How Finding The Gap Makes You a Better Leader with LaShae Baskin
07/29/21 • 49 min
LaShae Baskin is Principal and Managing Director of the Austin office of Huckabee, an architecture firm. On this episode of Fierce Lab, LaShae tells us about the risks she's taken in her career journey, offering advice on "finding the gaps" to add value and planning for problems before they come fires. She also offers her experience and tried-and-true tips to become a successful leader. LaShae also shares how and why she's become a relentless advocate for her son and all children, leading her to her career at Huckabee.
LaShae’s career journey and some advice
Lashae started her career in hospitality design, which provided her with a design mindset that she values today and taught her about how a person interacts with a space. In 2008, with the Great Recession, the hospitality industry was hard hit, and LaShae was forced to pivot and began her retail journey. She tells us that when facing a stumble, it is okay to be scared and to not have all the answers, and stumbles provide learning opportunities. LaShae says it is important to learn to have thick skin, be adaptable, and to know what you are great at and to recognize what you don’t know.
Finding the gaps and planning for fires
Growing up, LaShae was taught to find more efficient ways to accomplish something, and later, she received valuable advice from a mentor who told that if she wants to grow and develop, she should "find the gaps" and solve them. In this episode she teaches us how we can do the same. In solving gaps, you look for ways to work smarter, not harder. LaShae also discusses finding problems before they become fires, which is a valuable skill to any company anywhere.
Leadership
LaShae offers her guidance for becoming the leader people want to follow, not one that they are forced to. She believes good leaders build good followers, but great leaders build better leaders. Being a successful leader means showing up every day and creating leaders that are better than you. To help grow leaders, LaShae teaches how to organize thoughts and speak with brevity. She tells us that as a leader, it is okay to not have all the answers, and that it is important to know when it is time to lead and when it is time to push someone else forward.
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW. Fierce Lab, our full-day conference for women, will be live and in-person on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2021. Tickets are on sale now. More details on our website.
FOLLOW FIERCE LAB
Follow Fierce Lab on Instagram or LinkedIn for the latest updates.
JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST
If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes for Fierce Lab including tips, tools and resources, go to our website, www.fiercelab.tarawilson.com, and sign up for email list.
Please be sure to SUBSCRIBE, REVIEW and SHARE Fierce Lab with women who are looking for community and tools for leveling up.
LaShae Baskin is Principal and Managing Director of the Austin office of Huckabee, an architecture firm. On this episode of Fierce Lab, LaShae tells us about the risks she's taken in her career journey, offering advice on "finding the gaps" to add value and planning for problems before they come fires. She also offers her experience and tried-and-true tips to become a successful leader. LaShae also shares how and why she's become a relentless advocate for her son and all children, leading her to her career at Huckabee.
LaShae’s career journey and some advice
Lashae started her career in hospitality design, which provided her with a design mindset that she values today and taught her about how a person interacts with a space. In 2008, with the Great Recession, the hospitality industry was hard hit, and LaShae was forced to pivot and began her retail journey. She tells us that when facing a stumble, it is okay to be scared and to not have all the answers, and stumbles provide learning opportunities. LaShae says it is important to learn to have thick skin, be adaptable, and to know what you are great at and to recognize what you don’t know.
Finding the gaps and planning for fires
Growing up, LaShae was taught to find more efficient ways to accomplish something, and later, she received valuable advice from a mentor who told that if she wants to grow and develop, she should "find the gaps" and solve them. In this episode she teaches us how we can do the same. In solving gaps, you look for ways to work smarter, not harder. LaShae also discusses finding problems before they become fires, which is a valuable skill to any company anywhere.
Leadership
LaShae offers her guidance for becoming the leader people want to follow, not one that they are forced to. She believes good leaders build good followers, but great leaders build better leaders. Being a successful leader means showing up every day and creating leaders that are better than you. To help grow leaders, LaShae teaches how to organize thoughts and speak with brevity. She tells us that as a leader, it is okay to not have all the answers, and that it is important to know when it is time to lead and when it is time to push someone else forward.
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW. Fierce Lab, our full-day conference for women, will be live and in-person on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2021. Tickets are on sale now. More details on our website.
FOLLOW FIERCE LAB
Follow Fierce Lab on Instagram or LinkedIn for the latest updates.
JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST
If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes for Fierce Lab including tips, tools and resources, go to our website, www.fiercelab.tarawilson.com, and sign up for email list.
Please be sure to SUBSCRIBE, REVIEW and SHARE Fierce Lab with women who are looking for community and tools for leveling up.
Previous Episode
The Art of Meditation with Andrea Paris
Andrea Paris is an attorney who has implemented a daily meditation practice into her life. She discusses with Tara what led to her adopting this practice, including the role that the pandemic played. Andrea describes how mediation is a practice of letting go rather than of achieving emptiness in your mind. She gives us tips for getting started and covers the benefits of mediation . At the end of the conversation, Andrea shares her plans for attending a 10-day silent retreat.
Andrea’s background and why she started practicing meditation
Andrea grew up in Thailand and discusses the disparities and events she witnessed and how those led to her to practicing law. She tells us about the stress that can come with litigation and how meditation can serve as a tool to help deal with work life and how meditation has made her both a happier lawyer and a happier person.
Changing your perception of meditation
When thinking of mediation, many people may have the preconception that the goal of mediation is to get to a point of emptiness in one’s mind. However, Andrea encourages us to reframe it as a practice of letting go. Andrea describes the mind as a house, with repetitive thoughts gathering like dust, and mediation is the practice of clearing it out.
How to start
Getting started with mediation takes just one breath. First, you can practice giving yourself space and you can try to create a habit – it can be when waiting for your coffee to brew in the morning or anytime you have a moment to yourself. Andrea talks us through taking one intentional breath and recognizes how such a small thing can make a big difference. She suggests the technique of heart-centered breathing and describes the practice of loving kindness. Meditation can either be guided or self-guided, and there are several apps that you can use including Headspace and Calm.
The benefits of mediation
Our brains are wired to notice the negative more than the positive, and as such, it is important to take time to acknowledge and soak in moments of positivity – this can have a snowball effect. Andrea says mediation is like a mental muscle, and the more you work at it, the easier it gets and the faster you can get to the place of not getting distracted by your own thoughts. For Andrea, mediation has altered her emotional baseline; she is calmer and it takes more to phase her.
The 10-day silent mediation retreat
Andrea will be attending a 10-day silent meditation retreat at the end of the year. At the retreat, there is no writing, reading, nor talking for the duration of the retreat, and mediation is practiced in one- to two-hour blocks throughout each day. Andrea anticipates the biggest challenge will be making past the hump or wall as it is unnatural to spend so much time with yourself and your own thoughts.
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW. Fierce Lab, our full-day conference for women, will be live and in-person on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2021. Tickets are on sale now. More details on our website.
FOLLOW FIERCE LAB
Follow Fierce Lab on Instagram or LinkedIn for the latest updates.
JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST
If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes for Fierce Lab including tips, tools and resources, go to our website, www.fiercelab.tarawilson.com, and sign up for email list.
Please be sure to SUBSCRIBE, REVIEW and SHARE Fierce Lab with women who are looking for community and tools for leveling up.
Next Episode
How to Turn Your Passion into Success with Kathy Hines
On this episode of Fierce Lab, Tara talks with Kathy Hines who is the Chief Marketing Officer of Dickies. Dickies’ is a 100-year-old brand, and their purpose is to champion the dignity of work. Kathy held several international positions for the VF corporation before transitioning to her role as the CMO. Kathy and Tara discuss personal responsibilities and creating a level playing field for all workers. Kathy also talks about taking jumps, rather than risks, how her international work has shaped her career, as well as the characteristics of leadership and the role of mentorship.
Dickies and Kathy’s role as CMO
Kathy describes the brand as humble and says that it represents people who are willing to roll up their sleeves, have grit, and are hard workers. The brand has been adopted by sub-communities such as the skate community, low-rider community, and musicians as it can serve as a blank pallet that can be personalized. Kathy discusses her international work experience for VF before moving to Texas and becoming the CMO at Dickies. As CMO, she is responsible for global marketing and has teams in North America, Shanghai, and Switzerland.
Risks vs. Jumps
Kathy says she doesn’t consider anything as risky but rather thinks of moves or decisions as jumps. She describes risks as coming from a negative mindset, whereas jumps are seen as positive with forward momentum. With a risk, you consider what can go wrong, but Kathy prefers to think about what might go right. Kathy also talks about regrets and says she doesn’t have any as everything she’s done has fueled learning. Regret implies wishing that she hadn’t made the choice, but all her choices have led to a new or different place, and she has learned and grown from everything.
The Characteristics of Leaders
To be a leader, Kathy says you should have a heightened sense of self-awareness and empathy and that showing up with honesty and authenticity is important. Kathy tells us she is at her best when she’s 100% herself. Good leaders support and lift those around them; doing this will only serve you well. Also, Kathy discusses focusing on being exceptional at what you currently do and not being too focused on advancing to the next position – those that are exceptional in their current position will advance.
Mentorship and making friends everywhere
Kathy has had formal mentors, but she says that the real impact has come not through a formal mentor role, but from individuals that she has a strong connection to, including bosses and peers. Throughout her career, Kathy has had people who love and support her and lift her up, and she tries to do this for others as well. For her, being a mentor happens organically. She tells us how she makes friends everywhere and has a genuine curiosity to connect with people and learn about different things.
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW. Fierce Lab, our full-day conference for women, will be live and in-person on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2021. Tickets are on sale now. More details on our website.
FOLLOW FIERCE LAB
Follow Fierce Lab on Instagram or LinkedIn for the latest updates.
JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST
If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes for Fierce Lab including tips, tools and resources, go to our website, www.fiercelab.tarawilson.com, and sign up for email list.
Please be sure to SUBSCRIBE, REVIEW and SHARE Fierce Lab with women who are looking for community and tools for leveling up.
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/fierce-lab-147950/how-finding-the-gap-makes-you-a-better-leader-with-lashae-baskin-15771717"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to how finding the gap makes you a better leader with lashae baskin on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy