Magic in the Room #25: Unlocking EQ: Defaulting to Action (Part 1)

August 12, 2020

In Part 1 of this conversation about action orientation, Luke, Chris, and Hannah each share examples from their lives when they activated a specific initiative and its impact.

Hannah reflected on her early career when she joined a sales team within a technical organization. But what she really wanted to do was make an impact and help bring out the best in people. After just a few months in her role, the company received a call to action from an executive leadership team at a huge company to start a college hire program. The mission was to help them expand their hiring policy and make a concerted effort to bring in new talent.

 

Hannah shares how this became a pivotal moment in her career. She had never done anything like this before, what the right steps to take were or how to design a training program for new college grads. But the intent was obvious. She knew exactly what needed to happen and had a vision for what this could look like. Hannah defaulted to action and volunteered. A compass, clear intention, and purpose enabled her to take action and make it a success.

 

However, Luke asks his hosts who are blessed with an internal bias for action, how they deal with challenges, barriers, and roadblocks that slow them down. What’s the answer? Do you refocus? And how do you choose how to take that energy and be productive? Chris shares how Zig Ziglar inspired him to see that it’s all about relationships.

 

The relationship we have with the institutions and people we’re connected with will play a crucial role in our success. When Chris is not happy with the relationship, he feels compelled to take the responsibility away from the other party. He then asks himself, what are the things that I have to do to improve this relationship or effectively change that condition?

 

For Chris, ensuring that he is doing everything that he can do to give him the paths, opportunities, and chances to get where he wants to be will also enable him to default to that action. But it’s also a delicate balancing act between taking a moment to pause and clarifying the right action versus just taking action because we feel like we need to do something.

 

How do your teams lean into taking a bias for action? How do you lean into the ownership of individuals on this team? Empowering employees with the courage and confidence to progress forward is possible in creating unique strategies for your organization. The hosts of Magic in The Room share the same passion for helping people in teams succeed and raising awareness that there’s no reason for anyone to do it alone.

 

Momentum is everything. But to have momentum, we have to have action.

Magic in the Room #199: The Power of Mattering

By Sarah Whitfield • April 7, 2026
In this episode of Magic in the Room, Luke Freeman, Hannah Bratterud, and Chris Province dive into the concept of “mattering,” inspired by Zach Mercurio’s work, and explore why it is a foundational driver of engagement, performance, and culture in organizations. They challenge leaders to move beyond assuming people matter to actively ensuring individuals feel that they matter by being valued and by contributing value to a shared purpose. The conversation highlights how mattering differs from belonging, why it cannot be replaced by perks or efficiency, and how leadership behaviors like attention, recognition, and presence directly shape whether people feel seen, heard, and understood. Through examples ranging from workplace dynamics to broader societal trends like social disconnection, they argue that disengagement, conflict, and even poor performance are symptoms of a mattering deficit. Ultimately, they position mattering not as a soft concept, but as a measurable, actionable leadership responsibility that underpins trust, resilience, and long-term success.

Magic in the Room #198: The GUEST Experience

By Sarah Whitfield • March 3, 2026
In this episode of Magic in the Room, Luke, Hannah, and Chris explore how the concept of mattering transforms customer experience through their practical GUEST framework. Building on the idea that people thrive when they feel noticed, affirmed, and valued, they argue that exceptional service is not just about efficiency or technical competence, but about intentionally designing experiences where guests truly feel significant. They unpack the five elements of the GUEST model: Greet with empathy, Uncover needs, Express gratitude, Share names, and Teach benefits. They show how each step reinforces belonging and loyalty, whether in a 30-second interaction or a 30-year relationship. The conversation highlights the difference between service and hospitality, the power of recovery when mistakes occur, and the leadership responsibility to embed mattering into culture rather than leaving it to chance.
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