Bill Steps Into The Host Seat

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hey everybody. What an interesting set of developments. How do we get from being an early part of the county efforts of the team here at Cognition to being invited to host the Radica Candid podcast? I honestly couldn't tell you. Yes, I was part of that early team invited by the founders. The manner in which they allowed me to speak into certain aspects. Let's be very clear. I didn't teach them anything related to the work they were undertaking. This is something that they clearly grew intentionally through all of their hard work. The uh opportunity that I was given to speak into the early growth of the company, having the Friday uh meetings that are now called the Breakfast Club. Early on leading some of those conversations, but most importantly, adding to the environment, the welcoming environment, of the leaders, the founders, and then that next layer of our significant growth and accomplishments. No one could imagine, let alone me. The journey, the excitement, the growth, sometimes my own hesitation around what that might look like. But learning to step into that, not because of the uncertainty, but because of the opportunity to learn. Just simply amazing. I hope you'll enjoy the conversation between Ava and myself. I'm looking forward to the role. My hesitation that you hear is simply it's not that I know what's going to take place, but I know what will take place is going to be exciting, valuable in so many ways, learning more about the individual participants in the day-to-day activities that Cognition engages in as a company. For our employees and for our clients. As we grow, so will grow the business. Look forward to sharing with you all. Let's keep growing together. Enjoy the time. Morning. How are you? How are you? This is exciting. I know this is exciting. What what are we gonna tell everybody about what's going on this morning?

Ava Hinds 2:50

And Bill was going to be the host for season four, which is really exciting.

SPEAKER_01 2:56

Completely unexpected. The conversation uh should be enlightening.

Ava Hinds 3:01

It should.

SPEAKER_01 3:02

If I may. Yeah. The genesis related to the last time you and I spoke in this environment, so much has changed.

Ava Hinds 3:12

What has changed?

SPEAKER_01 3:15

Well, I was in Cincinnati. I'm now in Florida. Part of the actual team here with cognition. All of the activities, the changes in the office, the flood, life unexpected, life happening. And then the invite to um take over, assume the responsibilities of what you have created so well, uh what you have manifested to turn over that responsibility? Is that the context?

Ava Hinds 3:48

I agree. I think it's it's definitely really cool to hand this off. Bill is in the people department, so I thought, what better to talk to people than to do a podcast?

SPEAKER_01 4:02

How did we get here? Give give the background of how do we get to today from what you have created, how the two of you moved to this point in the process.

Ava’s Path From Ops To Marketing

Ava Hinds 4:16

I started here at Cognition when I first graduated college about two years ago. I started in operations and I had an interest in marketing, and there was a spot. And I've been doing marketing now for over a year for cognition, and my roles developed. When I first started doing the podcast and the LinkedIn Lives, I had no idea what I was doing. And it's scary for sure. But yeah, I think I just learned and developed, and cognition definitely gives a lot of opportunities for employees to grow, which is really cool.

SPEAKER_01 4:53

Describe the learning piece because I believe with cognition, the environment has been created that supports learning. And learning involves the changes, the failures, the successes. What's that journey? What have you learned?

Ava Hinds 5:10

I've learned a lot, especially with we have a really nice team, and they also want to help you learn. And that's rare to find sometimes is people who care about your development and want you to grow. Learning-wise, well, everyone will say this, and I think it's just about being curious. You really have to want to learn to learn, you know what I mean? But yeah, I think I just really took advantage of the opportunity I was given to really dive in, and that's for anyone.

SPEAKER_01 5:42

You're right, it is for anyone, especially here at Cognition.

Ava Hinds 5:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:46

Why don't more people do the thing that you've done? Meaning you've taken your learning and your role evolved in a way that only you could do that. I'm not saying it couldn't be done by others, but it would be their own way. Ava's way is unique in that. Help us understand the change in you that's manifested all of this evolution in your journey, your career, your path here. Where is it taking you?

Ava Hinds 6:18

Well, thank you. I I don't think I'm the only one either that's taken advantage of that opportunity. There's been so many other yeah, there's been so many other people in this company. And I think it's kind of what I referenced when I first started. I saw people really create a path and figure out jobs that they think they'd be a better fit for within the company. When I first started two years ago, we didn't have a marketing department whatsoever. All we really had was operations, account management, sales, development. So there's nothing really crazy. And I didn't really know what path I wanted to go down. And then when marketing started, I think I found a path and was really hungry for it and was really eager to do it and just really showed every day that I deserve that spot. I think that's what it takes. I think it just takes having to do possibly two jobs at once to show that you actually really want it.

SPEAKER_01 7:16

Describe how your leadership supported, again, you and I referenced our first conversation, the environment. What does that feel like? What were the challenges when this idea sporadically candid evolved? The change you described a lot of change in your role, and it took place relatively rapidly. You said two years. That's rapid change, light speed in some cases.

unknown 7:44

Yeah.

Ava Hinds 7:45

It feels that way too. It definitely feels like a lot at once, but it's a good thing. It's a it's I like the fast-paced environment. And I think for any startup, you need to like a fast-paced environment. That's that's any. But how we work at cognition is definitely very fast-paced. And if you want to make a change, you have a voice and people will listen.

SPEAKER_01 8:11

Sometimes the internal voice can be the obstacle.

Daring, Failure, And Feeling Safe

Ava Hinds 8:17

How don't you overcome that? I think it's easy to be afraid of failure. That's something that my department talks a lot about, and that's something that cognition talks a lot about. One of our values is daring to fail. And failure is a part of life. It's scary. I think those are common inner voices that most people might have when they're starting their career or they're in their career. But I think the biggest thing is just realizing that you're learning and you're eager for something. And if you want to grow, you just have to express that to people. And people see it and they'll listen. But you can't just say you want to learn, you can't just say you want a promotion. You have to really earn it and you know, try for it.

SPEAKER_01 9:01

I have a friend that calls that the say-do ratio.

Ava Hinds 9:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:04

You can say anything. Exactly. What are you going to do?

Ava Hinds 9:06

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 9:07

You reference the core value as dare to fail. The actual core value is just dare. What's the difference between daring for I don't want to use the word success because success isn't guaranteed. Failure's usually guaranteed. You don't get it right the first time. How do you look at that so that the failure doesn't become overwhelming or the feeling of failure? Because failure is not a place you live, it's just an experience.

Ava Hinds 9:40

Yeah. Alex Mills talks a lot about this with psychological safety in the workplace. And I really think that's really all this has to do with. I do feel safe in my environment to talk about how I feel. And if I'm worried about something or I'm afraid of failing, or I'm worried about my next steps and growth path. I am in an environment where I can communicate that, which is also, I think, not super common for companies.

SPEAKER_01 10:08

You reference Alex, pretty powerful influence. For sure. In in how you how the environment and cognition gets shaped, and then the feeling. Because you can be in an environment and not feel what the intent is. Sometimes that's a personal obstacle. How did you overcome that? Or did you need to overcome it? Did you arrive with the sense of however it works out, I'll be okay?

Ava Hinds 10:37

I also think I'm I have a mindset sometimes where I don't even think about something not happening, where I'm just so determined on what I want that I don't even accept any other possibility to happen. Like when I was wanting to go into marketing, I was so eager for it at the time that there was not an option of, I feel like, me not going down that path because I was just really passionate about it. And I think that's how you know if you enjoy something or if you're passionate about it and you are just really eager and hungry to move on to something. And that's for any department. If you are in the wrong department, you can feel it and you know.

Creativity, Commitment, And Having A Voice

SPEAKER_01 11:16

Characterize, if you would, compare past experience to the environment that your leadership has here.

Ava Hinds 11:27

Leadership I've experienced here, everyone really cares, which is really awesome. That a company I work for cares about my well-being and my growth and my career. I've really learned a lot about leadership and how to be on a team and how to work cross-functionally with other departments. That's something that takes a lot of time and learning, and it's a skill set for sure.

SPEAKER_01 11:51

Talk about that piece because the workspace environment here is very open. You can be focused on something, and suddenly there's activity in another part of the space, and sometimes it can be distracting or overwhelming. Talk about that openness.

Ava Hinds 12:07

Yeah, the one thing that our office has is everyone here likes each other, which is definitely a good thing. There everyone wants to talk and everyone wants to work together, and there's a lot of collaboration.

SPEAKER_01 12:22

Let's be real about this. A challenging environment, but it's not challenging in the sense that most people might think. The challenge is in the imagination, the creativity. Maybe I'm expressing what I feel, the difference in our ages, where have I been challenged? Being in a room of people who feel way more creative than I am sometimes feels intimidating to me. But the amount of creativity here is pretty significant. We wouldn't achieve what's been achieved without that level of creativity. What's the level of commitment you would suggest is necessary here at Cognition?

Ava Hinds 13:10

Definitely a lot of commitment. We want people who are not just here for the paycheck. We want people to actually make a difference and make an impact, which everyone has the ability to, which is definitely, like I said, like really rare for a company to want that of their employees. And everyone has a voice and an opportunity.

SPEAKER_01 13:31

It's a choice. I love that word because it is. It's always a choice. We want people who want to be here. It's not about a paycheck. You're gonna get paid for your work. Yeah. The work has to matter. The the commitment to evolving, growing personally and professionally. The choices that you've made, describe some of the choices you've made along the way.

Ava Hinds 13:55

Choices I've made, it's definitely being committed and being curious. I always had a passion for marketing. So that's why I wanted to follow that. And along the way, I definitely could have just been content with me entering marketing when I first started. And I started as a junior marketer. I could have easily stayed doing that and been content and been in marketing and been like I made it. But at the time told me, like, why are you comfortable just in like your first promotion? You should be wanting the next promotion. And it's true. You should never just be like, okay, I've made it to this promotion. You know, I'm okay now. Like I'm set. So when I got that advice, it turned into what does the next promotion look like? What would I be doing? What would be the next step? And that evolved into me being the marketing manager now, which involves just more responsibility that I also had a choice and asked for. And it's a choice I'm glad I've made.

SPEAKER_01 14:57

How did you see the responsibility before learning about the choices and the opportunity? How do you look at that today?

Ava Hinds 15:06

Yeah, when I was first in marketing, I was definitely a junior marketer role and I didn't really know much. And I would just kind of executing, doing operational stuff. And then that turned into just more responsibility of me doing the podcast and me doing the LinkedIn Lives and figuring out how where marketing's gonna go and where the company's gonna go. And that's just how the role evolved. And yeah, it's kind of like taking the training wheels off, you know, where uh yeah, it's you know, I'm someone held my hand a little bit and led me and showed me. And that's on him for showing me how to be a leader.

SPEAKER_01 15:43

Did they take the training wheels off or did you ask for them to be removed?

Ava Hinds 15:47

I think I definitely asked for them to be removed, but I think it was also both. I think it was a mixture.

SPEAKER_01 15:52

Well, there's there's always a little bit of both, but I love that perspective. Let's shift directions for a second.

Bad Days, Gratitude, And Mindset

SPEAKER_01 15:58

Tell me what a bad day looks like. You're really you're really positive. Your your presence in the office is light and and yet you're focused. Everybody every once in a while can have a bad day. What's a bad day look like?

Ava Hinds 16:14

It's so it's so subjective in a way, too, you know. But I think how I like it bad days is you can't let it define your whole day. You know, if you have a bad hour, that's not a bad day. And that's a mindset shift that I definitely try to incorporate. I will say I don't, I'm really grateful. I don't really have a lot of bad days at work. Obviously, we all get stressed, and that happens and that's life. But I think at the end of the day, you have to have a remind yourself of gratitude and that you can't let something define.

SPEAKER_01 16:48

So, really, you've referenced mindset multiple times. How did you arrive at your mindset?

Ava Hinds 16:54

I think they're learning and growth, and just try I'm I'm I'm a naturally positive person, so I think that's why I think that way. But Bill did Breakfast Club, and we had a book on mindset and growth and fixed. And yeah, what made you want to do Breakfast Club in that book, for instance?

SPEAKER_01 17:13

Encouragement by the leadership around let's make the time that we spend on Friday mornings more valuable. In this environment, my opinion is we love getting to know people. We want to know people and we want them to understand what did you call it, psychological safety at work reference from Alex. Describe that some people think communication is versus what real communication looks like.

The AAA Framework For Communication

Ava Hinds 17:42

In our marketing department, something we talk a lot about is architecting, aligning, and adopting. And that's the biggest piece of communication. First, you want to architect it, figure out what you want to do, aligning on it, and then adopting is actually doing it. That's the best way to communicate, in my opinion, is you don't want to just go up to someone and just say something without a plan or aligning on it. So when I communicate with other departments and trying to figure out where we want to take things, we already have an idea of a plan before we even bring it up to someone. I think that's effective communication.

SPEAKER_01 18:20

So you've thought before you communicate an idea, you've thought about. Because you know your team, you know the environment. Yes. You understand how they want to be communicated with. Yes. And you apply that knowledge to the effective communication. That's huge. That aspect, I think, if more people understood how that makes the opportunity to communicate better. How do meetings take place in your group?

A Weekly Rhythm That Builds Leaders

Ava Hinds 18:51

In my department, we do stand-up every morning. One thing that my department does that I really like, and I think it's very unique to our company, is every Monday we do Momentum Monday, where we recap last week. We're gonna talk about what we're gonna do this week. Tuesday, we do leadership Tuesday, and we each take turns presenting on something leadership-wise that we discovered or want to learn about. On Wednesdays, we do book club and we each read a chapter or two of a book. Currently, we're doing octopus organization. On Thursdays, we do Momentum stand-up again of what's gonna happen before the weekends. And then Fridays we do wows and pows, and we talk about our highs and the lows of the week.

SPEAKER_01 19:41

And that's a weekly schedule.

Ava Hinds 19:43

Every week, yes.

SPEAKER_01 19:44

That's incredible. Well, it's incredibly unique. Yeah, in my experience, the opinions are related to remember, I'm pretty much brand new. I've been here less than a quarter, actually, in the environment with the the people. So I brought some what turned out to be uh understandings that had some error in them and had to adjust, have to make the adjustments around, huh? That this doesn't look anything like I might have imagined. Meaning not the overall picture, but certainly the day-to-day interactions. Yeah.

Ava Hinds 20:22

If

Curiosity, Caring, And The Close

Ava Hinds 20:23

someone asks you what is what's the secrets to success, the biggest one, which most people will probably tell you, is to be curious and to want to learn and to be eager to learn and show that you're really interested in something. And if you show someone that their time is worth giving it to you, they'll probably give it to you.

SPEAKER_01 20:46

Boy, that resonates so deeply from my own experience in the past.

Ava Hinds 20:50

Yeah, exactly. And then second is work really hard and to show that you care. We we talked about this in our last one together, where caring is something that you can't necessarily teach someone. And that's a hiring thing, that's a manager thing. You can't teach someone how to care. And people have to want to care. And if you're that's how you, I feel like that's how you lead out people in life.

SPEAKER_01 21:14

You also mentioned this earlier. You know the expectation. The goals and expectations have been clearly communicated by your leadership, and you've agreed on the idea, I'm gonna commit to this. And if not, there was conversation on figuring out how do we get the commitment that we're looking for, how do we accomplish, how do we set the goals that align. There's that word alignment. I I heard triple A when you say that. AA. That's great. All of those aspects are so important and powerful, especially here. Cognition is not for everybody, but if you are a fit here, the world becomes your oyster. That's how I would characterize that. And you're a great example of that opportunity.

Ava Hinds 22:00

No, I agree for sure. And that's just any beginning company in a way, you know, where it's it's a lot of work and it's a lot of commitment, but yeah, you can't avoid the work. No.

SPEAKER_01 22:13

If you're a lack of commitment will kill a company.

Ava Hinds 22:17

For sure.

SPEAKER_01 22:17

It'll kill the individual and the company will die but because of that. So what haven't we talked about? What haven't we mentioned? We're pretty close to probably winding up.

Ava Hinds 22:28

I think that's everything.

SPEAKER_01 22:29

Yeah.

Ava Hinds 22:29

Yeah. Bill did a great job. Or it's first hosting.

SPEAKER_01 22:34

I consider it a high honor to be asked to do this.

Ava Hinds 22:37

Of course. No, I'm glad. This is very exciting. I'm excited for more episodes.

SPEAKER_01 22:41

Likewise. Thank you, Ava.

Ava Hinds 22:44

Thanks.