Episode #27: Long-Term Nomading with your Executive Assistant, Radical Collaboration and Rethinking Performance Management with Dr. Laura Gallaher

Episode Summary

Dr. Laura Gallaher shares her path to becoming an organizational psychologist, then an entrepreneur, and finally a nomad traveling the world with her executive assistant and running her business remotely. She explains how she got hired by NASA early in her career to help change the cultural influences that were deemed to play a role in the Space Shuttle Colombia explosion. She shares what those 8 years were like behind the scenes at Kennedy Space Station and how she was able to positively influence culture, develop leadership capacity, and improve organizational performance. She explains how she was later hired by Walt Disney and helped manage the radical changes in their performance management process and philosophy. She then talks about founding her own business, Gallaher Edge, which helps business leaders create cultures of accountability and grow from the inside out. She shares actionable tips and advice for business leaders about the importance of open, honest communication, creating cultures of accountability, team cohesion, “radical collaboration” and why there needs to be a serious revamping of “performance management” to re-focus on ‘coaching’ instead of ‘judging’. She also opens up about her personal entrepreneurial journey, the setbacks she experienced, and how she ultimately built a thriving consulting business. She then shares her nomading experiences and explains how she decided to travel the world with her executive assistant. She opens up about the challenges of trying to run her business remotely, but also the unique business developments that the remote work environment inspired her to create, the personal growth she experienced, and the evolution of her concept of “home”. Full Show Notes at www.TheMaverickShow.com

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About the Guest

Laura Gallaher

Dr. Laura Gallaher is an Organizational Psychologist, Tedx speaker, facilitator, and executive coach. She is the founder and CEO of Gallaher Edge, which she started in 2013 to help business leaders create cultures of accountability by growing from the inside out. Her career began after the Space Shuttle Columbia exploded upon re-entry in 2003, killing everybody aboard. Following the tragedy, NASA hired Laura and a team of organizational psychologists to change the cultural influences that were deemed to play a role in the accident. She worked for 8 years to positively influence culture, develop leadership capacity, and improve organizational performance at Kennedy Space Center. Laura was then hired by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts to help manage the radical changes in their performance management process and philosophy. Laura is an expert teacher, trainer, speaker and consultant, particularly in the concepts of self-awareness, accountability, trust building and team cohesion. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, and a Masters and PhD in Organizational Psychology. Laura is a Licensed Human Element® Practitioner, a Certified Radical Collaboration Trainer, and a Certified Coach. She gave her first Tedx talk in 2018 while she was traveling the world for a year with her executive assistant, running her business remotely.

What You'll Learn

How to Build a Company Culture Rooted in Accountability
Why to Revamp Performance Management to Focus on Coaching and not Judging
How Long-Term World Travel Enhances Competence, Personal Growth and the Concept of “Home”

Links From the Episode

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THE WORK-TRAVEL PROGRAM IN WHICH MATT AND LAURA PARTICIPATED

Remote Year ($100 Discount for New Customers)

BOOK LAURA RECOMMENDS

Radical Collaboration

APP LAURA RECOMMENDS

Slack

CELEB/AUTHOR/PUBLIC FIGURE SHE WANTS TO HAVE DINNER WITH

Jim Carey

PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

WINE SHARED ON THIS EPISODE:

Chianti Classico

LOCATION WHERE THE INTERVIEW TOOK PLACE

Austin, Texas

TOP 3 FAVORITE TRAVEL RECOMMENDATION

TOP 3 BUCKET LIST TRAVEL DESTINATION

OTHER PLACES MENTIONED

Check Flight Prices to Any of These Destinations

Listen to Laura’s Podcasts

Watch Laura’s TEDxOrlando Talk

CONTACT LAURA

Time Stamped Show Notes

[03:51] LAURA’S BACKGROUND IN MUSIC AND THEATER

The role of music in Laura’s life growing up
Laura’s love for being on stage since she was a kid

[07:55] DEVELOPING HER PASSION FOR PSYCHOLOGY

Her fascination with social perception
Her discover of organizational psychology

[09:36] LAURA’S EXPERIENCE WORKING AT NASA FOR 8 YEARS

Getting hired by NASA at age 24 after the space shuttle
Laura’s personal and professional growth at NASA
Facilitating a process of leadership growth
Working to create an environment that encouraged all opinions to be voiced

[13:00] THE TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT OF “THE HUMAN ELEMENT”

How a “Human Element” workshop helped Laura elevate her own self-awareness
How she prioritized “openness” and connecting with herself and her own insecurities
Understanding the leadership qualities of vulnerability and self-accountability
The “self-accountability circle” exercise that Laura facilitates with leaders

[21:16] DESIGNING A COMPANY CULTURE

Understanding what drives human behavior
Intentionally creating experiences that make employees feel their opinions matter
The importance for leaders to reflect inward and show up as their best selves
Ensuring company leaders are willing to be introspective and self-accountable

[33:48] RE-THINKING PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

Getting hired by Disney to revamp their performance evaluation process
Helping leaders connect more meaningfully with their employees
Getting out of the mindset of judging and into the mindset of coaching
Looking at employee performance in terms of “co-creation”
Looking at improvements in terms of “collaboration”

[42:35] LAURA’S ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEY FOUNDING GALLAHER EDGE

Wanting to focus on what really matters and have a real impact
Incorporating concepts from The Human Element and Radical Collaboration
Having the confidence to command her fees and be selective about her clients

[49:39] THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SCARCITY AND ABUNDANCE MENTALITY

Defining scarcity vs. abundance mentality
Examples in Laura’s life of overcoming the scarcity mentality
Focusing on her strengths and identifying the highest and best use of her time

[57:20] LAURA’S DECISION TO TRAVEL THE WORLD WITH HER EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Laura’s love for Sydney, Australia
Laura’s decision to travel the world for 12 months with Remote Year
Laura’s decision to bring her executive assistant on Remote Year with her

[1:00:46] LAURA’S PERSONAL AND BUSINESS GROWTH FROM WORLD TRAVEL

Laura’s business challenges while traveling the world
Her biggest personal lesson on her year of world travel
The positive business developments that occurred as a result of her travel
Feeling incompetent in basic day to day situations
Reflections on the concept of feeling “at home”
Self-acceptance vs. Self-esteem
“Competence” as the ability to figure things out vs. expertise
Giving all people the benefit of the doubt of being “good”
The positive impact Laura believes world travel can have on humanity if more people did it