Coaching and supporting top talent with Saatva CPO Maureen Cawley

Rachel Cook, founder of Lead Above Noise, converses with Maureen Cawley, Chief People Officer at Saatva, about navigating workplace challenges and fostering employee engagement. Maureen emphasizes the importance of balancing structure with innovation, allowing flexibility amidst chaos, and maintaining work-life balance. They discuss the value of understanding organizational goals, prioritizing tasks, and the necessity of recalibrating strategies periodically. Maureen also highlights the significance of giving employees autonomy, respecting their capacity, and promoting a culture that values rest and purpose. Both agree on the need for leaders to be empathetic, supportive, and patient with their teams and themselves.

• Maureen Cawley is the Chief People Officer at Saatva, a luxury sleep company.
• She has significant experience in human resources, focusing on team leadership, talent development, and employee retention.
• The conversation aims to explore workplace challenges and strategies for coaching and supporting employees.

"Maureen is the chief people officer at Saatva, the smarter luxury sleep company. She's a human resources executive with progressive experience leading teams to deliver great results."

• Highlights Maureen's expertise and role within Saatva.

• Saatva was recently awarded a "Best Place to Work" accolade, which is a significant achievement.
• Surveys play a crucial role in understanding employee experiences and areas for improvement.
• Remote work and quality of life are key factors contributing to employee satisfaction.

"So anybody who's worked with me for any period of time knows that surveys make me very nervous... The survey tells us what to do more of what the team wants, what they like about working here. So it really tells us what to lean into."

• Emphasizes the importance of employee feedback through surveys in shaping workplace policies.

"We know at Saatva about half our team is working remotely. The other half is working in retail environments, in our viewing room locations... We say sometimes that people know they're in their last remote job, and that that benefit is very, very highly valued."

• Highlights the value of remote work and consistent schedules in retail environments.

• Flexibility and work-life balance have become crucial post-pandemic.
• Clean, safe, and beautiful work environments contribute to employee satisfaction.
• Purpose in work doesn't always have to be grand; meaningful interactions with customers can also be fulfilling.

"I think we all know that, particularly since the pandemic, having some semblance of flexibility, the ability to balance your work with your lives, it's just become so crucial and critical to people."

• Underlines the growing importance of flexibility and work-life balance.

"They're just having an opportunity to talk to people about their sleep and their rest, which we all know is so important. And just getting an opportunity to put the right products in their hands."

• Shows how meaningful customer interactions can provide a sense of purpose.

• Consistency in schedules and expectations is vital, especially in times of uncertainty.
• Quality policies and products ensure that frontline workers are not put in difficult positions.

"There's a quality that has to come all the way through what we say we're doing as a company to the way that our team carries that out."

• Stresses the importance of consistency and quality in company policies and products.

"When you can offer somebody a consistent schedule, a boss who's fairly reasonable and even keeled, the work can be challenging... But the work environment we should be able to count on as something enabling and steady."

• Highlights the need for a steady and enabling work environment amid external uncertainties.

• Success is not a universal concept; it varies from person to person.
• Flexibility in redefining success is crucial in adapting to new circumstances.
• The concept of detachment helps in achieving a successful outcome by letting go of rigid definitions of success.

"To hold on too tightly to one version of what success looks like is actually going to prevent you from having a successful outcome."

• Encourages flexibility in defining and achieving success.

"To reach your best outcome, you have to be willing to let go of what you thought success was, to accept what it actually is."

• Emphasizes the importance of adapting one's definition of success to current realities.

• Real-life examples from the workplace illustrate how goals and definitions of success can be re-evaluated.
• Benefits program goals were reassessed to ensure they align with actual employee needs.

"We were working on our benefits program, and we said, okay, what are our goals for our benefits program this year? And one of the goals suggested was, well, we want to take our enrollment numbers from here to here. We want to see more employees on our plan, and we have to step back and say, I'm not sure that that's the right goal."

• Demonstrates the need for practical reassessment of goals to ensure they meet actual needs and circumstances.

These notes provide a detailed overview of the key themes and topics discussed in the podcast transcript, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the conversation between Rachel Cook and Maureen Cawley.

• Success is not a one-size-fits-all concept; it varies for each individual.
• Fully informing team members about options allows them to make the right choices for themselves.
• Detaching from an original definition of success is crucial as goals and contexts change.
• Success metrics and outcomes should align with what feels genuinely successful to the individual.

"If my goal is to have everybody on my plan, it sort of disregards what's right for them and their ability to make choices."

• Emphasizes the importance of individual choice over a uniform plan.

"So maybe a better goal is to fully inform my team about what is offered so they can make the right choice for themselves."

• Suggests that providing information empowers individuals to make the best decisions.

"You have to be comfortable detaching and saying, okay, I thought that was success. Either the company doesn't care about that anymore, or I don't care about that anymore."

• Highlights the need for flexibility in defining success.

• Organizations often chase quantitative metrics without considering their true value.
• Talent attrition is an example where a zero attrition rate is not necessarily ideal.
• Healthy attrition can bring in fresh perspectives and talent.

"We are almost chasing these quantitative metrics like it's a religion, but often we're chasing them simply because they're there, they're available, and it is so much easier to chase numbers."

• Critiques the overemphasis on quantitative metrics.

"Do we want our attrition number to be zero? Or do we actually want to look for some healthy attrition and make sure that as people are feeling like they've done their time with this organization, they can move on to the next thing?"

• Questions the conventional wisdom of minimizing attrition rates.

• Personal ambitions can evolve significantly over a career.
• Early career ambition often focuses on promotions and titles.
• Later stages may shift towards contributing to others and finding fulfillment in the work itself.

"Starting my career I tended to have kind of sharp elbows because I was very ambitious. I wanted the next promotion and I wanted it at all costs."

• Describes the initial phase of career ambition focused on rapid advancement.

"I allowed myself rather, to think about my contribution to others and sort of using my career as a give more than like a personal take."

• Indicates a shift towards a more altruistic approach to career goals.

"It wasn't something that I was chasing or looking for. It was something that, because I was focused on the work, my team, the broader team, the success came."

• Success can come as a byproduct of focusing on meaningful work rather than chasing titles.

• Striving for promotions is sometimes necessary for financial or career advancement.
• Recognizing the right time to push for promotions versus deepening or broadening experience is crucial.
• The current employment landscape may require adapting goals to make the most of present opportunities.

"Sometimes you have to really grind for it, but then other. But that can't go on forever."

• Acknowledges the need for hard work and ambition but also the importance of balance.

"Even if it's not all climbing the ladder. I can deepen my experience. I can broaden my experience."

• Emphasizes the value of diverse experiences over continuous upward movement.

• The modern world is full of distractions and chaos, making focus challenging.
• Allowing room for distractions and managing them realistically can improve productivity.
• Regularly recalibrating goals and focusing on long-term objectives helps maintain direction.

"You kind of have to allow room for it because I think it's, again, it's another place where if you resist it and you say, I'm going to block out all the noise and I'm going to focus, only, you know, you're not going to be successful."

• Suggests that completely blocking out distractions is unrealistic.

"You have to stop looking right at your keyboard or your screen and look up to what your goals are."

• Advocates for periodic reassessment of long-term goals.

"Once a quarter, we really, we pick our heads up and we say, okay, here's what we accomplished so far this year. Here's what's in front of us."

• Recommends regular review sessions to stay aligned with broader objectives.

• Different cultures have varying attitudes towards work and busyness.
• European cultures may prioritize intentionality and leisure over constant busyness.
• Adopting some of these practices can help mitigate the stress of a busy work culture.

"In Europe, they don't do that. They don't have to go. Coffee cups. You take an espresso at the bar or you sit and you enjoy."

• Highlights cultural differences in attitudes towards work and leisure.

"They are quite intentional about that. They are very much in love with the idea of not being, and I'm speaking obviously in broad terms."

• Suggests that intentional breaks and leisure can contribute to a healthier work-life balance.

• Emphasis on not being overly busy and staying connected.
• Importance of rest and spending time with people.
• Personal attempts to incorporate these values into daily life.

"There is a love affair with not being so busy and just being connected and present and enjoying time to rest and be with people."

• The European lifestyle prioritizes balance and connection over constant busyness.

• Working for a sleep company emphasizes the importance of feeling refreshed.
• Cultural narrative often focuses on being tired or busy.
• The company promotes feeling good and having a good night's sleep.

"If you ask somebody, 'How are you?' People are going to say, 'Oh, I'm tired.' How are you? 'Oh, I'm busy.'"

• Common responses highlight a culture of exhaustion and busyness.

"I recognize that I'm uniquely fortunate in working for a sleep company because my company wants me to feel good and feel refreshed and have a good night's sleep."

• Working for a sleep-focused company underscores the importance of rest and well-being.

• Managers should interrupt the narrative of being overworked.
• Importance of understanding and addressing employees' capacity challenges.
• Managers have a duty to help employees manage their time and avoid burnout.

"If someone on my team tells me I'm having a capacity challenge, I'm working so much, the interruption as a manager comes in to say, okay, well, tell me what that is."

• Managers need to investigate and understand the specifics of employees' workload issues.

"Sometimes it's exempt employees, and we're thinking about their work-life balance, their long-term productivity, which is much better if you don't burn your team out by overworking them in the short term."

• Long-term productivity is better maintained by preventing short-term burnout.

• Leaders should help employees see the value in their work.
• Overwhelm isn't always about quantity; sometimes it's about engagement and enjoyment.
• Helping employees connect their tasks to the broader impact on the company.

"Sometimes the overwhelm is coming from the fact that their employees just aren't enjoying what they're doing or they're not recognizing the full value of what they're doing."

• Lack of enjoyment or understanding of the work's value can lead to feelings of overwhelm.

"Helping them find a more enjoyable way to get to the same end point or even to help them understand, like, hey, all of these numbers that you're crunching, this is giving us some powerful insights about our customers."

• Leaders should help employees find meaning and enjoyment in their tasks.

• Both structure and innovation are necessary within an organization.
• Understanding the organization's needs and aligning innovations accordingly.
• Process and structure can coexist with creative ideas.

"I'm a structure person. I'm organized. I like process. I like to follow the process. It helps me make sense of the innovation or the out of left field idea."

• A structured approach helps in understanding and integrating innovative ideas.

"If you're innovating on something that isn't going to be essential to the mission or would take the company in a different direction, you're less likely to get support."

• Innovations should align with the company's mission and current needs.

• Importance of anticipating and leaving time for unexpected issues.
• New roles require more flexibility due to lower anticipation ability.
• Developing processes can help minimize the frequency of fire drills.

"If you're in a new role, you need to leave way more time than you think for the unexpected because your ability to anticipate is low."

• New roles necessitate extra time for unforeseen tasks due to inexperience.

"We didn't have the process in place. So a lot of times I think if you're in a new, you have to, again, understanding the seasonality of your career."

• Lack of established processes can lead to frequent unscheduled emergencies.

• Overestimating time needed for tasks is crucial to avoid working against deadlines and managing unexpected urgent matters.
• Structuring time and processes helps manage workload effectively and reduces perceived volume of work.
• Developing routines and playbooks aids in handling recurring tasks efficiently.

"I think always better to overestimate the amount of time that you need so you don't find yourself in a situation where you're working against deadlines that you signed up for and are committed to."

• Overestimating time helps avoid deadline pressure.

"If the structures are there, so you think about compensation and you think about it in cycles... your team starts to understand."

• Structured cycles help the team understand when to address specific issues.

"To the extent you can develop routines and playbooks, you'll be better able to handle what comes up."

• Routines and playbooks enhance efficiency in managing tasks.

• Utilizing the experience of seasoned team members can help distinguish between urgent and non-urgent matters.
• Experienced team members can provide valuable insights into handling various business cycles.

"If you have seasoned people on your team who've been through different business cycles, those folks can be very, very valuable in helping you as a leader who's developing, understand what's a fire drill and what doesn't need to be a fire drill."

• Seasoned team members help in identifying true emergencies.

• Avoiding unscheduled meetings after certain hours can improve decision-making and employee productivity.
• Encouraging employees to outline their problems before discussing can lead them to solve issues independently.

"I don't take unscheduled meetings after five... usually it's because of their personal feelings about a situation that are best discussed after a good night's sleep."

• Avoiding late meetings helps in better decision-making.

"Why don't you write down your problem, outline it, send it to me, and I'll meet with you in a couple of hours or tomorrow."

• Encouraging written outlines can lead employees to solve problems independently.

• Recognizing patterns in recurring urgent tasks can help in developing strategies to mitigate them.
• Allowing time before addressing perceived emergencies can often lead to self-resolution of issues.

"Noticing the patterns to the fire drills that are landing on your plate and what are you observing, and how can you help kind of mitigate them over time?"

• Identifying patterns helps in developing mitigation strategies.

"If somebody comes to you with an emergency and you tell them you will meet with them in one week, they'll always have it sorted out by the time that one week date comes."

• Delaying response to emergencies can lead to self-resolution.

• Communicating current priorities and asking for guidance on reprioritization can help manage workload effectively.
• Framing questions to supervisors about prioritization can make them aware of your current workload.

"You can ask questions and articulate outcomes... you can prioritize this project as number one. What that means is, here's what I need to stop working on."

• Communicating the impact of reprioritization helps manage workload.

"I hear that this is a top priority. Here's what I'm currently working on. Do you want me to set that aside or this?"

• Framing questions about priorities helps supervisors make informed decisions.

• Tracking capacity and communicating constraints helps in appropriate resource allocation.
• Silently absorbing excess work can lead to resource misallocation and organizational inefficiencies.

"If you don't tell me where the capacity constraints are and we don't track it, and you just quietly absorb all of the excess work, it actually is doing the company a disservice."

• Communicating capacity constraints aids in proper resource allocation.

"You are not being a hero. When you take on the extra and you keep quiet about it, you're actually doing a disservice to your organization."

• Silently absorbing excess work harms organizational efficiency.

• Acknowledging personal achievements and being patient with oneself is crucial in a demanding work environment.
• Offering oneself patience and grace can improve overall well-being and productivity.

"Take a moment to acknowledge it wasn't easy to get there. You worked hard, and it's probably going okay in the grand scheme of things."

• Self-acknowledgment is important for motivation and well-being.

"Patience and grace with ourselves are just two of the loveliest gifts we can offer."

• Being patient and graceful with oneself is beneficial.