Have you ever felt excluded in the workplace? We are willing to bet your answer is yes. Feeling excluded can range from being the minority to not being invited to a lunch group. What corporations tend to forget about is that employee motivation and retention is directly linked to belonging and inclusion. Today Deepa is speaking to Cheryl Thompson, Founder and CEO of CADIA - the Center for Automotive Diversity, Inclusion and Advancement. Cheryl is on a mission to double the amount of diverse leaders in the Automotive Industry by 2030. She offered great tips for how we can begin to change our work cultures to be more inclusive.Key Points from this Episode:A big challenge for minorities is feeling as if you are always being watched and will be judged more than the majority. When someone doubts us, we immediately turn and doubt ourselves.We can easily give up our own sense of identity to fit into corporate culture. When we can’t be our authentic self, our brains don’t work as well! How much more productive and profitable would organizations be if all employees can be authentic?It is not enough to hire diverse talent, organizations need to embrace all cultures. This promotes creativity within projects and the organization is able to keep talent instead of having a high turnover rate.A change of culture within organizations will help build inclusive environments. First thing is to include yourself, take responsibility for showing up authentically. You can be the change agent.There has to be a Leadership Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion- they set the tone and the priorities, they model what is valued within the company. Systemic Change is needed for overall inclusion in a company as well. You have to look at how your company hires, offers benefits, and unconscious biases.Start to assess performance differently. Ask your leadership team - What do you define as success? What would get in the way of someone who doesn’t look like you to reach that success?We hope you liked this episode! Let us know in the comments - have you had moments where you have felt excluded in your work culture? What did you do? About CherylCheryl Thompson is the founder of the Center for Automotive Diversity, Inclusion & Advancement. A veteran of the automotive industry, Cheryl has over 30 years of experience at Ford Motor Company and American Axle and Manufacturing in positions ranging from skilled trades, operations, engineering and global leadership. She is trained in diversity and inclusion, career and leadership coaching and is Six Sigma trained and certified as a Black Belt. Learn more about CADIA and their mission to double the amount of diverse leaders in the Automotive Industry by 2030 here. Thanks for listening and stay cool!Visit the show website at (http://www.meetmypotential.com)Follow me on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepanatarajan/)

As the workplace has turned more and more virtual over the past year, teams can fall easily into the trap of getting onto a meeting and only discussing the projects at hand. At the end of the day though, we are all still human beings. Humans require connection and building trust with your team will actually increase productivity. Today Katja von Bergen joins Deepa to discuss attitudes and dialogue. She ventures to say that managers and executives should lead the way to create meaningful conversation for their teams and organization. Key Points from this Episode:In the Virtual environment, it can be easy to jump directly into business and tasks. We cannot forget to connect with each team member directly and get to know them as a human.Be aware that these valuable dialogues are going to be different and possibly outside of your team’s comfort zone. It’s good to make it fun, like bring a game. Keep it fun, the conversations do not have to be hard work. Try it once and see how they react. If it works, great. If not, try something different next time.These meaningful conversations lead to teams listening to each other deeply.You get to decide how deep you go. You cannot build trust unless you get vulnerable.Be easy with these valuable conversations and have fun with it. Be the example for your team.Create a space that is non-judgmental. If the person does not want to go deeper, accept that. Do not force anyone to give more than they are willing to.This can be a great tool for inclusion.Here are 5 great questions to start these conversations-What was the best decision in your job and why?What are you most proud of?What are you grateful for?What gives you energy to get up in the morning?What is your type of humor? What do you laugh about?You must first open yourself in order for others to be open.We hope you enjoyed this episode! Thank you for listening. Tell us in the comments, how are you taking one step towards meaningful connection today? About KatjaKatja von Bergen is the Managing Director and Entrepreneur of Agile Transformer, business unit of the German consultancy Kraus & Partner, but starting her own business in 2022. She has been in change consulting for 12 years and has been involved in quite a few projects, some of which went well and some of which went badly. Make sure you write to Katja on LinkedIn to get your free copy of questions for your next meeting!  Deepa will be starting another Rethink Leadership Bootcamp in October. Please get in touch to find out if this could serve you in your leadership journey. You can send a message through LinkedIn or email deepa@meetmypotential.com. Thanks for listening and stay cool!Visit the show website at (http://www.meetmypotential.com)Follow Deepa on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepanatarajan/)

We are no longer strangers to the digital space. The pandemic has forced us into this environment if we were not already there. We’ve had to move quickly and adapt and continue to evolve how we make use of digital platforms.Today’s episode dives into the world of digital learning and transformation as Deepa speaks with Detlef Hold, Head of Digital Learning Experience for Roche. They talk about what digital learning is as well as give practical tips for how to use the platforms to achieve the most engagement and success within organizations. Key Points from this Episode:Digital Learning leverages technology platforms for individual or group learning. And it is about creating the best environment for digital workers, the world we are living in today.There is a lot of responsibility on digital workers. They have to be able to search, assess, and find what’s relevant. It’s important to use technology and build community around it.Small things make all the difference in digital learning, but it does require you to rethink the way you design these experiences.You have to create an environment where everyone has a voice and feels comfortable sharing.Focus on people first. Climate, Facilitation, and Pace of program are key ingredients in keeping transformation happen in digital learning environments.Use co-creation to increase engagement in your digital environment.Make the most of your meeting time! This means you focus on dialogue and connection rather than tactics and summaries. Make videos of those items before the meeting.Utilize all forms to communicate on your digital platforms, be breakout rooms or chats or small groups. Engage in multiple ways so that everyone has an option to get in the conversation.Keeping cameras on for online meetings creates more connection, so encourage the use. This can take time and needs to be woven into your organization’s culture.The platform is a means to an end. You will have to convince your stakeholders of the technological investment.You are asking your employees to rethink the way they work. You are helping them build new habits and forget their old ways of doing. This is about mindset.Focus on the social structures needed to engage every employee. This is more important than the actual technological part of the transformation.Articulate your intention. Experiment and observe ourselves. This brings about change within us. When you find yourself in a place where there is opportunity, take it!We hope you enjoyed this episode! Tell us in the comments, what is one way you are embracing digital learning? And what is one new way you learned from this episode to use digital learning?About DetlefDetlef Hold’s skillset is in digital learning, entrepreneurship, design thinking, the innovation life cycle and global leadership development. He has worked as an independent OD consultant, in HR and teach Psychology, HR, Change Management and Corporate Learning Leadership (Executive MBA programs) in South America, Switzerland & in the US at Stanford. He is a very creative problem solver who can recognize patterns of an emerging future.

Have you ever been a part of a transformation project? Or an organization who was looking to make scalable, rapid change? Being a part of these times in an organization can be stressful and intense. Many times employees are nervous about entering a transformation project due to all of the unknowns. Today Deepa is speaking with Elodie Loing about transformation in critical situations within organizations. Elodie shares her real life experiences with scaling organizations and creating change within teams. Elodie’s approach is about empathy, letting go and collective responsibility. This episode is for any one who may be experiencing a critical time in their organization, but especially for executives and managers. Key Points from this Episode:Many times change agents are called into a project and organizations are called in too late. Critical times happen when there is high pressure and stress within an organization. It is generally systemic and performance is low.Being a mediator is different from being an operational manager. Empathy is enriching and humbling because you are looking at the situation from another person’s perspective. Being unattached - the ability to do the best you can and let go of what the future holds or what the outcome actually is.There is an opportunity to grow in every situation.Promote diversity in your teams. Hire those who have different opinions from yours and let them talk.Here’s an easy way to practice stillness - make an appointment with yourself, put it in your calendar! The hardest part of a reset is your ego and your rational brain. Watch out for those!Co-creation allows you to let go of your own ideas and let others in to help you. Give your teams the benefit of working with you.Collective responsibility comes from within each person. Accept yourself - the strengths you have, the weaknesses you have, every part of you. And realize you will make mistakes. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone.We hope you enjoyed this episode! Elodie gave so much wisdom. Let us know in the comments, have you been a part of a transformation project? Was it during a critical time? What was the most memorable part? Was it stressful or fun? :)About ElodieElodie Loing has 25 years’ experience in retail organizations including The Disney Store, Le Cèdre Rouge, The Nuance Group, Fashion History, Jean Paul Gaultier and Manutan. Elodie scales up and turnarounds organizations (in France and Internationally). She implements conflict wise dynamics which lead to improved team spirit and accelerated performance. Elodie is a National Mediator at French Ministry of Economy and Judicial mediator at the Paris Court of Appeals. She is also a Lecturer and Independent board member. Elodie is convinced that conflict-wise organizations are wiser and more competitive on their market!

How many times have you had an idea or suggestion and not actually spoken it out loud? How many times have you seen something wrong happening in your workplace but you have not told anyone about it? Did you know that you are having an impact whether or not you are speaking? What is the legacy that you want to leave as a leader? Today, Deepa is joined with Zana Goic Petricevic, Founder of Bold Leadership Culture, to discuss how and why you need to be bold in your leadership. We are all leaders of our own lives, so why not be bold about it?Key Points from the Episode:Boldness takes your soulfulness. In order to be bold, you have to engage your entire soul.There is a limit to your boldness that comes from your head.Reasonable and safe behaviors and decisions come from the brain. Unreasonable and risky behaviors and decisions come from the heart or soul, anywhere besides the brain.You have a choice to act more boldly and step outside of your comfort zone.Your discomfort matters less than your vision. This pushes you to act boldly.Zana shares a perspective to see how bold you are, based on SOUL - Self, Other, Universe, and Legacy.This is not easy! Leadership is as much about the “being” space as it is in the “doing” space. There needs to be moments of pause and presence as well as moments that challenge and grow us.There is no boldness without personal risk involved.Try to break out of the mindset that your work is solely a means for income. You cannot create legacy by staying small. You are creating an impact whether or not you speak up. Silence is a misused privilege. We hope you liked this episode! Let us know in the comments what part of the SOUL was most intriguing to you and your bold leadership. About Zana Goic PetricevicZana is the Founder and Managing Director of Bold Leadership Culture. Our mission is to cultivate bolder individual and collective leadership in organizations through coaching, learning and development. Zana also holds many certifications and credentials that make her a sought after Leadership Coach, Executive Coach and Facilitator. Visit her website here. Thanks for listening and stay cool! 😎Visit the show website at (http://www.meetmypotential.com)Follow me on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepanatarajan/)

Many organizations are finding themselves in crisis right now. The pandemic has turned businesses upside down. So how do you persevere through crisis and come out stronger on the other side? Today, Deepa is joined with Magali Euverte who is the Director of the Normandy lines contract with SNCF. Magali shares her experience of pushing through crisis, when it lasts for more than a year. Listen to this episode to hear real life experience of how you can inspire and invest in your team to build collective responsibility and achieve success.Key Points from this Episode:Invest time and training in your frontline managers. Get them on board and encourage them to bring their teams.Find your purpose and why you will continue on this journey. If you don’t know your why, you won’t have much luck in continuing when the journey gets difficult.Understand what is in it for your fellow employees. Both in the sense of empathy as well as anticipating any possible roadblocks that may come along down the way.Celebrate every step along the way, otherwise the team will lose their motivation.Transparency includes engaging your employees in solutions, allowing them to contribute their feedback to build the solution.It pays to spend more time on the short term goals, rather than the long term goal.Communication builds team spirit. Team Spirit is what keeps the project going, even for over a year.It is important to be able to zoom in to the short term and zoom out to the long term, even with the crisis right in front of you there is a need to put processes in place that will help in the long term.Remember to reward every part of the project, especially in support of the long term goals.Resiliency is needed during a long crisis.Be honest about the crisis now and hold the future goal – yes the process will be hard and we can see what the future will be so we are going to keep going.We hope you liked this episode! Let us know in the comments what was the most inspiring part of Magali’s journey. About MagaliMagali Euverte is the Director of the Normandy lines contract - monitoring and implementation of the operating agreement signed by SNCF and the Normandy region. She has operational management experience at the service of clients and teams. Magali implements several change management systems and supports managers for successful customer relationships.Thanks for listening and stay cool! 😎Visit the show website at (http://www.meetmypotential.com)Follow me on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepanatarajan/)

What is spirituality? Does that question make you nervous? Spirituality is not a part of the rational mind. This is why it is so hard for us to get into a practice of including spirituality into our lives because it is not in our comfort zone. The world favors the rational mind and we are conditioned to leave behind what is innately in us. Join Deepa and her guest, Gaurav Arora, as they explore the intersection of spirituality and leadership. How could including a practice of spirituality improve your leadership? What does it mean to ‘come home’? Are you living a life of intention? Listen to get simple tips on how you can start on this journey today.Key Points from this Episode:From Gaurav’s perspective, spirituality is a process of coming back home. Where you unlearn what you’ve learned from social conditioning. Spirituality is being your true authentic self without any need of appreciation or acknowledgement from the world. It is a lifelong journey.Just by starting to ask questions about how you begin this journey, you have started this important work. Ask yourself “Who am I?” continuously over time, keep checking in with yourself and discovering who you are.Find your source of joy. When you are fully in what gives you joy,, you are not fulfilling a need. A need to show how smart you are or a need for approval from others. Define your version of success, and make sure it is truly from you instead from others or the world.Intentions are extremely important. They can guide you on this journey. To find your intentions, ask yourself “What do I stand for?”. Your intentions should be the foundation of your leadership.Take a moment before your day starts or before a meeting to question, “What is my intention for this day or meeting?”.Gaurav says Leadership is a process of a leader leading a team to a common goal. It is a performance art. “Who you are is how you lead.”“Who you are is how you lead.” If you don’t know who you are, you won’t be able to lead.We hope you liked this episode! Let us know in the comments how you define spirituality and how it is included in your leadership journey. If you’d like to dive deeper into how you can achieve more in harmony, come take Deepa’s masterclass on why you need to rethink leadership here.About GauravGaurav Arora is the Country Head of Erickson Coaching International - India as well as the Director of Certifications at The Leadership Circle. He is a Master Certified Coach, designated by the International Coach Federation. Gaurav co-founded Inspire Coaching Systems, a professional training and coaching company in 2009, with the mission to inspire himself and others to live up to our own expectations.Check out Gaurav’s podcast, The Xmonks Drive. You can get in touch with Gaurav and gauravinspires@gmail.com.

Have you ever come across an arrogant leader? I bet everyone has come across at least 1 arrogant leader. I have come across many in my years as a Transformation coach, working with many high level executives in organization. But, have you ever taken the time to turn around and examine your own arrogance? What would you find if you asked yourself why that leader’s arrogance bothers you? We will always have arrogance to deal with, but the most important piece of this is to recognize what triggers you and how you can better deal with the arrogance. Once you know why arrogance irritates you, you’ll be better equipped to name it and move forward. Listen to this interview with Bob Anderson where we dive into specific examples of arrogance.Key Points from this Episode:It is easy to spot arrogance in others around us but more importantly arrogance needs to be identified within us. Instead of placing blame on others, first look at yourself and see what you find in yourself.We can feel vulnerable in work environments. As much as we want to feel like we are equal to or have the same amount of power as another, the truth is we all have different amounts of power at work. We attach many things to our identity, our ego. We get validation from those around us which inforce how we think about ourselves. This has the potential to grow our arrogance.If you are curious about how you are showing up, go ask a few of your colleagues how they see you. You might be surprised to hear what you are telling those you work with, even just with your facial expressions!You never know someone’s story, where they came from and what they are dealing with. Remember compassion.There are no difficult people. They only exist because they raise a difficulty in ourselves.“It’s not who we are, it’s how we’re not who we are.” Get in the practice of asking yourself, “Am I part of the problem?”It is so easy to identify ourselves as our ideas or our title, and if those things are not accepted then we feel not accepted.Remember to be open and listen. Our life stories have developed us in a certain way. This is not a bad thing, but it is something that needs to be examined and looked at so that we can know why we behave the way we do.I hope you liked this episode! If you are curious about knowing how and why you behave the way you do, schedule some time with me! I love helping others get to the root of how they act and figuring out next steps to create the change you are wanting. Schedule a session with me here. About BobBob Anderson has been a pacesetter and thought leader in the field of Leadership Development for over 30 years. He is the Founder, Chairman and Chief Development Officer of The Leadership Circle and Full Circle Group. Bob has completed his second co-authored book "Scaling Leadership: Building Organizational Capability and Capacity to Create Outcomes that Matter Most." "Scaling Leadership" is an essential guide that offers senior leaders the information needed to develop conscious leadership at scale with their organization.

Our world is built on a lot of complexity. But what would happen if we stopped and took the time to evaluate if that complexity is serving us? What if we realized that the complexity within our organizations is actually wasting time and doing the opposite that we are hoping for? Today I’m joined by Lisa Bodell and we talk about why it is important to get back to simple. There can be so much value in simple things like asking ourselves what are we saying yes to? In this question you can find what you are valuing and you will instantly know if you are on track to what you’ve said is the purpose of your work. Take a listen and get ready to be very honest with yourself!Key Points from this Episode:We add complexity with the best of intentions, we are trying to solve a problem or trying to add onto a process we already have. We should spend more time stopping and getting back to simple.The goal of simplifying means to get to the heart of the work, meaningful work. We get too stuck in the meetings and emails.We all value getting stuff done. We all need to check our behaviors to take into account not our own work loads, but also our colleagues’ load.Complexity is driven by fear and creates comfort because there are places to hide.Most of us have been taught to not take risks. And no one gets punished by following the status quo so not taking risks is reinforced. Change won’t happen unless the leaders give permission.‘Kill a stupid rule’ exercise - remember to look at the rules that you adhere to each day, not only the rules in other departments.The way to make change stick is to change behaviors. Instead of changing tactics, you must change behaviors. Start doing this by questioning the assumptions around you and that you are run by.Complexity not only wastes time but it also kills your company culture.When everything is simplified, transparency rises above everything. It is easier to spot the problems and see what needs to change to make companies more efficient and innovative.Everywhere can have simplicity, no matter how regulated it is.Do a calendar audit - think about how many meetings you may not be needing to attend a week!These 3 behaviors are needed to embrace simplicity: Permission to be questioned, Say No, and Streamline decision making. Thanks for listening! If you liked this episode, you will LOVE my masterclass on how to Achieve Success in Harmony. It is all about diving into what drives you and what behaviors you could add into your life to achieve more balance in your life. Check it out here!About LisaLisa Bodell is an award-winning author and CEO of FutureThink. She was recently selected as one of the Top 50 Keynote Speakers in the World. As a futurist and expert on the topic of innovation and simplicity, she serves as a global council member of the World Economic Forum, and has helped thousands of senior leaders ignite innovation at Bloomberg, Pfizer, Lockheed Martin, and more. Check out her website- https://www.futurethink.com/ - for free resources.

What does a “good” leader look like? What do you want from someone who is leading your organization? Times are changing, our environment is always in motion, our world is forcing us to think outside of the boxes we have created. As humans we create these boxes in order to give ourselves a sense of control and certainty, but the time has come to rethink the way we lead.Sonja Blignaut joins me today to dive into our complex world and talk about how we as leaders need to reframe what we think is leadership. Sonja provides a very realistic and human approach to complexity. She highlights 5 points to thriving in complexity as a leader. Key Points from this Episode:Complexity is multiple aspects in a system that interact with each other in ways that are not linear. Each thing is changed when they interact with another thing and you are not able to predict the changes. It is a messy environment.We need to let go of what we think of as “Traditional Leadership” and what being a “good leader” looks like when we are faced with complexity. It won’t do us any good to be stuck in old expectations.Leaders need to normalize the idea that the world is uncertain and that will always be the case. One easy way to do this is to say “I don’t know.”Instead of drilling down to time-based goals(6 month or 5 year), it can be more helpful to focus on a direction than being very specific so that you can be flexible within complexity.Being fully present in complexity is key.All of us live and thrive in complexity every day, in social situations, in family events, even just in driving on roads. For some reason though, we decide that experience is not valid to bring into the workplace. Instead we walk into work and think everything is going to be ordered and we can control it. We need to let go of that.Here are 5 points for leaders to take to better deal with complexity:Be open to diversity. In addition to being open to different races, cultures, genders, it is important to have a diverse set of perspectives and ideas on your team and within your organization. Oftentimes it is easy for an organization to have employees who end up all thinking alike. We need to be aware of multiple perspectives so that we can catch our blind spots as well as diversifying the way we do things because the only constant is change and you cannot do the same thing the same way for too long.Be curious and cultivate it. Be open to being surprised. Over the past few decades we have become obsessed with being efficient and that has made us extremely task focused. There is no time to be curious in this efficiency world. Have the courage to be vulnerable. Acknowledge that situations are not always enjoyable and foster co-responsibility so that everyone can work on the problem together.Get closer to the front line. We need to understand as leaders that it doesn’t serve us to outsource the frontline workforce; those are the people who are representing your brand and have the best relationship with your customers. Instead of living in a fixed hierarchy, it’s time to evaluate how to create an adaptive hierarchy.Empower those who are closer to the complex problems to bring the solutions to your problems. As leaders, don’t get so stuck in the day-to-day. You need to take time to think strategically. Get off the dance floor and get on the balcony. Once you are on the balcony, you can start seeing the patterns and then start influencing the patterns. Leaders don’t give themselves permission to step back and think. Managing the tension between taking time to think as well as having the courage to make decisions even when you think you don’t have enough information.Take time to reflect and have a group around you who will challenge you and ask difficult questions. About SonjaSonja Blignaut is a thinking partner for leaders, change-makers (individuals and teams) who need to lead in uncertainty. She enables strategic agility and creates future-fit organisations. Sonja co-creates and delivers fit-for-context interventions to enable responsive and adaptive organisations. She looks after the global Cognitive Edge network and is the South African partner for Cognitive Edge for over a decade. Sonja is certified in various individual and systemic coaching methods and a sought after speaker, with experience at various conferences locally and internationally, including TedX. Visit the Cognitive Edge website to learn more - www.Cognitive-Edge.com.I hope you liked this episode! Please rate and leave a comment on the podcast. Let me know in the comments - how can you bring more of yourself, your human-mess, into your work so that you can better deal with complexity?Thanks for listening and stay cool!