The Leader Learner Podcast

Send us a textCheck-In Question:Would you tell people if you won the lottery, would you tell people or keep it a secret? Big Ideas:Exercise:Draw a meeting on a paper.Color code.  RED- people talking too much. GREEN - people talking too little. ORANGE - people speaking in a toxic wayWhat do you notice? Share of voiceWhen is interrupting others okay? Cultural differences between share of voice, and adapting to how others communicateHow can we encourage green people to talk more, besides simply "Speak up"?Wait time.Eye contactModerate conversation moreDoes everyone's voice need to be heard?Are we using breakout rooms to create engagement1-2-4-ALL Giving people the opportunities to write first, then share with a pair, then the whole groupTurn to your neighborBrainstorming are often more geared for extroverted people. Extend the brainstormWhen we don't hear from others, we don't hear oppositionPower has nothing to do with performance at times.Certain situations when collective intelligence is not appropriateHearing from the experts, credible, valuable contributors? Wisdom of the LOUD, doesn't necessarily incorporate the most credible peopleContext mattersCollective intelligence - more people sharing, focus on social sensitivityMore social sensitivity when there are women in the roomSwap out the moderators of a meeting, to shift the share of voiceConnection between empowering people and burnout - some people aren't ready to be empoweredEntrepreneurship training versus leadership trainingFront load the sharing to equate share of voiceBring awareness to peopleONE BREATH SHARE - keeps sharing limitedWhat's the purpose of the meeting?Who's really making the decision?Resources:Leadership is Language by L. David Marquet1-2-4-ALL, Liberating StructuresNominal Group TechniqueHumanocracy by Gary Hamel and Michele ZaniniMore yummy content on leaderlearner.fm

Send us a textCheck-In: What cause would you be willing to give up your life for?Big Ideas:gratitude can help us out of dark placesattitude of gratitude is not the same as a practice of gratitudegratitude practice as a daily ritualgratitude as a feeling, not necessarily saying "Thank you."feeling proud rather than just luckyWho are you grateful for who supported something you are proud of?Characteristics that supported the achievement - who helped to develop those characteristics in you? Strangers who helped you - being grateful for the unseen peopleThe emotion of gratitude - not just talking about it, but feeling into it with eyes closedRecognition is not the same as gratitudeWaiting for recognition leads us unto a dangerous pathGratitude comes from within, recognition is externalGratitude is the feeling, recognition is the actionWhat's the prerequisite to gratitude?Doing gratitude isn't the same as feeling gratitudeCreating the pause and intention to feel gratitudeHabit stacking - way of creating new habits on top of old habitsSpeaking gratitude out loud can be powerfulResources:Atomic Habits by James ClearMore yummy content on leaderlearner.fm

Send us a textCheck-In:If you could change anything about yourself, what would you change?Big Ideas:Should organizations provide resources for employee mental health?Mental health is still a taboo topic for many, especially in organizationsNot educated about topics of mental healthShame associated with an EAP programCulture of "suck it up," "be strong," and "pull up your bootstraps."Perception of being weak - the stigma of mental health issuesIs there a right way to support people around mental health?Community-based program to support employee mental health - feeling not alone by sharing with othersTrust advisors in Switzerland - listen and provide options, not therapy or coachingComplexity of situationsNeurodivergent employees and mental health - are they in the same box?Leaving your personal life at the door doesn't workCompartmentalizing our lives doesn't workWe are meant to be in community with others - we are not autonomous beingsIs community more important than the product?Sitting with our emotions, rather than trying to push past themPersonal responsibility - where am I participating?Yoga, nap rooms, etc support the symptoms, but not the causeProvide the relationship space for peopleContinuity of support - more than just a couple of days offPeople who can step off the work highway, and others who cannotPressure on employees can't be fixed with nap podsThe CEO who was fired for providing more for his employees, but not focusing enough on profitNot about finding faultMental health is not linearYES/AND - both individual and organizational responsibilityMore yummy content on leaderlearner.fm

Send us a textCheck-In:Which superpower would you like to have? Big Ideas:Definitions of authentic leadershipAuthentic leaders deeply understand their values, strength and purpose and use that to motivate and inspire othersThe ability of people to tell their own stories and help people connect to that story4 Dimensions of Authentic Leadership: Self-Awareness, Relational Transparency, Balanced Process, and Internal Moral PerspectiveVulnerability is a strength not a weaknessHow our unconscious mind interferes with authenticityDon't bring our true self to work due to cultural expectations, fears, peer pressure, etc.Authentic Leadership is self-referentialAuthentic leaders are proactive in looking at their biases and how they process peopleLeaders already think they are being authenticSelf-awareness isn't a destination, it's a journeyThe 5 Rs - Review, Remember, Recognize, Reflect, RenewYou can never say that you completely know yourselfDon't crucify others or ourselves for our biases - we all have biasesOwn up to others your biases - ask others to give you feedback about your biasesAuthentic leaders lead as uniquely themEverything comes down to the strength of our core People claiming to be self-aware, but acting as if they are notHow can one facilitate authentic conversations?Create spaces that are empowering enough to be vulnerableWhen you look into the mirror and ask questions, who responds? Connection between courage and authenticityKindness and complacency Should we always be authentic? Authentic leaders know what they do not know and are willing to admit itEmpathetic feedbackLooking for the elements of truth in hard feedbackHow do we encourage people to take the time to reflect? Not look at what's right or wrong, but look at what happened and making meaning from itEvery day has moments of authentic leadershipEvery day provides moments for self-reflectionAmara's Bio: Amara is a certified executive and leadership development coach with great passion for leading authentically. I work with executives and leaders to embrace authenticity, strengthen positive behaviors, develop new leadership capabilities, grow influence, and deepen impact. My clients achieve positive lasting changes in leadership behaviors. www.authentictransformations.netwww.Amaraemuwa.netPlease check out her new book, The Truth Behind Excuseshttps://authentictransformations.net/behind-excusesMore yummy content on leaderlearner.fm

Send us a textCheck-In:Do you like to be used or second hand items?Big Ideas:Is leadership working? Does leadership training work?Training cannot be done outside of the contextConsuming, Connecting, CreatingStopping our ways of being are habitual is more challenging than we thoughtWe are emotional beingsEmbodiment of the ideas takes longer than a trainingBeing intentional about practicing the ideas we learn in the training - take the pause and creating a support systemSense of personal responsibility of the individuals in trainingThe treadmill and lack of control prevents people from implementingTop management not participating in training themselves - "I am a CXO, so I don't need training." This creates misalignment.Transparency around how we are learningAlienation of true selves when we go to workMeasuring leadershipAttribution errors - when we attribute success to one person, rather than multiple factorsA record doesn't matter when you hire someoneBeing a good leader of yourself, to support other leadersWhat can I do today? Taking personal responsibilityImitation versus borrowingReading books that make you think rather than telling you what to doSometimes the expert is wrong - we can't always take someone's formula and apply it to ourselvesProcess consultation - practicing on the spot Having multiple ongoing touchpoints throughout, or after a training is overVoluntary training or mandatory training? Does participation shift?Resources:Less is More by Jason HickelHBR - Why Training Fails and What to do About It (2016)The Financial Times - Success is more complicated than one exceptional individual (2023)More yummy content on leaderlearner.fm

Send us a textSPECIAL NOTE: This podcast was originally recorded as part of the "Talent Unleashed" podcast, which never launched because Theresa was too optimistic about her time capabilities. We decided to honor the guests and publish it under this brand instead. Enjoy :) BIG IDEAS:The F*ck Up List - an explicit place for sharing our mistakes and making it transparent and acceptablethe person who is responsible for the f-ck up is the one who adds it to the listchallenge of internalizing the culture of being okay to failsharing failures as a way to help others in the future, so they don't make the same oneNon-judgmental view of failureintention to learn from the mistakes, have a good laugh about our mistakes, create more awareness and transparency aroundentries of the F-up list also include the resolutions, not about pointing fingers or blaming otherstechnological and social structures to prevent mistakes in the futureThe Prime Directive - "Regardless of what we discover, we understand and truly believe that everyone did the best job they could, given what they knew at the time, their skills and abilities, the resources available, and the situation at hand."high level of trust - see best intentions of everyonegreat sense of ownership and freedom - space to make mistake and not be blamedcomfort in challenging because not afraid of mistakes - leads to innovationcriticize the work, not the personlow egos help reduce social conflictrequesting feedback on a regular basis - making it an active processfeedback on open forums - in shared spacemodeling of open feedback from the foundersreducing fears and doubts though mentoringhiring too quickly can erode culturetruly wanting people to grow not all frameworks will fit your needs perfectlyRESOURCES MENTIONED:The Prime Directive HolacracyBIOGRAPHIES:To learn more about Robin and Echometer, head to these links:https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-roschlau/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanmicheldiaz/https://echometerapp.com/en/To learn more about Camilla, head here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/camillamaia/https://www.behance.net/camilla-maiahttps://medium.com/@c.cav.maiaMore yummy content on leaderlearner.fm

Send us a textSPECIAL NOTE: This podcast was originally recorded as part of the "Talent Unleashed" podcast, which never launched because Theresa was too optimistic about her time capabilities. We decided to honor the guest(s) and publish it under this brand instead. Enjoy :) Big Ideas:What does it mean to unleash talent? When learning spreads out across multiple areas of your lifeMix of theoretical and practical aspects of learning - using the learningIntrinsic motivation and curiosityHow do organizations support curiosity individually, and across an organization?Learning offered versus learning people wantJust in time learningEncourage curiosity, but don't provide the infrastructure to harness itGig Learning - short term assignments to allow people to learn in different aspects of the organizationsIntersection of harnessing curiosity and unleashing talentChange the narrative around talent - talk about individuals rather than about resourcesHolistic thinking - not about moving people on a chess boardHow best delivering to all people in the organization to satisfy their curiosity?Linking people to their own personal purpose within the organization, not just the organization's purposeIf want to unleash talent, have to be curious about talentUnleashing talent isn't just about promotionsSquiggly careers Everybody's 100% looks differentWhat structures need to be in place to help manager unleash talent on their teams?When people are promoted to managers, but don't want to be a managerUnderstanding that the people you manage are who deliver to the client Managers don't necessarily have the capacity or resources to manage wellGetting to know the individuals well enough that you know what inspires them, what demotivates themWhat makes a poor manager poor? (Micro-management, Magpies, Chasing their own agenda, etc.) Rise in managers who care about individuals Poor management isn't address - people quietly quit or change teams What's your purpose as a manager?Connection between purpose and unleashing talent Breaking down silos in the organization, so people can see where their purpose can be realized, if it isn't alreadyUnderstand ourselves and our own limitations in order to unleash others talentDAVE MILL'S BIO:With over 25 years experience in the learning and development industry. In that time he has facilitated internationally and covered a wide number of subjects from driver training on forklift trucks to facilitating senior leaders to flourish through change.He is currently a senior consultant and SME in the People Development and Effectiveness Centre of Expertise for Kantar (the world’s leading data, insights and consulting company).In his many previous lives he trained as a horticulturist, spent years as a night club and mobile DJ, built a career in retail manager, was a charity and corporate event MC and compère, and is a trained hypnotherapist.He lives in Leamington Spa in the UK with his wife. He has 2 children, is a ‘born-again’ gardener, has recently started writing poetry, still DJs occasionally, loves reading More yummy content on leaderlearner.fm

Send us a textCheck-In:What's better, love or money? Which has more power, love or money? What's more powerful, love or money? Big Ideas:Money as a substitution for timeInfatuation can be a very powerful motivator. Differentiation between moments of happiness and lovePutting love into leadership People going back to work just to see the peoplePower and the complexity of human relationships Power has a negative connotationHaving power is a privilegeYour relationship to power can hold you back, especially if you think of it as negativePower over, power to, power with (Brené Brown)When power is used to "control you" may give you a negative view of power4 Elements of Power as per Ted JenkinsPower of positionPower of expertisePower of connectionsPower of personal authority6 Elements of Power as per French and Raven (1960's source)Formal PowerPower of Consequence (power of sanction and reward)The other 4 are the same as aboveWomen use their power of expertise almost to a faultExtroversion and Introversion are not scientifically backedPower of position/legitimacy is given - we agree to give others that powerCan one have power of position without any of the other powers?Is "authority" the right word? Confusion of power and authorityIs authority, really about charisma?Personal authority and the relationship with trustInformation brokers - knowledge powerInformation is not the same as expertiseConnection between money and powerPoliticians starting with personal authority, which leads to connections, and then to positionWhat are we gaining by giving people power over us?Power over you is like being in a prisonGrow our own sense of power, and continue to have choiceSocietal and group powerSystems changing from outside, not from insideIs power of personal authority, connection, and expertise enough when the power of position is so strong? Resources:Anxious People, by Fredrik BackmanLove as a Business Strategy, by Frank E. Danna and Mohammad F. AnwarThe Work Lab, by MicrosoftHow Women Rise, by Sally Helgeson and Marshall RosenbergRising Together, by Sally HelgesenMore yummy content on leaderlearner.fm

Send us a textCheck-In QuestionIf you were invisible, what's the first thing you would do?What good can you do while being invisible?Big Ideas:4 quadrant matrix - Caring Personally, Challenging DirectlyHigh Care, High Challenge - Radical CandorHigh Care, Low Challenge - Ruinous EmpathyLow Care, High Challenge - Obnoxious AggressionLow Care, Low Challenge - Manipulative InsincerityIndustry dependent  (ie, manufacturing more direct, healthcare less direct)gender dynamics at play - women not wanting to challenge directly for fear of being labelled a "B*tch", men don't want to be seen as weakCan compassion be radical?Compassion using the heart and the mindRadical - getting to the root of thingslay down unilateral power, hold each other accountableRadical means essentialend of command and control with pandemic"I can't believe this trust thing is working." ~CXO of some companyInvite them to give you feedback first and make it a regular part of your day, even in small conversationGet to know your team about their career aspirationsAssumption that people want to advance - Rock Stars versus Super StarsAssess how giving and getting feedbackEbb and flow between being a rock star and super stardomOften only way to grow is to be a manager - what about those who don't want to be a manager? Often only reward the managers financially, not the ICsDifference between learning and growing up the ladderPair the care and the candor all the time Passive, aggressive - assertiveness as the third wayNot falling prey to either orPermission parenting, authoritarian parenting, authoritative parenting - finding the middle groundWe are human and won't always walk the perfect pathBill Gates - "Give me the bad news."Cultural implications around radical candorUse too many disclaimers to soften negative feedback, which takes away the candorRecency and latency biases make us  forget the middle in the "Sandwich" techniqueSo many nuancesNormalize radical candorInvite public criticism as a leader, so you show people you are willing to take itOtherwise, give all radical candor in privateOften more care than candorFear in speaking up and saying thingsWhen impact doesn't match intentionI can't always measure the impact I will have on people Sometimes the way we see the truth can hurt someone, but does that mean we shouldn't say it? Can people take your "Radical Candor"?Inquisitive radical candor - test the waters first?Knowing the right time to give feedback - it will land different in different circumstances"Radical candor is not measured at the mouth of the speaker, but at the ears of the listener." Resources Mentioned:Radical Candor by Kim ScottThe Culture Map by Erin MeyerMore yummy content on leaderlearner.fm

Send us a textCheck-In:What do you think the purpose of life is?Big Ideas:Failing reference modelsShift from the meaning of crisis to the crisis of meaningWhat's the meaning of work?Reference models on how to live together (the Greek pantheon, organized religion, science, governments)Does work give us meaning?When we get the message that meaning at work is overratedEffort in making communityIn the past, work didn't need meaning because we got meaning elsewhereAre organizations built to provide meaning to employees?Cultural aspect of meaning makingPeople resigning because looking for meaningDomains that provide meaning and purpose - autonomy and relatednessPeople turning toward personal purpose because not finding it at workPersonal development focused on autonomousDeriving meaning from volunteer workVolunteering because it's heart-felt or because it's duty (someone told me to)When your work touches your heart, do you need to volunteer to find meaning?Universal income - will people still work?If we don't want people to leave their work, people need to feel connected to their work and connected to the people they work withWho's responsible for the meaning?Meaning is so personal Individual why supporting the team shyCompanies giving time and space for employees for meaning-makingPeople want something more than just salarySocial, financial, and ecological aspects of meaning - measuring eachHow are companies measuring social and ecological impact dimensions?Is it a company's responsibility to provide meaning? Peace when you find meaningThe journey to create meaning is part of the processMeaning as an evolutionary processResources Mentioned:Healing Circles GlobalLandmark EducationFind Your Why by Simon SinekBeyond Zero documentaryMore yummy content on leaderlearner.fm