The Audacity to Fail: Misstepping Into Success!

On this episode, Dr. Shari Dade is joined by Dr. Christopher Watson. Dr. Watson is a psychologist who began his VA career in 1993, is the VISN 19 Chief Mental Health Officer and has been serving as the Acting Executive Director of the Veterans Crisis Line since late August 2023. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Division 18 (Public Practice section) of the American Psychological Association, and the VA Psychology Leaders group. He also regularly provides coaching and mentoring to mental health leaders across the organization, and he has an absolute passion for issues pertaining to diversity, equity, and inclusion. He has particularly demonstrated leadership in addressing systemic racism on the local and national level in VHA, providing numerous presentations and trainings related to diversity and inclusion.
Listen in as Dr. Christopher Watson shares the impact insight has on effective leadership, both for the leader and their team.
Closed Caption Transcript is available at: https://www.sharedfedtraining.org/Podcasts/TATF_S4E3.pdf ===============================
Key Lessons:

1. Being an insightful leader takes work and courage, but it fosters trust, empathy, and authenticity within teams.
2. Leaders who are reflective can operate and communicate with clarity to others.
3. It’s important for leaders to use their influence to sponsor the growth and opportunities for others. Having enough insight to realize this does not take from your opportunities is integral.

Please check out additional services here: VHA National Center for Organization Development - Home (sharepoint.com)

On this episode, Dr. Shari Dade talks workplace relationships with Erik Sletten, the Workforce Excellence Coordinator for VA North Texas Health Care System. In his role, Mr. Sletten focuses on the development of leaders, teams, and employees throughout the North Texas System.
Listen in for a discussion of how mindset and emotional intelligence play a role in moving beyond transactional workplace connections.
Closed Caption Transcript is available at: https://www.sharedfedtraining.org/Podcasts/TATF_S2EP9.pdf
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Key Lessons:
1) Work to shift your mindset from inward thinking to outward thinking! Think about what factors can be influenced to move the organization or team closer to goals.
2) Cultivate workplace relationships create a culture where everyone can show up in ways that are authentic.
3) Couple your passions with your actions! Strive to connect what drives and motivates you to the work you do every day!
Please check out additional services here: https://dvagov.sharepoint.com/sites/VHANationalCenterforOrganizationDevelopment

As we shift our focus from Leading the Self into Leading Others, on this episode Dr. Shari Dade sits down with Dr. Maurice Endsley. Dr. Endsley is currently serving as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program Manager for VA Northern California. He also serves in several roles to support the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, including Co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources Coordination Committee, as a Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion consultant. He is also a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Steering Committee member.
This episode is sure to inspire those who may be answering the call of leadership by crafting innovative needs-based programming or initiatives. Listen in as we embark on the journey of MisStepping into success and celebrate the leaders who plant the seeds of change and nurture them with resilience, determination, and unwavering dedication.
Closed Caption Transcript is available at: https://www.sharedfedtraining.org/Podcasts/TATF_S4E4.pdf ===============================
Key Lessons:

1. Listening for the needs, the feedback, and the is the pathway to success when developing a grassroots initiative.
2. When leading others in grassroot initiatives be sure you are prioritizing your own self-care, especially when faced with significant challenges or opposition.
3. Talk about your project with passion to create allies, building relationships, and sustain connections.

Please check out additional services here: VHA National Center for Organization Development - Home (sharepoint.com)

In Season Two’s opening episode, Dr. Shari Dade is joined by Amjed Baghdadi, the Assistant Director for Operations at Austin for the Central Texas Veteran’s Healthcare System. Amjed provides administrative oversite for the Austin Outpatient Clinic as well as Prosthetics, Voluntary, Chaplain, and MyVA Experience Services.
For this conversation, Amjed shares a story of failure and the audacity it took for him to continue making steps toward success and learning. Listen in to uncover the key lessons that were hiding behind this leader’s missteps.
Closed Caption Transcript is available at: https://www.sharedfedtraining.org/Podcasts/TATF_S2EP1.pdf
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Key Lessons:
1) Acknowledging mistakes and struggles will allow you to seek proper support. Having the courage to ask for and accept help or assistance will lead you down the pathway from failure to success.
2) Instead of running or hiding during difficult situations, practice engaging with failure and conflict from a place of compassion and curiosity for learning.
3) Look at failure as a crossroad with the opportunity to build a path forward with learning and growth. Consciously choose to consistently look forward and become a better leader.
The act of rebounding after failure can seem impossible. Pause. Listen to Amjed’s recommendation of Sia’s “Alive” to feel revived and ready to keep moving forward!

On this month’s episode, Dr. Shari Dade is joined by Onika Coke-Munoz, the Director of Learning and Development (L&D) in the Office of Human Capital Services (HCS) at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). In this role she leads organizational change and infrastructure improvements within a multi-faceted training enterprise providing instruction, program design & development, professional development consultation, diversity & inclusion, and employee engagement initiatives in service to 26,000 employees nation-wide.
In this dialogue, Onika discusses the missteps leaders can make as they foster a culture of servant leadership and build supportive relationships with their team. This episode explores the benefits leaders can experience when building and sustaining positive relationships within their enterprise. Listen in to uncover the key lessons that were hiding behind this leader’s missteps.
Closed Caption Transcript is available at: https://www.sharedfedtraining.org/Podcasts/TATF_S1EP9.pdf
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Key Lessons:
1) Being authentic grants the foundation for leaders to begin building supportive relationships.
2) Before looking to create external networks, ensure you have an internal team of support including 4 buckets: A Mentor, A Coach, A Cheerleader, A Social.
3) Build relationships at every level throughout your enterprise. Understanding and knowing who is in the room with you will allow you to foster cultures of collaboration!
Building supportive relationships can seem like a lot of work so cue up Onika’s recommendation of Rihanna’s “Work” to have a fun dance break!
Please check out additional services here: https://dvagov.sharepoint.com/sites/VHANationalCenterforOrganizationDevelopment