The mistakes I made becoming a new leader - (ft. Kate Syuma - Growth Advisor, ex MIRO)
Jul 9, 2024
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Growth advisor Kate Syuma reflects on career lows, adjusting leadership style, and hiring mistakes. She shares pivotal moments, embracing uncertainty, and balancing authenticity as a solopreneur. Topics include feedback impact, career conversations, and intuition in decision-making.
Adjusting leadership style based on feedback to avoid reactiveness.
Embracing uncertainty by prioritizing experimentation and discomfort.
Decision-making process involving uncertainty over stability.
Comfort with uncertainties and challenges in solopreneurship.
Maintaining transparency and adaptability in feedback and choices.
Deep dives
Feedback on Leadership Style
Being judged with a critical eye, Kate reflects on her leadership style which was influenced by her background in design. She received feedback that characterized her as overly reactive. This prompted a shift in her approach, focusing on thoughtful responses over quick reactions to situations.
Transition to Solopreneurship
Diving into uncertainty, Kate described her decision to leave her full-time role for solopreneurship. Despite initial doubts, she embraced the idea of exploring random and uncertain paths, opting to prioritize experimentation and embrace the discomfort of uncertainty.
Navigating Career Transitions
Contemplating career shifts, Kate delves into her decision-making process evident in considering various paths like joining another company or growing to a VP level. Having chosen uncertainty over stability, she embarks on a journey to explore new avenues and personal growth.
Balancing Uncertainty and Comfort
Embracing discomfort and ambiguity, Kate discussed her evolving comfort with uncertainties in her career and personal life. The transition to solopreneurship served as a testament to her desire to confront uncertainty head-on and navigate various challenges that come with it.
The Importance of Transparency in Decision-Making
Reflecting on feedback and decision-making, Kate shared transparently her thought process with both her manager and potential employers. Maintaining open communication and clarity in her choices, she emphasized the value of transparency, even when declining offers.
Managing Reactiveness in Leadership
Struggling with reactiveness in her leadership style, Kate highlighted feedback about being too pushy or quick to respond. This prompted her to introspect and adapt to a more measured approach in decision-making, fostering a balance between promptness and thoughtfulness.
Challenges and Rewards of Authentic Leadership
Navigating the complexities of authenticity and leadership, Kate shared the balance of being genuine while fulfilling the expectations of a leadership role. She explored the challenges of maintaining authenticity in a corporate setting while striving for consistent self-expression.
Coping with Complexity as a Leader
Amidst the demanding nature of leadership responsibilities, Kate acknowledged the taxing nature of managing numerous interactions and emotions daily. Struggling with the heavy emotional toll of leadership, she highlighted the importance of managing expectations and emotional complexities.
Skills for Embracing Uncertainty
Highlighting the significance of managing uncertainty as a lifelong skill, Kate discussed her continuous journey in becoming more comfortable with ambiguity. Embracing uncertainty requires balancing control and acceptance, tapping into the courage needed to navigate various challenges effectively.
In this episode, Kate Syuma, growth advisor and creator of Growth Mates, reflects on the low points in her career, the challenges she faced in her transition to leadership at Miro, and her journey toward embracing uncertainty and authenticity as a solopreneur.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
1. Adjusting her leadership style after receiving feedback about being too reactive
2. Having an open career conversation with her manager and deciding to stay at Miro
3. The hiring mistake that happened after ignoring her gut feelings
Things to listen for:
[17:26] The pivotal low points in Kate's career
[23:41] The moment when Kate decided to stay at Miro despite a job offer in New York
[29:18] When her learning speed started decreasing
[33:53] Her challenge of balancing authenticity and the perceived image of a leader
[44:50] When Kate judged her own leadership style
[51:36] The moment when Kate made hiring mistake because she didn’t listen to her intuition
