0:00:03 - (Kate Davis): Hello, I'm Kate Davis and this is Humor in the C Suite, a show about how leaders use humor to create an extraordinary work culture. Hi everyone and welcome to this week's episode of Humor in the C Suite. My guest this week is Lizzie Schreier. She is an award winning digital leader and innovator with over 20 years experience reimagining how brands connect with people in an ever evolving digital landscape.
0:00:28 - (Kate Davis): With 18 patents to her name, Lizzie is known for turning bold ideas into into powerful enterprise scale strategies that blend technology, storytelling and customer insight. She has led transformative digital initiatives across Fortune 100 companies and global brands in industries including financial services, insurance, healthcare, retail, hospitality and telecommunications. From architecting digital ecosystems to shaping omnichannel customer journeys. Lizzy brings a uniquely holistic, forward thinking approach to every challenge.
0:01:00 - (Lizzie Schreier): But.
0:01:00 - (Kate Davis): But what truly sets her apart is how she delivers. Lizzie infuses every room and every zoom with energy, humor and levity, making the complex feel clear, the work feel inspiring and the results feel inevitable. Her passion is contagious, her insights are actionable and her teams are encouraged to think differently and more boldly and about what is possible in the digital. I loved her interview and you guys are going to love it too. So please welcome Lizzie Schreier.
0:01:29 - (Kate Davis): Boom, boom, boom. So welcome to Humor in the C Suite. I thought I would just start off by telling or getting you to tell everyone. Yeah, just take your background and your history.
0:01:44 - (Lizzie Schreier): It is a varied background. I will say that I've had several different careers. I am one person that just loves change. I love learning new things. I like taking on challenges. I started out, my first job was I went through the training program Saks Fifth Avenue and was a buyer in retail. Loved it, but then decided okay, enough is enough. Then went into marketing. I've been in retail industry. I've been working on the agency side. All in mar in the marketing realm, human resources.
0:02:21 - (Lizzie Schreier): Worked for some recruiting firms for a while, did some startups. There really wasn't anything I really disliked. Then got into telecom and now I'm in financial services. And the minute digital came into my life, I have not allowed anything else to distract me. I love digital. So I lead a large digital team in a financial services fortune 100 company and we're all about digital engagement, testing and optimization, making sure the consumer experience is right for them and personalized.
0:03:01 - (Lizzie Schreier): And I absolutely love it. It changes every day. The universe is changing every day in terms of technology and AI and I mean every day I wake up and I read new things and I learn and the team is challenged. And I love it, absolutely love it.
0:03:19 - (Kate Davis): I love that because so many people hate change.
0:03:22 - (Lizzie Schreier): I know.
0:03:24 - (Kate Davis): Honestly, a doctor has to tell me I'm dying before I'll change a habit. Yeah, that's like, oh, oh, no, I got to change now.
0:03:32 - (Lizzie Schreier): Right.
0:03:33 - (Kate Davis): Which is so fascinating. And also because, you know, it's not like you could have really gone to school for what is going on digitally now.
0:03:42 - (Lizzie Schreier): Right.
0:03:42 - (Kate Davis): And how much tech and how rapidly tech is changing. Yeah.
0:03:47 - (Lizzie Schreier): I mean, it's so exciting. I mean, and even if innovation isn't part of, you know, an individual's world, if you are in digital, you either innovate or you're never going to succeed. You just have to embrace the new technology, innovate along with it, change, you know what is happening. It is the most exciting time.
0:04:11 - (Kate Davis): Okay, so you're leading your teams with all this change going on. How are you using humor in your day to day life?
0:04:19 - (Lizzie Schreier): Here's the deal. Humor is, it's part of my DNA. I mean, that is, that is how I am made up. Sometimes it's good. Sometimes, you know, I may just be exhausted and I say something and I'm like, oh my God, I can't believe I just said that. But it's part of my DNA, I think, you know, in today's universe, today, I mean, even when I had kids and all of that, you have to have humor. You know, you need a balance. It's kind of like work life.
0:04:51 - (Lizzie Schreier): It's also a balance of serious and fun. And it, it one without the other is not a great life. But you mix the two together, whatever is your authentic self and how you can have fun or enjoy or, you know, just see light in challenging situations. It just makes life so much easier. So it's always been part of my DNA. And I, you know, I, I think I'm funny to my kids. My daughter thinks I'm hilarious. My son, who's turning 21, I'm not sure what he'd say. I think there, there are multiple times it's humiliation on his part, which I think is part of being a parent. So I, I am proud of those moments.
0:05:46 - (Lizzie Schreier): My husband and I fight for the title of who's Funniest.
0:05:49 - (Kate Davis): Oh, I love that personally.
0:05:52 - (Lizzie Schreier): And please don't tell him, and I will never show him this podcast. I don't think it's a competition, but, you know, I gotta let him have it. I just do. And his mother thinks he is absolutely the funniest. So I'm gonna, I'm gonna say he's up there with funny.
0:06:08 - (Kate Davis): I love that I Lizzy, are you finding through when you're dealing with some stuff at work, at your job, which obviously if you're head of a big team in with a financial company in the digital age and in that sort of media, how are you using humor within your teams? Like do you find it helps with collaboration? Do you find it's helping, you know, really sort of set you apart from other teams within the organization?
0:06:38 - (Lizzie Schreier): I would say yes and several reasons to it. One is, you know, great example. Literally on on Tuesday of this week, I scheduled with not all of my team, but with some members of my team. So there was about 12 of us from an 8:30 to 5:00 clock or 5:30, then dinner all day in person at the office brainstorming strategy session. Now it's overwhelming to have people. You're in the same room, it's a conference room, big conference room and created all these exercises and brainstorming and I gotta be honest, you know, in this hybrid world of working to say, hey, I need you to drive two and a half hours and come in and spend the day and you're probably not gonna get home till 10, 11 o' clock at night.
0:07:36 - (Lizzie Schreier): You have to make some aspects of that fun. If you're just gonna sit and lecture and be super serious. The ent I don't even want to go to that. Like that is not engaging. That is not getting people's most productive minds or creative minds working. I mean these were are some super smart, creative digital people. I needed them to have those brains functioning the entire day. So it was, you know, from the moment we started it, you know, people heard us in the conference room next door. They kept coming in, say, can we join your meeting? Like all we hear is laughter.
0:08:19 - (Kate Davis): That's.
0:08:20 - (Lizzie Schreier): It was just, you have to make things fun. I mean, you know, someone, you know, takes a break and you know, I said, hey, you don't have to ask to be excused. Don't wait for the bio break. Just leave. Whenever you got to leave, it's okay. We all have to go to the bathroom and you know, when the person comes back in, I literally was like, seriously, where were you? I mean, you've been gone forever. It was just like, wait, but. And I'm like, you're good.
0:08:47 - (Lizzie Schreier): Please take. In the middle of the room was this big chair full of treats. And I'm like, yeah, take a special prize from the treat suite tweet treat seat. Which is very hard to say 10 bites, but I mean it's just simple things like that. It just gets people engaged.
0:09:07 - (Kate Davis): Do you find your sense of humor at work compared to your sense of humor at home is very different.
0:09:12 - (Lizzie Schreier): I would sit. No, I kind of don't. Which I think some people find frightening. Right. Because if you think like, wow, you're like this at home, and, you know, my kids are like, you're like this at the office.
0:09:29 - (Kate Davis): Yeah.
0:09:30 - (Lizzie Schreier): But, you know, humor is about being your true, authentic self. I can't hide this. This is hard to hide. I mean, I have, you know, aside from me being, you know, thinking I'm somewhat funny, it's a lot. I mean, the passion, the energy, I can get loud. But as a leader, I am hardcore. I mean, I demand a lot from my team. We have very high goal. I always have been. And they'll always say, because people that don't know me are like.
0:10:14 - (Lizzie Schreier): Like, she. She's. She's scary. And they're like, oh, no, no, no. She's fantastic. She's hardcore. But she's fair. But she makes it fun. And you really want to stay. So there's a lot of goodness to that, because for as tough as I am as a leader, when I engage with humor and when I collaborate with humor, they see the true me and my authentic self, and that's who I am. Like, I can go. And to me, it's business. When you're at the office and there are no best ways of doing things, if it doesn't work, I'm not going to get angry. I'm going to say, okay, how are we going to solve it? What are you going to do?
0:11:01 - (Lizzie Schreier): And then we'll collaborate together. But to throw humor in, it lightens the mood, especially if someone's coming to you saying, this just, this didn't work. I didn't meet my goal. I. I don't know what we should do to get on them 100% serious. I don't know that I'd be able to keep them as, you know, the team I have, it's hard. And there's a line. There's a serious fine line between humor and serious or appropriate humor and inappropriate humor.
0:11:38 - (Lizzie Schreier): Man, you cross that line, and if you have that credibility or authority already built into the company or the team you're working with, it can fall flat and it can be detrimental to a career.
0:11:52 - (Kate Davis): I mean, we always say, know your audience on this podcast. I've said it so many times. But I also. I'm. I'm so curious to ask you, do you find when you are leading with humor, it helps build stronger relationships 100%.
0:12:09 - (Lizzie Schreier): Because I think they. They look at you differently. You know, they don't look at me as this, oh, my God, she's this always on hardcore leader. They look at me a little bit differently. But it allows them to be more of themselves, to know, yeah, okay, she. She can be, you know, I don't know if cool would be the right word, but she can be light. She can. I can engage with her. She's not always hardcore.
0:12:39 - (Lizzie Schreier): So it's. I. I mean, zero percent attrition on my team for years. I think part of that, I, you know, granted, I think it's also digital. Like, I can't say, oh, of course it's all me. They don't want to leave me. I. But it's not. It's part of the environment to be fun and to engage with them and really collaborate in a way that they're comfortable. I'm comfortable. The team is comfortable. You get better work out of people.
0:13:17 - (Lizzie Schreier): And breaking up that monotony of serious presentation. 30 slides. Let's discuss. Let's parking lot it. Let's do that. You know, who doesn't need a break during that?
0:13:32 - (Kate Davis): Are you finding. Because like you said, you brought your team in for this big brainstorming thing, but for the most part, are you all working remotely still?
0:13:42 - (Lizzie Schreier): It's hybrid. I mean, I'm in the office two to three days a week. There's a few folks on my team because I have folks distributed across the U.S. so, you know, we're bringing, you know, entire teams in in July. Like, everyone will be in person, which will be awesome for, like, a few days. But. But it's. It's hybrid. And some people have gotten. Which you can't blame them. They've gotten used to working from home. They really like it.
0:14:13 - (Kate Davis): I think a lot of it as well for people is. I know for, like, my husband who works corporate, it's that two hours I'm spending in my car. I could be on my computer working and getting stuff done.
0:14:24 - (Lizzie Schreier): Absolutely.
0:14:25 - (Kate Davis): But are you finding. How are you finding it? Building relationships with those people you mostly only know online? Are you using humor in those situations?
0:14:33 - (Lizzie Schreier): Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, you know, so I do a monthly team meeting. And I got to tell you, you know, talking to. Especially when you have a lot of people online and not everyone is even comfortable putting on video. Right. So their camera. And so I feel like, hello, like, is anyone out there? I feel like I'm talking to a black hole. And so I thought I'M going to change it up. And I reached out to some other leaders at some companies that I work with and have worked with who are smart, bright in our digital arena, but also that I really, really can have fun with.
0:15:20 - (Lizzie Schreier): And I said, I want you to come on and will you do a fireside chat with me? This has gone off amazingly well. Like, it's just kind of like you and I just talking and. But they're driving in, you know, about career paths and the opportunities and what to look out for and. But we're also having a great time and riffing with each other. They're amazing. And I've never seen such engagement on the team during one of these calls, the team meetings.
0:15:54 - (Lizzie Schreier): And then I get, you know, afterwards, it's like, we need to do more of these fireside chats.
0:15:58 - (Kate Davis): Oh, that's so great.
0:15:59 - (Lizzie Schreier): So it's fun. And so, you know, I'm. I'm seeking out fun people to bring in and sit with, because we'll sit in a conference room together. And like, one time I just. There was a whiteboard behind me, and I just drew out a fire, you know, and they're like, what is that behind you? And I was like, oh, that is my fire. There was a fireside chat. It was hilarious. So it's just fun stuff like that.
0:16:23 - (Kate Davis): Are you. I love the fact that you're truly engaged in what you're doing, that you love what you do. Are. Are you finding the levity within your leadership style for that is contagious in that way. Like, all of a sudden, people are loving. And are you using humor a lot in the marketing part of it?
0:16:44 - (Lizzie Schreier): In terms of executing or in terms. Okay.
0:16:48 - (Kate Davis): Of both. Of both, I guess.
0:16:51 - (Lizzie Schreier): I. I think, again, very fine line.
0:16:53 - (Kate Davis): Yeah.
0:16:54 - (Lizzie Schreier): Especially in terms of executing it outwardly.
0:16:58 - (Kate Davis): Yeah.
0:17:00 - (Lizzie Schreier): But in terms of getting things done and executed faster, it helps. It definitely engages with people, you know, because I'm not just working with my team. I'm working across organizations that may have different timelines, may have different goals. And I. You know, I don't always want to be the one saying, so what. What have you done for me today? Like, when are we gonna get my stuff out the door?
0:17:30 - (Kate Davis): Yeah.
0:17:31 - (Lizzie Schreier): So breaking that up with humor and authenticity is super, super important. But again, you really have to know who they are, and that's where that emotional intelligence is huge. Because you have to be able to read whether you're sitting across from them or you are in, you know, a hybrid situation.
0:17:58 - (Kate Davis): Yeah.
0:17:58 - (Lizzie Schreier): Maybe in the office. They could be at home, and it's you don't always see, you know, you're not going to always see this. You're not always going to be able to read body language.
0:18:07 - (Kate Davis): Yeah.
0:18:08 - (Lizzie Schreier): So you really have to know who they are and what they can handle, right?
0:18:16 - (Kate Davis): Oh, yes. That's so important. Do actual techniques that you're using to bring humor, like, do you have certain games you like to play with your crew or your team or, you know, do you always start off with a meeting with something going on or.
0:18:32 - (Lizzie Schreier): I do. They're not necessarily techniques. Again, it's kind of part of my DNA. So I'll have something fun. And, and so it might be. So if I'm doing a team lead meeting or a team meeting, you know, in the middle of very important information, it will kind of be like a fun break slide. And I'll have either, you know, I, I'm a, I'm a dog person. I'm obsessed with my dog, her. And I have the most amazing conversations. I will.
0:19:04 - (Lizzie Schreier): Everything I say.
0:19:05 - (Kate Davis): She's my biggest fan.
0:19:07 - (Lizzie Schreier): But I mean, and, and truth be told, I. Her name is Lucille. I named her after Lucille Ball. Favorite comedians. And she has a stuffed animal. Her favorite animal is Ethel. So we. I'm living with Lucy and Ethel, but so I'm always bringing in, whether it's a silly picture of her or, you know, a funny thing I saw online, you know, and it's just like, break, you know, and then everyone is like, you never know because again, I'm not seeing many of their faces.
0:19:38 - (Lizzie Schreier): Right. Unless we're in person. And all of a sudden you'll just get like either the clap or the heart or, you know, the laugh emoji. Or they're like, okay, that's really funny. Yeah, but you, you have to. Or I'll. Do you know what? I'm going to do a poll now. And the poll is just something silly and fun versus having nothing related to what I was just talking about.
0:20:02 - (Kate Davis): Yeah.
0:20:03 - (Lizzie Schreier): Because you also need to make sure they're paying attention. If I'm talking super serious goals, you know, leader updates, whatever it may be, I can't tell what they're doing on the other side. So I'm like, okay, well, I'm going to throw a poll up right now. And they're like, oh, my God, she's going to quiz us on what she was just talking think about. But it's not. It's just to get them back in the mix, if you will, and make sure they're still there.
0:20:35 - (Kate Davis): So it really, it really is helping with Productivity is what you're saying, 100%.
0:20:40 - (Lizzie Schreier): Yeah, but it also, I mean, I, I want to think it is a part of why they're still here. Listen, it's a, It's a free country. Everyone is at. Well, hired at. Well, they could go anywhere. They really could. They could. You know, there's, there's other companies, there's other roles, there's higher roles, you know, that advancing their career and they stay. And I think that says a lot. I think, you know, part huge amount is it's, it's digital.
0:21:16 - (Lizzie Schreier): You know, it's financial services. But it. You have, you're with these people. Well, not with, but you're working with these people more than you spend time with members of your family.
0:21:32 - (Kate Davis): Yeah.
0:21:32 - (Lizzie Schreier): You have to make sure that you don't have to be their best friend, but they have to A, respect you, B, continue learning from you. But see, they have to enjoy it. If they don't enjoy it, either they're martyrs for staying or, you know, or they're just, they can't find another job or it's just they, they don't care.
0:21:57 - (Kate Davis): There's something to be said for, like, I go into certain companies and I always know it's a great company. If people have been there 20, 30 years.
0:22:05 - (Lizzie Schreier): Yes. Yeah.
0:22:07 - (Kate Davis): Retention, employee retention is huge, especially with younger people. Because that generation, like my kids generation, they're in their 20s, 30s, are great at their boundaries. Yes. They are not taking it like, I grew up in a time of I'll do anything like me. Right. Like, honestly, it's taken me a long time to, like, figure out boundaries and know to, like, it's okay to voice my, you know, what I believe or if I.
0:22:37 - (Kate Davis): Something is unfair. But to, to lead a team where retention is high and people stay adaptive and are able to bring themselves to the job, I think is huge. And I think it says more about you and your leadership than you're taking credit for. Hi, it's Kate. I can't believe you made it halfway through the show. Look, if you or anyone you know would like to be a guest on Humor in the C Suite, I would love to have you.
0:23:05 - (Kate Davis): So email me [email protected]. you're connecting brands, right?
0:23:13 - (Lizzie Schreier): Yes.
0:23:14 - (Kate Davis): And so let's talk about that for a bit because that we don't have to mention any brands.
0:23:19 - (Lizzie Schreier): Yes.
0:23:19 - (Kate Davis): But it is like, it's an amazing thing to do because I know so, so much of branding for me is, you know, if I see a funny commercial, I'm more likely to buy it. You know.
0:23:31 - (Lizzie Schreier): Okay, yeah.
0:23:33 - (Kate Davis): Like, there was a great Volkswagen commercial. I just remember it so well. Of a woman pulls up to a stop sign. She's an older woman, she's a very hunky young man in the car, and she sees her husband driving up behind, and she lowers a boyfriend's seat so you can't see him. And then the husband drives up and she waves to him and she drives away. Her seat comes up, and then you see him drive away, and the passenger seat in his car comes up and there's just boy in his car as well.
0:24:07 - (Kate Davis): It's very German. But I'm just saying it's very. Like, I, I remember it.
0:24:13 - (Lizzie Schreier): Yeah.
0:24:14 - (Kate Davis): And I'm like, that is, you know, taking a risk. Some people are gonna like it. Some. But it did make me giggle, even like Snickers or, you know, the Pringles campaign that was on the super bowl, where the mustache jumped from all the different.
0:24:29 - (Lizzie Schreier): Yeah.
0:24:29 - (Kate Davis): And stuff like that. So I think, like. So how are you using branding? Are you using any humor in there? And are you allowed?
0:24:38 - (Lizzie Schreier): Yes, we are. We are allowed. But again, I would say it's very similar to a leader in their job. It has to be authentic to the brand. And when it's not, you're going to see it. It's going to go viral, but not for why you'd want it to go viral. Yeah. You know, in. In all fairness, you know, there's been several, you know, over the years where you look at them and you're like, wow, wow. What were they like? I get it. They were trying to be funny.
0:25:09 - (Lizzie Schreier): But if you are a serious, serious brand and all of a sudden you just turn the corner, I mean, it's. It's all about baby steps, and it's all about letting people get used to if you are. You know, I always, I always say if you're a Bob Dylan personality, you can't the next day wake up and try and be Melissa McCarthy.
0:25:35 - (Kate Davis): Right.
0:25:36 - (Lizzie Schreier): I mean, it's just because it's not authentic to him. And it's the same with leaders, but it's the same with big brands or, or small brands. I mean, yeah, your consumer, they view you as this brand. So you really need to be authentic to your brand. Now, that doesn't say you can't shift the brand and ease into a. Or evolve the brand into something that is lighter or more, you know, popular. Absolutely. That's how brands stay in business for years and years.
0:26:10 - (Kate Davis): Yeah.
0:26:10 - (Lizzie Schreier): But it's, you know, when you bring humor in, it needs to be Authentic to your brand?
0:26:18 - (Kate Davis): Yes. Well, I'm authentic to everything. How do you find satire in that? Like, I think of, like, the Old Spice commercials. Right. Like, that is so satirical. You know, they're making fun of men and their manhoods. Right. And everything. They sort of believe. Do you find satire has a place in that or. It's a hard one.
0:26:40 - (Lizzie Schreier): It's very hard. More. Harder now, frankly, in our. In our world than ever before. Because even if it's not satire, people are very, very sensitive in the universe today. I mean, listen, some. There are some days to my kids, and they're like, mother. You know, And I'm like, oh, my God, what is the term?
0:27:07 - (Kate Davis): Yeah, it's everything.
0:27:11 - (Lizzie Schreier): Everyone is very sensitive. And hey, all the more power to you for standing up and speaking of who you are and what you believe in. But. But that's a fine line, too. You. You don't know. Can't. Can you go there? Should. I mean, we. And we hear comedians all the time getting into trouble because they've gone too far and they're on stage and they're a popular comedian.
0:27:36 - (Kate Davis): Yes. So know, what's going to come out of their face is.
0:27:39 - (Lizzie Schreier): Right, right.
0:27:40 - (Kate Davis): Yeah. Like, let's take it with a grain of salt.
0:27:43 - (Lizzie Schreier): Exactly. Right.
0:27:44 - (Kate Davis): Yeah. Yeah. But, hey, the first person to be off in a war or anything is always the comics and the journalists.
0:27:52 - (Lizzie Schreier): So, you know. Oh, my gosh. I know. But. And. And those are. And that's another thing. You can't joke about that at the office. No. Like, there's a Madden. You don't know where people's allegiance lie. So it's like. And. And some of that is so prime for beauteous. Beauteous comments. And you just. That stuff's reserved for the home. You know, that's dinner table.
0:28:21 - (Kate Davis): Yeah. Like, really? Yeah. Abs. Absolutely. And you know what? Like, I never want to offend on this podcast ever.
0:28:28 - (Lizzie Schreier): Absolutely.
0:28:30 - (Kate Davis): But I do want to make people think, and I think humor really can be a vehicle for that, because it does, as you say it. It creates an atmosphere where people can really bring themselves to work, to the brand, to their creativity. Especially when you're brainstorming, you want those creative juices flowing and all that. How have found humor has benefited you in your. In your life? Big question. I know.
0:29:00 - (Lizzie Schreier): I mean, you know, true, true story. When we had our first child and she had serious complications with birth, and the first 15 years of her life were ridiculously challenging for her, for us as a family. And you have to have humor. You have to have some aspects of levity. And I again, it's that balance because 90% of everything at that in those years was so serious and life threatening. And I think it saved me. I mean, I remember, you know, I'd either be reading funny books or watching, you know, stand up comedies, stand up comedians and comedies. And I'd be like, nope, can't watch a serious movie. Like, I got enough of that. I need humor.
0:30:07 - (Lizzie Schreier): And so I just, I, you know, and I was working all through that as well. And so bringing levity into my office was critical for me. But it also helped people, especially those younger on my team, understand that it's nothing is 100%. You can't just work 100%. There has to be again, everything is a balance. You have to balance it. And so sometimes they go home and I'd be getting emails from them late at night and I'm like, no, this, no, this is your time away.
0:30:47 - (Lizzie Schreier): You need to balance, you need to balance your life. So to me, humor taught me, you know, the ability to balance, the ability to take on things that I never thought I could take on and live through it de stresses me. I mean, when I have a really bad meaning. And listen, we all, we all have had not, I don't want to say, I'm going to say anti good meetings because that is, you know. Yeah, I will literally say, Lucy, we're going for a walk and lose again.
0:31:26 - (Lizzie Schreier): I talk to my dog as if the therapist and I'm like, you will never believe what just what I just went through on this call. We're talking about, you know, people see us walking to the park and I'm like on the phone. Yeah.
0:31:40 - (Kate Davis): Did you get the side eye? My dog side eye? Old side eye.
0:31:46 - (Lizzie Schreier): Yeah, but I mean it's, it's, it saves stress, it stay saves and helps anxiety. I think it helps just dealing with some of the universe, things that are going on right now.
0:32:01 - (Kate Davis): Yeah.
0:32:02 - (Lizzie Schreier): Without making fun of them. It's just having a lot, little bit of light in a dark situation that has benefited me personally. I think it's helped my relationships with not just my family and friends, but with everyone I work with.
0:32:26 - (Kate Davis): Yeah.
0:32:27 - (Lizzie Schreier): You know, they know that. Okay. There's, there's that side that's going to come out of her. That's just who I am. I mean, and trust me, you know, I've been in financial services. I've been in several different types of companies where I have been talked to such as we don't do that here.
0:32:51 - (Kate Davis): Right.
0:32:52 - (Lizzie Schreier): You know, and I'm like, what don't we do? We don't. We don't. We're not allowed to be passionate. We're not allowed to be energetic. We're not allowed to have fun at the job.
0:33:00 - (Kate Davis): Yes, acceptable.
0:33:02 - (Lizzie Schreier): I'm here. I'm getting my work done. I'm exceeding my goals, and you're telling me this is not what is acceptable here? I'm like, no. And he just goes, you're just loud.
0:33:14 - (Kate Davis): Oh, wow.
0:33:14 - (Lizzie Schreier): And I'm like, it's okay. That's why we have doors. We'll just close 4. Because I can't stop this.
0:33:22 - (Kate Davis): Well, I love the fact you haven't compromised that because so many people do, especially in the corporate environment. And coming from a leader saying, don't compromise who you are. Bring your best self some. Sometimes you're not going to have those great days.
0:33:35 - (Lizzie Schreier): Right.
0:33:35 - (Kate Davis): And sometimes you will, and that's okay. And I love the fact that you also said that that humor can make a complex situation simpler.
0:33:45 - (Lizzie Schreier): Yes. Oh, yeah. I mean, my. My favorite way to use her humor. I. I love negotiating. Don't tell that to my husband because he thinks he wins hands down. But in the workplace, I love negotiating. I love negotiating contracts. I mean, it's not really part of my job, but I do it. And it's my favorite way to use humor because it just completely, like, they're like, what? Wait. Oh, wait. And she wants that, you know, like, I'll say all the time. So that feature, I believe you told me was going to be no charge.
0:34:28 - (Lizzie Schreier): I believe it was for two years. And because I'm saying it so seriously, they're like, who. Who. Who told you more? You did. I think I have an email. Let me see if I can find the email. But at that point, like, I'm cracking, and they're like, oh, okay, I get one.
0:34:54 - (Kate Davis): That's great. Oh, my God, Lizzie, you're amazing. So we always love to end it with. What's the funniest thing that's ever happened to you? I know you probably have a few of them.
0:35:05 - (Lizzie Schreier): Oh, my God.
0:35:08 - (Kate Davis): So, yeah, let's pick a couple again.
0:35:11 - (Lizzie Schreier): There's. I mean, it's some you and I have talked about. So this is one I don't think I've told you. But I do recall it. When I asked my kids if they were funny, if it was funny, they just looked at me and said, it's humiliating. And I go, that's funny. It's good enough. I had just moved from New York to Chicago and I thought, oh, I'm going to get in this big health craze. And this was ages ago. Like, you know, like, I didn't even have a phone with me, I think.
0:35:45 - (Lizzie Schreier): And so I went for. I was living downtown Chicago in Lincoln park. And so I go for a run really early in the morning. So it's like 6, 6:30. I go before work and I'm just wearing a T shirt and a pair of shorts, you know, no big. Didn't even bring my phone. Had my, you know, my key to my apartment, you know, stuck in my running bra. And I go. And obviously are clearly I'm not a runner. So, like, after like 10 minutes running on the lake, I was like, this just sucks. Like, I don't like it. I don't care if I'm not in great shape.
0:36:23 - (Lizzie Schreier): This is a horrendous idea. But at this point, I'm kind of far from my apartment. So I'm like, I got time before work. I'm gonna go on one of the piers and I'm just gonna lie down. I'm gonna put my feet in Lake Michigan and I'm just gonna, like, enjoy the morning because, like, not a lot of people were out. And I'm lying down and it's really uncomfortable because you're on wood. And so I look around.
0:36:56 - (Lizzie Schreier): There's literally no one around. Okay, So I take my shorts off, I ball them up, I make a pillow and I put it under my head. I must have fallen sound asleep. It also must have been super windy. I woke up head to toe covered in sand. No shorts. I have no shorts now, truth be told, wasn't probably wearing one of my best beauteous underwear. Right? I have a phone to call anyone and say, can you please come get me? Like, I'm bringing a pair of shorts.
0:37:41 - (Lizzie Schreier): I had to walk two miles in a short shirt and my underwear. And the whole time I'm like pushing it down in the front and then, you know, it goes up in the back and I'm like. Like, I can. I can never leave my apartment. Like, I called in sick to work because I was like, people are gonna know that. That, like, there was someone taking a photo. They're gonna know that was me. I had to walk home in my underwear.
0:38:08 - (Lizzie Schreier): I mean, nowadays, Nowadays probably people do that on purpose.
0:38:14 - (Kate Davis): Oh my God. Thong bathing suits are everywhere.
0:38:17 - (Lizzie Schreier): Yeah, but hey, didn't have the body for it. It was unacceptable. And b. And more importantly, that it was not okay for me, like I said. But still, I. There's just no great story.
0:38:31 - (Kate Davis): And you still tell it, and I love it.
0:38:33 - (Lizzie Schreier): I think it's hilarious.
0:38:35 - (Kate Davis): Yeah, I'm just going to use my shorts as a pillow. Don't worry about it.
0:38:39 - (Lizzie Schreier): And literally, like. Like, one side of my face caked in sand. Oh, the water, it was through. Oh, my God. I was just. I was a mess. I was a mess.
0:38:49 - (Kate Davis): Love it. I am so, so grateful for you taking the time to be with us.
0:38:54 - (Lizzie Schreier): Thank you.
0:38:55 - (Kate Davis): Like, honestly, it's. It's such a wonderful thing to think that someone who is so corporate and so into the digital world and the marketing that you can still have a sense of humor, still do well, still lead your teams with grace and dignity, and. And ultimately have a great bottom line, you know, employee retention, making money. You know, it does work, and you're proof of that, and I love that so much.
0:39:24 - (Kate Davis): I am so grateful. Thank you for being a guest on Humor in the C Suite.
0:39:27 - (Lizzie Schreier): Thank you for inviting me. This was so much fun. Thank you.