Interview with Gregory Offner

What can you learn about leadership and culture from a guy whose background is in music and dueling pianos? A LOT!

Greg Offner talks about The Tip Jar culture coming from corporate HR and risk management, he noticed what really got people engaged at work and at the dueling piano bar. His lessons serve us all.

Key points for leaders to ponder:
• Work is a performance. We perform a task. We are in service to others.
• Show up from a place of service pondering, “What do they need from me to make sure this
performance goes well?”
• Your job as a leader is to remove the friction, anything that can get in their way of doing a good
job.
• Your title or rank is simply a validation, not a reward. It’s a tool of authority. How will you use that
tool?
• Know that by working together, we elevate the experience of everyone! Beware of misaligned
incentives.
• Note that you can’t create engagement. You create an experience.
○ When team members choose to engage or disengage, a decision was made to do just that.
• The culture shifts to creating impact vs. trading hours for income.
• Create shared values -
○ Allow people to opt in
◘ Create actionable steps for them to do so.
◘ Teach them how to fit in so there’s a sense of ownership

As the host of OneSharpSword, I loved this interview. Greg Offner is a master presenter and he speaks to a pet of mine, building a Culture of Caring, from such a unique perspective.

Reach out to Greg on all social media.
Find more at www.GregoryOffner.com