Episode 128: What is Your "It?" Finding Your Purpose & Mission with the improve it! Team
๐ญ ๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ธ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ to 13-year-old you, to high school you, to college you, to early-career youโฆ
We know, itโs scary. But really think: ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐?
Your โ๐๐ง.โ Maybe itโs the gift of gab. Maybe itโs humor, painting, writing, mathematics, connection, photography, healingโฆyou name it, because โITโ is yours, and yours truly.
Whether you have a solid grasp on your โITโ and youโre fine-tuning, or you have no idea where to start and youโre looking for a ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฒ๐๐ต ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ, weโre right there with you!
No matter where you are in your purpose-finding process, you donโt want to miss todayโs ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐! ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ, where Erin gives you a step-by-step process to writing your very own mission โITโ statement. ๐ Youโll walk away from todayโs episode with who you already are + who you want to be on a piece of paper hanging up where you can see.
Letโs dance!
Show Links:
Want to book Erin to speak at your organization or large scale event: Learn more here!
Connect with Erin Diehl:
Email Erin: info@learntoimproveit.com
Erin Diehl is the founder and Chief โYes, Andโ officer of improve it! and host of the improve it! Podcast. Sheโs a performer, facilitator and professional risk-taker who lives by the mantra, โget comfortable with the uncomfortable.โ Through a series of unrelated dares, Erin has created improve it!, a unique professional development company that pushes others to laugh, learn and grow. Her work with clients such as United Airlines, PepsiCo, Groupon, Deloitte, Motorola, Walgreens, and The Obama Foundation earned her the 2014 Chicago RedEye Big Idea Award and has nominated her for the 2015-2019 Chicago Innovations Award.
This graduate from Clemson University is a former experiential marketing and recruiting professional as well as a veteran improviser from the top improvisational training programs in Chicago, including The Second City, i.O. Theater, and The Annoyance Theatre.
When she is not playing pretend or facilitating, she enjoys running and beach dates with her husband and son, and their eight-pound toy poodle, BIGG Diehl.
You can follow the failed it! podcast on Instagram @learntoimproveit and facebook, and you can follow Erin personally on Instagram @keepinitrealdiehl here. You can also check out improve it! and how we can help your organization at www.learntoimproveit.com. We canโt wait to connect with you online!
โI love this podcast and I love Erin!!โ
If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this podcast! This helps Erin support more people โ just like you โ move toward the leader you want to be. Click here, click listen on Apple Podcasts, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with 5 stars, and select โWrite a Review.โ Then be sure to let Erin know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you havenโt done so already, subscribe to the podcast. That way you wonโt miss any juicy episodes! Thanks in advance, improve it! Peeps :)
Episode 128 Transcription
Erin (00:00):
Are you a leader searching for new and innovative ways to drive employee engagement and team morale through the roof? Do you wanna create a company culture where everyone feels seen, heard and valued? Hi, I'm Erin Diehl, business Improv retainer, failfluencer, and Professional zoombie, who is ready to help you improve your it, your IT being the thing that makes you you. Think of me as your keeping it real, professional development bestie who is here to help you learn from your failures. Stand tall and your power and improve yourself so you can improve the lives of others. Oh, and did I mention that we are improving your IT through play? That's right. I am an improvisational comedy expert who uses experiential learning to help you have your aha moments. Those are the moments when the light bulb goes off and you're laughing at the same time. So grab your chicken hat, your notebook, and your inner child because I'm gonna take you on a journey that is both fun and transformative. Welcome to the improve it! Podcast.
Erin (01:23):
Improve it! Peeps. You have heard me say it every episode. Keep failing. Keep improving because the world needs that special it that only you can bring. Don't worry you did not fast forward to the end of this episode. Your technology device is doing just fine. This tagline has a purpose. This show is here to help you understand what your, it is our amazing client experience associate. Nicole has listened to this show so many times and she said, You know what would be a great episode, Erin, if you made it all about what is your it? So many people struggle with finding it, pun intended. And I said, Nicole, you're a genius. A poet and a scholar. Let's do it. Another pun intended. So here we are today because I want you to walk away from this episode with a purpose, with a mission, with your mission it statement ready to go.
Erin (02:33):
Locked and loaded. So here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna take you on a trip back in time, time, time, time, time. That's right. Come with me, my friends. To early Erin. Early Erin. We'll start out at 13 years old. Early Aaron was just the biggest gift troupe on the planet. I knew at that time in my life. I loved making people laugh. I really did. It brought me so much joy. I was always performing. I was in choir, I was in dance, I was doing all the things. But what really lifted me up was watching other people light up in my presence. I actually thought at that time, maybe I'll become a florist when I grow up because people love Floris. They're dropping off flowers. You can never be mad at a florist. It sounded like a great opportunity. Cut to Erin in high school.
Erin (03:26):
Now Erin in high school did some finding herself. There were some awkward years, but I was voted class clown by my peers. I was always well received because I love to help people laugh. I love people. I've known that from a very young age and I loved entertaining them. I did sketch comedy. I did, I danced. I was on the poms team. I was in show choir with my jazz hands and during this time I developed a idea to become a talk show host and I told everybody about this. My maiden name was Holbrook. So the Erin Holbrook show was this really elaborate plan that I had in my head and really the plan was it went like this, the Erin Holbrook show with the jazz hand and that was all I had. I knew I wanted to talk, but I had no clue what I wanted to talk about.
Erin (04:18):
I just knew I liked to entertain and help others laugh. So I decided to go to Clemson University for undergrad and major in communications every parent's dream. I will tell you I love you Clemson Amazing school. Best time of my life. I don't use a single thing that I did in college except the fund that I had. And you know, I really can do a keg stand with the best of them. So <laugh> that all to say I was still searching. I was under the impression that my life was going to have something to do with entertainment, but I didn't know what, I didn't know how, I didn't know where to go to make that happen. So I moved to the place where the biggest talk show host in the world lived Chicago with the one and only Oprah went free. The show was still going on at the time.
Erin (05:16):
This was yearly two thousands. I was 22 years old. I moved to Chicago. I literally had $120 in my bank account. I sold my car the day before I moved with my best friend and then I got cast in an off Broadway show that paid me $50 a night for three nights a week. I got an unpaid internship at a casting agency and then I decided, you know what? I gotta pay the bills so I'm gonna work at a bar. That's what that communications degree did right outta college. In hindsight, it was great learning. It was all helping me understand the business and how things work, how to be an entertainer, how to be on the casting side, how to hustle and make money. But I was still trying to figure out what in the world am I gonna do with my life? How do I become a talk show host?
Erin (06:08):
What is this talk show about? I actually will never forget this. I did get an interview at Harpo and the way I got it was I found the email addresses for one of the senior supervising producers. Saw they were hiring an executive assistant, applied, got an interview, didn't get the job. Thank God for her and for me and truly my dreams were crushed. But I knew that this was the stepping stone that I needed. That this push, that seeing actually Harpo in person was so exciting was something that I wanted to be a part of. That helping people the way that Oprah did was really magical and something I saw myself doing. So cut to many failed jobs. Many odd, odd, odd jobs. There is a episode early in this podcast, which was actually formally called the Failed It Podcast called My Failure Resume.
Erin (07:11):
I think it's like the first 10 or 11 episodes if you wanna go back and listen to it. I can't go back and listen to it because when I, Erin from two years ago is a different Erin from now. So go back, tell me how it is. <Laugh>, it lists all the things that I did in my twenties and I had so many odd jobs from being a costume character at the Shed Aquarium in Chicago that's real. From traveling the country with the dog dive competition. Mm-Hmm <affirmative> from bartending as you know and just doing trade show after trade show, random auto show gigs, random things to pay my rent. But we're all there to help me understand. You gotta keep hustling, you gotta keep grinding. This is what you want. This is what you don't want. So I was on this constant journey of discovery by trying, trying, trying and failing, failing, failing and getting back up again.
Erin (08:12):
Finally in my late twenties, the idea of improve it came to me. That is the whole entire episode. But during that time I discovered this idea. I thought it was awesome and then I sat on it for two and a half years. I did nothing with it. I just dreamed about it and dreamed about it. But I knew that it was my calling. I knew that this company, that this show that you're listening to was going to happen. I just didn't know how or when I knew that it involved laughter, levity, positivity and I knew that I wanted to develop teams and leaders through play laughter and experiential learning. My, it was so stinking loud and so freaking clear. It created what you're listening to right now which brought the amazing people who make up improve it together. There is an episode of this show, which is episode 1 23 called How to Use Improv to Magnetize a Culture Where All Feel Seen, Heard and Valued.
Erin (09:21):
Please go back and listen to this episode. This episode is going to share with you how you can do that in your own culture. But I'm telling you this teaching tool of improv is what brought the most amazing people to this company. You've heard from our facilitators a lot on this show. You've heard from some of the people on the internal team. But today I really wanted to highlight who makes it happen here behind the scenes and share with you what their it is. So without further ado, I would love for you to meet Jenna, Nicole Kennedy and Katie and hear their its so hopefully they can inspire you. Here we go.
Jenna (10:08):
My name is Jenna McDonnell and I'm the Director of Client Experience at Improve It. My it is my empathy and love of community. I always wanna make those around me feel valued, seen and connected.
Nicole (10:23):
Hi, my name is Nicole and I am the client experience associate here at Improve It. My it I would say I am still trying to figure out exactly what it is which I think a lot of people can relate to that and are in that same boat. But I think every day I'm getting a stronger idea of what it is and right now it revolves around storytelling of all kinds in all formats and using it to connect with others.
Kennedy (11:02):
My name is Kennedy Hurst and I am a graphic designer for Improve it. Whether I am cheering to my friends, being there for loved ones or using my skills to showcase a business or organization, my IT is to celebrate and support the people in my world when they're happy in finding success. So am I.
Katie (11:23):
My name is Katie Merrit and I am in marketing at Improve it and my, IT is being able to develop and grow relationships. Personally that is through friendship and family and being able to kind of grow with the people that I hold most close to myself. And then professionally being able to build really solid connections but also being able to lean into other people's expertise and talents. Be able to leverage and empower those in the hopes that we're all doing great unified work that we really love doing.
Erin (12:06):
Okay, so fun. I'm so glad you got to hear from these amazing women. If you want to book an event with Improve IT or have in the past, you've talked to Jenna are a fantastic director of client experience. If you see anything on social media or you see any type of interaction on social media from Improve It, that is Nicole who crushes it on the regular and in who inspired this show. If you have seen our website, any of our marketing materials, you are looking at Katie and if you see the graphics on any of those things you are looking at. Kennedy, did I say that right? Katie's website. Kennedy is graphic design and every single one of these women plays a key role in our company and in our business. And each one of them has a different take on their it. The through line that you see is that they all love helping people and seeing people shine, which is important because that's what this company does. We help people who love their people. So we have to attract this amazing group of women and people who make up our organization who love helping people. Yeah. One of the things I wanna point out is Nicole, Nicole said she still figuring out her it. And if that sounds like you, that my friend is a K, you heard that it took me years of gigs and odd jobs to out how to create this business
Erin (13:54):
Person is on a different journey. You could be in your twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, sixties, still trying to figure out you're in. And that's, this episode exists I ways five steps to figure out your mission, your purpose. Because when you walk away from this show today, I want those wheels to be turning and you to start thinking about how you show up in this world. So here we go. Take out a pen and paper for this. This is methodical. It goes step by step. It is tangible. I need you to do this for you, not for me, for you. So number one, you're gonna set a timer on your phone for three minutes and then you are going to just take three minutes to dump out on that sheet of paper any word that comes to mind that describes you. It could be bold, caring, daring, funny, witty, smiley, silly.
Erin (15:00):
It could be any word that when you think of yourself, this is what comes to mind. That's step one. Step two, I want you to go to two to three of your closest friends or family members and say, I am working on a personal IT mission statement for myself. Could you please by Friday give them a deadline. Send me a list of 10 to 20 words that describe me. Just first words that come to mind. Don't overthink it. That's step two. Make sure you give 'em a deadline. People are busy, you know what I'm saying? Okay. Step three, I want you to take both of those lists. The list that you made for yourself and the list that your family and friends gave you. And I want you to compare the two circle any words that come up twice. So you've got your list and then you've got two to three other lists from your family members and maybe the word kind comes up on all of them or maybe it comes up on two of the four. Circle it. Those words are so important because they are number one, how the world and your closest friends and family see you. And number two, how you think that you are shown to the world. Let's compare the two. Do they merge together? Take another sheet of paper and make a list of all of the words that are common that you've seen more than once. And this could be 15, 20, however many words that are common and you've seen more, more than once. Put on a sheet of paper.
Erin (16:46):
Here is the most important part. After you have this final list, I want you to take out a timer and do another list. Lots of lists here of phrases of how you want to make people feel in your presence. I wanna share with you a little story here because this was an eye-opening experience for me. I have a mentor who ist a very similar line of work. She is an executive coach. She's been doing this much longer than I have and she is by far one of the greatest human beings on this planet. And I'll never forget, we used to go to weekly lunch or not weekly, kind of every few months lunches in Chicago. And when she talks to you, she puts her arms on the table with her palms facing up. She looks you straight in the eye and she listens. So empathetically, you feel like the best person in the world.
Erin (17:48):
She's also silly. She makes you giggle. She is spiritual, she is caring, she is compassionate. And when I walk away from those lunches, I feel like a million dollars. I said to her one day while we were eating lunch over like an avocado toast, I started actually crying in the moment because I realized that how she made me feel is how I wanted other people to feel in my presence. That exact feeling of feeling so special and heard and valued is what I want anyone in my space to feel. So I want you think about how do you want others to feel in your presence? And take a timer, set it for three minutes and jot down those ideas from that you're gonna brainstorm. This is step five, a two to three sentence tagline. That is your mission it statement. So it is going to be a compilation of how you want others to feel, who you are and what you would like them to feel in your presence.
Erin (19:09):
This is also inspired by how you're already doing things, how people already see you. So let me share with you mine so this can hopefully help you. So my tagline is, or my its mission statement, I'm Aaron deal. You're keeping it real. Professional development bestie who develops teams and leaders through play improv and experiential learning. I can teach you how to get comfortable with failure and how do use improv to magnetize a culture where all feel seen, heard and valued. That it statement has taken me 39 years to create. So in the beginning how I say you're keeping it real professional development bestie. That's how I want you to see me. I want you to know I'm gonna keep it 100 and I'm gonna develop you real hard, okay? And I'm gonna do it like we're best friends cuz I hope that you feel like when you listen to the show, we're hanging out, we're at lunch, my palms are facing up and I am here for you.
Erin (20:11):
So I'm developing teams and leaders. You're the leader. I'm developing your team and I'm using play improv and experiential learning to do that. Now, this is something I'm currently doing. I'm teaching you how to get comfortable with failure and how to use improv to magnetize the culture where all feel seen, heard and valued. That is what I'm currently teaching on. This could change, this could be something that I absolutely want to do. Cause if I'm being honest with you are I see you keynote, which is all about culture and belonging and feeling seen, heard and valued is very new. So I haven't really started teaching on this as much. So this is me telling you where I'm at now and projecting what I want in the future. My it is a compilation of who I am and who I want to be. That is your it.
Erin (20:59):
You already have that. It ingrained in you. By the way, think back to 13-year-old, you think back to high school, you don't cringe. I know it's weird. It's awkward. Think back to college. You or university you, you were given an inherent gift. What is that gift? Mine was the gift of gab. Truly, I am not gifted when it comes to sports, math, science. Really the only thing I can do is talk. And I can talk and talk and talk and talk. And so guess what? I'm using that gift. And because I'm already good at it doesn't feel like work. Think of it like that. You're, it doesn't have to be hard. It is already inside of you. You are embodying that it, you just need to make it known. So I want you to take this, this two-to-three sentences, your new mission it statement.
Erin (22:06):
And I want you to put it somewhere that you will see it every single day. So maybe it's the notes section of your phone. Maybe it's a posted note on your mirror, on your laptop or on your screen. Wherever you will see this thing, I want you to post it, put in a shower. Hopefully you shower daily. I wanna post note in your shower. And I want you to embody this because your, IT needs to be shared with the world. And that's the next and final step. You're gonna share this IT statement. You can share it with us. I would be honored to receive it. You could email it at info, learn to improve it.com. I will respond. I will applaud you. It holds you accountable. And I'm gonna applaud you for your hard work and coming up with this. I also want you to share it with the people you've asked for their help, your friends and family members and say, this is my mission IT statement.
Erin (23:03):
Here's where I'm going. Are you on board? Cause I'm on the, the cars moving. All right? We're going 80 miles per hour down the highway. There's no pit stops. Gonna keep going over this metaphor cause I want to don't press the breaks. Radio's blaring. All right, I'm done. So here's what I'm saying, friends, your IT is a part of you already. And if you don't have a clue what it is, like Nicole, use these steps to help you find it. And it can take years because your mission statement is gonna evolve with you. That it, two years ago, this show started is a different IT than the IT that it is today. But I know who I am to my core, and that's to be a person who spreads laughter, levity and positivity. It's to shed light in this world, it's to be a light and it's to help you find your light. I can literally cry saying this. I'm sitting in my podcast closet alone crying because I believe in you so much and I know that you have it inside of you. You just need to define it and then own it and live it. Pun intended on every single it I just said.
Erin (24:31):
So again, number one, I want you to write down those words that describe you in three minutes. Number two, ask your close family and friends to do the same. Number three, compare the two and find that list of your similarities that you see yourself and the way that others see you. Number four, write down how you want to make others feel. And number five, create that mission its statement and share it. Share it, share it, share it. Know that I am here for you. I am rooting for you. I am so proud of you. You should be so proud of yourself. I wanna thank the amazing members of the improvement team for sharing their IT with us today. I'm so glad I get to be a part of your IT journey and watch all of you soar. That is one of the greatest gifts is watching people live out their IT statements.
Erin (25:23):
So leaders encourage others to listen to this episode, help them find their IT statements and help them live it every single day in the work that they're doing. Lean into that it, lean into their it, lead them from that IT and lean into your IT because the world needs it. They need it. Pun and pun and pun intended. So I'm gonna say it again and I'll keep saying it. I want you improve IT peeps to keep failing, Keep improving because that world out there needs your special IT that only you can bring. I will see you next week. So proud of you. Hey friend, did you enjoy today's show? If so, head on over to iTunes to rate and subscribe. So you never miss an episode. Now, did I mention that when you leave a five-star review of the improve it! podcast, an actual team of humans does a happy dance? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. That's right. So leave a review for us on iTunes, screenshot it and send me an email at info. Learn to improve it.com. I'll send you a personalized video back as a thank you. Thanks so much for listening. Improve it pees. I'll see you next Wednesday.