Changemaker Shannon Cassidy, Founder and CEO, Bridge Between, Inc.

What does it take to build truly exceptional leadership in today's rapidly evolving workplace? Shannon Cassidy, founder and CEO of Bridge Between, has spent 25 years unlocking the answer through executive coaching, team facilitation, and keynote speaking.

Shannon reveals that today's workforce seeks much more than a paycheck—they want purpose, trust, connection, and meaningful work. The secret to meeting these needs? Generous leadership. By giving time, attention, knowledge, opportunities, forgiveness, and exposure, leaders create environments where reciprocity flourishes naturally. 

Welcome to the Agency for Change podcast.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Shannon Cassidy
• 3:47 Generosity in Leadership
• 7:17 Benefits of Gratitude for Leaders
• 10:02 Essential Leadership Traits
• 13:40 Energy Management for Leaders
• 17:38 Five Degrees of Change
• 22:09 Take the High Road
• 25:37 Closing Thoughts and Reflection

Transcript

Connect with Shannon and Bridge Between, Inc at: 

·       Website: https://bridgebetween.com/

·       Learn more about the Power of Five Degrees course: https://bridgebetween.thinkific.com/

Shannon Cassidy: 0:01

Take the high road. There's never any traffic and the view is magnificent.

Announcer: 0:08

Welcome to Agency for Change, a podcast from KidGlov that brings you the stories of changemakers who are actively working to improve our communities. In every episode, we'll meet with people who are making a lasting impact in the places we call home.

Lyn Wineman: 0:22

Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Agency for Change podcast. This is Lyn Wineman, president and Chief Strategist of KidGlov. I'm so excited about our episode today. We are talking to someone who has had a successful career as a business leader, who has now parlayed that into a 25-year business as an executive coach, a team facilitator, a keynote speaker, a podcast host, and an author, and now she's moving that into an online class on the five degrees of change. We're talking with Shannon Cassidy, and she is the founder and CEO of the Bridge Between. We are going to talk today about being grounded in gratitude, about the importance of generosity in leadership and about creating a culture of psychological safety. Shannon, welcome to the podcast.

Shannon Cassidy: 1:24

Oh, it's so great to be here with you, Lyn.

Lyn Wineman: 1:28

I love talking with you. I actually got to join you on your fantastic podcast a few weeks ago and I'm glad to have this switch. But, Shannon, I'd love to have you start by telling us more about Bridge Between.

Shannon Cassidy: 1:45

Oh my gosh, thank you so much, and just real quick, before we jump into that. When you were on my podcast, you shared that your book was going to launch in early April.

Lyn Wineman: 1:59

Yay, oh, thank you for celebrating with me. Yes, today is official book launch day as we're doing this interview, you were so generous in letting me talk about the book and I really appreciate you bringing it up now. And, just since you mentioned it, it's called Untangling Spaghetti and it is on Amazon. So thank you so much.

Shannon Cassidy: 2:24

Everybody needs to gobble that up. I cannot wait to get my copy, so congrats on that. I feel like this is serendipitous that we get to connect today, so thanks for having me on this. Bridge Between. We're a certified woman owned business like yours. We're not a B Corp yet, but we are all about making a positive impact. We've been in business for 25 years.

We're celebrating 25 this year, which is insane, you know. I think gosh like, where does the time go? And, like you said in my introduction, I'm somebody who focuses on leadership development by executive coaching, keynotes, high performance, team facilitation, which is one of my favorite things and we just want to think about, like how are we bridging the gap? That's the bridge between it's like here's where I either am as a leader or as a team or as an organization, and like this is where we want to get to. So how do I help facilitate that journey and I really do view myself as like a temporary component of their journey, because I don't intend to stay full time on the other side with them but, you know, help them to figure out, like, what's in the gap and how do they close it.

Lyn Wineman: 3:33

I love that, Shannon, as a marketing person, I'm always intrigued by people's names and since you explained what you do, the bridge between sounds like such a perfect name for what you do. So congratulations on that. So I know one of your topics is generosity. As a matter of fact, your podcast, which is fantastic, is called Return on Generosity. I'm really curious on your perspective about that, like why is developing generous leaders so important in today's workplace?

Shannon Cassidy: 4:07

Yeah, well, I think the workplace has changed. People want more than a paycheck. They want purpose. I mean, nobody knows that more than you, right. People want purpose, they want trust, connection, they want to matter, they want to do something that matters. So generosity or generous leadership is when people are giving of their time, attention, their knowledge, opportunities, giving people forgiveness, exposure, so all the things like we specifically don't focus on financial reward, although that is an important component to people's employment. I don't think that's the thing that lights people up or makes them like give that, that discretionary time and attention. I think it's when they're in organizations that are generous to them. It creates this reciprocity or this interest in how am I making a contribution and paying it forward? So it's also not just a virtue. I think it's a strategic advantage.

Lyn Wineman: 5:05

I think you're so right, Shannon. I think that's why you and I hit it off right away. Right, We've got this core belief in us.

But you know, you've had the Bridge Between for 25 years. I've been in business for a little bit longer than that even. But I remember starting and thinking I got to pay my dues, not ask any questions, put my head down, do the work, like the thought of looking for a generous or empathetic employer, a purpose-driven employer like that didn't even cross my mind. But the world has changed. I know that. You know from the research. You and I both see that the today's workforce is picky. They are looking the best of the best. They are looking for an employer whose purpose aligns with their purpose, whose value aligns with their value, who makes them feel great during the day while they're at work. And you've got to be seeing that too quite a bit.

Shannon Cassidy: 6:12

Oh, without a doubt. Yeah, and it's a choice, right, we can choose to just be about the transactions and the sales and the execution, and we could also choose to create an environment where people belong and they can use their gifts and strengths and that they can grow and they can contribute and collaborate and they can work through their issues together, where, like where their psychological safety and people admit that they're wrong. I mean, like, we all want to work in environments like that. So I think it's important for leaders to recognize that they play a significant role in creating that kind of a culture and that it matters. And that is not just nice, it is a strategic advantage and I think that's an important thing for people to remember.

Lyn Wineman: 6:57

I love that. Could you talk to me a little bit more? I mean, you've touched on so many psychological safety, strategic advantage, but I'd love to go a little bit deeper, even in the benefits of practicing gratitude as a leader. What are you really, really seeing for somebody who just gets it and can make it happen?

Shannon Cassidy: 7:18

Yes, thanks for that question. Gratitude and generosity are my two Gs. And I do think that we have to be grounded in gratitude before we can be generous. I think gratitude is a gateway, so to speak. It's a fundamental. The image I have in my mind is of a tree and so, like, the gratitude are the roots. It's like what, what keeps us like stable and focused? And why that's important is because it's a culture shift or number one, but it reinforces what's working.

I think sometimes we're more programmed to look at what's not working and like where the challenges are and what the gaps are and where my weaknesses are. But if we were focusing on like, what's already working, how are we building emotional connection? How are we reducing burnout? I mean, like, the benefits of gratitude are exponential and one of them is the reduction of burnout. It gives people more psychological advantage, emotional, mental. So when people are showing appreciation at work, people feel valued, they feel seen, they recognize that what they're doing matters. And I also think it's important to be specific about what you're grateful for, unlike saying like good job today, Lyn, like that's better than not saying good job today, Lyn, but wouldn't it be better if I said Lyn, when you asked that question? That really opened up the conversation and led us to the thing that we ended up getting to, and that wouldn't have happened had you not done that. Because then you're like oh, you know what I should speak up.

My questions are valid. I made a difference, so I think that it helps people to create that environment of like the little things matter and being appreciative is really important.

Lyn Wineman: 9:04

That’s really cool. I have to admit Shannon, I've been on this journey of, you know, being a more conscientious, gracious leader for a few years now, right, and in the beginning there were many times and every once in a while it comes in now where I'm like am I being too soft? Do I just need to like, you know, do I just need to like, get in there and be a little bit tougher? And you know, it's not that I'm not, I don't know, I don't like demanding as a word. It's not that I don't have high expectations of people, but it's just the way to get there I think is very different than what maybe I had thought at one time.

So let's talk a little bit about. We know gratitude is important, but what are some other leadership traits that you think are essential for successful leaders today?

Shannon Cassidy: 10:02

Yeah, I think one that will always be essential is self-awareness. You know it's a component of emotional intelligence, but you know the research shows that 9% of people are self-aware. So that just either says we're in the lucky minority or, more likely, where we need greater self-awareness.

So just knowing, knowing your values, even knowing the impact you make, like what development areas you may not be aware of, how you make people feel Right. So all that self-awareness, adaptability is really key.

And I think now, like I just was doing a little reel yesterday, about demonstrating resilience, which is a component of adaptability. It's like just knowing how to navigate uncertainty, lead through change, flexibility, right, and just like there's always a way Like as a business owner as long as you have been one, you know that that's such a core competency and then, of course, generosity. You know I think, lifting others up, sharing credit, creating space for everyone to contribute. So these kinds of traits create like a kind and psychologically safe environment.

Lyn Wineman: 11:07

I love that. I wrote down self-awareness, adaptability, which leads to resilience and generosity. All right, I'm going to ask you another question, Shannon, because you have said a couple of times now you've referred to psychological safety, and I think that's something I think about a lot, but can you talk a bit about what are the benefits of having a culture that produces psychological safety?

Shannon Cassidy: 11:53

Yeah well I mean it’s literally life or death. If you listen to the research around psychological safety in the medical profession. We had a guest on our podcast, Dr Laura Gallagher, who is an organizational psychologist and she was hired to unpack like what happened with the Columbia Space Shuttle crash.

And she identified that that was one of the key reasons why that crashed is because the technicians, the engineers, understood that there was a problem. They said something, it wasn't heard, they launched it anyway. Right. And so if we think about it from like a critical, essential component to how we're running our organizations, and then we don't make it so big that it's like, oh, I don't even know what to do, how do I create this?

And we make it more practical where we say, well, what would that require me to do? Well, it would require that I own my mistakes, number one. That we invite people to also be wrong. And when people make mistakes, how are we creating an environment that everybody learns from that? Because that is the best way to learn right, Like the things I've learned in my life are from making mistakes. I don't know that I always had like the, the place to share openly and unpack that. And, you know, learn with, with others. Sometimes we do that work privately, but I think that if we're creating an environment where we're expecting you to make mistakes because if we're not making mistakes, that means that we're playing really safe and that we're probably not innovating and trying hard enough.

Lyn Wineman: 13:11

Wow, really really great point there. Thank you for going deep on that one. Another thing that I have heard you talk about on your podcast that I think we talked about a bit when we talked earlier, is energy. Like, I think energy and I really think a lot about how am I going to manage my energy through the day, how am I going to show up the way I need to show up? But, in your mind, how can leaders effectively manage that energy while they're also just balancing a million things that happen during the day?

Shannon Cassidy: 13:44

Yeah, I love that you asked that, Lyn, because, unlike time, energy is something that we can create more of by being strategic about it and, as generous leaders, we have to be mindful of how much resource do I have available, like I think about it, like a gas tank right.

Because if I'm running low and I'm just still zipping right along like, the likelihood of me burning out and doing something that I'm going to regret is high. So if I could be more intentional about my energy and how am I being strategic about how to create this? I learned what I know about this from the Human Performance Institute. They study, you know, the corporate athlete and they think about, like, how do we do this same thing we're talking about? So they've identified that there's four areas of energy management. So there's physical, which is like your sleep, your movement, nutrition. There's mental, which is focus, clarity, emotional, which is positive relationships and optimism. And then spirituality, which is your connection to your purpose, like your why, like what is the reason why I exist or that I do this, this function or run this company?

And so our job as leaders is to oscillate, which is that what goes up must go down. Right, we have to combine the energy out in these four areas with energy in, and that's strategic recovery. And I think for most hard charging, fully committed, all in kind of leaders it's that restoration and recovery bit that we neglect and we think like, oh man, if I could just get a stronger cup of caffeine, I could like keep energy out, energy out, but it needs to be combined throughout the day, every day, so it's not even just like oh on the weekends I restore, no it’s throughout the day. So I just think, practically speaking, for your listeners to consider what does recharge them. Right? Because I think of it also like a cell phone, like my charger may not work with your phone because we've got different phones right.

So what kind of charger do I need? And then, how often am I using it? Because we wouldn't expect our phones to work for four days in a row without plugging them in. But we think we can do that. I think the the philosophy applies.

Lyn Wineman: 16:08

That is so amazing, right? Obviously, when we think about, you know, top performing athletes, of course they have to recover. When you think about people who have run a marathon or, you know, done a long bike ride or even a, even an intense Peloton workout, right, Like, you know that you need to recover. But of course you know, when you're doing something very intense that's work related, you'll have to recover too. Wow, you've just taught me something new. I feel like I'm getting a coaching session, Shannon, so thank you for that.

Shannon Cassidy: 16:42

But you know you're modeling it, Lyn, because, like you launched your book today. That's a big deal, yeah, and everybody's been all in on this book launch, and then you all have a retreat plan for tomorrow.

Lyn Wineman: 16:52

That is true. Yeah.

Shannon Cassidy: 16:53

I don't know if you did that intentionally for that reason, but it's like, yes, it's an opportunity for us to celebrate and, you know, do some planning, but like to, to recognize, like man, we just did this huge thing. So I think for leaders to to take a page out of that book and say you know how can I be planful about this? And I just hope that I'm going to have like a little downtime because it's never going to happen. How am I going to block and tackle that time and restore?

Lyn Wineman: 17:14

I love watching you work, Shannon, because you are practicing what you're talking about right here on the podcast. I'm really curious because I always like to know how did leaders get into their work and like what makes you passionate about this and how did you get into this field, Shannon?

Shannon Cassidy: 17:37

Oh my gosh. Well, I was once the person that I now coach.

An executive trying to juggle it all, do it all, all the competing demands. Feeling lonely yeah, wishing I had a safe place to just unpack my thoughts. Very often feeling like I don't have time, like I think time was this thing that I felt like I never had any of. And now I've learned that you know you have enough time for the things that really matter and that you need to have boundaries and say no to things. I mean, I've just learned how to manage that part of my life and have to pay it forward.

And all of that just inspired me to create a space where people can reflect and grow and reconnect with what matters and why they matter. And you know how could you do this differently?

And then, I really believe in and I know that it's true that the way that change happens is through small, incremental steps, call them the five degrees. But when I'm working with clients, I'm always looking for like what's that fine tuning, that refinement, because these people are already successful, right, they got where they are, they're at the top of their game, but all of us have something that we could do to improve. And sometimes it's how we think about ourselves or our lives, our situation. Sometimes it's the who we surround ourself with, sometimes it's a daily habit, sometimes it's that lack of restoration. Whatever it is, I always I'm like looking for like what's that thing that could help them to really get to their potential, because I also think that we all of us leave a lot on the table when it's related to our potential and our gifts.

So I think it's helpful to have an external person who's not weighing in on anything other than your own excellence, to figure out like what is that thing and how might we create new habits to help you get that?

Lyn Wineman: 19:30

That's fantastic, Shannon. I have pretty much had a coach in some sort or another my entire career and I just find coaching to be such a valuable resource, at whatever level you're at. Just you know, because the people, sometimes the people you work with it's hard to be fully, 100% authentic and vulnerable. Right, sometimes you just need someone on the outside, and I think that that goes both ways, because I think, also the people you work with sometimes it's hard for them to be authentic and vulnerable. Even if you have a place of great psychological safety. You don't want to hurt your feelings by telling you you're doing this thing. That really annoys everybody.

So that's what your coach does for you and helps you be better across the way. And so I really, as I have this conversation with you today, I can feel your coaching expertise coming through, and I think your clients are very lucky to work with you. And actually I want to ask you one more thing related to that. So what's one piece of advice you would give leaders who are looking to make lasting change in their organization?

Shannon Cassidy: 20:48

Start with one degree. You don't have to overhaul your whole leadership style, your whole organization. You just have to choose one thing, stick to it, because we're creatures of habit. So why did I call it a five degree principle? 95% of our behavior is autopilot.

So 5% is self-regulated willpower. So we just we can't change in quantum leaps, nor do we really need to. So I think for leaders to say, like, what's that small change that I know will make such a massive difference, how do I focus on it so that it becomes part of that 95 and then pick the next thing?

Lyn Wineman: 21:26

I love it. So, Shannon, what's next? What's next for you and the Bridge Between 

Shannon Cassidy: 21:39

Ah well, we recently launched an online course. I've been wanting to do this for years. And I finally did it. 

It's so exciting, so it's called the Five Degrees of Change because I had that aha moment where I won't personally get to coach everyone that. I want to help, but how could I create a resource that anyone can access? And here it is. It's there, so it's a self-paced. It's five modules, there's three lessons in each, it's 15 different learning segments and it's all about small, sustainable shifts that create lasting change. I did not realize that we were going to have the economic challenges that our country is currently facing.

So it's timely because I think some people are cutting budgets and otherwise, so this is really accessible and we're expanding on our generous leadership programming and continuing to serve clients through team development, keynotes, and one-on-one coaching. 

Lyn Wineman: 22:30

That's amazing. I think you know the other thing about your Five Degrees of Change Class, I think you know none of us knew what was going to happen with the economy. I think also there's just a lot of stress in the world right now, right, a lot of people who are kind of searching for, like, what's the next thing? Maybe, maybe I need to just change within the job I'm in, maybe I need to start something new, and so I think I think you're very timely with the five degrees of change, self-paced class in a lot of ways. So, Shannon, for people who are listening, who want to check out the class, who want to check out the generous leadership programming book you as a keynote like how do they find you?

Shannon Cassidy: 23:11

Very simply, shannoncassidycom leads people to BridgeBetweencom. 

Lyn Wineman: 23:20

We'll have those links in the show notes as well for anybody who didn't get that so fantastic. All right, Shannon, I'm going to switch gears. I'm going to ask you my favorite question. People who listen to Agency for Change know that I really like motivational quotes, and I get to talk to a lot of people like you who have important things to say. I'd like a Shannon Cassidy original quote to inspire our listeners.

Shannon Cassidy: 23:49

Ah good. Thanks for this oneI love to say “Take the high road. There's never any traffic and the view is magnificent.”

Lyn Wineman: 24:00

Wow. “Take the high road. There's never any traffic and the view is magnificent.” As you say that, like through my mind, flashes some of the most beautiful views I've ever seen, and they're always from the top of a bluff, over the beach, the top of a skyscraper, into the sunset, the top of a mountain, you know, into the vista. That's amazing.

Shannon Cassidy: 24:21

What a great one, and I don't mean that from like a moral high ground, like judging people. I mean it more like I do believe every moment is a choice, and if we choose to take the high road, like don't involve yourself in the gossip, don't spread the nasty message, like manage your own behavior, it just it pays dividends. And I do find that it's unfortunately not the road most often traveled.

Lyn Wineman: 24:48

Absolutely. That's such great advice, Shannon. I think I want to make that one into a poster. Sometimes we make these quotes into a poster in the office so that one is poster worthy.

Shannon Cassidy: 24:59

I can picture like your favorite high road as like the backdrop of it. That would be beautiful. Oh, I would be.

We're going to have to try that. I'll send you a picture when it happens.

Shannon Cassidy: 25:07

Thank you.

Lyn Wineman: 25:08

Oh, Shannon, I've loved this conversation and, as we wrap up this time together, I'd like to end by asking you what is the most important thing you'd like listeners to remember about the work that you’re doing?

Shannon Cassidy: 25:20

That generosity is not about being nice, it's about being wise. It builds cultures where people feel valued, connected, inspired to grow. And when you lead with generosity, everyone rises, including you.

Lyn Wineman: 25:37

So beautiful. Shannon, I have loved this conversation. Thank you for joining us on the podcast today. I'm going to say I fully believe the world needs more people like you, more organizations like the Bridge Between, and I just really appreciate you taking time with us today.

Shannon Cassidy: 25:56

Thank you for sharing this platform with me and for spending the time together.

Announcer: 26:02

We hope you enjoyed today's Agency for Change podcast. To hear all our interviews with those who are making a positive change in our communities or to nominate a changemaker you'd love to hear from visit kidglov.com at K-I-D-G-L-O-V.com to get in touch. As always, if you like what you've heard today, be sure to rate, review, subscribe and share. Thanks for listening and we'll see you next time.