The Improver Network Podcast

00:00:02 Justin
Welcome to the Improver Network podcast, The Improver Network's mission is to make the world better by improving how believers live, learn, work and play.
00:00:12 Justin
We're here to help you discover your purpose, become more productive, and fulfill your true potential.
00:00:23 Justin
All right, welcome to episode one of the Improver Network podcast.
00:00:29 Justin
It's official.
00:00:29 Justin
This is the.
00:00:30 Justin
This is our first round.
00:00:32 Justin
We are at the beginning of something new and here we are.
00:00:36 Justin
We're just going to dive head first in no to no dipping the toe in the water.
00:00:41 Justin
We're getting ready and this is going to be an awesome podcast. We're really excited about where it's going. We know at the beginning there will be just probably a few people that get access to this, but it's going to grow and we're going to really use this to positively impact people's lives and therefore impact the world and so super excited about it.
00:01:00 Justin
But a lot of you that are listening to this, you're really just trying to figure out what is this whole thing about this word improver is on the one hand a common word, but it's like, wait, how are we using it?
00:01:10 Justin
So that's really what we're going to dive into today is just starting with the basics improver.
00:01:15 Justin
What is an improver who is an improver?
00:01:18 Justin
Am I one or you one?
00:01:20 Justin
Like where did it come from and how do we recognize improvers and how do we react to them?
00:01:25 Justin
And so we're just going to really dive into all.
00:01:28 Justin
All of that and.
00:01:29 Kinzie
So First off, those back to the basics who.
00:01:32 Kinzie
Are you who AM?
00:01:32 Justin
I yeah, no, that's great.
00:01:34 Justin
Thanks so much for that.
00:01:35 Justin
Yeah so I am Justin Winstead and Kinzie Harvell and kind of brainchild behind the improver network idea and improve her coach.
00:01:38 Kinzie
I'm Kinsey Harvell
00:01:47 Justin
And so apart.
00:01:48 Justin
My motivation is not only being an improver, but coaching improve.
00:01:53 Justin
And you're here in part.
00:01:55 Justin
Just because I have seen you be an improver, and I was like man, you're the example of really what we're trying to help people become and trying to create more of.
00:02:06 Kinzie
Yeah, and I think it's just a good dialogue for people to relate to and for us to discuss more of what the network can do.
00:02:12 Kinzie
For you and how it can help.
00:02:14 Justin
Yeah, and kind of going back and we'll have another podcast later.
00:02:17 Justin
We really unpack our stories, but one of the things I think just awesome about knowing you for years and years now is just seeing different areas of your life where you've continued to chisel will continue to refine and continue to.
00:02:28 Justin
To grow and so people may ask, well like, how do you get on the podcast or why did you?
00:02:33 Justin
How did y'all get together?
00:02:33 Justin
Uh, part of it was, it's just you being so close and watching you improve.
00:02:37 Justin
And I'm like man, if you can do that in your life and we can help you know, replicate that.
00:02:40 Kinzie
If I can do it, anybody can do.
00:02:41 Kinzie
It that's right.
00:02:42 Justin
Yeah so.
00:02:43 Justin
So yeah, that's kind of where we are.
00:02:45 Justin
So this idea of improver.
00:02:48 Justin
Yeah, I'll tell you where it kind of came from.
00:02:50 Justin
For me, the word itself.
00:02:51 Justin
And so this Harkins back of I think it was maybe even were you the one who introduced me to any gram.
00:02:56 Kinzie
I hope yeah.
00:02:56 Justin
I think so, so if you're not familiar with any a gram out there, we'll have another podcast.
00:03:01 Justin
We really unpack all the stuff on any a gram, but is is an ancient personality typing.
00:03:05 Justin
And system that really helps people to figure out how they interpret the world, how they, what motivates them, how they tend to react and act in situations, how they handle conflict.
00:03:17 Justin
So what else would you say about the India gram?
00:03:19 Kinzie
I would say it gives you a vocabulary for some of the feelings or reactions that you have and also.
00:03:27 Kinzie
It it shows you your strengths and weaknesses, but it shows you how you can turn your weaknesses into strengths, which is a little bit different than other personality testing or.
00:03:37 Kinzie
Ideologies I guess.
00:03:38 Justin
Yeah, because the different personalities according to the India gram is you go to health.
00:03:44 Justin
You go to different personalities.
00:03:45 Justin
When you're a healthy version of yourself, or you may act a different way if you're unhealthy and so they really do a good job of laying that out and part of the basis of the India gram is that there's nine different personality types.
00:03:51 Kinzie
Right?
00:03:57 Justin
And so each one of them has a number, and then there can be some combinations of those based on what they call their wing on there.
00:04:04 Justin
So again, we don't have time to unpack all of what the India gram is, but the reason we're bringing that up is because you and I both are ones on the India Gram number one.
00:04:16 Justin
And really, when I first heard about the India gram, I.
00:04:18 Justin
Didn't I love?
00:04:19 Justin
Personality test so I liked it.
00:04:21 Justin
In general.
00:04:21 Justin
I didn't like it for me because when I realized that man I'm a number one.
00:04:25 Justin
On this.
00:04:25 Justin
It just didn't sit right.
00:04:26
Sucker punch.
00:04:27 Justin
Yes, and the reason that that was for me, in part because I looked at some of the other numbers with such admiration and I was like, oh, I want to be that.
00:04:35 Justin
But the other part was that the label for the one on the unigram based on the author or presenter of the unigram would maybe say it was the.
00:04:43 Justin
The perfectionist is the one that always really stuck.
00:04:45 Speaker 2
Right?
00:04:46 Justin
With me, and so the IT was the only one of all nine that I felt like had a negative connotation to his perfectionism.
00:04:53 Justin
Just seems it just seems wrong, right?
00:04:55 Justin
It just seems bad, and so I didn't like.
00:04:57 Justin
Like the way I didn't like thinking of myself as a perfectionist, even though that has happened and still happens in my life.
00:05:04 Kinzie
So did you?
00:05:05 Kinzie
Did you take the test again to see if you?
00:05:07 Kinzie
Or something else, yeah?
00:05:07 Justin
I did, I tried and I tried to swing it and I really look, but the real key was is the anagram doesn't just focus on what you do, but your motives behind what you do and when.
00:05:16 Justin
I tapped into the motives, I realized that the.
00:05:18 Justin
One is where I was, so I accepted the perfectionist label and then somebody came out and said no, it's the principled reformer and I thought, OK, that's still along the idea of trying to be more perfect.
00:05:29 Justin
Be more excellent.
00:05:30 Justin
Still didn't sit right with me and then I'm in Nashville, TN and I'm listening to Ian Crone, who is one of the four most authors and speakers on this.
00:05:38 Justin
Topic and he says, you know, we've probably been mislabeling the ones, and he said, really, the better label for the ones is not perfection.
00:05:43 Kinzie
Thankful man.
00:05:47 Justin
It's not reformer, but it's really.
00:05:50 Justin
Improver and it was like the lights came on and it was just like yes this is me and it was like I saw my whole life almost flashed before my eyes like this is what yes oh it was exciting and so I can just remember thinking yes this is who I am and I knew part of my purpose.
00:06:00 Kinzie
The clouds open.
00:06:11 Justin
For being on the planet, but this really gave some language like you said to it.
00:06:15 Justin
Where I thought, you know what I'm put on this planet to improve.
00:06:18 Justin
It's not about making it perfect.
00:06:20 Justin
I'm not perfect, it can't make it perfect, but I can make it better.
00:06:23 Justin
I've got that idea that when you go to a place and you you know you always want to try to leave it as good or better than when you found as much as possible, right?
00:06:29 Justin
And I'm like that.
00:06:30 Justin
Same idea I want to carry you through all of life.
00:06:32 Justin
So that's where improver came for me and that that.
00:06:35 Justin
Whole idea, what can you say about like the word improver or the unigram, or just how it relates to you when you realize you know what?
00:06:43 Justin
I'm an improver, like how?
00:06:44 Kinzie
Did that come about?
00:06:45 Kinzie
Yeah, same as you.
00:06:46 Kinzie
I did not like the perfectionist label, so I kept taking it and but then I realized.
00:06:55 Kinzie
Not not everything you know that they're pointing out is is negative I guess as a one too.
00:07:00 Kinzie
You do have this inner critic so you do need to take critique well, and so I'm like you, the more I read into the one and saw the motivations behind it.
00:07:08 Kinzie
I realize it's just a desire to do well and to do better and to keep moving and just not be.
00:07:14 Kinzie
Not be.
00:07:15 Kinzie
Content with things as they are, and so I'm like you.
00:07:18 Kinzie
I love the idea of improving.
00:07:20 Kinzie
So much better, but uh, I think I think really just my big love of the India gram is I almost feel like somebody opened my brain and dug out all these scattered feelings and gave it vocabulary and allowed me to really resonate with it and accept it.
00:07:34 Kinzie
And so I'm excited that you took improver and ran with it in all areas.
00:07:39 Justin
Yeah, and and thank you for that.
00:07:41 Justin
And you know, I like the way that you said perfectionism.
00:07:43 Justin
It feels negative, but it's really.
00:07:45 Justin
It's not because you know if I'm having brain surgery. I'm really hoping that that Doctor is a perfectionist. You know, I don't want him and 80% and 80% go is a great business principle in a lot of ways.
00:07:54 Justin
But in things like you know, developing a rocket ship or doing brain surgery, or things like that, you really want that you know precision there, you know I, I really love perfectionists when it relates to payroll or accounting.
00:08:06
Right?
00:08:06 Justin
I like my numbers to be right.
00:08:07 Justin
I want the bank to be perfectionist so.
00:08:09 Kinzie
And like I told you earlier, I I.
00:08:11 Kinzie
I love being a one now and I I do have to get off my high horse sometimes and say it's OK to not be a perfectionist in every area.
00:08:18 Kinzie
But when I can I will.
00:08:20 Kinzie
That too it's so.
00:08:20 Justin
Exactly, yeah, and it has a lot to do with part of this podcast is the idea of health being people and ourselves reach our full potential and so I think part of the way of understanding an improver is.
00:08:30 Justin
It's not necessarily that it has to be perfect, but an improver doesn't like to see wasted potential when they realize there's capacity.
00:08:37 Justin
When they realize something could be better, you just you just want it to be the best that it can be.
00:08:41 Justin
And so if your kiddo isn't getting 100
00:08:45 Justin
That would be a perfectionist as it come down on them.
00:08:47 Justin
If they're only getting a 90, but you know they gave it their all and it really was the best, then an improver can still be happy with that because not about being perfect, but it is about being the very best that you can.
00:08:54 Kinzie
Right?
00:08:56 Kinzie
Right?
00:08:57 Justin
So yeah, so that's a lot of how we kind of came up with this idea for ourselves on improver and building this network.
00:09:05 Justin
Came from our own personal walk and Rev.
00:09:07 Justin
Relation, so if you're out there and you're listening and you're not an ideogram fan, or maybe you don't know about it, that's OK.
00:09:13 Justin
The main thing to realize is that there's some people that their motivation in the world they're driving the world has to do with just making it better has to do with helping things reach its potential.
00:09:24 Justin
They love to refine.
00:09:25 Justin
They love to make things better.
00:09:27 Justin
And that's different than other motivations that might be more about keeping the peace, or about having fun or just challenging the status quo.
00:09:35 Justin
So even if the unigram isn't a part of your framework, you may be a person out there.
00:09:40 Justin
That you can relate to this idea on.
00:09:43 Justin
Yeah I do.
00:09:43 Justin
I just want to make things better.
00:09:45 Justin
I want my family to be better.
00:09:46 Justin
My workplace to be better, I want to improve my community and so if you've got that drive, it might be today that this is your light bulb moment.
00:09:53 Speaker 2
This is still.
00:09:54 Justin
You're going, you know what that's me.
00:09:55 Justin
I am an improver, like I want.
00:09:56 Justin
There's these invoke.
00:09:57 Justin
We all have different pieces of all the personalities, right?
00:10:00 Justin
So all nine?
00:10:01 Justin
Mini gram Ripper.
00:10:02 Justin
We have some of that, but then the dominant personality for the one is that improver and so maybe that's you.
00:10:08 Justin
Maybe you are an improver, if.
00:10:10 Justin
So our podcast is specifically, and especially for you, and so we're really excited to provide you some content that will help you to grow in your self.
00:10:14 Kinzie
Right?
00:10:19 Justin
Awareness on that and learn how to channel that in a healthy way.
00:10:23 Justin
'cause we're going to talk about.
00:10:25 Justin
How improvers they do make things better, but if they're unhealthy, they can make things worse, and so that's the thing we want to avoid, and we've both been there, so that's really what we're going to get into.
00:10:36 Justin
So let's start out with really getting more specific and more granular on what really how do you define and improve.
00:10:45 Justin
For what are their characteristics?
00:10:48 Justin
So let's just start out with that.
00:10:49 Justin
We already talked about.
00:10:50 Justin
They want to make the world a better place.
00:10:51 Kinzie
Right?
00:10:51 Justin
They want to make themselves better.
00:10:54 Kinzie
Right?
00:10:54 Justin
What other at just general attitudes that you would notice about someone who's an improver kind of stick out to?
00:11:01 Kinzie
You, yeah, I was thinking through a lot of times I will.
00:11:06 Kinzie
Notice a fellow improver by the seasons of their life, so I know a lot of us live in first, second, third, fourth, quarter.
00:11:15 Kinzie
Some of us live literally seasonally fall, winter, summer, spring.
00:11:19 Kinzie
But I always notice when somebody lives like from one goal to the next.
00:11:24 Kinzie
So they're they're studying a goal, and they're focused on that.
00:11:28 Kinzie
And then once they reach that goal, it's on to something else.
00:11:31 Kinzie
And this isn't somebody who has a moving finish line who is never content.
00:11:35 Kinzie
It's just.
00:11:36 Kinzie
Hey, I've seen this area in my life that I need to refine.
00:11:39 Kinzie
And so I'm I'm really focused on that, and so it seems like the people who have their hands kind of in a little bit of everything.
00:11:46 Kinzie
I tend to notice are improvers and they and they're not just.
00:11:50 Kinzie
You know they're not just learning a new language just for fun.
00:11:53 Kinzie
They're learning it because there's a goal behind it.
00:11:56 Justin
Yeah, there's some people out there that you you know.
00:11:59 Justin
Everybody knows a list person we're like.
00:12:01 Justin
OK man, I like to put myself off and check it off.
00:12:03 Justin
Well, if you can think about the way that is, an improver basically has a never ending list that is just always in their mind, and so part of what you're saying about the attitude is that that mental list is just we're always seeing things like, oh, I should do that.
00:12:10 Kinzie
A mental well, yeah.
00:12:16 Justin
I need to do that, I'll
00:12:16 Justin
Ought to do that, so we're very driven by the ideal thing, and so that's good.
00:12:22 Justin
'cause we get stuff done and we make it better.
00:12:24 Justin
But it can also be challenging.
00:12:26 Justin
You mentioned the word contentment.
00:12:27 Justin
Well, part of what we're trying to do in the improver network.
00:12:30 Justin
It's helped people find balance between.
00:12:33 Justin
Yes, I'm content, but I'm not complacent, right?
00:12:36 Justin
'cause there's really 2 extremes in the world out there, and that's people who are never content.
00:12:41 Justin
They're always going for the next thing, the next promotion, the next, whatever.
00:12:45 Justin
And they're just never satisfied.
00:12:47 Justin
They have no gratitude.
00:12:48 Justin
They have no Thanksgiving in their life.
00:12:50 Justin
And that's just a horrible way to live because.
00:12:53 Justin
If you're always.
00:12:54 Justin
Chasing after that, next thing you're never really enjoying things, and if you're never enjoying things, you're going to, that's going to manifest itself.
00:12:58 Kinzie
Right, and that goes back to their intention is their intention to to make more money or is their intention to gain a better status?
00:13:08 Kinzie
Or is it to produce more or to come?
00:13:14 Kinzie
You know, provide for their family, or is there some other goal?
00:13:17 Kinzie
I think it always goes back to intention of of like you're saying for your contentment level.
00:13:21 Justin
Yeah, and so not being complacent is good as long as you're not taking it to the extreme, but then so you've got those people who are never content and always try.
00:13:29 Justin
But then you got those people who are always.
00:13:30 Justin
Content and man they just.
00:13:32 Kinzie
And they drive me insane.
00:13:33 Justin
And you just like kick, you know, get your **** in gear, right?
00:13:36 Justin
Like do something like.
00:13:38 Justin
I realize you are wasting.
00:13:38 Kinzie
You're wasting you're potential.
00:13:40 Justin
That's right, like and you know, John Piper wrote a book called Don't Waste Your Life and You know, think about that.
00:13:45 Justin
There's some people.
00:13:46 Justin
That they're wasting their life by doing bad things, but most people would just waste their life by just not doing great things.
00:13:52
Right?
00:13:52 Justin
They just kind of are status quo and OK is fine with them and so it's really hard to say.
00:13:58 Justin
You know what I'm?
00:13:59 Justin
I'm content with what I have and I'm very grateful for my home for my family.
00:14:04 Justin
I love the health that I have but.
00:14:06 Kinzie
Right?
00:14:06 Justin
At the same time, I'm not going to just, you know, set on my laurels and just not do anything about it.
00:14:12 Justin
I'm I'm gonna gonna get moving, I'm gonna.
00:14:14 Justin
And try to make things better.
00:14:15 Kinzie
Take the next step, yeah?
00:14:16 Justin
So if you're around the improver network, one of the things you'll see on our email signatures and our marketing stuff is the idea of good and getting better.
00:14:24 Justin
And so that's part of where this comes from.
00:14:26 Justin
Is the good is is realizing the good in your own life and in your own self and in the world, and being able to be content with that good.
00:14:33 Justin
But they're getting better.
00:14:35 Justin
And there's no G on the end.
00:14:36 Justin
That's getting, yeah, the getting better is that we are we are not being complacent and we're striving to improve and be better today than we were yesterday and so trying to walk that balance is a big part of what we're doing here with the improver network.
00:14:53 Justin
So, so yeah, that was a great little piece on the attitude of the improver.
00:14:59 Justin
So when we think about personality traits and improver, I'm going to mention a few of these, and when I do I want to put you on the spot here and see if you can relate to maybe a story or something that happened, or where you've seen this play out on it.
00:15:12 Justin
So I'm gonna give up.
00:15:13 Justin
Let's hear about five or six things here, so some personality traits of an improver.
00:15:13 Kinzie
Seems like a game.
00:15:18 Justin
Or is that they're serious and straightforward during conversation?
00:15:22 Justin
I mean, you and I right now we're having a little bit of effort to laugh and I'm really trying to make this on because our propensity would be it's just go real serious and super deep all the time.
00:15:30 Kinzie
Right in real.
00:15:32 Justin
Attuned to practicality and frugality, hardworking and diligent, especially as employees, high internal standards.
00:15:41 Justin
And I would say, standard slash pressure.
00:15:43 Justin
We put a lot of pressure on ourselves.
00:15:47 Justin
We have we're very rigid in our plans and our decisions.
00:15:50 Justin
Intense ability to concentrate so that kind of goes into that depth and man like really, what is the best or the most optimal outcome or explanation in a situation?
00:16:01 Justin
And then a natural talent for teaching and instructing.
00:16:04 Justin
That's pretty good if we're on a podcast trying to deliver content to people, it's great that that we've got this natural talent on it, and then the other thing I would add to this list as well is just the literal communication style you know of improver.
00:16:08 Kinzie
We have that.
00:16:19 Justin
Many time improvers like we.
00:16:21 Justin
We don't like being let down and if you give us your word like that means so much to us and that so there's kind of a laundry list of certain personality traits.
00:16:23 Kinzie
Hey man.
00:16:30 Justin
Whenever I share those, is there a situation or story that comes into mind?
00:16:34 Justin
And if you don't have one that's alright, but do you have something that triggered for you?
00:16:39 Kinzie
Just just the idea of expectations.
00:16:42 Kinzie
I think a lot of times and almost almost daily I wake up with the expectation that the person who has said they're going to follow through with me is going to get it done.
00:16:51 Kinzie
And sometimes I think I set too high of expectations, but then I always question well, if I didn't, they wouldn't ever meet that bar, so I'm just.
00:16:59 Kinzie
I'm just thinking as being a mom and, you know, homeschooling my kids and I. I do tend to set these high expectations for them and a lot of time doesn't one. I have to realize, like you were saying earlier that 90% maybe everything.
00:17:13 Kinzie
They could give me but.
00:17:16 Kinzie
You know there's always a little bit of wiggle room for me to come beside them and help them and encourage them to see that hey, we could have.
00:17:22 Kinzie
We could have done this differently, but you also said frugality.
00:17:27 Kinzie
And so as an improver, I think sometimes, and I'm going to talk about myself.
00:17:32 Kinzie
I've had to learn that I need to value some.
00:17:37 Kinzie
People over my To Do List, so if my To Do List says you know we're going to do this, this and this and this, and this is the most affordable way to do it.
00:17:46 Kinzie
But if I see that it could, you know just spending the money is going to help me in my relationship with somebody or is going to help my family enjoy the moment better.
00:17:54 Kinzie
I have to be willing just to release that and not to try to do something so perfect in my own eyes that I.
00:18:00 Kinzie
You know not allowing real real relationship to happen in real life to happen and not be so rigid.
00:18:08 Kinzie
We also use that word so.
00:18:09 Justin
You know one of the phrases that comes up in the improver conversations when we talk about what drives improver is.
00:18:15 Justin
This idea of good enough, and that is such a loaded phrase for us, whereas most people like good enough like man like.
00:18:22 Justin
What's wrong with that?
00:18:23
Right?
00:18:23 Justin
But like the improver, really struggles with that, and so both of the comments you just made really deal with.
00:18:29 Justin
That idea of course, part of the unmet expectations.
00:18:33 Justin
I mean, we deal with that all the time and that person gave us their word.
00:18:37 Justin
I'm amazed, you know, here at the house like where people will come in and spend, you know, 3045 minutes an hour or more, measuring things for a job. You know, taking pictures, discovering the needs.
00:18:37 Kinzie
Right?
00:18:49 Justin
And then they're like I'll get you a quote by the end of the day or tomorrow, and then you never hear from you.
00:18:52 Kinzie
Never give.
00:18:53 Justin
Follow up like hey what what's going on?
00:18:55 Justin
And then?
00:18:56 Justin
You know?
00:18:56 Kinzie
And you're thinking if this was me, I would have already had everything done. 282 achieved.
00:19:02 Justin
And so it's amazing how much of that's out there, but an improver takes that more personally than I think.
00:19:06 Justin
The rest of the population you know out there, and so it can be hard because we are very literal in that, but things it is hard because sometimes things are not good enough for us and it's one of the pressure things that people around us sometimes feel.
00:19:15 Kinzie
Right?
00:19:20 Justin
Is is that man, no matter how that's right, no matter how good I am, I don't measure up.
00:19:21 Kinzie
They don't measure up.
00:19:26 Justin
I can never meet your expectations.
00:19:28 Justin
And so one of the things that we would love to do in the improver network is help people in their specific contexts and situations get a better grasp on wait.
00:19:37 Justin
Are you being that extreme end of perfectionism and putting unrealistic expectations on you on others?
00:19:44 Kinzie
On yeah
00:19:45 Justin
Are you walking that balance?
00:19:47 Justin
And so that'll be?
00:19:48 Justin
One of the things we help improvers with.
00:19:50 Justin
As we as we go along so so yeah, those are some of those personality traits, improver.
00:19:56 Justin
It's so funny as we're doing, it's almost like looking in a mirror right?
00:19:58 Kinzie
Oh yeah, holding up the mirror and not liking sometimes what you see?
00:19:58 Justin
We're like man this is like describing who and.
00:20:03 Justin
And it's so hard to be vulnerable, but I feel like man, this is reading my mail here and we're putting it out on this podcast for the world to.
00:20:09 Justin
Listen to and it's.
00:20:09 Justin
Like man, we're really sharing.
00:20:11 Kinzie
I'm making a list of people I need to apologize to right now as we're going through it.
00:20:14 Justin
Write another one of those list.
00:20:16 Kinzie
Be honest, yeah?
00:20:17 Kinzie
Another list.
00:20:18 Justin
So as we kind of transition from like personality traits, what are the core values of an improver?
00:20:25 Justin
And so those things that like an improver really value so much.
00:20:28 Justin
We talked about clear communication and commitment that already came up, but is there a certain value that you're like?
00:20:34 Justin
Man, most improvers really have this in common.
00:20:37 Kinzie
And I'm going to speak about you for a little bit.
00:20:39 Kinzie
I think most improvers want to do what's right because it's what's right, we're not.
00:20:46 Kinzie
There is a component of integrity in there, but I know if I'm we vacation together a lot of times, and so if we're booking stuff for each other families or things like that.
00:20:56 Kinzie
I know that you're going to do what's right not because you want others to see it, or you want to get the accolades for it, but you're going to do it because that's what's right.
00:21:06 Kinzie
And I feel just like that with your job and then the other aspects of our friendship.
00:21:10 Kinzie
But there there's something deep in the gut of an improver that's like.
00:21:16 Kinzie
You just want everybody to do what's?
00:21:18 Kinzie
Right just for the.
00:21:18 Kinzie
Sake of it, and I've I've.
00:21:21 Kinzie
I've really treasured that and value that, but it yet it is another expectation.
00:21:25 Kinzie
We have others, but I think that's just deep in us.
00:21:28 Kinzie
We're not worried about it.
00:21:31 Kinzie
It's not, it's not.
00:21:32 Kinzie
I don't know that it's.
00:21:32 Kinzie
A moral thing.
00:21:33 Kinzie
I don't know that it's I would hope it goes back to our relationship with.
00:21:36 Kinzie
Price, but it is.
00:21:38 Kinzie
I want to do it man because that's how I want everybody else around me to operate just to do what's right.
00:21:42 Justin
Yeah, well, definitely.
00:21:43 Justin
Improvers have a strong emphasis on personal integrity and self control so that those are two values of the improver and everybody might say, well, you know what I I value integrity like that's our one of our companies core values and then self control, but I think it's a it's not a matter of one or the other matter of the degree.
00:21:47 Speaker 2
Ha ha ha ha.
00:22:01 Justin
Three, and I think the improver just has a stronger degree in that where someone else may value integrity.
00:22:07 Justin
But maybe they value harmony in the team more so than integrity, so they might compromise.
00:22:11 Kinzie
They're willing to, yeah.
00:22:12 Justin
They may compromise on their integrity, but for the sake of harmony you know, so you know that kind of comes into some of our peacemaker friends out there.
00:22:21 Justin
And so the improvers.
00:22:22 Justin
Attention really does go toward seeing and correcting what's wrong and doing the right thing, and we are known for honesty, dependability, and really just common sense, because it really.
00:22:32 Justin
One of the things about operating with integrity and honesty is is that you're able to have a clearer mind to like do the very basics, and so even though we go deep, we don't have to be complicated, right?
00:22:38 Kinzie
Right?
00:22:39 Kinzie
I can't sleep at night.
00:22:43 Justin
We can be straightforward, so yeah, that's those are definitely some.
00:22:44 Kinzie
Right?
00:22:48 Justin
Some values.
00:22:49 Justin
Their responsibility is a big one.
00:22:51 Justin
That kind of goes to that commitment and doing what?
00:22:53 Justin
You say that you'll do, but why else do you think responsibility is such a value and people are irresponsible?
00:23:00 Justin
It just.
00:23:00 Justin
This it it irks us more than maybe the general general population.
00:23:04 Kinzie
I don't know if we feel like we carry the weight of everybody who's irresponsible or like we'll have to make up for them somehow.
00:23:13 Kinzie
Yeah, it's I will say though, at the same time it also makes it hard for us to delegate when you see people not follow through you think can I trust them with this responsibility?
00:23:23 Kinzie
Or should I just do it?
00:23:25 Kinzie
Myself, I've.
00:23:26 Justin
Yeah, perfectionist sure, almost always micro managers because so that yeah and so that responsibility, I think kind of goes into the ability also for us to want things to reach their potential.
00:23:37 Justin
And when people are irresponsible like wait, you could have made this grade or accomplished this.
00:23:41 Justin
You know threshold but instead you you could have improved.
00:23:42 Kinzie
Right?
00:23:44
Could have improved it and you did it.
00:23:46 Kinzie
You wasted it.
00:23:46 Justin
Yeah, like.
00:23:47 Justin
Look at this gap and it was all 'cause you were irresponsible on that.
00:23:51 Justin
So any other big values that are just jumping out to you right now on the improver?
00:23:56 Justin
I mean those are some of the big ones as improvement, integrity, responsibility, self control.
00:24:00 Justin
So those things are real big big drivers.
00:24:04 Kinzie
And hopefully as we go this just this idea of self awareness to just being able to notice, oh.
00:24:12 Kinzie
Yeah I did.
00:24:13 Kinzie
I did carry that a little too much or hey, I did see that potential in them and I hope they did too.
00:24:18 Kinzie
I hope I presented it well so selfkant.
00:24:19 Justin
Right?
00:24:20 Kinzie
On self awareness.
00:24:21 Justin
Sure, and that kind of goes along with another value would be growth.
00:24:24 Justin
Is we really value growth?
00:24:24 Kinzie
Yeah, yes.
00:24:26 Justin
I mean by nature improvement kind of suggests that so productivity and just progress, you know, really, if things are moving forward, that's when we were in our hands on and we get really sometimes, maybe more stress out if it's sitting in neutral or.
00:24:41 Justin
Worse, going backwards.
00:24:42 Kinzie
Just to be honest, my husband is never more attracted to me than when he has finished a project or if he is like steam cleaning the whole house and I can see progress.
00:24:53 Speaker 2
Oh yeah, I love it.
00:24:53 Justin
Yes, you like that movement that yeah, getting it on there.
00:24:57 Speaker 2
Yeah oh.
00:24:57 Justin
That's awesome that.
00:24:58 Justin
Also, we'll have another podcast on Working genius, but that also speaks to your genius of tenacity.
00:25:03 Justin
Liking to see things get done and accomplished and so yeah.
00:25:07 Justin
Seeing progress and accomplishments a double win for you.
00:25:11 Justin
So yeah, those are those are awesome.
00:25:14 Justin
Values of.
00:25:15 Justin
Of the improver.
00:25:16 Justin
So to me that we're kind of Speaking of these things in positive terms.
00:25:19 Justin
We have given a little balance to it, but I want to go kind of to some of the down side a little bit of the improver, and so again we love improvers 'cause they make things better.
00:25:29 Justin
They there's progress because of what they do, and refinement and things are maximized and optimized.
00:25:35 Justin
All that's great.
00:25:36 Justin
But what's the downside like what, what?
00:25:38 Justin
What is some of the struggles and the problems that come along with improvers?
00:25:44 Justin
And so let's start out like with this idea of we talked about our motivations.
00:25:48 Justin
But what about our fears?
00:25:49 Justin
What are the things that improve are?
00:25:52 Justin
Are really afraid of and I'm going to share one for me and that's this fear of being.
00:25:57 Justin
Corrupt or evil, and even then even some aspect of people thinking that I'm corrupt or evil, but definitely just being it.
00:26:05 Justin
Even if they didn't know are defective in some way like that, that's kind of one of the fears that comes up.
00:26:10 Kinzie
Like taking away from something instead of adding to it or improving it.
00:26:15 Justin
Yeah yeah, and you know, the word integrity comes from the math word root of integer, which you know means whole numbers and so one of the things that you know.
00:26:24 Justin
Would that that really drives me on the pherecydes really?
00:26:27 Justin
I don't want to be perceived as not being whole as not being balanced or well rounded or having things together like oh, you're defective or deficient in some way, and so that's that's a struggle because, you know, now, your worry about what people think about.
00:26:41 Kinzie
You and you can't control that, yeah.
00:26:42 Justin
Yeah, and the fact is, none of us are perfectly whole, right?
00:26:45 Justin
And so it's such an impossible standard that we put on ourselves.
00:26:49 Justin
But that fear sometimes drives decisions and actions and attitudes.
00:26:53 Kinzie
Right?
00:26:53 Justin
So is there another fear besides that that you think really characterizes an improver?
00:27:00 Kinzie
Yeah, I tend to not say goals or commitments out loud unless I know I can achieve it.
00:27:07 Kinzie
So if there's something I really want to do, but I'm worried I just I won't have the time or the energy or the effort to do it.
00:27:15 Kinzie
I won't speak it out loud, I don't want others to hold me accountable to that goal and so.
00:27:20 Kinzie
It's almost this idea of if I can't do something perfectly, I just won't.
00:27:23 Kinzie
Even attempt this.
00:27:25 Kinzie
And I look back and I have major regrets about things. I didn't try to do or I didn't fully do or things I didn't promise to others that I should have done just because of this idea that I wouldn't have done it to. Like to the 100 degree so.
00:27:41 Justin
Yeah no.
00:27:42 Justin
I'm I've been very guilty that many times I've got a friend of mine and he is.
00:27:47 Justin
He's got that tenacity piece, but he's also very much a.
00:27:51 Justin
You know I'm a aim, aim, aim and it's.
00:27:54 Justin
Like fire already.
00:27:55 Justin
Whereas you know he's a little bit more Yosemite Sam come out guns blazing and you know, so it's a it's a little thing like he gets more targets to me.
00:28:03 Justin
He also misses more targets than me because usually when I do fire like I've really put so much thought and effort into that like I know it's gonna be right on, but.
00:28:11 Justin
At the end of the day, I think that holds us back to always be waiting on the perfect shot.
00:28:14
Right?
00:28:17 Speaker 2
Right?
00:28:17 Justin
You know every single time.
00:28:19 Kinzie
And it doesn't allow people to support us.
00:28:22 Kinzie
Several times.
00:28:23 Kinzie
I've just my very first marathon.
00:28:25 Kinzie
I didn't even tell.
00:28:26 Kinzie
Well, really anybody I was doing it.
00:28:28 Kinzie
I just woke up that morning.
00:28:29 Kinzie
I started running.
00:28:30 Kinzie
I told Adam, you know, just kind of tracked me to make sure for safety and then I finished.
00:28:35 Kinzie
And then I told people because I didn't want to tell him ahead of time.
00:28:38 Justin
Yeah it be.
00:28:38 Justin
Let let down.
00:28:39 Kinzie
Yeah, so you miss out on the opportunity for community and and growth and for to inspire others.
00:28:40 Justin
And yeah that's there.
00:28:46 Kinzie
Just because you you may not want to let them down in the long run, nobody would have been let down had I only run 20 miles.
00:28:50 Justin
Right, but we create that standard in our mind.
00:28:52 Kinzie
And not 26 foot two yes.
00:28:54 Justin
One of the things I've tried to remind myself of.
00:28:56 Justin
It's a very silly phrase and it doesn't make sense to a lot of people, but I think improvers will resonate with this, but this phrase.
00:29:03 Justin
It is a good something is better than a best nothing.
00:29:08 Justin
A good something is better than a best nothing and that comes from this thing where in my mind I wait till it's the best but then it never really materializes and so there's that best.
00:29:08 Kinzie
That's not fair.
00:29:11 Kinzie
OK.
00:29:20 Justin
Nothing out there, it never came to be.
00:29:24 Justin
And it would be better to have something that's good and actually is materializing comes out.
00:29:29 Kinzie
Right, but is it good, oh?
00:29:29 Justin
And like, is it good enough?
00:29:32 Justin
And that's the hard thing, you know.
00:29:33 Justin
So yeah, so that definitely is part of the fear and the the things that we're afraid of as improvers.
00:29:41 Justin
When you think about conflict, you know a lot of conflicts based on fear, and we don't like going here.
00:29:46 Justin
But like what causes conflict in the circles of an improver?
00:29:51 Justin
Like really?
00:29:52 Justin
Where, where does conflict arise out of?
00:29:54 Justin
What are the problems that it comes from being married to an improver or being a friend with one or working with one?
00:30:01 Justin
What is one of the first thing that comes to your mind?
00:30:03 Kinzie
The first word was waste.
00:30:05 Kinzie
If people around me and this isn't, this isn't just.
00:30:09 Kinzie
You know you, I don't know.
00:30:11 Kinzie
We threw away 2 boxes of cereal.
00:30:12 Kinzie
They're still, they're wasted.
00:30:14 Kinzie
It's you wasted 2 hours.
00:30:17 Kinzie
I'm thinking about my teenager right now.
00:30:18 Kinzie
You wasted 2 hours on Instagram.
00:30:21 Kinzie
Do you know what I could have done with two hours?
00:30:24 Kinzie
Just this, this whole idea of wasting potential or time.
00:30:28 Kinzie
Uhm, even just really though, wasting of resources like.
00:30:33 Kinzie
But I'm thinking back to my teenager and Elijah.
00:30:36 Kinzie
I love you.
00:30:36 Kinzie
I really do.
00:30:37 Kinzie
If you ever listen to this honey, but just you had somebody who was willing to mentor you and you didn't jump on that.
00:30:45 Kinzie
You know and then he.
00:30:45 Justin
Yeah, just missed opportunities and so that creates frustration which leads to conflict.
00:30:46 Kinzie
Gets yeah, this property with these absolutely.
00:30:51 Justin
Yeah, so for me one of the things I feel like I thrive on and this partially comes from I saw how it increased productivity in the business world was feedback, and so I really thrive off of if.
00:31:05 Justin
There's criticism that's constructive and in the right way.
00:31:08 Justin
I absolutely love it.
00:31:09 Justin
When somebody says, you know, hey, you ran this play, you could have ran this play and you would have scored a touchdown.
00:31:13 Kinzie
Right?
00:31:13 Justin
I'm like man, I can't wait 'cause the next time I'm gonna run that play in.
00:31:16 Justin
Or but you know that's the way my mind works as an improver, but the people around me that's that's not so much it, and so it's hard because I think, well, I would love feedback on this, so let me let me give you so one of the worst characteristics I probably have out there is unsolicited feedback.
00:31:27
Me talk here.
00:31:33 Justin
I love to offer people like they tell me a story and they were not asking for advice.
00:31:37 Kinzie
Right, right?
00:31:38 Justin
They didn't need solutions, they didn't need help.
00:31:40 Justin
They didn't need a next time do this, but I want to improve it.
00:31:42 Kinzie
Do you want?
00:31:42 Kinzie
To improve it.
00:31:44 Justin
So like I put out there and most of the time people just roll their eyes.
00:31:48 Justin
Either you know physically or maybe just internally they just like oh man, I can't believe he's correcting me.
00:31:53 Justin
I didn't ask for that and they overlook it.
00:31:54 Kinzie
Right?
00:31:56 Justin
But sometimes that leads to conflict.
00:31:58 Justin
You know, 'cause they're like.
00:31:59 Justin
Well, I think I did find it is, but whatever is like.
00:32:00 Kinzie
Right?
00:32:01 Justin
Well, no, you didn't.
00:32:02 Justin
Didn't you see?
00:32:03 Justin
And so that can create arguments.
00:32:04 Justin
It can create those disagreements that lead to unhealthy conflict.
00:32:09 Justin
And so yeah, so the idea of just unsolicited feedback.
00:32:14 Justin
Critiquing others because we want to make the world a better place.
00:32:17 Kinzie
Right?
00:32:17 Justin
We're trying to make other people better.
00:32:20 Kinzie
And that goes back to our inner critic, because as you're hearing this story, you're probably thinking, well, this is how I would have done it.
00:32:26 Kinzie
I mean, I hope I would have done it.
00:32:27 Kinzie
Let me tell them, let me verbalize it, and.
00:32:29 Kinzie
See how they respond to it so.
00:32:32 Justin
And I'm glad you mentioned the phrase inner critic, so some of you listening maybe aren't familiar with that phrase.
00:32:37 Justin
But if you're an improver, you definitely know the feeling, because the inner critic is the loudest everybody has a certain amount of inner critic in them, but it's definitely the loudest in the mindset of an improver, and so we're constantly.
00:32:52 Justin
Putting that internal pressure on ourselves, we're evaluating we're criticizing their sales, and so we're always wondering what could I have done to make it better.
00:32:59 Justin
And it's so hard because we do incredible things.
00:33:03 Justin
And it can be so challenging for us to get to the positive 'cause all we can see is the negative and like God, forgive me for those times when.
00:33:13 Justin
Just focus on the negative when there was so much positive there.
00:33:17 Justin
So that definitely leads to at least challenges and struggles in these circles of an improver.
00:33:24 Justin
I think about that a little bit with you know, my team that I lead on an insurance agency and you know, we're highly productive or one of the best agencies in the country yet still.
00:33:36 Justin
I struggle because I see all the gaps in what we do wrong and I don't really highlight what we do right and so it's been a challenge.
00:33:45 Justin
One of my leadership challenges has been is trying to discipline myself to bring out the positive and I fail at that so often and so it's one of those.
00:33:54 Justin
One of those guilt things for me is that I don't see the positive as much as I should and don't celebrate that.
00:34:00 Justin
What what do you think would be good tools or techniques for people to overcome some of these things that cause conflicts, like not seeing the positive?
00:34:10 Justin
Or you know, those unmet expectations, that kind of stuff would.
00:34:14 Justin
What comes to mind for you on resolving some of.
00:34:16 Kinzie
That well, I said in our so this is.
00:34:19 Kinzie
This is the first podcast, but I said kind of in our beta.
00:34:23 Justin
Right?
00:34:23 Justin
On our little audio test, yes.
00:34:25 Kinzie
Via tests that I do not like to journal, and that's probably going back to, I don't want to write down goals or put them out there.
00:34:31 Kinzie
You know, for people not flying, but something that's really helped.
00:34:34 Kinzie
Me is just a bullet, a gratitude bullet list of just all the things that I am thankful for because that does help me see bright lights in my day.
00:34:44 Kinzie
It helps me see.
00:34:46 Kinzie
Just all the areas that I really have to be thankful for.
00:34:48 Kinzie
And so then I don't tend to focus.
00:34:51 Kinzie
On the negative, but also I think it just takes a couple of times to see somebody respond to your harsh criticism before you really become self aware of how much weight your words have.
00:35:02 Kinzie
So as I you know, going back to my.
00:35:05 Kinzie
Kiddos, we can get in the car from a hockey game and if I if the first words out of my mouth aren't man you just, you know race down the ice and look at you.
00:35:17 Kinzie
You're getting so good at handling your.
00:35:19 Kinzie
Air hockey pad.
00:35:21 Justin
Yeah the puck yeah.
00:35:21 Speaker 2
Right?
00:35:22 Kinzie
I'm thinking the football.
00:35:23 Kinzie
I'm getting most sports confused, but if if those aren't my first word, just seeing my 10 year old crumble but you know before my eyes that you, you know as an improver, you really do have to be self aware of how that criticism comes across.
00:35:36 Kinzie
So I think if we're.
00:35:37 Kinzie
Open to watching people respond to us that will help our.
00:35:43 Kinzie
Help us become better at not critiquing everything and putting out.
00:35:47 Kinzie
The positive before.
00:35:48 Kinzie
Or just saying, would you like to know how I feel about it?
00:35:52 Kinzie
Are you open to that yet?
00:35:53 Justin
So bringing up for sure.
00:35:54 Kinzie
Are you in a good spot to hear it?
00:35:56 Justin
I heard of 1 the other day and she was sharing a story about her and her toddler and I say Tyler, I'm not really good with all those ages, but talking and all that but she was trying to ask a question about did the toddler.
00:36:10 Justin
Was he aware of what made Mommy happy and in her mindset?
00:36:14 Justin
In that moment she was actually thinking that he makes her happy.
00:36:17 Justin
Just called sees him, but when she kind of asked out loud she got an answer she wasn't expecting and he said, well.
00:36:22 Justin
I know it makes you happy when I pick up my toys and when I do something and I'm improving it and 'cause you know, improvers, they like to get rid of clutter.
00:36:25 Kinzie
When I do something, yes.
00:36:30 Justin
They like things to be, you know, clear and organized, and she said her heart just sunk in that moment.
00:36:37 Justin
On that she realized that, like her oneness was coming across where she was her child.
00:36:42 Justin
Fill in value based on what they did to make things better, not just who they are.
00:36:44 Kinzie
Right?
00:36:46 Justin
Are in their essence.
00:36:47 Kinzie
And because they're yours, you know.
00:36:50 Justin
And improvers we sometimes struggle with the fact that we are human beings, not human doings, right?
00:36:56 Justin
And so we, we forget that the person value is just based on them being them and not always what they say or believe or act.
00:37:04 Justin
You know on that, so something that we can struggle with at times can be tolerance like ones.
00:37:09 Justin
Are not always the most tolerant.
00:37:11 Justin
You know out there, especially if it's an irresponsible or inconsistent person that's out there but, but that's one of our challenges.
00:37:15 Kinzie
Right?
00:37:17 Kinzie
Just take a deep breath before I.
00:37:19 Kinzie
Yeah, before I approach that subject.
00:37:22 Justin
Yeah, so so those are definitely some of the challenge and problem areas of an improver, so kind as we get towards the end of this like description on improvers.
00:37:33 Justin
Guess what I'd like to talk about is like, how do you support improvers?
00:37:38 Justin
How do you interact with them?
00:37:39 Justin
How do you handle conflict?
00:37:41 Justin
We'll get in that, so I'll throw out a few things and we can talk about this.
00:37:44 Justin
So kind of going back to that that conflict if you're out there and you know an improver, and you know somebody.
00:37:51 Justin
That's like man, yeah, nothing ever seems good enough.
00:37:53 Justin
They're always trying to do this like I don't.
00:37:55 Justin
How do I respond or react to them, especially if there's conflict.
00:37:59 Justin
Ask them to be direct with their anger and get past resentment.
00:38:03 Justin
Resentment is a big thing for.
00:38:03 Kinzie
Oh, it's huge, it's huge.
00:38:05 Justin
Improvers be willing to admit your mistakes and improver does love honesty and loves it when people say you know what I dropped the ball there.
00:38:14 Kinzie
Own it, own it.
00:38:15 Justin
Own it, yeah, try to be objective.
00:38:17 Justin
You know I got to meet Jocko Willink last week and that was just awesome.
00:38:21 Justin
He wrote the book Extreme ownership and like his biggest thing and that is you can't pass off your failures to those that you're leading.
00:38:27 Kinzie
Don't make excuses, yeah.
00:38:27 Justin
You have to do it.
00:38:29 Justin
You have to own that, and so improvers love that idea of on it.
00:38:33 Justin
So if you're in the middle of a conflict.
00:38:35 Justin
See what you can own doesn't mean you have to own everything and don't blame yourself for things that that weren't yours.
00:38:37 Kinzie
Right?
00:38:40 Justin
But be willing to own the things that were and see that.
00:38:45 Justin
In a nice way, you do have to encourage and challenge an approver that there's sometimes it's more than one way there.
00:38:52 Kinzie
Right?
00:38:52 Justin
There are different routes, sometimes to the solution, and the improver has a hard time with that because we feel like we've already thought of every scenario and the one that we've refined and and you know kind of improves enough like that.
00:39:04 Justin
Is the best way, and so we're kind of like it's either, you know, our way.
00:39:09 Justin
Which is the best way or no?
00:39:10 Kinzie
Way at all.
00:39:10 Speaker 2
Right?
00:39:11 Kinzie
And that's why community is so important.
00:39:13 Kinzie
I don't know if this is on your list.
00:39:14 Kinzie
But talk to other people who are not improvers.
00:39:17 Kinzie
Allow them to give you their perspective or allow them to side with the other person and say how on Earth can you.
00:39:25 Kinzie
Can you think that they're, you know, correct in this conflict?
00:39:29 Kinzie
Tell me, show me I don't I?
00:39:30 Kinzie
Don't see it.
00:39:31 Justin
And you know, we love the challenge in the right way.
00:39:35 Justin
In hindsight, but sometimes in the moment the challenge is always surprising to is just we lay out an idea or a proposal or a pitch and we're like we're like, let's go with it.
00:39:44 Kinzie
Get on my team, get on my team, yeah?
00:39:46 Justin
We've thought this through.
00:39:47 Justin
We've already done all the calculations again, potential in part is ability to see all the things that could be, and that should be and like.
00:39:55 Justin
So we've already imagined this 100 times over and tweaked it and refined it. So when we toss out an idea, so I was like, no, that's not the best way we do. Like it in hindsight, 'cause sometimes that makes it better. But in the moment we do take it personally.
00:39:57
Oh yeah.
00:40:08 Kinzie
We take it so personally, because we've already put all the mental energy into it. We've played it out 100 different ways and they're just.
00:40:15 Kinzie
Like you said, they're just shooting it down without knowing all the effort we put into it.
00:40:19 Justin
Yeah, so those are definitely some cool ways on we how we can help people.
00:40:23 Justin
How how to handle conflict especially in the circle of an improver.
00:40:28 Justin
If you are an improver and you're wondering how you could be supported in your growth, or if you've got an improver in your circle, or like how do I, how do I build them up?
00:40:36 Justin
How do I help them?
00:40:37 Justin
If you are leading someone that's on your team?
00:40:40 Justin
And they're an improver.
00:40:42 Justin
How do we support the growth?
00:40:43 Justin
So I'll toss out a couple of things and see if you have more that you want to add on here, but help them be less critical of themselves and more accepting of their mistakes and imperfections.
00:40:55 Kinzie
Help help them to laugh about their mistakes.
00:40:58 Kinzie
I immediately go to anger when I mistake or I blew up our nutribullet yesterday all over the kitchen and my daughter was there to laugh at it with me and that helped me not go straight to anger.
00:41:08 Kinzie
Laugh with them about their.
00:41:10 Justin
Mistakes absolutely.
00:41:12 Justin
And you know that word imperfection is another loaded word for it.
00:41:15 Justin
Improver, in fact, there's a song I don't remember the artist and I don't know a lot of the song.
00:41:18 Justin
Maybe you'll relate, but there is just a two word phrase in there where he says perfect imperfections.
00:41:25 Justin
And I can remember the first time I heard that in the song and it was like and he was talking about admiring or accepting all the perfect imperfections.
00:41:33 Justin
And that phrase just threw me for a loop in that, because perfect imperfections are challenging for an improver because we don't see our imperfections as being perfect.
00:41:43 Justin
We don't see we see our flaws.
00:41:45 Justin
And we see these things as being deficiencies and and our inner critic gets really loud in that.
00:41:50 Kinzie
And how could anybody accept that?
00:41:52 Justin
That's exactly right, so if you if you know it improve or one thing you can do is if they make a mistake or they've got something about them.
00:42:00 Justin
That it's not perfect or not.
00:42:03 Justin
The best that it could be, and they do.
00:42:03 Kinzie
And they do.
00:42:05 Justin
There are things helping them to know that they're accepted regardless, and that that doesn't change the way that you view them, and one of the cool things about being a believer is is that ultimately this has a lot to do with our relationship with God, and the fact is he's accepted us and he knows all of our.
00:42:20 Justin
Imperfections, he knows, all of our thoughts, right?
00:42:21 Kinzie
Created them.
00:42:23 Justin
So we.
00:42:24 Justin
Sure, he knows all that and he's accepted us and he loves us.
00:42:27 Justin
So one of the healthy things for an improver is to just rest in the fact that you.
00:42:31 Justin
Know what God saw me in my worst places and my worst situation.
00:42:36 Justin
And he still loved me.
00:42:37 Justin
And only did he love me, but he he's rescued me from that and he wants me to walk in a blessed life.
00:42:44 Justin
So what he's going to do, he's going to.
00:42:45 Justin
He still cherishes me in spite of those imperfections.
00:42:48 Kinzie
Right?
00:42:49 Justin
So if I can rest in that with me, and.
00:42:50 Justin
Him then surely.
00:42:52 Kinzie
I can offer that to somebody else.
00:42:52 Justin
Offer that to others and and I can be willing to to forgive and overlook and be gracious and patient, merciful.
00:43:00 Justin
There one of the tips for supporting the growth of an improver is to ask them to mediate their judgment with fairness and forgiveness now.
00:43:10 Justin
So yes.
00:43:10 Kinzie
I was just.
00:43:11 Kinzie
Thinking the word forgiveness.
00:43:13 Kinzie
That's yeah, that's a really big one because we do hold on to resentment and we think I I don't think they felt the weight of what they did to me.
00:43:21 Kinzie
They really need to fill it and they need to repent.
00:43:24 Kinzie
They need to make sure that I know how sorry they are and that coming.
00:43:30 Kinzie
Our pastor this past Sunday just laid it out about forgiveness and just being willing to overlook.
00:43:36 Kinzie
An offence, because that's what the Lord has done for us daily.
00:43:40 Kinzie
So just reminding ourselves of how many times.
00:43:43 Kinzie
We look at it.
00:43:43 Justin
It's hard with that phrase being together.
00:43:45 Justin
Their fairness and forgiveness calls in our minds sometimes, like Oh well, that was unfair, unjust, and all that.
00:43:51 Justin
But what we really have to do is back up and say you know what really is fair.
00:43:54 Justin
I've been forgiven many times by many people and I need to extend that.
00:43:57 Justin
That is the fair thing to do, so being patient.
00:44:00 Justin
With people another thing that we can do to support the growth of an improver is to remind them to share responsibility with others you kind of talked about that earlier with the micro management.
00:44:07 Kinzie
Yeah, delegate.
00:44:11 Justin
I can remember many years ago when I was doing youth ministry and we had an awesome youth group in Northeast Louisiana and just incredible Church and there were so many good things.
00:44:20 Justin
Go on, but then there was a lot of problems that were arising in the ministry that I was leading and so I pulled together this.
00:44:26 Justin
A group of people.
00:44:28 Justin
It was youth leaders and teachers.
00:44:30 Justin
It was parents.
00:44:31 Justin
It was staff members.
00:44:32 Justin
Just these people we got in a room and there's a big dry erase board.
00:44:36 Justin
And so I was ready for the for the feedback.
00:44:38 Justin
I was like, hey, like, let's leave it on and I really thought the list would be fairly short.
00:44:42 Justin
And after all this time like it ended up being.
00:44:44 Justin
Chock full of like issues.
00:44:46 Justin
And problems, and I couldn't believe that I had that many blind spots in the way that I was leading in the.
00:44:53 Justin
That, but at the end of all of that we came up with three words and I remember circling those three words in the middle of all these other complaints.
00:45:00 Justin
'cause there was three buckets that those complaints fell in, and they were communicate.
00:45:04 Justin
Delegate don't procrastinate.
00:45:06 Justin
And then we got to fit all the gates and so you know what?
00:45:07
All the 8.
00:45:10 Justin
15 years later, 16?
00:45:12 Justin
I'm still.
00:45:13 Justin
I still remember that on it, but one of the big ones was the delegate.
00:45:16 Justin
And I wanted things to be so good in the youth group that I was I was doing it all and I realized that I needed to rely on the parents and need to rely on the leaders and even the.
00:45:21 Kinzie
Right?
00:45:26 Justin
Youth to take part in that and I still struggle from time to time with delegation, but.
00:45:32 Justin
I'm realizing how important that is.
00:45:34 Justin
One of the books that got given to me by a friend recently was a book.
00:45:37 Justin
Called who not how, and so if you're out there and you're struggle with delegation, I would encourage you to pick up that book and read who not how and that'll help you with delegation.
00:45:46 Kinzie
I just need to point out that you.
00:45:47 Kinzie
Said a recent book that got given to me and I love that I love that you said Laurelled and.
00:45:54 Kinzie
Not giving and getting better.
00:45:55 Justin
Yeah, if you didn't figure this out, both of us are from the South and there's gonna be a lot of southern sayings in there.
00:46:00 Justin
In fact, we're talking about how the improver needs realize there's more than one way to get something, and I almost said there's more than one way to skin a cat.
00:46:05 Kinzie
Guinea cat Yep.
00:46:06 Justin
You know, I don't know why people skin cats, but there's more than one way to do it.
00:46:09 Justin
Apparently, and you know it doesn't make sense, but yeah.
00:46:10 Kinzie
It doesn't even make sense, yeah?
00:46:13 Justin
So if you end up being a frequent listener of the podcast, you're going to catch some of this these southern sayings.
00:46:20 Justin
And you know this accent that I have.
00:46:22 Justin
This is what happens when you take a Louisiana boy.
00:46:24 Justin
It's got some country and Cajun in him and put him in Texas.
00:46:27 Justin
And you got that twang and it all mixes together and this is.
00:46:30 Justin
What comes out so?
00:46:31 Kinzie
And in a country boy, he grew up on sayings.
00:46:33 Justin
Saying that's right.
00:46:34 Kinzie
All these sayings that we know what they mean.
00:46:37 Kinzie
But other people they they need some education on that.
00:46:42 Justin
And the last little thing about supporting the growth of an improver, and this is one that I really love on this, is encouraging improvers to have fun.
00:46:49 Justin
You know improvers are loved to worry.
00:46:52 Justin
They're always refining always doing that.
00:46:53 Justin
And when we're healthy though, we go to a side of our personality that does allow us to live with enthusiasm and live.
00:47:01 Justin
With enjoyment and to just go have fun.
00:47:04 Justin
And I think one of the reasons that we've connected so much personally in our friendships is just the fact that we've gone on trips together and traveled.
00:47:12 Justin
And so we've been able to see each other outside of the normal productive environments.
00:47:17 Justin
And like us, just.
00:47:18 Kinzie
It's flourish on vacation.
00:47:20 Kinzie
Because you get them out of their work environment, you get them out of their home and all these to do lists just vanish.
00:47:26 Kinzie
And all of a sudden, all the energy they they would have put into work they put.
00:47:29 Kinzie
The fun and so I like to justify my my oneness with the idea that I work hard so I can play hard.
00:47:38 Kinzie
So yeah, encouraging your improver to find something that they just really love to do and can let loose.
00:47:45 Kinzie
That is a really big.
00:47:47 Justin
One, no, I think so too.
00:47:48 Justin
And yeah, I'm saying.
00:47:49 Justin
I do come alive many times on vacations and there's a different side of me that will come out and part of it is, especially if you go on vacations where things are done really well now they don't always have to be far, but you know, we've done camping trips and we've had we've had some places we've stayed before a different air B&B's and verbs that maybe we're a little sketchy, so it doesn't always have to be perfect.
00:48:02 Kinzie
From Airbnb fiasco.
00:48:09 Justin
But really, when you go to these places where man these the customer service is with excellence, the architecture is good.
00:48:16 Justin
The buildings clean.
00:48:17 Justin
The food is tasty, the friends are great and all that really adds into it where it allows the improvement.
00:48:18 Kinzie
The friends are yeah.
00:48:23 Justin
Or let's go man, these guys are in gals are really good at what they do and when we can turn off that improver switch for a moment.
00:48:29 Justin
We can really let her down and have some fun so so supporting that in the life of an improver is one of the biggest ways you can benefit them.
00:48:39 Justin
And if you are an improved.
00:48:40 Justin
Look, you really need it, probably monthly, but at minimum quarterly you gotta get outside of your regular routine.
00:48:45 Justin
You gotta take some kind of a break and look if your budget is limited.
00:48:50 Justin
Like you know, go on a hike or drive out of town or do something like that.
00:48:54 Justin
If you've got a little bit more and you can do an overnight or a weekend, that's fine, but if you're able to like, try to schedule it.
00:49:00 Justin
At least a quarterly getaway where you're doing some type of thing for fun, but make recreation a part of it.
00:49:08 Justin
Realize that you're not wasting potential.
00:49:10 Justin
In fact, our body needs that rest.
00:49:10 Kinzie
Right?
00:49:12 Justin
Our body needs that rejuvenation and so.
00:49:14 Justin
Part of you your ability to reach your full potential is you're taking opportunities to go and rest and have fun.
00:49:21 Kinzie
And it sounds ironic, but schedule in times to be spontaneous.
00:49:25 Kinzie
Schedule in times where your your routine isn't the focus of your day so.
00:49:31 Justin
So ma'am, we're really impacting the improvers a lot.
00:49:34 Justin
There and I'm just wondering, I'm like man or people out there or some of you listening to this going man you or you're reading my mail you're speaking my language and that is our hope is that we are talking to you because you are an improver or you're very close to an improver and.
00:49:48 Justin
And they're in your circle, and that you can relate to a lot of these.
00:49:51 Justin
And again realizing this is just one of those nine, you know, personality types, but we're really going to try to focus on helping this particular one, 'cause that's part of who we are.
00:50:00 Justin
You know our our pain is our platform and you know our struggles is our story and our mess is our message.
00:50:06 Justin
And so as improvers, that's what we're trying to do with this.
00:50:09 Justin
Saying and say, hey, here's where we've been and we feel like life is better after we've implemented certain ideas and techniques and strategies and we want to help other.
00:50:20 Justin
Improvers with that.
00:50:21 Justin
So that's really what we're aiming to do with this podcast, in part, is to provide that content to allow people to continue to get better, but but also realize the good you know to not be complacent, but learn contentment, and so we're going to try to encourage you guys in that way also.
00:50:31
Right?
00:50:38 Kinzie
I'll just give you application.
00:50:39 Justin
Yeah, anything else you want to say about improvers in general.
00:50:42 Justin
Any things that you think that we kind of missed on that?
00:50:46 Kinzie
I can't think of any I'd when you were saying of how to how to help and improve, or maybe just just help them to realize that not everything is so personal either that sometimes people are just just talking to talking.
00:50:58 Kinzie
It's not meant for you to take as a criticism, and I think a lot of times that'll help build relationships and allow them to relax a little.
00:51:05 Kinzie
That too.
00:51:06 Justin
Yeah, well and I think one of the things I did want to bring up that I forgot that's just a small little like bonus up he's here.
00:51:12 Justin
This is free content, so but just examples that people may know of that are improvers out there, so some famous people and so Confucius, Plato, Joan of Arc.
00:51:19 Kinzie
Oh OK, yeah.
00:51:25 Justin
We got Pope John Paul the 2nd.
00:51:27 Justin
Nelson Mandela Margaret Thatcher Kate Middleton Jimmy Carter Michelle Obama Rudy Julie.
00:51:33 Justin
Johnny so these are all people who, like their nature is is to be an improver. They did put a couple of fun examples on here of Mr Spock and the Saturday Night Live's the church lady.
00:51:44 Justin
So if you're familiar with them, those are improvers, so yeah, they've got that.
00:51:45 Kinzie
Oh gosh, that's why I like them so much.
00:51:50 Justin
That same kind of try.
00:51:51 Justin
So those are some of our spirit people there.
00:51:54 Kinzie
Do I want to be?
00:51:54 Kinzie
When I grow up, Yep.
00:51:56 Justin
So well, I hope you've enjoyed this talk on the improver.
00:51:59 Justin
If you've got questions, want to encourage you to reach out to is you can email us at support and improve our network support and improve our network and let us know your questions.
00:52:08 Justin
Or maybe you've got something you'd like to add to the conversation.
00:52:11 Justin
Again, we we love feedback so we can talk about that.
00:52:13 Kinzie
Challenge us, yeah.
00:52:14 Justin
So challenges in it, you know, we definitely want to refine this.
00:52:17 Justin
And make it better.
00:52:18 Justin
We want to improve the improver buck so and if you want more information on the improver network you can also email that support at improver dot network or visit US online at improver dot network.
00:52:20 Kinzie
Please help us.
00:52:29 Justin
Find us on Facebook as well.
00:52:31 Justin
Go on there like and follow our page and then keep up with our events.
00:52:34 Justin
We do virtual and in person events and we would love to have you be a part of that.
00:52:38 Kinzie
See you and meet you.
00:52:40 Justin
Definitely want you to be a part of this improver network that we're building and we do have a membership available and so if you're like hey, I really think I could benefit from that.
00:52:48 Justin
Let me be a part.
00:52:49 Justin
That so it's just kind of 1 little add on, let's just talk briefly.
00:52:54 Justin
About the improver network.
00:52:56 Justin
So I really want to get in in just a few minutes on the why.
00:53:00 Justin
So why is there an improver network?
00:53:02 Justin
What is the purpose of it?
00:53:04 Justin
Where are we going?
00:53:05 Justin
And so just in a general sense, without being too specific about our particular situation, when you think about improver, what would be the benefits?
00:53:13 Justin
Of just being surrounded by other improvers and what would be the benefit of just like being able to have a commune?
00:53:19 Justin
City of people who are like minded in that way?
00:53:22 Justin
How do you think that could?
00:53:23 Justin
Help out people.
00:53:24 Justin
Well, you referenced this earlier.
00:53:25 Kinzie
Just seeing your blind spots becoming more self aware just and just seeing small tweaks.
00:53:31 Kinzie
I know when we were doing some of our zoom calls with other improvers I was amazed at how many times I would get off and go.
00:53:36 Kinzie
Oh there was just this one little thing that I could.
00:53:39 Kinzie
Change and it added so much to my day or it helped me be so much more productive.
00:53:43 Kinzie
So community accountability.
00:53:45 Kinzie
D and then just seeing blind spots are big advantages.
00:53:49 Justin
Yeah, absolutely, and that's really part of what we're getting at with building this network.
00:53:54 Justin
You know, part of our vision is to create a community that really what we're doing is we're helping people find fuel and fulfill their God given purpose.
00:54:02 Justin
We want to help educate people by providing good content that helps them to grow and so there it does help them learn.
00:54:09 Justin
About themselves and how they can be more productive, be more efficient and effective.
00:54:14 Justin
So we want to educate.
00:54:15 Justin
We want to encourage really want to touch the heart and help people to be inspired and affirmed.
00:54:20 Justin
And there are some people out there that.
00:54:21 Justin
That this podcast has been really encouraging because you're going.
00:54:25 Justin
I thought I was alone.
00:54:26 Kinzie
Right, you're laughing at yourself, and yeah.
00:54:26 Justin
Like I don't, yeah, yeah.
00:54:27 Justin
So, so we're really saying, hey, there's more of us out there.
00:54:31 Justin
Come join us in that we want to know you and I know that you want to know us.
00:54:35 Justin
So let's let's get connected.
00:54:35 Kinzie
You're not a Unicorn, there's.
00:54:37 Justin
There's more, so yeah, we want to encourage you and then lift up that spirit and then equip.
00:54:42 Justin
We really want to provide a community where we can equip one another with, you know, practical tools and resources for how we can carry out.
00:54:50 Justin
You know God purpose in our life and how we can bring balance and focus into you know our personal and productive.
00:54:57 Justin
Endeavors there, so that's a big part of what we're doing.
00:55:01 Justin
It's growing our mind grow in our spirit, growing our strength in that by providing content, community, and coaching.
00:55:08 Justin
And so if this sounds interesting to you, we definitely want to invite you to be a part.
00:55:13 Justin
You know we're at the beginning of this.
00:55:15 Justin
Well, this is like, you know, we think about potential.
00:55:17 Justin
We've talked about that word.
00:55:18 Justin
A bunch today.
00:55:19 Justin
You know we're seeing the seeds of something we're planning now.
00:55:22 Justin
We can't wait to see what this is going to grow into.
00:55:25 Justin
You know, a lot of people wonder what it would have been like to be at the very beginning of a powerful movement, or to to be at the early stages of something that everybody knows about and that made a difference in the world.
00:55:36 Justin
What would have been like to be a part of that story?
00:55:38 Justin
Well, this is your opportunity 'cause this thing is going to grow.
00:55:41 Justin
It's where this network is going to expand and improvers.
00:55:45 Justin
Once we start expanding.
00:55:46 Justin
We get together.
00:55:46 Justin
We're going to be making things better and I really see this network changing the world in a lot of different ways and making it better.
00:55:53 Kinzie
It's exciting.
00:55:54 Justin
It's exciting so come join us up for the ride.
00:55:57 Justin
We'd love to have you as part of the group, and until then stay good and keep getting better.
00:56:02 Kinzie
Good and getting better, yeah?
00:56:06 Justin
This has been a production of the Improver Network podcast hosted by Justin Winstead and Kenzie Harvell.
00:56:13 Justin
We hope that you'll join us next time.