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Workday Playdate

311: Leading Like You Give a Damn: Building Teams That Thrive with Paula Davis

Oct 8, 2025 · 44 min · Episode 357 · 44.3 MB
0:00-44:59

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In Episode 311 of Workday Playdate, Erin sits down with Paula Davis — former lawyer, author of Beating Burnout at Work, and founder of the Stress and Resilience Institute — to unpack why burnout isn’t an individual failure, it’s a team dynamic. Together, they explore how leaders can prevent burnout by fostering empathy, connection, and intrinsic motivation. Paula introduces her powerful concept of TNTs (Tiny Noticeable Things) — small, intentional actions that spark trust, boost morale, and improve workload management across teams. If you’ve ever wondered how to build a culture where people actually thrive, this episode is your blueprint for leading with empathy and resilience — and creating a workplace that energizes rather than exhausts. Inside This Episode:

  • Burnout, Reframed: Why burnout prevention starts with team dynamics, not just individual stress management.
  • Meet the TNTs: How Tiny Noticeable Things can transform connection, communication, and collaboration.
  • The ABC Framework: The three psychological nutrients every thriving team needs — Autonomy, Belonging, and Challenge.
  • Empathy as Strategy: Why emotionally intelligent leadership is your best defense against burnout.
  • From Surviving to Sustaining: How to create resilient teams that adapt, connect, and stay motivated.
Who This Episode Is For:
  • Leaders who want to prevent burnout before it starts.
  • HR and people pros focused on workplace well-being.
  • Teams looking to strengthen connection and intrinsic motivation.
Tune in to learn how to lead like you give a damn — and build teams that are calm, connected, and resilient enough to handle whatever the workday throws their way. Blocked time, made lists, promised yourself this time will be different—and yet by 5 PM, the work that actually matters is still staring back at you. Enter The Ready-Made 90-Minute Focus Kit: your done-for-you reset for ditching distractions and finally making progress on what matters most. With this simple framework, you’ll reclaim your brainpower, protect your energy, and actually finish the work you care about. Download it now and turn “Where did the day go?” into “Wow, I crushed that.”   No, You Hang Up First (Let’s Keep Connecting)
  • Did today’s episode resonate with you? Leave us a review sharing your favorite insight and we’ll send you a free signed copy of I See You! A Leader’s Guide to Energizing Your Team through Radical Empathy.
  • Have another question that we can answer? Leave us a Speakpipe audio clip and we’ll answer it in an upcoming episode.
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Connect with Paula Davis Connect with Erin Diehl x improve it!

For more information on improve it! visit www.learntoimproveit.com.

Connect with Erin Diehl

🌟 Learn more about Workday Playdate: https://www.learntoimproveit.com/podcast-page
🎤 Book Erin to speak: https://passionstruckspeakers.com/speakers/erin-diehl/
📚 Workshops & Team Experiences: https://www.learntoimproveit.com/experiential-training
💌 Learn more about Erin: https://www.itserindiehl.com/meet-erin
📱 For more information on improve it! visit www.learntoimproveit.com.

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