November 4, 2024 • 47 mins
Unlock the secrets of authentic leadership with Lasha Murray, the visionary founder of The Unapologetic Leadership Coach. Lasha introduces her groundbreaking BANG framework—Belonging, Authenticity, Networking, and Growth—designed to create meaningful professional connections. Together, we tackle the challenges young professionals face in maintaining their authenticity amidst workplace conformity and explore how leaders can foster individuality without compromising their organization's identity. Lasha's insights promise to transform the way you view leadership and community-building in the workplace.
Our conversation with Lasha highlights the critical role leaders play in creating inclusive spaces by setting aside personal biases. Tune in to discover practical strategies for promoting individual growth and team collaboration, including the "stop, start, and continue" feedback framework. With engaging stories, like a child's desire to dye their hair, we explore how unconscious biases shape decision-making. Lasha emphasizes the importance of building authentic connections and offers tips for leaders to immerse themselves in their teams' daily experiences, aligning leadership with the dynamic needs of modern workplaces.
Get ready for a dose of enthusiasm as we introduce the exciting series of live coaching sessions coming this November. Lasha shares how these transformative webinars will cover essential career development topics, from salary negotiation to mastering interviews, ensuring an open and inclusive atmosphere. As we gear up for the rapid-fire coaching sessions, the excitement is palpable—join us to experience firsthand the power of authentic leadership and community building. This episode promises an engaging journey toward fostering a more connected and thriving workplace.
Sign Up for Lasha's Webinar.
Email Lasha Murray at info@theunapologeticleadershipcoach.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Keith Greer, CFRE (00:05):
Hey there, hi , and welcome back ambitious
fundraisers.
I'm so excited about today'sepisode because we're diving
into a conversation that touchesthe core of what it means to be
an authentic leader in today'sfast-evolving workplace.
Joining us is Leysha Murray, apowerhouse leader, corporate
veteran and founder of theUnapologetic Leadership Coach.
Leisha spent more than twodecades navigating the corporate
(00:28):
world, but one of the thingsthat makes her special is how
she's taken all that experienceand shifted her focus to helping
young professionals build theirleadership through soft skills,
authenticity and community.
In today's chat, we're going toexplore three major themes.
First, we'll discuss thestruggle young professionals
often face when trying to staytrue to themselves in
(00:49):
environments that valueconformity.
Leysha will help us understandthe challenges and offer some
key strategies for how leaderscan encourage authenticity
without compromising ourorganization's identity.
Then we'll walk throughLeysisha's own BANG framework,
which she designed specificallyto help people build meaningful,
lasting professionalconnections.
(01:09):
You're going to love howpractical and powerful this is.
Finally, we'll dig into whyrelationships, community and
connections matter more thanever.
We'll talk about how leaderscan build strong communities,
especially when leading teamsfrom Gen Z, who value that sense
of connection and belonging sodeeply.
By the end of this episode,you'll see how these three big
(01:31):
ideas authenticity, intentionalnetworking and community
building all tie together toform the blueprint for a
thriving in the modern workplace.
So let's dive in and startunpacking this wisdom with
Laisha Murray.
Laisha is the owner and founderof the Unapologetic Leadership
Coach, a coaching firmspecializing in soft skills,
training and career development.
(01:52):
With a focus on leadershipdevelopment, the firm helps
organizations retain top talentby equipping leaders with
essential interpersonal skills.
The Unapologetic LeadershipCoach empowers professionals to
cultivate effectivecommunication, emotional
intelligence and strategicthinking abilities through
personalized coaching programs.
(02:12):
By prioritizing these softskills, the firm enables
organizations to foster aculture of growth, collaboration
and success, ultimatelyenhancing employee engagement
and retention.
Leysha, welcome to the podcast.
Lasha Murray (02:29):
Thank you, I'm so happy to be here.
It's so weird to listen tosomeone read your accolades.
Keith Greer, CFRE (02:40):
But they're such amazing accolades anyways,
I'm so excited.
I want to dive in and just kindof ask you what are some of the
biggest challenges you seeyoung professionals facing when
trying to stay authentic inenvironments that demand
conformity.
Lasha Murray (02:49):
Well, I feel like there's so many organizations
that haven't updated theirpolicies as it relates to their
programs, their policies, theirprocedures and how people can
bring their true selves intowork, their dress code.
Some policies still have notattoos, which why, why does
that matter?
I've said into interviews wherewe interview younger generation
(03:09):
and they don't have on a suit,maybe they just have on a button
up and jeans and we still havepeople going.
I don't know if we should offerthem the opportunity they
didn't have on a suit and I haveto remind people that we need
to move into the new generation.
Just because they don't have ona suit, just because they come
(03:32):
in different, it doesn't meanthat they cannot add value.
They cannot createopportunities that really
promote a healthy workenvironment.
The young people are it.
I am currently raising threeGen Zers and let me tell you
something they are soinspirational to me and a lot of
people call them lazy, but Idon't think they're lazy at all.
(03:52):
I think they are the bestgeneration to show us how to
show up authentically asthemselves.
They are demanding more, theyare asking the tough questions
and they are actually pushingthe status quo to be different,
based on what organizations havekind of built a foundation
around and I'm inspired, I'mexcited about them and I cannot
wait for organizations to jumpon board and truly change their
(04:16):
cultures so that we can promotesome belonging in these kids and
not kids Let me not say kids.
I don't want you to feel likeyou're not a grown up but in
this younger generation.
Keith Greer, CFRE (04:28):
So true, so true, and I think that's a very
common misconception from everygeneration to the new generation
coming in is that they're lazy,they're entitled, they're
narcissistic.
We heard that as millennialsgrowing up, and I'm sure Gen X
heard that from the people abovethem and boomers probably heard
that from the people above them, and I think part of that is
(04:49):
just being a young person andhaving a different way of
lifestyle.
So it's not necessarily agenerational thing.
I think it's just a part ofbeing young and not having the
same values and priorities assomebody that's in their 50s or
60s.
But it absolutely does not meanthat they don't have the
dedication, the drive, theambition and certainly the
(05:11):
intelligence.
It's just a different way ofoperating at a different point
in our lives.
Lasha Murray (05:17):
And oftentimes we think that they're not
articulate, that they don't dowell at communicating and some
of that could very well be true,right, because I have teenagers
and they're not the best atcommunicating.
But what?
Keith Greer, CFRE (05:27):
is the nature is.
Lasha Murray (05:29):
I mean.
But here's the thing there aredefinitely some adults that I
know that aren't great atcommunicating.
But here's my question that mypushback that I give to
organizations that I facilitatetraining for, okay, great, if
you don't think they're greatcommunicators, now what?
What are we going to do aboutit?
Are we just going to keeptalking about it?
Are we going to createsolutions to make sure that we
incorporate them into the needsthat we need to foster their
(05:51):
environment and them wanting tobe here, or else they're going
to just keep on shucking upthose deuces and leaving
organizations left and right.
Keith Greer, CFRE (05:59):
So true.
Can you share a time in yourown leadership journey when you
had to make a decision betweenbeing authentic and fitting in,
and how did that affect youpersonally and professionally?
Lasha Murray (06:10):
Yeah, I remember this very vividly because it was
kind of the pivotal moment thatchanged my career.
I had just recently beenpromoted to a manager and so in
the claims operation so Istarted out as a claims adjuster
on the phone, taking phonecalls, and then I worked my way
up to becoming a claims manager,and so as a part of that new
role, there was a series like asix-week class, if you will.
(06:34):
That was for all of the leaderswho were recently promoted into
claims managers, teaching themhow to lead teams.
So there was some HR sessions,there were branding sessions,
where it was all about what isyour brand.
And part of that discussion wasfacilitated by the leader who
actually hired me, and so I'llnever forget, he calls me to his
desk and I'm sitting down andhe's like okay, so let's talk
(06:56):
about your brand.
And so, of course, I sit downbecause I'm excited, because
this energy, this passion, thisengagement that you all are
currently witnessing, it's me,that's just who I am.
Keith Greer, CFRE (07:06):
So I sit down and I'm excited.
Lasha Murray (07:08):
I'm like, yes, let's talk about it.
And he says you know you reallythe whole thing where you keep
changing your hair, it doesn'treally, it's not fitting for
this type of culture.
You always wear really brightclothes and you're always so
really matchy and I understandthat that's kind of the culture
(07:29):
of where you're from, but itprobably would be better if you
kind of left that in your rearview mirror.
So we would like you to be morelike Michelle Obama or Oprah.
Now, mind you, I am maybe late.
I am late 20s, right and sohe's now telling me I should be
(07:49):
more like Oprah, which is 20 to25 years my senior, if not more.
Same for Michelle Obama.
He's like I really need you toleave Detroit in your review
mirror because this company isalways going to be ran by a man
and if you want to be a part ofthe Good Old Boys Club, we're
going to need to feelcomfortable with you sitting at
(08:09):
our table and right now, yourpassion and your ability to
always speak up and always havesomething to say and then kind
of how you look, it'll never beaccepted at the Good Old Boys
table.
So just want to give yousomething to think about.
And I remember sitting there inmy head going don't you cry,
(08:32):
don't you cry, don't you givehim the satisfaction of crying.
And so I didn't cry.
And then the other thing I wassaying in my head is don't hit
him, laysha, you need this job.
And I just said thank you foryour feedback.
I got up, I immediately packedup my things and I left for the
day because it was the only waythat I was going to be able to
keep my job.
(08:53):
And then I went home and Icried like a baby and I listened
to him.
I allowed his feedback topenetrate me in a way where I
completely changed who I was.
I wore dark colors.
I wore blacks and browns andblues.
I wore little earrings.
Anybody who knows me knows thebigger the hoops, the better.
I kept my hair the same.
(09:14):
I changed my hair like Ichanged my clothes.
My hair, to me, is an accessory.
It's the last thing that I puton to put my outfit on, and so I
wore the same hair.
I put on to, you know, put myoutfit on, and so I wore the
same hair.
I really just dimmed who I was.
I still produce results.
I still got my job done.
I was still an effective leader, but I wasn't doing it as my
true, authentic self.
I was leaving myself in the carand bringing a version of who I
(09:37):
thought they wanted to see inthe building and then fast
forward maybe six months or so.
I got a new leader and I havebeen working with her for a
couple of months and she pulledme to her desk and she said I'm
going to tell you I was superexcited to meet you and I was
excited to have you on my team.
When I had a download withother leaders about the team
that I was acquiring, they allspoke very highly of you.
(10:00):
You had such great energy, youinspired others to get the
results done and I just Ihaven't met her.
So where, where is she?
And it was really the firsttime that I had just spoke up in
(10:20):
my professional, in myprofessional world, about what
had been said to me, because Inever told anybody, obviously
other than my husband, but Ididn't say anything to anyone,
and so I kind of just rambled itall off to her and she had some
pleasant words to describe thatperson who said what he said to
me.
But she said I want you to comeback tomorrow who you were
before.
You got that feedback, and sodid I.
I came back in the next day.
I changed my hair.
(10:40):
I wore a bright orange shirt.
I am one of those matchy people, so I had a bright orange shirt
, orange earrings, orange shoes.
Like I was super excited and itabsolutely changed the way I
showed up.
Although I thought that I wasstill producing results.
I was still inspiring my teamto get things done.
I was doing it in a differentversion that didn't fit the body
(11:01):
that I was walking in, and soher creating that space for me
to feel like I could belong andthat I could bring myself is
truly what changed thetrajectory of my career, and
from that day forward, I neverallowed anyone to make me
conform.
I tell people I don't fit intothe boxes people try to put me
in.
I'm a triangle.
I poke out of the side.
Keith Greer, CFRE (11:22):
I love what you were saying about how
somebody was trying to dim yourlight, and I think that's
something that all of us haveprobably experienced at some
point in our careers.
And when you're finally able tolet go of that and to shine as
bright as you possibly can, somany new opportunities come to
you and people are reallygravitated towards that shining
(11:44):
light in a way that's reallyremarkable and almost
indescribable, right.
And I think when I first sawyou, when I first met you, like
I could tell how bright you wereshining and I was just like, oh
, that's a special person andthat's somebody to get to know.
So what was it that was able toflip that switch so fast in
yourself from the dim light tothe shining light?
Lasha Murray (12:07):
Honestly, permission.
I was seeking permission from aleader because here's the thing
when somebody who hired you andhas influence over your career
tells you you need to do this,this, this, this and this, when
do you go?
I mean you feel like, okay, Ihave to conform because the
person who hired me, the personwho makes decisions over my
(12:28):
career and how my career candevelop or not, is telling me
this.
So when I had a leader whocreated the space to say you
know what?
Forget what you were told, comeback the way that you were, she
gave me permission.
And once she gave me thatpermission, I never seeked to
get it from anyone else, becauseall I needed it was once, and
that's that's.
You just need one person to sayyou, it's okay to be you.
(12:52):
And then, once you have that oneperson that says it, and then
not only says it but followsthrough by encouraging it when
you do come in as yourself goingyes, I'm so happy to see you.
Yes, bring all of that energyand then create space for you to
insert those parts of yourpersonality into your workspace.
It changes the game.
It really does.
It changes how a person feels.
(13:14):
It changes the tie to theorganization.
It changes the tie to themission.
If more people understood thebenefit of allowing people to be
themselves and create a senseof belonging, they would be
surprised, and the innovationand the results and the
collaboration that comes out ofit.
Keith Greer, CFRE (13:30):
Yeah, I think that getting permission,
especially from somebody that'sin a leadership position over
you, is such an important piecebecause it hits differently than
if a co-worker says it to youor if somebody that you're
managing says it to you.
But to get that permission fromsomebody who does have that
power and authority over yourjob is really important.
So what advice would you giveto leaders who want to encourage
(13:53):
authenticity among their teamswithout compromising the
company's identity?
Lasha Murray (13:57):
I think sometimes leaders make things very
personal that don't need to beright.
So there are situations where,if you remove self from the
equation, it's funny becausewhen I started to create these
changes in my, in myself, atwork, I led differently.
I led people differently,because I truly use that as an
experience to hone in.
(14:19):
And so one of the things thatmy husband and I my one of my
kids is like mom, can I, like,dye my tips blonde?
And my husband's I one of mykids is like mom, can I dye my
tips blonde?
And my husband's likeabsolutely not.
And so I have to take a stepback and go.
Why?
What does his blonde tips haveto do with you?
How does that impact you?
How does that change you?
What does that do for you?
And he really had to take astep back and go.
(14:40):
Well, it doesn't.
And so that's the same advicethat I would give to a leader
when you're considering havingconversations with people about
their outer appearance and whatthey look like.
Take a step back and go.
Is this you?
Is this your unconscious bias?
Is this something that you'reused to seeing, you're used to
promoting, you're used to beinga part of the corporate culture
(15:02):
and then ask yourself do I wantto be a part of the solution or
do I want to be a part of thecorporate culture?
And then ask yourself do I wantto be a part of the solution or
do I want to be a part of theproblem?
Do I want to be an obstacle, doI want to be a barrier, or do I
want to inspire this person tobe the best version of them that
they can be?
And in order to truly do that,you have to remove yourself from
the situation.
You have to think about whatyour unconscious biases could be
(15:24):
and then, if you know that youhave some or maybe you don't
know that you have them maybejust having some conversations
with your team.
One of the things that Iencourage leaders to do is a
stop, start and continue, and sojust have a conversation with
the individual and then alsohave a conversation as a whole
team.
So, as an individual, as yourleader, what is something that I
(15:46):
do that you could grow from,benefit from or be inspired by?
If I just stopped doing it andallowed you to have space to do
X, what would that look like?
What about?
What is something that I canstart doing?
Do you feel like I don't do,I'm not supportive, or I don't
recognize you the way that youwanna be recognized?
What can I do to start tosupport you differently and then
(16:08):
, of course, continue?
Obviously, I would hope thatyou are a good enough leader,
that there are some things thatyou are doing that are
beneficial to your team.
So what can I continue to do tosupport you?
But I just think it's removingyourself from it and then
focusing on the person, and thenfocusing on the team as a whole
and then determining where youcan create space.
Keith Greer, CFRE (16:28):
Yeah, now you've also created a great
framework for helping peoplestart building their leadership,
and you call this the BANGframework.
Walk us through that.
Lasha Murray (16:38):
So, yeah, do you offer BANG with your book?
So BANG.
So B starts for creating asense of belonging.
Right, and so what does thatlook like?
Creating a sense of belongingis more than just giving people
the opportunity to speak in aroom, but it's also preparing
people, preparing them forsuccess, asking them do they
feel like they belong?
How can we help?
(16:59):
You feel like there's things inthis organization that you
could benefit from, or programsor things of that nature.
So, really figuring out likesome companies have what they
call diversity business programs.
So what does that look like?
Are you a part of thosediversity programs?
Because if you don'tparticipate in any of that,
however you're pushing it onyour team to, then that doesn't
(17:19):
tell me that you really supportit, Right, and so what does
creating that sense of belonginglook like?
And then the A is an authenticwork environment.
Right, I shouldn't have toleave myself in the car to be
able to come into work and do myjob.
Do you allow people the spaceto be themselves?
And a lot of people thinkauthenticity is only what I look
like.
But it's not only what you looklike.
(17:39):
It's authentic and thought,like diversity and thought.
Do you automatically shutpeople down when they don't
think like you, act like you,speak like you.
So creating space for people tobe themselves is more than what
they look like, it's also howthey sound.
Do you still have policies orprocedures where there's issues
with the way people speak, ortattoos or things of that nature
(18:02):
?
Right, Anything that requirespeople to show up differently?
Now, obviously there needs tobe rules in an organization so
that we're all safe andprotected.
But take a step back and reallyunderstand is it personal to
you or is it really somethingthat can change the culture?
And then networking the N is fornetworking and building
relationships.
A lot of people think thatnetworking and building
(18:23):
relationships are the same thing, but they're not.
And so, from an organizationalstandpoint and from a leader,
how are you creating space forpeople to network?
Do you give them time tonetwork?
Are you teaching them how tonetwork?
Are you introducing them toyour network to be able to
create those opportunities forthem?
And then are you buildingrelationships?
Because networking is kind ofsurface and then building
(18:44):
relationships is going deeperlearning more about the person,
learning more about what they do, so that you can make a
personal connection and thenbuild sponsorship and allies,
but people are the new.
I tell, I say this all the timepeople are the new currency.
And if you don't haverelationships, if you're not
networking, your network is onlyas big as your network, right?
(19:05):
And so if you're my leader andyou don't get out and you're not
promoting yourself, you're notpromoting the team, then my
network is only as big as yours.
And so what does that look like?
And then, lastly, the G isgrowth, growth potential.
So I can do all of this work tomake sure that I am prepared.
But what does your successionlook like?
How are you growing me in theorganization?
Are you setting me up foropportunities to maybe present
(19:27):
to different leaders?
Are you speaking to me in a waythat pours into me so that I
can grow in my career?
And I tell people, if you thinkabout any issues that you're
having in your organization, Iguarantee you they fit under any
one of those pillars of notoffering bang with your buck.
Keith Greer, CFRE (19:45):
Yeah, and you emphasize, belonging is the
first element in BANG, not justbecause it makes a nice acronym,
but why is belongingfoundational for building strong
professional networks?
Lasha Murray (20:09):
can't see themselves staying at your
organization.
And so what does your executiveleadership look like?
What do the managers look like?
Do I see myself in any of them?
Do you have programs thatbenefit me or that help me?
Do you care?
Some people think, oh, that'sjust common Caring.
No, being empathetic and caring.
We're in such a generationwhere people are desensitized
and they're like like the Gen Zsoh, they're so lazy, are they?
(20:33):
Or have you lost your abilityto inspire them?
And so we're so quick to wantto point the finger and say this
is why things are happening.
But I tell people there arethree more fingers pointing back
at you, and I can almostguarantee, if I don't feel like
you treat me in a way that Ibelong, that effective
communication, if you haven'tbuilt any trust, like all of
(20:53):
those things, are what isrequired for people to feel like
they belong here.
And if I don't belong here, amI going to be innovative?
No, am I going to want to giveyou extra, because we all know
that doing your nine to five isjust not enough.
There is a little bit of extrathat is going to be needed.
Am I going to want to do thatif I don't feel like you care or
that I belong here.
No, and so belonging is thebiggest paramount, and making
(21:17):
sure that everything else fallsinto place.
Keith Greer, CFRE (21:19):
Yeah, can you walk us through how a young
professional might use the Bingframework to really network
effectively, especially ifthey're just starting out?
Lasha Murray (21:27):
Yeah, really network effectively, especially
if they're just starting out.
Yeah, so a lot of people, a lotof my young Gen Z generation,
are like oh, laisha, I'm just.
When it comes down tonetworking, there's network
fatigue.
I just don't want to do itanymore.
And so what I would tell myyouth is just one you want to
make sure that you're thesubject matter expert in your
(21:48):
space, right, because here's thething I can make sure that you
belong all day long.
But if you can't even tell mewhat you do, if you can't tell
me what your job entails, if youcan't articulate, step by step,
how your business or how whatyou do helps move the business,
(22:08):
do you really belong?
Is this really the job for you?
Are you really growing yourcareer?
And then here's the thingthere's this acronym, wifm.
What's in it?
For me, it's still a business,and so you have to present
yourself in a way that makebusiness decisions that best
suit your business needs,because the organization is
going to do the same.
(22:28):
So, when it comes to belonging,are you always a person that is
nagging about?
I don't belong, I don't belong,but I don't belong.
But yet when there are events,when there are opportunities
that presented, you're notattending any of them.
You're not, you're notavailable.
Or when it comes toauthenticity, you're only
authentic depending on yoursurroundings, right?
So when you're around certainpeople, you only allow people to
(22:49):
see a version of you.
Be okay with being exactly whoyou are, but being in a
professional way.
So what does that look like foryou?
And then just making sure thatwhat your network looks like.
I tell people all the timenetworking can be fun.
It doesn't have to be fatigue.
Networking doesn't have to bereally hard, and neither does
building relationships.
If you're being your true self.
(23:10):
Now, if you're trying to be aversion of yourself, then, yeah,
it can get really hard, but ifyou're just create the
opportunities, that are simplefor you.
So if you're walking down thehallway and you see someone with
an outfit or a pair of kicks ora hat or whatever that you're
interested in start aconversation, if you are someone
who are like absolutely notLeisha, that is terrifying to me
(23:32):
Then figure out what that lookslike for you, right?
So figure out what that thingis that you really love and then
find the people who love itjust as much as you do and make
that your tribe.
There's really a lot of waysthat you can implement, bang in
your every day.
And then here's the other thingthat I'm going to challenge
people to do.
It's one thing to want to feellike you belong and be authentic
(23:54):
and network and build and thengrow.
But are you creating space forothers?
What do you do to create thatsame opportunity for others in
your workspace?
So if you don't belong and ifyou don't treat other people
like they belong, and if youostracize people, or if you
don't belong and if you don'ttreat other people like they
(24:15):
belong, and if you ostracizepeople, or if you're keeping
them, atentic.
Keith Greer, CFRE (24:18):
it's actually work right.
So how do you because beingauthentic in a workplace can be
scary, it's emotionallyvulnerable how do you help
people kind of really dive intobeing that authentic person when
(24:42):
they're meeting brand newpeople for the very first time?
Lasha Murray (24:45):
So I always tell people to be prepared to talk
about three things.
So always be prepared to havethree things that you talk about
.
One should definitely be yourjob right.
You should be able toarticulate what you do for the
business and how you move thebusiness forward or series that
(25:11):
you're currently into yoursports team, your college,
something that could create kindof a connection of a oh yay, I
love that team too.
And then the third thing isalways wear something that you
feel most comfortable in.
Whenever you're going to network, don't wear something stuffy or
boxy or something that you'regoing to be tugging on or you
don't feel comfortable in,because it will automatically
make you resume and go inwardRight.
(25:33):
And so I always tell my clientsthat like, for me, my superpower
is lipstick.
I love like, whenever I'm not inthe mood, I'm going to put on a
really cute lipstick and someearrings and let's go.
So if that, for you, is a yourfavorite pair of sneakers or a
pair of socks, or your favoriteshirt or jeans, or you're going
to spike your hair a littledifferent, I would say dare to
(25:54):
be different, because beingauthentic does take being
courageous, and sometimes beingcourageous is uncomfortable.
But on the other side ofuncomfortableness is growth, and
if you don't ever push yourselfto be uncomfortable, then you
will remain stagnant and stayexactly where you are, and so I
can't tell you that it's goingto be comfortable.
It's not going to be easy, butwhat I can say is when you're
(26:17):
not pretending and being someonethat you're not, it makes it a
little easier, because you getto be exactly who you are, and
the favorite thing that you haveon that makes you feel
comfortable talking aboutsomething that you should know,
which is what you love and thenwhat you do.
Keith Greer, CFRE (26:33):
Yeah, it reminds me of a quote that I
think is often misattributed toDr Seuss, but it's one that I've
really tried to live my life by, which is be who you are and
say what you feel, because thepeople who matter won't mind and
the people who mind don'tmatter.
And I think that's just kind ofa really nice way of saying if
(26:56):
you show up authentically, yourtribe will find you and they
will gather around you, and thenyou have those genuine
connections, as opposed topretending to be somebody that
you're not and having to work atmaintaining that.
Lasha Murray (27:07):
So it's just not sustainable.
Keith Greer, CFRE (27:09):
It's not.
Lasha Murray (27:10):
It's not it's not, it's exhausting.
Keith Greer, CFRE (27:11):
It's exhausting.
So do you have a time when youwere using the BANG framework
that really helps someone inyour coaching practice make that
kind of meaningful connection?
Lasha Murray (27:21):
I do so.
I am an executive coach and Ihad an executive that reached
out and said I feel that I am sofar removed from the people
because of their role.
They were they had, they werehere, right, and they had maybe
six direct reports, and thentheir direct reports had direct
reports, and then the peopleright the worker bees, the
(27:41):
people that get things done arein the trenches.
She was three levels removedfrom, and the reputation that
she had started to receive isthat she was a hammer.
She wasn't very pleasant.
She had spent a lot of timebeing about the numbers and the
data and the mission and thestrategy and the vision that she
forgot that the people downhere are the people who actually
(28:03):
get it done.
So she was so disconnected fromthem and she's like you know,
leisha, I just really want anopportunity to lead it
differently.
I want them to see medifferently.
I want people.
I keep telling people that Ihave an open door but no one
ever comes through it, and so weput together a plan, right, the
bang.
So let's talk about do you feellike you belong and what does
(28:26):
that look like for you Ifsomebody created a space where
you felt like you could walkinto it and it was great.
What would that look like?
And then we figured out how wecan create that and how she
showed up for others and thenlike when's the last time you
wore a pair of jeans to work?
When's the last time you woresomething that wasn't so
buttoned up and so tight andboxy?
(28:46):
That made you look morecomfortable and presentable?
Because I know on the weekendyou're not wearing these
business suits, are you?
And she's like absolutely not,and I said so.
How do you make yourself morepresentable?
You show up like some of theemployees that work for you.
You wear your favorite team haton team day or you create
opportunities for people to showthemselves.
(29:09):
So if you don't have a team dayor a fun day, create that.
And so we created a fun day forher team where they got to wear
their favorite sports jersey orwhatever it was for that moment
.
And then that worked really well, because then they were able to
talk about what their favoriteteams were or whatever that was,
(29:29):
and she got to connect withsome people and learn more
things about the people that shedidn't know.
And then I told her you need togo get in the business.
That means you need to pull upyour sleeves and get your hands
dirty.
Go sit down, go listen to somephone calls, go hear and
understand what is happening inyour business three levels down,
because it is very telling tothe problems that your employees
(29:50):
are facing that some leadersare too scared to tell you about
.
But you don't have to make themtell you because you're going
to go learn for yourself, and soI don't know if you ever
watched that show.
What was it?
Secret Boss or something likethat.
Keith Greer, CFRE (30:04):
Oh, Undercover Boss.
Lasha Murray (30:06):
Undercover Boss and I said you don't have to be
undercover, but you canabsolutely go be in the trenches
and see what other people aredoing.
And then we also hosted avolunteer event.
And so she hosted a volunteerevent at a food bank somewhere
where it was giving to others,and when people are in a giving
spirit, you often learn moreabout them.
They're more open to speak andtalk and tell you more about
(30:28):
what is going on.
And so we just kind of createdall of these pockets and moments
where she could really get toknow the people who worked for
her.
And then, after she did that,it also changed the way that she
led.
It changed the way that shespoke to people.
It changed the way herleadership reported things to
her, because she became moreopen and she became more of a
(30:50):
safe and trusting place wherepeople felt like they truly
could talk to her and come toher.
And now she tells me all thetime girl, I want to close my
door because it's way open andeveryone's always coming through
it, but she said it's a goodproblem to have, and she was
able to be more.
The other thing that helped herbe is more proactive instead of
reactive, because usually shewas the reaction to the reports
(31:13):
that she was receiving, versusnow I'm down in the trenches, I
can see it before it comes, andmaybe we can streamline some
processes and then get a betteropportunity to speak to the
people handling and going.
What do you think, what do youthink we should do?
And so, of course, we did thestop, start and continue, and
she has truly turned around herleadership talent.
(31:34):
She's turned around how peoplereport to her and she's turned
around her area.
And then the other thing thatpeople forget is when you make
necessary changes and peoplefrom across the way see this.
They then go hey, what are youdoing different?
Something's different about you.
Let me learn more about it,because I see what you're doing
and I want to do it, and so itreally inspired other people who
(31:57):
may have not been necessarilygetting down to the trenches, to
understand their business too.
Keith Greer, CFRE (32:01):
Yeah, and making those connections with
your employees is so valuableand so critical, and it goes
right to what you were sayingearlier, that people are the new
currency.
Can you explain to us what thatmeans and how that idea has
shaped your leadershipphilosophy?
Lasha Murray (32:16):
Yeah.
So my mom used to always sayeveryone cleans toilets around
here.
No one was ever better thananyone to me.
I love the admins.
I've talked to the custodialworkers.
It's one of those things where,if you truly care about the
people, the people will careabout you.
When you pour into others,others pour into you.
You will never find your cupempty if you fill it with loving
(32:40):
other people.
And so I know that that soundsso kumbaya, let's hold hands and
rock side by side, but it istruly the thing, because here's
the thing that I tell my clientswhen you pour into other people
, when you tell people what youdo, when you're able to
articulate exactly who you are,they start to speak your name in
rooms that your feet nevertouch, which then starts to
(33:03):
create opportunities for you,opportunities that never even
existed.
And so I'll give you an exampleAt one point, I was chief of
staff to a claims operator, tothe claims executive, and so we
were responsible for 6,500employees.
He had about 19 to 20 executivesthat reported to him, and one
of the things that he was farremoved from the people.
(33:26):
He wasn't just he.
He wasn't far removed, but hewas not.
He didn't know enough, right?
And so what I would do is,every Friday, I would just go
walk the floors How's everybodydoing?
How are things going?
What if you, if you, could haveBarbie dream house?
What would it look like?
And then I started to reportthat stuff back to him, and then
he started to get excited aboutit, and so then he started to
(33:48):
come down and talk to the people.
Once he started to talk to thepeople, we can start
implementing things thatprevented us from risk.
So we were able to catchsomething before it became a
risk.
And so people are the newcurrency, and if you don't
invest in the people, they willcontinue to vote with their feet
.
They will continue to lead yourorganizations, because they're
(34:10):
not just numbers, they areactual people.
And then when you use thosepeople or not use right, when
you leverage is a better wordthose relationships, you build
allies, you build sponsorship,you have mentors.
It just creates an opportunityfor you to be better.
Keith Greer, CFRE (34:26):
Yeah.
Lasha Murray (34:27):
And it gives you different perspectives as well.
Keith Greer, CFRE (34:29):
Yeah, and I love that very specific action
of going and walking the floorsand getting to know the people
within your organization.
What are some small butimpactful ways leaders can build
community within theirorganizations, especially when
they're working with, maybe likea Gen Z employee?
Lasha Murray (34:44):
So understanding them.
So taking the time to sit downand say how do you like to be
recognized?
What motivates you?
Tell me a little bit about yourhome life, like single married
kids, because then you canunderstand what that's a part of
their motivation and then italso builds an opportunity for
empathy and connection.
And so if I know that you havea five-year-old at home and you
(35:08):
come in one day and you're likerushing, it could be because
that five-year-old made youbehind or there was some.
You know five-year-olds arevery, they can throw your day
off right and so it gives you anopportunity to build empathy.
I think the other thing isreally truly caring about the
people.
So what does that look like?
(35:28):
Like caring isn't just saying,hey, I know that you work here,
hey, I know that this is whatyour degree is in, but why did
you get that degree?
What when you were thinkingabout getting that degree?
What did you want to do with itwhen you decided to take this
role?
What is the thing that youenvision that you could do in
this role to make it better?
Really asking the tougher,deeper questions than just the
(35:52):
surface level or even pushingyour agenda.
So how do you learn more aboutthat person so that you know how
to motivate them, how toinspire them?
What inspires them?
If you're just going in there,going, here's what I need.
I need you to do it and let'sget it done.
I don't really care to work foryou, and so I always encourage
the leaders to effectivelycommunicate, build trust, learn
(36:13):
more about emotionalintelligence.
Emotional intelligence ispicking up on things that have
never even been said.
If your employee comes in andnormally they're in the best
mood and this day they're justkind of blah maybe have a
conversation with them.
I see that you're.
I see that you're not thesmiley Leisha that I'm used to
seeing.
Is everything okay?
Taking a moment again, removingyourself and being an
(36:36):
empathetic leader to ask thequestions is everything okay?
Is there anything that I coulddo to support you better today,
asking those types of questionsinstead of making it what I need
from you, maybe understandingwhat they need from you, because
doing that will respire, Iguarantee you.
This is what leaders don'tunderstand.
They think doing all of thatsoft stuff is mushy.
I don't want to do all of that.
(36:57):
It's so mushy.
Nobody has time.
But if you take the time in thebeginning to invest, I
guarantee you your people willwork the hardest for you.
The conversation that I wouldalways have with my team is look
, I will jump over buildings foryou guys.
I will protect you for anyobstacle that is coming your way
, but in order to do that, Ineed you to do the same for me.
(37:18):
So if you've made a mistake, ifyou've done something, if you
know that something was wrong,don't sweep it under the rug.
Bring it to me.
Let's figure out how we handleit together, because if my
leader has to bring it to me now, I don't have a choice in the
matter.
I don't have a choice in thematter.
I don't have any way to protectyou.
If someone brings it to me now,I have to go with whatever the
process is to discipline.
(37:39):
But if you come to me and go,hey, I made this mistake or hey,
this happened, then let mefigure out how we can support
you and make sure we correct itand get you back on path.
But again, that requiresempathy and caring, which is all
what the bank is about andcaring, which is all what the
bank is about.
Keith Greer, CFRE (37:57):
Yeah, and so when leaders are making that
intentional relationship effortand they're building the
community with their employees,what changes have you seen
happen within organizations?
Lasha Murray (38:06):
People are happy.
People are happy.
Here's the thing.
Keith Greer, CFRE (38:08):
Imagine that.
Lasha Murray (38:10):
Yeah, right.
So there you.
I had an employee, and anytimeI asked for overtime she would
be like Nope, not interested.
And so I worked as a claimsmanager.
And there's always catastrophes, and catastrophes creates
surges, and when there's surges,we need people to work overtime
.
And she would never, ever workovertime.
Now, any other manager couldhave just taken the position
(38:31):
that she's lazy, she's notinterested in growing her career
, she doesn't care about anyonebut herself.
But I took a moment and askedher I understand that Saturday
may not work for you, sunday maynot work for you, but if I
created a different method ofovertime for you, would you be
able to do overtime?
And she's like yeah, you cangive me overtime at the end of
my schedule or the beginning ofmy schedule, or like some shift
(38:53):
or swings.
I'll be able to do it becauseevery Saturday I'm a coach,
every Sunday I'm coaching, soI'm not able to do it.
And so I was able to learn whather schedule was and create an
opportunity for her to getovertime based on her schedule.
Once I did that, she workedovertime all the time.
She encouraged other people towork overtime, and so you can
(39:15):
really see people working harder, working smarter, wanting to
work because they see that youcare and that you're interested
in their growth and theirdevelopment and them as a person
.
And so you just start to see achange in attitude.
You see a change incollaboration.
People are more collaborative.
They're grabbing each other bythe hand versus doing a lot of
this right.
(39:36):
You're seeing more of this.
You're seeing more ideasbecause you're creating a space
where people trust that if theysay something, you're not going
to shoot it down, and so they'regiving you the ideas that they
may feel are crazy, but then yougo okay, that might be a little
too far, but there's a piece ofthat.
Let's figure out how we workthat.
And then people are more ampedto give you ideas.
(39:57):
They're more excited to sharewhat they think could help the
business, and so you just reallystart to see innovation.
You see collaboration.
You see people be moreempowered, which allows you to
give them more autonomy to makedecisions, which then takes
things off of your plate,because now you can trust your
team to be a well-oiled machine,with or without you, and so
(40:20):
that's some of the things thatI've seen really truly impact
results for organizations andfor the person themselves.
Keith Greer, CFRE (40:27):
That's really incredible.
And so if we bring these ideasof maintaining authenticity,
building intentional networksthrough bang and fostering
community, is really that newcurrency?
What would you say is the onemindset shift that leaders need
to make to thrive in the futureworkplace?
Lasha Murray (40:44):
Growth.
You have to have a growthmindset.
You can't, you can't.
You have to adapt a new mindset.
If you think that if someonenot wearing a suit to an
interview doesn't deserve a job,that's a problem.
If you feel, if you see someonewho comes in with pink hair and
you're like, why do they havepink hair?
Well, why can't they have pinkhair?
(41:05):
Does their hair change?
Are they member facing?
Are they client facing?
Is that going to changeanything?
You really just have to be opento different ideologies.
You have to be open to thechanges that are happening in
corporate and in the world.
Things are different, and if youare so far removed from it
because you are just used todoing things the good old way,
(41:27):
the good old fashioned way, youwill forever be disconnected,
and so I would encourage them toread more books.
I would encourage them to goand volunteer with the youth and
get familiar with who they areand what they are advocating for
and what they believe in andwhat they're excited about.
I would encourage them to justget out of their own way,
(41:49):
because if you get out of yourown way, you would be surprised
how you can grow.
If you get out of your own way,you would be surprised how you
can grow.
It's never too late to grow.
My grandma is 82 and she's likeI'm too old to grow and I'm like
no grandma, that's not true.
Like at any age, you can grow,you can learn something, you can
be taught, and so if you're oneof those people that just feel
(42:09):
like I can't learn anything, I'mjust going to continue to do
things this way, because it'salways worked for me.
It just it isn't the mindsetthat's going to help you shift
the culture, and so I would justsay be open minded, ask a lot
of questions, don't be scared toask questions if you don't
understand, or don't be afraidto ask questions for clarity,
right.
And so, like the LGBTQ, whenyou start to have those labels,
(42:32):
some people are like I don'treally know what that really
means the she, they and we, andso instead they just don't do it
, and then it could come off asthe other person is that they
don't care.
Well, it's not that they don'tcare, they just don't know.
And instead of in fear offeeling ignorant or unknowing,
just ask the questions.
Be okay to ask the questions,but also ask in a way that is
(42:55):
polite, that isn't rude and thatis an open-ended question for
an open mind shift.
Keith Greer, CFRE (43:04):
Yeah, asking questions in a way that builds
community rather than passesjudgment is such an important
thing to be able to do as aleader.
I think that's really important, and so I've just been so
amazed with everything that youhave talked about today, and I
really appreciate you sharingyour wisdom with us and your
Bang network, but you also havesome really great webinars
(43:25):
coming up throughout the monthof November.
Tell us about those.
Lasha Murray (43:29):
Yay.
So there are so many peoplethat ask what is it like having
a coach, someone that you canuse for your career, and so I
decided you know what I'm justgoing to show you.
So every Wednesday in November,I am hosting a webinar and it
is going to be a live coachingsession.
So if you've ever wanted toknow what all the hype is about,
what is it like to have a coach?
(43:50):
How can a coach truly helpelevate you in your career and
position you in a way to get theroles that you desire out of
your career and grow?
I'm going to do that live.
So, basically, I am going topick, you're going to go and
reserve your seat, and then I amgoing to pick someone at the
beginning of our live, ourwebinar, and at that point we're
going to say, okay, what's yourcareer concern?
(44:12):
And then how can we create asolution?
And you're going to be able towitness what live coaching is
all about and understanding theimportance of having a coach and
what a coach can truly do tohelp transform you and your
career.
Keith Greer, CFRE (44:25):
Wow.
So does somebody need toalready be a client of yours in
order to be selected for that?
Or if somebody's listening tothe podcast, how do they sign up
for that?
Lasha Murray (44:34):
for that?
Or if somebody's listening tothe podcast, how do they sign up
for that?
Yeah, so after the podcast, ifthey reach out to me, so you can
email me at info, at theUnapologetic.
Keith Greer, CFRE (44:42):
Leadership Coach, and we'll put that in the
show notes as well, so anybodycan go and find it there.
Lasha Murray (44:47):
And if you say send me the link, I am going to
send you the link.
You would register forwhichever date works best for
your schedule and then you showup at that time and during that
time I'm going to randomly pickthree people.
So be prepared, with whateveryour question, your issue, your
concern and we're going to betalking about salary
negotiations Maybe you have tohave a difficult conversation.
(45:09):
How do you format thatconversation?
Maybe you're like hey, look atmy resume and tell me what I'm
missing, because I'm not gettinganyone calling me to schedule
interviews.
Or maybe you've interviewedfatiguely and you've interviewed
20 times and you're not gettingthe call back and you're like
what am I doing wrong?
We may talk through some ofthose answers and maybe talk
about how you better positionyourself, but it's open forum.
(45:31):
We are going to talk aboutwhatever you want to talk about
in order to solve a career issueor problem that you may be
having, or maybe just ask aquestion regarding your career.
Keith Greer, CFRE (45:42):
That is such an exciting opportunity and I
hope everybody jumps on boardwith that, so check out the show
notes.
We'll provide a link to be ableto email Leisha about that.
But thank you so much forshowing up today and for sharing
all of your wisdom andexpertise.
It's really invaluable to havethis and somebody's going to get
lucky and get some executivecoaching, maybe in these
(46:03):
webinars coming up.
Lasha Murray (46:05):
Yes, they are.
The goal is to be able to dowhat we will call rapid fire.
So we want to do as many peopleas possible, and so if we can
do five or six or seven in thathour, that's what we're going to
do.
And so I say, come prepared, beexcited.
You don't have to tell me whatcompany you work for.
We can definitely create someanonymity so that it doesn't get
back to whoever you're speakingwith.
But yeah, I'm super excitedabout the opportunity.
(46:27):
Thank you so much for having me.
I met you I guess it's beenalmost a month ago and you did a
presentation and I was justlike man.
I love his energy and I justlove um.
You're knowledgeable, but youmade the conversation fun and
that's what this podcast is allabout.
Right, just making informationthat people need fun.
Keith Greer, CFRE (46:49):
Oh, thank you .
Yeah, I think it's reallyimportant to keep it fun, and
that's one of the things Ialways say whenever I get
excited about something is thisis fun, and so I'm glad that
that comes across, so, thank you, it does.
Thank you, and we will be intouch, and I can't wait to see
what happens in these sessions.
I'm going to go and sign upmyself.
Lasha Murray (47:08):
Yay, love to see you.
Keith Greer, CFRE (47:09):
Okay, see you there, take care, bye.
Hey there, hi , and welcome back ambitious
fundraisers.
I'm so excited about today'sepisode because we're diving
into a conversation that touchesthe core of what it means to be
an authentic leader in today'sfast-evolving workplace.
Joining us is Leysha Murray, apowerhouse leader, corporate
veteran and founder of theUnapologetic Leadership Coach.
Leisha spent more than twodecades navigating the corporate
(00:28):
world, but one of the thingsthat makes her special is how
she's taken all that experienceand shifted her focus to helping
young professionals build theirleadership through soft skills,
authenticity and community.
In today's chat, we're going toexplore three major themes.
First, we'll discuss thestruggle young professionals
often face when trying to staytrue to themselves in
(00:49):
environments that valueconformity.
Leysha will help us understandthe challenges and offer some
key strategies for how leaderscan encourage authenticity
without compromising ourorganization's identity.
Then we'll walk throughLeysisha's own BANG framework,
which she designed specificallyto help people build meaningful,
lasting professionalconnections.
(01:09):
You're going to love howpractical and powerful this is.
Finally, we'll dig into whyrelationships, community and
connections matter more thanever.
We'll talk about how leaderscan build strong communities,
especially when leading teamsfrom Gen Z, who value that sense
of connection and belonging sodeeply.
By the end of this episode,you'll see how these three big
(01:31):
ideas authenticity, intentionalnetworking and community
building all tie together toform the blueprint for a
thriving in the modern workplace.
So let's dive in and startunpacking this wisdom with
Laisha Murray.
Laisha is the owner and founderof the Unapologetic Leadership
Coach, a coaching firmspecializing in soft skills,
training and career development.
(01:52):
With a focus on leadershipdevelopment, the firm helps
organizations retain top talentby equipping leaders with
essential interpersonal skills.
The Unapologetic LeadershipCoach empowers professionals to
cultivate effectivecommunication, emotional
intelligence and strategicthinking abilities through
personalized coaching programs.
(02:12):
By prioritizing these softskills, the firm enables
organizations to foster aculture of growth, collaboration
and success, ultimatelyenhancing employee engagement
and retention.
Leysha, welcome to the podcast.
Lasha Murray (02:29):
Thank you, I'm so happy to be here.
It's so weird to listen tosomeone read your accolades.
Keith Greer, CFRE (02:40):
But they're such amazing accolades anyways,
I'm so excited.
I want to dive in and just kindof ask you what are some of the
biggest challenges you seeyoung professionals facing when
trying to stay authentic inenvironments that demand
conformity.
Lasha Murray (02:49):
Well, I feel like there's so many organizations
that haven't updated theirpolicies as it relates to their
programs, their policies, theirprocedures and how people can
bring their true selves intowork, their dress code.
Some policies still have notattoos, which why, why does
that matter?
I've said into interviews wherewe interview younger generation
(03:09):
and they don't have on a suit,maybe they just have on a button
up and jeans and we still havepeople going.
I don't know if we should offerthem the opportunity they
didn't have on a suit and I haveto remind people that we need
to move into the new generation.
Just because they don't have ona suit, just because they come
(03:32):
in different, it doesn't meanthat they cannot add value.
They cannot createopportunities that really
promote a healthy workenvironment.
The young people are it.
I am currently raising threeGen Zers and let me tell you
something they are soinspirational to me and a lot of
people call them lazy, but Idon't think they're lazy at all.
(03:52):
I think they are the bestgeneration to show us how to
show up authentically asthemselves.
They are demanding more, theyare asking the tough questions
and they are actually pushingthe status quo to be different,
based on what organizations havekind of built a foundation
around and I'm inspired, I'mexcited about them and I cannot
wait for organizations to jumpon board and truly change their
(04:16):
cultures so that we can promotesome belonging in these kids and
not kids Let me not say kids.
I don't want you to feel likeyou're not a grown up but in
this younger generation.
Keith Greer, CFRE (04:28):
So true, so true, and I think that's a very
common misconception from everygeneration to the new generation
coming in is that they're lazy,they're entitled, they're
narcissistic.
We heard that as millennialsgrowing up, and I'm sure Gen X
heard that from the people abovethem and boomers probably heard
that from the people above them, and I think part of that is
(04:49):
just being a young person andhaving a different way of
lifestyle.
So it's not necessarily agenerational thing.
I think it's just a part ofbeing young and not having the
same values and priorities assomebody that's in their 50s or
60s.
But it absolutely does not meanthat they don't have the
dedication, the drive, theambition and certainly the
(05:11):
intelligence.
It's just a different way ofoperating at a different point
in our lives.
Lasha Murray (05:17):
And oftentimes we think that they're not
articulate, that they don't dowell at communicating and some
of that could very well be true,right, because I have teenagers
and they're not the best atcommunicating.
But what?
Keith Greer, CFRE (05:27):
is the nature is.
Lasha Murray (05:29):
I mean.
But here's the thing there aredefinitely some adults that I
know that aren't great atcommunicating.
But here's my question that mypushback that I give to
organizations that I facilitatetraining for, okay, great, if
you don't think they're greatcommunicators, now what?
What are we going to do aboutit?
Are we just going to keeptalking about it?
Are we going to createsolutions to make sure that we
incorporate them into the needsthat we need to foster their
(05:51):
environment and them wanting tobe here, or else they're going
to just keep on shucking upthose deuces and leaving
organizations left and right.
Keith Greer, CFRE (05:59):
So true.
Can you share a time in yourown leadership journey when you
had to make a decision betweenbeing authentic and fitting in,
and how did that affect youpersonally and professionally?
Lasha Murray (06:10):
Yeah, I remember this very vividly because it was
kind of the pivotal moment thatchanged my career.
I had just recently beenpromoted to a manager and so in
the claims operation so Istarted out as a claims adjuster
on the phone, taking phonecalls, and then I worked my way
up to becoming a claims manager,and so as a part of that new
role, there was a series like asix-week class, if you will.
(06:34):
That was for all of the leaderswho were recently promoted into
claims managers, teaching themhow to lead teams.
So there was some HR sessions,there were branding sessions,
where it was all about what isyour brand.
And part of that discussion wasfacilitated by the leader who
actually hired me, and so I'llnever forget, he calls me to his
desk and I'm sitting down andhe's like okay, so let's talk
(06:56):
about your brand.
And so, of course, I sit downbecause I'm excited, because
this energy, this passion, thisengagement that you all are
currently witnessing, it's me,that's just who I am.
Keith Greer, CFRE (07:06):
So I sit down and I'm excited.
Lasha Murray (07:08):
I'm like, yes, let's talk about it.
And he says you know you reallythe whole thing where you keep
changing your hair, it doesn'treally, it's not fitting for
this type of culture.
You always wear really brightclothes and you're always so
really matchy and I understandthat that's kind of the culture
(07:29):
of where you're from, but itprobably would be better if you
kind of left that in your rearview mirror.
So we would like you to be morelike Michelle Obama or Oprah.
Now, mind you, I am maybe late.
I am late 20s, right and sohe's now telling me I should be
(07:49):
more like Oprah, which is 20 to25 years my senior, if not more.
Same for Michelle Obama.
He's like I really need you toleave Detroit in your review
mirror because this company isalways going to be ran by a man
and if you want to be a part ofthe Good Old Boys Club, we're
going to need to feelcomfortable with you sitting at
(08:09):
our table and right now, yourpassion and your ability to
always speak up and always havesomething to say and then kind
of how you look, it'll never beaccepted at the Good Old Boys
table.
So just want to give yousomething to think about.
And I remember sitting there inmy head going don't you cry,
(08:32):
don't you cry, don't you givehim the satisfaction of crying.
And so I didn't cry.
And then the other thing I wassaying in my head is don't hit
him, laysha, you need this job.
And I just said thank you foryour feedback.
I got up, I immediately packedup my things and I left for the
day because it was the only waythat I was going to be able to
keep my job.
(08:53):
And then I went home and Icried like a baby and I listened
to him.
I allowed his feedback topenetrate me in a way where I
completely changed who I was.
I wore dark colors.
I wore blacks and browns andblues.
I wore little earrings.
Anybody who knows me knows thebigger the hoops, the better.
I kept my hair the same.
(09:14):
I changed my hair like Ichanged my clothes.
My hair, to me, is an accessory.
It's the last thing that I puton to put my outfit on, and so I
wore the same hair.
I put on to, you know, put myoutfit on, and so I wore the
same hair.
I really just dimmed who I was.
I still produce results.
I still got my job done.
I was still an effective leader, but I wasn't doing it as my
true, authentic self.
I was leaving myself in the carand bringing a version of who I
(09:37):
thought they wanted to see inthe building and then fast
forward maybe six months or so.
I got a new leader and I havebeen working with her for a
couple of months and she pulledme to her desk and she said I'm
going to tell you I was superexcited to meet you and I was
excited to have you on my team.
When I had a download withother leaders about the team
that I was acquiring, they allspoke very highly of you.
(10:00):
You had such great energy, youinspired others to get the
results done and I just Ihaven't met her.
So where, where is she?
And it was really the firsttime that I had just spoke up in
(10:20):
my professional, in myprofessional world, about what
had been said to me, because Inever told anybody, obviously
other than my husband, but Ididn't say anything to anyone,
and so I kind of just rambled itall off to her and she had some
pleasant words to describe thatperson who said what he said to
me.
But she said I want you to comeback tomorrow who you were
before.
You got that feedback, and sodid I.
I came back in the next day.
I changed my hair.
(10:40):
I wore a bright orange shirt.
I am one of those matchy people, so I had a bright orange shirt
, orange earrings, orange shoes.
Like I was super excited and itabsolutely changed the way I
showed up.
Although I thought that I wasstill producing results.
I was still inspiring my teamto get things done.
I was doing it in a differentversion that didn't fit the body
(11:01):
that I was walking in, and soher creating that space for me
to feel like I could belong andthat I could bring myself is
truly what changed thetrajectory of my career, and
from that day forward, I neverallowed anyone to make me
conform.
I tell people I don't fit intothe boxes people try to put me
in.
I'm a triangle.
I poke out of the side.
Keith Greer, CFRE (11:22):
I love what you were saying about how
somebody was trying to dim yourlight, and I think that's
something that all of us haveprobably experienced at some
point in our careers.
And when you're finally able tolet go of that and to shine as
bright as you possibly can, somany new opportunities come to
you and people are reallygravitated towards that shining
(11:44):
light in a way that's reallyremarkable and almost
indescribable, right.
And I think when I first sawyou, when I first met you, like
I could tell how bright you wereshining and I was just like, oh
, that's a special person andthat's somebody to get to know.
So what was it that was able toflip that switch so fast in
yourself from the dim light tothe shining light?
Lasha Murray (12:07):
Honestly, permission.
I was seeking permission from aleader because here's the thing
when somebody who hired you andhas influence over your career
tells you you need to do this,this, this, this and this, when
do you go?
I mean you feel like, okay, Ihave to conform because the
person who hired me, the personwho makes decisions over my
(12:28):
career and how my career candevelop or not, is telling me
this.
So when I had a leader whocreated the space to say you
know what?
Forget what you were told, comeback the way that you were, she
gave me permission.
And once she gave me thatpermission, I never seeked to
get it from anyone else, becauseall I needed it was once, and
that's that's.
You just need one person to sayyou, it's okay to be you.
(12:52):
And then, once you have that oneperson that says it, and then
not only says it but followsthrough by encouraging it when
you do come in as yourself goingyes, I'm so happy to see you.
Yes, bring all of that energyand then create space for you to
insert those parts of yourpersonality into your workspace.
It changes the game.
It really does.
It changes how a person feels.
(13:14):
It changes the tie to theorganization.
It changes the tie to themission.
If more people understood thebenefit of allowing people to be
themselves and create a senseof belonging, they would be
surprised, and the innovationand the results and the
collaboration that comes out ofit.
Keith Greer, CFRE (13:30):
Yeah, I think that getting permission,
especially from somebody that'sin a leadership position over
you, is such an important piecebecause it hits differently than
if a co-worker says it to youor if somebody that you're
managing says it to you.
But to get that permission fromsomebody who does have that
power and authority over yourjob is really important.
So what advice would you giveto leaders who want to encourage
(13:53):
authenticity among their teamswithout compromising the
company's identity?
Lasha Murray (13:57):
I think sometimes leaders make things very
personal that don't need to beright.
So there are situations where,if you remove self from the
equation, it's funny becausewhen I started to create these
changes in my, in myself, atwork, I led differently.
I led people differently,because I truly use that as an
experience to hone in.
(14:19):
And so one of the things thatmy husband and I my one of my
kids is like mom, can I, like,dye my tips blonde?
And my husband's I one of mykids is like mom, can I dye my
tips blonde?
And my husband's likeabsolutely not.
And so I have to take a stepback and go.
Why?
What does his blonde tips haveto do with you?
How does that impact you?
How does that change you?
What does that do for you?
And he really had to take astep back and go.
(14:40):
Well, it doesn't.
And so that's the same advicethat I would give to a leader
when you're considering havingconversations with people about
their outer appearance and whatthey look like.
Take a step back and go.
Is this you?
Is this your unconscious bias?
Is this something that you'reused to seeing, you're used to
promoting, you're used to beinga part of the corporate culture
(15:02):
and then ask yourself do I wantto be a part of the solution or
do I want to be a part of thecorporate culture?
And then ask yourself do I wantto be a part of the solution or
do I want to be a part of theproblem?
Do I want to be an obstacle, doI want to be a barrier, or do I
want to inspire this person tobe the best version of them that
they can be?
And in order to truly do that,you have to remove yourself from
the situation.
You have to think about whatyour unconscious biases could be
(15:24):
and then, if you know that youhave some or maybe you don't
know that you have them maybejust having some conversations
with your team.
One of the things that Iencourage leaders to do is a
stop, start and continue, and sojust have a conversation with
the individual and then alsohave a conversation as a whole
team.
So, as an individual, as yourleader, what is something that I
(15:46):
do that you could grow from,benefit from or be inspired by?
If I just stopped doing it andallowed you to have space to do
X, what would that look like?
What about?
What is something that I canstart doing?
Do you feel like I don't do,I'm not supportive, or I don't
recognize you the way that youwanna be recognized?
What can I do to start tosupport you differently and then
(16:08):
, of course, continue?
Obviously, I would hope thatyou are a good enough leader,
that there are some things thatyou are doing that are
beneficial to your team.
So what can I continue to do tosupport you?
But I just think it's removingyourself from it and then
focusing on the person, and thenfocusing on the team as a whole
and then determining where youcan create space.
Keith Greer, CFRE (16:28):
Yeah, now you've also created a great
framework for helping peoplestart building their leadership,
and you call this the BANGframework.
Walk us through that.
Lasha Murray (16:38):
So, yeah, do you offer BANG with your book?
So BANG.
So B starts for creating asense of belonging.
Right, and so what does thatlook like?
Creating a sense of belongingis more than just giving people
the opportunity to speak in aroom, but it's also preparing
people, preparing them forsuccess, asking them do they
feel like they belong?
How can we help?
(16:59):
You feel like there's things inthis organization that you
could benefit from, or programsor things of that nature.
So, really figuring out likesome companies have what they
call diversity business programs.
So what does that look like?
Are you a part of thosediversity programs?
Because if you don'tparticipate in any of that,
however you're pushing it onyour team to, then that doesn't
(17:19):
tell me that you really supportit, Right, and so what does
creating that sense of belonginglook like?
And then the A is an authenticwork environment.
Right, I shouldn't have toleave myself in the car to be
able to come into work and do myjob.
Do you allow people the spaceto be themselves?
And a lot of people thinkauthenticity is only what I look
like.
But it's not only what you looklike.
(17:39):
It's authentic and thought,like diversity and thought.
Do you automatically shutpeople down when they don't
think like you, act like you,speak like you.
So creating space for people tobe themselves is more than what
they look like, it's also howthey sound.
Do you still have policies orprocedures where there's issues
with the way people speak, ortattoos or things of that nature
(18:02):
?
Right, Anything that requirespeople to show up differently?
Now, obviously there needs tobe rules in an organization so
that we're all safe andprotected.
But take a step back and reallyunderstand is it personal to
you or is it really somethingthat can change the culture?
And then networking the N is fornetworking and building
relationships.
A lot of people think thatnetworking and building
(18:23):
relationships are the same thing, but they're not.
And so, from an organizationalstandpoint and from a leader,
how are you creating space forpeople to network?
Do you give them time tonetwork?
Are you teaching them how tonetwork?
Are you introducing them toyour network to be able to
create those opportunities forthem?
And then are you buildingrelationships?
Because networking is kind ofsurface and then building
(18:44):
relationships is going deeperlearning more about the person,
learning more about what they do, so that you can make a
personal connection and thenbuild sponsorship and allies,
but people are the new.
I tell, I say this all the timepeople are the new currency.
And if you don't haverelationships, if you're not
networking, your network is onlyas big as your network, right?
(19:05):
And so if you're my leader andyou don't get out and you're not
promoting yourself, you're notpromoting the team, then my
network is only as big as yours.
And so what does that look like?
And then, lastly, the G isgrowth, growth potential.
So I can do all of this work tomake sure that I am prepared.
But what does your successionlook like?
How are you growing me in theorganization?
Are you setting me up foropportunities to maybe present
(19:27):
to different leaders?
Are you speaking to me in a waythat pours into me so that I
can grow in my career?
And I tell people, if you thinkabout any issues that you're
having in your organization, Iguarantee you they fit under any
one of those pillars of notoffering bang with your buck.
Keith Greer, CFRE (19:45):
Yeah, and you emphasize, belonging is the
first element in BANG, not justbecause it makes a nice acronym,
but why is belongingfoundational for building strong
professional networks?
Lasha Murray (20:09):
can't see themselves staying at your
organization.
And so what does your executiveleadership look like?
What do the managers look like?
Do I see myself in any of them?
Do you have programs thatbenefit me or that help me?
Do you care?
Some people think, oh, that'sjust common Caring.
No, being empathetic and caring.
We're in such a generationwhere people are desensitized
and they're like like the Gen Zsoh, they're so lazy, are they?
(20:33):
Or have you lost your abilityto inspire them?
And so we're so quick to wantto point the finger and say this
is why things are happening.
But I tell people there arethree more fingers pointing back
at you, and I can almostguarantee, if I don't feel like
you treat me in a way that Ibelong, that effective
communication, if you haven'tbuilt any trust, like all of
(20:53):
those things, are what isrequired for people to feel like
they belong here.
And if I don't belong here, amI going to be innovative?
No, am I going to want to giveyou extra, because we all know
that doing your nine to five isjust not enough.
There is a little bit of extrathat is going to be needed.
Am I going to want to do thatif I don't feel like you care or
that I belong here.
No, and so belonging is thebiggest paramount, and making
(21:17):
sure that everything else fallsinto place.
Keith Greer, CFRE (21:19):
Yeah, can you walk us through how a young
professional might use the Bingframework to really network
effectively, especially ifthey're just starting out?
Lasha Murray (21:27):
Yeah, really network effectively, especially
if they're just starting out.
Yeah, so a lot of people, a lotof my young Gen Z generation,
are like oh, laisha, I'm just.
When it comes down tonetworking, there's network
fatigue.
I just don't want to do itanymore.
And so what I would tell myyouth is just one you want to
make sure that you're thesubject matter expert in your
(21:48):
space, right, because here's thething I can make sure that you
belong all day long.
But if you can't even tell mewhat you do, if you can't tell
me what your job entails, if youcan't articulate, step by step,
how your business or how whatyou do helps move the business,
(22:08):
do you really belong?
Is this really the job for you?
Are you really growing yourcareer?
And then here's the thingthere's this acronym, wifm.
What's in it?
For me, it's still a business,and so you have to present
yourself in a way that makebusiness decisions that best
suit your business needs,because the organization is
going to do the same.
(22:28):
So, when it comes to belonging,are you always a person that is
nagging about?
I don't belong, I don't belong,but I don't belong.
But yet when there are events,when there are opportunities
that presented, you're notattending any of them.
You're not, you're notavailable.
Or when it comes toauthenticity, you're only
authentic depending on yoursurroundings, right?
So when you're around certainpeople, you only allow people to
(22:49):
see a version of you.
Be okay with being exactly whoyou are, but being in a
professional way.
So what does that look like foryou?
And then just making sure thatwhat your network looks like.
I tell people all the timenetworking can be fun.
It doesn't have to be fatigue.
Networking doesn't have to bereally hard, and neither does
building relationships.
If you're being your true self.
(23:10):
Now, if you're trying to be aversion of yourself, then, yeah,
it can get really hard, but ifyou're just create the
opportunities, that are simplefor you.
So if you're walking down thehallway and you see someone with
an outfit or a pair of kicks ora hat or whatever that you're
interested in start aconversation, if you are someone
who are like absolutely notLeisha, that is terrifying to me
(23:32):
Then figure out what that lookslike for you, right?
So figure out what that thingis that you really love and then
find the people who love itjust as much as you do and make
that your tribe.
There's really a lot of waysthat you can implement, bang in
your every day.
And then here's the other thingthat I'm going to challenge
people to do.
It's one thing to want to feellike you belong and be authentic
(23:54):
and network and build and thengrow.
But are you creating space forothers?
What do you do to create thatsame opportunity for others in
your workspace?
So if you don't belong and ifyou don't treat other people
like they belong, and if youostracize people, or if you
don't belong and if you don'ttreat other people like they
(24:15):
belong, and if you ostracizepeople, or if you're keeping
them, atentic.
Keith Greer, CFRE (24:18):
it's actually work right.
So how do you because beingauthentic in a workplace can be
scary, it's emotionallyvulnerable how do you help
people kind of really dive intobeing that authentic person when
(24:42):
they're meeting brand newpeople for the very first time?
Lasha Murray (24:45):
So I always tell people to be prepared to talk
about three things.
So always be prepared to havethree things that you talk about
.
One should definitely be yourjob right.
You should be able toarticulate what you do for the
business and how you move thebusiness forward or series that
(25:11):
you're currently into yoursports team, your college,
something that could create kindof a connection of a oh yay, I
love that team too.
And then the third thing isalways wear something that you
feel most comfortable in.
Whenever you're going to network, don't wear something stuffy or
boxy or something that you'regoing to be tugging on or you
don't feel comfortable in,because it will automatically
make you resume and go inwardRight.
(25:33):
And so I always tell my clientsthat like, for me, my superpower
is lipstick.
I love like, whenever I'm not inthe mood, I'm going to put on a
really cute lipstick and someearrings and let's go.
So if that, for you, is a yourfavorite pair of sneakers or a
pair of socks, or your favoriteshirt or jeans, or you're going
to spike your hair a littledifferent, I would say dare to
(25:54):
be different, because beingauthentic does take being
courageous, and sometimes beingcourageous is uncomfortable.
But on the other side ofuncomfortableness is growth, and
if you don't ever push yourselfto be uncomfortable, then you
will remain stagnant and stayexactly where you are, and so I
can't tell you that it's goingto be comfortable.
It's not going to be easy, butwhat I can say is when you're
(26:17):
not pretending and being someonethat you're not, it makes it a
little easier, because you getto be exactly who you are, and
the favorite thing that you haveon that makes you feel
comfortable talking aboutsomething that you should know,
which is what you love and thenwhat you do.
Keith Greer, CFRE (26:33):
Yeah, it reminds me of a quote that I
think is often misattributed toDr Seuss, but it's one that I've
really tried to live my life by, which is be who you are and
say what you feel, because thepeople who matter won't mind and
the people who mind don'tmatter.
And I think that's just kind ofa really nice way of saying if
(26:56):
you show up authentically, yourtribe will find you and they
will gather around you, and thenyou have those genuine
connections, as opposed topretending to be somebody that
you're not and having to work atmaintaining that.
Lasha Murray (27:07):
So it's just not sustainable.
Keith Greer, CFRE (27:09):
It's not.
Lasha Murray (27:10):
It's not it's not, it's exhausting.
Keith Greer, CFRE (27:11):
It's exhausting.
So do you have a time when youwere using the BANG framework
that really helps someone inyour coaching practice make that
kind of meaningful connection?
Lasha Murray (27:21):
I do so.
I am an executive coach and Ihad an executive that reached
out and said I feel that I am sofar removed from the people
because of their role.
They were they had, they werehere, right, and they had maybe
six direct reports, and thentheir direct reports had direct
reports, and then the peopleright the worker bees, the
(27:41):
people that get things done arein the trenches.
She was three levels removedfrom, and the reputation that
she had started to receive isthat she was a hammer.
She wasn't very pleasant.
She had spent a lot of timebeing about the numbers and the
data and the mission and thestrategy and the vision that she
forgot that the people downhere are the people who actually
(28:03):
get it done.
So she was so disconnected fromthem and she's like you know,
leisha, I just really want anopportunity to lead it
differently.
I want them to see medifferently.
I want people.
I keep telling people that Ihave an open door but no one
ever comes through it, and so weput together a plan, right, the
bang.
So let's talk about do you feellike you belong and what does
(28:26):
that look like for you Ifsomebody created a space where
you felt like you could walkinto it and it was great.
What would that look like?
And then we figured out how wecan create that and how she
showed up for others and thenlike when's the last time you
wore a pair of jeans to work?
When's the last time you woresomething that wasn't so
buttoned up and so tight andboxy?
(28:46):
That made you look morecomfortable and presentable?
Because I know on the weekendyou're not wearing these
business suits, are you?
And she's like absolutely not,and I said so.
How do you make yourself morepresentable?
You show up like some of theemployees that work for you.
You wear your favorite team haton team day or you create
opportunities for people to showthemselves.
(29:09):
So if you don't have a team dayor a fun day, create that.
And so we created a fun day forher team where they got to wear
their favorite sports jersey orwhatever it was for that moment
.
And then that worked really well, because then they were able to
talk about what their favoriteteams were or whatever that was,
(29:29):
and she got to connect withsome people and learn more
things about the people that shedidn't know.
And then I told her you need togo get in the business.
That means you need to pull upyour sleeves and get your hands
dirty.
Go sit down, go listen to somephone calls, go hear and
understand what is happening inyour business three levels down,
because it is very telling tothe problems that your employees
(29:50):
are facing that some leadersare too scared to tell you about
.
But you don't have to make themtell you because you're going
to go learn for yourself, and soI don't know if you ever
watched that show.
What was it?
Secret Boss or something likethat.
Keith Greer, CFRE (30:04):
Oh, Undercover Boss.
Lasha Murray (30:06):
Undercover Boss and I said you don't have to be
undercover, but you canabsolutely go be in the trenches
and see what other people aredoing.
And then we also hosted avolunteer event.
And so she hosted a volunteerevent at a food bank somewhere
where it was giving to others,and when people are in a giving
spirit, you often learn moreabout them.
They're more open to speak andtalk and tell you more about
(30:28):
what is going on.
And so we just kind of createdall of these pockets and moments
where she could really get toknow the people who worked for
her.
And then, after she did that,it also changed the way that she
led.
It changed the way that shespoke to people.
It changed the way herleadership reported things to
her, because she became moreopen and she became more of a
(30:50):
safe and trusting place wherepeople felt like they truly
could talk to her and come toher.
And now she tells me all thetime girl, I want to close my
door because it's way open andeveryone's always coming through
it, but she said it's a goodproblem to have, and she was
able to be more.
The other thing that helped herbe is more proactive instead of
reactive, because usually shewas the reaction to the reports
(31:13):
that she was receiving, versusnow I'm down in the trenches, I
can see it before it comes, andmaybe we can streamline some
processes and then get a betteropportunity to speak to the
people handling and going.
What do you think, what do youthink we should do?
And so, of course, we did thestop, start and continue, and
she has truly turned around herleadership talent.
(31:34):
She's turned around how peoplereport to her and she's turned
around her area.
And then the other thing thatpeople forget is when you make
necessary changes and peoplefrom across the way see this.
They then go hey, what are youdoing different?
Something's different about you.
Let me learn more about it,because I see what you're doing
and I want to do it, and so itreally inspired other people who
(31:57):
may have not been necessarilygetting down to the trenches, to
understand their business too.
Keith Greer, CFRE (32:01):
Yeah, and making those connections with
your employees is so valuableand so critical, and it goes
right to what you were sayingearlier, that people are the new
currency.
Can you explain to us what thatmeans and how that idea has
shaped your leadershipphilosophy?
Lasha Murray (32:16):
Yeah.
So my mom used to always sayeveryone cleans toilets around
here.
No one was ever better thananyone to me.
I love the admins.
I've talked to the custodialworkers.
It's one of those things where,if you truly care about the
people, the people will careabout you.
When you pour into others,others pour into you.
You will never find your cupempty if you fill it with loving
(32:40):
other people.
And so I know that that soundsso kumbaya, let's hold hands and
rock side by side, but it istruly the thing, because here's
the thing that I tell my clientswhen you pour into other people
, when you tell people what youdo, when you're able to
articulate exactly who you are,they start to speak your name in
rooms that your feet nevertouch, which then starts to
(33:03):
create opportunities for you,opportunities that never even
existed.
And so I'll give you an exampleAt one point, I was chief of
staff to a claims operator, tothe claims executive, and so we
were responsible for 6,500employees.
He had about 19 to 20 executivesthat reported to him, and one
of the things that he was farremoved from the people.
(33:26):
He wasn't just he.
He wasn't far removed, but hewas not.
He didn't know enough, right?
And so what I would do is,every Friday, I would just go
walk the floors How's everybodydoing?
How are things going?
What if you, if you, could haveBarbie dream house?
What would it look like?
And then I started to reportthat stuff back to him, and then
he started to get excited aboutit, and so then he started to
(33:48):
come down and talk to the people.
Once he started to talk to thepeople, we can start
implementing things thatprevented us from risk.
So we were able to catchsomething before it became a
risk.
And so people are the newcurrency, and if you don't
invest in the people, they willcontinue to vote with their feet
.
They will continue to lead yourorganizations, because they're
(34:10):
not just numbers, they areactual people.
And then when you use thosepeople or not use right, when
you leverage is a better wordthose relationships, you build
allies, you build sponsorship,you have mentors.
It just creates an opportunityfor you to be better.
Keith Greer, CFRE (34:26):
Yeah.
Lasha Murray (34:27):
And it gives you different perspectives as well.
Keith Greer, CFRE (34:29):
Yeah, and I love that very specific action
of going and walking the floorsand getting to know the people
within your organization.
What are some small butimpactful ways leaders can build
community within theirorganizations, especially when
they're working with, maybe likea Gen Z employee?
Lasha Murray (34:44):
So understanding them.
So taking the time to sit downand say how do you like to be
recognized?
What motivates you?
Tell me a little bit about yourhome life, like single married
kids, because then you canunderstand what that's a part of
their motivation and then italso builds an opportunity for
empathy and connection.
And so if I know that you havea five-year-old at home and you
(35:08):
come in one day and you're likerushing, it could be because
that five-year-old made youbehind or there was some.
You know five-year-olds arevery, they can throw your day
off right and so it gives you anopportunity to build empathy.
I think the other thing isreally truly caring about the
people.
So what does that look like?
(35:28):
Like caring isn't just saying,hey, I know that you work here,
hey, I know that this is whatyour degree is in, but why did
you get that degree?
What when you were thinkingabout getting that degree?
What did you want to do with itwhen you decided to take this
role?
What is the thing that youenvision that you could do in
this role to make it better?
Really asking the tougher,deeper questions than just the
(35:52):
surface level or even pushingyour agenda.
So how do you learn more aboutthat person so that you know how
to motivate them, how toinspire them?
What inspires them?
If you're just going in there,going, here's what I need.
I need you to do it and let'sget it done.
I don't really care to work foryou, and so I always encourage
the leaders to effectivelycommunicate, build trust, learn
(36:13):
more about emotionalintelligence.
Emotional intelligence ispicking up on things that have
never even been said.
If your employee comes in andnormally they're in the best
mood and this day they're justkind of blah maybe have a
conversation with them.
I see that you're.
I see that you're not thesmiley Leisha that I'm used to
seeing.
Is everything okay?
Taking a moment again, removingyourself and being an
(36:36):
empathetic leader to ask thequestions is everything okay?
Is there anything that I coulddo to support you better today,
asking those types of questionsinstead of making it what I need
from you, maybe understandingwhat they need from you, because
doing that will respire, Iguarantee you.
This is what leaders don'tunderstand.
They think doing all of thatsoft stuff is mushy.
I don't want to do all of that.
(36:57):
It's so mushy.
Nobody has time.
But if you take the time in thebeginning to invest, I
guarantee you your people willwork the hardest for you.
The conversation that I wouldalways have with my team is look
, I will jump over buildings foryou guys.
I will protect you for anyobstacle that is coming your way
, but in order to do that, Ineed you to do the same for me.
(37:18):
So if you've made a mistake, ifyou've done something, if you
know that something was wrong,don't sweep it under the rug.
Bring it to me.
Let's figure out how we handleit together, because if my
leader has to bring it to me now, I don't have a choice in the
matter.
I don't have a choice in thematter.
I don't have any way to protectyou.
If someone brings it to me now,I have to go with whatever the
process is to discipline.
(37:39):
But if you come to me and go,hey, I made this mistake or hey,
this happened, then let mefigure out how we can support
you and make sure we correct itand get you back on path.
But again, that requiresempathy and caring, which is all
what the bank is about andcaring, which is all what the
bank is about.
Keith Greer, CFRE (37:57):
Yeah, and so when leaders are making that
intentional relationship effortand they're building the
community with their employees,what changes have you seen
happen within organizations?
Lasha Murray (38:06):
People are happy.
People are happy.
Here's the thing.
Keith Greer, CFRE (38:08):
Imagine that.
Lasha Murray (38:10):
Yeah, right.
So there you.
I had an employee, and anytimeI asked for overtime she would
be like Nope, not interested.
And so I worked as a claimsmanager.
And there's always catastrophes, and catastrophes creates
surges, and when there's surges,we need people to work overtime
.
And she would never, ever workovertime.
Now, any other manager couldhave just taken the position
(38:31):
that she's lazy, she's notinterested in growing her career
, she doesn't care about anyonebut herself.
But I took a moment and askedher I understand that Saturday
may not work for you, sunday maynot work for you, but if I
created a different method ofovertime for you, would you be
able to do overtime?
And she's like yeah, you cangive me overtime at the end of
my schedule or the beginning ofmy schedule, or like some shift
(38:53):
or swings.
I'll be able to do it becauseevery Saturday I'm a coach,
every Sunday I'm coaching, soI'm not able to do it.
And so I was able to learn whather schedule was and create an
opportunity for her to getovertime based on her schedule.
Once I did that, she workedovertime all the time.
She encouraged other people towork overtime, and so you can
(39:15):
really see people working harder, working smarter, wanting to
work because they see that youcare and that you're interested
in their growth and theirdevelopment and them as a person
.
And so you just start to see achange in attitude.
You see a change incollaboration.
People are more collaborative.
They're grabbing each other bythe hand versus doing a lot of
this right.
(39:36):
You're seeing more of this.
You're seeing more ideasbecause you're creating a space
where people trust that if theysay something, you're not going
to shoot it down, and so they'regiving you the ideas that they
may feel are crazy, but then yougo okay, that might be a little
too far, but there's a piece ofthat.
Let's figure out how we workthat.
And then people are more ampedto give you ideas.
(39:57):
They're more excited to sharewhat they think could help the
business, and so you just reallystart to see innovation.
You see collaboration.
You see people be moreempowered, which allows you to
give them more autonomy to makedecisions, which then takes
things off of your plate,because now you can trust your
team to be a well-oiled machine,with or without you, and so
(40:20):
that's some of the things thatI've seen really truly impact
results for organizations andfor the person themselves.
Keith Greer, CFRE (40:27):
That's really incredible.
And so if we bring these ideasof maintaining authenticity,
building intentional networksthrough bang and fostering
community, is really that newcurrency?
What would you say is the onemindset shift that leaders need
to make to thrive in the futureworkplace?
Lasha Murray (40:44):
Growth.
You have to have a growthmindset.
You can't, you can't.
You have to adapt a new mindset.
If you think that if someonenot wearing a suit to an
interview doesn't deserve a job,that's a problem.
If you feel, if you see someonewho comes in with pink hair and
you're like, why do they havepink hair?
Well, why can't they have pinkhair?
(41:05):
Does their hair change?
Are they member facing?
Are they client facing?
Is that going to changeanything?
You really just have to be opento different ideologies.
You have to be open to thechanges that are happening in
corporate and in the world.
Things are different, and if youare so far removed from it
because you are just used todoing things the good old way,
(41:27):
the good old fashioned way, youwill forever be disconnected,
and so I would encourage them toread more books.
I would encourage them to goand volunteer with the youth and
get familiar with who they areand what they are advocating for
and what they believe in andwhat they're excited about.
I would encourage them to justget out of their own way,
(41:49):
because if you get out of yourown way, you would be surprised
how you can grow.
If you get out of your own way,you would be surprised how you
can grow.
It's never too late to grow.
My grandma is 82 and she's likeI'm too old to grow and I'm like
no grandma, that's not true.
Like at any age, you can grow,you can learn something, you can
be taught, and so if you're oneof those people that just feel
(42:09):
like I can't learn anything, I'mjust going to continue to do
things this way, because it'salways worked for me.
It just it isn't the mindsetthat's going to help you shift
the culture, and so I would justsay be open minded, ask a lot
of questions, don't be scared toask questions if you don't
understand, or don't be afraidto ask questions for clarity,
right.
And so, like the LGBTQ, whenyou start to have those labels,
(42:32):
some people are like I don'treally know what that really
means the she, they and we, andso instead they just don't do it
, and then it could come off asthe other person is that they
don't care.
Well, it's not that they don'tcare, they just don't know.
And instead of in fear offeeling ignorant or unknowing,
just ask the questions.
Be okay to ask the questions,but also ask in a way that is
(42:55):
polite, that isn't rude and thatis an open-ended question for
an open mind shift.
Keith Greer, CFRE (43:04):
Yeah, asking questions in a way that builds
community rather than passesjudgment is such an important
thing to be able to do as aleader.
I think that's really important, and so I've just been so
amazed with everything that youhave talked about today, and I
really appreciate you sharingyour wisdom with us and your
Bang network, but you also havesome really great webinars
(43:25):
coming up throughout the monthof November.
Tell us about those.
Lasha Murray (43:29):
Yay.
So there are so many peoplethat ask what is it like having
a coach, someone that you canuse for your career, and so I
decided you know what I'm justgoing to show you.
So every Wednesday in November,I am hosting a webinar and it
is going to be a live coachingsession.
So if you've ever wanted toknow what all the hype is about,
what is it like to have a coach?
(43:50):
How can a coach truly helpelevate you in your career and
position you in a way to get theroles that you desire out of
your career and grow?
I'm going to do that live.
So, basically, I am going topick, you're going to go and
reserve your seat, and then I amgoing to pick someone at the
beginning of our live, ourwebinar, and at that point we're
going to say, okay, what's yourcareer concern?
(44:12):
And then how can we create asolution?
And you're going to be able towitness what live coaching is
all about and understanding theimportance of having a coach and
what a coach can truly do tohelp transform you and your
career.
Keith Greer, CFRE (44:25):
Wow.
So does somebody need toalready be a client of yours in
order to be selected for that?
Or if somebody's listening tothe podcast, how do they sign up
for that?
Lasha Murray (44:34):
for that?
Or if somebody's listening tothe podcast, how do they sign up
for that?
Yeah, so after the podcast, ifthey reach out to me, so you can
email me at info, at theUnapologetic.
Keith Greer, CFRE (44:42):
Leadership Coach, and we'll put that in the
show notes as well, so anybodycan go and find it there.
Lasha Murray (44:47):
And if you say send me the link, I am going to
send you the link.
You would register forwhichever date works best for
your schedule and then you showup at that time and during that
time I'm going to randomly pickthree people.
So be prepared, with whateveryour question, your issue, your
concern and we're going to betalking about salary
negotiations Maybe you have tohave a difficult conversation.
(45:09):
How do you format thatconversation?
Maybe you're like hey, look atmy resume and tell me what I'm
missing, because I'm not gettinganyone calling me to schedule
interviews.
Or maybe you've interviewedfatiguely and you've interviewed
20 times and you're not gettingthe call back and you're like
what am I doing wrong?
We may talk through some ofthose answers and maybe talk
about how you better positionyourself, but it's open forum.
(45:31):
We are going to talk aboutwhatever you want to talk about
in order to solve a career issueor problem that you may be
having, or maybe just ask aquestion regarding your career.
Keith Greer, CFRE (45:42):
That is such an exciting opportunity and I
hope everybody jumps on boardwith that, so check out the show
notes.
We'll provide a link to be ableto email Leisha about that.
But thank you so much forshowing up today and for sharing
all of your wisdom andexpertise.
It's really invaluable to havethis and somebody's going to get
lucky and get some executivecoaching, maybe in these
(46:03):
webinars coming up.
Lasha Murray (46:05):
Yes, they are.
The goal is to be able to dowhat we will call rapid fire.
So we want to do as many peopleas possible, and so if we can
do five or six or seven in thathour, that's what we're going to
do.
And so I say, come prepared, beexcited.
You don't have to tell me whatcompany you work for.
We can definitely create someanonymity so that it doesn't get
back to whoever you're speakingwith.
But yeah, I'm super excitedabout the opportunity.
(46:27):
Thank you so much for having me.
I met you I guess it's beenalmost a month ago and you did a
presentation and I was justlike man.
I love his energy and I justlove um.
You're knowledgeable, but youmade the conversation fun and
that's what this podcast is allabout.
Right, just making informationthat people need fun.
Keith Greer, CFRE (46:49):
Oh, thank you .
Yeah, I think it's reallyimportant to keep it fun, and
that's one of the things Ialways say whenever I get
excited about something is thisis fun, and so I'm glad that
that comes across, so, thank you, it does.
Thank you, and we will be intouch, and I can't wait to see
what happens in these sessions.
I'm going to go and sign upmyself.
Lasha Murray (47:08):
Yay, love to see you.
Keith Greer, CFRE (47:09):
Okay, see you there, take care, bye.
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