April 8, 2024 • 33 mins
Today we’re doing the Best of Rest for our Season 4 Finale. This has been a really fun and rich season for us – and we even hit our 50th episode this season too!
Join us as we pull out meaningful and effective advice from our guests. We're going to look at 6 major themes from the season:
- Focus on Leadership Development
- Emphasis on Values
- Navigating Change
- Empowerment and Representation
- Personal Growth and Entrepreneurship
- Communication Strategies
Until next time, communicate with intention and lead with purpose.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dr. Leah OH (00:00):
Hi, welcome to the communicative leader. Today
(00:03):
we're doing the best of the restfor season four finale. This has
been a really fun and a reallyrich season for us and we even
hit our 50th episode this seasonto celebrate we've pulled out
six themes to help us thinkabout what we've explored and
chatted about the season. We'regonna have a lot of fun and
thank you again for joining usfor the season four finale.
(00:26):
Hello, and welcome to thecommunicative leader hosted by
me, Dr. Leah Omilion-Hodges. myfriends call me Dr. OH. I'm a
professor of communication andleadership communication expert
and the communicative leader.
We're working to make your worklife what you want it to be.
(01:17):
It has a working adult andyou're seeking to enhance your
leadership abilities. Rememberthe importance of emotional
intelligence, the importance ofbuilding relationships and of
practicing self awareness. Todive into this theme in greater
detail I want to raise up herePia Wendelbo's episode entitled
leadership, innovation andawareness. Pia is the CEO of
(01:39):
Scandinavian Change Agents anddoes some really impactful,
really thoughtful work. Onetakeaway from her episode that I
still think about is hersuggestion to limit the hours of
your worry boutique. Thissuggestion comes with the work
pa does to help employees andexecutives wrangle and overcome
their self limiting beliefs?
What are self limiting beliefs?
(02:03):
Just as the name suggests, theseare negative thoughts that we
have about ourselves and our ownabilities. And why are they
problematic? Well, when we'retrying to achieve goals, or
learn new skills, push ourselvesto hit higher levels of
achievement, constantly dodgingour own negative thoughts is not
(02:24):
so helpful. So what might thesebeliefs sound like? I'm not good
enough. I'm not the right personfor this. And why would I think
I could learn or do or achieveus?
Instead, Pia suggests that weneed to acknowledge these
thoughts, but that it's likelymore helpful to set aside a time
(02:47):
when we can explore these doubtsoutside of the present moment.
(05:33):
Aligning your personal valueswith your leadership practices
is essential for creating aculture of trust and
authenticity. You want tocommunicate those values clearly
lead by example, and integratethem into your decision making
process. Because when we dothat, we foster the sense of
purpose and unity and agencywithin our team as well. When I
(05:56):
think about this theme, I thinkabout two episodes from the
season in particular, valuesdriven leadership with Dr. David
Schreiner, and the power oftrust building authentic
relationships for successfulsuccessful leadership, a
conversation with Nikita Kumar.
So when we think about valuesdriven leadership I got I'm
(06:16):
thinking about Dr. DavidSchreiner, he's the president
and CEO of KSB hospital, authorof a recent book, be the best
part of their day superchargingcommunication with values driven
leadership. The key point here,David is not just immersed in
research and writing, but he isleaving living leadership, team
(06:37):
and organizational life everysingle day. And in trying to
learn more about values drivenleadership, David conducted
interviews with healthcareindustry leaders to explore how
authenticity and genuinenessappear in the work that they do
every day. So again, in in hisepisode, we're looking at this
(06:57):
much greater detail. But forstarters, values driven
leadership is being intentionalin Word indeed, listening deeply
reflecting before responding,and using many channels, right
as many as you have as many asyour audience wants to
communicate and connect. Inshort, values driven leadership
(07:19):
means that you show up as yourauthentic self. Give your full
attention to your team, yourwork in your community.
In his episode, David alsobrought up an important
communication tip, people aren'talways looking for you to fix
it. Whether it is a problem, aconcern, or just a frustrating
moment, I encourage you toreturn to his episode to think
(07:41):
about different approaches thatwill better support your
employee, your peer or yourpartner. For thinking about
Nikita Kumar, she's a podcastSuccess Manager at Pikkle and
Co. She exemplifies valuesthrough her steadfast focus on
relationship development andbuilding trust. As part of her
(08:01):
role, Nikita has a team ofmultiple internal and external
clients that she interacts withdaily. But she doesn't look at
these relationships, especiallythose with outside clients as
just a service. Nope, that wouldnot embody her deeply rooted
value of relationships. Instead,Nikita sees herself as part of
(08:23):
their team. How sell? Well,they're working on a shared
goal. They develop trust, theyprovide feedback, their
successes are her successes, andthat also means their failures
or her failures. This approachallows Nikita to develop really
strong, authentic relationships.
When we have the solidrelationships in place. My
(08:45):
friends, it is easier to becreative, it is easier to offer
unique ideas and to work throughlong and challenging
assignments. One of Nikitastakeaways is to show up as a
friend and a collaborator. Soit's essential to highlight the
impact of embodying values andleadership for all employees.
(09:06):
When we align our actions withour values, we create a sense of
purpose we have integrity andauthenticity, that then in hand
inspires trust, and this cultureof respect. Remember, again,
leadership is not defined by aposition or a title is about
upholding values that guide yourdecisions, your actions and your
(09:30):
interactions with integrity andempathy.
Now on to our third theme,navigating change, as John F.
Kennedy once said, change is thelaw of life and those who look
only to the past or present arecertain to miss the future. When
(09:51):
facing organizational changeapproach with adaptability with
clear and honest communicationand an eye toward
Innovation, develop a changemanagement plan, involve
stakeholders in the process, andembrace feedback. And thinking
about this theme. There were twoepisodes from Season Four that
(10:12):
came to mind, leadership changeand communication, a
conversation with CEO and formerTEDx Talk coach Jacqueline
Farrington and manage yourmetaphors. Are you Alliance, a
coach or the anti Midasexploring applied leadership
communication research withScott Shank. Jacqueline
Farrington is a former TEDxspeaker coach and a London
(10:34):
Business School lecturer, andshe is the founder and president
of Farrington partners. She alsohas a new book out as well.
Well, Jacqueline, of course,left us with very thoughtful
concrete tips for improving ourpresentation game. I was really
struck by the coaching work shedoes with clients to leave this
idea of executive presence whereit belongs in the past. So
(10:58):
Jacqueline walked us throughsome tips for feeling like our
authentic genuine selves as wegive presentations or lead
speeches. But she also talkedabout how she coaches her
clients today on authenticityvia strategic presence. So in
the past executive presence wasthe buzzword of the time. Why?
(11:19):
Well, not so long ago. Andfolks, unfortunately, this is
still the case in someorganizations. But title leaders
were expected to dress and speakand engage with others and very
prescriptive specific ways.
Well, pretty cookie cutter ways.
Think back to that untouchablemanager, the closed doors, the
(11:42):
power distinctions. Well, thatapproach is really exclusive.
And also it's pretty lonely formanagers. Not so helpful for
employees either. It's justabout impossible to develop
trusting solid relationships.
Being a title leader is a hardjob, my friends and it is even
harder when you feel the need toput on airs. So if executive
(12:04):
presence is out what iscontemporary prevailing wisdom,
strategic presence? According toJacqueline's strategic presence
is about tapping into yourmultiple identities, your roles
you play in life, your livedexperiences and your values, to
adapt how you communicate in themoment, so that you meet your
(12:27):
audience halfway and help themto hear your message in the
moment. This shift fromexecutive presence taught them
to city freely helps toillustrate positive change, and
also related to navigatingchange. Scott shank, a PhD
candidate at Michigan StateUniversity, talk to us about
(12:47):
some vibrant and importantleadership communication
research. I really love thisepisode, because Scott is a good
friend. And we get to geek outabout metaphors that people use
to describe their managers, frompilots, to lions, to a member of
the KGB, and certainlyeverything in between. And then
Scott took it a step further tohelp us consider the role of the
(13:09):
title leader in a deeper andmore meaningful way. That's
actually pretty simple to grasp.
So Scott introduces the idea ofpower over people in power over
the work environment.
(16:51):
and pulling out this theme Iimmediately thought of the
incredible women who joined usfor our women in STEM series. In
this series, we looked at behindthe stats with Julie Sturza,
breaking barriers and reshapingnorms with Dr. Megan Grunert
Kowalske standing her groundbuilding a presence as a woman
developing her career in STEM aconversation with Sara Buchel.
(17:15):
These guests really brought itmy friends, they were
forthcoming and thoughtful withtheir experiences, what they've
learned and tips for anyoneinterested in a career in STEM.
And honestly, these tips aregoing to serve you well whether
you are in STEM or any otherfield. So let's start with an
idea that Julie shared with usrelated to mentors, Julie
(17:36):
Sturza, is a pediatric researchstatistician at a large academic
medical center. And in thisrole, she works with physician
researchers to design pediatricresearch studies, conduct and
interpret statistical analysesand disseminate research
findings. So her title andexpertise lie in statistics. But
my friends, a large portion ofher role involves building
(17:59):
relationships, establishingtrust, and on the occasion
navigating conflict. So in thisepisode, Julie talks about the
importance of mentors. And whatI love about her take is that we
often need more than just one.
Julie's found it really helpfulto develop relationships with a
couple of different types ofmentors. And she talks to us
about them. So she brings uptechnical mentors. And these are
(18:23):
the relationships you developwith content experts. In Julie's
case, she talks aboutstatistician peers she can chat
with or to double check codingor analysis. Having that
technical mentor can mean havinganother set of eyes on your
work, having a great soundingboard to keep you you know,
you're brainstorming andthinking about how to innovate.
(18:44):
But that's not all folks, right?
While having that technicalpeer, that mentor to connect
with is great. What about whenwe're chewing on things like
asserting opinions in a meetingsor navigating some
organizational politics? That'swhen we bring in lifestyle
mentors. Lifestyle mentors arethose you look up to Julie talks
(19:07):
about these as folks who arerole modeling the skills whether
it's leadership, communication,work, life balance, these things
that we're working on, wereimpressed by and we are striving
for. Julie also points out andanother important takeaway. Not
all of our mentors have to beformally assigned. Again, we're
(19:28):
not knocking formal mentorshipprograms and anyway, but as
Julie illustrates, in herepisode, we can learn a lot from
observing others who are reallyexcelling in specific areas.
Also exemplifying empowermentand representation is Dr. Megan
Grunert Kowalske. She's anassociate professor and
(19:49):
department chair of theDepartment of Chemistry at
Western Michigan University. Sheshared some really powerful
examples of how she's leaninginto her title leadership role.
To help reshape norms toestablish a healthier, more
inclusive work environment, I'mgoing to share two of the very
many examples that she sharedwith us. So one leave the laptop
(20:12):
at home. As Megan was preparingfor scheduled time off, a
colleague made a comment thatshe was the only chairperson to
ever leave the laptop at home.
Think about how powerfulMeghan's decision is to actually
use her vacation time for Wait,wait for it vacation. i i
modeling that time off trulymeans time off from work, she
(20:34):
sends a really powerful messageto her colleagues that she does
not expect to hear from them, orexpect them to use her time off
to complete work tasks. Anotherexample she shared with us
equitable policies for all,Megan talks about some of the
challenges she experienced withmaternity leave, such as
(20:54):
comments about her quote unquotevacation upon her return. Megan
talks about how she works withall employees, women and men to
help them access the time offthey're entitled to in these
situations. By role modeling andfacilitating these pro social
healthy organizationalbehaviors. Megan is actively
(21:15):
reshaping group norms for thebetter every single day. And
again, my friends, these arejust two of the many examples
Meghan shared. She tacklesdelegation, innovation and
empowerment through many otherillustrations in our episode, so
please go check it out. Ourfinal guest in the women in STEM
series Sara Buchel is a chemicalengineer in the automotive
(21:38):
industry. She discusses theunique challenges she has faced,
including impostor syndrome andthe need to assert herself as a
young professional. And onething that helps Sarah
successfully navigate thesechallenges is her strong
network. Why is networkingimportant especially for women
in STEM fields and youngprofessionals? It's more than
(22:01):
just a professional connection.
As Sarah points out networkingwith other women, the field
offers a vital source of supportthe opportunity to share
experiences, those check ins canfoster a sense of community, and
lead to personal andprofessional growth can help to
(22:21):
build confidence as well. Whenwe network with others in the
field, it can give us a platformto showcase our expertise, our
accomplishments and our uniqueperspectives. By engaging these
conversations or attendingprofessional conferences. Women
can garner again social supportand confidence while
(22:41):
collaborating with others. Andfinally, knowledge sharing and
skill development. Networkingallows women in STEM to exchange
ideas, best practices andknowledge with peers and
professionals acrossorganizations. This leads to
continuous learning, skilldevelopment, and staying up to
date with advancements in yourfield. I can't tell you all how
(23:04):
much I enjoyed our women in STEMseries. I learned so much from
these three incredible women,again, all of whom my daughter
would bestow the title of kickbutt girl to well, it was fun to
raise up voices of women in STEMtheir suggestions. Again,
they're guaranteed to help youin any industry any level of
your career. And I am prettysure this trio of women could
(23:26):
take over the world if theywanted to.
Let's move on to our fifththeme, personal growth and
entrepreneurship. Steve Jobssaid Your work is going to fill
a large part of your life andthe only way to be truly
satisfied is to do what youbelieve is great work. And the
only way to do great work is tolove what you do. So this means
(23:49):
to prioritize personal growth bysetting ambitious goals.
Investing in yourself incontinuous learning and training
and building a personal brandthat reflects your passion and
your expertise. When we embracechallenges as opportunities for
growth and strive to make ameaningful impact that really
(24:09):
enhances our professionaljourney.
With this theme in mind, Ithought about two of our
episodes from the season,igniting your thought leadership
brand a conversation with DeevoTindall and leading your own
business transitioning from anemployee to self employed.
Thinking about Deevo. He is thechief experience officer and
(24:31):
brand and marketing expert.
Deevo practices what he preacheshe posts regularly on LinkedIn
and social media. He's afrequent guest on podcasts and
he gives keynotes and is widelysought out for his advice. Point
is that when Deevo gives yousuggestions and how to move from
just another industry player tothe gold standard, you listen.
(24:55):
So some of the tips andstrategies he suggests include
one self awarenessDeevo shares some transformative
advice he received two decadesago, as we are unable to read
our label when we get stuckinside our own chart. What does
this mean? If we don't take thetime to step back and reflect on
who we are, what we value, andwhat we're here to deliver them,
(25:17):
we're not likely to find muchsuccess. Number two want you to
focus on audience and content.
If you want to amplify yourvoice and your reach, doing an
audience analysis, and contentplanning is essential. When we
try to reach everyone, we tendto connect with just about no
(25:38):
one. Well, that might soundcounterintuitive. The more
specific or focus, the morelikely we are to make meaningful
connections with the rightpeople. And the final be you
right Be yourself. Sure othersmight have similar backgrounds,
similar experiences, but whatsets you apart is your
(25:59):
uniqueness. Yes, anotherSeussical word, but at the end
of the day, being authentic toyour perspective and leaning
into your own voice is what isgoing to allow you to form
genuine connections with others.
Other episodes from Season Fourrelated to personal growth and
entrepreneurship was when BenGaskill, co owner of Everest,
ice and water systems joined us.
(26:22):
Ben suggests that one of thebest things that new
entrepreneurs can do is to askquestions, why? Asking
questions, it helps us get ridof that uncertainty it helps to
get helps us to gain confidence.
We increase our knowledge base,we demonstrate interest and
commitment. It can help us toavoid silly mistakes or
(26:43):
incorrect assumptions and tocultivate relationships. Benson
says that one of the biggestmistakes he sees individuals
make struggling to ask for whatthey need, including help.
Getting into the practice ofasking questions can help you to
sidestep this common obstacle.
(27:04):
Like my dad always says, If youdon't A-S-K you don't G-E-T
and this brings us my friends toour final theme and one you all
know is near and dear to myheart communication strategies.
In the words of Simon Sinekcommunication is not about
speaking what we think it'sabout ensuring others hear what
(27:24):
we mean. It can enhance ourcommunication skills by practice
practicing active listening, wecan use storytelling to convey
our messages effectively, andrefining our written
communication to engage withothers. Remember that clear and
empathetic communication. It isthe key my friends to building
(27:44):
trust, and fosteringcollaboration. As a leadership
communication podcast, we do alot of leaning into
communication. But there arethree episodes from the season I
really like to raise up in thisregard. It's storytelling and
leadership with Karen Eber.
Writing as problem solving andleadership with Pam Hurley and a
blueprint for effectiveleadership, communication,
(28:06):
building relationships,implementing strategies and
fostering self awareness, aconversation with Dr. Julien
Mirivel and Dr. Alex Lyon, KarenEber. Talk to us about
storytelling as a basic unit ofhuman connection. Karen Eber is
a co author and speaker and justa really cool person. Karen made
(28:26):
the case to integratestorytelling into your everyday
talk. What why why would she dothat? Well, storytelling is a
fundamental way to exchangeinformation in a way that we
remember it. Memorable is thekey word here. Sure, we can make
lists, we can send emails andlecture at our team. But that's
(28:48):
not the way to connect or toconvey information in a lasting
fashion. Storytelling also leadsto increased comprehension and
again, retention. Kieran walkedus through what happens in our
brain when we listen to a story.
In the most basic of terms,storytelling engages more real
(29:11):
estate of the brain, thenlistening to lectures, for
example, and using more of thatreal estate of your brain
enhances your comprehension andretention of the information.
Finally, storytelling impactsour psychological safety in a
positive way. When we listen toour story, our brain mirrors the
(29:33):
activity of the storyteller,creating a shared experience
increasing empathy, andincreasing trust. What does this
mean? As Karen points out, thishelps to highlight the impact
storytelling has on energy andproductivity. Karen talks about
these points and so much more inher episode. I also highly
(29:56):
recommend her TED talk how yourbrain responds to stories and
why they're crucial for leaders.
Also related to communicationstrategies is Pam Hurley's
episode, Pam has been coachingcorporate clients on how to
improve their writing andspeaking for 30 years, she often
works with individuals who aretechnical experts in their
(30:17):
fields. These are folks who arehighly educated and very well
trained for specific high levelareas. Think engineering design
automation. The problem is thatmany of these folks see writing
just as an irrelevant task, orat the very least, just another
thing that has to be completed.
Instead, Pam works with them toreframe writing as problem
(30:40):
solving. When we view writing asproblem solving, it transforms
from just another thing on ourto do list to an activity that
requires expertise, strategy,planning and savvy. So if you or
your colleagues are strugglingwith documenting processes, or
communicating about projects,remember, you are not just doing
(31:02):
something to cross another itemoff that list. Or rather, you're
still engaged in highlytechnical project based work.
The final episode of the seasonthat really embodies
communication skills is thatwith the dynamic duo of Dr.
Julian Mirivel and Dr. AlexLyon, Julian and Alex are also
communication scholars, andthey've recently teamed up to
(31:25):
write a really great bookentitled positive communication
for leaders. In their episode,they walk us through so many
pragmatic tips to improve ourcommunication and exemplify our
leadership abilities. But oneI'd like to raise up here
relates to self disclosure,authority and courage. Alex and
Julian highlight the idea ofself disclosure and the courage
(31:47):
to speak up and share one'sviews authentically, as a key
communication strategy. So whyshould leaders and employees not
be afraid to express themselvesrespectfully, authentically and
professionally? Well, when weengage in intentional
communication, we work to get toknow our team members, and we
(32:07):
let them get to know us and youknow what the following happens,
we have increased understanding,we're more likely to collaborate
and to do so effectively. And wedevelop authentic connections
with our teams, which oftenmeans less conflict and less
misunderstandings.
(32:28):
Like we've said from episode oneon the communicative leader,
your communication is ayardstick others use to assess
your leadership ability. When weare intentional with our words
and our actions, we tend to seeimprovements in all areas of our
life, from the workplace to ourhome life.
Thank you for joining us on thecommunicative leader. We hope
(32:51):
that the specific examples thesepractical strategies, and
inspiring quotes shared willinspire you and empower you.
Remember, leadership is ajourney, my friend, and it is
one of learning and growth, andwe all have missteps. But when
we are mindful of thestrategies, and we think about
our communication and our dailyinteractions, we can make a huge
(33:15):
positive impact on ourprofessional life and again, our
personal life as well. Staytuned for more episodes on
leadership communication, comingsoon in season five on the
communicative leader.
All right, my friends. Thatwraps up our conversation today.
Until next time, communicatewith intention and lead with
(33:37):
purpose. Looking forward tochatting with you again soon on
the communicative leader.
Hi, welcome to the communicative leader. Today
(00:03):
we're doing the best of the restfor season four finale. This has
been a really fun and a reallyrich season for us and we even
hit our 50th episode this seasonto celebrate we've pulled out
six themes to help us thinkabout what we've explored and
chatted about the season. We'regonna have a lot of fun and
thank you again for joining usfor the season four finale.
(00:26):
Hello, and welcome to thecommunicative leader hosted by
me, Dr. Leah Omilion-Hodges. myfriends call me Dr. OH. I'm a
professor of communication andleadership communication expert
and the communicative leader.
We're working to make your worklife what you want it to be.
(01:17):
It has a working adult andyou're seeking to enhance your
leadership abilities. Rememberthe importance of emotional
intelligence, the importance ofbuilding relationships and of
practicing self awareness. Todive into this theme in greater
detail I want to raise up herePia Wendelbo's episode entitled
leadership, innovation andawareness. Pia is the CEO of
(01:39):
Scandinavian Change Agents anddoes some really impactful,
really thoughtful work. Onetakeaway from her episode that I
still think about is hersuggestion to limit the hours of
your worry boutique. Thissuggestion comes with the work
pa does to help employees andexecutives wrangle and overcome
their self limiting beliefs?
What are self limiting beliefs?
(02:03):
Just as the name suggests, theseare negative thoughts that we
have about ourselves and our ownabilities. And why are they
problematic? Well, when we'retrying to achieve goals, or
learn new skills, push ourselvesto hit higher levels of
achievement, constantly dodgingour own negative thoughts is not
(02:24):
so helpful. So what might thesebeliefs sound like? I'm not good
enough. I'm not the right personfor this. And why would I think
I could learn or do or achieveus?
Instead, Pia suggests that weneed to acknowledge these
thoughts, but that it's likelymore helpful to set aside a time
(02:47):
when we can explore these doubtsoutside of the present moment.
(05:33):
Aligning your personal valueswith your leadership practices
is essential for creating aculture of trust and
authenticity. You want tocommunicate those values clearly
lead by example, and integratethem into your decision making
process. Because when we dothat, we foster the sense of
purpose and unity and agencywithin our team as well. When I
(05:56):
think about this theme, I thinkabout two episodes from the
season in particular, valuesdriven leadership with Dr. David
Schreiner, and the power oftrust building authentic
relationships for successfulsuccessful leadership, a
conversation with Nikita Kumar.
So when we think about valuesdriven leadership I got I'm
(06:16):
thinking about Dr. DavidSchreiner, he's the president
and CEO of KSB hospital, authorof a recent book, be the best
part of their day superchargingcommunication with values driven
leadership. The key point here,David is not just immersed in
research and writing, but he isleaving living leadership, team
(06:37):
and organizational life everysingle day. And in trying to
learn more about values drivenleadership, David conducted
interviews with healthcareindustry leaders to explore how
authenticity and genuinenessappear in the work that they do
every day. So again, in in hisepisode, we're looking at this
(06:57):
much greater detail. But forstarters, values driven
leadership is being intentionalin Word indeed, listening deeply
reflecting before responding,and using many channels, right
as many as you have as many asyour audience wants to
communicate and connect. Inshort, values driven leadership
(07:19):
means that you show up as yourauthentic self. Give your full
attention to your team, yourwork in your community.
In his episode, David alsobrought up an important
communication tip, people aren'talways looking for you to fix
it. Whether it is a problem, aconcern, or just a frustrating
moment, I encourage you toreturn to his episode to think
(07:41):
about different approaches thatwill better support your
employee, your peer or yourpartner. For thinking about
Nikita Kumar, she's a podcastSuccess Manager at Pikkle and
Co. She exemplifies valuesthrough her steadfast focus on
relationship development andbuilding trust. As part of her
(08:01):
role, Nikita has a team ofmultiple internal and external
clients that she interacts withdaily. But she doesn't look at
these relationships, especiallythose with outside clients as
just a service. Nope, that wouldnot embody her deeply rooted
value of relationships. Instead,Nikita sees herself as part of
(08:23):
their team. How sell? Well,they're working on a shared
goal. They develop trust, theyprovide feedback, their
successes are her successes, andthat also means their failures
or her failures. This approachallows Nikita to develop really
strong, authentic relationships.
When we have the solidrelationships in place. My
(08:45):
friends, it is easier to becreative, it is easier to offer
unique ideas and to work throughlong and challenging
assignments. One of Nikitastakeaways is to show up as a
friend and a collaborator. Soit's essential to highlight the
impact of embodying values andleadership for all employees.
(09:06):
When we align our actions withour values, we create a sense of
purpose we have integrity andauthenticity, that then in hand
inspires trust, and this cultureof respect. Remember, again,
leadership is not defined by aposition or a title is about
upholding values that guide yourdecisions, your actions and your
(09:30):
interactions with integrity andempathy.
Now on to our third theme,navigating change, as John F.
Kennedy once said, change is thelaw of life and those who look
only to the past or present arecertain to miss the future. When
(09:51):
facing organizational changeapproach with adaptability with
clear and honest communicationand an eye toward
Innovation, develop a changemanagement plan, involve
stakeholders in the process, andembrace feedback. And thinking
about this theme. There were twoepisodes from Season Four that
(10:12):
came to mind, leadership changeand communication, a
conversation with CEO and formerTEDx Talk coach Jacqueline
Farrington and manage yourmetaphors. Are you Alliance, a
coach or the anti Midasexploring applied leadership
communication research withScott Shank. Jacqueline
Farrington is a former TEDxspeaker coach and a London
(10:34):
Business School lecturer, andshe is the founder and president
of Farrington partners. She alsohas a new book out as well.
Well, Jacqueline, of course,left us with very thoughtful
concrete tips for improving ourpresentation game. I was really
struck by the coaching work shedoes with clients to leave this
idea of executive presence whereit belongs in the past. So
(10:58):
Jacqueline walked us throughsome tips for feeling like our
authentic genuine selves as wegive presentations or lead
speeches. But she also talkedabout how she coaches her
clients today on authenticityvia strategic presence. So in
the past executive presence wasthe buzzword of the time. Why?
(11:19):
Well, not so long ago. Andfolks, unfortunately, this is
still the case in someorganizations. But title leaders
were expected to dress and speakand engage with others and very
prescriptive specific ways.
Well, pretty cookie cutter ways.
Think back to that untouchablemanager, the closed doors, the
(11:42):
power distinctions. Well, thatapproach is really exclusive.
And also it's pretty lonely formanagers. Not so helpful for
employees either. It's justabout impossible to develop
trusting solid relationships.
Being a title leader is a hardjob, my friends and it is even
harder when you feel the need toput on airs. So if executive
(12:04):
presence is out what iscontemporary prevailing wisdom,
strategic presence? According toJacqueline's strategic presence
is about tapping into yourmultiple identities, your roles
you play in life, your livedexperiences and your values, to
adapt how you communicate in themoment, so that you meet your
(12:27):
audience halfway and help themto hear your message in the
moment. This shift fromexecutive presence taught them
to city freely helps toillustrate positive change, and
also related to navigatingchange. Scott shank, a PhD
candidate at Michigan StateUniversity, talk to us about
(12:47):
some vibrant and importantleadership communication
research. I really love thisepisode, because Scott is a good
friend. And we get to geek outabout metaphors that people use
to describe their managers, frompilots, to lions, to a member of
the KGB, and certainlyeverything in between. And then
Scott took it a step further tohelp us consider the role of the
(13:09):
title leader in a deeper andmore meaningful way. That's
actually pretty simple to grasp.
So Scott introduces the idea ofpower over people in power over
the work environment.
(16:51):
and pulling out this theme Iimmediately thought of the
incredible women who joined usfor our women in STEM series. In
this series, we looked at behindthe stats with Julie Sturza,
breaking barriers and reshapingnorms with Dr. Megan Grunert
Kowalske standing her groundbuilding a presence as a woman
developing her career in STEM aconversation with Sara Buchel.
(17:15):
These guests really brought itmy friends, they were
forthcoming and thoughtful withtheir experiences, what they've
learned and tips for anyoneinterested in a career in STEM.
And honestly, these tips aregoing to serve you well whether
you are in STEM or any otherfield. So let's start with an
idea that Julie shared with usrelated to mentors, Julie
(17:36):
Sturza, is a pediatric researchstatistician at a large academic
medical center. And in thisrole, she works with physician
researchers to design pediatricresearch studies, conduct and
interpret statistical analysesand disseminate research
findings. So her title andexpertise lie in statistics. But
my friends, a large portion ofher role involves building
(17:59):
relationships, establishingtrust, and on the occasion
navigating conflict. So in thisepisode, Julie talks about the
importance of mentors. And whatI love about her take is that we
often need more than just one.
Julie's found it really helpfulto develop relationships with a
couple of different types ofmentors. And she talks to us
about them. So she brings uptechnical mentors. And these are
(18:23):
the relationships you developwith content experts. In Julie's
case, she talks aboutstatistician peers she can chat
with or to double check codingor analysis. Having that
technical mentor can mean havinganother set of eyes on your
work, having a great soundingboard to keep you you know,
you're brainstorming andthinking about how to innovate.
(18:44):
But that's not all folks, right?
While having that technicalpeer, that mentor to connect
with is great. What about whenwe're chewing on things like
asserting opinions in a meetingsor navigating some
organizational politics? That'swhen we bring in lifestyle
mentors. Lifestyle mentors arethose you look up to Julie talks
(19:07):
about these as folks who arerole modeling the skills whether
it's leadership, communication,work, life balance, these things
that we're working on, wereimpressed by and we are striving
for. Julie also points out andanother important takeaway. Not
all of our mentors have to beformally assigned. Again, we're
(19:28):
not knocking formal mentorshipprograms and anyway, but as
Julie illustrates, in herepisode, we can learn a lot from
observing others who are reallyexcelling in specific areas.
Also exemplifying empowermentand representation is Dr. Megan
Grunert Kowalske. She's anassociate professor and
(19:49):
department chair of theDepartment of Chemistry at
Western Michigan University. Sheshared some really powerful
examples of how she's leaninginto her title leadership role.
To help reshape norms toestablish a healthier, more
inclusive work environment, I'mgoing to share two of the very
many examples that she sharedwith us. So one leave the laptop
(20:12):
at home. As Megan was preparingfor scheduled time off, a
colleague made a comment thatshe was the only chairperson to
ever leave the laptop at home.
Think about how powerfulMeghan's decision is to actually
use her vacation time for Wait,wait for it vacation. i i
modeling that time off trulymeans time off from work, she
(20:34):
sends a really powerful messageto her colleagues that she does
not expect to hear from them, orexpect them to use her time off
to complete work tasks. Anotherexample she shared with us
equitable policies for all,Megan talks about some of the
challenges she experienced withmaternity leave, such as
(20:54):
comments about her quote unquotevacation upon her return. Megan
talks about how she works withall employees, women and men to
help them access the time offthey're entitled to in these
situations. By role modeling andfacilitating these pro social
healthy organizationalbehaviors. Megan is actively
(21:15):
reshaping group norms for thebetter every single day. And
again, my friends, these arejust two of the many examples
Meghan shared. She tacklesdelegation, innovation and
empowerment through many otherillustrations in our episode, so
please go check it out. Ourfinal guest in the women in STEM
series Sara Buchel is a chemicalengineer in the automotive
(21:38):
industry. She discusses theunique challenges she has faced,
including impostor syndrome andthe need to assert herself as a
young professional. And onething that helps Sarah
successfully navigate thesechallenges is her strong
network. Why is networkingimportant especially for women
in STEM fields and youngprofessionals? It's more than
(22:01):
just a professional connection.
As Sarah points out networkingwith other women, the field
offers a vital source of supportthe opportunity to share
experiences, those check ins canfoster a sense of community, and
lead to personal andprofessional growth can help to
(22:21):
build confidence as well. Whenwe network with others in the
field, it can give us a platformto showcase our expertise, our
accomplishments and our uniqueperspectives. By engaging these
conversations or attendingprofessional conferences. Women
can garner again social supportand confidence while
(22:41):
collaborating with others. Andfinally, knowledge sharing and
skill development. Networkingallows women in STEM to exchange
ideas, best practices andknowledge with peers and
professionals acrossorganizations. This leads to
continuous learning, skilldevelopment, and staying up to
date with advancements in yourfield. I can't tell you all how
(23:04):
much I enjoyed our women in STEMseries. I learned so much from
these three incredible women,again, all of whom my daughter
would bestow the title of kickbutt girl to well, it was fun to
raise up voices of women in STEMtheir suggestions. Again,
they're guaranteed to help youin any industry any level of
your career. And I am prettysure this trio of women could
(23:26):
take over the world if theywanted to.
Let's move on to our fifththeme, personal growth and
entrepreneurship. Steve Jobssaid Your work is going to fill
a large part of your life andthe only way to be truly
satisfied is to do what youbelieve is great work. And the
only way to do great work is tolove what you do. So this means
(23:49):
to prioritize personal growth bysetting ambitious goals.
Investing in yourself incontinuous learning and training
and building a personal brandthat reflects your passion and
your expertise. When we embracechallenges as opportunities for
growth and strive to make ameaningful impact that really
(24:09):
enhances our professionaljourney.
With this theme in mind, Ithought about two of our
episodes from the season,igniting your thought leadership
brand a conversation with DeevoTindall and leading your own
business transitioning from anemployee to self employed.
Thinking about Deevo. He is thechief experience officer and
(24:31):
brand and marketing expert.
Deevo practices what he preacheshe posts regularly on LinkedIn
and social media. He's afrequent guest on podcasts and
he gives keynotes and is widelysought out for his advice. Point
is that when Deevo gives yousuggestions and how to move from
just another industry player tothe gold standard, you listen.
(24:55):
So some of the tips andstrategies he suggests include
one self awarenessDeevo shares some transformative
advice he received two decadesago, as we are unable to read
our label when we get stuckinside our own chart. What does
this mean? If we don't take thetime to step back and reflect on
who we are, what we value, andwhat we're here to deliver them,
(25:17):
we're not likely to find muchsuccess. Number two want you to
focus on audience and content.
If you want to amplify yourvoice and your reach, doing an
audience analysis, and contentplanning is essential. When we
try to reach everyone, we tendto connect with just about no
(25:38):
one. Well, that might soundcounterintuitive. The more
specific or focus, the morelikely we are to make meaningful
connections with the rightpeople. And the final be you
right Be yourself. Sure othersmight have similar backgrounds,
similar experiences, but whatsets you apart is your
(25:59):
uniqueness. Yes, anotherSeussical word, but at the end
of the day, being authentic toyour perspective and leaning
into your own voice is what isgoing to allow you to form
genuine connections with others.
Other episodes from Season Fourrelated to personal growth and
entrepreneurship was when BenGaskill, co owner of Everest,
ice and water systems joined us.
(26:22):
Ben suggests that one of thebest things that new
entrepreneurs can do is to askquestions, why? Asking
questions, it helps us get ridof that uncertainty it helps to
get helps us to gain confidence.
We increase our knowledge base,we demonstrate interest and
commitment. It can help us toavoid silly mistakes or
(26:43):
incorrect assumptions and tocultivate relationships. Benson
says that one of the biggestmistakes he sees individuals
make struggling to ask for whatthey need, including help.
Getting into the practice ofasking questions can help you to
sidestep this common obstacle.
(27:04):
Like my dad always says, If youdon't A-S-K you don't G-E-T
and this brings us my friends toour final theme and one you all
know is near and dear to myheart communication strategies.
In the words of Simon Sinekcommunication is not about
speaking what we think it'sabout ensuring others hear what
(27:24):
we mean. It can enhance ourcommunication skills by practice
practicing active listening, wecan use storytelling to convey
our messages effectively, andrefining our written
communication to engage withothers. Remember that clear and
empathetic communication. It isthe key my friends to building
(27:44):
trust, and fosteringcollaboration. As a leadership
communication podcast, we do alot of leaning into
communication. But there arethree episodes from the season I
really like to raise up in thisregard. It's storytelling and
leadership with Karen Eber.
Writing as problem solving andleadership with Pam Hurley and a
blueprint for effectiveleadership, communication,
(28:06):
building relationships,implementing strategies and
fostering self awareness, aconversation with Dr. Julien
Mirivel and Dr. Alex Lyon, KarenEber. Talk to us about
storytelling as a basic unit ofhuman connection. Karen Eber is
a co author and speaker and justa really cool person. Karen made
(28:26):
the case to integratestorytelling into your everyday
talk. What why why would she dothat? Well, storytelling is a
fundamental way to exchangeinformation in a way that we
remember it. Memorable is thekey word here. Sure, we can make
lists, we can send emails andlecture at our team. But that's
(28:48):
not the way to connect or toconvey information in a lasting
fashion. Storytelling also leadsto increased comprehension and
again, retention. Kieran walkedus through what happens in our
brain when we listen to a story.
In the most basic of terms,storytelling engages more real
(29:11):
estate of the brain, thenlistening to lectures, for
example, and using more of thatreal estate of your brain
enhances your comprehension andretention of the information.
Finally, storytelling impactsour psychological safety in a
positive way. When we listen toour story, our brain mirrors the
(29:33):
activity of the storyteller,creating a shared experience
increasing empathy, andincreasing trust. What does this
mean? As Karen points out, thishelps to highlight the impact
storytelling has on energy andproductivity. Karen talks about
these points and so much more inher episode. I also highly
(29:56):
recommend her TED talk how yourbrain responds to stories and
why they're crucial for leaders.
Also related to communicationstrategies is Pam Hurley's
episode, Pam has been coachingcorporate clients on how to
improve their writing andspeaking for 30 years, she often
works with individuals who aretechnical experts in their
(30:17):
fields. These are folks who arehighly educated and very well
trained for specific high levelareas. Think engineering design
automation. The problem is thatmany of these folks see writing
just as an irrelevant task, orat the very least, just another
thing that has to be completed.
Instead, Pam works with them toreframe writing as problem
(30:40):
solving. When we view writing asproblem solving, it transforms
from just another thing on ourto do list to an activity that
requires expertise, strategy,planning and savvy. So if you or
your colleagues are strugglingwith documenting processes, or
communicating about projects,remember, you are not just doing
(31:02):
something to cross another itemoff that list. Or rather, you're
still engaged in highlytechnical project based work.
The final episode of the seasonthat really embodies
communication skills is thatwith the dynamic duo of Dr.
Julian Mirivel and Dr. AlexLyon, Julian and Alex are also
communication scholars, andthey've recently teamed up to
(31:25):
write a really great bookentitled positive communication
for leaders. In their episode,they walk us through so many
pragmatic tips to improve ourcommunication and exemplify our
leadership abilities. But oneI'd like to raise up here
relates to self disclosure,authority and courage. Alex and
Julian highlight the idea ofself disclosure and the courage
(31:47):
to speak up and share one'sviews authentically, as a key
communication strategy. So whyshould leaders and employees not
be afraid to express themselvesrespectfully, authentically and
professionally? Well, when weengage in intentional
communication, we work to get toknow our team members, and we
(32:07):
let them get to know us and youknow what the following happens,
we have increased understanding,we're more likely to collaborate
and to do so effectively. And wedevelop authentic connections
with our teams, which oftenmeans less conflict and less
misunderstandings.
(32:28):
Like we've said from episode oneon the communicative leader,
your communication is ayardstick others use to assess
your leadership ability. When weare intentional with our words
and our actions, we tend to seeimprovements in all areas of our
life, from the workplace to ourhome life.
Thank you for joining us on thecommunicative leader. We hope
(32:51):
that the specific examples thesepractical strategies, and
inspiring quotes shared willinspire you and empower you.
Remember, leadership is ajourney, my friend, and it is
one of learning and growth, andwe all have missteps. But when
we are mindful of thestrategies, and we think about
our communication and our dailyinteractions, we can make a huge
(33:15):
positive impact on ourprofessional life and again, our
personal life as well. Staytuned for more episodes on
leadership communication, comingsoon in season five on the
communicative leader.
All right, my friends. Thatwraps up our conversation today.
Until next time, communicatewith intention and lead with
(33:37):
purpose. Looking forward tochatting with you again soon on
the communicative leader.
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