Battle Ready (Aired 10-29-26) Leadership, Accountability, and Inclusive Employment

[00:00:16] Speaker A: Pressure has a way of revealing what leadership is really built on. Title matters less, speeches matter less and what remains is character. The discipline to stay responsible, the humanity to serve. The ability to help people keep moving when circumstances are difficult. On battle ready, we talk about principles that hold up when the situations get really tough. Today I want to explore a form of leadership that has been tested across very different arenas. Faith, coaching, management, and helping people find a meaningful place in the workforce. My guest today is Frank Higginbotham Jr. Director of Employment Services at the center for Pursuit. Frank's journey includes 25 years of ordained Christian ministry, 15 years as a basketball coach, 20 years as an employment services individual, and more than 25 years of high level management and experience. For two decades, he has focused on helping individuals with limitations find meaningful employment, while also mentoring young people to fulfill their potential. Hey Frank, welcome to the show. [00:01:24] Speaker B: Thank you so much for the opportunity. I look forward to this interview. [00:01:30] Speaker A: You know, across ministry, coaching, management, employment services, what leadership principles has remained constant for you? [00:01:38] Speaker B: There are three. Servant leadership, because I think we're ultimately serving the individuals that we're trying to help, trying to build up transformational leadership. Because the ultimate goal is to see the potential in others to try to get them to excellence and be their best. And the third for me is accountability. No time for excuses. We just don't have time. Excellence doesn't have excuses in it. So those are the three guiding principles that I've used in every area of my life. Servant leadership, transformation, transformational leadership, and accountability. [00:02:15] Speaker A: So let's talk about your journey using those leadership principles. You know. Are you originally from Houston? [00:02:22] Speaker B: I am my father. I'm a military brat. So I was born in another state, spent the first five years of my life in Germany. My mother had enough of that. And so we came back to Houston at about five, six years old. So, yeah, I'm a Houstonian. [00:02:39] Speaker A: Okay, so tell me about what motivated you to this path. [00:02:49] Speaker B: A lot of things. Number one, I'm a first. Thank God, because I, I didn't know what I was doing. Just like a lot of people when you get out of school, you really don't know what you want to do. Really had another career path that I was doing in my twenties as my wife was in college. I was taking night classes, so I really didn't know what I wanted to do. We were talking one day and just kind of saying how we can help out individuals because she was in human resource and we were just talking. So we just started saying we're going to Go to the library and start teaching people how to help individuals apply for jobs. Because we were noticing that there were a lot of individuals that just didn't have the skills to develop a resume, interview, and even obtain jobs. So what started out as us just trying to give back to the community actually turned into a very long career. I had a passion for it as far as the basketball. It was just started out training my daughter and my son and other little kids in the area kept coming to me. And so that was just another form of ministry for me, just helping. And I just love the sport of basketball and how sports can really help individuals develop in life, the life skills you take from sports. So a lot of that came was just happenstance. It just happened, just me doing stuff, and it turned into a long career for me. [00:04:15] Speaker A: Well, which parent was in the military? Father, Mother? My [00:04:19] Speaker B: father. My father was a military man and he retired from. [00:04:24] Speaker A: You [00:04:25] Speaker B: know, [00:04:25] Speaker A: let him know, you know, we appreciate it. You know, I don't know if you realize I'm retired military. I'm retired army. My dad retired. My son retires in probably 18 days. So that's like the family business for us. [00:04:40] Speaker B: Hey, man, thank you for your service. That's awesome. That is awesome. [00:04:45] Speaker A: All right, so. So tell me about, you know, when pressure rises, what usually separates a leader who becomes reactive from one who stays grounded and useful as a team? [00:04:56] Speaker B: Passion. Passion. You. You have to be passionate about what you're doing. That's what keeps you trying to attain the goals you're trying to get to. It's. It's your passion for what you're doing. At least that. That's what it is for me. That's how I've developed my staff. That's how I've developed my teams and those who have served up under me. Actually, that's a quality that I look for in individuals, that you're passionate about the work because you're going to have hard days. You're going to have days that just suck. They're horrible. You want to quit, you want to cuss people out, but the passion that keeps you. You know what I'm saying? So that's. That's what I would say it is for me. I love helping people. [00:05:42] Speaker A: Okay, so let's talk. [00:05:43] Speaker B: Go ahead. [00:05:45] Speaker A: Let's talk about accountability. [00:05:48] Speaker B: All right. [00:05:48] Speaker A: You know, in today's work, I. The workforce seems like they're not as excited about being accountable. How do you motivate somebody who is mediocre but has the ability or the. I don't know. Well, I'D say the ability to be better. How do you motivate them to accept accountability? [00:06:17] Speaker B: Okay, so the industry that we work in, we deal with individuals who have limitations and barriers. Of course, that's why they come to us, because if they didn't need us, if they didn't have the limitations of barriers, they wouldn't need us to help them get jobs. So one of the things that I try to tell my staff and this came from coaching, is, number one, we have to look past limitations. We have to look past their barriers and try to see what skills they have, what potential they have. Because a lot of people don't know what their potential is. They don't know what skills they have, and they haven't had anyone to really push them. So one of the things that's what we do. We try to see what the skills are, and then once we identify it, we try to build them up in it. And that's where they come accountable, because they now see that they have some value that they can add. Anytime a person sees that they have value and someone believes in them and they begin to believe in themselves, they begin to operate at a different level. [00:07:24] Speaker A: And how do you, you know, maintain the inclusion? You know, when you have individuals that maybe don't realize their potential and, you know, maybe have had some challenges with others, how do you, you know, motivate them to, you know, step in and do something? [00:07:50] Speaker B: Once again, it's all about being passionate about seeing the best in others. It's all about building hope in others. So it's, it's, it's, it's hard sometimes because sometimes the, the limitations of barriers are so prevalent. They're so, you know, out there that it's hard to, to. It's one thing to say you believe, but it's another thing to try to make someone believe in themselves. But that's where consistency comes from, and that's where you know, you have to. When you're working with someone. And I, you know, even from basketball, one of the things you want to do is show them how they've improved. You know, I think when people can see how. Measure how much they've grown, then they begin to believe more and, and see that, that something that they dreamed about is attainable. [00:08:45] Speaker A: You know, I, I, you know, I play a little bit of basketball once upon a time, and, and I remember this coach, you know, he used to beat us up and say, practice makes perfect. Or does it? Did you ever hear that? [00:08:58] Speaker B: Yes, sir. [00:08:59] Speaker A: And, you know, we used to think, what are you Talking about, he says practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. [00:09:07] Speaker B: Yes, sir. Yes, sir. The 5P, [00:09:10] Speaker A: you know, and, and, and the thing about it is, he's like, if you shoot 100 foul shots and you do it wrong, are you going to get better? [00:09:22] Speaker B: No. [00:09:23] Speaker A: You know, and, and so when. When you're working with the individuals that have some challenges, you know, you push them about the perfect practice, I'm assuming. [00:09:35] Speaker B: Absolutely. And that's it. You. You just said it. Everything. I say this all the time. Everything is. Is. Is skill development. You cannot keep doing the wrong thing and expect something good to happen from it. So everything is about, you know, developing the proper skill set, the proper mechanics, what to say, what not to say, those soft skills that they need. Now, in some areas, we're not able to fix certain areas because, like I say, sometimes the limitations are so prevalent, are so outstanding. Like, say, for instance, if you have, you know, an individual that's neurodiverse who has a. An issue with stemming, he's not going to stop that or they're not going to stop that. But what we can do is try to figure out what triggers it so they can control that. We, we try to put supports in place where they're in an environment that understands this issue that they're having. So it. It's all about setting them up for success, and it's all about putting them in the best position and being honest and talking to people. Man, you, You. If people. If you know you can do it, like you just said something shooting a free throw a hundred times wrong. If I don't correct it, and I continue to let you do it just for the sake of doing it, then I've done you an injustice by not correcting you. So the goal for leadership and what we do is sometimes we have to have hard conversations. Sometimes we have to tell people what they're doing is not working for them. And so that's where that comes from, just being honest and open. [00:11:08] Speaker A: You know, I was. I've never played golf before, and I know we're getting ready to run out of time, but I played golf for the first time a couple weeks ago, and one of the guys was, you know, we were teeing off, and he said he went to a coach, and the coach tried to adjust his swing, and now his swing is worse. So, you know, I, I think there's some challenges with that in itself. Right? [00:11:31] Speaker B: Yes. And, you know, man, that's. So, that's, you know, you know, so I tell my staff this all the Time. There are some things you're just not going to change with people because whatever they're doing, they're so. It's, it's a learned behavior. It's ingrained. Okay, maybe not focus on that, but focus on the areas that you can change to make them better. Because some areas you do make worse if you try to. You know what I'm saying? Like, say, for instance, I don't want to take up too much time, but let's use. What we do is trying to teach someone traditional interview skills. If this person doesn't have traditional soft skills, trying to get them to memorize a script is just not going to work for them. So what we have to do is try to train them the best we can to show the highlights, highlight, number one, their personality, what's good about them. Because the ultimate goal is to get the interviewer to like them, to want to work with them. So sometimes we have to get past doing stuff traditionally and just get them to highlight what's, what's. What we think is great about them. [00:12:40] Speaker A: Sure, sure. You know, what stands out to me is that being battle ready starts long before the difficult moment. It is built on the habits, standards and values we practice every day. When those foundations are real, pressure does not create our characters. It reveals it. We'll be right back with Mr. Frank. Welcome back to Battle Ready. Stay connected to this show and every NOW Media TV favorite, live or on demand, anytime you like. You can Download the free Now Media TV app on Roku or iOS and unlock non stop bilingual program in English and Spanish. If you're on the move, catch the podcast version at www.nowmedia tv. From business and news to lifestyle, culture and leadership and beyond, NOW Media is streaming around the clock. Ready whenever you are. I'm back with Frank Higginbotham, whose leadership experience spans ministry, coaching and management and two decades of helping people pursue meaningful employment. In this segment, I wanted to go deeper into the standard behind the work, especially what discipline and integrity look like when a leader is responsible not only for outcomes, but for the growth of the people. Frank, welcome back. [00:13:59] Speaker B: Yes, sir. [00:14:01] Speaker A: So I asked you earlier about accountability. So how did you create accountability without making people feel like the mistakes that they made define their values or their potential? [00:14:12] Speaker B: I learned from the school of hard knocks. You know, leadership is funny, you know, and I never wanted it, but it seemed like I kept being, you know, I, I was continued to be thrusted in those positions. And it's not about telling people what to do. It's not about being A boss. It's about accomplishing a goal. And that's what I had to learn. Getting people to buy into what we were trying to do, being honest where I was weak and not being afraid to hire talent. I think sometimes leaders want to be the smartest person. They, they want to, they have an insecurity about working with other smart individuals and people who probably have more talent than they do. I had to learn that, that, that can't be what I am and who I am. So hire the right people, smart people, skillful people, and just be open and honest with them and get them to buy into the vision. [00:15:08] Speaker A: You know, it's interesting that state. And I totally, totally agree with that. You know, I like to surround myself because I'm in real estate now with people that are subject matter experts in their area. For example, you know, I had a mortgage license way back when, but I don't talk money because I did. Stuff changes so much. You need to talk to a specialist, a lender for that piece of the piece. You know, I know enough to be dangerous. But in today's changing markets, you got to always be flexible. Right? And you have to have that strength like you were talking about, to hire somebody that is the subject matter expert in the areas you're trying to grow in. How do you feel about that? [00:15:51] Speaker B: No, I agree totally. You have to surround yourself with talent. You know, it's just, it is what it is. If you want to accomplish something, you have to put the right people around you and not be intimidated by their, their intelligence or their skill. Even from a coaching aspect. Oh, I apologize. Go. [00:16:13] Speaker A: No, no, please, please come up. [00:16:15] Speaker B: No, from a coaching aspect, you know, I coach, I've coached at the college level. I, I coach currently at the high school level. And the one thing about sports is you deal with these Alphabet personalities and [00:16:30] Speaker A: Right. [00:16:31] Speaker B: Not take that from them. I have to, you have to learn how to, you know, be an alpha, but also let others be who they are. So that's a skill within itself. Because you don't want to clip the paws of a lion. A lion has to be a lion. So, you know, that's been my philosophy. So let people be who they are, let them grow in who they are and you still be you and they'll respect you. [00:16:53] Speaker A: You know, discipline looks like. What does it look like in, in a person centered environment? You know, where is it different? Where are the different individual, you know, need to be different kind of support? Where do they need their different support? [00:17:07] Speaker B: Ask that one more time. [00:17:09] Speaker A: I said, you know, and what does discipline look like in a person centered environment? You know, where different individuals may need different kind of support? [00:17:18] Speaker B: Wow, that's a great question. You know, you just said it. It's, it's person centered. Every individual is different and just have the respect to not try to put everyone in a group. So I have this saying, I say all the time in my trainings. We, we serve the autism community. And one of the things I always say is if you've met one person with autism, you've just met one person. Sometimes we try to put people in this category, and yes, sometimes they may have similar traits, but they're different. And so from a person centered standpoint, we have to just treat the individual as a person, respect them as a person, and understand that they have different personal interests, personal skills, and that's how you serve them. [00:18:15] Speaker A: So what have you learned about, you know, correcting someone in a way that builds ownership rather than defensiveness? [00:18:22] Speaker B: Honesty. Honesty. You build a relationship first. I think sometimes people try to, they want to be honest and have hard conversations, but you haven't built a relationship with the individual to do so. And what happens when that, when you do that, what happens is walls come up because they don't trust you. So build the relationship with individuals. Once they trust that you're not criticizing, but you're critiquing them, you're, you're trying to get them better, they'll listen. So build a relationship and always be honest and admit when you're wrong. [00:19:00] Speaker A: Something about honesty and delivery. [00:19:04] Speaker B: Y. [00:19:04] Speaker A: All right. How can you tell somebody that they suck and, and make him believe it? That was pretty hard, right? [00:19:20] Speaker B: Yeah. So I, you know, so from a work standpoint, you know, as far as employment services, we want to build hope. Now from a coaching standpoint, I'll answer that question from this standpoint when I, I have to show individuals what greatness looks like because a lot of people have false narratives or false realities of what they think greatness is. So when they understand what we're trying to achieve or what we're trying to get through to get to, then they can, when I say no, that, that's not good, they'll understand it. So you have to first show them what greatness is. [00:20:03] Speaker A: You know, I, I, I made that joke about the delivery because my daughter beats me up about delivery all the time. Everyone's, I still have that military mindset sometimes. And, you know, somebody tell me, hey, what's my biggest challenge? I'm, I'm talking about, I say work ethic and it just beats them down because they think they're working really hard and really long, but, you know, they're not doing any things that need to, they need to do to get where they need to be. But I remember as an HR professional back in the day, you know, I worked with a lot of engineers and, and then the engineers were, you know, overseeing like, CNC shops. So the engineers, two, three years in as an engineer and the CNC machinist 25 years in, and the struggle was real on the delivery, right? And I used to tell them something that somebody told me a long time. You gotta learn how to send somebody to hell and make them look forward to the trip. [00:20:56] Speaker B: I love that. [00:20:58] Speaker A: Yeah, [00:20:59] Speaker B: I love it. That's it. That's it. [00:21:02] Speaker A: Hey, so when, when a team starts losing focus or confidence, what do you do first to restore standards and momentum? [00:21:12] Speaker B: Number one, bring us together. I, I, I think coming together, you know, building a team is, is hard. Whether, you know, from a sports context or even just from an employment context, it's hard because culture is everything. And so, number one, you have to protect the culture. Once the culture gets out of balance, people don't understand what they're they're doing, why they're doing what they're doing. It's hard. So number one, always make sure you're protecting the culture, why we do what we do and just bring people together. You have to fellowship, you have to spend time together, go have lunch together, talk. We have this thing in my office where my staff, I have an open door policy where, listen, come in my office, just talk. Even if you just want to vent, shoot the breeze, I don't care what you want to talk about. We talk about sports, we talk about a movie, but just to kind of break the monotony, so to speak, and then get back to where we're talking to each other, where it's not so much work. And then once we get past that, now we can get back to the assignment, but just come together. [00:22:20] Speaker A: So when you have somebody, especially on the basketball side, how do you bring them back up if they just had the worst game of their life? [00:22:33] Speaker B: It's, that's, that's very hard. That's very hard because what you're trying to teach them is to, to get past a low. So, and I learned this the hard way because, you know, my son played and he would have these extremely good games and he'd had these games where it was like, rough and [00:22:52] Speaker A: sure, [00:22:52] Speaker B: I would light into him on the way home. So I wasn't Reaching him. So it, it just, it depends on the situations. There were times I had to light into him and let him know that he, he played horrible. And then there were times that, you know, we just had to ride home in silence. And he'll get over it, you know what I'm saying? But, you know, get back, try to get them back to what they do very fast. Don't stay in the loss. You know, that's the big thing. Don't stay in the loss. [00:23:21] Speaker A: So are there any things or any. And we got a few minutes, a few seconds left to actually there. Is there one thing that you do in a, in a huddle to motivate your team when it's like do or die? [00:23:41] Speaker B: I, I'm passionate, man. I'm an old school coach. It's no telling what comes out my mouth, man. So it really depends on the moment. [00:23:55] Speaker A: Situational, huh? [00:23:56] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:23:57] Speaker A: Okay. For me, accountability and compassion are not the opposites. You know, strong leadership is being clear about the standard while still believing that people can grow into it. You know, the combination of truth, discipline, and respect is what makes development sustainable. We'll be right back with Frank. [00:24:16] Speaker B: All right, I cuss him out now. [00:24:30] Speaker A: Hey. Frank Hagenbottom Jr. Has spent 20 years helping individuals with limitations find meaningful employment while creating learning environments designed around person, rather than forcing every person into the same mold. The work raises a powerful leadership question. How do we recognize real limitations without allowing those limitations to become the full definition of someone's potential? Frank, welcome back. [00:24:56] Speaker B: Thank you, sir. [00:24:57] Speaker A: You know what, what is the most common experience with a new client that you have when you're just meeting them? What is, what is kind of your steps? [00:25:16] Speaker B: So a common theme that we see a lot of times is just insecurity. You know, we deal with a lot of young individuals because we really work, go to the school districts and catch these students who are transitioning into adulthood. So we work with all the area school districts. So you're dealing with individuals for the most part, they're in special education and a lot of them have what we call a non identifying disability, where you can't really visualize what the disability is. And so a lot of them are, are sometimes bullied and treated unfairly. And the parents have been hearing for a long time that you can't, they can't, you know, and so we, they come in, there's a lot of insecurity, there's a lot of lack of hope. And so that's what we deal with at first. And, and so the main thing we want to do is start building that relationship and building confidence. And that's through assessment, that's through training and just being there for you, just going into the community with you and just building your confidence. [00:26:33] Speaker A: So you're very familiar with paradigm shift, right? So how or what is the experience or how do you feel when you finally see that young individual realize that, wow, I am not what everybody says I am, or, you know, the, the bucket they put me in. What does that paradigm shift look like? [00:27:00] Speaker B: It's amazing when you know in any area of life, when you see someone, the light switch turns on. That's probably one of the greatest moments. And I tell my staff that I said, watch how you feel when that individual gets a job that thought they couldn't get a job. From a coaching aspect, Watch how it feels when that young man has his first 20 point game and he never thought he was a JV kid and never thought he'd play on varsity or whatever. Man, that's, that's one of the greatest feelings in the world, Ricky, to see the lights turn on, to see that paradigm shift where there was a lack, lack, a lack of confidence and then now they get it or now they see it. That's, that's why we do what we do. [00:27:47] Speaker A: Can you share what meaningful employment changes for someone beyond simply providing a paycheck? [00:27:53] Speaker B: Everything. Number one, a paycheck. Money. Money. Listen, money opens a lot of doors for you, but it takes the burdens off of families because you're dealing with individuals where the parents are now having to take care of their adult children, and that's a burden. So it relieves burdens financially, it builds confidence, it gives access into the community, it connects you to the community and it gives you a life that you somewhat didn't think you could have. So it does, it broadens you economically, socially, in every aspect of life. [00:28:33] Speaker A: Do you say to employers out there that have reservations about hiring a person with disability not because of any other reason, but they've never experienced or been around an individual like this. Right. And repetition makes people or helps people learn to do things very well. So what would you say to an employer out there? [00:29:01] Speaker B: So we do an employer training and that's the one thing we try to get them to understand. I think a lot of times you just said it's being uncomfortable. A lot of individuals have just never been around a person with a disability. And so, number one, just getting them comfortable, understanding, you know, how to deal with, you know, certain things like, you know, what language to use, you know, what how to find supports for this person and just knowing, just teaching them that this is a regular person who has regular interests, regular desires. They just need supports so that they can do the job. And that's all we're asking. And I always say this, we're not asking for a handout. We're just asking you to take the opportunity to see the value in this person. [00:29:51] Speaker A: You know, in a lot of cases, you know, the individual that you're getting ready for these positions, I'm assuming you really research the position and have put training in place through repetition and accountability so that that person gets really comfortable with the position. Is that correct? [00:30:09] Speaker B: Absolutely. So we vet, once again it's personal interest and it's skills. They have to have the skills and desire to want to work in whatever field we're going to place them in. So we vet, we do assessments, we have a dynamic. I spend a lot of money on curriculum and training and assessments, schools. And then we do what we call work observations where it's not just the actual industry but it's, it's, it's, it's, it's the environment, whether it's a big company, small company, what that person needs. And so, and then we train the manager. So it's, it's a vetting system all the way around to try to get that perfect fit for that person. And, and sometimes we get it wrong. It doesn't work because maybe this person thought they wanted to work in that field or maybe it's too fast paced for them. So it's, it, it's a process. But we do our best to train and assess individuals before we put them on a job. [00:31:10] Speaker A: So how do the young individuals react to the new environment and maybe even the stress? [00:31:20] Speaker B: It, just like anyone else, it's, it's, sometimes it can be overwhelming. Sometimes it's, it's, it's, it's a breath of fresh air. It's, it's, you know what I'm saying? So it's really depends on the individual. But yeah, sometimes it can be very overwhelming. Ricky. And so they get, they get over stimulated. But that's why we provide job coaching. We don't just put them on a job and leave them there. We have staff that actually go out there with them for the first few, few months just to get them acclimated into the work environment. [00:31:56] Speaker A: So now let's talk. We talked about employers, we talked about the individual, let's talk about the parents, you know, and the parents. What would you say to a parent that has a child that has some challenges or opportunities and are not sure where to go. How do they find you to continue this conversation? [00:32:21] Speaker B: So you know, that's a great question. So you have to first and foremost talk to your teachers at the schools and you know, try to find out all the resources you can that's available for your child. One of the things you want to go to is Texas Workforce Commission vocational rehab services. And then you can look us up on the web@puit center.org and so, you know, the main thing is gain as much information as you can. And then what I would say to them is just basically, you know, to trust the process. A lot of parents get lost in the process because it can be tedious. Sometimes it does feel like you're a number sometimes when dealing with like a state agency like TWC VRs. But if they just trust the process and trust the experts that are trying to employ your loved one, for the most part, they're going to be very happy with the end result. And let me say this here. I think the biggest problem sometimes we have with parents is, and we just did a workshop on this, a lot of times they're trying to find that career job for the first job and that's just not feasible. No one starts their first job and that's your, your career job. We have to build, so we have to teach them. We have to start somewhere to kind of grow the skills and develop them. And so getting them to accept that this is a journey, this is not a one time quick fix, but it's a journey. And once they buy into that, it usually turns out very well. [00:34:06] Speaker A: I did ask you also, and I think I might have missed it. How do people get in contact with you to maybe continue a conversation or maybe get some insight from you? [00:34:14] Speaker B: So they can go to Pursuit Center.org and there's a link on that page if you're looking for whatever program you're looking for, because we have a lot of programs here. But if you're looking for employment services, there's a link you can go into to read about the services we provide as well as if you want to contact someone on my staff, you can fill out an inquiry form, our tour form, and we'll set that tour up and be able to give you have an informational interview with you. [00:34:45] Speaker A: Do you have workshops for parents? [00:34:47] Speaker B: We do, we offer workshops, actually three workshops. We offer three every quarter and they have different topics as it pertains to job readiness. We just did one last week. This month was National Disability Employment Awareness Month. And so the theme this month was start somewhere, just teaching the principles of learning how to, how to pick an entry level position and don't let your pride get in the way. And you know, this is just a stepping stone. So. Yeah, but we do teach workshops all year. [00:35:26] Speaker A: Perfect. You know, one lesson I take from Frank work is the readiness is not about pretending limitations do not exist. It's about understanding the person well enough to prepare, train and position the challenges or them to overcome the challenges and so that they can make sure and use their strengths as a real chance for them to show up. Right back with Frank. [00:35:47] Speaker B: Awesome. All right, [00:36:02] Speaker A: Welcome back to Battle Ready. Stay connected to this show and every NOW Media TV favorite Liver on demand. Anytime you like, you can Download the free Now Media TV app on Roku or iOS and unlock non stop bilingual programming English and Spanish. If you're on the move, catch the podcast version of www.nowmedia.tv for business and news to lifestyle, culture, leadership and beyond. NOW Media TV is streaming around the clock. Ready whenever you are. And I'm here with Franklin Higginbotham Jr. We have talked about purpose, discipline, accountability, and helping people move beyond the limitations others may see. First in this final segment, I want to bring those principles into a team environment. How leaders build trust, develop people, and prepare a group to handle challenges without becoming dependent on the leader for every answer. Franklin, welcome back. [00:36:54] Speaker B: Thank you for having me. [00:36:56] Speaker A: You know, we were talking a little bit in the break and, and you know, we talked a little bit about the young lady named Anna Victoria Spino, the first world's first lawyer with down syndrome. And then you started talking to me about some of the individuals now that you're working with that you're getting them into college and moving forward. Talk to me a little bit more about that. [00:37:15] Speaker B: Absolutely. So this is a dynamic topic because historically the individuals we've served throughout the years have gone into entry level positions, you know, sackers, stalkers and things of that. And that's fine. Those are great starting places. But what we're seeing now, the trend we're seeing now is the training in the schools have gotten a lot better and they're really transitioning these, these, these individuals into either post secondary training for either intermediate or high level positions. So a lot of the individuals we're serving now have college degrees. And so we're placing people. We just placed a young man as an accounting assistant. He has his accounting degree. We just placed a young man who has his degree in animal science. We placed him at a veterinary clinic. He's actually interviewing at the zoo here real soon. So we're, we're finding individuals that are looking for these high level positions because they have now the hard skills. And so we're just developing them in the soft skill area. But these clients are coming and they're competing for these high level jobs. [00:38:27] Speaker A: So how do you help them with confidence? [00:38:32] Speaker B: Once again, it's repetition, it's getting them in the community, it's getting them to do things more socially, connecting with the community and, and, and like I say, starting somewhere and then scale it up, build their confidence slowly. Just letting them know you already have the, the hard skills. Now it's just getting you comfortable to understand social cues, understand work environments and we just, we just start there and just build from there. And then you know, like I said, after repetition they, they get more comfortable and confident in themselves. [00:39:07] Speaker A: So with your background in coaching and management, what makes a team resilient when circumstances change or setback hits? [00:39:17] Speaker B: Great question. I have what I call a next man up mentality and I'll deal with this from the coaching aspect. Number one, you develop everyone. You can't have the superstar mentality, you need the whole team and so we have a next man up mentality. If someone goes down for injury or whatever, I need the next person to show up. The same thing with the staff. I'm big on training. I don't like people who check boxes who just do their job just to say they completed a task. I, I look for individuals who are passionate about the work and they, and once again and develop them, make sure that they have the training information. And I think that's what helps when you have, like I said, you're going to have those times when things don't go well. But as long as they're trained, they know what to do in those situations you usually can make it through them. [00:40:21] Speaker A: So what do you say or what do you do with parents that may not have as much confidence as their child does? Where do you bring that together? How do you bring that together? [00:40:35] Speaker B: Believe it or not, that is that we deal with that a lot and so it's kind of hard. The one thing we try to do is the parent is the long term support. We're the short term support. So that's the main thing we try to make them understand. And so a lot of times we have to pull, pull the individual outside away from the parent and then what we tend to have and then we develop and then the parent starts to see the change and they'll come to us I didn't even know that they could do that. I, I didn't know. And so they'll see it. So sometimes you pull them out, develop and then the parent begins to see what they're capable of. [00:41:15] Speaker A: But assume, and here again this is assumption, we know that what that does. Right, but you know that the parents in their minds are sheltering their individual, which maybe doesn't do well for fostering their growth. [00:41:33] Speaker B: Absolutely. [00:41:34] Speaker A: So what would you say to the parent right now that's out there, that's maybe listening to this show and they're thinking about what's the next steps, but they're unsure of the capabilities of their child? [00:41:48] Speaker B: Well, start with a conversation. Come to an expert or provider that's been doing this for a while, that has a proven track record and ask every question that you have. It's okay to question to get the information. And if you decide to go this route, trust the expert, trust them, try to buy into what the provider is, is trying to do for your loved one and, and get out of the way sometimes, and I'm trying to say that the best way I can, but sometimes just, just kind of step aside, let the experts do what they do and trust them and then come in as that long term support as we begin to pull out, come in the right way because what you don't want to do, you can't make, you can't go to an employer. And as much as we can put in supports, it's still a job and they're still held accountable to perform the job. And so, you know, going to them and thinking that they're going to get any specialized treatment is just, it's not feasible. Calling the employee every day and trying to get them to do what you do at home, you can't make that a second home, that, that's the employer. So come in as the long term support and understand what your role is. [00:43:12] Speaker A: Is there a way to minimize the fear that parents have of maybe how their, their child will get treated? [00:43:22] Speaker B: That's hard. That's, that's hard because it's, it's the main thing that I try to do and I try to tell my staff is to make sure that you're transparent and communicate with them and let them know that, you know, in some cases bad things happen. We've had clients who've gotten fired. We've had clients who, who it just, it just wasn't a good fit. We've had clients who thought they wanted to go to work and they just really weren't good Employees at that time, they needed more training. So, you know, the main thing is always be transparent. Don't go to, I say this all the time. Sometimes you don't have to go to advocacy mode and think people are treating your child bad. Try to assess the situation not from that, that parental eye, but from an employer eye of what's expected. But can things happen, Ricky? Yes, but for the most part, just try to be as calm as you can and gain the information and understand the information is what we try to tell parents and just be transformational with them and just be honest with them or transparent with them and just be honest with them and let them know what to expect. [00:44:36] Speaker A: But that's still scary, right? [00:44:38] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. That's why I say you can't take that. It's hard. You can relieve it a little bit, but it, it's still an unknown. And that's why vetting is so important in making sure you're putting the individual in a right, the right environment for them. You're not just trying to check the box and say, I got him a job, but you know, you're trying to put them in the best environment that's conducive for them and that's [00:45:03] Speaker A: what [00:45:03] Speaker B: relieves it for the parents. [00:45:05] Speaker A: Have you ever vetted a company and although the position was right, maybe the company wasn't right? [00:45:14] Speaker B: Oh, absolutely, absolutely. You have companies a lot of times that they, they want inclusion and it comes from the top down, but there hasn't been management training, staff, ground level training, and they don't know how to handle situations or what to do. And they're, they're, they're somewhat intimidated by the individual that's placed in the job or prejudice, I would say, against them. And so yes, we've had companies that, that, that turned out, they said they wanted to do this, but they just weren't prepared for it. [00:45:54] Speaker A: How would you guide a parent to be ready for the conversation with your organization? What kind of homework should they do to prepare to meet you, meet your staff and maybe even ask questions that will help them feel a little bit more comfortable? [00:46:14] Speaker B: I would say go to the website, Go to the website, read up on our company, see how many years of service we, how many years we've been providing services. And I think if you read all the information and all the services we'll provide, that'll help you guide the questions that you have. And then, you know, don't be afraid to ask hard questions, you know, because what the ultimate goal is, to see the outcome, the desired outcome, and that's to get this individual into gainful employment. So, and be honest. A lot of times parents think that we're their employer and they don't want to share certain things with us, thinking that we're going to hold it against them. And we, we not, you know, and so, you know, share. Let us know as much information as we can about the behaviors, about the tendencies, about everything, the background, because that helps us vet the employer, that helps us understand them. So, you know, it's, number one, be very honest and open and let us know what to expect and just ask what you think is prevalent to what you need to know to get you comfortable. [00:47:33] Speaker A: Franklin, you know, thank you for joining me today. Our conversation is reminded that being battle ready is not only about being tough enough to face adversity, but it's being disciplined enough to prepare, humble enough to serve, and committed enough to help other people become stronger. I'm Ricky Chavez. Thank you for watching Battle Radio now media. We look forward to hearing from you again. [00:47:58] Speaker B: Thank you, sir. Hey, Ricky.