Using An Anthropologist's Toolkit to Adapt to Fast-Changing Times: an interview with Andrea Simon of SAMC

Andrea Simon is a corporate anthropologist, culture change expert, and an explorer at heart. According to Andi, whether you are a company or an individual adapting to fast-changing times, your story transitions with you. The future is yours to envision.Andrea shares about growing up in her family's retail business in Manhattan, on the corner of 110th Street and Broadway. She noted that the women in her family, both her grandmother and her mother, were forces in that business. Andi was encouraged by her father to explore when she went off to college and so she did, discovering her interest in anthropology, an interest that she ultimately pursued as her profession. She was driven not by financial considerations but by her intellectual curiosity, knowing as she did that an academic career would not be a big money maker.Anthropology filled Andi's curiosity about, as she puts it, the unknowns, and her passion to figure them out. One thing about anthropology that she learned early is: people don't really know what they're doing or why they're doing it! As Andi was crafting her own story, she became fascinated with the opportunity she had to study how people change."You already know how to do what you're doing. Now the question is, what are you not doing? Because that's where your growth is from.  I've crafted an approach really grounded in observational research that helps (them) see things through a fresh lens." Andrea Simon.Key takeaways:- Keep showing up, since you never know where your next opportunity will come from. Andrea was already a tenured anthropology academic, when a chance meeting at a cocktail party brought her interest in studying change to a new career path consulting with the financial industry which was learning to adapt to the changing environment brought on by deregulation.It was another chance meeting that brought her expertise to bear in the healthcare industry that went through its own changes as managed care was introduced.- Know that listening is an important leadership skill. As a trained anthropologist, Andi is a keen observer and listener. She learned that the best way to understand and motivate people to change was to listen to them, observe them and to help them see what was happening.- Feel open, as opposed to challenged. Rather than obsessing about her next move, Andrea retains, as she put it, a curiosity about how to have an interesting life and continuing to fill it with cool stuff.About the guest:Andrea J. Simon, Ph.D. (“Andi”) is an international leader in the growing field of corporate anthropology, an Axiom bronze Best Business Book of 2017 winning author of On the Brink: A fresh lens to take your business to new heights, and the founder and CEO of Simon Associates Management Consultants (SAMC). Andi’s second book, Rethink: Smashing the Myths of Women in Business, is a 2022 Axiom bronze Best Business Book in the Women in Business category. Rethink shows how women today are challenging the expected norms of business and crashing through with extraordinary creative business, legal and professional solutions. Linkedin:- http://linkedin.com/in/andisimonWebsite:- http://www.simonassociates.net Interested in booking a free consultation? Schedule a call.Stay connected:Connect with Laura on LinkedIn@Rotters5 on TwitterConnect with Laura on FacebookSubscribe to my YouTube channelSubscribe to my newsletterGet your free copy of Unlock Your Money Blocks Workbook : Your step-by-step guide to unlocking your blocks to financial freedom.Disclaimer: Please remember that the information shared on this podcast does not constitute accounting, legal, tax, investment or financial advice. It’s for informational purposes only. You should seek appropriate professional advice for your specific information.