00:17:13 Alison Cardy: Mathieu: 00:17:55 Alison Cardy: That one thing I used to joke was really saying no. To say no to all the unsafe products. 00:18:38 Yolande Grill: what's impossible that now you know to be possible? UL - used to be very one dimensional - mostly saying "no" - product - the job of UL was to say "no" so that people would remake them and make them safe... the act of saying no is a negative action.. to becoming a value partner. Transforming an entity. ~Mathieu 00:19:13 Alison Cardy: The very nature of the business was to be very standardized. 00:19:58 Yolande Grill: from hyper standardized - in order to create fairness. The other aspect is seeing the company is a gatekeeper - protecting society from unsafe actors - that was the mindset. 00:19:58 Alison Cardy: You have to test it in the same way to be fair. Seeing the company as the gatekeeper... protecting society from unsafe actors. 00:20:20 Yolande Grill: making sure the refrigerator was safe so as not to create a fire. 00:20:58 Alison Cardy: Customers... blatantly didn't like UL. 00:21:13 Yolande Grill: customers saw UL as a hurdle- the last painful step before you put your product on the shelf - and that last step created delay. 00:21:40 Alison Cardy: Engineers are born and bred to build new things and innovate. No you have to do it the exact same way. 00:23:51 Alison Cardy: Testing inspection certification... safety was the comfort area. The company was doing fine financially, but it was missing growth by a few percentage points. 00:23:55 Yolande Grill: UL was focused on safety - all the other types of testing of QA was not part of the DNA - and year after year, although doing fine financially, they were missing opportunities. 00:24:42 Alison Cardy: The language we had was vastly different from the language of customers. 00:25:01 Yolande Grill: The language we had was vastly different than the language of customers. UL talking about safety... while customers talking about market access. 00:25:58 Alison Cardy: Customers were talking about market access. That language disconnect was the first clue. Today the company is 2-3x bigger in terms of revenue, 50% bigger in terms of headcount. 00:26:02 Yolande Grill: today the company is more diversified... 00:28:12 Alison Cardy: There's a lot more diversity. Overall culture wise you see more diversity. The core service remained what it is. Just as important as making sure the products are safe is putting the products on the shelf in a timely manner. 00:28:45 Yolande Grill: compliance is not the most glamorous role in the organization 00:30:38 Yolande Grill: now, more creative... instead of thinking this is what the standard says... it's more what are you trying to accomplish... listen to the problems. 00:31:53 Alison Cardy: UL started elevating to a different audience. Approaching some of the same problems with a more creative approach. I was among the folks that pointed out the problem. I acquired 7 companies on behalf of UL. 00:31:56 Yolande Grill: I was among the folks that pointed our the problems I acquired 7 companies on behalf of UL - new services, new mindsets... the tail that wags the dog. I probably added 500 employees but those employees were regarded the cool ones. People wanted to be associated with them... ~Mathieu 00:32:32 Alison Cardy: Yolande: 00:33:20 Alison Cardy: I wanted to move to a smaller office, I wanted to take the company remote. 00:34:31 Alison Cardy: I could see that we had wasted space. It ended up being in hindsight, it ended up being the best thing we did. People would rather be in pain than agree to change. You can become more creative when you let go of some old mindsets. 00:36:41 Alison Cardy: People want to be safe. They don't want the new. I will not change anything in the physical set-up. Try it. Nobody wants to be totally tied to a desk anymore. We're so priviledged to live in a world where we have enough tech to do what we do today. Giving people a safety net when they're faced with change really helps. 00:45:09 Alison Cardy: The physical footprint of the building was a big deal. I noticed these kids working out of their garage creating successful products. They talked about this thing called location independence. I wanted it for them. They couldn't see what I was seeing. To be able to take a break in your natural habitat. We do have a challenge of loneliness and onboarding of new people. To me the world was moving. They had a vision that was giving them life. As a result of the shift we became more productive because people worked when they wanted to work. Maybe we became clearer about setting goals. We need a place to gather. It was a symbolic thing. We can gather for fun and relationships. We didn't have to gather for work. Like happiness. Walking them to school, breakfast... 00:45:47 Alison Cardy: Omg, we shifted the world. 00:45:49 Alison Cardy: Cyndy: 00:46:22 Alison Cardy: /the idea that so many people are able to create their own business out of something that they love. 00:46:33 Yolande Grill: so many people are able to create their own business out of something that they love and change their world and they don't have to go to a company and work on somebody else's terms is a change i'm seeing in the world. 00:46:50 Yolande Grill: One option for graduates is to create their own thing. 00:47:15 Yolande Grill: women can now have a business of purpose. 00:47:31 Yolande Grill: the world has shifted from: I now have to go get a job from 9 to 5 00:48:26 Yolande Grill: when I quit the corporate world I realized I was good at something I didn't like to do - golden handcuffs - multiple startups to fortune 500 - I had a hard time finding a culture that I loved. 00:49:05 Yolande Grill: the biggest promise to myself was that I never have to work for anyone I don't like... to be able to do that for myself and now for people that I help!!! 00:49:13 Alison Cardy: One of their options is to create their own thing. When I quit the corporate world I realized I was good at something that I didn't like to do. Office politics was not a natural fit. I never want to work for someone I don't like again...or doesn't speak to my ethics, passions... 00:49:44 Yolande Grill: i'm so fortunate - I have been doing what I've been doing for 10 years - today I not only help professional women create a professional brand but also a brand and business to succeed on their own terms. 00:49:56 Yolande Grill: 2 success stories - from zero to 6 figures in a year. 00:50:00 Yolande Grill: independent 00:50:04 Yolande Grill: that's amazing. 00:50:41 Yolande Grill: what keeps me up at night - what difference do I make in the world. these are companies that are able to support themselves. And have the dream to go to the next level and leaving a legacy. 00:51:50 Yolande Grill: 2 day workshop - I've been out of the workforce... son with dyslexia... you've been working but working for free. have you thought about working for yourself? 00:52:44 Yolande Grill: it's pretty amazing - she was afraid - her husband was afraid... son is thriving. And hundreds of other children are thriving as a result of the work she's done. 00:54:08 Yolande Grill: another example: immigrant - 20 years - she was unable to feed her child - she had to leave her children behind - her very young son did not have shoes... she came to the US - left her children behind with her mother - one suitcase full of cheese which I planned to sell and a suitcase full of hope... 00:54:16 Alison Cardy: Two in particular have gone from 0 to 6 figures in a year. Out of the workforce, been a stay-at-home mom, son with dyslexia... need to go back to work to support son and private school You have been working, but you've been working for free. Actually, you are qualified. Let's look at how you are qualified. Now hundreds of other children are thriving because of the work that she's doing. One suitcase full of cheese. One suitcase full of hope. 00:56:11 Yolande Grill: now well on her way to making 6 figures. It's only been a year. she had no income. the single most important thing is that she is positive and believed in herself. 00:56:28 Yolande Grill: so many people have so much to offer. 00:57:23 Yolande Grill: only 4% of women believe they are beautiful 00:58:09 Yolande Grill: it all comes back to self-esteem... she needed me to believe in her in order for her to believe in herself. 00:58:32 Alison Cardy: She had an idea to start her own business. A woman who took a risk, stepped out, and did what it took. The single most important thing was she was positive, believed in herself, and made it happen. So many ppl have so much to offer that they don't give themselves credit for. No, you have what it takes. All of those things come back to self-esteem. Hello beautiful.