Finding the balls to fail at work with Tom Hicks | ep135

Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way. --- “More balls than most.” Those are the big, bold, embossed words on the black box Tom Hicks received from his grandmother. This was several years ago, when he was having some challenges in his life. Inside the box was a 3 ball juggling kit, which included a pamphlet titled, “A Short Course in Life Enhancement.” Okay. You had me at balls. Now I’m really curious. How in the world does juggling enhance one’s life? Quite substantially, it turns out. Because this kit helped Tom completely reframe failure in his life. Instead of feeling like the end of something, jugging helped him see how failure is usually just the beginning. You can drop those balls a million times and it’s okay. Low stakes failures like this are exactly how we train our brain to get used to it, welcome it even. Next thing you know, you’re (well, Tom is) delivering workshops around the country helping folks create a better relationship with messing up. You’re saying “how fascinating” with arms raised high when you blow a big deal. Inviting curiosity about where you might do things differently next time. Most of our work cultures don’t work like this. Most talk a big game about “failing is how learn” but their actions scream “you suck and better get your act together fast.” Those folks need more balls. Perhaps Tom has a few he can spare. 00:00 The Gift of Juggling: A Life Lesson 02:15 Reframing Failure Through Juggling 04:53 Embracing Low-Stakes Mistakes 09:14 Influences and Lessons from Family 11:16 Creating Space for Failure 13:10 Curiosity as a Tool for Growth 15:33 The Power of Yet 19:40 Somatic Experience of Failure 23:14 Building a Growth Mindset 25:51 Authenticity and Trust in Work Culture 27:10 Leading with Listening: A New Approach 28:37 Navigating Fear-Based Cultures 30:01 The Impact of Inexperience on Leadership 31:51 Innovative Onboarding: Juggling Kits for New Hires 34:09 Bridging the Gap: From Low Stakes to High Stakes 39:06 Embracing Failure: Cultural Conversations 42:02 Celebrating Mistakes: Shifting Mindsets 45:28 Encouraging Play in the Workplace 46:54 Creating a Fearless Work Environment #desuckifyworkpodcast #desuckifywork #adagencyculture #advertising #failure