Think status is just about fancy titles and corner offices? Think again. Behavioral Scientist Jordan Birnbaum reveals how understanding status is really about belonging – not hierarchy or power.

Once you understand status as a tool for positioning and connection, it becomes a powerful motivator. Jordan shares how middle managers can use status to boost team engagement and why traditional management structures might be setting leaders up for failure.

In this episode, Jordan breaks down the often misunderstood concept of status and how it’s more powerful than traditional recognition for motivating teams. He explores an innovative approach to management by splitting roles between “work leaders” and “people leaders,” addressing the impossible demands placed on today’s middle managers. 

Through practical examples and analogies, Jordan provides a tactical way to boost team members’ status through intentional storytelling and role clarity.

Want to transform how you motivate your team? This episode offers powerful insights and practical tools to help you tap into status as a motivator. Learn how a small shift in how you recognize and position your team members can create lasting engagement and stronger team dynamics.

Key Highlights

• Status is about positioning relative to others and exists anywhere humans engage
• Recognition acknowledges the past; status implies value for the future
• The “Swiss Army Knife” effect: How giving team members clear roles boosts belonging
• Why saying “and that is why we need you” transforms standard recognition into status-building
• An organizational solution for overwhelmed middle managers: separating work leadership from people leadership
• Why asking yourself if you like being patient with people is a good indicator you like the people leadership part of your job.
• Tomorrow’s action item: Write down why you need each person on the team and share it with them

Resources/Links Mentioned

• The Glinda Group: www.glindagroup.com
• Psychology Today articles: https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-uncertainty-principal
• SCARF Model by David Rock: https://neuroleadership.com/your-brain-at-work/scarf-model-motivate-your-employees
• The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller

Full Bio

Jordan Birnbaum is the Co-Founder and Chief Thinker / Doer of The Glinda Group, which deploys workshops, tools and consulting to drive engagement from the inside out: employees to customers to prospects.

He is also the author of the popular Psychology Today column, “The Uncertainty Principal – A Fresh Take on Organizational Psychology.”

Jordan became a recognized leader in the field of applied behavioral science when Compass, the leadership development product that he conceptualized and developed for ADP, won HR Tech’s Product of the Year in 2017. Across hundreds of companies and tens of thousands of users, Compass sustained participation rates over 90% and leader score improvements averaged 10%.

Prior to ADP, Jordan was the owner / operator of The Vanguard in Hollywood, a 20,000 sq. ft. music venue voted #4 venue in the US by DJ magazine in 2008. Clients included Disney, Dreamworks, Paramount, Fox, and hosted the world premiere and first-ever run of Rock of Ages.

Jordan was also a founding employee at Juno Online Services, helping the company reach a successful IPO as SVP, Business Development, generating an annual run rate of $44 million, one of the highest among Internet 1.0 companies.

Jordan has an MA in Industrial / Organizational Psychology from NYU and a BS in Policy Analysis from Cornell University.