The foundation for good communication

Join Shane in the round pen with his mare Purdy as he explores how individuality shapes our interactions and how to build stronger relationships

What you will discover:

The surprising reason why 80% of communication fails
A simple mindset shift to reduce frustration and build better relationships

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Episode 108: Why Your Employees Avoid Ownership And How To Fix It

Your managers cannot control how people feel. But your results depend on it. That is the trap. Shane Jacob teaches a different approach. A structured system that changes how people handle feedback, conflict, and performance.

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Episode 107: Self-Reliance in the Workplace: Eliminating the People Problems That Cost You Hours, Dollars, and Momentum

Inside this episode, Shane introduces a different approach: A system designed to create self-reliant teams. Not independent people working alone. But teams that can work together effectively with less emotional management. Less defensiveness. Less conflict. Less need for leadership intervention. More ownership. More trust. More productivity.

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Episode 106: Why ‘Feedback’ Doesn’t Work And What It’s Costing Your Team

Managers avoid feedback every day. Not because they do not know what to say, but because they think it will create conflict. So they wait. They soften the message. Or they avoid it completely. In this episode, Shane breaks down why “feedback” is one of the most misunderstood ideas in the workplace and how it leads to unclear communication, repeated mistakes, and wasted payroll. If you want a team that can handle accountability without drama and perform at a higher level, Shane Jacob teaches The Worth Work System.

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Episode 105: Why managers avoid hard conversations: What it costs and how to solve it.

If your managers are avoiding conversations, your business is already paying for it. This is not a hiring problem. This is a leadership system problem. Shane Jacob works with companies through speaking and training to build teams that require less management and produce more.

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Episode 104: Why Employees Get Defensive When You Give Feedback (And What It’s Costing You)

You give clear feedback. They push back, shut down, or explain why it’s not their fault. Now the same mistakes keep happening. Your managers are frustrated. Your best people are carrying the load. And you’re spending your time managing reactions instead of results. This isn’t about skill. It’s about how your team interprets feedback. Most employees don’t hear feedback as “improve this.” They hear it as “you’re not good enough.” That triggers defensiveness, and once that happens, improvement stops.

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Episode 103: What To Do After You Do Something You Know Was Wrong And Can’t Let It Go

We all do things we know are wrong. Not accidents. Not misunderstandings. Decisions. And most people do the same thing again afterward. In this episode, Shane Jacob breaks down what is actually happening in your mind after you do something you regret and shows you how to handle it in a way that leads to real repair instead of more damage. This is not about excusing behavior. It is about taking responsibility in a way that actually works. No matter what you have done, your worth is still 100%.

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Episode 102: The Worth Work Principle: The Solution to Defensiveness

There’s a reason conversations turn into conflict and it has nothing to do with the actual problem. Shane has created The Worth Work Principle, the solution to defensiveness, and in this episode, he unveils it for the first time. This principle will help you become a stronger leader, improve your culture, and create a team that works together with less conflict and more trust. If you’re a leader, this is how you make your people more productive, more engaged, and easier to work with.

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Episode 101: Self Confidence Is a Skill: How to Build the Courage to Do What You Have Never Done

Confidence comes after experience. But what happens when you want to try something you have never done before? In this episode, Shane Jacob explains how self-confidence works and how one powerful thought can help you take action when the outcome is uncertain. If you are ready to stop waiting until you feel ready and start living your life with more courage, this episode is for you.

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Join Shane in the round pen with his mare Purdy as he explores how individuality shapes our interactions and how to build stronger relationships

What you will discover:

The surprising reason why 80% of communication fails
A simple mindset shift to reduce frustration and build better relationships

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Why Most Communication Fails - and How to Fix It

Welcome From the Round Pen With Purdy

Welcome to this week's You Are Destined For Greatness. I appreciate you taking the time to be with us today. I'm coming to you from the round pen with my good two-year-old mare, Purdy, and I think she is pretty! Anyway, today I want to talk to you a little bit about communication.

The Root of Miscommunication

So here's the deal with communication: it is estimated that 80% of all communications are not clearly understood. I believe that's true. Here's why, okay? We are all totally unique individuals. It goes like this: we all come into this world as little babies with our totally unique DNA and brain. There’s none other like it. There never has been on Earth, and there never will be another human being with our exact DNA or the same raw material to work with, okay? Even identical twins have slightly different DNA. So, that's totally unique. That’s our processor—the tool we use to make meaning.

As we go through life, we have experiences all day and all night. Our brain takes in input from these life experiences. Here’s the thing: no one else has the same experience that I do. It’s totally unique—just as your experience is totally unique. Your DNA is totally unique. Your experience is totally unique. Those two things combined determine how you make meaning. Therefore, it’s a miracle we can even have any communication. If you’re picking up half of what I’m putting down, we’re doing good, right?

What Communication Really Is

The first piece of communication is to understand what it is, okay? Communication is not just words or typed letters in a text or an email. Communication, by my definition, is understanding. What that means is that I understand you, and you understand me. When we have mutual understanding, communication has occurred. Until then, it hasn’t.

Now, let’s take this idea further. When you try to communicate across species—like when I try to communicate with my mare here—you can imagine the challenge. There’s even more different DNA and even more different life experiences, right? So, how do we make this work and have successful relationships?

How to Build Better Communication

The first part I want to suggest is to enter into communication without expectations. Intentionally adopt the thought that the other person is coming from a different place, and they may not attach the same meaning to the words you’re using. If you understand that, it becomes the foundation for good communication. Without good communication, here’s what happens: frustration, hurt feelings, damaged relationships, and eventually, a cycle of unhappiness. You don’t want that to be you.

Closing Thoughts

Alright, more on communication to come, but remember this: You Are Destined For Greatness.