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
Fresh Steeps: Startup Strategies for Dynamic Leadership
Find us on YouTube.
Ever wondered how to lead with a startup mindset in any sector—be it government or private industry? Our latest season promises to equip you with all the tools you need. We kick off Season 2 of the Leadership Tea Podcast with our first full YouTube episode, breaking down how agility, flexibility, and creativity are vital when embarking on new projects or building teams. As the seasons change, we discuss the importance of reassessing your goals and preparing effectively for the year ahead.
Struggling with mission creep or feeling overwhelmed by tasks? We’ve got you covered. This episode dives deep into effective goal setting and the art of maintaining clarity in your objectives. Learn our three-tiered goal-setting system that aligns team goals, meets your boss's expectations, and helps you achieve personal milestones. Real-life examples are shared to illustrate how flexibility and periodic reviews can make a difference, especially in complex or startup environments.
How do you adjust strategies without overcorrecting and lead without fear of failure? We explore these questions and more. From the nuances of strategic leadership to the importance of fostering a supportive environment, our discussions offer actionable insights. Hear about a crisis communication project where calm leadership was crucial, and get a sneak peek into our next episode on self-awareness. Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more engaging discussions and actionable advice.
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We publish new episodes every other Wednesday.
Follow us on Instagram @Leadership_Tea for more inspiration and insights.
Learn more about us and the podcast at www.stirringsuccess.com
Hey everybody, this is Belinda. Welcome to season two of the Leadership Tea podcast. Today's episode is an audio version of our YouTube episode, so you may hear us make a few references to YouTube today, and that is the reason why I also invite you to head over to our YouTube channel, which is you can find us on YouTube as Leadership Tea Podcast, and I think you'll enjoy what you see there. But, irregardless, if you listen to the audio version, only today you're going to get the same content and the same great information that everyone's getting on YouTube. So thanks, and I hope you enjoyed today's episode. Okay, so the day is finally here. Shelby, we are starting our first YouTube full episode, so that's really exciting for us. So welcome everybody, and thanks for joining us on YouTube. I hope that you take the time to subscribe to our channel so that you'll get notifications when there are new episodes.
Speaker 1:We do the season plan on putting at least maybe every other episode the ones with us in here, and we hope you like it. So you know, reflect that and also leave us a comment. All of these episodes will also be available in an audio version on Apple or Spotify or wherever you listen, so we want to make sure to maximize the opportunity to check out our content anywhere. I would also add that we have a lot of great updates on our website and we really encourage you to take a look. We have new blog posts up and we also have a shop, so there's lots of surprises there.
Speaker 1:We are going to be doing a group coaching this year in response to a lot of requests and questions that you all have had.
Speaker 1:We're really busy, so we're taking just a very small cohort at this time, just just a couple of people, so please kind of jump in and grab your place so that you have an opportunity to participate in this, what I think is going to be a really special opportunity. With that said, this season we've been really focused on the idea of leading with a startup mindset, and you may have heard us say in the trailer that we think this idea of starting something new, leading when there isn't necessarily a playbook, leading in situations in which you are firmly in the gray often referred to as being, I think, similar to being at a startup really applies to many of us across industries. It could be a project, it could be you starting a new company, it could be just building up a new team or rebuilding a team. Either way, there are some skills that require agility and flexibility and creativity, and we really want to highlight those this season, both in what we're talking about and in what our guests are talking about.
Speaker 2:Yes, and we want to underscore that, as Belinda said, it's not just limited to starting something new in the private sector. The startup mindset applies across the board. I'm coming from government and Belinda had a long career with the State Department, and even within that realm, I have found myself starting new things, whether it was a new project or starting a new assignment. The way in which you prepare for an assignment going overseas is a little bit different than how you prepare for an assignment domestically, or if you're starting an office that hasn't been in existence which you know was also my experience or beginning to work on a team that's new, beginning to work for a new supervisor. There are many ways that you can peel back the layers of what it means to lead strategically with a startup mindset, and so, as Belinda said, we thought that we would approach this season a little differently and develop content related to starting afresh, particularly given the various transitions that are happening at this moment in time. The seasons are changing.
Speaker 2:I'm a big fall person. I like fall. I think fall really embodies for me an opportunity to take a step back and see okay, what is it that I want to accomplish in this last quarter of the year, you know, and looking at the calendar and also, just, you know, an opportunity to reset and make sure that I am aligned with the goals that I've set for myself. You know, at the beginning of the year, where am I in relation to accomplishing those goals? And just thinking about the next year, like where do I want to go in the year that's coming? And begin having those thoughts and plans now, without waiting until, you know, january 1st to be like, okay, what is it that I'm trying to accomplish for the year?
Speaker 1:So I completely agree with that and actually that's a good segue into our kind of first topic. We want to explore the idea of tying your goals to real outcomes and I think that there are a lot of situations where we are, as leaders, given a great deal of leeway. You know, maybe you're handed a budget, you're handed people, you're told to do this thing. That's kind of vague and it can be difficult to get focused and stay focused Because for the maybe the first time in a while or ever, we just have this leeway that you may not have had before.
Speaker 1:So I've thought a lot about this, particularly when I was working in public affairs, because in the public affairs space you've got money, you've got a goal like make people like this or make people understand that but you really have to spend time mobilizing your team and making sure and kind of communicating with your leadership and the broader organization. What are we really trying to do? What's the real goal? What does success really look like? And really stay anchored in that. Put like the real mission, the real goal, on like a sticky note or something and literally put it on my computer, right, because people, especially when you have access to a budget, will often come to you and say well, there's this other thing happening, can you just do this? You've got the money, you've got the resources.
Speaker 2:Like no, I don't need you to tell me how to allocate my budget because I have a set goal or I have an idea or I have a vision, or I heard about this thing and sometimes, right, you have to be adaptable.
Speaker 1:But sometimes you've got to stay goal oriented and keep the team goal oriented. Right, because people say like that, they bristle. They'll say like I don't want to do this thing. Because people say like that, they bristle, they'll say like I don't want to do this thing. But also, if they don't have that structure, they also bristle at that. Right, right, right. So if we're going to be annoyed, we might as well have a plan, and I just I think a lot about my time in Peru, where I think my team and in Togo, I think my teams and I did a really good job of being clear about what the goals really were in a detailed and clear fashion. Yeah, what success looked like? And sometimes, especially in the public affairs space, success isn't immediately measurable in ways that resonate with outside audiences, right, right, but what are the ways that we could measure it? And what did it look like that we instituted kind of practices and communication as a team that allowed us to check in with each other and make sure that we remained focused on those goals.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I love what you said about having a sticky note, kind of outlining and reminding yourself you know what are my goals, when am I trying to go? Because if you're not clear on it, there's no shortage of people who will tell you this is what you should be doing. Why aren't you doing that? Why haven't you thought about this? And it's like well, hold on a second, I'm in charge, I've got a plan, I've got a strategy, I've got my goals and you, as the leader, you need to make sure again. If it's a sticky note, if it's I don't know, a poster in your office, some sort of visual to remind yourself and the team, this is our North Star, this is what we're doing, so that you're not distracted by what other people think you should be doing and as you're thinking about, you know, having those goals and making sure that you're clear on the outcome, even if it's difficult to measure.
Speaker 2:As Belinda said, you also need to be thinking about resources, particularly if you're starting something from scratch, particularly if you're going into a situation or into an office setting where maybe the goals haven't been defined before.
Speaker 2:So now that you've come on board and you have a sense of where you're trying to take your team or take your project. What are the resources that you need to be able to do that? And, interestingly enough, I was in a position where I was kind of I was in charge of starting something new, even within government, and this was something that I thought about a lot, you know, knowing what the goals were of this particular entity, I had to ask myself well, what does the team look like? How many people do I need on board to get us to where we're going? And I had to resist the temptation of hiring people or recruiting people just for the sake of hiring people and recruiting people just for the sake of hiring people and recruiting people, Because there were a lot of people outside of this unit who had thoughts and ideas on oh well, you need, you know, 20 people or you know, fill in the blank, whatever the number was in order to be able to do all the things that you're trying to do.
Speaker 2:And I really had to take a step back and say, okay, have I defined what the role is for each person on the team, Because I think there's this temptation to think, oh, my goodness, I have all of these things that I need to accomplish, I'm just going to throw some people at it, and that's that is not what strategic leadership looks like, like having a big crew of people assembled around you is not necessarily the key to being able to execute efficiently and effectively on a project, and so, as a leader, it's really on you to think about what are the resources that I need? Tied to you know the goals and the outcomes that I have decided are necessary for my team.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree with that, and I think that also ties directly to our next point, which is and you've heard us say this before like really being clear about the problem, right, because everybody will tell you, right, like, what they think the problem is.
Speaker 1:I find it effective to, like you, kind of get your marching orders, but I think it's effective to bring together other thought partners who are stakeholders and they may not necessarily only be people on your team, but people who you are going to have to engage with to succeed and just getting everyone to agree, like this is what we're solving, right, right, so that we all are clear and as people, especially when people are trying to wiggle out of doing something, yes, which often happens like oh, that's not in my job description, but if we're solving X, then shouldn't you be involved, right, right, you know, recently I was talking to someone who was facing an issue where their office of responsibility was being asked to track and be responsible for issues that were handled by like another part of their organization and originally this person's office had taken that on.
Speaker 1:It was like an IT issue.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:They are not IT. Right, they had taken on an IT issue. Why? Because the IT team just wasn't handling it effective. So, somewhere along the line, someone took on something that was massive and it became a part of their normal workflow and was beginning to hinder their work. Right, and they were trying to figure out how to disentangle themselves, mm-hmm. And they couldn't figure it out. And we were talking about it and it was like but what are you trying to figure out how to disentangle themselves? And they couldn't figure it out. And we were talking about it and it was like but what are you trying to solve for? We're trying to solve, for they're reluctant to do their job, so we just decided to do it around them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, we can't solve for that, right, no, no.
Speaker 1:That's not our problem, that's not.
Speaker 2:That's not the mindset we're looking for. No, not at all.
Speaker 1:You can't run multiple offices. No, you have to bring them to the table and say, like 100, this is an issue. Right, we're over here, this is our mission. We can't hit the mission and do your job. Y'all just have to step up. How can we support you? How can we check in? They did have an honest conversation like that, right. They did have an honest conversation like that, right, and they were able to develop a solution to transition this issue back. So it's being clear about your problems and it's also about being clear and honest with your stakeholders. Yes, I think as well.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely. And avoiding mission creep, yeah. And this temptation? Oh well, we could do it. We have the motivation, we have the skills. Well, not even that. We have the skills. We have the motivation, we have the curiosity to take on this other project. We have the political will because these other folks aren't doing it. So let's just step in and roll our sleeves up and get it done, and that can do. Attitude is great. You know you always want to have a team where you've got folks who are just, you know, willing to step in and do whatever. But when it distracts from the actual mission that you are charged with accomplishing, it just dilutes, you know, the impact that you can have because you're taking on way more than you need to and you're taking on things that are not even within your skill set.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, definitely leads to mission creep, so which is also another good segue into thinking about goals. Going back to, you know, the original theme of of this topic making sure that the goals are tied to the outcome. I like to think about a three-tiered system of of goals. There are goals for the team, there are goals for your boss, but then goals for yourself, like, how do those three tiers intertwine with each other? When you're thinking about being strategic and when you're in a leadership position, it's always good to be clear on okay, this is what I want the team to be able to do, whether it's you know, I want to make sure that they have professional development, or I want to ensure that, you know, a certain percentage of the people on my team get promoted. You know a certain percentage of the people on my team get promoted. You know, by the end of the rating cycle, you know that's. That's one tier. And then there's your boss. You know, are you aware of what your boss wants? You know from the team? Are, are his or her goals aligned with yours? And even if they aren't, are you aware of what it is that that they want the team to do? So that you can adjust yourself if necessary, but always just be mindful of what the boss wants, especially if you're in a middle management position and you're kind of a transmission belt, to make sure that the folks below you are aware of what the boss wants and to make sure that your boss's expectations are being articulated in a way that makes sense, you know, to the lower tier. And if there is any sort of like disgruntlement with the lower tier, if you're in the middle in particular, it's also up to you to be able to communicate up.
Speaker 2:And then the other, you know piece, the other tier of this goal setting kind of triangle, if you want to call it. That is yourself. Like, what are the goals that you've set for yourself? Again, thinking with this startup mindset, where do you want to be at the end of whether it's, you know, the end of a project or the end of a reporting period? You know where is it that you want to be?
Speaker 2:On the other side of that experience, do you want to have grown in your ability to give feedback? You know, is that something that you set out for yourself to improve on? Do you want to be able to speak up more in meetings? You know what are your personal goals when you're thinking about starting a new job or a new project, et cetera. So all of those tiers are things that that I have thought about in leadership positions and really throughout my career, particularly at the mid career point where it was like, ok, I've reached new, new territory and I really need to be thinking about. You know these three different levels as I'm, you know, moving the ball forward.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that. I think I agree with all of those points. I would say my last point on this issue is one that I think we're going to say a lot this, which is to review and adjust.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Like you can't lead, particularly on complex issues or where you're building from scratch and remain rigid, right, right, that's, I think, very not constructive for what the team and the mission needs.
Speaker 1:And I think I mean I have many examples throughout my career, but one I was reflecting on recently was an issue we had in Togo where we were focused on helping a particular segment of the Togolese government like understand a particular issue and like influential citizens right, understand a particular thing and like influential citizens right, understand a particular thing. And so we were having meetings and this and that, and we learned through these interactions that actually there were a lot of youth like clubs and organizations that were also engaged on this issue and actually more influential, like through social media or through, you know, arts and music, whatever. They just had more of an impact on overall society. So we adjusted our efforts right, we could still continue to talk to those groups, but it's like, oh, we also need to include these groups as well and that's okay, it helped us reach our mission. We made a few adjustments, we expanded kind of you know, our scope of who we were speaking to.
Speaker 2:We were able to scale.
Speaker 1:Yeah, right. So I think that this idea of reviewing and adjusting is really critical.
Speaker 2:And that's linked to the other point that we wanted to make in thinking about leading strategically with a startup mindset the need to recalibrate but not over calibrate. We could sit here all day and think of the many examples of folks you know overcorrecting over solving for a problem, again without like honing in on what is the piece of this puzzle that isn't working well. Is it that the boss decided that they don't like soda in general, or do they don't is? Is it like an opposition to diet coke? I don't, for real.
Speaker 2:I mean that's really keeping it very basic, but it's like okay, the boss said they don't like Diet Coke. Yeah, they didn't say that they didn't like Sprite, like what are you hearing when something goes wrong? What are you seeing when something goes wrong?
Speaker 1:Are you correcting for that piece or have you taken it, you know, to a whole different extreme and, I would say, taking it one step further with the idea that you are leading something new. Be cognizant of that dynamic, yeah, and think about your words, right right, and don't allow the project or that type of thing to become so personality driven, which I guess links to our first point, which is, like, check your ego at the door. So check your ego at the door in terms of, like, how you're setting the tone and the stage for what your expectations are and how you're communicating to the team, but also check your ego at the door about taking risks and not being afraid to fail. Like it's okay that you're not the smartest person at the table. What makes you look smart is actually knowing how to bring the right people around the table to make your team a whole.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't know what's going on. I just want to make sure it was still recording. Yeah, exactly, as a leader, you can't be afraid to fail. Like you said, you have to check your ego at the door. The team is looking to you to guide them. They will mimic whatever energy you're putting out. And if you're flustered, if you're losing it because something isn't going according to plan or you don't have the presence of mind to recognize that something is not going to plan and you need to shift, that has downrange effects on the team too, which leads to, you know, kind of a sub point of this. You know, don't over calibrate point. When things go wrong, you have to correct for what has gone wrong without overreacting, because the overreactions just leads to different problems.
Speaker 2:It leads to chaos, obviously but, also just kind of give space for people on the team to be like oh well now that I think about it.
Speaker 2:I'm upset about this other thing and it's like well, what does that thing have to do with the problem that we're solving? You know, right here, in this moment, like you don't want to create space for people to just start pontificating about. You know all sorts of things which you know perhaps need to be addressed, but everything has, everything has a time and place, and it's it's really up to you, as the leader, to make sure that you are not making a problem worse by again just not being focused and overreacting when something isn't going according to plan.
Speaker 1:I agree with that a lot and I think I would add on to that understanding that people are human and that they are not perfect and they'll make mistakes.
Speaker 1:Yeah people are human and that they are not perfect and they'll make mistakes. Yeah, and when I've been in situations where I have been leading large teams, I really work hard to try to give people the grace that I wish I had been given, for sure, and earlier in my career. So I think, when we both, I think, had this boss at one point in our careers who I had, a boss who would basically walk you through an error Very like in a humane way. That's kind of like hey, what happened? How did we get here? Is it something that we can avoid in the future? Do we need to do anything?
Speaker 1:Or was this just human error that happened? Right? So can we just make a few adjustments so that this doesn't happen in the future? Great, let's make those changes. And it's water under the bridge, right, right, and I would really try to help people understand that. For me, if we're going to all agree that we're we've made the adjustments, we they, you know or we just won't do that again, I'm not gonna hold grudge, right, and there was a time when I would tell people to like get caught, especially in the public affairs space, get caught trying.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like get caught trying like let's do something new, let's's try, let's have this big event if nobody shows up, okay, we tried, right like now we know that doesn't work, like we can't be perfect. Yes, so we can't control our bosses, we can't control uh our peers, but we can control how we react to our teams.
Speaker 2:A hundred percent. A hundred percent and not to belabor the point, but it is something you said just reminded me of an example of how you need to maintain your composure when things go wrong and how to solve for the thing that has gone wrong.
Speaker 2:in that moment, there was a project that I was working on in the crisis communication space and there was some new technology. Again going back to this startup mindset, there was some new technology that we were trying to use and it didn't go well. We did a beta test to test the technology and something happened. Something actually kind of catastrophic happened, where there was a text message that was sent to tens of thousands of people and in that moment, you know, I spoke to the individual who you know was responsible for this mistake and the team, and you know the person who was supervising the team, but, you know, no one raised their voices.
Speaker 2:Everyone was calm. We were talking, just like I'm talking to you right now, in this moment. It was one of the few times in my career where I actually thought I was going to be fired, but I maintained my calm and composure and said, okay, what is it that we need to do? You know, right now, who do we need to brief, who do we need to explain you know this issue to and what happened. And then you know, tomorrow let's take a step back and figure out, okay, what were the things that we were, that we did wrong, and how do we learn from this mistake so that we don't repeat it again.
Speaker 2:An overreaction would have been, you know me, chewing out the person who was responsible for the error, me saying, okay, this individual will never touch a telephone. You know again, never touch any of the tech. We're going to just, you know, reassign this person to someone, to some other task. Or you know me yanking the supervisor. None of those things happened. None of those things happen. And guess what? That particular unit, that team, ended up being like one of the best performing teams in this particular office setting because they learned and they experienced, you know, a semi like internal crisis, but they respected the way in which it was handled because no one overreacted, even though it was like a major thing in the moment. The way that it was handled enabled them to gel as a team in unexpected ways and it was just an ironclad group of people who are just amazing individuals.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, people don't Fear is not a motivator? No At all. I feel like we should rename this section like fix your face Right, fix your face, fix your face. It's fix your face Right, fix your face, fix your face. It's like stuff happens Right. And you're like oh, I've got to take some hits for the team.
Speaker 2:Yes, you're the boss. You're the boss, that's what you're there for. Like that's your job, right?
Speaker 1:So it's like okay, right, let me collect the facts, get a plan forward, let me fix my face, fix your face, and let's just do it. Let's just do it, okay, I'm with you. So our next point is about collaboration. Like, if you are a founder, a project starter, something, then you are also a bridge builder yes, starter or something then you are also a bridge builder. You are bringing people across organizations together, and that can be messy, right? I've definitely had meetings where you know it's like we need to work together on XYZ and perhaps other stakeholders are not being, as I don't know, team players as they could be. I could, the week, the over calibration could be easily like forget them, we're just going to go around them.
Speaker 2:Right, I'm coming for you, or like whatever.
Speaker 1:Right, but no, no, no, we just have to change tactics, like who within this stakeholders organization could come to the table and help us, or is there more education they need on this topic? Or perhaps it is. You know, maybe they weren't the right match and we need to find somebody else to bring to the table. But we can't just, you know, stop collaboration. Right, we can only scale and be great if we are collaborating.
Speaker 2:And we have to lead that. Yes, because the likelihood of someone on your team being like, oh, I'm just going to like, hunker down and do my thing because so-and-so is a jerk or so-and-so doesn't know what they're doing, so-and-so is stupid, it's like no, you are there to bring the team together, as you said. Be the collaborator, be the bigger person, the bigger person, the better person, and say no, I'm going to show you the 35,000 foot level and why it's important for us, you know, to all work on this together and not do what we're often tempted to do, which is to go into our silos and be like all right, I got my piece, I know what I'm doing, I don't care what you know, what they're doing over there is their business. You know, without seeing the bigger picture of you know, how can we all work together towards a greater outcome?
Speaker 1:And that's not easy. No, like I've had countless walks to the Lincoln Memorial.
Speaker 2:Listen, I had two this week, two this week I have to go sit with Lincoln and be like hey look Right.
Speaker 1:I don't know, yes, what we going to do, right, right, how many walks I've had to take, how many trips to the coffee shop to get some tea, some coffee, some hot chocolate, some something. I'm not saying it's easy, not at all but we aren't in these positions because they're easy, right. We aren't in these positions to do easy things Right. So we have to fix our faces, you know, think of ways to get to yes, to get to yes and to collaborate, and so perhaps this is something for a future episode, but we have to build these coping mechanisms and resilience mechanisms around us to be able to do that. Because it is a huge. Everything we've just described is a huge emotional lift, for sure.
Speaker 2:And it falls on you again as a leader. You know, going back to this point of of recalibrating, but not over-calibrating and not overthinking things. The team is also looking to you to set the vision, to be the visionary. Again, to tie into this point about collaboration, the vision can't be in your head. You can't be sitting over here like, okay, I know we need to do this, that and the other. I know we need to collaborate with this team because they have that level of expertise and we bring this to the table and, oh, I may need to tweak this thing because it's not working out the way that I initially thought it would, and maybe we need to tweak our goals. And it's all in your head, but the team is still, you know, marching over here. You have to tell the team okay, this is where we're going and I look.
Speaker 2:I know this is a point that we've made, you know, in other episodes, but it just cannot be emphasized enough, especially if you are in the position of having to tweak and recalibrate. Are you telling the team? You know, what are we doing? What's the why, like? Why are we recalibrating? What has changed, what needs to shift? You know, has the vision changed or has the mechanism to get to the vision been altered and are you communicating that? Again, as a leader? It's on you and, as you said, it's not. It's not easy to constantly have to think about. You know all of these variables and making sure that everyone's on board and making sure that you're talking to other teams outside of your unit so that you can collaborate in a way that makes sense. But again, you're the boss and so you have to woman up or man up to do the thing, to do all the things. Yeah, I agree.
Speaker 1:And it's not just about communicating that vision, but it's also about thinking bigger. Yeah, right, that the skills that get you to leadership often require you to think in a silo and think small. Right, this is my portfolio. I'm going to just do this. I'm going to make this widget. I make it really great. I got promoted. I'm just going to make widgets.
Speaker 2:No, no, no, you don't make widgets anymore.
Speaker 1:You, part of being a leader is being visionary and thinking bigger. And how are we going to get to the next level and even beyond that, and convincing all of the stakeholders that you need to convince that they should come along, that they should come along? So, linking back to that bridge building piece, I think back to one of my assignments where I realized early in my tenure that when we would have like a staff meeting and I'd say like I think we should do X, y, z, I would notice the team would kind of look at each other and look at there were a couple of key people that they would look at like do you agree with that?
Speaker 1:yeah, right, because they were like you are here right now, right, so, and so has been here for 30 years we got to deal with them, you know right, and so do they agree right, because if they don't, you already sabotaged before you even get started.
Speaker 1:So I had to learn that part of getting the team along the ride for the ride was getting these influencers. I was like, okay, you know, this is still in the public affairs space. Yeah, I also have to run an influence campaign on my team, for sure, you know. And I have to run an influence campaign in the organization as well, because we needed other teams to help us. So I would go to these people and say like, hey, look, let's have, like I mean, before thought partner right, it's like a password.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, let's like.
Speaker 1:Here's what I'm thinking it was good old conversation by the water cooler or whatever like this is what we're doing right, and I would I was actually, in this case honest with them, like I see that you're a leader on this team and I value your experience and input.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And so let's work together rather than you all work to undermine me. Right, let's just? Be on the same team yeah, and they were like cool, cool and it worked out and it was lovely and we did amazing things together Right, we did amazing things together. Things together, right, we did amazing things together. And the team began to trust that they could also be thought partners with us once they saw that it was okay. Yes, that signal.
Speaker 2:Yes, because you, as the leader, gave them permission and created an environment in which they were like oh well, belinda said it's okay. Belinda's doing this thing so I'm gonna follow Belinda right by the end. That's where we were right, right you know right, that's actually a good preview for our next episode on reading the room and being self-aware. I can't wait for you all to hear this next episode about self-awareness. I'm not going to give too much away, but that's a, that's a little, little teaser.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, excellent. Well, I think we've gotten a lot of our points in today. I hope that some of this was useful for all of you. Please don't hesitate to share it with your networks and let us know if we left anything out. Like you know, let us know if we left anything out like you know, let us know in the comments or whatever is helpful for you. But thanks for joining us and I think it's going to be a fun season.
Speaker 2:I do too. I do too. Remember to have those goals tied to outcomes and recalibrate but don't over calibrate at all and fix your face, fix your face, fix your face, your face, fix your face. All right, well, we look forward to sipping wisdom and stirring success with you again soon. Thank you.
