Developing People Beyond The Job featuring Toni Young

Toni Young: If you've got things going on in your life that are, are on your mind, you're not going to produce well at work because you've got this distraction. We're learning that as we invest in our people and allow them to express those things that are going on in their life, they're able to now keep the connection. Toni Young: Still do a wonderful job at work because they know that what they're carrying on their shoulders, we're gonna walk alongside them. Kate Volman: Welcome to another episode of Lead with Culture.

I'm so excited because it's another Dream Manager episode where you get to hear from one of our incredible certified Dream Managers. I am joined today by Toni Young, Director of Care and Outreach at Expo Home Improvement. Toni, thank you so much for joining us today. Toni Young: Thank you for inviting me, Kate.

I'm very excited. Kate Volman: This is gonna be such a fun conversation because you were meant to be a Dream Manager. It's just like in you. I remember when you came to certification and I was like, oh, yes.

Yep. Toni. Toni is in the perfect role. So why don't you share with us a little bit about Expo Home improvement, and tell us a little bit about what you do and how many employees you have.

Toni Young: Sure. So, um, I started with Expo about 12 and a half years ago, and when I first started with them, the owner of the company, Paul Dietzler, had just purchased a window company and he wanted to start a bath business, and he heard about me through a plumber of all things. And we got to meet and he said, if you'd fold up your company, 'cause I did remodeling and start my bath business, I think this could be a great adventure. Toni Young: So sure enough, here I am 12 and a half years later, uh, still working with Paul.

And I'll tell you what though, Kate, it's been an amazing journey. You know, my role was not director of care and outreach at the time. I actually came on as the bath install manager. And I started the Bath Business Forum.

So as we go through the years, my position changed to director of Operations where I ran the business for both baths and Windows. Toni Young: And then a couple of years ago, Paul and our VP of the organization contacted me and said, we wanna sit down. We think we, we have an offer we'd like to make you. And so Paul had read The Dream Manager book and just loved it.

And he had all of us leaders read it. And I looked at 'em and I said, I can do that. Toni Young: And so going forward, they sat down with me one weekend and said, Toni, we would like to promote you to Director of Care and Outreach and become a certified Dream Manager. So it was like, Kate, that, that's like a dream come true.

Kate Volman: I know, right? The best title. So incredible. And it's really.

It's awesome to see when pe, I mean, you've been there 12 and a half years. Kate Volman: That is not typical, especially today, right? People do not stay at an organization and so right from the start, you, I mean, it's, it's clear you guys have a great culture over there. Like what makes it so special?

Toni Young: Oh gosh. You know, we've always believed that our people are more than just people, right? Toni Young: They're, they're not just your employee. And so, all along, throughout the period of time that we were growing the company, culture was a very big part of us.

Uh, we wanted to make sure that our people felt welcome, that they felt valued, that when they came in, they were plugged in right away so that they felt like part of the family. Toni Young: The Dream Manager program is just sort of, I think of it like the icing on the cake. With this program, we get to now pour into our people, not just on the professional side, but now we've opened up that whole door for them to come in and be a person and to be able to be the person that they were meant to be, and not just here comes, you know, I'm going in to work my nine to five job.

Toni Young: Leave your personal stuff at home, because we all know Kate, right? That's impossible to do. If you've got things going on in your life that are on your mind, you're not going to produce well at work because you've got this distraction. We're learning that as we invest in our people and allow them to express those things that are going on in their life, they're able to now keep the connection and still do a wonderful job at work because they know that what they're carrying on their shoulders, we're gonna walk alongside them.

Kate Volman: Yeah, and it sounds like Paul and the, the leadership team had that mentality already, so this was just a beautiful fit. The Dream Manager is a beautiful fit for leaders who. You care about your people and you're just looking for these types of opportunities to implement. And so you came and you got certified when it came to certification.

Kate Volman: What did you think when you, when you came, like did you know what to expect and kind of when you got everything right? Like you come in and you're like, what? What is this say? What does being a Dream Manager mean?

So tell us a little bit about that experience. Toni Young: Exactly. Well, I'll tell you, it's funny because my family, I've got one daughter who is now working at this company as well, and my husband, they both and her husband both sort of gave me a bad time and said, okay, what is this Dream Manager? Toni Young: And my daughter, Nicole said, is that like a make believe title?

Like who? Who is a Dream Manager? And so when I came to train, I came at it with, you know, with a really open mind. I knew that this was something that I could.

Grasp onto, and I really felt like it was a purpose. It was a calling in my life, Kate, I'm not ashamed to say that, right? Toni Young: Because we're all looking for the purpose of our lives, and this has just given me the opportunity. My passion is with people.

And so when I was in that class learning about The Dream Manager program, it was like, I can do this, I can do this, and it'll make a difference. Kate Volman: Yeah. One of the things that we often hear from people that come is the simplicity of it. Kate Volman: People get concerned that especially when you have a big company, I mean, you guys have about 300 team members right now.

So when you're rolling out a new initiative, it has to be simple, right? Like if it's not simple, it's not gonna get done. And Matthew intentionally made it a very simple, turnkey program that people like you can easily learn how to do this. Kate Volman: Then bring it back to your organization.

Um, so let's talk a little, so you, so you got certified, you went back, you were jazzed up, so excited. And tell us a little bit about how did you roll the program out? How did you, uh, explain to your team members what even is this like you actually care about me and my dreams? Kate Volman: Like what is a Dream Manager?

So how did, how did that all play out? Toni Young: So when I came back, what I did, first thing I did is I put together a PowerPoint presentation because I, one of the things that I was thinking of is that the leadership needs to buy into this, right? Your leadership needs to embrace it so that they can can support it and encourage their team members to join the program. Toni Young: So I put together a PowerPoint and I actually took all of our leaders through a dream storm.

And we had a blast. It was, you know, of course they're first sitting there saying, oh, come on. Really, Toni? And it's like, okay, come on.

Let's go. Let's go. Pour it outta your head. Let's do some possibility Thinking and having the enthusiasm behind it and showing them that it can be fun, but it can also be be impactful.

Toni Young: I think was really what the point that I was trying to make to them. And after the presentation, each one of 'em, you know, had their list of dreams and said, you know, this is really something. And so that, at that point I knew that they were gonna support me and then I started rolling it out in the organization. Toni Young: Just had the leaders first let me know which individuals on their team they thought would benefit from the program.

S and they would give me names. I invited them to a dream storm and that was my first core group. Ah, Kate Volman: so cool. I love it.

I, you know, it's always interesting when. People are resistant to doing something like a dream storm and to writing down their dreams and to sharing with each other. Kate Volman: And then it just gets, it's, it's so energizing. You get so jazzed about seeing the possibilities.

Toni Young: I have more fun in the dream storm, uh, just because, you know, you can just, you can do pretty much anything. Just because you've gotta get those juices flowing right? And you've gotta get people past that skepticism of, okay, what's this, what do you mean write my dreams down? Toni Young: And it's really been, it is just been a really, um, I feel like I grow each time that I do the dream storm.

And just to see the look on individual faces is, it's like having a whole family of kids there that you're just investing in. Kate Volman: Aw, that's awesome. So you have been coaching the, your, your team members, lots of dreams being achieved. Kate Volman: Let's talk about the impact.

What are some of the dreams that are being achieved and and how it's impacting the lives of your team members? Toni Young: Oh, sure. So right now I currently have, I'm working with about 35 individuals. I've already graduated 14 dreamers from the program.

We started back in 2024. And so I've graduated 14 Dreamers and out of those 14 dreamers I have six that are gonna be moving into the second year of the program. Kate Volman: Amazing. Toni Young: Which is, which is just amazing.

I've also gotten Kate, which has really been great, is we have a lot of different departments and we have remote locations. I've been able to present it to each of the departments and actually have individuals from each department invested in the program right now. Toni Young: I'll travel down to Austin or San Antonio to meet with those offices because that face-to-face, I prefer that face-to-face just because I like being in person with, with the individual, and I know that that can't always happen.

So we do team meetings also. But you know, going through it, we've got, oh my gosh, you know, thinking about the dreams that have been accomplished, Kate, every dream is special to that person. Toni Young: So I can't, I couldn't sit here and honestly tell you which was the very best one or the most impactful to me because we've had everything from an individual being afraid of dogs, where I actually brought my own dogs into the office and we worked together to get her to finally touch, feel, hold that dog.

Toni Young: And then we've had everything from weddings, wedding planning, solo vacations, got many people that have completed their first 5K runs. 11 of the individuals in the program have since been promoted to leadership positions. Kate Volman: Wow. Toni Young: After going through the program, which has been amazing.

And I work with individuals who are trying to find coping mechanisms for their spouses who have PTSD. Toni Young: The spectrum is so wide, and I think we all know that, right? Everybody has things that happen in their lives that we aren't exactly coped to or equipped to deal with, but being able to sit with somebody and just express those. And then start really digging deep into, okay, what do you need to do as an individual?

Toni Young: How can you become that best version so that you can help your spouse through those PTSD episodes? Or how can you be that better version so that when you get married, you are now have, you're giving your spouse the best that you can. And so it's, you know, the list goes on. Kate Volman: And I know there might be someone listening now that's like, wow, that sounds like a lot.

Kate Volman: Like, I'm not a therapist, I don't like, but this, so let's talk about, 'cause you're, you're coach, like Dream Manager is, this is a coaching program. So Toni Young: Yes. Kate Volman: While you deal with a lot of, I mean, these are people's dreams and lives and they share some of the challenges with you, right? Mm-hmm.

Like it can be very emotional, but we're not here to provide advice like that. Kate Volman: You're here to coach them so that they can. Find the right resources to support them in whatever journey they're on. Toni Young: Exactly, yep.

It's been great to see, right. When you're able to help individuals find those resources, it's, it makes a big impact on their lives. Yeah. And then they can now concentrate on, okay, what do they need to work on themselves?

Toni Young: Right? So when we talk about the Rhythm of Life, right, finding ways to, to get themselves in a position where they feel. Like things are moving in the right direction. In all four of those areas is what we do, right?

We help them get that understanding and help them find ways to invest in themselves. Kate Volman: When you started working with people, were you nervous and like the first few sessions, like how many sessions did it take for you to feel like, okay, I can handle all the things that are gonna be thrown my way? Toni Young: I would say the first time going through. Each session.

So I'd say probably about six months in I really started feeling the groove. I really stopped feeling more comfortable. I felt like my nervousness wasn't causing them to be nervous about six months. And then of course, you know, going through each of the 12 sessions, the first time you go through the session is always a little nerve wracking.

Toni Young: You know, making sure that you say the right things or understand the material. You know, once you believe in ate. It becomes part of your DNA and it just becomes natural. Kate Volman: Yeah.

One of the other, I mean, we already mentioned the simplicity. I mean, Matthew was very intentional when he created the curriculum to make sure that. Kate Volman: If you care about people, you can't mess this up, right? You go through the questions and you invite peoples, it's, it's really about asking great questions and for them, you're really empowering these people.

So I find it very interesting and and incredible that there were 11 people that had gone through the program that actually ended up getting promoted. Kate Volman: How did that feel, and do you think that The Dream Manager had a part in that? Toni Young: I think it did. I think it had a front in it to a certain extent where some of these individuals worked through things that were holding them back.

And so, yes, it gave them that confidence knowing that they could believe in themselves and believe that they are skilled to take on that next position. Toni Young: Some of them were newly promoted within the six months, but I think really just The Dream Manager program can benefit people in so many different ways. It's just hard to say what. The Dream Manager program does not impact.

Kate Volman: Yeah. Everything. It's everything. It's all part of life.

Toni Young: It's everything. You know, we talked about challenges and we talked about Yes. Toni Young: When I, when I sit down with individuals, they understand that I'm there to help, encourage and support them, and I'm not a therapist, but if they need extra help, we'll find those resources for 'em. One of the challenges that I also find is like with budgeting.

You know, our mobile phones, everybody does everything on here, but so few people in the program actually understand budgeting and how, how that plays a part in their life and where their money goes. Toni Young: Uh, and so it's, you know, working with individuals like that has just been so gratifying because I've got dreamers that come back and say, Hey, Toni, my parents asked me how to do a budget. And they went back and they taught their parents how to. We've got people that are now saving money, going towards their first home.

Toni Young: They're saving money for their children's college funds. The program Matthew did make it simple. As a matter of fact, when I did a dream storm with a group of sales managers, they said, well, this is almost elementary Toni. And I says, yeah, and won't it be fun?

Right, because it's not hard. I'm gonna give you homework every month, and they sort of look at you like, what? Toni Young: Yeah, you're gonna have homework and you're gonna have to bring that homework back to me and we're gonna grade it, but we make it fun and we make it so that even though it's simple, it's so impactful because you're really reaching the core of that individual. Kate Volman: Yeah.

You know, we, we live in a society where we kind of glamorize complexity. Kate Volman: We value complexity 'cause we think things need to be challenging when really it's getting back to the basics. It's actually caring about, like you said, the, it's crazy how many people have never sat down. Just do a, a budget.

Just like a very simple budget, Toni Young: simple budget. Kate Volman: Same thing with like your time and energy. Kate Volman: What, what, what I love so much about this program is it helps people recognize that yes, there are so many things in the world that we cannot control, but you know what? There's a lot more that we can control than we give ourselves credit for.

And you're allowing, or you're inviting people to really take ownership. Kate Volman: Of where they are and then say, okay, if you wanna be here a year from now or six months from now, these are the steps that you're gonna take. And then you as The Dream Manager, get to hold them accountable to actually doing the work. Toni Young: Yep.

That's so true. My daughter actually has gone through the program as well. Toni Young: She's one of my graduates and she used to be a school teacher. And so when we got to talking and at the end of it she says, mom, you know, this is just a phenomenal program.

It's so, so valuable, but yet so easy. To just look at it and say, yeah, I wanna become better. I want to invest in myself. And it's just, it's incredible seeing some of these individuals come in and their book is, you know, they've got all sorts of things written down.

Toni Young: They've got their Rhythm of Life book with things circled and underlined. This stood out to me and it's, the program is so easy to work through and it's just a matter of really getting buy-in from your leadership to say, Hey, let's do this. Let's invest the time and the money into giving our people an opportunity to grow as individuals. Toni Young: Because as they grow as individuals, we all know our business is only as good as our people are.

And if we give that to our people and pour into them, imagine what, how your business is gonna grow. We started, when I started there, were like nine employees. We have over 300 employees now. I've only hit a few of them so far, so I'm looking forward to the next several years.

Kate Volman: So let's talk a little bit about the skills that you're seeing. Like what are some of the skills that you think are developed by going through this program that people can, it's not only for them to achieve their dreams, but it, they're showing up at work differently. They're being more strategic. Like what is, how does that feel now with the people that you've worked with?

Toni Young: Hey, what, you know, that priority exercise that we teach them in the second. Session is just, it's phenomenal. It's very simple, right? But teaching them how to put things in priority.

Starting off with, okay, what are the six areas that you wanna travel around the world? What countries? But showing them how then they can use that priority exercise with their things to do at work. Toni Young: How do you prioritize things at work?

How do you prioritize? You know, everybody's schedule is busy, busy. And it's, when you hear that comment all the time, walking through the hallways, I never have time. There's, there's so much to do or I'm never gonna get it all done.

But you can get it all done and you can prioritize it. Toni Young: And teaching them that. They go back to work with their desks and it's like, okay, this is what I need to do. And they're applying that.

They're applying communication skills, right? Relational skills. How does my. Personality profile align with my team and how do I learn how to relate to them and help them work on their opportunities of growth while they're working on their own opportunities of growth?

Toni Young: It's, it's almost as if they're replicating what they learn in the program with their own people in small ways. They're helping them to start realizing how it can benefit them at work. So, yeah, it's, you know, the achievements, the productivity levels. Like I said, communications is such a big part with anybody's job.

Toni Young: And to see these individuals learn about the seven, Rhythm of Life, you know, the seven levels of intimacy and how they can grow their relationships with their team members, but also their leaders, the CEO of the company. Their community. It's, you know, the list goes on. Kate Volman: Yeah.

And you, uh, earlier mentioned confidence. Kate Volman: Just the confidence level of people because once, once you empower people to go after their dreams and then they achieve them, I mean, instantly they're like, oh, wait a say I can do this. They start to see their lives differently. They do become more confident.

And I love that you're kind of touching on all the different areas that. Kate Volman: Of the different sessions that we go through during the program. And so when we're fed new content, of course it in impacts us. It influences us, and then we wanna share it even if we don't realize we're sharing it, right?

We're like, oh, I learned this, or This is something how I view things. And so you're able to take that with you at home and at work. Kate Volman: Toni, how would you say what was like before Dream Manager? After Dream Manager, what are some of the differences that you're seeing at the company?

Toni Young: I'm seeing more connectivity with coworkers. I'm seeing them share their experiences. You know, I give them a trophy after they graduate from the program, and that now has become the trophy of the company. Toni Young: It's like, how do I get one of those?

And, and knowing that they have to go through The Dream Manager program, so they're, those individuals are actually promoting the program as well. But I, I think what, what the impact is, Kate is from before The Dream Manager and after is, it's a common word in the organization, right? Toni Young: It's not what is Dream Manager is, I wanna know more about The Dream Manager program, Kate Volman: right? Toni Young: And how can I get involved in it?

And. You know, they talk to their managers, you know, am I able to take an hour to spend every month with Toni and The Dream Manager program and, and they go and request that on their own. Toni Young: And so it's, you know, when we talk about culture, right? It plays right into what we want culture to be like.

We want our people to enjoy coming to work. We don't want them to come into the work and dread. Opening the door and go into their area. Right?

We want them to feel energized and excited, knowing that when they come through the door, they're going to be able to help the business. Toni Young: Their thoughts, their suggestions, their ideas will be valued because now they have that confidence to show what they're min out of. It's a win-win. Kate Volman: Yes, totally.

Absolutely. I love it. All right, so. For somebody.

If there's a leader that's thinking, I don't know Toni, I don't know if this is really worth the investment. Kate Volman: I have to have a Dream Manager. It's like it's a whole new thing that we need to implement. I mean, I'm not sure.

What would, what advice would you give to someone who's kind of on the fence? Toni Young: I would tell them that, that they need to go through a session to see what, how it really can impact people. You know, we, we say that there's work life balance, but. Toni Young: I'm of the opinion that those two meld together, and as a leader, if you want your people to really grow and thrive at what they're doing, you cannot afford not to do The Dream Manager program or something like it, right?

You've got to invest in your employee employees at that personal level. If your employees have personal satisfaction, they're going to come to work and get professional satisfaction as well. Toni Young: Allowing them to grow and drive is something that our company and just firmly believes in our culture has, has gone up because individuals have that feeling that they're cared for, that they mean something. And when life is tough at home and you come to work, you want them to feel like this is a good place to come, that you can be yourself.

Toni Young: And still be productive, but be valued. I would say just take people through leaders. As a matter of fact, we have some new leaders here and one of my goals for the first quarter, or this last quarter of the year is to take those leaders through The Dream Manager program so that they can see what it's all about as well. Toni Young: They may not wanna join it, but I want them to have their people join it.

Kate Volman: Yeah. Well, they'll at least be curious about it and think, I mean, everyone needs a Dream Manager. You know? Everyone just needs a Dream Manager, so.

Toni Young: Oh, absolutely. Yeah. Absolutely. Kate Volman: Oh my God.

All right, Toni, do you have a dream? Uh, is there a dream that you're working towards over the next 12 months? Toni Young: You know, I'll tell you what, I had a dream. You see that yellow car on the poster Kate Volman: behind me?

You know what I do? See? I ha I saw that earlier. I was like, she's, I wonder if that's a dream of hers.

Toni Young: That was a dream of mine. Before I became pregnant, I had a 300 Nissan, 300 zx. It was a little white car and I loved it, but of course I got pregnant and my husband and I said, no, a car seat's not gonna fit. Toni Young: So now this has been a dream of mine since my daughter.

I was born and she is now 30, she'll be 37 next year, and I went out and got me a 300 Z Sport car. Kate Volman: Yes. Toni Young: But actually, Kate, one of my biggest dreams is to have this program to be my legacy at Expo Home Improvement. Yeah.

That is, that is one of my dreams that I'm very sincere about. Toni Young: I am at the age where I could retire. I know. I don't look it.

No, Kate Volman: you don't. No, Toni Young: but my husband has been retired and uh, he at some point wants me to retire and I told him, how do you retire from this position? But at some point, when I do, when the time comes, when I know it's right, that I'll retire. I want this to be my legacy.

Toni Young: I want this program to continue to thrive and grow. It would break my heart if it didn't. It's that important to me. That's one of my dreams.

Kate Volman: Wow. I have no doubt that will happen because you are the exact right person to be able to do that, and that just warms my heart so much that that is one of your legacy dreams. Kate Volman: Oh my gosh, I love it so much. Toni Young: Thank you.

This program impacts everybody. Throughout the organization and I tell my dreamers when they come in and, and we talk and then they leave. You know, we always give 'em a hug and I tell 'em I that when they thank me, Kate, I say, no, thank you. Thank you for taking the time to invest and thank you for trusting me to help, you know, work through this with you.

Toni Young: I can't imagine my life without it. Kate Volman: Oh my gosh. Such, oh, it is said, you are a gift. You are a gift to your team.

The team is a gift to you. This is like, this is this, this is exactly this. This you, this is what everyone needs in their company. They need a Toni.

Toni Young: Oh, how do you know about that? I don't know if they could handle that. Kate Volman: You needed Toni in your organization and you know what's great is that I think there are some people listening that they, they have someone. They have someone that, that, that would be just as excited and just as passionate about the program.

That's what we see with all of our Dream Managers. I just get so excited that you, that all of you just really care so deeply about the program and talking about it and helping more leaders find it and discover it and, uh, of course all your team members to go through it. Kate Volman: And so. We are here to help you however we can to support your dream of creating that legacy at Expo Home Improvement.

We are all about it. And Toni, thank you so much for coming on the show. You're so awesome. Toni Young: Okay.

No, thank you. So thank you. The feelings are mutual. Kate Volman: Toni, thank you so much.

You are awesome. Kate Volman: And thank you all so much for listening. If you are not inspired. To become a Dream Manager or to implement The Dream Manager or to.

Hire a Dream Manager. Like we all, again, we just, every single person, all of us, we all need Dream Managers. We need that person in our life that's gonna encourage us and be our cheerleader and hold us accountable to our dreams. Kate Volman: And so we would love the opportunity to talk to you about that.

And as always, thank you so much for listening. And until next time, Lead with Culture.