68. Tri Cities Influencer Podcast featuring Madeline Carter

Tri-Cities Influencer Podcast with Paul Casey

Bill Wagner:

Eleanor Roosevelt said, "Great minds talk about ideas. Average minds talk about events. Small minds talk about people." Be a great mind. I am Bill Wagner and I am a Tri-Cities influencer.

Paul Casey:

We use I messages, not you messages. But a you message, again, puts us on the defensive. And someone that's already aggressive, oh boy, that's just like bringing gasoline to the fire. It's going to make it a whole lot worse.

Speaker 3:

Raising the water level of leadership in the Tri-Cities of Eastern Washington, it's the Tri-Cities Influencer Podcast. Welcome to the TCI Podcast, where local leadership and self-leadership expert Paul Casey interviews local CEOs, entrepreneurs, and nonprofit executives. Hear how they lead themselves and their teams so we can all benefit from their wisdom and experience. Here's your host, Paul Casey of Growing Forward Services, coaching and equipping individuals and teams to spark breakthrough success.

Paul Casey:

It's a great day to grow forward. Thanks for joining me for today's episode with Madeline Carter. She's the morning news anchor at NBC Right Now. And fun fact about Madeline, she says she's an old soul and gets teased for it all the time. Madeline, tell us more about that.

Madeline Carter:

Oh, Paul, I belong in the 1950s. I have said this since I was probably about 16, which is a little strange. My mom teases me all the time about how I have an old soul. I'm a homebody. I'd rather be at home, sipping my glass of tea, listening to Frank Sinatra. So that is me in a nutshell.

Paul Casey:

That's awesome. And we're going to dive in after checking in with our Tri-City Influencer sponsor. Mario Martinez, Northwestern Mutual. Mario, what types of services do you offer?

Mario Martinez:

Hey, Paul. Thank you for letting me be on here. We run bifurcated practices in that we focus on two areas of a financial plan. The first one is we do protection pieces, which include life insurance, disability insurance, long-term care insurance. Really, the things that people should be focused on to protect their families, their businesses. And on the other side of our practices, we do investment services. And on the investment platforms, we do both the brokerage platform and we do the advisory level services. So depending on what someone's looking for as far as guidance on their investment strategies, we can curtail and build a strategy for them that makes sense.

Paul Casey:

Mario, how can people get in touch with you?

Mario Martinez:

The easiest way, you can reach out to me directly on my business cell phone. It's 509-591-5301. You can send me an email at [e-mail], or you can reach out to us on our social media platforms, the easiest one being, excuse me, Mario Martinez Northwestern Mutual on Facebook.

Paul Casey:

Thank you for your support of leadership development in the Tri-Cities. Well, Madeline, it was great to meet you earlier this year, or was it last year?

Madeline Carter:

No, funny story, Paul-

Paul Casey:

It was the first of the year, wasn't it?

Madeline Carter:

We met the first week of January when 2020 still looked promising.

Paul Casey:

That's right. [crosstalk 00:03:15]-

Madeline Carter:

And we talked about New Year's resolutions.

Paul Casey:

We did.

Madeline Carter:

I think we need to redo this in 2021.

Paul Casey:

I think we probably should. It was snowing that day. Of course, when you bring in your guest it's like bunch early in the morning, and-

Madeline Carter:

Oh yeah.

Paul Casey:

And-

Madeline Carter:

Like 6:00 AM? Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Paul Casey:

... that is funny. We've done a couple other recordings since then with Madeline Motivates.

Madeline Carter:

Madeline Motivates, yes.

Paul Casey:

Which I just love that, and I love all the people you're bringing on the show.

Madeline Carter:

Yeah, thank you.

Paul Casey:

So, yeah, it's been a great year of trying to put positive stuff in front of people in a negative year.

Madeline Carter:

Right. I mean, you were actually the very first guest of that segment. And for those who don't know, I created this segment, Madeline Motivates, because I've always been a big champion of motivation and encouragement. I always try to encourage people in any way I can, whether it's words or actions. And so I wanted to create this segment to try to uplift people. And it turns out you were the first episode in January. Two months later, I had no idea that we were going to be going through one of the most trying times that I think I've been through in my entire life. And I was just talking to someone that I work with about how relevant that segment became, and how useful, and the ideas. I mean, I didn't have to think too hard to come up with ideas for a weekly segment, because, I mean, what we're going through, it just warrants itself to needing motivation.

Paul Casey:

Absolutely. Well, so our Tri-City influencers can get to know you, take us through a couple career highlights that have led to your current position and just why you love what you do.

Madeline Carter:

I really do love what I do. And the interesting thing is this is actually my first stop in my career.

Paul Casey:

First stop, yeah.

Madeline Carter:

First stop out of college. So I don't have too much of a career history yet, but I will tell you how I got into broadcasting. It all started, I actually started university for the performing arts and felt a calling in the direction of broadcasting based on people I was meeting and a class that I took. I had took a class in radio production my junior year in college, not until halfway through. And I still remember the first time that I got to do the newscast on the radio. I went up to the studio, and I don't even think I wrote the news at the time, I just printed it off the computer. And I sat down in that chair behind the mic and just got chills. It was like, I don't know, a calling type of a moment. I sat down and it just felt right. And I read the news, and they ended up letting me do it once a week, and then I eventually started working at my college radio station as the news director and a radio DJ, which is a lot of fun.

Madeline Carter:

And ultimately, that was when my career really took off in terms of connections. Everything that I was doing seemingly led to the next thing. So, for example, I was doing the radio news one day when I got a call from my best friend's dad, who happened to be the morning radio guy in my hometown, and he asked me if I wanted an internship. And so he had just heard the newscast. And so connections like that just started to kick off. And ultimately, it led to an internship at the hometown TV station that I absolutely love, still love to this day, Fox 8 News in Cleveland, Ohio. That internship is where I gained the bulk of my experience and made connections that I think helped me get to where I am today, so I'm just grateful for that.

Paul Casey:

That is very cool. [inaudible 00:06:37] I think feeling the chills when you sat down in the chair. I tear up when I'm in the zone, when I'm-

Madeline Carter:

Oh yeah.

Paul Casey:

... filing quotes for professional growth or putting together a seminar to deliver. I think our bodies even respond in a way to say, "This is what you were created to do."

Madeline Carter:

Yes. I'm actually having a flashback moment. I was just talking to our news director about career trajectory and where I want to be in the future, and I had tears well up in my eyes while we were having that conversation. And I said to her, I said, "Is this normal? Have you ever felt this way?" And she just said, "That's when you know you're doing the right thing."

Paul Casey:

What's great about internships? So you had that opportunity that really was a springboard for you into your career. I've heard of internships out at PN&L here locally, and maybe in some of the trades. If someone was thinking about just starting out, what would you recommend about internships?

Madeline Carter:

I'm a huge advocate for doing internships. I think it's one thing you can learn as much as you can in school and get a great education, but to get that experience in the field and to be with people that do it for a living, that, to me, was eye-opening. I went to a school that actually didn't have a running daily newscast, so that was my first experience seeing how the real world works in news. And I think getting that hands-on experience is crucial.

Madeline Carter:

But the thing with internships is I learned very quickly in both of the ones that I did in college that it is what you make it. I could very easily have sat there behind what they call the assignment desk and taken phone calls all day, maybe get some coffee for the news anchors. Or I could have put my best foot forward and tried to get as much experience as possible within those three or four months that I was there. And every single day, I worked hard to get to try new things and to help out in different areas where I knew I could grow. So I think if you're going to take an internship, really, don't take it lightly, because those connections, you never know where that might lead one day.

Paul Casey:

That's a great concept in general. It is what you make it, right? When I take people on a retreat for their company, I'll say that at the beginning. "What you put into this is what we're going to get out of this, as a retreat."

Madeline Carter:

Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Paul Casey:

It's the same with your professional development, your own personal growth, and every day you go to work. It is what you make it, so I love that advice.

Madeline Carter:

Yeah, it matters. And I think you make an impression, too. One of the news anchors at the Cleveland station who I looked up to most, she's one of my role models, she actually, it turns out she wrote the recommendation letter for me to get the job I have today. So that just shows how it matters, the fact that she was willing to take time out of her busy schedule to write that is probably because I worked hard and made sure to befriend her in the process.

Paul Casey:

Yeah, hear, hear. There's probably a resource on how to write a good recommendation letter, but those things matter.

Madeline Carter:

Yeah, they do.

Paul Casey:

[crosstalk 00:09:33] writing that for people, and whether it's a LinkedIn recommendation, which I know I want to do more of that for others, or helping people out when they go to interview for a job, those recommendation letters are really powerful. So, what helped you make the decision about jumping to this community here in the Tri-Cities? Take us to that moment where you made the decision to come here and, yeah, tell us about that.

Madeline Carter:

Again, I know I mentioned it's a calling for me to be in the world of broadcasting, and I knew from the moment I first spoke to the recruiter for my station that I wanted to work here in the Tri-Cities. I think it was culture, really, that stood out to me with the company that I work for.

Madeline Carter:

Kind of a crazy situation with how I got this job. I posted ... For news, oftentimes for on-air positions, you have to make a sort of reel or audition tape, as I like to call it. And so someone from our station actually found my video on YouTube. I was living in Ohio at the time, more than 2,000 miles away. I have no idea. Maybe what I tagged the video as, he found it and gave me a call and an email. And for me, it just seemed right from the beginning. I could tell that he was invested in me as a person and not just filling that next position that they needed to. And also, I asked him a lot about the Tri-Cities community. I said, "What's it like there? What are people like? Is it a close knit community? How do people treat each other? What's it like in the daily life in the Tri-Cities?" And everything I heard was impressive, and it reminded me of where I grew up. Smaller town vibes, everyone caring about each other, and I really feel that here still to this day.

Paul Casey:

Those are great questions that you asked. I mean, those are very specific questions about-

Madeline Carter:

Well, yeah, the culture matters.

Paul Casey:

... the culture.

Madeline Carter:

It does matter. And ultimately, I did have another opportunity I could have pursued, but the other part of this is I can't really explain, I just felt called to come here. I was having dreams about working here, and I would see myself behind the news desk, and it was kind of interesting.

Paul Casey:

Wow.

Madeline Carter:

It was almost like I visualized it before it happened.

Paul Casey:

That sounds like a confirmation to me.

Madeline Carter:

I know.

Paul Casey:

We're glad to have you here.

Madeline Carter:

Thank you.

Paul Casey:

So, what advice would you give to listeners when they reach a crossroads, when they have a decision like that? I mean, I'm almost already foretelling that you're going to say something about intuition, because you felt that calling inside of you to come here, but just in general, what would you say? I've got a decision point, I'm at a crossroads, how do I know which way to go?

Madeline Carter:

Yes. Ultimately, it did, for me, come down to intuition or your gut or whatever you like to call it. But I do a lot of research, as well. For example, if you're choosing between two jobs and you're having a tough time making that decision, what I do, personally, what works for me is evaluating my options. So whether that's writing down the pros and cons of each, taking a look at what you've written. One thing that my dad taught me to do was after the interview, make a journal entry and write exactly how you feel. And when I went back and looked at what I had written, it was clear to me ... The pros and cons are there, but then ultimately, you kind of got to go with your heart, your gut. And just know that where you ultimately go, I think that it's on the path of where you should be going and it's going to mold you one way or another, whether it's a positive or a negative experience. So you can do your research, and then ultimately, you got to go with your gut.

Paul Casey:

Yep. Yep. And the pros and cons activity, it's tried and true. It seems so simple, and yet it really helps you, by putting it on paper, to filter your thoughts for making-

Madeline Carter:

Yes.

Paul Casey:

... a big decision. So what's most rewarding for you in your job? And how do you stay focused on that? Because I'm sure there's hassles and disappointments and technical difficulties and all that kind of stuff.

Madeline Carter:

The most rewarding part of my job in news is the chance to bring light into someone's day. That's the beauty of a morning newscast, I think. We've got a great mix of news, entertainment, fun. Just giving you a reason to wake up and get out of bed in the morning. That, to me, is what drives me. The chance to be a friend to someone who maybe doesn't have one, someone who right now is struggling to just find their reason, their why. Just look to be a light to someone, and that's really what keeps me grounded. And also the chance to tell stories that shape our community. And whether they're good or bad, it's where we live, and you need to know what's going on. And those stories, I really think they truly matter.

Madeline Carter:

But, yes, you're right, life can get kind of crazy, especially in a very public type of a position. A lot of times, I'll find myself ... There are a lot of demands on my time, and a lot of people to respond to in so many different formats, whether it's viewers or managers, bosses. So those are the times when it can get a bit stressful for me, the time management aspect. But what really grounds me is when I speak to someone in our community, whether it's a guest that I'm interviewing or I'm doing an interview for a story that I'm working on, hearing people's stories reminds me why it's so important to share those with the people where we live.

Paul Casey:

I love how you said you just want to be a light, and in the morning probably people are comforted by your happy face when they turn on their TV in the morning, right?

Madeline Carter:

I hope so!

Paul Casey:

Because you're that consistent first greeting of the day, even maybe before the rest of their family wakes up, because you're on very early.

Madeline Carter:

Exactly.

Paul Casey:

So they've come to make you a part of their life, in a way, by choosing media-

Madeline Carter:

I mean, they have me in their living room.

Paul Casey:

Right? That's right.

Madeline Carter:

We have coffee in the living room.

Paul Casey:

That's an honor, isn't it?

Madeline Carter:

It is. It really is.

Paul Casey:

And a responsibility-

Madeline Carter:

Absolutely.

Paul Casey:

... to be a light. I mean, if you were sort of an Eeyore to start the day off-

Madeline Carter:

"Morning. Here's your news." Yeah.

Paul Casey:

Yeah, that's right. That would start the day off pretty poorly. Well, leaders and influencers must keep growing or they become irrelevant. So, how have you matured in your professional growth, your personal growth, in recent years?

Madeline Carter:

I'm certainly still in the growth process, but for the past few years, I would say the past three years, I have studied character based leadership, and in a different context outside of broadcasting. But that's my goal of what I try to bring to the table as a leader is to lead with kindness, to lead with empathy, especially concerning coworkers and even our viewers, to be a leader for them in that way. And it's not always easy, but I've actually had a couple trials this past year that have taught me the importance of that.

Madeline Carter:

And one thing that I think I've really grown over the past year and a half that I've been here in the Tri-Cities is I've grown stronger in my personal voice. I know kindness can sometimes be perceived as a weakness, and I used to more so care about what people would think of me if I had to lay down the law or stand up for what is right or stand up for what I believe in. But now I feel having leadership in a daily newscast, it gives me that ability to better say what needs to be done, what needs to be right, whether it's an ethical news question or something along those lines. I less fear how others perceive me now, and I think that's a form of growth is growing in that confidence and that ability to take charge without worrying what people think of you.

Paul Casey:

Yeah, and I like how you said that. Kindness could be perceived as a weakness, but it's actually a strength. And if I ever do a random act of kindness, and just talking about it I guess means it's not random act anymore, but like when paying for the person behind you in the drive-through, right, at a coffee drive-through, I feel more powerful. I don't feel weak when I do that. And to see that person sort of wave and know that you pumped up their day-

Madeline Carter:

Exactly.

Paul Casey:

... that's a great feeling.

Madeline Carter:

Oh yeah.

Paul Casey:

And it builds ... If you're in a workplace, that is building respect, it's magnetic. It attracts people to you if you lead with kindness versus the alternative.

Madeline Carter:

Right.

Paul Casey:

Well, you mentioned time management in there, and most of our to-do lists are greater than the time we have to do them, so that probably means you have to triage tasks like everybody else does, and maybe even delegate or outsource stuff or back-burner things. So, how do you sort out how you spend your time, and maybe any tips for the rest of us?

Madeline Carter:

Honestly, time management is still a bit of a struggle for me. I'm working on it. But something that helps me, I know you mentioned a long to-do list, but I do like to make a daily to-do list. That's usually the last thing I do before I leave work for the day, I email myself my to-dos for the next day.

Paul Casey:

Nice.

Madeline Carter:

Even though they may change. But I try to limit down to maybe the three or four most important things that I have to get done that day. Because I'm an achiever type of box-checker, I like to call it.

Paul Casey:

Yes.

Madeline Carter:

So I get a thrill out of getting things done, checking off items on my list. So when I make them manageable items that I can actually go through and feel like I accomplished something, that is what seems to work for me. So that is what I do to try to work on time management. Another thing I've learned in this job is to not spend too much time on the little things. I have perfectionist tendencies, as well, and I noticed when I first started in this role that I was ... Some things were taking a lot longer than they needed to. Not that I'm not putting as much effort in. I'm still doing my 110%, but learning what you can do quicker and what you can delegate. So that's been something that I've been trying to learn for time management.

Paul Casey:

Yes, the achiever, you alluded to that. So we were talking before we hit record today of the achiever is one of the StrengthsFinder 34 strengths-

Madeline Carter:

Yes.

Paul Casey:

... and it's in your top five. It's in my top five. And any achievers listening, you're probably like, "That's why I listen to this podcast, because I want to listen to-"

Madeline Carter:

Right. "Because I want to-"

Paul Casey:

"... other achievers."

Madeline Carter:

"...grow."

Paul Casey:

Right? It's also in the Enneagram, the number three, type three is also an achiever, so it's funny how we take these assessments and they all say the same thing.

Madeline Carter:

I know, they really do.

Paul Casey:

But the box-checker is in that. And I like how you also are just transparent about you could gravitate to being OCD or perfectionist-

Madeline Carter:

Yes.

Paul Casey:

... if you have that style. Each one of the styles has a dark side-

Madeline Carter:

They do.

Paul Casey:

... to it. And so you have to know what's good enough, that's not compromising quality or excellence, but it's not getting so deep in the weeds that it's taking valuable time.

Madeline Carter:

Right. And another downside, if you call it, of the type three in the Enneagram, for example, the achiever, is the image conscious part of it, which kind of goes back to me saying how I care about what people think of me when I have to lay down the law. So that's something you got to work on those other not so good parts of the achiever characteristic.

Paul Casey:

Yes. Well, before we head into our next question about relationships, a shout out to our sponsor. Mario Martinez, Northwestern Mutual. Mario, why should people work with a financial advisor?

Mario Martinez:

Hey, Paul, that's a great question. Really, I think there's two types of people who should be seeking out a financial professional. The one person is somebody who has very limited access to financial guidance. Maybe they're a younger professional or somebody who just hasn't had an introduction to a financial professional yet. And the other type of person is really someone who has a lot of different exposure to different professionals, they just haven't found the one person that they really trust to take guidance from. So there's really an over information, in that sense. So those are really the two types of people that should be looking to be introduced to a financial professional.

Paul Casey:

Fantastic. So, Mario, how can people get in touch with you?

Mario Martinez:

The easiest way is to reach out to me directly on my business cell phone, which is 509-591-5301. You can send an email to [e-mail], or you can find us on our business Facebook page, which is Mario Martinez Northwestern Mutual.

Paul Casey:

Well, Madeline, you probably believe like I do that leadership is relationships, so talk to us about what relationships are key to your success? And how do you intentionally develop them, and maybe even in the land of COVID, how much do you do that differently?

Madeline Carter:

Yeah, relationships are everything. I think we've all learned that during this pandemic, is some point when we were spending time apart, it's really all we have. I think that relationships are key to success because, to me, character and kindness are what will carry you. I've seen examples of that in internships and people that I know that have kind of climbed the ranks in the industry. I believe that if you treat everyone with respect, you hopefully might get that back in return. So that's going to be my goal with entering this career path, and I think those relationships can help you become successful.

Madeline Carter:

But outside of work, some of the most key relationships for me are my family and my close friends. The people that really know you, the people that are in your corner, and the people that'll give you the truth when you really need to hear it. I moved more than 2,000 miles away, so I'm very, very far away from my key close knit people. But when I go back home, for example if I'm going to take a trip back home, those are the moments when I realize how far I've really come, because the people that know you best are the ones that'll tell you that stuff that you don't hear on a daily basis, especially living on your own. So for me, their relationships are what fuel me. I am a family girl through and through, so that type of support I think is key to success, because you need to have that as you go on and just continue on.

Paul Casey:

Has it been harder to connect with them 2,000 miles away? Family, friends, and COVID. I mean, do you do Zoom calls or phone calls, or-

Madeline Carter:

I'm done with the Zoom, honestly. I am not into that anymore. But yes, we do. I FaceTime my mom pretty often and we've started to pick that up. It's not her favorite thing, but we call each other all the time, text all the time. Same with my other immediate family. I have struggled to keep up with close friends. I'm learning as you get older and you move on from ... And you move, you're kind of the one who's responsible with keeping in touch, because I'm the one who moved away.

Paul Casey:

Yeah.

Madeline Carter:

And I've learned that the hard way. It's hard. There's so many people that I could text today or that I could reach out to. So I guess what I try to do is kind of vary it up, think about someone I haven't touched base with and I'll reach out to them. I usually give a quick call and leave a message if they don't answer, or send a text and say, "Hey, I'd like to catch up." And having intentional conversations every now and then has been key to keep those relationships going.

Paul Casey:

Yeah. You mentioned we all need relationships with people that will tell us what needs to be said, or they make observations about us, or they want us to live our best version of us. Tri-City Influencer listeners, I hope that you all have a ... We call it a fist of five. Five people that they love you and your style, your way, but they'll also call you on your stuff. Or if you're not living your core values, they're going to be like, "This is not what you usually are like. What's going on in your life?"

Madeline Carter:

Exactly.

Paul Casey:

And we all need that. I was teaching on emotional intelligence this morning to a company, and I brought up that years ago, someone gave me this tip to send five to seven questions to your tribe, those people closest to you, and ask them questions about yourself and get some feedback and then really listen. Like, "Where do you see me at my strongest? What do I need to let go of more that I tend to whine about for too long?" And, "When have you seen my shine?" And I still have saved one of those emails from seven years ago because it was that impactful to have people be that honest and answer those seven questions.

Madeline Carter:

That's good. I might need to try that myself.

Paul Casey:

Well, self-care is essential for mental health and top performance, especially in the land of COVID. So what recharges your batteries? How do you stay positive? How do you stay energetic for your job?

Madeline Carter:

My job requires a lot of energy, so I love this question. Yes. I'm naturally extroverted, however, I do have a slightly introverted side. I mentioned I was a homebody, so I definitely have to recharge my batteries. And that means at the end of the day, I like to have my alone time. For me, one of the biggest things I love, I absolutely love popcorn. So my ideal night of self-care is to pop popcorn over the stove with a little bit of oil and I watch a good movie or whether it's a Netflix show that I'm into. That, for me, by myself, is usually the best way to recharge. I'm also a huge reader, so reading books is another thing.

Madeline Carter:

But the choices that I make every day for self-care, I am huge on fitness and nutrition. I have to work out for stress relief. I'm the type that can't go ... I have to do it at least four or five times a week in order to feel like I got all my stress out. And then I eat very healthy diet. And those are the things that keep me having energy throughout the day. And speaking of which, on a daily basis, when you have a job as a news anchor, you have to have a wide range of emotions and bring that same consistent energy to the table every morning at 4:30 in the morning.

Paul Casey:

Man.

Madeline Carter:

And I am actually a night owl, naturally. That's a fun fact.

Paul Casey:

Wow.

Madeline Carter:

Yeah. So maybe that's why it works, because it's kind of in the middle of the night. But for me, what I do every day before work is I get up a lot earlier than I need to. I get up at 12:45 in the morning, AM-

Paul Casey:

What? You get up?

Madeline Carter:

I wake up. My alarm goes off.

Paul Casey:

What time do you go to bed?

Madeline Carter:

In a perfect world? 5:30.

Paul Casey:

Okay.

Madeline Carter:

But usually 6:30, which is not ideal. However, I get up way earlier than I need to. It doesn't take me that long to get ready. But the reason is I have developed a routine since I have been working here in the Tri-Cities to listen to music that makes me genuinely happy, and so that's the first thing I do is I turn on my happy playlist. I like to call it Happy Radio as what it started, but now I'm on to Apple Music. But I listen to happy music, stuff that puts me in a good mood. And then when I switch over to do my makeup in the morning, I turn on an interview about personal growth. I've fallen into the Oprah's Super Soul podcast, that's a great one. And right now, I'm listening to an audiobook by Alicia Keys about personal growth. And I find that doing that, it wakes me up, first of all, so I feel like I could be my true self by the time I get to work, and that's my goal every day is that I can be my full kind self by the time I walk through those doors in the middle of the night. So, to me, that seems to be what works to kind of keep my energy up and care for myself.

Paul Casey:

Well, I think you win. Out of all my 50-some guests on this podcast, that's the earlier wake-up time.

Madeline Carter:

I think you're probably right on that one.

Paul Casey:

I had a couple 3:30 exercisers and I was already impressed by that.

Madeline Carter:

It doesn't make it the best wake-up time, though, although it is the earliest.

Paul Casey:

That's true, although it is the earliest. But I would see how you would need a long ramp up to be-

Madeline Carter:

Oh yeah, to-

Paul Casey:

... [crosstalk 00:28:42] fitness, nutrition, happy music, personal growth inputs into your life. You've created a good system for yourself to be at the top-

Madeline Carter:

I think so.

Paul Casey:

... of your game.

Madeline Carter:

It seems to work. Obviously, you have your bad days every now and then, but those are the ... Having that consistency at least gives me something to look forward to and a reason to get up in the morning.

Paul Casey:

Yeah. Now, recharging your batteries, if you're an introvert, you recharge by being alone, typically, because you've had too much people time or too many Zoom calls. And then extroverts recharge their batteries by being with people, and of course they have suffered a lot this year.

Madeline Carter:

Right, right.

Paul Casey:

And so they have to be even more intentional about somehow getting that contact with other people. So how do you determine your next hill to climb or conquer? What's your process for continuous improvement so you keep getting better? That this month next year, you're going to be a better person, you're going to be a better employee, you're going to be better in all areas of your life.

Madeline Carter:

For me, it's time to climb when I've reached my capacity for growth. So when I feel that I get comfortable and I'm in my comfort zone, I'm not out of it, that's when it's time to find the next goal. And I'm definitely a goal setter. So for me, it's finding where I can grow next, whether that's a next job or it's a next project at your current job, which is kind of what I'm going through right now.

Madeline Carter:

Another thing that helps me grow and know what's next to climb for myself is by reaching out to coworkers and/or managers and asking for genuine feedback. And I'm not talking about just your annual or your every six month feedback session, but reaching out in an email and, for me, being in the news industry, sending them a story I did and saying, "What's your honest opinion on this? What could I do better?" I've reached out to different news anchors in our sister station to send them some of my work to say, "What do you think? What can I do better? If you had to pick one thing that I could work on for this next six months, what would it be?" And I reached out to recently probably about close to six or seven different people and got all different types of responses, but a lot of them have a pretty common ground, so you kind of find what areas you need to grow next. And so for me, it's about constant growth. And when you can't grow anymore, that might be when it's time to climb on to something else.

Paul Casey:

So good, because growth is on the other side of your comfort zone, right? It's not in the comfort zone.

Madeline Carter:

No.

Paul Casey:

Then you're coasting, and you only coast one direction, I love this quote, downhill.

Madeline Carter:

Yes, you do.

Paul Casey:

You don't coast uphill. So you have to stretch yourself, and I love how you said feedback is one of the ways to do that. And I really like the specificity of, "What's one thing I can do to work on?" Because if you ask for feedback from people, they often go blank, like, "Uh, you're great."

Madeline Carter:

Right, right.

Paul Casey:

And they just sort of ... But when you start asking the specific question, and listeners, you can use this in your one-to-ones either with your supervisor or your direct reports, "What's the one thing that I could do to blank?" It could be grow, it could be lead-

Madeline Carter:

To get a promotion.

Paul Casey:

Yeah exactly.

Madeline Carter:

To do all these type of things.

Paul Casey:

And try to get it to that one thing, because then, oh, now it's something tangible that I can actually do and put into my growth plan and get training on or get coaching on to get better. So it's a vulnerable thing, of course, to throw that out there and get feedback and ask that question, but it sounds like you embrace that.

Madeline Carter:

I try to, yes.

Paul Casey:

Well, finally, what advice would you give to new leaders or anyone who wants to keep growing and gaining more influence?

Madeline Carter:

Well, here's some advice from a new leader, myself. I like to call myself a newbie in this one. Be you. Be you. Just be you. Because there is only one you. One of my favorite quotes is, "No one is you, and that is your power." I've learned that this year, especially, taking on a role that's very public to where I am being myself every day. And it took me several months to grasp what it meant to just be Madeline up on the set and not be a news anchor. You can quickly fall into that trap of trying to be the next whoever your favorite person is in your industry, whereas the reason why I chose the job that I have today is because when they hired me, they said, "We want to teach you to be the next Madeline Carter. We don't want to teach you to be the next blank." They said one of my role models, they said their name.

Paul Casey:

Wow.

Madeline Carter:

And I said, "That's really interesting." It took me a while to grasp it, but that's my advice, is that there's only one you, and even if you have quirks, if you have things you don't like about yourself, eventually, those can become your strengths. And I think you just got to stay true to yourself in the process.

Paul Casey:

Be you. That's awesome. Awesome way to end. So, how can our listeners best connect with you, Madeline?

Madeline Carter:

Yeah, lots of things. I'm on all kinds of social media. It's too many to keep up with now. Instagram is my personal favorite. I love getting messages on there. My Instagram is @MadelineCarter.TV. And also Facebook is huge, Madeline Carter TV there. And also they can send me an email, [e-mail]. Or Twitter, but I'm not on that that much.

Paul Casey:

Tri-Cities Twitter just hasn't taken off quite as much.

Madeline Carter:

Oh my goodness, there's too many. That was what I was saying, the time constraints. I can't answer all the messages anymore.

Paul Casey:

Well, thanks again for all you do to make the Tri-Cities a great place, and keep leading well.

Madeline Carter:

All right. Thank you, Paul. Thanks for having me.

Paul Casey:

Let me wrap up our podcast today with a leadership resource to recommend. I want to invite you to Leader-Launcher.com. It's my local leadership development program for young professionals and emerging leaders. What we do is we meet once a month, and right now, it's virtually, for two hours, and I teach one leadership proficiency a month. So in a year, you get 12 of these leadership proficiencies which will set you up to move up the ranks in your company, to take that next supervisor position which will then give you so much more influence in your company. So if you are a boss and you would like to have your next tier of leaders developed, you can send them over to Leader-Launcher.com and sign them up. It's just 459 for the year, which would normally be like $9,000 if you hired me as a consultant for your company. So it's very affordable and it's very transformational. And hopefully, you'll consider Leader-Launcher.com.

Paul Casey:

Again, this is Paul Casey and I want to thank my guest Madeline Carter from NBC Right Now for being here today on the Tri-City Influencer Podcast. We also want to thank our TCI sponsor and invite you to support them. We appreciate you making this possible so we can collaborate to help inspire leaders in our community. Finally, one more leadership tidbit for the road to help you make a difference in your circle of influence. It's from Aug Mandino.He said, "It is those who concentrate on but one thing at a time who advance in this world." Until next time, KGF. Keep growing forward.

Speaker 3:

Thank you to our listeners for tuning in to today's show. Paul Casey is on a mission to add value to leaders by providing practical tools and strategies that reduce stress in their lives and on their teams so that they can enjoy life and leadership and experience their key desired results. If you'd like more help from Paul in your leadership development, connect with him at [e-mail] for a consultation that could help you move past your current challenges and create a strategy for growing your life or your team forward. Paul would also like to help you restore your sanity to your crazy schedule and getting your priorities done every day by offering you his free Control my Calendar checklist. Go to ww.takebackmycalendar.com for that productivity tool or open a text message to 72000 and type the word 'growing'.

Paul Casey:

The Tri-Cities Influencer Podcast was recorded at Fuse SPC by Bill Wagner of Safe Strategies.