2026 Tip #7 - Nicole Williams - Mini Episode - 5 Steps

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You can have a full calendar, a successful career, and plenty of accomplishments — but can you  see a future you genuinely want to move toward? In this Acumen in Action mini episode, Suzie Price explores Self-Direction, one of the three dimensions of Self View, and explains why being busy isn't the same as having direction. Discover how one meaningful possibility can become the starting point for growth and greater self-awareness.    Explore the Acumen in Action Series These three short episodes bring Acumen to life through real-world examples and practical questions you can use right away. Mini 1: Caring About People vs. Understanding People Why genuinely caring about others doesn't always mean recognizing what they need. Mini 2: Can You See a Future? How seeing future possibilities influences our decisions and ability to move forward. Mini 3: Same Style, Different Horsepower  (Coming Soon!) Why similar DISC styles don't necessarily mean similar capabilities.   Want the bigger picture?Listen to Episode 157: Under the Hood and explore the complete series.   TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS 1. Being productive isn't the same as having direction. Self-Direction is about clarity and possibility for the future — not simply how much we accomplish. A full schedule can sometimes distract us from asking where we're actually going. 2. The graph doesn't tell us why. The person does. A low Self-Direction result invites exploration, not judgment. Personal experiences, uncertainty, transitions, and changing responsibilities may all influence how someone sees their future. Conversation brings essential context. 3. Growth can begin with one meaningful possibility. You don't need a complete ten-year plan. Identifying something worth moving toward can help clarify your role, create new experiences, and build confidence over time. Three Reflection Questions 1. When I put my feet on the floor in the morning, do I know what I'm moving toward — beyond today's task list? 2. Is there something in my future that creates genuine energy or hope for me? 3. If the answer is no, what's one possibility I could begin exploring without demanding that I have everything figured out? Practical Application Set aside ten minutes this week, without your phone, emails, or to-do list. Ask yourself: "What is one thing I'd genuinely like to move toward in the next year?" Then identify one small step you could take to explore that possibility. You don't have to have the whole future figured out to start moving.   FEATURED QUOTE: "You can be incredibly productive and still feel uncertain about your future."   ABOUT SUZIE PRICE Suzie Price is the host of the Wake Up Eager Podcast and founder of Priceless Professional Development. Through leadership coaching, assessment expertise, and practical development tools, she helps individuals and organizations better understand themselves and others, build high commitment, low-drama workplaces, and create Wake Up Eager lives.   FULL SHOW NOTES  

Suzie Price shares real stories and three practical SPARK™ processes that help leaders use TriMetrix assessment insights after hiring to strengthen onboarding, coach employee development, and improve workplace collaboration — without needing to become assessment experts.   TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS 1. Start Strong: Use the First 90 Days to Build Connection 2. Coach Smarter: Start with the Role and Build on Strengths 3. Work Better Together: Understand Differences Before They Create Friction  The Collaboration Report helps two people compare DISC communication styles and Motivators to understand similarities, differences, strengths, and potential blind spots. Using the SPARK Collaboration Report Quick Review Guide, both people can identify simple adjustments that improve communication and working relationships.   KEY GUEST QUOTES Quote 1 — Main Episode Message "The hire is the starting line. There's so much we can do to help people succeed once they join our teams."  Quote 2 — Assessment Confidence "You don't need to be an assessment expert. You need to be interested in understanding your employee."  Quote 3 — Strengths-Based Leadership "Development doesn't always have to focus on a weakness."  Quote 4 — Assessment Interpretation "The employee leads the discussion about their results. The manager's job is to ask questions, listen, and learn."   Quote 5 — Practical Leadership "You don't need to have all the answers to be a good leader. You do need to care enough to ask good questions and follow through on what you learn."   Quote 6 — Collaboration "One thing I understand better about you after this discussion is..."    Your After-the-Hire Challenge: Choose one person. Choose one conversation. Agree on one action.  For a new employee: Start Strong  For an employee you're developing: Coach Smarter  For a working relationship that needs attention: Remember You don't have to explain every graph or interpret every result. The SPARK guides tell you which sections to review and which questions to ask. If you're unsure, ask your HR or assessment support person for help.   ABOUT THE HOST Suzie Price is the founder of Priceless Professional Development and host of the Wake Up Eager Podcast. For more than 20 years, she has helped organizations use TriMetrix assessments, leadership coaching, and practical development tools to make better people decisions, strengthen workplace relationships, and build high commitment, low-drama teams. She created SPARK™ Superior Performance Attributes Review Kits to help leaders connect the capabilities required for superior performance with practical hiring, onboarding, coaching, and collaboration processes.   FULL SHOW NOTES

Have you ever known someone who genuinely cares about people but misses what they  actually need? In this Acumen in Action mini episode, Suzie Price shares a real-world story that  reveals why caring about people and understanding them are two different things. Learn how  Motivators, DISC, and Acumen provide different insights — and discover one simple shift that  can make your conversations more meaningful.   TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS 1. Caring about people isn't the same as understanding them. Motivators can help reveal why supporting others matters to someone. Acumen's Understanding Others dimension provides insight into how clearly someone perceives other people. Both are important, but they're different. 2. Behavior is not capability. An outgoing, warm, relational person may miss important emotional information. A quieter person may have exceptional insight into others. DISC style alone doesn't tell the whole story. 3. Curiosity can improve the quality of our help. Before offering advice or jumping into problem-solving, pause and explore the other person's perspective. One thoughtful question may be more valuable than an immediate solution.   THREE REFLECTION QUESTIONS 1. Do I genuinely understand people, or do I sometimes assume that because I care about them, I understand them? 2. When someone shares something important, do I notice the emotional information as well as the facts? 3. Could I become just a little more curious before I become helpful?   PRACTICAL APPLICATION In your next conversation with someone who needs help, resist the urge to solve the problem immediately. Instead, try asking: "What would be most helpful from me right now?" Notice how the conversation changes when understanding comes before advice.   FEATURED QUOTE: "Could I become just a little more curious before I become helpful?"   RELATED LISTENING Want to understand more about what's happening under the hood? Listen to Episode 157: Under the Hood — What Acumen Really Tells Us About How We Think, Decide & Lead. Explore all three companion episodes: www.pricelessprofessional.com/acumeninaction Explore the complete series at: www.pricelessprofessional.com/acumeninaction   ABOUT SUZIE PRICE Suzie Price is the host of the Wake Up Eager Podcast and founder of Priceless Professional Development. Through leadership coaching, assessment expertise, and practical development tools, she helps individuals and organizations better understand themselves and others, build high commitment, low-drama workplaces, and create Wake Up Eager lives.   FULL SHOW NOTES  

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Learn how to notice what genuinely gives you energy, recognize the quiet drains you may have stopped seeing, and use a simple 7-Day Energy Audit to make more intentional choices about where your energy goes.   TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS 1. Your Energy Leaves Clues 2. Go Underneath the Activity to Discover What Really Energizes You 3. Not All Tired Is the Same—and Not Every Drain Means "Stop"   KEY QUOTES "Our energy leaves clues for us." "Sometimes our feelings are giving us an answer before we've actually figured out how to explain it." "The clock doesn't necessarily tell us the energy cost of the things we're doing." "Being tired is not automatically the same thing as being drained." "Do you use yourself very well?" "Energy leaves clues." "Assessments give us a place to look. They're not here to tell you who you are. You bring meaning to the assessment." "Something doesn't have to be bad for it to stop being right for you." "The thing that energizes you can eventually drain you if you don't pay attention to how you're using it." "Energy isn't an excuse to avoid discomfort. It's information." "What kind of tired am I? Am I stretched but fulfilled, or am I repeatedly depleted?" "The goal isn't simply to have more energy. It's to use your energy on what matters."   PRACTICAL APPLICATION TRY THE 7 DAY ENERGY AUDIT At the end of each day, start with two simple questions: What gave me energy today? What quietly drained me? That's the heart of the exercise. You can also notice what is happening in four areas: Body What happened to my physical energy? Mind Was I clear and engaged—or scattered and overloaded? Emotions Did I feel interested, fulfilled, frustrated, resistant, bored, or flat? Spirit / Purpose / Meaning Did what I was doing feel connected to something that matters to me? At the end of seven days, look back. Don't judge the individual moments. Look for patterns. Ask yourself: • What keeps showing up? • What consistently brings me alive? • What repeatedly leaves me flat? • What do I keep wanting to do more of? • What am I very good at but no longer want to spend as much time doing? • Is there a gap between what I say matters to me and where my time and energy are actually going? You do not need to act on every observation. You're gathering information. As Suzie says: "Don't try to fix your whole life on Tuesday. Just notice." Download the free companion worksheet: pricelessprofessional.com/energyaudit   A WHOLE-PERSON VIEW OF ENERGY Suzie shares an energy-management exercise she previously used in a leadership program with executive chefs from Relais & Châteaux. These leaders work in high-pressure luxury hospitality environments where timing, staffing, food quality, presentation, customer expectations, and team leadership often converge at once. Rather than treating energy as simply physical, the exercise looked at four areas: Body Mind Emotions Spirit / Purpose / Meaning      One of the most important questions from that work is: Is there a gap between what I say matters to me and where my time and energy are actually going? When that gap becomes large—and stays large—we often begin to feel it.   TRIMETRIX, MOTIVATORS & ACUMEN TriMetrix offers another way to become more curious about where energy comes from and where it may be going. Motivators — What Puts Gas in Your Tank? Motivators help us understand: • what interests us • what naturally pulls us forward • what feels worth the effort • what kinds of problems we naturally want to solve • what activities and environments tend to engage us One way to think about it is: Interest = Energy The assessment may tell you that a particular motivator is a strong driver. But the deeper learning happens when you begin noticing that motivator in your own life. When do you become absorbed? What do you keep coming back to? What do you naturally want to learn, create, accomplish, lead, organize, or contribute? The assessment provides the clue. Your life provides the evidence. Acumen — Looking Under the Hood Acumen offers another perspective. It looks at both: Worldview — how we are seeing what is happening around us and Self-View — how we are seeing ourselves Areas such as Practical Thinking, Role Awareness, and Self-Direction can sometimes provide useful places to explore questions about clarity, demands, purpose, roles, and the path ahead. A lower score does not automatically mean you are doing the wrong work. It gives you another place to look. The question remains: What's going on here? Where is my energy going?   KNOW YOURSELF Suzie also shares one of the ideas that has stayed with her from the work of Robert S. Hartman: Know yourself. Choose yourself. Grow yourself. Give yourself to something greater than yourself. The order matters. First, notice. Know yourself. Pay attention. Then choose intentionally. And keep growing. One of the best ways to begin is simply to notice: What brings me energy? and What is quietly draining it?                                          WHEN YOUR STRENGTH BECOMES A DRAIN Sometimes the things that energize us can become draining when we overuse them. Suzie shares her own tendency to overgive. She genuinely enjoys helping people and adding value. But a strength can become an overextension. The same can happen with any strong motivator. If you love results, you may overdo results. If you love learning, you may keep researching long after enough is enough. If you love leading, you may take responsibility for too much. If you love rules and process, you may create more structure than the situation needs. If you love helping and serving, you may give beyond what is useful or sustainable. The goal is not to suppress your strengths. It's to use them intentionally.   ABOUT SUZIE PRICE Suzie Price is the founder of Priceless Professional Development and producer and host of the Wake Up Eager Podcast. Through leadership development, TriMetrix assessments, coaching, and practical tools, she helps leaders build high-commitment, low-drama workplaces—and helps individuals better understand themselves so they can create lives they cannot wait to wake up to.   FULL SHOW NOTES

Sometimes the hardest opportunities to turn down are the good ones; Suzie Price shares a four question Opportunity Filter to help you decide what truly deserves your time, energy, and attention right now.   TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS 1. Being able to do something doesn't mean it belongs in your life. Capacity and calling are not the same thing. An opportunity can be good, flattering, profitable, or interesting and still not fit what matters most to you right now. 2. Every yes has a trade-off. Instead of asking only, "Can I fit this in?" ask, "What gets less of me if I say yes?" Time, attention, energy, relationships, health, strategic work, or simply breathing room always pay part of the price. 3. The goal isn't to say no more often. It's to choose well. The Opportunity Filter can lead to yes, no, not now, yes-but-differently, or "let me take another look." The goal is a conscious decision that fits the life you're actually living now.   KEY GUEST QUOTES "I can do this and I should do this are not the same thing." "Capacity is not the same thing as calling." "Being good at something doesn't mean you should build your life around it." "Energy is information." "Your history is data." "What gets less of me if I say yes?" "A good opportunity and the right opportunity are not always the same thing." "What you don't do determines what you can do."  — Tim Ferriss   PRACTICAL APPLICATION Think of one real opportunity, request, project, role, commitment, or possibility in your life right now and ask: 1. ALIGNMENT: Does this fit what matters most to me right now? 2. ENERGY: What happens to my energy when I picture actually doing it? 3. TRADE-OFF: What gets less of me if I say yes? 4. SEASON: Does this fit the life I'm actually living now? Then ask one final question: What do I already know? Sometimes we keep collecting information because we don't like the answer we already have. Other times—as Charles's story demonstrates—we genuinely do need more information.   ABOUT THE GUESTS Charles Schrauth - Charles shares a very different lesson. After disappointing experiences with programs serving adults with disabilities, his family initially said no to a new opportunity for their son—but trusted people encouraged them to look again. More information changed the decision, reminding us that discernment also requires flexibility. Patricia "Pat" Burnett - Pat shares what happened when she found herself in what seemed like the perfect job—work she enjoyed, strong compensation, respect, and learning opportunities—yet realized something else mattered more. Her experience illustrates the Alignment question beautifully: sometimes nothing is wrong with an opportunity; something else is simply more right. Tracy Winkler - Tracy shares how her love of learning can make a new course or program immediately appealing. Her insight—"history as data"—shows how looking honestly at our own patterns can help us distinguish the excitement of an opportunity from whether we will actually use it.   FULL SHOW NOTES

How do you know when discomfort is the healthy stretch of growth—and when your own internal guidance is telling you that something simply isn't right for you?   TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS 1. Pay attention to your first response—before your brain starts negotiating with it. Suzie's wedding story is an exaggerated but memorable example: she knew immediately that singing a solo made absolutely no sense for her, yet she talked herself into saying yes because she was flattered, wanted to please her friend, and overrode what she already knew. 2. You don't have to make something—or someone—wrong for it to be wrong for you. The business-association story makes this point beautifully. The person who invited Suzie was gracious, the people were nice, and the setting was lovely. She was still bored and drained. An opportunity can be perfectly good and still not belong in your life. 3. Learn the difference between the stretch of growth and the drain of misalignment. Not every uncomfortable feeling is a stop sign. Meaningful growth can feel scary and expansive at the same time. Misalignment tends to feel heavy—and often comes with the realization, "I already know this isn't right for me, but I'm talking myself into it."   KEY QUOTES / IDEAS "We don't have to make another person or an opportunity wrong to recognize it simply isn't right for us." "I'm nervous because I'm stepping into a bigger version of myself" versus "I already know this isn't right for me, but I'm talking myself into it." "The stretch of growth versus the heavy drain of misalignment." "What was my initial response before my brain started manufacturing polite excuses?" "Ten seconds of silence could save months of unnecessary dread." "When it's hell no, don't go."   PRACTICAL APPLICATION The next time you're considering an invitation, commitment, project, meeting, favor, or opportunity, give yourself 10 quiet seconds before answering. Then ask: 1.      What was my initial response before my brain started manufacturing polite excuses? 2.      Is this the stretch of growth—or the drain of misalignment? 3.      Am I saying yes because this genuinely fits my goals, or because I want to please someone, avoid disappointing them, or prove that I'm nice? The goal isn't to avoid discomfort. It's to get better at distinguishing the discomfort that helps you grow from the discomfort that comes from overriding what you already know. Those three questions come directly from the closing section of the episode.   ABOUT THIS MINI EPISODE Wake Up Eager Mini Episodes offer short, practical ideas for bringing more energy, awareness, and intention to work and life. This episode was created from Suzie Price's personal experiences and Wake Up Eager notes using an AI-hosted discussion format.   FULL SHOW NOTES

  Suzie Price takes listeners "under the hood" of TriMetrix to explore how Acumen reveals the clarity behind the way we understand people, handle reality, navigate systems, see ourselves, understand our roles and envision our future—and why that matters for better decisions, stronger leadership and meaningful development.   TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS 1. Behavior is not capability. DISC helps us understand how someone naturally communicates and behaves, but it does not tell us everything they are capable of doing. A quiet, understated person may have tremendous clarity and judgment under the hood, while someone who appears confident and experienced may have areas that require more effort. Same driving style does not mean the same horsepower. 2. The Acumen graph gives us places to look—not conclusions to make. Acumen can show where someone has strong clarity, where there may be fuzziness and where they may be leaning toward or away from something. But the assessment does not tell us why. As Suzie says: "The graph doesn't tell me why. You do." Used well, Acumen should make us more curious, not more certain. 3. Development starts with awareness—but it doesn't end there. Acumen is not a verdict. It is a snapshot, and many of the dimensions and personal skills it measures can develop. Meaningful change requires: Awareness + Willingness + Tools The real development happens when someone recognizes an old pattern in a real-life moment and makes a different choice—then practices that choice again and again.   KEY QUOTES "Not all the answers. Better questions." "Behavior is not capability." "Caring about people is not always the same thing as clearly understanding people." "The graph doesn't tell me why. You do." "Same driving style, different fuel, different engine." "Resume is not horsepower." "Experience doesn't automatically create clarity, and clarity doesn't automatically create experience." "Sometimes development is not about adding capability. Sometimes it's just about trusting and using the capability that is already there." "Hiring: we assess, investigate, compare and manage risk. Coaching: we explore, understand, support and develop." "The assessment itself isn't the development." "Acumen should make us more curious, not more certain." "Acumen is not a verdict. It's a snapshot." "We need to be more curious than decisive. Not indecisive—curious."   PRACTICAL APPLICATION The next time you find yourself making a quick judgment about someone—They lack confidence. They aren't decisive. They're too focused on people. They don't have enough experience. They should know this by now.—pause. Ask: ·       What am I seeing on the outside? ·       What might be happening underneath it? ·       Am I confusing behavior with capability? ·       Am I confusing experience with horsepower? ·       Is this a skill or training issue rather than an Acumen issue? ·       Is the person in an environment that fits what motivates them? ·       What question could I ask before deciding what the problem is? If you're using an Acumen assessment in coaching, remember: The graph gives you a place to look. The person gives you the story. And if you're looking at your own results, consider three questions: What do I see clearly? Where might there be some fuzziness? What could I develop that would make life or work easier and more effective?   ABOUT THE HOST Suzie Price is the founder of Priceless Professional Development and host of the Wake Up Eager Podcast. For more than 20 years, she has helped leaders and organizations use TriMetrix and other assessment tools throughout the employee lifecycle—from hiring and onboarding to coaching, development and leadership—so they can make better people decisions and build high-commitment, low-drama workplaces.   FULL SHOW NOTES

Inspired by Eric Church's powerful 2026 UNC commencement speech, Suzie Price connects his "six strings of life" to six dimensions of Axiology to explore how greater self-awareness can help us notice what has drifted out of tune—and intentionally make the adjustments that matter.   TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS 1. Nothing has to be broken to need tuning. Every important part of life can drift—our direction, relationships, roles, work, community, and even our sense of who we are. The goal is not perfect balance; it is developing enough awareness to notice when something needs attention and being willing to adjust. 2. Self-awareness gives us more choice. Axiology and the Acumen portion of TriMetrix help reveal how clearly we see ourselves, other people, tasks, roles, and systems. When we recognize our patterns and biases, we gain the ability to respond intentionally rather than simply reacting from habit. 3. One strong string cannot carry the whole song. Ambition, achievement, resilience, or any other strength can become overused. A meaningful Wake Up Eager life requires paying attention to all the things that matter—not simply continuing to do more of what we are already good at.   KEY QUOTES "By optimizing sleep, you optimize performance."  "It's about the quality of what we're doing, not necessarily the quantity of what we're doing."   "Your good night's sleep actually starts with how you wake up."   "Hydrate before you caffeinate."  "A lot of people are tired, but wired."   "When we are sleep deprived, executive functioning is one of the first things that gets affected."   "Good sleep allows you to show up in the rooms that matter most."   "Healthy, consistent, good quality sleep has a trickle-down effect into so many other areas of your life."    PRACTICAL APPLICATION "An instrument doesn't have to be broken to be out of tune, and neither do we." — Carol Mettenbrink "Axiology helps us see our patterns—and once we see them, we have more choice about what we do next." — Suzie Price "Being right about where the lights were wasn't nearly as important as being connected to his wife." — Jim Comenzo "One string can't carry the whole song." — Suzie Price "At some point, I believe we have to stop asking only, 'What am I capable of doing?' and begin asking, 'What is truly worth doing with the life I have?'" — Carol Mettenbrink "Once you recognize it, you have a choice. You can react from your automatic pattern, or you can slow down enough to ask, 'What does this situation and this person actually need from me right now?'" — Jim Comenzo "You don't throw away the guitar because one string is off. You tune it." — Suzie Price Think about your life right now and consider these six areas: Eric Church's String Axiology Connection Tuning Question Faith Self-Direction - Am I clear about what I believe, what matters most, and where I am going? Family Role Awareness - Am I showing up in the roles that matter most to me the way I want to? Relationships & Partnership Understanding Others - Am I truly seeing the people I care about—or mostly reacting to their behavior? Ambition, Resilience & Vision Practical Thinking - What important result do I want, and what is the next useful action? Community Systems Judgment - What system am I part of, and am I seeing it clearly before I follow it or fight it? Individuality Sense of Self Am I living as myself—or spending energy trying to become who someone else expects me to be? These are not official one-to-one Hartman pairings; they are the connections Suzie heard while listening to Eric Church's speech. Choose one string that needs a little attention. Then identify one action: a phone call, a conversation, a new system, a boundary, a decision, or simply some quiet time to get clearer. You do not have to retune your entire life today. Notice the string. Then begin tuning it.   ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS Carol Mettenbrink Carol Mettenbrink is the founder of On the Brink Business Solutions, where she works with individuals and organizations in psychometric analytics, leadership and team development, talent optimization, coaching, and consulting. A longtime student and practitioner of Axiology and TriMetrix, Carol also serves on the Board of Directors of the Robert S. Hartman Institute. Connect with Carol on LinkedIn Hear Carol on Wake Up Eager Episode #71: Deeper Than DISC Jim Comenzo Jim Comenzo is President of Creating Healthy Relationships, LLC and a licensed marriage and family therapist, organizational development consultant, and coach. He brings more than 30 years of experience applying Axiology and Family Systems theory with individuals, couples, families, leaders, and organizations. Connect with Jim on LinkedIn   FULL SHOW NOTES