Valuable HR lessons can be found in the most unlikely places—even childhood stories.
Just ask Pat Wadors, former chief people officer at software company UKG. She told HR Brew that fairytales and folklore have helped her make sense of her world and work.
In her forthcoming book, Unlock Your Leadership Story: How to Build Understanding and Motivate Teams Using Fables and Folktales, she shares the HR lessons that people leaders can learn from stories. Wadors gave HR Brew a sneak peek during a recent conversation.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What motivated you to write this book?
I never imagined writing a book. I’m dyslexic, so this is like, really, a wild opportunity for me…so I want[ed] to write a book and teach leveraging fables and folktales. I want to show how these fables and folktales, and the characters in them, have been my guides in my life…I’ve talked about Goldilocks and the Three Bears for a long time now, and how Goldilocks helped me figure out “my just right fit,” making me [feel] okay in my head, in my heart, knowing that some jobs just don’t fit. Some cultures don’t fit, or this job skill doesn’t fit, but knowing what fits and doesn’t fit are equally as important.
What stories in the book would help HR pros?
The first one is all about perspective, and that’s why the elephant is front and center [on] the book [cover]. It’s like how I learn by questioning and knowing I don’t know everything. And then, it goes into Goldilocks and figuring out your values, and your motivators…Then, I go into The Three Little Pigs and the power of goals. So, I talk about the brothers. Then, I go into The Tortoise and the Hare, and the tortoise, she’s a badass. She lives by her own scorecard. She runs the race her way. She doesn’t let people and taunts change how she lives her life.
I’ve got [The Emperor’s New Clothes] about seeking feedback. I’ve got The Crow and the Pitcher talking about the magic of constraints. Constraints make us curious, and creative, and bolder. And, I talk about the frog in boiling water…I modify these little fables a little bit to make them modern…But the frog is about, if something doesn’t feel right with your values, can you change the environment to align to your values? Or do you make a change? And, how do you evaluate that?
Quick-to-read HR news & insights
From recruiting and retention to company culture and the latest in HR tech, HR Brew delivers up-to-date industry news and tips to help HR pros stay nimble in today’s fast-changing business environment.
Then, I end with Mulan, and she’s just amazing. So, it’s about pursuing who you are, leveraging unique skills of the team you have around you, your authenticity, your bravery, and your values…And, then the very last chapter is just pulling all those stories and insights into your quest guide. It’s like, “How do you build your own leadership story and walk through the tips and tools you’ve learned through these peoples and folk tips?”
What other lessons do you bring into the book?
Threaded throughout each chapter is some of the neuroscience. Like, what’s behind feedback? Like, why is the emperor having a hard time or people having a hard time giving someone feedback? So, I go into the brain a little bit. I talk about your leadership shadow. I give insights into neurodiversity a bit and how that unlocks superpowers. It’s not a constraint, it’s a gift. And, so I leverage stories of myself and my daughter. So, each chapter has a little bit about where I struggled, or mistakes I’ve made.
What do you hope readers will learn about neurodivergence?
Everyone is unique. Everyone’s divergent in some way. And, with any “constraint or challenge” comes these amazing gifts that are coupled with it. And, if you pause and touch the elephant in my terminology, you will unlock your superpowers. Be it, you might not be as strong verbally, but you can build amazing things. You may not like to be social, but you can do research and science. Like, you’re going to find your niche. Go on the journey, take the quest, and don’t limit yourself.
I talk about constraints with the crow [story], about real constraints. Like we have real constraints with Covid, but we have false constraints that we put on ourselves. That being an introvert, you can’t be a leader, or if you have a learning disability, you’re not smart…I want to myth-bust these false constraints. I want to get the gremlin off my shoulder and your shoulder and say, look, let’s imagine more. Do more, be more.