Many people have been catalysts for you in your life and work. And, you are a catalyst for others. How we lead and the culture we create sends ripples to others.
SHOW NOTES
Jason introduces Season 10 episode 2 of the podcast, You Are A Catalyst. Welcome back to the podcast on corporate culture and leadership and thank you for listening. We engage thought leaders like CEOs, CFOs, managers, VPs, directors, and more for this podcast. We wish to create content that engages your mind and heart and allows you to step back and think and add some positivity to your life. We deep dive into today’s topic.
We can’t control everything but what we can control is our response. Still a lot of work to do but wanted to remind the audience what is within our control is the temperature we create in the organizations and teams we work with.
Please leave a review for the podcast It really helps the podcast to spread these messages out into the world. Please share this podcast with your organization, on your team, or in your life to help spread these messages. Thank you!
If any of these topics are interesting to you please or you want a deep dive on any specific topics, please reach out to us at info@jasonvbarger.com
You Are A Catalyst
In the world of corporate culture and leadership in teams, we often look for the “secret sauce” that turns a stagnant organization into a high-performing powerhouse. We search for strategies, KPIs, and logistical overhauls. However, as Jason V Barger explores in a recent episode of The Thermostat Podcast, the most potent element of change isn’t a spreadsheet—it’s a person. Specifically, it is a person acting as a catalyst.
📝 Article Summary
This episode of The Thermostat Podcast introduces the concept of the “catalyst”—a person or experience that stimulates progress and propels others in a positive direction. Jason V Barger connects this idea to the “ripple effect,” illustrating how individual thoughts and actions create waves that influence entire environments. He shares a powerful story from a post-9/11 airport security line to demonstrate how grace under pressure acts as a catalyst for others. Finally, Jason bridges the gap between human behavior and smart technology, explaining how “intelligent control” in thermostats is also called a catalyst, reinforcing the idea that we must intentionally calibrate our own “emotional thermostats” to lead and co-create the cultures we desire.
Understanding the Ripple Effect
The term “ripple effect” dates back to the 1890s, used to describe how a single act in nature can trigger environmental change. The visual is simple: a pebble dropped into a still pond creates concentric rings that expand far beyond the point of impact.
In the context of leadership in teams, you are that pebble. Every word you speak, every reaction to stress, and every decision you make sends ripples through your organization. If a leader reacts with frustration, the ripples carry anxiety. If a leader reacts with hope and stability, the ripples carry confidence.
The Catalyst in Action: A Lesson from the Airport
Jason shares a story from his first book, Step Back from the Baggage Claim, about a woman at Boston Logan International Airport. In the chaotic, high-stress environment of post-9/11 travel, she was pulled aside for an intensive security search. Her bag was upended, her personal items strewn about, and the TSA agent was far from gentle.
Despite the intrusion and the mess, she remained infectious in her kindness, smiling and chatting with the agent. When the search ended and she had to scoop up her disheveled belongings and run for her gate in high heels, she didn’t grumble. She made a lighthearted joke to those watching: “This isn’t the easiest thing to do in heels.”
Her grace didn’t just help her get to her gate; it changed the “temperature” of the terminal. People who saw her began to smile. She was a catalyst, stimulating a shift from collective stress to collective lightness.
Calibrating the Smart Thermostat
The core of Jason’s philosophy is the “Thermostat Leader.” Unlike a thermometer, which merely records the temperature, a thermostat sets it.
Interestingly, modern “smart” thermostats utilize add-on technology known as a catalyst. This technology provides the intelligent control needed to optimize efficiency and make self-adjustments. In the same way, leaders must use their emotional intelligence to calibrate their own mindset.
With employee engagement at a 10-year low according to Gallup, and only 23% of employees trusting their leaders, the need for human catalysts has never been higher. A leader who acts as a catalyst:
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Brings Hope: Stimulates a vision for a better future.
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Builds Trust: Creates ripples of reliability and transparency.
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Shows Compassion: Recognizes the humanity in the “disheveled bags” of life.
🎙️ Notable Quotes
“The ripple effect wasn’t just about something that happened in nature, but actually, our own thoughts and our own actions mattered. They were catalysts for the people around us.”
“Cultures don’t just magically happen. They have to be co-created and led… developed by the people that are committed to being catalysts for the people around us.”
“The technology itself that helps the thermostat become more efficient and calibrate itself to the environment is often referred to as a catalyst. Which just reminds me again that we are all catalysts for each other.”
🤔 Questions to Ponder
To help you calibrate your own thermostat for the year ahead, consider these questions from the episode:
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Who has been a catalyst for you in your life and your work? (Take a moment to acknowledge those ripples that shaped you.)
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In what ways would you like to be a catalyst for others in the year ahead?
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What catalysts are needed to shape the culture you want on your team and your organization into the future?
Links and References
Follow @JasonVBarger on social media for even more insights and new video content.
For more insights and practical tips, be sure to check out Jason V Barger’s book Breathing Oxygen. This book dives deeper into the concepts discussed in this episode and provides additional strategies for fostering a positive mindset and effective leadership.
By incorporating these practices into your summer routine, you can breathe new life into your personal and professional endeavors. Remember, as Jason says, “The best leaders, teams, and cultures on the planet stimulate progress by recalibrating their thermostat together.”
Please leave a review for the podcast It really helps the podcast to spread these messages out into the world. Please share this podcast with your organization, on your team, or in your life to help spread these messages. Thank you!
If any of these topics are interesting to you please or you want a deep dive on any specific topics, please reach out to us at info@jasonvbarger.com
Listen to more great episodes here
Remember, the best leaders, teams, & cultures stimulate progress by recalibrating their thermostat together.
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ABOUT THE THERMOSTAT
Conversations and micro-thoughts to engage your mind and heart.
A thermostat is proactive. It sets the temperature in a room. Controls the temperature. Regulates the temperature. But in today’s distracted, fast-paced and digital world, it’s easy for individuals and organizations to act more like thermometers, slipping into reactionary thinking, becoming scattered and inconsistent. The most compelling leaders, teams, organizations, families, or collection of humans of any kind operate in thermostat mode. They calibrate their mind and heart to set the temperature for the vision and culture they want to create. Jason Barger, globally celebrated author, keynote speaker, and founder of Step Back Leadership Consulting, is the host of The Thermostat, a podcast journey to discover authentic leadership, create compelling cultures and find clarity of mission, vision, and values.