Dr. Mechelle Roberthon | MKR Development | The Power of Practical Leadership

In this episode of Kirkpatrick and Company, Rob Kirkpatrick sits down with Dr. Mechelle Roberthon, CEO of MKR Development, to explore the journey that shaped her into the leader she is today.

Known for her practical, common-sense approach to HR and operations, Dr. Roberthon shares how her early experiences, key leadership moments, and lessons learned along the way have defined her leadership style. From navigating the complexities of people management to aligning teams and processes for real results, she offers a refreshing perspective on what actually works inside organizations.

Grounded in her faith, Dr. Roberthon also opens up about how her beliefs show up in the way she leads, serves others, and makes decisions—demonstrating that faith isn’t just something you talk about, but something you live out daily in business.

The conversation dives into the challenges leaders face today—hiring the right people, building healthy cultures, and turning vision into execution—while cutting through the noise of overcomplicated strategies.

If you're a leader, business owner, or someone responsible for people and performance, this episode delivers grounded, actionable insights you can apply immediately.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back to Kirkpatrick and Company, where we sit down with the people shaping our communities and local industries. Today I'm joined by Dr. Michelle Robertson, CEO of MKR Development, a leader known for her practical, no-nonsense approach to HR, operations, and building strong organizations. We're diving into her journey, her leadership philosophy, and the lessons she's learned along the way. I'm Rob Kirkpatrick and this is Kirkpatrick and Company, presented exclusively by Catalyst Beck. I am so excited to have Dr. Michelle Robertson. I have to include the doctor. You know, you don't run around with a doctor, but I have you actually not just as one doctor, but Dr. Doctor in my phone.

SPEAKER_02 0:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 0:41

And you know what? It was the ghost of Steve Jobs. It happened by accident in my phone, and I've kept it. So welcome. And you answer the phone by saying Dr. Doctor. Hi, Doctor Doctor. Thank you. And my kids call you Doctor Doctor. I love it. They don't even, I'm not even positive they're sure of your name. Yeah. But they know Dr. Doctor. That's all it's important.

SPEAKER_03 0:59

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 0:59

So the Doctor Doctor is in. It's Michelle Roberton. She's from NKR Development, and I'm so excited you're in the vault. Me too. I love it. It feels safe. It feels good, huh?

SPEAKER_03 1:07

It does feel great. It's well lit from the outside.

SPEAKER_00 1:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:10

So when you're walking by, it's mysterious.

SPEAKER_00 1:12

Oh, I'll tell you, I work right here sometimes. Yeah. You know, I do some training and focus at the camera right here. I might have some other people on the other side. And people walk by, and I never knew what it felt like to be a zoo animal until this, where people will talk about you. And it makes then I get distracted because I think like, I wonder if the gorillas like know that people are talking about them while they're right there.

SPEAKER_03 1:33

You went you went really far on that one. Went there.

SPEAKER_00 1:36

It's the fish. Giraffes. It is. It is. The giraffes too. So what's MKR development? What do you do?

SPEAKER_03 1:43

I love that. You know, more than too many people ask me that question who should know what I do. But maybe I do, maybe I don't. Maybe you don't. But for the listeners, MKR development is an organizational development firm. Now, I often tell people that sounds real fancy, but here's what it is people operations all day, every day. So someone's gonna reach out to me and ask me a myriad of things. Can I help them review a policy, look at a handbook, conduct an employee investigation? They need an external third party. More often than not, it is can you train my staff? Can you work with this leader or this HR professional one-on-one? So if it is the people side of your business, anything about how you acquire talent, retain talent, engage talent, MKR is the premier part. Ooh, premier. You like that?

SPEAKER_00 2:32

She's got a sign too. Premier. That's right. I'm I'm super proud of you because I have been able to see the evolution from you starting your business as you as you name, and then eventually it had to split because there were some people who did just want Dr. Michelle Robertson at their events. And then there are people who need the services of MKR development.

SPEAKER_01 2:52

That's correct.

SPEAKER_00 2:52

I I'm not gonna try to write your tagline, but I always think it's like making HR, I won't say like making it sexy, because that might be some HR issues in itself. Appropriate. But but exciting. Oh, I love that. Because you know, it seems like such a boring topic. And a lot of companies, they're just like, we got HR over here. They blame things on HR. They let HR take the fall. And you're so empowering to HR professionals. And we've gotten to work on a podcast about this stuff together. Yep. Um, and so I'm always just really excited because I see the energy you bring. I mean, you love a handbook, like some people, like a romance copy. You know? That's so good. And that's one of the things you do is go in and say, like, this is trash. Like this handbook that you have is creating more questions than answers. So tell me, like, what is your favorite thing? I mean, it had to come from somewhere.

SPEAKER_03 3:44

It did. And I never thought, Rob, I don't know that I ever told you this. I never thought it would be this true blue HR work that I do today. Really? I ran from that because I thought the same thing you thought. This is boring. People blame them about everything. And the HR professionals I saw at the time, they were not overly exciting people. You know, they were, I think HR has this reputation of paper pushers.

SPEAKER_02 4:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:08

They are they are the, so I'm gonna take you back. They are the stockings wearing, pencil skirt, cardigans, cardigans, lipstick on teeth, process paperwork. And that's just not true. HR professionals are some of the most dynamic people, those who have the energy, the understanding that they have to work with a diverse group of people, diverse in tenure, diverse in work experience. Some people are having their first job experience under an HR director or a full-fledged HR team. I think in good HR professionals, they know that. So the field is so exciting because people are exciting. Yeah. People are your business. And so for me, where it started was training and development or talent development. This industry has a lot of names. Yes. So this is a niche within HR. All right. So we're gonna just kind of pop this niche out. Some people call it talent development, learning and development, training and development. But that's the bug that bit me all those years ago. And I I was 10 toes down and am still 10 toes down in that industry. But now I want to broaden it and say, well, let me learn the whole pie and not just this one slice. Yeah. Uh and it's been so great, not only dabbling, but like like doing things to help real businesses in the pie and not just that slice.

SPEAKER_00 5:29

You know, I think it's so fascinating because really what the theme of season one of Kirkpatrick and Company is going to be is investment. I love it. And we talked to Anita Begno first this season to talk about investing in the community. Yep. Um, DJ Digital still investing in a community and investing in itself here. Love it. You really represent both investing in yourself and also investing in your people.

SPEAKER_02 5:51

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 5:51

You know, HR is your front line. Yes. They are the ones who are going to find your next all-star seller or your next all-star VP or number two behind you. And that's really where you work. So can we say we got the HR boring stuff out the way now?

SPEAKER_03 6:06

Check.

SPEAKER_00 6:07

Because this is Kirkpatrick and company. So you wouldn't be sitting here if I wasn't super impressed with what you do day to day. Yep. Um, I think you represent just such an excelled, I guess, position in in what you do in your career, but to also put up some, not to use the millennial word, okay, boundaries. You know, to make sure that you still live your life. And a lot of what you do, it's it's really cool because you're lucky enough for them to intermix. So what gets you up every morning?

SPEAKER_03 6:42

Oh, uh, well, I'm probably hungry. Yes, it is. Well, I'm thinking, man, I I need to eat something. But I love the the opportunity to be creative. And that's not a word I will use to describe me when you think of creative in the traditional sense. I'm not your painter, if you will. I'm not creating uh an outfit from scratch. I love those folks. I will buy from them. Yes. And I'm not the creator, but I am. I create frameworks. I'll, I'll, I, I kid you not, I'll wake up with a thought about a client and I'll say, Oh my goodness, there's a framework swirling around in my head that if I can create a visual for this or break it down in a very practical way, this would really help him. This will really help him in our one-on-one consulting conversations. And so I'll get to creating. Sometimes I'm six hours in and I haven't checked my email once. And normally my heart is beating through my chest, and I'm like, great, you suck as CEO. This is not great. But I've produced something so beautiful that I absolutely love and that my client is going to benefit from. And then I'll realize, wait, so many other people can benefit from this. And wait, it should be a training. Ooh, I can make a social media post. And as cheesy as that sounds, that gets me up every morning.

SPEAKER_00 7:54

You know, I oftentimes say like my toxic trait is like experiencing something like really small, yeah, like a three-second experience in my life and thinking like, oh, this would make for a good session. Yes. You want me to try one out for you? I I this is fresh. Okay. Hot off the presses. So, you know, a couple weeks ago we were over in Europe and we went to see the tulip fields outside of Amsterdam. Uh, the lowest item on my bucket list. I was prepared to sleep on the bus, okay, have snacks, look at some flowers. Okay. Okay. And about halfway there, the tour guide said, like, let me break your heart, guys. Because of course, these were flower lovers. I mean, these people are asking questions about cross-pollination, equipment, everything. And he said, I'm gonna break your heart, guys. Um, all of these tulips that we're gonna see today are bulldozed when the tourist season is over.

SPEAKER_02 8:45

Whoa.

SPEAKER_00 8:46

And we were seeing hundreds of acres of tulips at one time because you know what the product is?

SPEAKER_02 8:51

What?

SPEAKER_00 8:51

It's not the flower, it's the bulb in the ground. Really? That's what they sell. Flowers die in a week. Sure. But a bulb can be put in a bag sent all over the world to be planted. Quite interesting. And so I get, I go to the first one. I have to reluctantly admit this is actually pretty cool. I mean, also the colors are super vibrant and I'm colorblind. So, you know, things are usually a bit muted for me.

SPEAKER_03 9:14

I know that.

SPEAKER_00 9:15

And it was super bright. Okay. And then I think, oh my gosh, when I'm working with a client, what's your tulip and what's your bulb?

SPEAKER_02 9:22

Oh, that's cool.

SPEAKER_00 9:23

Because the tulip is what everyone sees. You know, the tulip is whatever widget you're selling or everything else. To me, the bulb is like the experience that people have.

SPEAKER_03 9:31

Oh, I love that.

SPEAKER_00 9:32

Like that's the thing.

SPEAKER_03 9:33

Wait, I have a question. So is the bulb only produced after the tulip exists?

SPEAKER_00 9:38

It's there. It's what the tulip grows out of.

SPEAKER_03 9:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 9:41

And you can actually cut the bulb and you'll see the next three years of tulips locked and loaded in the chamber.

SPEAKER_03 9:48

What?

SPEAKER_00 9:49

I know it's a whole thing. You gotta go. You gotta go. But I do that too. You see those things.

SPEAKER_03 9:53

I'll take a minute experience. To me, it could be a clip from a good TED talk, a sermon, uh a one-liner. Somebody said in a conversation, a mic drop moment. And you know, we might do the ooh, that's so good. Let me clock it. Clock it. Gotta clock it.

SPEAKER_00 10:08

You know, 12-year-old dad here, and I know about clocking it.

SPEAKER_03 10:11

That's right. And I'm surprised I know it. Sometimes I get the fingers mixed. I'm just clocking it.

SPEAKER_00 10:14

I just say it. I don't use, I don't do the signs.

SPEAKER_03 10:17

You're not cool then.

SPEAKER_00 10:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 10:18

So, but I'll hear, I'll hear some sort of mic drop something. And I kid you not, I'm thinking, ooh, that's a post. That's a training. Oh, and and then the resources are swirling around in my head. And before you know it, I'm probably working up until 3 a.m. And while that might sound unhealthy, I'm on fire. It's electric. I have to force myself sometimes to go to bed. I know you're not sleepy, but you're you cannot function without sleep.

SPEAKER_00 10:45

Can't do three hours of sleep and function tomorrow.

SPEAKER_03 10:48

Legitimately, that's excitement for me because that means that my creativity is just going and I love it.

SPEAKER_00 10:54

I want to ask in these trainings that you do, and and I should also say, uh, just to remind our listeners, we're talking to Dr. Michelle Roberton. She's from MKR Development, one of my favorite uh OC-based businesses, uh, oil center, uh, here in Acadiana, but with clients all over the place, with experience working with customers all over the place in companies. Like, what is a simple thing if I can just like jog like the very shallowest part of your brain that most companies should be doing, especially in the space you work at and they're just not doing it. Maybe it's something that takes 20 minutes. What should people be doing right now?

SPEAKER_03 11:30

Orienting their new people, onboarding them. Yeah. Two separate functions.

SPEAKER_00 11:35

Wait, wait, trial by fire is not what you think people should be doing? Uh absolutely not.

SPEAKER_03 11:40

But when they do, they call me. I love that part. Yeah. But it's a mess when I get in there. So every company should at least orient their new person to the office, the building, the space, their job description, the team they're gonna work with. Now that's just the orientation. But what does the onboarding look like? And I often tell clients, Rob, onboarding is a journey, orientation is an event.

SPEAKER_00 12:04

Another one-liner. Another one clocking it. Oh, clock it. Clock it. Hold on, clock it.

SPEAKER_03 12:10

You're using too many fingers.

SPEAKER_00 12:12

I don't know how many fingers to use. We're clocking something. What does it even mean? I don't even care.

SPEAKER_03 12:17

Me either. But we're clocking it.

SPEAKER_00 12:18

But we know.

SPEAKER_03 12:19

So um, not not a lot of companies focus on onboarding. There's usually no journey. Most companies are thinking, hi Rob, welcome to MKR Development. We're so excited you're here. Here is a mug and a coaster and a keychain. So they got the GIF check. Let me give you company history, vision. Let me tell you how the CEO started when he was 10 and he still works here. And then you're supposed to tear up, right? Oh my god. Yeah. So sweet. And then after orientation, they assume your immediate supervisor is locked and loaded and ready to roll. The supervisor is just gonna put you with somebody. Hey, shadow, shadow John for a week.

SPEAKER_00 12:56

Oh, I hate a shadow. Me too. I hate a shadow. Don't throw me into a shadow immediately. And it's someone I really don't know because it's my first day, and now it's like go spend eight hours with this person. Correct. Who, by the way, still has to do the job usually.

SPEAKER_03 13:08

Correct.

SPEAKER_00 13:08

So you're kind of in the way for that.

SPEAKER_03 13:10

Right. And we don't know what the conversation was to John about you shadowing, because to your point, John still has a job to do. Yeah. And a new hire is going to slow John's job down, but also the natural productivity of the organization as well. But there's no real intentionality to your point about is a shadow the right thing to introduce at this stage? I don't, I don't mind a shadow at the right stage, but early on, just so that you don't have to deal with the new hire, that's not so great. The new hire needs a lot of TLC in the beginning. How long, Michelle? Thank you for asking. 90 days at least.

SPEAKER_00 13:43

Ooh.

SPEAKER_03 13:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:44

Do you love a good 30, 60, 90 plan?

SPEAKER_03 13:47

Do I?

SPEAKER_00 13:47

Because I love it. You don't. All right. Is this a serious question? It's a real one. Because, well, first of all, some people have never even heard it, but a real plan for what's going to happen in the first three months, you have someone working there. And conversely, I love bringing a 30, 60, 90 when I'm interviewing for a job.

SPEAKER_02 14:06

Oh, I love that.

SPEAKER_00 14:07

Like these are the things I think I'm gonna do. Here's what I want to do. And then it could be a little bit of a negotiation.

SPEAKER_03 14:12

That's right. I I hear some people they're on the fence about when they're interviewing, do they leave the 30, 60, 90 day document with them? So what what would you say is a plus to leaving it and a con?

SPEAKER_00 14:24

Well, I think the plus is there is a desk full of resumes. And so you have something besides just a resume that makes you stand out, and also your name stays there. Your name should be big, it should be bold. Yep. Um so I think that's a a pro.

SPEAKER_03 14:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 14:40

A con.

SPEAKER_03 14:42

You like how I asked you a question on your podcast?

SPEAKER_00 14:44

That's okay. Uh Robert and Company coming soon. I don't know. I can't think of a con. What's a con?

SPEAKER_03 14:50

So the feedback I often hear is if you don't get the job, now they have 90 days worth of your ideas to implement.

SPEAKER_00 14:58

Well, then don't give that good of a 30, 60, 90. Ease it along.

SPEAKER_03 15:01

Yeah. So maybe you don't need to say all the things, but give them a little taste of how you think, yeah, how you might approach the work. But I would leave it.

SPEAKER_00 15:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:10

You and and this is why I share my slides after every presentation. I know some trainers who, I will never share my slide deck. I will share the slide deck. I will share the handouts. I don't have a fear that some other trainer is gonna pick it up and train it. I am gonna do it differently. I tell everybody I coach about training, the present you are the presentation.

SPEAKER_00 15:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:32

The slides are never the presentation.

SPEAKER_00 15:34

And the connective tissue is what everyone remembers anyway. And so the slides are just gonna help them remember your story.

SPEAKER_03 15:39

That's right. The slides are a visual aid, they're not the presentation. So don't turn your back to the audience. Don't talk to the screen. Don't read pray tail verbatim from the slides. My goodness, I had to lean into the mic on that one. So yes, I'll leave it because I don't have a fear that someone's gonna pick it up and deliver it the way that I've trained and prayed and studied to deliver it.

SPEAKER_00 16:03

I think that something people don't think about a lot is especially in our part of the country, I feel like we talk about mentorship, but we don't do it well. And I think some people have a feeling that if they even ask a mentor for help, you're sort of saying you don't know how to do it, or showing your cards or your week.

SPEAKER_02 16:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:21

And, you know, I'll go back to one of the earliest conversations you and I ever had. We were we did a five-person event where we all trained on something different. Yep. And the next day, I'm talking, it was still warm in the room where we were, and you said, You're not a trainer and you're not a facilitator.

SPEAKER_02 16:40

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 16:40

You're a storyteller.

SPEAKER_02 16:42

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 16:42

And in the moment, excuse me, like, excuse me. I know. And then the more that I thought about it and I thought, actually, you know what the best thing that I did to this group was sit on a bar stool and just tell war stories to make their issues that they're having seem like they're not the end of the world. Yeah, you know, you do this in a way because of your varied experience, where you can sit down and say, I hear you're worried about this one little thing, but like let me tell you of something I experienced that was a thousand times this big. And that is a part of it.

SPEAKER_03 17:13

Yes. And I remember that uh very fondly.

SPEAKER_00 17:17

Wait, is fondly the word?

SPEAKER_03 17:19

Do you remember it fondly? I do because you received it very well. Oh, I tried. You received it in the moment very well and even post, and you thought, oh my goodness, I it felt like a relief for someone to let you off the hook.

SPEAKER_02 17:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:32

That you don't need to conform in this box full of trainers to have a slide deck and a clicker. Oh, and make sure you're on your timer and make sure you're hitting the slides at the right time. So it's for me, I thought, and please correct me on the record. I thought it was a reprieve. It was to say, hey, ditch the PowerPoint, sit on this stool and talk to them.

SPEAKER_00 17:54

Yeah. And you know, I think that was also when my mindset about the whole thing changed to like, I don't have to be everything to everyone. Yes. This is what I know, and this is what I can tell you. I want to talk about leadership. Okay. Because this goes hand in hand with HR people operations and everything, mentoring, but there are some people who are put in leadership roles or find themselves in leadership roles that are not actual leaders, and they can learn how with the right guidance, they can learn. Um, I guess the question that I wrote down was like, what advice would you give to leaders who are overwhelmed by managing people? Oh, and you work on it.

SPEAKER_03 18:34

Yes, you can. And thank you for saying that. I cannot stand the mindset. Oh, I love that I said the mindset and not the person. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_02 18:45

It is, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_03 18:46

Shout out to my therapist. Yes, what's my therapist just now? Okay. Um it can be taught. That's number one, it can be taught. If you are overwhelmed by leading people, there's so many threads we can pull. I'd first ask them what part of leading people overwhelms you. What do you like? What don't you like? And I'd want them to be as nuanced as possible about what they see as leading people. I want to see if there's some distorted thinking. I want to see if there's some alignment to their job description. More, more often than not, Rob, they they were promoted because they're really good at doing the job, not necessarily at leading the people side of the job, because the higher up you go, the further away from the work you go. So if you're a good, um, I don't know if you've ever heard this uh quote never take your best salesperson and make them the manager. Now, of course, I disagree with that. I mean, sure, they could be the manager.

SPEAKER_00 19:44

There has to be some apportability sometimes to keep them.

SPEAKER_03 19:46

It does. But what the quote implies, because I don't know who to accredit that to, but it implies that if they're really good at selling, let them sell. But if you make them the manager, now they have to conduct meetings. Now they have to have one-on-one performance reviews. They also have to coach and develop you. I have to put your sales above my numbers. They shouldn't even have a book of business. Their business should be to develop the other salespeople. But if they still have to sell even a little, now I'm competing with the very team I'm supposed to lead. So it is important that we know well, what part of leading people are you most pressed by? What's getting on your nerves? What's too heavy for you? And then is there an opportunity to develop that, train that? Is there a book, a video, a conversation that we can have, a template, a job aid, a resource, or something that we can put in your hands to equip you? They just need to be developed.

SPEAKER_00 20:38

You know, I had actually never thought about that conflict. And obviously in the media world that I work in, yeah, yes, there are sales managers and there are directors of sales who often manage the biggest accounts because of their position. And I never really thought about it as them selling against the people they're trying to empower. Yep. Wow. Um, what about mistakes? As you're going into these businesses, and obviously the last, you know, really 20 years of seeing how these things are, doing the research. Yeah. What is one mistake you see happening over and over, almost like you could see it from 10 miles away? That's what you need to change.

SPEAKER_03 21:15

We just talked about it, promoting, promoting without preparing. Uh, we don't we don't do this well as a collective. We are not, we are promoting because of tenure. They've been here so long, they're so loyal. I wish people could have been um at the Louisiana uh HR conference that took place here in Lafayette, Louisiana last week. It was so awesome. It it was so many great topics. One of the misnomers I discussed was this uh employee loyalty tenure thing. And we love to say, kids today, these young people today, this young generation, they don't stay on jobs long. I poked holes in all of those things with actual factuals. So um fun fact, the average tenure of work in the United States is four to five years. Get how long it's been that way.

SPEAKER_00 22:09

Oh, probably forever.

SPEAKER_03 22:11

Four decades.

SPEAKER_00 22:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:12

But we tend to say the young people today don't stay long. My mama doesn't either. What what do you say?

SPEAKER_02 22:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:19

You know, um, that that's not a widespread older thing. So then the next thing we talked about was um was oh, 30% of people stayed at their jobs 10 years or more in whatever period, time period of old. 30%. So 70% did not. And then the third and final thing we talked about was if they did stay 50 years, why? Geographical mobility for roles didn't exist like it does today. I can go do this job I'm doing anywhere in the United States and world. I choose Lafayette, Louisiana, and had a really enticing offer to move to California. I dabbled in it. I was now close on my third round of interviews, talking to the executive recruiter, the chief human resources officer, talking to my husband about, okay, California, we're really about to do it. I was thinking about where I could add junk as a side hustle because California mortgage?

SPEAKER_02 23:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 23:20

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02 23:21

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 23:22

You know, but Lafayette is where I choose. They there was not that many choices back then to say, well, if I just don't like what I'm doing here, I'll drive over to Houston or Dallas. Maybe not.

SPEAKER_01 23:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 23:32

Uh also um one income households. You couldn't just willy-nilly say, I don't like the way the boss is disrespecting my boundaries, so I'm just gonna quit. Everybody in your house is relying on your income, your benefits. Your pension was tied to that job, your health insurance is tied to that job. And talk about a reduction in um opportunities and all there was not a lot of uh 401k competitors then, not a lot of health insurance plans that you can get in the marketplace. So when people stayed, they stayed out of necessity. But what do we call it?

SPEAKER_00 24:05

Loyalty. Loyalty. You know what? I actually hadn't thought when you take out the things like pensions that were so much more common, when you take out those reasons to stay, and look, how many people do we know that that's what they you know strive to do? Get the gold watch. Yes. Well, clearly they weren't giving away a hundred gold watches a year.

SPEAKER_03 24:23

Correct. And so I love that you said watch. I said to the group, I said, back in the day, what was the big pension gift? Watch. I said for what else? Yeah, a pen. I don't need this pen, I'm retiring. Exactly. I don't want to write ever again. But man, to get that gold watch, or I don't know, a month supply of states.

SPEAKER_00 24:42

Wow. Look, and I I've heard people tell you in my presence, X, Y, Z, some kind of stat about workers. Well, in my day, it was this, and you are so close to saying it's not your day. It's not your day. It it has changed.

SPEAKER_03 24:58

And you have to change with it. I guess you don't, but you have to if you're going to work in this day, and not with let's not even re not even Gen Z. It doesn't even matter. If you're going to be in the workforce today and you dig your heels in and you don't change, you you can single-handedly become the person that holds that business back, that department back, that new hire back. You make work difficult. Why? Because it changed. I'm a millennial and it's already changed. I used to save things on three and a half floppy a disc that changed to a USB drive and then the cloud. I have never thought, oh, another thing. I thought, okay, Dropbox. Just move it all over. Let's go. One drive. Okay, Google Drive. And yes, technology scares me. I don't say that out loud a lot, but I'm like, I can't keep up. I can't keep up. But show me the new technology. Learned a new tool just yesterday. Somebody mentioned it. I can't make this up. Somebody mentioned it, let's say at 8 10 a.m. I was testing it at 8 15. I had already produced three things in this new AI. Yes, it scares me. And no, I didn't know what I was doing, but he sold it so good. I was like, well, and he said free. I was like, oh, let me give it a try.

SPEAKER_00 26:10

And do it scared.

SPEAKER_03 26:12

Do it scared. But do it. Yeah. No, I'm I don't want to get left behind either. So that's a long way of saying really the lack of preparation for promotion. But I I went all the way around because we tend to think tenure is the qualifier for promoting, or we think they're so good at running this machine. They have no deviations, they have no errors. They're so great at this machine, they should lead the team that runs the machines. Yikes. But what comes with leading the team that runs the machines? Personality management and paperwork processing, oh, and onboarding plans and performance reviews. We don't even know yet if they like the administrative side of running a team. We just know they are good at that machine.

SPEAKER_00 26:56

Dr. Michelle Robertson is here with us from MKR Development. She's one of my faves, and that's why she's here on Kirkpatrick and Company. We're going to take a quick break. I want to tell you all about what Catalyst Bank is doing here in our community, how they are changing what banking has become, and really sort of going back in time to what it used to be. We're back with more Kirkpatrick Company after this. Kirkpatrick Company is brought to you by Catalyst Bank. If you're looking for a bank that actually knows Acadiana, you want Catalyst Bank. They've been serving the community for over 100 years, and that's not just history, that's trust. Catalyst Bank is built for local businesses, for local families, for real life. Their mission is simple: be a catalyst for economic growth right here at home. You get the best of both worlds: big bank technology, mobile access, and digital tools that keep up with you, and something you don't always get anymore: real hometown service. Call a branch, a real person answers. Need alone, decisions are made locally. That means faster answers and more flexibility. From commercial lending to personal banking, they're here with you for every step. Catalyst Bank, fueling business, improving lives. Visit catalystbank.com or stop by a local branch today. We're back on Kirkpatrick and Company, and Dr. Michelle Roberton is here from MKR Development. I want to get a little bit more personal if it's okay with you and talk a little bit about faith because um, yes, we have already talked about how you put me in my place after I try to do something I wasn't called to do, and that's okay. You have made another impact for me in changing the words that have come out of my mouth, even if it hasn't changed the way I felt about it. But I am classic for saying like the universe works things out. Yes, like you know what, the universe lines things up, whatever. And you, you know, like a mother hen one time pulled me down, you know, by the proverbial collar on my shirt and said, Stop saying that. God is doing it.

SPEAKER_03 28:54

Amen.

SPEAKER_00 28:55

God's doing it. That's right. And God does it.

SPEAKER_03 28:57

Period. Because all the glory, all the credit, all the honor goes to God for those that believe. For those that don't, I don't try to convince them of it. You know, perhaps I can do my most powerful work praying for them and not hitting them over the head with a Bible or arguing my point right or wrong. That's not the way Jesus did it. He was such and is such a gentleman. And so I try to model that. But for me, as for me and my household, all glory to God.

SPEAKER_00 29:25

It's all about, I think, being authentic. And I think there are people who may be in your position, you're a couple years into starting a new business. You are busier probably than you expected in your wildest dreams that you were gonna be. We have both found ourselves in the situation like, oh my gosh, this is what we prayed for. Um, but it's happening and I I don't have time to eat. Right. You know, um, but you aren't afraid to talk about your faith with anyone who asks. No. And because it is such a part of you, yes. Can you talk about how you sort of square that in starting a business, even if it wasn't a conscious, you may not have looked yourself in the mirror and said, Michelle, are we gonna do this or are we not? Right. Just sort of jumped in and that was a part of you.

SPEAKER_03 30:05

Are you talking about the the call to start the business or how I integrate my faith?

SPEAKER_00 30:10

Both.

SPEAKER_03 30:10

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 30:10

Because you had to have some faith to jump out the plane.

SPEAKER_03 30:13

Do you? It's interesting that you're asking me this because I just shared with somebody my answer to this question today because it is a good testimony for me. The ugly truth is I did not want to have faith. I did not want to trust God. And I think as an entrepreneur, you better trust somebody. You know, I tend to call him God. You you might trust in something else. But I didn't want to have to trust him so deeply. I didn't want to be so dependent on him. I didn't want to be so needy. I probably could have started MKR development in 2020. In 2020 or 2021, anytime after 2020, I think I would.

SPEAKER_00 30:54

Well, yeah, we were pretty ripped up and chewed up and spit out by the end of 2020.

SPEAKER_03 30:59

We had all the time in the world. I could have came up with a business plan and all the things. But I remember I was thinking, man, that's gonna require a whole lot more prayer. It's gonna require fasting, it's gonna require believing him on another level. And I just didn't want to have to walk that out, live that out. And then I felt very convicted, which is really great because it's not condemned. You know, there's no hope if you're condemned. But a can a healthy conviction is good from the Holy Spirit, you know. And so I felt this conviction that was like, man, you tell you go so hard and tell other people about trusting and faith, and you can't even walk it out. And I felt like God was saying, try me. And let me tell you, best yes I gave God.

SPEAKER_00 31:42

Really?

SPEAKER_03 31:43

Keeps me afloat every day. And not just afloat, thriving. Sometimes uh, it's the little things. If it's a Wednesday afternoon and I want to go to Gambinos, my favorite bakery in all of Acadiana. I love me some Gambinos. I do. Hopefully they smell. What's your what's your go-to order there? Oh my goodness. The ice sugar cookies are the best in the I was gonna go pedophores.

SPEAKER_00 32:08

I don't feel that I've ever even had the sugar cookies yet.

SPEAKER_03 32:10

I I didn't finish. That I'm not okay. Oh, okay. Okay. This is top three.

SPEAKER_00 32:14

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 32:15

Ice sugar cookies. I'm gonna go with the chocolate Doberge cake. I might be mispronouncing that.

SPEAKER_00 32:21

We would say a New Orleans Dobosh.

SPEAKER_03 32:23

Uh, I I think that's wrong.

SPEAKER_00 32:24

Dobosh. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 32:27

All right. It's originated from New Orleans, but that's where it is.

SPEAKER_00 32:30

But okay, think what you want to think. That's right.

SPEAKER_03 32:33

And then the pedophores, of course. Uh so even on a random Wednesday afternoon, if I can go still away an hour to go get an iced sugar cookie, and then maybe I want to go try on some clothes at a store, I go, thank you, God. It's those little things that make me feel so rich, so free, and like a reward for trusting him.

SPEAKER_00 32:54

You know, my version of that does not involve sweets, but it is even in some of the things that are not the most exciting, but that I have time to do, like doctor's appointments with my kids.

SPEAKER_02 33:07

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 33:07

There was a time where it was like, well, who's gonna leave? You have a meeting, we have a sickness, X, Y, Z. I guess I have to take the day off. Yep. And to now know that I put the laptop in the bag. That's right. And maybe I'm maybe I answer an email while I'm sitting in the waiting room. You know, but that gift of time is something that I think a lot of people don't think it it really comes with. That's right, with the the stress. And look, it does come with stress and heartburn.

SPEAKER_03 33:34

Oh my goodness, yes.

SPEAKER_00 33:35

But but you work through it. I because I do want to ask, you look, we have a a very interesting cross-section of people that listen to this podcast, and someone I guarantee is listening right now, yeah, in their car. I'm gonna say it's 7.23 in the morning and they're on Johnston Street. Specific. And they want to break out on their own. Yeah, they know they have the skill to do it, they know they have the drive to do it. Yes, they do. What do you say to someone who is sort of discerning that to take a chance on yourself?

SPEAKER_03 34:04

What does Nike say? Just do it.

SPEAKER_00 34:08

Just do it, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 34:09

Just do it. Uh I I I've I've heard so many entrepreneurs say, I wish I would have started my business earlier.

SPEAKER_00 34:17

Hand up over here. Right? Wish I would have done it 10 years before. 10 years before.

SPEAKER_03 34:20

Man, I'd be a veteran in the business now. And I still am in the industry, but not doing it full time. And most people don't know that this was a side hustle for over a decade. So I'm not really new to starting a business. I'm new to doing it full time in full faith. So I tell the person who's right on the edge, just get clear. Take a notebook that you have in your purse, in your car, at your house. Go stop and get you a notebook. You're on Johnson Street, so Dollar uh Dollar Tree. Okay. Stop at that Dollar Tree should be on your right side because in my head, you're heading towards Ambassador.

SPEAKER_00 34:55

Well, there are some, and I guess they're all on the north side or the west side. I refuse to believe that north that Johnson Street actually runs north and south, like the maps say. Yeah. It's an east-west for me. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_03 35:07

Okay, yes.

SPEAKER_00 35:07

My brain says it's east west.

SPEAKER_03 35:09

I can I I I can dig that.

SPEAKER_00 35:10

But yes, they're all on that side of the road.

SPEAKER_03 35:14

Okay. Well, stop at one of those places, get you a notebook, and start dreaming. Get it out your head, is probably my first step to tell them. Don't write down, don't think website branding logo. Everybody goes there first. What's the passion? What's the thing you're good about? Who do you want to sell that thing to? What would it look like? What is an ideal morning for you? An ideal day. Start dreaming. Pray over the dream. Write it again. Get excited. I have so many notes about this business that is MKR development that date back to pre-COVID. I stumbled on a notebook the other day and I called it G14 classified. Oh.

SPEAKER_00 35:56

What did that even mean?

SPEAKER_03 35:57

It just felt great. Okay. That was in my spirit. I was like, yeah, that's what this is, G14. And I just started mapping out stuff. It it was the best trip down memory lane to see is this something it was the best trip down memory lane on what a business would look like. Would I like it? What what's the product? Ooh, it could be this. I love that I've been dreaming that I've been dreaming that long.

SPEAKER_00 36:24

I want to go back to something you said earlier, and that's even in that orientation new hire process and the story of it. Yep. Um having your own story and and having a story you can dive into is so important to know it to sort of keep that passion. So where does someone start?

SPEAKER_03 36:40

Are you asking me where they start with creating a story in general or their story about their business? The why. What's the why? Yeah. I think they have to get really honest, Rob, about um what they hope to get out of doing it. I don't care if the answer is ugly in the beginning. You know, if it is, I just want a whole bunch of money and I want to be rich and I want to take trips and I want Louis this and Louis that. Write it down. Some people do it. They do. That's their inspiration. They they do. You're gonna need a deeper one. Short-lived. That won't that will not keep you.

SPEAKER_00 37:14

Because when you get the purse, it's like the new shoes on Christmas morning.

SPEAKER_03 37:18

It will you put them on, it will keep you. It will not keep you. And what do people do when they wear the shoes out? They throw them away or they give them away, but they don't retain that stuff. So that's okay. Write down the things that feel surface. You don't know that they're surface yet. But if they're writing things like that, I don't think they're bad people. There is so much overwhelm in their existing structure of their lives. That could be personal, it could be we are living check to check. We are pinching pennies. Man, the bills keep coming or work feels a little oppressive. I just want freedom to do what I want to do. That's okay if that's the first why. But I want you to sit on it. And if prayer is your thing, pray over that thing. If meditation is your thing, meditate on that thing. If you want to talk it out with a friend, talk it out. But keep writing down a why until you get to something so you. It is okay if your wh, if your why feels surface or it doesn't feel so deep, or it's a why out of desperation. That's natural and that's okay in the beginning. But I want you to pray over your why if prayer is your thing. I want you to meditate over your why if meditation is your thing. If talking it out with someone is your thing, or stewing, do the thing. Go through the process. And I want you to strip it all the way down to where the why feels like an extension of you. It feels like a calling. It feels like purpose. It feels like ministry. Now you got something that will not rot like shoes or expire like feelings. Now you got a why to start a business on.

SPEAKER_00 38:51

Dr. Michelle Robertin is here. Another quick break, and we come back with the lightning round. Some quick questions to get to the bottom of whatever this is. Okay. MKR development, located here in Lafayette, Louisiana, and there to service all your HR people operations needs. We're going to talk more with Michelle Robertin coming up. Kirkpatrick and Company is recorded and produced inside the vault at Rock and Bowl in downtown Lafayette. Rock and Bowl is a Louisiana tradition, and their team is ready to host your next event in downtown Lafayette. Contact Robin at 337-534-8880 or visit rockin' bowl.com. Rock and Bowl de Lafayette, a proud supporter of Kirkpatrick and Company. Welcome back to Kirkpatrick and Company and the vault inside Rock and Bowl in downtown Lafayette. Dr. Michelle Robertson's here from MKR Development. And it's time for the lightning round.

SPEAKER_03 39:47

Oh my goodness. Are you ready? You didn't tell me about this.

SPEAKER_00 39:49

You don't know the questions. You didn't know we were doing it. And here we go.

SPEAKER_03 39:52

All right.

SPEAKER_00 39:53

Well, number one, best piece of leadership advice you've ever received.

SPEAKER_03 39:57

Oh my gosh. Uh if you are starting a new job, don't change anything. You need to go on a listening tour. Get as much context as you possibly can about the people and the organization before you go and stake your claim about all the new things you want to do.

SPEAKER_00 40:15

One HR hack that every single business should implement tomorrow.

SPEAKER_03 40:20

Use AI.

SPEAKER_00 40:22

Really?

SPEAKER_03 40:23

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 40:24

Some so many people are scared of it.

SPEAKER_03 40:25

Why?

SPEAKER_00 40:27

I'm not the people. I'm just saying.

SPEAKER_03 40:29

Use it. You know, uh let uh yes, it can't do everything. I know all the yeah, buts. Trust me, I know all the yeah buts. But use AI and not just chat GPT that seems to be the AI that takes all the hits and that's all the one. Oh, it's the Kleenex.

SPEAKER_00 40:43

You know what I'm saying? It's just the brand name.

SPEAKER_03 40:45

Yeah. And it's like, uh y'all, chat is not the enemy, Claude is not the enemy, all these different things, but AI could expedite even your hiring processes, your policies, your handbooks. Use it for things you're not naturally gifted in. And if it doesn't produce the final thing for you, use it as a steady companion. Use it to ask it questions that you're afraid to ask other people. But please develop yourself.

SPEAKER_00 41:08

Lightning round question number three What is a daily habit that makes you a better leader?

SPEAKER_03 41:16

Sleep. Uh and I I have to force that sometimes, but I feel so much better when I can eat and sleep.

SPEAKER_00 41:24

A life lesson that shaped the way you lead and the way you run your business.

SPEAKER_03 41:30

Oh, I'm I I don't know the quote, but it's the late great Maya Angelo. And I love I love when people say Angelou. They're being fancy. But in in in part, she says, uh, be a rainbow in someone else's cloud, somebody who might not call God the same name you call God, or might not call him at all, call him at all. And she goes on to say some other things, but be a blessing to someone else. That that blessed me, that changed me.

SPEAKER_00 41:57

And finally, what does success look like for you 10 years from today?

SPEAKER_03 42:05

This I hope to not work full time 10 years from today. Success to me looks like um me and my awesome, amazing, handsome husband are traveling a whole lot. We're laughing a whole lot, enjoying each other's company. And life feels light and easy. And with the the the financial blessing we have, we are just super duper generous to so many different causes. And we get to hang with family and friends and just enjoy life.

SPEAKER_00 42:34

Dr. Michelle Robertin, thank you so much for being here. You always have a home at the vault. Do you want to pick a lockbox and maybe leave something? Uh, that you know, I mean, I can't I can't tell you where the keys are. I don't know. This isn't a working vault anymore.

SPEAKER_03 42:49

I can't leave it then. Yeah. Okay. But thank you for the offer.

SPEAKER_00 42:51

Well, whenever you want to stop back by, you're always welcome back.

SPEAKER_03 42:53

Thank you, Rob.

SPEAKER_00 42:54

Thank you for listening to Kirkpatrick and Company brought to you by Catalyst Bank. This season one is all about investment. And today we talked about investing in ourselves, investing in your people, just investing and making the world, the workforce, a better place. Hey, make sure that you follow us wherever you follow things. See the full episodes every two weeks on YouTube. And again, special thanks to Catalyst Bank for making this possible. See you next time.