Getting personal at work: use this tried and true technique to connect with employees

"People don't check their personal lives at the door—and pretending they do just makes it show up somewhere else." – Jimmy RayfordIn this week's episode, Carol Schultz sits down with Jimmy Rayford, CEO of Dealers Wholesale, to challenge the old-school belief that "work is work, personal is personal"—and to share the tried-and-true technique leaders can use to build real connection with their teams.Jimmy explains why suppressing what's happening in people's lives doesn't make it disappear—it just resurfaces in the work—and why the single most powerful move a leader can make is to model the openness they want to see. They dig into how simple rituals like "share something good" check-ins and Personal Growth Mondays turn ordinary meetings into genuine connection, why Jimmy embraced the role of "Chief Reassurance Officer" during COVID, and how a leader can build a culture of care without forcing anyone to overshare. The episode closes with candid talk on empowering your team, avoiding the founder-CEO bottleneck, and knowing when to give someone "enough rope"—plus Jimmy's parting advice on finding the environment that brings out your best work.Takeaways1. "Work is work, personal is personal" is outdated—people bring their whole selves to work whether leaders acknowledge it or not.2. You can't ask employees to be open and transparent while everything about you stays closed—modeling comes first.3. The most effective connection technique is simple: model the behavior you want to drive.4. Small, consistent rituals (like weekly "good news" shares) build deep familiarity over time.5. Personal Growth Mondays and deep-question prompts create space for real vulnerability—voluntarily.6. Timing matters: expect early adopters, late adopters, and never-adopters, and focus on whoever shows up.7. Vulnerability from a leader creates a "permission structure" for the whole organization.8. Smaller companies offer outsized impact—your decisions actually matter and you can see the results.9. Founder and CEO leaders risk becoming the bottleneck by involving themselves where they're not needed.10. Give people "enough rope"—but calibrate how much based on their track record and the stakes of the decision.Chapters00:00 Intro: Why "work is work, personal is personal" couldn't be further from the truth00:51 What Dealers Wholesale does & Jimmy's role as CEO02:38 Why the smallest company he's worked for became the best chapter of his career04:11 The hidden cost of bureaucracy and office politics in large organizations05:30 The former CEO who stayed on—and a 38-year lesson in humility and loyalty07:48 The death of the "company guy" and why companies aren't loyal anymore09:58 How getting older changed Jimmy's view on bringing your whole self to work11:24 Becoming "Chief Reassurance Officer" during COVID13:53 The tried-and-true technique: model the behavior you want to see14:53 Vulnerability in action: why leading through emotion builds trust21:19 "Share something good": how small check-ins build connection over time21:47 Personal Growth Mondays & the 365-question ritual22:46 Timing, adopters, and focusing on who shows up24:40 Why shared vulnerability makes leaders more open and sensitive30:58 Building a leadership team empowered to call you out31:27 Avoiding the founder-CEO bottleneck32:47 Giving people "enough rope" and situational leadership33:56 The one thing Jimmy would solve to unlock business growth35:58 Final thoughts: take a true inventory of what really matters to youConnect With Host Carol SchultzFind more information about our host Carol Schultz and her company at Vertical Elevation, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram.Want to be our next guest expert? Email [email protected] with your information.And of course, click "follow" to stay up-to-date on new episodes and leave an honest review/rating letting us know what you thought!