Leadership Tea
The Leadership Tea podcast is where powerful leaders share their journeys, insights, and triumphs through informal conversations about what it takes to reach the executive level. Join us every other Wednesday to be inspired by the unvarnished stories of amazing executives who know what it's like to be "the only" at the table and who have succeeded regardless. They have proven leadership experience in their respective fields, from international affairs to the private sector to academia, and want to help others create their own success stories.
Leadership Tea
Harvesting Wisdom: Leadership Tea Reflections
This season finale of the Leadership Tea podcast is an opportunity to reflect on our journey, where we share our favorite moments and impactful quotes from the season. Belinda recounts Perlita's powerful insights on the unsustainability of constant fight-or-flight leadership, urging us to find balance and authenticity in our roles. Shelby reminisces about our enlightening conversation with mentor Emily Haber, focusing on the strength that vulnerability brings to leadership. Together, we emphasize that the most impactful lessons often come from genuine, unscripted exchanges and the community we've built around them.
As we take a brief hiatus to plan for the next season, we highlight the importance of self-reflection and staying true to our leadership values. Though new episodes will pause, we'll remain engaged through Instagram and email updates and introduce a new feature for listener feedback via text messages. Your voice matters to us; share your thoughts, suggest topics, and spread the word to those who might benefit from our insights. We're grateful for your support and excited about the new connections and content awaiting us in season two. Until then, let's continue to inspire and uplift each other in our leadership journeys.
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Learn more about us and the podcast at www.stirringsuccess.com
Hi everyone. This is Belinda and Shelby. We are here because we wanted to share our thoughts about this season of the Leadership Tea podcast and even share some of our favorite moments and quotes and kind of also preview a bit about what next season will look like. So we're really excited that we have been able to share this time with you, share our thoughts and bring our friends and family into the discussion thoughts and bring our friends and family into the discussion about what it means to lead in a dynamic environment under difficult circumstances and to think creatively about how to not only be your best self but bring the best out of your team.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think, as I reflect on this season, it was really an experiment when we think about how we got to this place. You know, it was just about a year ago when we talked about doing a podcast, started to put thought into the content that we wanted to curate, the people that we wanted to reach, the lessons that we wanted to share, and this drive to have an impact and to help others. It just kind of took on a life of its own. And now here we are 18, 19 episodes in. You know, now here we are 18, 19 episodes in and it's been quite the evolution.
Speaker 2:It's been quite a growth experience and, as we were talking just before recording, it's really been an experiment in being like. I can honestly say that this project enabled me to, that. This project enabled me to do something without necessarily thinking about how is this going to be received or what are the metrics going to look like. None of those thoughts crossed my mind and I think that in part, enabled us to tap into our inner talents and to produce content that resonated with people, because we were coming from a genuinely authentic place where we weren't preoccupied with numbers and performance and comparing ourselves.
Speaker 1:I think you hit the nail on the head that this journey really started with us thinking about what is the best way or the most effective way that we can help people yeah, and that we can share the lessons that we learned and that we can help people not have to repeat some of the processes and experiences that we've had. And how can we put leaders think this season is about inspiration, because the guests that we brought on I mean there are many, many people in our lives who inspire us. This is only a small sampling of that. Thankfully, right, we have a wonderful community around us, and so to be able to share that village of people and their insights and what helps motivate and drive and shape our own leadership foundations and values, I think that has been really meaningful as well and has helped for me shape this season.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure. So we reflect on the episodes that are most memorable or the ones that we enjoyed the most. Which ones come to mind?
Speaker 1:It's really hard to choose because, honestly, every episode in which we had a guest, I certainly know that I learned something profound. Yeah, and I learned a side of that individual that for many of them, I thought I knew them. I knew everything and I feel like I learned even more and I certainly heard insights that I wish I'd had in my back pocket years ago. But I think I want to start with something Perlita talked about in our episode about building a village, and there she talked about how, when we work in competitive environments and we're working under pressure, that we're putting our nervous system into this constant fight or flight mode and that that isn't really sustainable and it isn't helping us.
Speaker 1:Not only is it not helping us perform well, but it's not helping us be really great leaders, and I spent many years working in particularly leadership roles where fight or flight was seen as I don't want to say an advantage, but you were rewarded for having that. It was like the norm, almost Norm. It was the expectation, and that was really jarring for me when she said that Like yeah, I know it's not normal and it's not healthy, but it's refreshing to hear someone else say that and it's something that I have to be conscious about in myself, because I think it became a norm, right, and I have to say like I don't have to lead from that place.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:I'm still being an effective leader, even if I'm not feeling like I'm in fight or flight. Everything doesn't have to be on the line right. We don't have to be two points down in the fourth quarter.
Speaker 2:Struggling to make a comeback.
Speaker 1:In order for me to perform Right. So that's something that really stuck out for me from that particular episode.
Speaker 2:Yes, and for our listeners who may not have listened to that particular episode, it was the third one Well, the second full one, but I think the third one, after you count the trailer, when one teabag isn't enough the value of your village. So take a listen to that if you haven't already. One of the episodes that sticks out for me is the one that we did with my mentor, Emily Haber. I think it sticks out because it reminds me of a piece of advice that I give to other people that I mentor when it comes to having your village. Your village consists of not just the support system around you when it comes to your peers, but also having different mentors who bring something different to the table, and Emily has been that for me.
Speaker 2:We're an unlikely pair, and one of the things that I loved about that episode was her vulnerability in talking about how important it is to speak up for other people who can't speak for themselves. That is the essence of leadership like being bold, standing in the gap, looking out for people, particularly for people who, for whatever reason, are powerless or are not in a position to be influential or to make a difference or to stand up for themselves, frankly, and I just loved how she talked about the fact that when you display vulnerability as a leader, it doesn't necessarily mean that you're powerless. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Her comments about being too focused on power and authority and how that distorts your ability to see the true substance of a situation profound for me.
Speaker 1:I completely agree. In fact, I want to quote something she actually said. She said if people overstep boundaries, if they're higher ranked than you are, if you think that you're not in a place to actually push back, you're wrong. You need to tell them to stop. You need to be courageous. And I was like yeah, when she said that I was like preach Right. And I was like yeah, when she said that I was like preach Right.
Speaker 2:Stand on business, in other words. Oh for real.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Are there any other episodes that stood out to you? Well, the one that we did with Erica, which is a more recent episode, where we talk about dismantling the achievement addiction. There were so many quotable moments from our conversation with her. One of the things that I wrote was leading is about building a curious band, and that's not a direct quote from what she said, but it kind of borrows on some of the themes that she brought up in terms of how she has approached building teams, comparing that to building a band, making sure that you have different instruments. Everyone has their role to play. You don't want someone to be too loud or too soft. The goal is to create a collective that blends, where everyone has an opportunity to participate. And how, when she's building teams, she looks for people who are curious, because it reflects things that you and I have talked about where you can teach someone to write a memo, you can teach someone briefing skills. You can teach someone to develop a product if you're in the private sector or marketing or whatever.
Speaker 2:But curiosity is not something that you can teach, and it's difficult to shape someone that you're supervising or mentoring if they're just not genuinely curious about what it is that you're doing and that struck a chord because it's like okay, I have been in situations where I feel like I have wasted energy and time pouring into people who were not curious and that's not to say that I didn't owe them the benefit of my supervision and attention. But in retrospect I wish I had poured more time and energy into people who were curious, instead of kind of taking for granted, like, oh, this person's got that, like I don't need to put too much focus on what they're doing because I know they've got it. I know that they're going to ask questions, they'll be inquisitive. You know the folks that were curious. I wish in some situations that I had taken a different approach to those individuals, rather than those where it felt like a constant struggle to pull things out of them.
Speaker 1:Definitely. I mean, you can teach someone skills, but if their attitude doesn't match or it doesn't rise to the challenge, you can't teach that, you can't push that in the workplace. People have to come ready to learn and ready to be a part of the team and we can meet them where they are from there. I also liked when she talked about hiring for your gaps. Yeah, you don't have to be the smartest person at the table In fact, you shouldn't be and you should surround yourself with the best people you can find, people who push you and challenge you and stretch you. Yeah, that, I think, makes for a very effective team and I agree with her on that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and her comment on how your energy is the team's energy.
Speaker 1:A hundred percent true, and it filters down so quickly. Yeah, I've certainly been in positions where I had to learn that I and, with my title or rank, everyone was watching me for signals about what we were going to stand for. Who were we as an organization? What kind of people were we?
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:And things that I might have been able to do in the past. A joke here, a flippant comment there, a sarcastic remark there had real ramifications. Can't do that. No, because it's like all right, well, bel remark, there had real ramifications. Can't do that.
Speaker 2:No, because it's like all right well, Belinda's being snarky, that gives me license to be snarky, Right.
Speaker 1:And when people work in an environment like that, they're not willing to be creative, innovative like you're hurting your bottom line. So no, I think that's really. That was a really great episode. I agree as well. I feel like our episode with the uncles was a lot of fun.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that gets quoted the most for being the realist like the most just, raw advice in a way that was both loving and comical at the same time.
Speaker 1:Yes, that was a good one. And who can forget Kathy for being brave enough to be our first guest?
Speaker 2:Yes, yes.
Speaker 1:She's our most popular guest, according to the metric. Yes, indeed, that continues to be the fan favorite for sure Great episode and I think the episodes we have with our families certainly. For me they're enlightening and I think the reminder there for everyone is right. If we reflect on where we came from, it helps us understand how we're operating in the present.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And what we're bringing with us into the workplace.
Speaker 2:For sure, and it's also a reminder to be true to who you are Like. Most of us already have built within us the DNA that we need to succeed. Whether it's the influence of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, whoever is in your village, everything that you glean from the people who are closest to you has an impact on the person that you become, and sometimes I think people get caught up in looking for magical formulas on how they need to behave when it comes to leadership, when, in reality, if they just look within and think about the people who have meant something to them or people that they have learned something from, most of us already have the ingredients that we need right we already know what we're striving for.
Speaker 1:We've seen it somewhere. Yeah, yeah, no, I would definitely agree with that. So, as we look to season two, I think for me, I, as I kind of reflect on the season and I think about season two, I'm excited about it. Yeah, who knew this journey would take us to season two?
Speaker 2:Right, I certainly didn't Right.
Speaker 1:I think what is important for our audience to know is that we're going to take a little time, you know, just a few weeks. Just like everybody has a little summer break, we need a summer break and to just reflect on how we want to structure things for next season. What is the journey that we want to go on and who should come with us on that journey? Want to go on and who should come with us on that journey, because I think we want to continue to pour into this community in a very thoughtful and deliberative way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yes, I think one of my biggest takeaways from this season is the need for community. Mm-hmm, the need for community. That has been a consistent comment, a consistent refrain that I've heard from listeners and from strangers, people you know, who have just reached out anonymously to say how helpful the episodes have been in helping them navigate certain situations, or just to affirm that some of the things that they were feeling were not crazy.
Speaker 1:Not at all, and we know what it's like to sit in that space, yeah, needing that community and being wishing that community was available to help you develop your roadmap Right. So I think what is important to know is that, yes, we're taking this break in terms of new episodes, but we are still going to be active on Instagram. We're going to have a few Instagram Lives. We are going to continue to post, we'll continue to update there. So if you aren't already following us at leadership underscore T on Instagram, I would encourage you to kind of jump over there for those kind of real-time updates.
Speaker 1:But additionally, we will certainly send out an update via email to our audience for those folks who we have information for. So if you have not already provided that information to be included on those updates, you can go to our website, stirringsuccesscom website, stirringsuccesscom. There's an opportunity there for you to input your information and you know, if you know other listeners, you'll know that we definitely do not spam. No one needs more information or emails. They aren't already getting so, but we will. We do plan to send an email out saying, hey, look for our season two premiere on XYZ date, but we intend to be back in, you know, early fall.
Speaker 2:In the fall In the fall. And one other way that people can stay in touch is to send us a text message. This is a new feature that you can find wherever you get your podcasts. Unfortunately, it doesn't allow you to say your name or it doesn't automatically populate your name or your email address or your phone number. So if you want to leave feedback, if you want to send us a text, but want to identify yourself so that we can follow up with you which a few of you have done that's great, but make sure that you put your details in the text message so that we can get back to you. We do read them all, but there's no way for us to respond based on the way that the texts are formulated in the platforms.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so definitely, if you have sent us a text and you have not heard from us, it is because we don't know who you are and we don't have a way to contact you. But we really appreciated it and we loved it and you don't have to. I mean, it's up to you, but like we definitely want to be mindful of that, Well, Shelby, do you have any final thoughts?
Speaker 2:before we.
Speaker 2:No, we just appreciate the support and let us hear from you If you like the content that we've delivered so far. We appreciate the feedback. Please do leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. That lets us know that we are serving a need. It also allows us to compete with other podcasts and to raise our profile and our platform. So if you think other people would benefit from the content that we're putting out, please do take a few minutes to leave a review and send us your feedback. If there are different topics that we haven't covered that you want to hear about, let us know and we'll see what we can do about that. Yeah, and I would offer.
Speaker 1:Please share our podcast with people in your network who you think could benefit from it. We are trying to create content that has impact with people, regardless of your sector or like where you're working, and so some of these lessons are universal, so if you have friends who are struggling with their leadership journey, please do feel free to share this with them.
Speaker 2:Yes, and then, finally, I would just reiterate this is a labor of love. It's a labor of love because we love helping people, we love building community, we love mentoring, we love coaching, we love coaching and we just love the opportunity to give back some of what we have gained over over the years.
Speaker 1:Exactly so. Thanks everyone. Thanks for going on this journey with us this season. We are so excited to bring you another season soon, and we'll see you on Instagram in the meantime.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and we look forward to sipping wisdom and stirring success with you in the real, in the future.
Speaker 1:The near future.
Speaker 2:I love it In the near future you.
