Measuring Chaos Tolerance – The People Managing People Interview

We’re passionate about the world of work, and how we can make it better. To help satisfy our curiosity, we’ve launched an interview series where we pick the brains of experienced leaders, business owners, managers, and individual contributors to get their thoughts on how we can collectively build better.

Join us in our next installment below as Lizabeth Wesely-Casella, Founder and CEO of L-12 Services LLC, shares her valuable insights.

We’d love to get to know you a bit better, tell us a bit about your backstory.

My Washington, DC, career began as an Executive Assistant in several nonprofits and associations.  I soon realized I had a unique skill where I often found myself in the position between leadership and staff, translating English to English. Leadership’s goals would be misaligned with the staff’s workflow and processes, and I’d become the liaison in between that would streamline and clarify.

Eventually, I decided to start my own firm where we focus on operational excellence through internal communication and organizational development, including assessing for chaos tolerance.

If we were to ask a friend to describe your personality to us, what would they say?

Thoughtful, supportive, and results-driven.  I am often the friend others turn to for comfort and problem solving + a good laugh.

What’s the most impactful lesson you’ve learned over your career thus far?

Kindness wins, but a sense of humor helps.  In essence, create space for others to contribute without judgment, and then work toward mutually satisfying solutions.  When you can, bring levity and a sense of play to the situation to keep people invested and energized.

Thanks for giving us some insight into who you are!  Let’s jump into things.  When you hear the phrase “build a better world of work”, what comes to mind?

That is my legacy phrase.  I want to create better ecosystems for people to flourish within the organizations they choose.

For you, what’s the main blocker you see as standing in the way of building a better world of work?

A disinterest in listening or implementing change from within.

Right now, the one most impactful activity organizations can perform is to assess chaos tolerance in order to determine the level of burnout.  My recommended tool is the HELIX Assessment.

Burnout impacts just about every aspect of performance and understanding what it will take to ‘meet the staff where they are’ influences workload, communication, program, product development, and so much more.

Here is another helpful (short) quiz for anyone looking to get clear on the health of their organization: Attrition Prevention Quiz.

Can you share one thing you’ve experienced, seen, or read about that is leading us towards a better world of work?

This may sound backward, but the Great Resignation has done more to elevate the voice of the worker than most anything else in the past 50 years.  We are looking at US labor statistics that are at the exact same place they were prior to the pandemic (3.6%) but we are assigning greater value to the worker and their needs simply because we are talking about mass attrition and what that can mean for the economy.  In other words, workers are leveraging their power because they have been able to illustrate the consequences if their needs aren’t met – mission, vision, and value alignment.

I’m curious, thinking about building a better world of work, is there a company and/or leader who stands out to you as someone we should follow?  If so, what are they up to?

I always suggest following John Spence and reading his books, especially Awesomely Simple.

How can our readers follow your work?

I share most of my content on LinkedIn and the L-12 Services website.

Thank you for adding your voice to People Managing People’s interview series on How to Build a Better World of Work. 

For businesses facing fast growth, scaling, or a transition to the ‘remote-work-hybrid’, our team has solutions to help you anticipate these future hurdles and prevent overwhelm.

FOR MORE INFORMATION...

Contact us today at 202.415.6987 or info@L12Services.com if you want to enhance collaboration and engagement. Together, we can create an environment that drives success through effective communication.

Follow Lizabeth on LinkedIn and subscribe to her newsletter, or subscribe to the L-12 Services Corp. YouTube channel for videos, tips and more!