Greatness Podcast

Do you dread "networking" but believe you should be spending more time doing it? Speaker, coach, and author Deborah Grayson Riegel joined the Greatness podcast to discuss her thinking on going both "broad and deep" on relationships; and how to think strategically about the types of people you might need to connect with for both your short and long-term needs. Deborah's tips for building out your support system via networking, especially for women, are spot on.

Wendy Swire, global leader, coach, author, and speaker, joined the Greatness Podcast (and created a unique page of resources for you listeners - https://swiresolutions.com/greatness/) to share her incredible insights on Brain Science and how to get the most out of your brain. This includes sleeping more which lets your brain "clean itself"; focusing on mental fitness to generate positive versus negative thinking; and realizing our brains are not structured for modern life, including "a high level of chronic inputs". Listen for insights to develop "cognitive resilience" and practical, specific tips.  

I firmly believe that we have a duty as leaders to provide the people we lead with regular feedback. When I read Kim Scott's Radical Candor, her framework immediately resonated with me - the care and courage that feedback requires. Kim's associate Amy Sandler joined the Greatness Podcast to discuss the framework. Giving feedback takes time and thought. "It's not mean, it's clear" - a great line from one of the stories Amy shares. Amy does a great job of explaining the framework - care personally, challenge directly - and how to use it to effectively provide feedback. I appreciate Amy's reflections on intentions. We understand our intent, those we are interacting with may not.

I work with hundreds of women leaders in engineering, construction, energy, and mining, and the topic of how to be confident without being arrogant comes up repeatedly. I'm so grateful to Dr. Tracy Brower for taking the time to join the Greatness Podcast to talk about the difference between confidence and arrogance, and how to own and share your superpowers. Tracy's research on happiness at work and confidence, including how our insecurities can actually be perceived as arrogance, is incredibly insightful.

Lisa Hinz, Founder of The Confidence Track, shares her very personal journey with imposter syndrome and how she shifted from constantly reacting to focusing upon living an intentional life. Lisa shares concrete techniques for building confidence - finding safe environments to talk about self-doubt, identifying the triggers of self-doubt, and intentional responses to self-doubt. Lisa also shares specific techniques for women in male-dominated fields to build confidence (stop over-apologizing!) and yet her advice is applicable to us all. 

What are the primary differences between high-performing and low-performing teams? After decades of studying thousands of people on over 800 teams, Robert Marshall knows the answer to this question, and joined the Greatness Podcast to share his incredible insights. Top of the list - level of trust - may seem obvious, but Robert also discusses the importance of things like good facilitation. Robert also shares his insights on the importance of gender diversity on teams. Definitely worth a listen as nearly all of us need to operate well within teams. 

Are you viewed as a "doer" or a "strategic thinker"? Being a "doer", someone that is capable of executing with excellence, is important. Adding the ability to think strategically, being viewed as a strategic thinker by those around you, is also critical in most contexts. I loved having Brenda Steinberg, leadership consultant and executive coach, on the Greatness Podcast to discuss how we can not only sharpen our strategic thinking skills, but also ensure that we are communicating with others in a way that helps them understand our strategic capabilities. As a gifted coach, Brenda also shares her thoughts on being coached effectively - how to be in the right mindset and how to be open to experimentation.

Have you ever felt betrayed? Maybe something happens with a colleague at work? Or in a personal relationship? I feel so fortunate to have met Dr. Beth Hedva, author of Betrayal, Trust, and Forgiveness, who joined the Greatness Podcast to share her wisdom on the topic. Beth talks about how we shift from "why did this happen to me?" to "how can I grow from this experience?" and shares her TRUST model for moving from feelings of betrayal to an ability to trust again. Beth's insights are remarkable.

My good friend Suzanne Arkel is a remarkable woman who has devoted her 25 year career to driving inclusivity in large construction programs. I asked Suzanne, who identifies as African American, to rate the inclusivity of the construction industry on a scale of 1 (low) to 4 (high), and I appreciate her answer - "It's a two-and-a-half . . . if there were no specification or contractual requirements, it would be a zero . . . ". Suzanne shares her insights on how we can all help small business and underrepresented communities thrive in our industry. 

I have a deep appreciation for people who immigrate from one country to another. I've learned, it's hard! I can't imagine doing it as a 17-year-old who doesn't speak the language. Laura Miranda joined the Greatness Podcast to share her journey from Columbia to Australia and how that led her to a two-year technical degree and to co-founding the podcast called "You Don't Look Like an Engineer". I am always grateful for the opportunity to meet people like Laura who step up as leaders to improve our industry. Laura's story is remarkable, wise beyond her years with incredible insights to share with us. I also encourage you to listen to Laura and her co-founder Sohan Roopra on their podcast as they share remarkable stories that help us understand diversity, equity, and inclusion in the construction industry.