0:28:46 - (Dominic George): You know what, what's funny is, even if it's not your people, like, it will create moments. People just get to relax. I was in a meeting where it was very tense. This was a couple of years ago, but I was in a meeting where I was trying to get a team to shift from some antiquated ways to some more digital efficient ways. And we kept going back and forth around like, you can't do this, but you can do this and you can't do that, but you can do this.

0:29:18 - (Dominic George): And someone in the meeting, really close co worker. And we often got to laugh together on the side in public. And it was a good dynamic. But inside of the meeting, because she was so comfortable with me and how I led, she said, hey, I have a question. I just want to stop this conversation because it's so tense. We're really like in our heads right now, and I just want to laugh for those moments. So let's take 30 seconds.

0:29:44 - (Dominic George): And it completely shifted the dynamic of the conversation. So even if it's not your people, I think inserting yourself and inserting humor, humor can positively impact the. The work community.

0:29:57 - (Kate Davis): And just taking a moment.

0:29:59 - (Dominic George): Yeah.

0:30:00 - (Kate Davis): Amazing. And. And you set a game off the top that you play or just ask people, you know, what. What fun thing have you done this week?

0:30:08 - (Dominic George): Yeah. What was the best part of your week?

0:30:12 - (Kate Davis): So many great techniques. Are you using humor in your day to day life? You said you have a lot of funny friends and all that.

0:30:19 - (Dominic George): Absolutely. There's so many tense moments that we could be pulled off track from our destination, our vision, our goal. Right. And I often have moments. I've been fortunate enough to both travel around the world and meet people in so many different locations that I feel like no matter what time zone I'm in, I could call somebody, which is great. And I have this commitment to myself where at least twice a day I'm calling a friend to laugh, whether it's via text message, video call, or voice message.

0:30:55 - (Dominic George): Like, we just create these moments where we get to laugh and tell a joke. And it's truly transformative because it really is. And it allows you to like, again, relax, relax your shoulders, and you get to show up more authentically when you are with people who you can relate to. And laugh with. So, yes, I. I laugh often.

0:31:18 - (Kate Davis): That is. Yeah. I can tell just by your eyes. And it's. So when you don't laugh for long people, long periods of time, you really are just really depressed.

0:31:34 - (Dominic George): Yes. Yes.

0:31:35 - (Kate Davis): That's like. It's this. Just what the doctor ordered. We've, you know, we've heard it, but implementing it and really trusting in it are two different things. Like, everything, you know, and. And I think it's great that people have you to remind them it's okay to be. To laugh in those leadership roles.

0:31:56 - (Dominic George): Yes.

0:31:56 - (Kate Davis): You know, and. And not just with other leadership people within the company, but with the whole company.

0:32:02 - (Dominic George): Yes. And that's the important piece to get outside of your own bubble, your own circle. I think that leader and I coach around this as well, that visibility is so important as a leader. You can't sit behind a desk. You can't sit behind a computer all day. And I know workplace dynamics look different post pandemic with the remote space and in person, but it's so important to get in front of people in order to allow them to see you as human and to create those spaces where you just get to disconnect from the work. Because if we're not disconnecting at some point, then we're gonna be stressed. We're gonna fill those emotions that lead to that depressive state. And so you get to interrupt that by inserting humor, being yourself, being authentic, and having those visible moments with your people.

0:32:56 - (Kate Davis): Mic drop. Bam. I am excited. I'm so excited for my audience to get to know you. Like, I just feel like there's so many great techniques here, and. And so many. So much about leadership is really, you know, it's. It's difficult work. It's not easy work, and it can be lonely. And the fact that humor really does, you know, really build bridges and allow people to, you know, walk across the aisle, no matter what your opinion is, there's always a common ground within that.

0:33:34 - (Kate Davis): So I always love to end the podcast. What is the funniest thing that's ever happened to you? Is there a story you can share with us?

0:33:42 - (Dominic George): Absolutely. I'll start with the end, which is, I ran into a glass door. Funniest moment. But there was a moment where I was just like, I'm very curious person. I'm very adventurous. I had mentioned traveling around the world, and I've done some very adventurous things, but I remember one moment I was in a city, and I was just exploring the landscape, and what's most important to me When I go to cities is to actually be in community and meet people and try. So I try to find those moments where I could meet the communities where they are.

0:34:21 - (Dominic George): And I was in this random spot, and I'm going, I think I needed something from a store. But I was so lost that I was, like, in my phone. And usually I'm never in my phone. I'm usually, like, talking to people, asking them where to go, because I think that's where you generate the authentic relationships. But this day, I just happened to be in my phone because I was in a rush, and I'm looking and I'm lost, and I'm like, oh, this is where it said. I turn to my right and I see the thing that I need, and I just go.

0:34:51 - (Dominic George): It ended up being a glass door, and I had to sit there. Luckily, I wasn't hurt, but I had to sit there, and I ran, literally face first. And I sat there and I just laughed at myself because I was like, this is the funniest thing that I just randomly ran into a glass door, and there's nobody around me where I get to laugh. So I just got to laugh with myself. And it was one of those moments that allowed me to go about my day in a fun way. Like, some people could have took that moment. It's like, it's so embarrassing. I'm so ashamed. And then you run away.

0:35:23 - (Dominic George): But I chose that moment to really laugh at myself, and I think we don't do that enough. We get to laugh at ourselves and laugh at our pain and laugh at our problems and laugh at our happy moments, because it creates moments where we. We get to show up as ourselves always. So that was probably the funnest thing that's ever happened to me.

0:35:43 - (Kate Davis): So great. And you know what? Like, I'm the clumsiest person ever.

0:35:47 - (Dominic George): Yes, so am I. I was doing.

0:35:49 - (Kate Davis): A show the other day, and I was like, I'm gonna have a slice of pizza before. And I got, like, pizza sauce all over my shirt, and I had to go on stage. Like, I. And I always make sure I have shirts I can turn around backwards.

0:36:03 - (Dominic George): So great skill.

0:36:05 - (Kate Davis): So I turned my shirt around, but in the middle of my. My set, I was like, here's my tag, guys. I was eating pizza, and I was like. Ended up being, like, the best moment of the night. But, you know, there's. There's something to be said for that honesty and just knowing that you can run into a glass, you know, glass door or spill stuff on you and you're gonna be okay. Just keep laughing.

0:36:29 - (Dominic George): Yes. And in that moment I said, whoever is cleaning these windows are the best. Like they need to be hired everywhere. Because it was so clear, it was such a funny moment.

0:36:41 - (Kate Davis): That is so great. Honestly, I would love you to come back at some point. I feel like we've just touched the surface on so much about your coaching techniques and how much you're bringing to everyone you're touching in your lives is. It's pretty incredible. And I'm so grateful you've taken the time today. Dominic, like, honestly, is there anything you'd like to add before?

0:37:08 - (Dominic George): Yeah, I'm so grateful as well. Kate and I would love to come back and continue this conversation. I think you're so right. We've only touched the surface. There's so much more to leadership and just I'm also excited to meet your audience, your audience to meet me. And for those that are looking for that quick next steps in their journey again, I wrote a book called the Authentic Edge, Leading Without Losing Yourself.

0:37:31 - (Dominic George): And if you're looking for those quick guides, those quick tips on how to navigate mid level leadership to senior level leadership, you can get my book on Amazon and all places that you get books. And you can also reach out to me on LinkedIn. I'm the person that's responding to you directly. Human voice, human person. And we get to interact in that, in that way. So yes, I'm excited to continue the conversation.

0:38:00 - (Kate Davis): Oh my gosh. Thank you so much, Dominic. It was a real pleasure.