Intention Matters with Marianne Manseau

Season 3; Episode 8: Intention Matters with Marianne Manseau

Marianne Manseau is the Area Vice President for Pernod Ricard a global wine and spirits group whose ambition is to turn every social interaction into a genuine sharing experience. While Marianne’s friendly spirit is immediately apparent, underneath that smile is an extremely intentional, hardworking, and ambitious woman. Marianne shares her experience learning to be vulnerable, why intention matters and how her father and three brothers helped shaped the person she is today.

Key Takeaways from this Episode:

Listen to your team

·     Listen to your team’s pain points and show that you listened to them. 

·     Be intentional about bringing people in earlier to get their buy-in, make them to be a bigger part of the process than just their feedback. 

·     “Bring folks to the launch and not just the crash.”

Be vulnerable 

·     When you're uncomfortable, that's when you should think about how vulnerability might help. I have learned to get comfortable with the uncomfortable. That's where I feel I'm growing. And I feel like I'm giving my team the best of me, because I'm allowing myself to go through the process with them and not just lead them through it.

·     Show more vulnerability. I can lead the team without having all the answers. 

·     Be authentic in the moment. If you’re, scared, don't be afraid to say it. Share what you think along with what might go wrong. 

·     There's a range of emotions we have as humans, but we still have to make tough decisions.

Valuable lessons

·     Business lesson from my dad: Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.

·     Feedback is critically important. Ask for it and be willing to hear it and process it. Figure out where you need to action. You don't have to action on every single element. Let go of feedback that doesn't serve you as long as you really allow yourself to hear it. It. 

·     Intention matters. Be sure to express your intention so people know where you’re coming from. By giving people insight into your intentions, you can also show your flexibility and where you’re open to change. 

Experiences in becoming a leader as a woman of color

·     How we see ourselves is not always how others see us.

·     Some people may only see me as a person of color or as a female and others may not see that at all. I'm a strong leader with the potential to do more. I also happen to be a strong woman of color. 

·     I had three older brothers. I quickly had to learn to hold my own. I never thought it was unique to be in a room full of males. They all championed me in very different ways, but they played a role in driving my confidence. They see toughness in me when I feel defeated, they see results that I've achieved when I might just be focusing on a missed opportunity. I sometimes see myself as a little sister. They see me as a leader.

·     Early in my career, I was fortunate to have a really great manager: Greg Ellison. He set the tone for me in this industry. He didn't treat me differently than the other males on the team, but he was intentional about creating space for me, and he taught me how to create space for myself. He didn't allow me not to speak up in meetings. He celebrated me when I pushed back or challenged ideas. He always had my back. He was the first professional extension of how my brothers treated me. 

·     In my current role, there was a powerful moment when I interviewed an African American male candidate. He said to me, right up front in the interview, ‘There aren't many people that look like you and I in the company, especially in leadership, and you being in your role gives me hope that will start to change’. It reminded me how I look has an impact on others and how they see me as a leader.

To learn more about my work in executive coaching, leadership development and team effectiveness check out my website, connect with me on LinkedIn or email me at winnie@winnifred.org.  

Reach out and tell me what was helpful about today’s episode or any suggestions you have for my show.

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I look forward to sharing another transformative conversation with you next week!

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