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Sidewalk TalkAuthor: Traci Ruble
In a world that loves to talk, do, achieve, promote, preach, sell....what does it mean to connect, be, and listen. A podcast about #humanconnection #mentalhealth #socialhealth #empathy #belonging and #loneliness. And always thinking about justice and inclusion in all things. Join us. And share far and wide. Or start your own chapter of Sidewalk Talk in your community. www.sidewalk-talk.org Language: en Genres: Education, Self-Improvement, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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How We Participate In Letting Work Turn Us Into Machines - with Dr. Carol Xu
Episode 103
Tuesday, 25 February, 2025
In this episode of the Sidewalk Talk podcast, host and founder Traci Ruble speaks with Dr. Carol Xu, who holds a PhD in management science and engineering from Stanford University, about the intricacies of human connection. They explore Carol’s expertise in cross-cultural communication and management, her personal journey through burnout and depression, and the innovative practices she employs to foster creativity and resilience in organizations. Their conversation covers a range of topics, from the impact of T-groups on interpersonal communication to the challenges of maintaining humanizing practices within organizational structures. Carol highlights the importance of grounding, intentional listening, and striking a balance between emergent strategies and structured plans to sustain meaningful connections—both personally and professionally. Episode Timeline 00:00 Introduction to Sidewalk Talk 01:04 Revisiting Conversations: Tracy's Experience 01:28 Meet Carol Hsu: Cross-Cultural Communication Expert 05:52 Carol's Journey: From Academia to Burnout 09:24 The Importance of Human Connection in Organizations 14:08 Balancing Growth and Humanization in Organizations 20:31 Emergent Strategies and Human Awareness 26:32 Humanizing the Workplace 28:36 The Role of Power in Hierarchies 32:04 Understanding Liminal Space 35:22 Communication Dojo and T Groups 38:39 The Importance of Foundational Layer 45:46 Final Thoughts and Gratitude Resources Mentioned https://www.presentofwork.com/ https://www.presentofwork.com/relational-agility Standout Quotes “ That humility is really important. Like sometimes just admit that. Hey, we don't know what we're doing.” (Carol) “ Once an organization is big enough, and then once it wants to control some things, and thenit starts a metric system and then it starts measuring people. Once you do that, people will tend to switch off their internal kind of sensibility and awareness, and then they try to fit that mode.” (Carol) “ Oftentimes what's easily measured is actually not the underlying thing you want. ” (Carol) “ The symbolism of that story is so fascinating. You're saying if we mechanize ourselves, we die.”(Traci) “Empower people to tap into, to really tap into the overlap between the personal and organizational. ” (Carol) “ In some ways, we have a tendency as humans to turn ourselves into a machine. We have a tendency to take things for granted. It doesn't matter if it's at the workplace or at the house, at the home front.” (Carol) “ Efficiency, has a place. However, it also can easily get abused. And I think in today's societies, a lot of places that doesn't really need a hierarchy, has hierarchy just because people don't really have any other alternative models.” (Carol) “If you're using oppression to fight oppression, you're on the wrong track.” (Traci) Connect: Find | Sidewalk Talk At sidewalk-talk.org On Instagram: @sidewalktalkorg On Twitter: @sidewalktalkorg Find | Traci Ruble At Traciruble.com On Instagram: @TraciRubleMFT On Twitter: @TraciRubleMFT On Facebook: @TraciRubleMFT Find | Dr. Carol Xu At www.presentofwork.com On LinkedIn: @jiacarolxu SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST On Apple Podcasts On Google Podcasts On Spotify On YouTube
