Zuryna Livermore: Welcome back to
Operations Unfiltered, the podcast
that takes you behind the scenes of
influencer and talent management.
I'm your host and your favorite marketing
project manager, girlies Zuryna.
I've learned that sometimes the
best connections happen when
you're least expecting them.
Earlier this year, I completed
the board Leadership Pipeline
program through the associated
black charities here in Baltimore.
And at our closing ceremony, I
had the opportunity to chat with
a few really amazing people.
These conversations
sparked today's episode.
Today I'll be joined by Krista Grub.
Tracy, the client relationship
manager at the Dr.
Nancy Grasmick Leadership
Institute at Towson University.
We'll be talking all things leadership,
everything from navigating change
and building authentic workplace
culture to what it really takes to
lead with both strategy and purpose.
Krista brought so much insight and energy
to the table, and trust me, whether
you're an entrepreneur, a team leader,
or someone who's just trying to figure
out how to show up better in their role,
this episode is packed with gyms for you.
So without further ado, let's
get into this week's episode
of Operations Unfiltered.
Thank you so much for joining me I am
super excited for this conversation,
but first, before we get started,
can you tell us your name and the
company that you are representing?
Grubb: Sure.
My name is Krista Grub Tracy.
I'm with the Dr.
Nancy Grasmick Leadership Institute,
which is anchored at Towson University.
Zuryna Livermore: Yes.
Okay, so I have to give a
little bit of a backstory.
I met you at the Associated Black
Charities graduation, the cohort
graduation, and I love the facility.
I loved you guys' energy,
and I said, you know what?
I need to talk to you about
all of the things that you guys
are doing with this institute.
And of course, I wanna know the
project management of it all.
So.
How did you get started with the Dr.
Nancy Grasmick Institute and
why did you start working here?
Grubb: Yeah.
Yeah.
, I'll definitely give a little bit of
background about me and then also it
might be helpful to explain kind of
what we do so that way the two can come
together and make a little bit of sense.
So, my background is, I.
What used to be in admissions at Johns
Hopkins, the undergrad campus, and
I really fell in love with community
building and really helping people
maximize their impact and their potential.
So I wound up developing out the staff
training there, and then also creating
an entirely new alumni group, so
working with different stakeholders.
Holders in the university to
really put together this group of
alumni from all over the globe.
So I really fell in love
with those two pieces.
And so that's what led me to realize
I really wanted to study leadership
and kind of see the technical
aspects of that, so to speak.
And so I got my grad degree, my master's
of Science in Organizational Leadership.
And when I was graduating, I
was reconnecting with my old
boss, Steve Kaiser, and he
said, you know, Towson just.
Started a leadership institute.
You might wanna reach out and see
what's going on there, so thanks to him.
Zuryna Livermore: there.
Grubb: Yes, exactly.
It was around the same time.
It was only, I think a
year in at that point.
And so I, reached out, had some
informational talks with the team
members, and then realized, wow, I
really am passionate about the mission
and what they do, and it aligns with
what I was getting excited about.
, And so that's what brought
me to the institute.
And so now I am our client
relationship manager at the institute.
So my role is really that.
Community building.
So going out and meeting people
across the entire region and figuring
out how we can uplift the region
through leadership development.
So that is business development.
That's, connecting with
perspective partners.
And so I'm really out about every
day, which I love, but it brings me
back to really how do we maximize.
Everyone's potential because we,
our mission is to uplift the region
through leadership development, which
then will have stronger outcomes,
stronger economy, and so forth.
So,
Zuryna Livermore: Yeah,
Grubb: so
Zuryna Livermore: a holistic
approach from all different angles.
I love that.
I love
Grubb: yeah.
Yeah.
Zuryna Livermore: a client relationship
manager, I know a job title can
have so many different meanings.
It can have so many different roles
and responsibilities, but what does a
typical day in the life look like for you?
Grubb: Yeah.
So it is never the same,
which is something I love.
So, let me explain a little bit about
what we do and then I can explain
what the day-to-day looks like.
So , the institute is.
Not for-profit.
We are truly here just for the community.
Good.
And we have two branches, so to speak.
So we have one that's philanthropic
and that is our ability to get sponsors
who will offset the costs to run
public, one to two day workshops,
breakfast forums, kind of that thought
leadership for anybody in the community,
no matter your financial means.
So those are very low cost or
free, depending on the event.
So sometimes I am helping
running those events.
And then really my bread and butter
on the team is partnering with
specific organizations to support
their leadership development in-house.
So that can look like organizations
that already have leadership development
or learning and development folks in
house, and they need that extra support
or specialization to those who don't
have that type of team in their office.
And we can support their
leadership development.
So the other half of what I do is I
am meeting with perspective partners.
I am helping run those events.
So those, that's, that's my nine to five.
I'm either typically at one of those
two types of events or, and then
in the evenings, a lot of times
I am out and meeting community.
So I am at networking events
or at professional association
events or what have you.
So, a lot of times, especially this time
of year, I'm really out and about, whether
it's at a workshop or at one of those
kind of evening community events or.
Breakfast events.
That's really what my day
to day looks like, and it is
different every single day.
Zuryna Livermore: For sure.
I definitely.
Will say you are LinkedIn famous.
I do see you a lot on LinkedIn.
I see the stuff that you share and
I'm like, wow, you are out and about.
You are busy.
That's why I had to ask that.
I just would love to see, I love
to see both sides of the business
and I love to see how you and your
role, you amplify both sides of that.
I mean, you have the, you have
your day job, the logistics, but
then you have the networking piece,
which you spoke to earlier even,
which is how you landed in the job.
So I love to see how that.
That shows itself in in every aspect.
Grubb: Yeah, I mean, we're, we're
only three years old or almost
four years old at this point.
So really a lot of it is just trying
to get the name brand out there, get
people to know who we are, what we do.
'cause there's still so many
people that they don't know exist.
So yeah, it's really important to
spend the time right now kind of
on, on the ground, getting out and
about and meeting a lot of people.
Zuryna Livermore: You mentioned that you
are just three years old, but I did some
research and you guys have worked with so
many different organizations within that
short time span, and I wanna know what
systems or structures, whether it's like
communication plans, project plans, what
do you guys use to help you scale to that
amount of in that short amount of time?
Grubb: Yeah, so we originally started
off by doing a lot of public, those
public facing events I was talking about,
Zuryna Livermore: Mm-hmm.
Grubb: that allowed us to engage a lot
of different individuals from a lot
of different organizations in a very.
Quick timeframe.
That also has allowed us to build kind
of a community of advocates, which was
surprising to us how they have been, that
community of advocates has become one of
our biggest supporters and wasn't even
something that we asked for or anything.
But these people have come to our events
and really seen the impact of our work.
And now the word of mouth
is getting out there.
So it kind of, it snowballed very quickly
where we started engaging groups of
organizations through those public events,
and then Word was getting out and more and
more organizations wanted to get involved,
and then we started really diving in and
developing those deeper partnerships.
Longer term with organizations where
we're going, we call it custom or
in-house, we're doing that custom
in-house work with just that organization
rather than the public facing side.
Zuryna Livermore: I love that.
And can you talk a little bit more about
what that custom engagement looks like?
And I'm a process girly,
Grubb: Mm-hmm.
Zuryna Livermore: sprints are my thing.
What does that look like From
implementation or from inquiry?
When they ask that, Hey, I wanna
work with you to implementation.
Grubb: Yeah.
Yeah.
So there's a lot of ways they can come to
us, whether it's through a public event
or meeting them out in the community.
So, once we have that initial
touchpoint, if they're interested
in looking more at what that would
look like for a deeper partnership.
I will schedule a call with them
and we call it a needs assessment.
So really getting an intake of what
what are some areas that they're
looking to get that support?
What are areas where they could see
their staff really thrive and develop if
they're given that additional support?
Because a lot of people are promoted
based on their technical skills,
not based on leadership development.
Right.
And so, a lot of.
Yes, exactly.
So, how, what are those gaps that
that organization is seeing and what
levels, what departments kind of
getting an intake of all of that.
And then I will create a
proposal that will say, okay,
based on this conversation,
here's what I would recommend.
And then they can decide we'll have
another follow, follow up call typically
to really narrow it down and think.
Through the logistics side of it all.
And then we'll move forward with
actually implementing the plan.
And then at the end we will
reconvene and debrief and look at,
we do post-event surveys as well.
Zuryna Livermore: Oh, I
Grubb: Really?
Zuryna Livermore: Like a
Grubb: Yeah.
Zuryna Livermore: learned.
I love that my, the project manager
in me is like my heart is fluttering.
Grubb: Because we're so young, we're
still wanna figure out what's working,
what's not, what does the region need?
So those are really important to us to
figure out are we having that impact?
Are we meeting what success would
look like for that organization?
So, so that would be kind of the.
For lack of better term
endpoint to that process.
But our goal is really to
be a long-term partner.
So we're not here for flash
in the pan one and done.
Our goal is really to continue that
development and have people continue to
really grow their skills in different ways
and have those tools under their belts.
So we wanna be a long-term partner.
So that's the short process, but
really long-term, our goal is to
meet annually with these partners,
reassess what they're seeing now after.
Programs have already happened and
how we can support moving forward
to create an annual game plan.
Zuryna Livermore: I love that, and based
on the lessons learned that you have, it's
just something that I'm just interested in
as someone who does lessons learned and.
Carries out projects planned similarly.
I wonder have there been any themes
that you've pointed out or anything
that you've seen as an area that
companies really should focus
on as it relates to leadership?
And if so, what are like your top
two or three themes that you've seen?
Grubb: Oh yeah, great question.
So we're constantly, we're
keeping up with what?
Is happening in the market
and even in the world.
So, you know, the great
gloom during COVID.
And then we're seeing
different things now.
So we try to keep up to date and try to
create opportunities for organizations
and individuals that will meet that need.
So for instance I know AI has been
a big point of talk the past, I'd
say year or so, and we just held
a breakfast forum where we had.
A lot of regional leaders come and talk
about how AI and leadership intersect, and
so that, that's an example of something
that we were hearing in the market, and
Zuryna Livermore: Mm-hmm.
Grubb: we wanted to try
to create an opportunity.
Or another one right now that we're
hearing about a lot is we just
developed out a whole program around
smart delegation, so how do you, yeah.
Zuryna Livermore: that.
That's interesting.
Grubb: Yeah, so we hear a lot of that
people, once they start you know, moving
up and start becoming supervisors and so
forth or even C-Suite, honestly, a lot of
the times too, they have trouble figuring
out when to let go, how to let go, how
to give, give the work to others, and.
They may understand that it's a way
to lift others up and train them and
teach them, but how do you do it?
What are those roadblocks and how
do we overcome those roadblocks?
And so.
Zuryna Livermore: know what that is?
I didn't even think of that.
Smart delegation.
That is a topic even, you know, I
work in corporate that as someone
who's professional, mid-level
professional, I even struggle
with that because I'm like, well.
I don't know what to do.
Like, is this something
that I should take on?
I don't wanna feel, I don't want
my manager to feel like I'm less
than, or I can't, you know, meet
my potential by asking is this
something that I should delegate?
So, that's a great topic.
I hadn't, that's a good idea.
I need to be well aware of any
events like that, I please let
Grubb: Yep.
Well, I think we're gonna be
hosting it publicly next year.
We're still finalizing our schedule,
so I will send you a personal
invite to that when that date and
location, everything is selected.
Zuryna Livermore: I love that.
Yes.
Such a a, a very important topic.
Grubb: Yes, for sure.
But yeah, to answer your question, we
just kind of, we we're, it's really
important to have those debrief meetings,
not only to know, okay, did we have,
did we meet the criteria of what would
be success for that organization?
But that's where I hear those things.
That's where we kind of get those ideas.
And we also try to, connect with C-Suite
folks around the region on a continual
basis to also get their insights too.
But it is helpful to just kind of keep
an ear on the ground of what, what is
needed as the world around us right now.
It feels like it's changing
so fast all the time.
Zuryna Livermore: Rapidly.
You
Grubb: Yes.
Zuryna Livermore: something For sure.
Grubb: Yes, exactly.
Yeah, so, well, I'm excited for
you to come to the public version
when we have the delegation one.
Zuryna Livermore: am so excited.
And you know, I was thinking here,
there's a lot of C-Suite and leadership.
This is an influencer Project Manager
Pro podcast, and I know a lot of C-Suite
members are now leaning into being
influencers and content creators while
still holding down their C-Suite job.
I'm wondering if you guys have
thought about any programming.
In that regard if I'm shameless plug,
I'm doing something with the Baltimore
County Public Library called the Business
of Influence and Content Creation.
And I really would love to continue
that conversation because to your
point, social media, the digital
media landscape is really changing.
And I'm just wondering, is that,
is there an appetite for that?
What have you, what
have you heard on that?
Or is that even of interest to you all?
Grubb: Yeah, great question.
So our content really is not field
specific, so we tend to keep things
kind of evergreen, high level.
Zuryna Livermore: It.
Grubb: we did talk about ai, which
is a little bit more, I'd say,
specific than typically we go
into a specific field, but just.
Emotional intelligence across
all industries delegation
across all industries.
So, that's not something we've necessarily
thought about or dived deeply into,
but we do think about the influence
not just social media specific, but the
influence that you can have on those
beneath you and, and vice versa, right?
The middle level managers also have
a lot of influence upwards too,
and they often create the culture.
Zuryna Livermore: up.
Grubb: Yes, exactly.
And so I think they're kind of a
lost part of the hierarchy when we
think about culture and influence
and everything because they're
really the ones who set the culture.
'cause they're the in between, right?
Zuryna Livermore: Yes.
Grubb: Yeah.
Zuryna Livermore: I
hate the word middleman.
I like to say liaison.
That's,
Grubb: Yes.
Zuryna Livermore: a nicer phrase.
Grubb: Yeah.
Yeah.
But yeah, there, so a lot of our
programming that's one thing that
we heard when we originally built
out the institute was there's so
much support for C-Suite, how do we
support those middle level folks?
So I don't know if that's something
that you're including in your social
media focus, but that's what we were
hearing about five years ago when
we were building out the portfolio.
Zuryna Livermore: is something
that I did not consider, but
I will consider that now.
So I thank you for sharing that.
Look, I'm learning so much
myself on this episode.
Grubb: Well with the influencer stuff,
please keep me updated 'cause I'm
trying to build the, the link, my
personal LinkedIn so that way people
can stay aflo of what we're doing.
'cause we're out and about all the time.
So I want people to see what we're doing.
So please loop me into that.
'cause I, I personally.
Zuryna Livermore: reason why I wanted
to meet with you because this is, you
know, I take listeners behind the scenes
of influencer and talent management,
but I kind of feel like you, as you're
building your LinkedIn profile and you
are out and about at these events, I
kind of look at you as sort of like an
influencer, at least on behalf of the Dr.
Nancy Grasmick Institute.
As you're sort of like a thought leader.
You're sharing the mission
and values and vision.
So that's why I was like, this
is the perfect person to talk to.
You're just in a different space.
It's not the traditional Instagram
and TikTok that everyone thinks
about, but LinkedIn is really
becoming a booming market.
So that's the, that's the reason why
I thought of you and the business of
influence and this institute specifically
because just like you know, you guys talk
about evergreen topics, I do think that.
media and influencing should be a
broader topic because you are an
influencer, for lack of a better word.
So,
Grubb: Oh,
Zuryna Livermore: dunno.
Grubb: thank you.
Zuryna Livermore: that.
Yes.
Grubb: Well, it's funny
you say that actually.
Talking about influence when I was
just on a team meeting this morning
and one thing that we're really
diving into is how do we leverage
our advocates to influence others?
And so it's not only me representing
the institute being out and about at all
these things, but how do we get folks
to and how we create a process for folks
to really talk about their experiences.
'cause we have these advocates
informally talking about what we do.
But one of our projects, so it's
so funny you bring this up, is this
summer we really wanna focus on getting
those stories from folks directly.
'cause that's actually gonna be
what I think is our, our ability
to show our impact to the best.
Not necessarily what, you know,
me being out and about, but really
people sharing their experiences.
So, so I think there's so much power.
Zuryna Livermore: I'm a fractional
project manager for small business
owners, and that's what I tell them.
I'm like, yes, we love the services that
you do, and I love seeing the behind
the scenes, but those testimonials from
people saying how good your services
are and those testimonials from people
eating your food or getting their nails
done by you, that's what resonates
with other people, and that's what
makes people continue to come to you.
So.
The fact that you guys are leaning
into the testimonials, I love it.
I really am excited to see what
kind of content comes from that.
But more than that, I'm really
excited to see how you guys within the
institute, the leadership team, you
utilize yourself as thought leaders.
Because I love seeing when you guys
post and take your selfies at the event.
So keep doing that too.
Grubb: Thank you.
I'll definitely keep it up.
I am going to an event tonight,
so I will post one just for you.
Zuryna Livermore: get a ring
light and get a selfie stick.
And I honestly am so awkward.
I used to be, I, I used to feel
awkward going to events and pulling
out my phone and recording, but
honestly, people wanna see it.
Like, I want and I wanna showcase
Grubb: Yeah.
Zuryna Livermore: I wanna inspire
other people to say, yes, you're a
mom, or Yes, you're a wife, or, yes,
you have a nine to five, but get out
there and network because that is
the best way to achieve your dreams.
So get
Grubb: Yeah.
Yeah.
Zuryna Livermore: Get a ring
Grubb: Networking does not have
to be as intimidating as I think
a lot of people think it is.
I was actually just having a conversation
with my high school friends a couple, a
couple months ago, and one of my friends
is a therapist and she said, you know,
I'm, I'm intimidated by networking
events because it's all these people.
And I said, well, you talk
to people all day one-on-one.
Zuryna Livermore: Oh, that's funny.
Grubb: And I said, I
see it the same thing.
You're just developing
relationships, you know?
Yes, you're in a group of
people, but typically you're
talking one-on-one or two-on-one.
Right?
So.
So it's funny she said that and the
moment that she kind of reframed how
she thought about it, she said, oh
yeah, I'm not intimidated at all.
And actually our other friend after
that conversation is joining me
tonight at the networking event.
And so, he, that completely
changed his mindset too.
So yeah, it's, I think
networking can be not
Zuryna Livermore: Oh no, it froze.
Hold on.
Oh, no.
There we go.
We're back.
It
Grubb: okay.
Zuryna Livermore: a little
bit, but we're back.
You, you seem, it sounded like
you became the therapist of your
friend group for a little bit.
That's so hilarious.
Grubb: Maybe, I don't know.
Normally she's the one
giving us great advice, but.
Zuryna Livermore: Yes, she should.
She probably will send you an invoice.
I'm that friend.
I'm the girl that's like, yes.
I'll give you my advice.
Here's my invoice.
Just kidding.
Just kidding.
For all my friends listening, but as a
client relationship manager, I wanna go
back to all of your things that you do.
You say you manage events, you go to
in-person events, you, I'm sure you have
administrative things that you need to do.
am a project manager, girly, but I'm also.
I need to stay organized.
What tools or texts or workflows
do you use to stay organized
and keep things running?
Because I don't know how you do it.
It's too
Grubb: Yeah, we don't
know how we do it either.
That's actually in, in addition
to the testimonials that's
another project that we are gonna
work on this summer as a team.
We really have scaled quickly.
So, you know, I talked about
how quickly people were, it was
snowballing and the word was getting
out there and our engagement,
which was a great problem to have.
But now we wanna take the time to really
sit down, figure out our processes, and
we recently, as of December, brought
on a new team member who is really
spearheading all of our operations.
So that was amazing.
And she's a great addition.
And so really now that she's onboard,
onboarded, and has kind of gotten
a lay of the land, how we wanna sit
down and really think that through.
So I'm not saying we know everything,
but right now what we do know is we've
built out mainly for me monday.com,
and that's where I'm keeping track of.
My conversations I'm keeping track of,
okay, I talked to this perspective partner
about X, Y, Z, and you know, we can
maybe expect x, y, Z to happen this year.
Or or my I call 'em centers of influence.
Those people who are great advocates
for us and we'll send people our way.
So, when was the last
time I talked to them?
Where did I see them?
Kind of all of that information is housed.
Zuryna Livermore: relationship
manager type of thing.
Grubb: Yeah.
Zuryna Livermore: like that.
Grubb: Yeah, we, 'cause we have
Salesforce, but that really, we have
to share it across the university,
so we don't have a lot of ownership
over the way it's formatted and used.
So really we only have that in there for
the contact, so that way we can send out
our emails through the distribution list.
But our really, my day to
day is in the monday.com
system that we've built
out, and that's also.
Where now I'm in the process of
building out a content calendar
for our team, so plugging those
testimonials and getting that out there.
So that's also where we house that too.
Zuryna Livermore: Okay, that's,
I'm excited to see all the content.
I, I'm the content queen.
I would definitely double tap on all your
posts, so count on me to like your stuff.
Grubb: Thank you.
I appreciate it.
Zuryna Livermore: Yes, and with
all of these partnerships and
relationships that you have, how do
you prioritize and manage and figure
out who's gonna get what attention?
When is it based on what goals
you have for the quarter?
Give me the tee on that, because
again, my head is spinning with
all the things that you have to do.
Grubb: Yeah, it sounds
like a really high number.
I think it's helpful to
explain the little, the
different levels of engagement.
So we, we have those folks who
are an individual who came to
a public session, and that is.
An organization engaging with us,
but that's not gonna have the same
amount of time, attention, number of
conversations, et cetera as a partner
where we are going in and supporting
their organization of a thousand people
and their leadership development, right?
So, so my time is really spent on
what is that organization's needs.
'cause sometimes organizations either.
You know, they don't have the funding to
bring us in in-house, so they just wanna
send their people to the public versions.
And so there's really limited
conversation needed there.
Maybe I'll talk to somebody
about what programs might be
best suited for their folks.
All the way to, having monthly
calls with clients that we're
working with and figuring out,
okay, what worked last month?
What do we need to pivot?
What do you need?
Those are a little bit more high
touchpoint partnerships, I'd say.
Zuryna Livermore: Okay.
Okay.
So I like the , customized
approach you guys have
Grubb: yep.
We're here to help every
organization in any way.
So whether that's just, you know, sending
one person to our public programming.
And we do cap it at two
people per organization.
Just so we can serve the highest number
of organizations across the region.
So whether it's sending one or two
people to that, or all the way to a
whole intensive, customized program
for their team and organizations.
Zuryna Livermore: I love that.
I'm gonna have to send some companies
your way because I know a couple of
people who have some C-suite executives
that are always looking to develop.
So I'll send, send them your way.
Grubb: Yeah, please do.
Zuryna Livermore: I wanna know, based
on the work that you've been doing, what
are some of the common misconceptions
that people have with either working
with an institution like this or even,
changing their workplace culture?
Has there been resistance and
how do you guys deal with that?
Grubb: Great question.
Couple pieces to that.
So I'll first answer about working with us
and then I'll answer just more generally.
What are misconceptions
around leadership development?
So, because we really customize
everything, I think people think
we're at a super high price point,
which we are not for profit.
I mean, we're part of Towson University,
which we cannot be for profit.
So, so we really only charge our at cost.
So that is something I
think is a misconception.
They hear the word custom or tailored
or in-house, and they think it's gonna
be a bajillion dollars because a lot of.
Zuryna Livermore: Alarms go up.
Grubb: Yes, yes.
Because a lot of times it is, but those
companies tend to be for profit, right?
So we, our price point is very different.
So I think that's one huge
misconception, or that we are
only here for a certain level.
We support all levels.
C-suite all the way, to those
who are new supervisors.
So we at any industry too, we
are not just here for education,
even though we're anchored at
Towson, we support any industry.
So those are some misconceptions
I think about us and our work when
they just hear firsthand what we do.
You know, right off the bat.
But then generally with leadership
development there's a lot of
misconceptions I think about
what makes a culture and.
So we saw a lot, especially before the
pandemic we're gonna put in a ping pong
table and we have a great culture, right?
They would talk about
those kinds of perks and
Zuryna Livermore: The food is always
Grubb: Ooh.
We've got nap pods that was
really popular for a while, right?
Like it, those kinds of things are
fine and dandy, but really a culture
is in those consistent moments.
And it's not just leadership,
although it's important that they
are consistent and they follow
their values and they walk the talk.
Zuryna Livermore: Mm-hmm.
Grubb: but it's really all levels
too, and it's in, it's just that
consistency that builds culture.
It's not these, you know, small perks.
And if you have a new
mission statement, great.
It's important to outline what is
important to you and your values, but if
you don't really follow through, then that
also doesn't set a good culture either.
So I think what sets a culture
is of often a misconception.
People think there, there's kind
of like band-aids to it and that's
Zuryna Livermore: Yeah.
Grubb: not how it works.
And so one of our goals is to enhance
staff engagement, retention and culture.
And so we work with organizations a lot
to really think through, okay, what is the
culture you want and how do we get there?
Zuryna Livermore: So again,
a very holistic approach.
It seems like it's a very
collaborative approach.
, A technical question because my brain
is always going to the technical.
Do you have sort of like, I don't
wanna say a RACI model, but do you
have an accountability model, meaning
who's gonna sign off on this plan
and, and what does that look like?
Grubb: Yeah, so it'll be
different in every organization.
We, so there's the logistical
side, like who signs off on the
contract, which can look very
different from every organization
to really how do we get that buy-in.
A lot of times, one thing is if we feel
that we may need to get that buy-in,
is having folks attend those public
programs so they can see us in action.
See our style.
'cause we.
Our style is very hands-on,
day-to-day, applicable.
It's not like leadership theory
and in all these textbooks I
have right next to me, right?
It's not like that at all.
It's very applicable to the day-to-day
real tangible tools you can take away.
So once people see it,
they get that buy-in.
And so sometimes the hardest part with
stakeholders is getting that buy-in.
So there's the logistical.
Who is going to approve
this and all of that.
But then there's also what we often
have to think about is who actually
needs to have the buy-in to form this
partnership, and how do we get that?
Zuryna Livermore: Okay.
I didn't have that lens on it.
And speaking of this, who is the
ideal person who should attend these
public events and what's the ideal
company business that would be in the
leadership development side of things?
Grubb: Yeah.
Yeah.
So our public programs are really for
anybody who is a working professional.
So every program that we put on
publicly will say in the description.
This is geared towards emerging leaders
or mid-level managers, and it'll, it'll
say who will be a good fit there, but.
Other than that really anybody,
any organization in the region, it
is on campus at Towson typically.
So, you just need to be able to come
to, to the Baltimore Towson area.
But other than that, anybody can be
a good fit for the public programs
for our in-house custom programs.
The partners we typically work with are
those who are, I'd say, medium sized
to maybe even large size organizations,
because those are the folks who really.
Are large enough, they would
need that support, but they don't
already have a team in-house.
Zuryna Livermore: Okay, so keep that
in mind for any listeners if you are in
need of these services, and can you gimme
some examples of types of industries
you've have supported in the past, just
so that way people can have another
example of if this would work for them.
Grubb: Yeah.
So we've helped government agencies
we've helped construction organizations,
law firms education systems.
Okay.
Zuryna Livermore: You've run the gamut.
Grubb: we really have, yeah, we're really
here for, like I said, any industry
because our content is so evergreen,
it's not really too focused in on the.
The what?
It's really the how you are as
a leader, how you, how you go
about that, those interactions and
emotional intelligence and critical
conversations, all of that kind of stuff.
Zuryna Livermore: Because of the work that
you do is so rooted in that soft skill,
how do you measure success or the impact
of these programs once they're completed,
whether that be the public program or even
these leadership development programs.
Grubb: Yeah, great question.
So we do those surveys, which do give us
sort of a numerical basis to go off of.
It's a.
It's a Likert scale and we also have
some you can hand write some stuff in
there, open-ended questions as well.
So that is a more quantitative
way that we're able to track it.
But really qualitatively, when I'm in
those needs assessment calls, I ask,
what does success look like for you?
And that really varies from
organization to organization.
So, we wanna make sure that
when we're measuring success,
when I'm in that debrief call.
We met those goals and like
I said, it's gonna be my
conversation with organization A.
Those goals are gonna look
different than organization B.
And so hearing from
them, hearing the impact.
And then also there's
just the anecdotes too.
Like we had we've long-term
signature programs.
So those are cohort
based, application based.
And one of those programs is our
professional leadership program for women.
So we just had our celebration.
They just completed the program.
And hearing the women talk about,
you know, I took lessons from this
program that allowed me to, I.
Get a promotion or apply for that
position within staff senate, that
I have been pushing off for years
doing because of whatever reason.
Right.
Hearing those stories of the courage and
the skills and the tools that they're
getting from these programs that also,
Zuryna Livermore: so
Grubb: yeah.
I know we get chills.
Our team gets chills every time we hear
about the impact at these celebrations
or just through the grapevine.
Or also our other signature program,
it's called Next Level Leaders.
It's for those folks who are really
high, potential mid-level managers.
And so, one of the parts of the
program is what we call a pod project.
So they're looking at ways to enhance the.
Staff engagement, staff retention
or organizational culture
within their organization.
So they find one way that they think
that they can tangibly do that, and
they wind up presenting it to their
leadership and it's often implemented.
So, we have a lot of.
Stories about the impact and the
ripple effect that that pod project
is, has or is having on organizations.
But one really good example is
I think it was our first cohort.
It might have been our second cohort, but
there was a woman named Lynn who worked
at Under Armour, and she was not an hr.
She was, I think marketing,
but don't quote me on that.
But she helped to change the maternity
and paternity leave process there.
And then
Zuryna Livermore: Which
Grubb: this.
Zuryna Livermore: much needed.
I love anyone who does that.
Grubb: Yes.
Yes.
So she made this huge impact, and then
I almost teared up when this year there
was somebody also from Under Armour and
he said, I just went on paternity leave.
Zuryna Livermore: Oh.
Grubb: it's, yeah.
And he was able to, because of
the changes that she helped to
implement through her pod project.
So that to us is also success, even
though it's not measurable, but it
hearing about the way that these
folks are really making an impact.
People who don't even know that they're,
they're the ones making the impact like
that to us, means that we are uplifting
the region and doing a good job.
Zuryna Livermore: I love that so much
and to see that, I promise I would've
been in tears to have heard that.
That is so amazing.
That's such amazing work and
I'm super excited for all the
work you're gonna be doing.
And you mentioned that you
rely a lot on word of mouth.
Everybody has their three YP, the
three year plan, the five year plan
going forward, do you think that
that will be sustainable to get
you guys to where you wanna be?
Or do you have plans of amplifying
your marketing strategy, and if
so, what does that look like?
Grubb: Great question.
So, I think we're taking it year by year
right now, especially with all the budget
cuts we're hearing about across the board.
But
Zuryna Livermore: Everybody's
getting budget cuts.
It's
Grubb: I know.
Zuryna Livermore: it's terrifying me.
Grubb: I know, but we're having
our big five year anniversary,
not this fall, but next fall.
So that will be a really good
time for us to kind of stop,
reevaluate what our goals are.
I mean, we have smaller internal goals,
like maybe we can start implementing
AI in a more strategic way, right?
We've got those kinds of things,
streamlining our process.
But long term, I mean, we're
really focused on making
sure that we can support.
All the organizations in the region
here in Baltimore and then expand.
So, so that's really our
biggest, I'd say near term goal.
We want to expand to more of Maryland
and help more of the region but we
haven't even fully tapped everything
here in Baltimore and Towson area yet.
So, I would say that's our biggest goal.
But I, I'm sure next year with our five
year, we'll really, it'll be a good time
for us to kind of sit and evaluate, you
know, in the next five years, where do
we wanna go and how do we get there?
Zuryna Livermore: Yeah, for sure.
And you've said so many proud
moments so far, some that have
given me the warm and fuzzies.
But if you had to sum up your experience
thus far, what has been your proudest
moment since joining the institute?
Grubb: Yeah, I think.
For me personally, it was seeing the
start of a custom project, so doing the
needs assessment with them and hearing
about what success would look like and
then seeing that ripple effect firsthand
and hearing them say was successful.
And even to this day, I just saw one
of the participants last night and
she was talking about how thankful she
is that we did that, and this was two
years ago at this point, and how it's
still having an impact on the team.
That for me is what drives
me and keeps me going.
And so for me, it was the first
time I saw it from start to finish.
And I mean, I'm just so proud of,
for lack of better term, like the
product that we we provide, right?
So I'm really proud of what we
do, and so being able to see it
for the first time truly, and
fruition, and the ripple effect,
that to me was the proudest moment.
Zuryna Livermore: I love that.
And truly I, if I can't echo it enough,
I really feel like those testimonials
will sell the story of this institute
because the stories you've told
today already are like making me cry.
I'm such a cry baby.
So like I said, I can't
wait to read all of these.
I will sign up for whatever newsletter
you guys have just so I can see this.
But I love reading stories like
that, and that would make me.
If I didn't already wanna attend, 'cause
I do wanna come to these events, but that
would make me wanna come even more because
the impact that you guys are having.
So if I could put my 2 cents
in, keep doing that, keep
sharing these testimonials,
they're making me cry already.
So,
and, you mentioned so many good
things, but what's on the horizon
for the Leadership Institute?
What's next?
What's coming this summer, this year?
What, what can we look forward to?
Grubb: Yeah, so the five year
anniversary is gonna be a huge
one for us in about a year.
In the meantime, we are finalizing
our public events for next year,
so that will be, we've just gotta
get the space and all of that.
But but once that's all locked down, we
will be publishing that schedule in July.
So, so we'll have a lot more rolled
out next school year, essentially.
And so that's definitely if anybody,
is listening and wants to sign up and
get engaged right away, come July,
you'll have plenty of opportunity there.
And then also, one thing that
I am personally trying to do
is really get involved in those
professional associations.
So that way we can reach a lot
more a lot more organizations
quickly too, and really dive more
deeply into the Baltimore region.
'cause it feels like we've
kind of scratched the surface.
So, we're, we're, we
have so much potential.
Thank you.
Yeah, it's been, I mean, I'm just so
lucky to be part of something where
there's just such a strong mission and
you, you can really see the impact.
And I'm, I'm just really
grateful to be a part of this.
'cause I think there's,
you know, it's, it's only.
Going to hopefully expand and
grow and we can really dive
more deeply throughout Maryland.
And as a Marylander, I want to, to help
the region however I can, and this is the
way that I, I can do it, is building that
community and, and having that impact
through the leadership development.
Zuryna Livermore: I love that so
much and I'm so happy to support.
I'm excited to attend all the events.
How can we follow you?
The institute, is it LinkedIn?
Where do we go to get, keep
up with all the things.
Grubb: Yeah.
Zuryna Livermore: Gras
Institute, leadership
Grubb: Yeah.
Yeah, great question.
So there's a lot of ways if you're,
I'm happy to connect with anybody if
you wanna connect with me on LinkedIn.
I will post, my, where I am at every day.
But also definitely will post
opportunities to engage with us too.
We also have a.
Dr.
Nancy Grasmick Leadership
Institute LinkedIn page.
So that's another place where
you can find information.
And then also if you wanna get emails, we
send out emails once a month, sometimes
twice a month that give updates of
what's upcoming or if applications for
the signature programs are a rolled
out, you'll get email about that so
that you can sign up on our website.
You can learn more that way.
And if you wanna have a
needs assessment call please.
You can.
Either connect with me on LinkedIn
and message me, or email me.
Happy to connect at any point and chat.
I also love to grab coffee, so if
I, I am a coffee connoisseur, so if
there's anybody who wants to explore
the local Baltimore coffee shops with
me, always happy to grab coffee too.
Zuryna Livermore: have a favorite
coffee shop in Baltimore?
Grubb: Ooh, I'm still trying to decide.
So I used to live much closer, so I used
to go all the time to morning mugs and
Zuryna Livermore: okay.
Grubb: And they're dog friendly, so
I also love to bring my dog there.
But yeah, that, that was my favorite spot,
but now I moved to the county about a year
ago, so just try to find my spot up here.
There's always Ryley Farms and
they just open one in Timonium with
the they Diamondback Brewery and
they make really good pizza, so,
Zuryna Livermore: Okay.
I'll have to
Grubb: yeah.
Zuryna Livermore: list.
Okay.
I'm always looking
Grubb: Yeah.
Zuryna Livermore: to, to try out.
I work remotely, so occasionally I
like to go to a nice coffee shop.
I love the public library, but I need
to spice up my location, so I might have
to join you for a little coffee date.
Grubb: Yes, please let me know.
Yeah, I would love to grab coffee and
chat offline and yeah, I would love that.
Zuryna Livermore: Well, thank
you so much for joining me today.
This has been a great conversation.
I will link to all the things Dr.
Nancy Grads mc Leadership Institute
in the episode description,
but thank you so much, Krista.
I appreciate you.
Grubb: Thank you.
This was wonderful to chat
and thank you for inviting me.