Podcast Summary: "Why the Old Work Rules Don’t Apply Anymore"

Podcast: Work with Erika Ayers Badan
Host: Erika Ayers Badan
Episode Title: Why the Old Work Rules Don’t Apply Anymore
Release Date: July 21, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Erika Ayers Badan dives into how traditional workplace expectations and management styles differ from the new realities of work, culture, and leadership. Through candid discussions with her team, Erika explores generational differences, the challenges of leading during organizational transitions, the state of delegation, and why workplace motivation needs a revamp. The episode is layered with humor, firsthand anecdotes, and real talk on what makes work both challenging and fulfilling in today’s world.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Wild Week Ahead & Event Planning (00:34–07:27)

• Team Check-in: Erika and team review their packed upcoming week—meetings with Designport, the "At Home at Work" event, Substack collaborations, product check-ins, and board meetings.
• Event Excitement & Concept:
  Erika shares a new initiative: hosting intimate women-focused conversations in people's living rooms, starting with "At Home at Work" (02:04).
• Collaborations With Influencers:
  The team debates best practices on influencer events—should you pre-arrange social media collaborations or keep things more organic?
  • Erika sides with authenticity:
    "I'm like, don't ask. It makes you look desperate [...] Let's not be inauthentic. [...] If you don't want to collab, you think our office sucks, like, alright, see you later." (06:30)

2. Startup Realities & Merging Cultures (11:37–15:10)

• Managing in July:
  Erika recounts her return from Portland, celebrating the design team's success and sharing her fondness for their creativity.
• The "Finance Sprint":
  She sheds light on the complex reality of integrating two companies post-Covid, dealing with outdated systems, and the anxiety/focus required to "dig out" during tough phases:
  • "We are in a difficult sprint. But I also think this is the best phase of a startup in a lot of ways...you have no choice. It's like the back against the wall moment." (14:04)
• Workplace Mood:
  A nod to the seasonal shift in workplace energy during the summer months and how mid-year reviews offer a chance to reflect and reset.

3. Delegation and Management Styles (15:10–22:00)

• Delegation Dilemma:
  Erika reflects on her impulse to get deep into business details, often initiating more than needed and struggling with when/how to let others take the lead.
• Cracking the Delegation Code:
  The solution, as discussed with team member Suhan, is to shift from asking "what and when" to "how and why"—empowering direct reports and trusting others to deliver.
  • Erika: "It's changing your thinking from what and when...that frees your mind up to ask how and why and to use that to evolve the business." (18:15)
• Parallels to Parenting:
  Erika draws comparisons between learning to delegate at home with teenagers and the workplace:
  • "Work is just the same [...] you have to lay out your expectations and then give people the chance to rise or fail." (19:50)

4. What Winning Actually Means (22:00–22:21)

• Inspired by Golf Pro Scottie Scheffler:
  Erika highlights Scheffler's comments on winning not being the true reward—it’s about the journey, the process, and personal fulfillment:
  • "It's really the journey. It's really the endeavor, the quest to get to a new place, which is ultimately what's so fulfilling." (21:58)

5. Generational Knowledge: Shifting Rules & Work Culture (22:21–26:55)

• Viral Video on Generational Shifts:
  The podcast features a clip about how Millennials and Gen Zs feel misled by the "old rules" of career and life—a poignant metaphor using Monopoly to illustrate generational expectations versus reality.
  • "The point of this video is to say if you're in your late 20s to early 30s and you look at that list of all the things that we got told...the game has changed. The rules are very different now." (24:20)
• Erika's Take:
  Erika validates that the rules of work and life have shifted, critiquing the lack of intergenerational empathy:
  • "The cost of living has changed, upward mobility has changed, the rules have changed, and people have changed...I don't blame Gen Z for being apathetic [...] the dream’s kind of bullshit." (25:32, 26:14)

6. Generational Panel: Management as a Young Leader (26:55–35:28)

Interview with Chelsea (age 26, Social Content Lead)

• First-Time Managing:
  Chelsea describes her management style—drawing lessons from past managers, focusing on open, frequent communication, and balancing support with autonomy.
• Delegation & Feedback:
  Chelsea tracks tasks and deadlines via spreadsheets, admits she hasn't had to give tough feedback yet, and attributes healthy team relations to mutual respect.
• Blurred Social Boundaries:
  Discussion shifts to the balance of friendship and professionalism at work—team members are young, camaraderie and off-hours socializing are common:
  • Chelsea: "Everyone here is my friend, whether they want to be or not." (32:37)

Erika’s Reflections on Early Management:

• Started managing people at 24–25.

• Early missteps included being too friendly with direct reports, hosting in-office wine parties—professional boundaries were sometimes overlooked.

  • Erika: "I would say most everything was a mess up. [...] my whole identity, all my friendships are wrapped up in this job." (34:00)

• Creative Cultures:
  Erika and Chelsea agree that strong intra-team bonds enable creative work but recognize the need for boundaries and shared language.

7. Old Phrases, New Realities: Is "Giving 110%" Outdated? (35:28–End)

• Strategery Segment:
  Erika dissects the classic workplace call for "giving 110%." She jokes that it evokes images of middle-aged men in vests and challenges whether this metric resonates with Gen Z and Millennials.
  • "I'm a big believer in the 110%. I think the best people give 190%, 3,000%. Like, insert the number here. But I think it's one of those old school corporate sayings which really doesn't probably have the resonance to a new audience at work." (35:29)
• Employees today, she argues, want internal motivation, not arbitrary effort metrics.
  • "They’re gonna decide what gets 110%. And I think the question for managers and leaders is how do you get inside of somebody and inspire them to want to go all out because they feel passionate about it?" (36:20)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Influencer Partnerships
  Erika: "Don't ask. It makes you look desperate...Let's not be inauthentic. [...] If you don't want to collab, you think our office sucks, like, all right, see you later." (06:30)

• On Startup Hardships & Urgency
  "You have no choice. It's like the back against the wall moment where you have to make a choice on how are you going to dig out of this." (14:04)

• On Delegation
  "It's changing your thinking from 'what and when'...that frees your mind up to ask 'how and why' and to use that to evolve the business." (18:15)

• On Generational Frustration
  Clip: "Boomers and older millennials got to play Monopoly for real...We were old enough that we got to see it being played...Only to do all that and then learn...They were never going to let us play anyways." (23:30–24:30)

• On Boundary Setting in Creative Teams
  Chelsea: "Everyone here is my friend, whether they want to be or not." (32:37)

• On Workplace Motivation
  Erika: "People don't want to have a boss anymore. Like, they want work, they don't want a job. And so giving 110%, I actually...I think the more people I observe in their 20s and 30s, they want that to come from within." (35:49)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:34 – 07:27 | Weekly team planning, "At Home at Work" concept, influencer debates
• 11:37 – 15:10 | Integrating teams, the finance sprint, summer mood in the office
• 15:10 – 22:00 | Reflections on delegation, management, and accountability
• 22:00 – 22:21 | The meaning of winning (inspired by Scottie Scheffler)
• 22:21 – 26:55 | Generational knowledge: workplace rules and shifting dreams
• 26:55 – 35:28 | Young manager panel: challenges, feedback, navigating social-professional boundaries
• 35:28 – End | "110%" and why old motivational phrases don’t resonate with new generations

Final Thoughts

Erika Ayers Badan and team paint a clear picture: the old rules—how we measure effort, connect as colleagues, and even define success—are rapidly evolving. To thrive, leaders need to foster trust, embrace generational differences, and create space for intrinsic motivation. As the episode closes, Erika invites listeners to challenge old tropes and help build a new playbook fit for today’s work reality.