062: Secrets to Creating an Awesome Workplace (Andrew Sykes of Habits at Work)

Background on Andrew Sykes of Habits at Work:

Andrew Sykes founded the Behavioral Research Applied Technology Laboratory (BRATLAB) to uncover which habits create health, happiness, security and performance for people, and his employer-focused consulting team, Habits at Work, literally puts habit creation to work to create high-performance organizations. Andrew is a passionate advocate for the power of habits to create thriving, high-performance employees and companies.

Andrew has more than 20 years of leadership experience, having consulted with some of the world’s largest companies, including Shell Oil, McDonald's, Nokia, British Aerospace, Unilever, Blue Cross Blue Shield and many others. While his consulting experience is the source of many insights, his real passion is speaking. Andrew has had the pleasure of speaking professionally about organizational performance at over 500 public and private events.

Born and raised in South Africa, he lived and worked on five different continents over the course of his career. He is adamant about helping companies flourish through the success of their people, rather than at their expense, and he is eager to share his ideas with others.

Time-Stamped Show Notes:

[0:52] Andrew Sykes is the head of BratLab and Habits at Work.
[1:53] Andrew’s first business was a Health Insurance and Brokerage company in South Africa in the early 90s.
[3:23] Andrew decided that he wanted to focus on helping people improve their health. This decision encouraged him to move to America.
[5:13] He is an actuary by profession, wherein he deals with the measurements of risks and uncertainty.
[7:59] Moving to Dallas was a very lonely experience for him since he only knew few people living there.
[10:14] “I think 2 or 3 people are a much better formula for starting a business.”
[14:34] He was totally surprised and unprepared to learn that there is a great difference in business culture between America and his country of origin, South Africa.
[17:44] He remembers the faith and friendship that was given to him by his first client and the celebration they had with their first success in the business.
[19:16] Andrew and his team sells their health plan to their clients by doing statistical analysis, meetings with the client’s employees, and working with the management.
[21:31] Andrew is not afraid of change. He believes that change can generate a better future.
[22:28] He changed the name of his company from Health at Work to Habits at Work.
[24:11] “Happiness, more than anything else, has to do with human connection and the quality of your relationships.”
[32:10] Andrew pointed out that one way to change a person’s habits is to boost awareness and consciousness.
[35:30] Andrew remembered working with a school district where they reinvented what it means to be a great teacher.
[43:42] His advice to entrepreneurs is to “put the love back into your business.” It means being kind and generous to the people surrounding the business.

Fabulous 4 Questions:

📖📚 Favorite Book(s)? The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins, Influencer by The Team at Vitalsmarts, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
🙌😎 Favorite Amazon.com purchase? Most recently my gift for my 7th year wedding anniversary: A copper champagne bucket.
🌱💸 Favorite Tool that's GROWN your Business? The phone! But also Basecamp.
💭💡 BIGGEST Challenge keeping your Business from GROWING? Finding more companies with a leadership team committed to reinventing the world of work, and not just competing to survive.

Key Point from the Interview:

“Put the love back into your business.”