Moving Beyond What’s Safe: Using Discipline and Alignment to Reach True Capability

Intro: Welcome to Honestly We’re Learning, a podcast from ClearEdge, the marketing agency that also helps marketers grow their careers.

Join Leslie Vickrey and Lesly Cardec as we explore the turning points that shape a person’s professional story, the highs, the stumbles, and everything in between. We’ll bring you candid conversations with leaders and rising talent, plus our own take on what’s changing in marketing and recruiting today. Because behind every success story is a few lessons learned the hard way. And honestly, we’re all still learning.

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Lesly Cardec:
Alright, hi there.

Leslie Vickrey:
Hi, Lesly.

Lesly Cardec:
I am so excited for this one. Rodrigo is someone that I’ve been wanting to have on. I know you have been wanting to have on for quite some time. If anyone follows him, when I think of a leader, I think he’s one of those people that I think of.

Leslie Vickrey:
I do too. I follow him pretty religiously on LinkedIn and one of the things I love about his posts is he always has such great words of advice and just wisdom. And I feel like learning from other leaders, he definitely has great stories that he relates to personally, professionally, and always something good to take away.

Lesly Cardec:
You can tell he’s just someone that others want to follow. So, so yeah, I’m excited for it. One of the things that I thought would be interesting for just talking through is a while back you and I talked about the word accountability. And I know that’s probably a topic that’s near and dear to his heart too, but just as just individuals and there’s a team of us behind the scenes that have committed to just better health, whether that be sleeping or exercising or drinking more water, whatever it it may look like, and it’s been about a month, I think, since we, probably a little bit over, since we’ve committed to that. And so a month for me that I’ve committed to it and not always easy, but have tried to incorporate more movement on my end pretty much every single day.

Some days I don’t do it if I’m traveling with family or whatnot, and just dialing in on you know eating and things like that, just trying to eat more, more wholesome, more just whole grain, just healthier foods. Again, not perfect, but much better than I was a couple of months back. And I have to tell you, it has been really great. There’s days that I don’t want to do it , for sure. There’s, you know, temptations and just wanting to sleep in more. But after I do it, I feel so much better. And I find that even though I’m not, you know, somebody who wakes up at the crack of dawn and does it, I do get it in before work and it actually sets me up for a more productive day, I feel like. So I’m getting it now. All the leaders we speak to who are like, I wake up at, you know, four or five AM and I’m like, what? But now I, now I understand it.

Leslie Vickrey:
Wait, are we forming a five AM club? No. I can’t.

Lesly Cardec:
I don’t know how to wanna commit to five AM, but…

Leslie Vickrey:
Oh my god. I mean, I said I can’t. I probably I can. That’s the thing. And we’ll talk about that in our takeaways with Rodrigo, I’m sure. He’s training for a marathon right now and the discipline, I’m watching him on Instagram, that goes into it. One of the questions I have for you on this, Lesly, because we have talked about, you know, health and wellness. We have a Slack channel. We’ve got a Strava group with ClearEdge team members in it. Do you find it easier when it becomes habitual?

Lesly Cardec:
Yeah, for sure. And full transparency just for if anyone’s listening to this and wants to understand what that looks like for me, I do have ClearEdge accountability partners, but I do have someone act outside of ClearEdge that holds me accountable. And what that looks like is a weekly check-in. Every Thursday or Friday there is a weekly check-in. So that person holds me accountable, will get on my, you know what, if if I’m not following through with what, you know, what I need to do and talking through challenges that I had that week or, you know, maybe something was a temptation and I caved or whatever and how to set myself up for success for the following week. So it’s multiple accountability partners for me because I honestly don’t know if I have yet, this is maybe my stretch goal, have the ability to do it without accountability partners right now. So I gotta get myself more further along for that, but for right now it’s what’s working for me.

Leslie Vickrey:
Yeah, I do find when you set it and it becomes habit, once you break that habit, it’s harder. That said, listen, every day isn’t perfect. I knew I took Greyson and one of his buddies to the grocery store. He was having a sleepover on Friday, and I let them each pick out what kind of snacks they wanted and what drinks they wanted. And Greyson grabbed mint Oreo cookies. And I was like, oh no, I have no willpower with those. So I told him, do not even let me have one. Well, sure enough, Saturday night came rolling around and what did I do? Like, ooh, we have those mint cookies.

Lesly Cardec:
You should have called me ’cause that’s what I went off the truck to, Saturday.

Leslie Vickrey:
We all fall off every, you know, once in a while. But I played two hockey games yesterday, went for a short bike. I’m like, I’m working off those, but yeah.

Lesly Cardec:
Yeah. It’s to the point where now like my family’s like, Mom, I thought you said and I was like, let me live. Leave me alone. Like back off, you know? But I’m the one who publicly shared with them that, you know, that you need to help me stay on track. And then when they do, I’m like, back off.

Leslie Vickrey:
Mama needs an Oreo!

Lesly Cardec:
Exactly. Exactly. So yeah, work in progress. But I have a feeling Rodrigo is gonna help motivate us as well in that respect.

Leslie Vickrey:
All right, should we dive in?

Lesly Cardec:
Let’s jump right in.

Leslie Vickrey:
Today we’re sitting down with a leader I’ve had the good fortune of knowing and working with for several years. I first met Rodrigo Alcaine when he was with JoinedUp, now part of Beeline, and over the years I’ve had the opportunity to partner with him and watch his leadership up close. One thing I’ve always admired about Rodrigo is how deeply he invests in his people. Through coaching, mentorship, and a genuine learning mindset, he creates a culture where growth is both expected and supported.

And he models it himself. Rodrigo doesn’t pretend to have all of the answers. He actively seeks feedback, invests in his own development, and encourages others to do the same. While preparing for the conversation, I also heard you say on another podcast, Rodrigo, that one of your favorite jobs in the world is being a dad. And I love that because I think it says a lot about the person behind the title and how to think about showing up for others. And your path to the CEO seat didn’t exactly start in the C-suite.

You just posted about this on LinkedIn and I love the story. More than twenty years ago, Rodrigo was working as a janitor at a gym, an experience he still credits with shaping how he thinks about work, humility, and the value of every person on a team. Let me just say now, if you don’t follow Rodrigo on LinkedIn, do yourself a favor and start. Today, Rodrigo is the CEO of Eastridge Workforce Solutions, where he’s leading the company through a significant period of transformation and growth.

Following the divestiture of parts of the business he has helped sharpen Eastridge’s focus. You drive digital and operational transformation, and you’ve delivered double-digit growth in a challenging market. And before Eastridge, Rodrigo had held several leadership roles, building a reputation for improving performance, transforming businesses, and performing teams.

One of the things, Rodrigo, I’ve loved about watching you and your leadership style is how you view accountability, trust, integrity, and aligning your actions with your words. And this isn’t just a philosophy that includes, you know, it’s what you believe, but it’s what you show and lead with. And you call it excavating talent, so finding potential in people and helping bring it out. Rodrigo also mentors through the American Staffing Association and continues to invest in his own coaching and development, he’s been named the Staffing Industry Analysts 40 under 40, and most recently, SIA’s Staffing 100 for 2026.

Rodrigo, I could keep going but, this is about talking to you so I’m gonna stop, I struggle with intros because I want everyone to know everything about the person because I just admire you so much as a leader. We’re really, really happy to have you here. Welcome to the show.

Rodrigo Alcaine:
Thank you so much. I wasn’t gonna stop you. I was gonna let you keep going. And from now on, I’m just gonna bring you guys along with me as my hype folks. So that was awesome. But I am super, super honored to be here with the both of you. I’ve gotten to know both of you over the last couple of years and I’m just again super honored and love what you guys are doing and I’m I’m glad to be not only a friend, but also a customer. So thank you.

Lesly Cardec:
I know I mentioned it before before we hit record, but I’m really excited to to have you here and all those accolades. Could you stop for a minute and just pause and just relax? One of the things that we like to do before we kick off is a little fun. I guess it’s more of like, rapid fire, this or that, you can call it either way. But I’ll go through a series of questions and off the bat just kinda tell me what you think.

Rodrigo Alcaine:
Great.

Lesly Cardec:
Good?

Rodrigo Alcaine:
Yeah.

Lesly Cardec:
Okay. I feel like I know the answer to this one, but morning bird or night owl?

Rodrigo Alcaine:
Morning, 100%. No question.

Lesly Cardec:
No questions. Physical notebook or digital notes?

Rodrigo Alcaine:
I can’t commit to either, both. I struggle with this.

Lesly Cardec:
Okay. I mean you have to pick one. What is it?

Rodrigo Alcaine:
Let’s go with digital.

Lesly Cardec:
Absolute silence or do you have a specific playlist?

Rodrigo Alcaine:
Silence.

Lesly Cardec:
Most used emoji? It could be in text or Slack or whatever communication you use.

Rodrigo Alcaine:
It is now the check mark because I despise the thumbs up. And so it’s an alternative to that.

Lesly Cardec:
Okay. We don’t have time to dig into that, but I might bring it up later.

Leslie Vickrey:
I need to make note of that. Don’t thumbs up you.

Lesly Cardec:
That’s a strong word.

Rodrigo Alcaine:
I can’t stand it. It could be a whole other separate podcast for sure.

Leslie Vickrey:
Those listening, do not thumbs up Rodrigo!

Lesly Cardec:
Oh gosh, Okay. Coffee, tea, or something else?

Rodrigo Alcaine:
Coffee, for sure.

Lesly Cardec:
And if you could have a superpower for one week, and this one I’ve been meaning to edit it because I feel like every leader picks one, but would you choose reading people’s minds or super speed?

Rodrigo Alcaine:
Reading people’s minds for sure.

Lesly Cardec:
Okay. Okay, that’s interesting.

Rodrigo Alcaine:
Is that what not what most people pick?

Lesly Cardec:
Well, it’s like a catch-22, right? It could be scary to read people’s minds, but I feel like most leaders are already super speed and fast at things. So I like that answer ’cause it’s different.

Rodrigo Alcaine:
I find that if you understand the expectations then you also get speed. And most people don’t say it. So if you can read it, there’s no ambiguity.

Lesly Cardec:
Yeah, that’s a good answer.

Leslie Vickrey:
Right, Rodrigo, you’ve led through a lot of transformation in your career, different companies, different markets, different challenges, what’s a moment, big or small, that really shaped the way you lead today?

Rodrigo Alcaine:
This one’s so hard because right now, or I guess let’s call it since over the last 18 months has been probably the most I’ve grown in my career since taking over as CEO than I have in the last 20 years of of my career. But I’ll say that probably about 18, 17 years ago, there was a very pivotal moment for me that changed the way I lead and it still holds true today.

Many, many years ago, I was sitting in the bullpen of a really, really large staffing organization, and my leader was in town and she pulled me aside later on and she said, “Hey Rodrigo, do you know how I know you’re a leader amongst your peers?” And I said no, I don’t. She said, “Everyone comes to you to ask you questions all the time.” And she said, “But do you want to level up?” And I was like, Yeah, I do. And she said, “Stop giving them the answers and start asking more questions.” And I will never forget it and every couple of years I ping her on LinkedIn and remind her that she did that for me because it just fundamentally changed that, as a leader, you’re not the one that’s supposed to have all the answers, but asking people a really, really good questions can actually move them forward in their progress and their career and they’re learning a lot more than just giving them the answer. So that was a a really pivotal moment for me.

Leslie Vickrey:
I’m gonna have to use that. It’s interesting because we go through phases in our company where certain people are the go-to for every question. And they feel really good about that. Like everyone comes to me, you know, for everything. And I’m not saying that about me, but it’s a specific person, it’s usually not me. And they go to someone different. That’s really great advice for them.

I think it also forces the person always asking the questions and coming to them…sometimes it’s complaining. You end up feeling like the therapist and all the different things of being able to help the team. But you’re also giving them accountability to find the answers on their own. And that helps them kind of rise up as a leader as well. So thank you for that nugget, I’m going to be sharing that one.

Rodrigo Alcaine:
Oftentimes what I find is that they actually already know the answer. They just need some validation and some confidence. So by asking questions, you’re reinforcing some of those things as well, and create agency for them to to be resourceful as well.

Leslie Vickrey:
Right. Always be curious. Ask lots of questions.

Lesly Cardec:
I love that too, because I think a lot of the times folks come to you, in terms of maybe they’re not even looking for the answer, but they’re just looking, and vent might be the wrong word, but just to share what’s happening. But it’s hard not to go in problem solve mode too. So it’s even just clarifying how you can be helpful. Are you there just to listen? Are you there to help them problem solve? Things like that. So it’s not automatically jumping into solving the problem.

Rodrigo Alcaine:
No, you know what’s interesting, what I’ve learned as well recently is that although that feels small, because someone comes to you and they’re asking for questions or advice or you just want to vent or whatever it might be, if you zoom out a little bit, you’re actually creating a system within your organization. And then that system will ultimately lead to some sort of result, good or bad, because then you become the person that has to help or solve or, you know, be the de facto person to come in or you become the system that allows people to just come and complain without any action behind it.

So then this this accountability thing just really goes away. And then you look back and like, why do we ever do this? It’s like ’cause you you created the system. So it’s just being super intentional about those things.

Lesly Cardec:
Yeah. That’s smart. I like that. Let’s rewind to early in your career. we all have, you know, everyone evolves through leadership styles and and and folks giving you the opportunity to step up, but what’s something maybe that you believed early on so fiercely, you just were so tied to it that maybe you’ve completely let go of today?

Rodrigo Alcaine:
So it only took me 20 years to figure this out, but I hate the word buy-in. And I think as leaders, we spend so much time seeking buy-in from your teams, from your customer, from whoever it might be, versus seeking alignment and gaining alignment. And to me, they’re two very fundamentally different things. You know, for me, when I think about buy-in, it’s like you’re almost convincing, you’re selling someone to say, hey, just you know, come with me. I just need you to agree to these things, versus alignment.

An alignment, you cast a really compelling vision for transformation, for that person’s role, for whatever it might be. And then you’re asking those folks, are you in or out? And the question is yes or no. And it’s okay if they say no. It’s just it might be a different path. If it’s yes, great. Then here’s what that means for you. Here’s the commitment that it involves. And do you agree? Do you align with those things?

And so we’ve gone through a lot of that work internally as an organization where we’re trying to seek buy in and instead of just casting a really compelling vision and gaining alignment along the way. Cause that means you can disagree. That means that you can have your opinion around different things. But at the end of the day, a decision’s been made and and we’re gonna, we’re gonna execute all those things. So that was probably a big thing that I’ve abandoned completely is that we don’t even use the word buy in anymore internally. It’s are we gaining alignment?

Lesly Cardec:
Was that through trial, like, how did your perspective on that change?

Rodrigo Alcaine:
I received a different perspective of what buy-in is, a different definition of it. And it was through our help of our executive coaching group a lot that really, they like to call it “put weight on the bar.” And it’s like you’re working out and they’re like, hey, we’re gonna put little bit more weight on that and really challenge us to think is like, hey, what’s the risk of seeking buy-in versus alignment? And you can’t have alignment unless you cast a really, really compelling vision of what you want for that person and what you need from them.

And so that means that the expectations are being said out loud. That means there’s clear requests being made. There’s means that people are saying yes to those commitments that it takes to be successful in that role, in that department, whatever it might be, so there’s commitments being made. When there’s alignment, that means there’s a commitment. And commitment, the way we think about it is, hey, come hell or high water, we’re gonna do these things. And the minute that I can’t do it, I’m gonna raise my hand and say, I’m gonna I need to renegotiate my commitment. That’s what alignment means. Buy-in is compliance.

Buy-in means I’m just gonna nod my head, I’m gonna say yes. But behind this, I’m gonna go talk at the water cooler and say, I don’t really agree. That creeps in. Ultimately what gets unsaid is what runs your organization.

Leslie Cardec:
Super strong the way you reframe that. So we’re gonna steal that too. And I’m making a note not to do no thumbs up and don’t use the word buy-in. For everyone listening, ’cause I know you have a big network, take note.

Leslie Vickrey:
I mean Lesly, it’s so funny ’cause I think back to you know, we’ve had some interesting times over the past few years, launching new divisions, and quite frankly, I think we tried to get buy-in from people instead of being alignment. It’s really…I was taking notes as you were talking about that, Rodrigo. And back to your introduction, you, you know, investing in, you coming in as a CEO, divesting, you know, part of the business and coming into this role, having been through an acquisition and another company, and now you’re in this leadership position and looking at your leadership team and I know quite a few of the leaders, the fact that you’re investing in all of your all’s development, yours too, and gaining alignment by bringing in the executive coach and the system that you’ve created.

It really speaks volumes as to your leadership and one of the things I love about that with you is that yes, you’ve got pressures to hit certain goals and different things, but you also know it takes time to gain alignment. So curious for you because you know in our industry, things are being reshaped again, you know, we’ve all been in the industry for a while and there are many things that keep reshaping us, you’ve got technology, economic pressure, shifting client expectations. While you’re going through all this alignment with your team and growing and and doing all the things you are, what do you think of with the future of our industry? What is exciting you right now that you’re seeing or what’s worrying you?

Rodrigo Alcaine:
Yeah, I think thank you for that. And it it is this kind of dichotomous feeling that you have to face is like how do you slow down enough to invest in your people and then go through this really significant moment of change, but also kind of keep up with the pace in which this organization, the world of work is changing and how do you do both? And the reality is you can because a lot of it is like instead of thinking about what’s probable, what is it that we’re actually capable of doing?

Again, it all starts with this high degree of conviction and vision that you set forth because without that, none of this is possible. We don’t understand what our intuitive fence is and what we can push beyond unless we understand what the vision is. And that vision has to be compelling enough that it’s worth going through the transformation of change. Right? So that was number one.

Number two, in terms of the industry in itself, I think what does excite me, and I don’t wanna, it’s like how do you get through a podcast without talking about AI today, but to me, it’s a bit of a double-edged sword. I mean, part of it is helping internally with productivity. It’s helping us deliver to our customers better, faster, and all these different things. And we’re facing margin compression. It’s like, hey, how else do you battle that without introducing optimization efficiency through technology, which we’re seeing some amazing case studies internally, even things that we’re developing inside the organization is we’ve taken this really ground up approach as it relates to these use cases, which has been phenomenal.

On the flip side of that, there’s still this human element around the industry. And when you think about staffing, staffing has always been this gateway for people to get their foot into doors with entry-level roles and and now a lot of those roles might be being displaced or they might look different, and so part of this is like, hey, are we are we gonna get into a situation where we’re those roles start to to to go away completely because of that?

And secondly, think about the the work of a recruiter. You know, for us that grew up in the industry, there’s so much that was taught around the the art of the industry and the human part of the business around decision making, judgment, helping people through a career, talking to hiring managers. And now the expectation is like, hey, I just want more, faster and cheaper. And so are we teaching recruiters to be more transactional when in fact the AI is supposed to be make us more human ’cause it gets rid of some of those things. So that’s the stuff that keeps me up at night. And how do you do both?

Leslie Vickrey:
Yeah, we feel you. Being a marketing agency too for the staffing industry, you know, we keep getting asked the question, are your services a lot cheaper now that you’re, you know, you leverage AI? Like we’re still very much human-led and AI-enabled and trying to show the value that comes along with that. So yes, you can be faster, you can do all of these things, but you also don’t want to take out the human, you know, the human side of that. So I think we’re all finding that, right? What is that balance and that mix? Whether it’s delivering services to the industry or delivering services to the end buyer, whether it’s a candidate or a client, it’s still, there’s still a lot to be done and said.

Rodrigo Alcaine:
Yeah, I agree.

Lesly Cardec:
I love to to think about what your life looks like to be able to support what you do. I love this question for so many reasons because obviously lots of accomplishments and, you know, leading an organization, that’s one hat that you that you have on, but there’s other hats I’m sure behind that, as a father, as a husband, all that. So what does the architecture of your life look like, whether it’s the routines, something that you do daily to be able to do your best work or support systems. And that’s something that I don’t think gets asked enough. In order for you to do what you do, what does it take behind the scenes to to get the engine running?

Rodrigo Alcaine:
I am blessed with an amazing support system. And that’s both in in in work and out of work, but I am also a a creature of of discipline and habit as well. My day starts at 4:30 in the morning every single day and I love, love my quiet time in the morning. It’s usually when I get my run in or my workout in. I travel quite a bit, mostly to the west coast. And when I do, I try to stay on east coast hours so that way the impact coming back is a lot less as it relates to jet lag.

So these are all things that I’ve just kind of put into place to make sure I stay as disciplined and as consistent as possible. and so that’s number one. Number two, my family is amazing. And you know, I’ve got three young kids that are all in the middle of, we’re in this like, all you do is carpool era, and so being able to to to still be able to do those things. My wife’s been great and carrying the home when I’m traveling.

And then I’m also really intentional when I’m home though. And one of the things that I’ve realized is I always kept saying it’s like, Hey, when work slows down, I will do this. When work doesn’t look this crazy, then I’ll be able to be more present. And, you know, work’s never gonna be stable. There’s always gonna be crazy times at work, no matter the…I never remember work not being that. And so if you’re waiting for permission to do that, to be present at home or present for relationships, it’s just never gonna happen.

And so one of the things I’ve done is really declaring what that person is and what does that person do on Monday, what does that person do on Saturday? And then start aligning my behaviors to doing those things instead of waiting for permission to be able to do that because that is fleeting and we’ll never hit it. And that’s an issue with high performance in general, because all we keep doing is moving to goalposts and moving the target. And so by definition, if you keep doing that, you’ll never give yourself permission to be the person that you said you’re gonna be to all the people that support you in your journey.

And so that’s one thing I’ve been really, really committed to is defining what does that person do on Monday, what does that person do on Saturday for all my audiences that I need to be present for. And then I commit to those behaviors every single day. So and then at work, my board has been phenomenal. I think that’s the other piece too, is having one thing I’ve learned in my journey as CEO is you know, build a board around you that believes in the vision, believes in what you guys are doing, but also can push and challenge you in the ways that you need to. And I’ve had an opportunity to to do that. I have amazing board members that aren’t scared to kick me in the teeth when I need it, but also are here to support and challenge me in the ways that I need.

And so all these things kind of build up the support system that allows me to do my best work and but it’s a moving target, you know, it’s never perfect. And it’s just again getting super clear on what that looks like and aligning those behaviors to that.

Leslie Vickrey:
One of the things just to comment on, because you know, I completely cyber stalked you before this podcast, I think I told you. Following you on Strava, on Instagram, all the things. One of the things I admire about what you just said, and I actually see in action watching you and following you is how disciplined you really are. And you, when you commit to something, you are committed to it. So whether that be you know, obviously with your family, but your health. And I can tell how much you invest in your physical and mental health just being there and being available for everyone.

And that has really stood out to me, especially since I’ve been, you know, following you even more closely, Rodrigo, and it’s inspiring me. So I want to ask, because we’ve got a, we’re coming to a close here. So kind of a twofold question, you know, a belief or intention that you’re carrying with you into your next chapter. That’ll be like the last moment here on the podcast. And then just to share, where can people follow you? They don’t have to cyber stalk you like me on all of the channels, but where is the best place for people to follow along your work? So again, an intention you’re carrying with you, what is that?

Rodrigo Alcaine:
I think all of it is coming back to, how can we reach what we’re capable of? That’s it. It’s that simple. And that that goes actually, it’s in our vision statement on our website is our belief is how how do we help our customers, our candidates and our internal workers achieve what they’re capable of and not what’s probable and not what’s safe, but what what people are capable of. It’s really, really hard to reach and it takes a good community in order for us to do those things and I’m convicted to do that. That’s really important. So that’s number one.

And then people can follow me on LinkedIn, Rodrigo Alcaine on LinkedIn. You can also follow my my newly developed Instagram channel, BuiltByRJA, which is my journey to the Chicago Marathon here in in in October of 2026. so there’s all the kind of daily posts there. Some are great, some are not, but I’m just committed to the journeys and and so if you want to have a good laugh, feel free to follow there.

But yeah, generally those are the two places you can you can find me. Please reach out anytime. I love talking about this stuff. So and I thank you all for for having me. It’s been fun.

Leslie Vickrey:
And later I’m gonna talk about working out with you and traveling. I used to be so disciplined and now I’m not. So you’re you’re inspiring by watching your post. If anyone else struggles with that please follow them on Instagram it’s definitely getting me back into that mindset of needing to be disciplined while on the road and keep that routine.

So thank you. Turnarounds, transform. Not just about strategy or a whiteboard. They’re about discipline, accountability, and the people doing the work alongside. You’ve been so generous with your story, Rodrigo. Thanks for reminding us what standards start with and how you lead yourself first. So thank you.

Rodrigo Alcaine:
Thank you both. I appreciate it.

Lesly Cardec:
Thank you. It was fun. Okay. As expected, that was such a great episode. And I know I say this all the time, but I really wish we had more time with Rodrigo. It was so good. And there was so much more I wanted to dig into just his upbringing and his rise to CEO. I know he’s publicly shared LinkedIn posts about how, you know, twenty years ago, what was it? He was a janitor. Now he’s a CEO. So I’m like, I just wanna learn more about that and hear from him how that all happened and and you know, what transpired over the last twenty years.

Leslie Vickrey:
He had a lot to give and we’re trying to keep it to thirty minutes. So it’s hard to go to deep like that.

Lesly Cardec:
We’re trying. We’re trying. But such a strong leader. I mean, so strong. He’s just like one of those people that I’m like, Can you just talk? and I’m just gonna sit here and just abs you know, absorb all the

Leslie Vickrey:
Well, the way of every time we’ve had this on quite a few, probably every one of the podcasts when we’re regrouping or just debriefing one on one, even during it, I can tell we’re both taking notes because we really want to put into practice what they’re saying. And we learn so much from it. Honestly, we’re learning, of course, perfect name for the podcast. All right. What was your first take three?

Lesly Cardec:
Yeah, mine was he mentioned something about stop giving all the answers and start asking better questions. And I know that is something with Casey Jacox, too, that reminded me of, you know, he’s someone that has helped consult us in that way, as a leader, sales leader and trying to give us the confidence and how to do that. Asking really good questions is a skill set, and something that I personally continue to work on.

And I’m sure you do too. I mean, just as a founder and just interacting with different clients and prospects, I think it’s something we all can continue to grow in. But it’s a good reminder that when your team comes to you, it’s hard not to just automatically go into that problem solving, like, let me solve it for you. Or have you thought about this? Have you thought about or you know, trying to fix everything, the fixer in us. So it’s a good reminder that they can grow probably exponentially more if we help them get to their answer or what they’re trying to achieve versus doing it for them.

Leslie Vickrey:
Well, it feels good when people come to you. He was saying there’s always, there’s typically a person that people go to with all kinds of questions. It could be venting, whatever it is. It could be questions or just trying to get something out. And probably feels good to be that person. You know, I’m the one that people are coming to. At the same time, we have to ask ourselves.

You know, why are they coming to you? What do they need answers on? Are there things that are consistently being asked or said that we need to think about from a culture standpoint, learning, growing perspective? But his point was so valid, I thought, you know, don’t always be there to give answers and to problem-solve. You’ve got to ask more questions. It sets them up for growth and success. And you and I talk about this a lot too, when people come to you to ask, what do you need from me right now? Do you need me to just listen? Do you need me to give you feedback and advice? Do you need me to answer questions…and being clear about that when you start having those conversations? I think also forces people to know, like, they’re gonna hold me accountable to this. I need to come prepared with what it is I want.

Lesly Cardec:
Yeah, that was a good reminder too. What was yours?

Leslie Vickrey:
All right, take two. So we’re on number two of three. I loved how we talked about buy-in versus alignment and how they are completely different. And if you’re getting alignment, it’s really an opportunity that you’re getting people on board with what really is happening and you’re giving them an opportunity to have a conversation about it, to give feedback, share their opinion, you know, go a little bit different, you know that versus buy-in, which is more like you’re just getting compliance. And you and I have talked about this where sometimes when you’re just getting compliance and buy-in, they don’t really always buy into what you’re talking about. So now it creates this possibility within your company and your culture. What gets unsaid is what runs your organization and you don’t always want those unsaid words to be what’s driving things and that can lead to just compliance and then people talking amongst themselves and doing other things. You really want to gain that that alignment. So I really appreciate that.

Lesly Cardec:
You know, and I never I think I used that word earlier today on another call when he was tell…I was like, I think I used buy-in earlier. And it just, I never thought about it. And even if the intent was alignment, just thinking about it a different way brings a whole new meaning to it. So I appreciated that a lot.

Leslie Vickrey:
Yeah, I agree. You want alignment, not just buy-in. I think it’s really important. Yeah, it was a great lesson. Again, we’re we’re learning and growing over here, Lesly. Okay. Do you mind if I take the third?

Lesly Cardec:
Go ahead.

Leslie Vickrey:
Okay. So the last question we asked him was a belief or intention you’re carrying with you in into the next chapter. And this really resonated with me. And it was reach what you’re capable of. So when thinking of your yourself, your customers, your candidates, your employees, everyone, don’t just think of what’s probable or what’s safe. Think about what’s possible. And I loved that. It’s just taking that thinking or your thinking to that next level. What are you capable of? And don’t let everything else get in the way of that. What are we doing to hold people back from reaching their full potential.

Lesly Cardec:
And you know, the marketing person in me was like, We need to do this campaign. And have you thought of…I mean, I just started my when he said that, I started going in all different directions. But I know it’s bigger than a marketing campaign, but I love that too. It has so many different meanings and can really help move people forward in multiple ways. So that was that was fantastic and I actually think it’s very very fitting for how I see him as a leader is, you know, are you doing everything that you can do? Is there what more could you do?

Leslie Vickrey:
The thing I love about it for Rodrigo is I know he’s asking himself that same question. What am I capable of as a leader going into this next chapter that he’s in with his company? You know, what is he capable of doing and getting the help that he needs to be able to do that through, you know, they have the coaches and so forth, working with each one of the leaders, Rodrigo included, investing in that. But thinking for yourself and your team, what are we capable of for your company? What are we capable of as a company? How do we make that happen? And again, not just what’s safe, but what is possible. I don’t know. I had a really great feeling and reaction to that. Obviously, as you can tell.

Lesly Cardec:
I know. Well that was a good one. if anyone wants to follow him, I highly, highly recommend it and I’m sure we’ll have him back for more conversation and we’ll have to bend our rule of keeping it under trying to keep it under a certain…

Leslie Vickrey:
Or one question. You only get one question today, Rodrigo. Welcome and we’re gonna ask all of this…

Lesly Cardec:
Well, thank you all for joining. I hope you enjoyed as much as as we did and we will see you in the next one.

Leslie Vickrey:
Thanks, Lesly!

Lesly Cardec:
Thanks!

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