TLP220: Trust Your Instincts to Bring your WHY to Life

09/16/20 • 44 min

Jen believes every single person on the planet is capable of tapping into their creativity. She helps people trust their own instincts and find the courage to take action with authenticity and heart. Using her 20+ years of experience in the Broadway community and her background in the arts, Jen encourages creative thinking and imagination, so that others can cultivate new ideas and share them with the world. Jen and Simon Sinek united several years ago when Jen began using the Golden Circle to inspire artists to make a greater impact with their work. Jen and Simon recognized that their combined efforts could help people across many different industries discover their WHY and bring it to life. Jen presents WHY-inspired keynotes and workshops on leadership, communication, and presentation skills so that individuals and organizations can have more impact with their ideas. Key Takeaways [3:40] We all possess the power to be creative. It is a skillset anybody can learn. [9:25] Everyone should take an acting class because the basic principles of acting are the basic principles of living. [12:15] We can all get better at listening to the end of a sentence. [16:45] A lot of Jen’s clients have been with her for 15 years, so when COVID-19 hit, it didn’t make sense to close down the business for good. Instead, her team decided to pivot virtually. [19:00] When we lose social connection, we end up being in threat mode and all we care about is survival. [23:15] As an optimist on Simon Sinek’s team, Jen helps leaders develop their character through values-based ideas. [27:20] People’s greatest fear is often public speaking. However, the heart of this fear really is the opinions of others. [33:45] Actors work and develop their “characters.” Leaders and professionals can do the same to instill confidence and trust in the people they serve. [42:15] Listener challenge: Bring art into artless spaces. Quotable Quotes “Anything that can be interrupted doesn’t actually have a right answer.” Get better at listening to the end of a sentence “We talk about social distancing, but what we really need to do is rebrand that. It’s physical distancing, but we need to find ways to be socially close to each other.” “At the end of the day, it’s not about the speaker, it’s about the message.” “Working on your character is understanding that everything you do has storytelling value. People are creating narratives out of your behaviors all the time.” “We can work on our character and it doesn’t make us any less authentic. It gives us the opportunity we know we can be.” Resources Mentioned The Leadership Podcast is Sponsored by: Cultivate Grit. Amplify Action. Investing in yourself isn’t selfish. Click to get gritty! Free downloads of on Delegation, Time Management, Sales, and more.

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TLP219: Risk is Relative

Part of your role as a leader is to create an environment where people are performing at their best; and that means creating an environment where risk is mitigated. However, how safe is too safe? Google conducted a study that looked into what defines a high-performing team. When people see each other as humans first, and coworkers second, it builds psychological safety. Jim and Jan discuss how to provide clarity for effective teaming, and the generational perspectives on risk... and reward. Key Takeaways [2:55] Teams that followed the agenda precisely to a ‘T’ weren’t as effective as those who saw each other as people/humans first and coworkers second. [3:40] If you’ve ever watched elk in the wild, you’ll know that they all face outward watching the horizon so that the herd has everyone’s back. The same is true in trusted teams. [7:05] Find the good in others. [7:40] It can be a hard pill to swallow, but your opinions might be wrong. [10:15] Jim remembers a time where he and the neighborhood kids would make up new rules when they played sports and adapt to different situations being thrown at them. It seems the younger generation has a harder time working ‘off the cuff’ and this might be why there is a backlash with safety. [10:40] There are generational differences in how risk and safety are viewed. [11:35] Leaders might be sending two very different messages to people: We’re saying we need to hyper-communicate/collaborate with the team, but at the same time you need to work independently and be resourceful. [13:25] Remember, risk is relative. As leaders, we need to be hyper-vigilant of what that looks like to different people. [18:10] Really pay attention to the assumptions you and others make. You break out of this by having difficult conversations. [23:10] Argue as if you’re right, but listen as if you are wrong. [25:50] Stoicism is a balancing act. You don’t want to completely control your emotions where you feel nothing. It’s about recognizing them and responding to them without impulse. [28:45] You own the responsibility to be clear to your team. When you have empathy for the members of your team and the kind of journey they’re on, you will have much more success getting alignment and engagement from your people. Quotable Quotes “Argue as if you’re right, but listen as if you are wrong.” “We have a whole bunch of biases. Check them at the door.” “Hold your views lightly.” “Do we pick actions that are for the greater good or do individual needs or rights — do they take precedent?” Resources Mentioned The Leadership Podcast is Sponsored by: Cultivate Grit. Amplify Action. Investing in yourself isn’t selfish. Click to get gritty! Free downloads of on Delegation, Time Management, Sales, and more.

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TLP221: The best things in life are on the other side of difficult conversations

Kwame Christian, ESQ. is an attorney, meditator, and the author of the best selling book, Finding Confidence in Conflict: How to Negotiate Anything and Live Your Best Life. His book is an Amazon Best-Seller and has helped countless individuals overcome the fear, anxiety, and emotion often associated with difficult conversations through a branded framework called Compassionate Curiosity. Kwame walks us through how to leverage emotions to effectively bridge the gap between negotiation and conflict. Kwame is also the host of the world’s most popular negotiation podcast, Negotiate Anything. Kwame’s TEDx talk, Finding Confidence in Conflict, was the most popular TEDx Talk on the topic of conflict in 2017, and has been viewed over 150,000 times.Kwame also serves as a negotiation and conflict resolution professor at The Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law. The Dispute Resolution Program at Moritz is the top ranked dispute resolution program in the country. He is also a professor in Otterbein University’s MBA program. Prior to practicing business law and founding ANI, Kwame worked at the Kirwan Institute doing civil rights work. While at Kirwan, Kwame focused on criminal justice and health equity. Key Takeaways [4:25] When you travel abroad to new and exotic locations, it can really test your negotiation abilities as you haggle for items you want at the market. [8:45] Kwame’s book, Finding Confidence in Conflict, can be used in high-level stressful business negotiations as well as trying to communicate effectively with family. [10:05] Whether we like it or not, we are not thinking machines. We are feeling machines that happen to think. Emotions play a big part in everything we do. [11:25] Most times when people fail at negotiation, it’s because they didn’t address the underlying emotional issues. [14:10] The “natural” human doesn’t want to engage in conflict. [16:20] Conflicts break down because there’s a developed “me vs. you” narrative. [20:55] When addressing conflict or a difference in opinion, it’s important to first recognize the emotions in ourselves as well as the emotions in others. [25:35] Kwame shares his thoughts on diversity and inclusion and what we need to be doing better to bridge the gap. [27:15] Everyone needs time to process their emotions to effectively communicate what they’re feeling. However, men often do feel comfortable saying words like ‘disappointed’ or ‘sad.’ [29:15] Sometimes you need an outside perspective to help you dig deep within yourself in a way that you can’t do by yourself. This can be a trusted friend, coach, or therapist. [29:55] When it comes to the way women negotiate and the literature out there, Kwame recognizes we’re asking women to fend for themselves when we should all be advocating for them. [36:45] You’re not going to be able to overcome your own biases unless you have a bit of self-awareness, and take the time to create solutions for them. [43:25] Listener challenge: Use the Compassionate Curiosity Framework: Acknowledging and Validating Emotions. Getting Curious with Compassion. Engaging in Joint Problem Solving. Quotable Quotes “The best things in life are on the other side of difficult conversations.” “Our emotions are going to get the first shot of interpretation of anything.” “We’re working against our psychology when we just say, ‘I’m going to pretend I don’t have any emotions.’” “You can’t overcome a problem if you don’t know there’s a problem.” “Strengthen the foundation of your business by ensuring all employees feel heard, supported, and honored.” Resources Mentioned The Leadership Podcast is Sponsored by: Cultivate Grit. Amplify Action. Investing in yourself isn’t selfish. Click to get gritty! Free downloads of on Delegation, Time Management, Sales, and more.