The Leadership Podcast

Roger Connors is a four-time NY Times Bestselling Author and Top 10 Organizational Culture Expert. He is also the Chairman and Cofounder of Zero to Ten, a leadership training company. Roger is out with a new book, Get a Coach, Be a Coach, where he discusses how leaders, often overwhelmed, must learn to become better coaches. Roger discusses why and how we need to train leaders at every level to seek support facing tough challenges. Key Takeaways [3:00] Executive coaching is often only accessible to C-suite executives, but there is a way to make coaching accessible to everyone, even at the frontlines. [4:00] The key to create a non-hierarchical culture is to reach out from within the organization to get advice in real-time. [6:00] You don't need to find a master in their field to receive great coaching. Tiger Woods is a master in his craft, but he's not the best coach out there. [8:15] The average leader has 14 direct reports, which is too many to be present for each person. [12:00] There are five distinct coaching conditions we need to develop so that we can seek help before problem compounds. [16:25] Knowledge-hoarding is a natural human tendency when there is competition within an organization and people feel like they need every edge they can get to get ahead. Leaders need to change the culture to a knowledge-sharing environment. [22:05] The vast majority of coaching happens in under 15 minutes. [29:25] Don't wait for your team leader to give you the coaching you need. Take responsibility and seek it out! [33:25] The problem with accountability is that the conversations are often happening after the fact rather than before the event. [38:10] Millennials don't want a boss, they want a coach. They want support from their leaders. [41:00] Be surrounded by people who can help solve your problem. Quotable Quotes "We found that recency can often be more powerful than expertise." Coaching needs to be an organic, self-directed process. Transition from a knowledge-hoarding environment to a knowledge-sharing environment. where people get from leaders, "'You win by asking for help when you need it." "You need to teach team members how to get the coaching they need and how to empower themselves to get what they need when they need it." Resources Mentioned Website & Book: Zerototen.com Roger Connors on Wikipedia Roger on LinkedIn The Leadership Podcast is Sponsored by: Cultivate Grit. Amplify Action. Click HERE to learn more. Free downloads of Quick Reference Guides on Delegation, Time Management, Sales, and more.

Dr. Frans de Waal is a Dutch/American biologist and primatologist known for his work on the behavior and social intelligence of primates. His work illuminated our understanding of how alpha males actually thrive through acts of generosity, empathy, and conflict resolution. Discover how you can learn from our distant cousins when it comes to peacemaking, bullying, winning, and more. Key Takeaways [3:35] Alpha male is a term coined by Dr. Frans. They are not typically aggressive nor selfish. [5:30] Frans has witnessed chimps comfort an alpha male who was popular because he kept the peace in the group. [7:35] Frans describes effective alpha male primates as empathetic. [12:40] Alpha monkeys will get in the middle of fights to break it up or even punish other high ranking members of the group if they do something wrong. They don't always play favorites but instead act in accordance with the well being of the group as a whole. [15:30] Despite years of research, Frans has a hard time predicting which male will take over when the leader of the pack dies. [16:00] Frans observed leadership qualities with female primates start to develop at four to five years old. [16:35] The male hierarchy is a very "political" process, and is not decided by who is the biggest and strongest male. [22:45] If you have an alpha male who is also a bully, a younger male will usually challenge the leader, and often, the group turns on the alpha male. [23:45] If you remove the bullied victim from the environment, primates will find another scapegoat to fill in that role. [27:20] Males tend to have a peacemaking strategy and the females have a peacekeeping strategy. [30:50] Monkeys learn through observation. Active teaching doesn't exist in the primate world. [33:25] We often think the key to conflict resolution is in the language, but language is trivial compared to the message delivered via body language. [39:40] Effective male primates may steal food, but for the purpose of sharing and displaying generosity to curry favor. Quotable Quotes Bullying is especially common in primate groups that are unstable. "A scapegoat unifies the group because it becomes the common enemy." "Alpha males who are bullies do not last long." Males are good at comforting each other and getting over conflict, while females are good at preventing conflict. Resources Mentioned Dr. Frans de Waal's Books Dr. Frans de Waal on TED Chimpanzee Politics: Power and Sex Among Apes, by Frans de Waal The Leadership Podcast is Sponsored by: Cultivate Grit. Amplify Action. Click HERE to learn more. Free downloads of Quick Reference Guides on Delegation, Time Management, Sales, and more.

Deanna Mulligan is the former CEO and current Board Chair of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, and the author of Hire Purpose; How Smart Companies Can Close the Skills Gap. Deanna shares why investing in reskilling is the key to success. Employers of all sizes can and should reskill to attract, retain and outperform the competition. One of the ways you build empathy is you earn, and you earn it by doing the hard stuff. Key Takeaways [5:15] One of the things the pandemic has taught Deanna is that we are more innovative than we think. She rushed in and deployed technology that would normally have taken eight months to train and get familiar with, in under two weeks, and it had a very high acceptance rate! [7:00] Now that she has freed up human capital, she can now train her staff in other areas and help them become more specialized. [11:40] The role and the importance of actuaries are going to change as technology makes it easier to calculate complex math problems. [12:30] For example, in the fraud department, AI and machines are much quicker at picking up these bad patterns than humans are. [14:25] So what happens when these skill sets become irrelevant for a human to do? It's time to put your people in a new training program to upskill or reskill them. Deanna developed a program where her actuaries can now become data scientists and they've seen great results from it. [15:20] It's a two-way street. Companies owe it to their employees to reskill them, but employees also need to be proactive and take advantage of learning opportunities. [17:15] You can assist and boost your employee's skill sets up even if you're a small company. There are a lot of free resources out there! [20:40] Yes, it is hard to train your brain to think differently or to learn a foreign tool, but the rewards are far greater. [24:00] No one is immune to the need to reskill. CEO attributes might very well be outdated in two to three years. [32:25] Purpose and profits are intertwined. The more you live the company purpose, the less you have to worry about profits because they will naturally follow. [38:15] We're all in this together, so let's think through what we have to do to get to the end goal. It's the leaders' mission to include that goal and facilitate their frontline employees to use the tools. [40:39] Although it might sound unrealistic, Deanna's two-year sabbatical was much needed. It gave her the chance to step back and really think with intention and purpose about the kind of organization she wanted to lead. [44:50] Listener Challenge: Never Stop Learning. Quotable Quotes "Purpose and profits are intertwined." "Human beings are endlessly adaptable and both our customers and our agents are endlessly adaptable." "When people are in adverse circumstances, they reach down in themselves and they learn how to do things and invent things." "Necessity is the mother of invention." "We can teach adults new things at a very sophisticated level." "Even though it's difficult, investment [in your staff] is the answer." "One of the ways you build empathy is you earn, and you earn it by doing the hard stuff." "If you can't connect what you're doing every day to a higher purpose of some sort, then you're going to have a hard time staying in business." Resources Mentioned Deanna Mulligan's Bio Deanna on LinkedIn Hire Purpose: How Smart Companies Can Close the Skills Gap, by Deanna Mulligan and Greg Shaw The Leadership Podcast is Sponsored by: Cultivate Grit. Amplify Action. Click HERE to learn more. Free downloads of Quick Reference Guides on Delegation, Time Management, Sales, and more.

General Lori J. Robinson is the former Commander of NORAD and NORTHCOM. Her selection made national news as she appeared on the cover of Time Magazine as the first woman to lead a US Combatant Command. Her 36-year military career is filled with remarkable accomplishments at the highest levels of operations, diplomatic engagement, and political coordination. Today, she dedicates herself as a mentor to those seeking to better balance career demands with personal and family responsibilities. General Robinson shares her perspectives on transitioning from military life to civilian, redefining the definition of servant leadership, and the differences in responsibilities as a leader. Key Takeaways [3:10] Sometimes, people get nervous around General Robinson, but as a leader, it's your job to make the room comfortable. [6:30] General Robinson recommends veterans take some time for themselves to recover. [16:15] When General Robinson came home after work, it would take her an hour and a half just to decompress because of everything that was going on. And when General Robinson officially retired, it took her six months to recover and to reflect on her personal life. [20:15] Whether you're a commander or CEO, everyone has unique thoughts on how to get to the end goal and it's important as a leader just to listen to those views and thoughts. [22:15] When it comes to harmony within the organization vs. healthy conflict, General Robinson sees it differently. It boils down to what is the main goal and objective we're all trying to achieve, and how can we bring healthy conversation into the fold to get there. [26:30] Servant leadership really could be redefined as supportive leadership. It's not always your job to do every task under the sun, but to actually support and empower your team to do it themselves. [31:00] You need to have a conversation with your spouse about whose career comes first. For General Robinson and her husband, it made the most sense for her husband to leave his service after 17 years to join the reserves and the private sector. [33:55] If both of your careers come first, then you need to set boundaries for how long you're willing to live apart. Have the conversation now before it becomes an emotional one. [43:55] Listener challenge: Be true to yourself and say thanks every day. Quotable Quotes "The tone from the CEO about everybody having the same destination in mind, listening to everybody, and bringing it together to make it one company, it's very doable." "It's about being a part of something that's bigger than yourself and it's not about you, it's about the institution." "I'm certainly not the smartest person in the room. No matter what the task at hand is, it's important to listen to what experts have to say, but at the end of the day, a decision has to be made." "I'm so humbled and honored to have done and seen the things I did and I'm grateful to the people who have given me the opportunities that they did over my career." Resources Mentioned General Lori J. Robinson's bio: Lori Robinson Stillness Is the Key, by Ryan Holiday The Leadership Podcast is Sponsored by: Cultivate Grit. Amplify Action. Click HERE to learn more. Free downloads of Quick Reference Guides on Delegation, Time Management, Sales, and more.

Jeff DeGraff is both an advisor to Fortune 500 companies and a Professor at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. He is the author of several books, including Leading Innovation, The Innovation Code, and his latest book, The Creative Mindset. Jeff talks about why innovation is declining, and how the democratization of innovation can reverse that trend. Key Takeaways [3:25] Jeff grew up in the golden age of America. It was almost un-American to not be innovating new things. [6:15] Our leadership and innovation abilities are declining and Jeff believes it's a cultural thing. [8:35] Jeff so deeply cares about the younger generation that he has become almost unapologetic about his words because they need to know the truth of where they stand, and they need encouragement to be better. [11:00] The problem is there's a big gap of underserved people and if you want innovation, you have to include them. Thirty-two percent of high school graduates are functionally illiterate. [13:05] Americans have never been good at standardized tests on a world scale, but the counterpoint to that is that we are the great innovative culture because of the core belief that we can make things better. [15:45] Instead of focusing on people's deficits, we need to reframe it and see how we can work with these drawbacks. Mindset is key in being able to leverage other people's talents. [18:05] If you want to create innovative work, people have to be different. In fact, consensus and alignment are the death of innovation. [25:45] The one thing that does unite us is when we have a shared vision of where we want to go. To figure out what it is we should be doing; this is where diversity comes in to help fill in the blanks. [32:40] Failure doesn't just happen and then you're able to move on to the next thing. Failure happens, and then you have to clean up the mess. Much like home repairs; it's never-ending. [34:35] In uncertain times, it's not about being tough, it's about using your time productively so that you get to where you want to be. [39:20] Jeff grew up poor and that didn't stop him and his family from being creative and scrappy with the resources they had available to them. [41:05] Listener challenge: Find someone who disagrees with your values and beliefs. Quotable Quotes "It's about innovation. We're retreating from a very American view of the world, which is how we move forward. If we don't move forward, who else in the world will?" "The history of innovation in America is the history of immigration. From 2000–2010, 58% of all patents awarded were to people who weren't born here or are first-generation Americans." "The notion is when you have constructive conflict, you get to the next place." "Consensus and alignment thinking is the death of innovation." "Diversity is necessary, but not sufficient. You have to have a decent tax structure, education structure, etc." "You just have to say, 'I'm going to get through this.'" "Part of being a human being is taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary." Resources Mentioned Jeff's website and latest book: Jeffdegraff.com Jeff on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter. The Leadership Podcast is Sponsored by: Cultivate Grit. Amplify Action. Click HERE to learn more. Free downloads of Quick Reference Guides on Delegation, Time Management, Sales, and more.

Rachael Robertson is the author of the best-selling book Leading on the Edge, an account of leading a year-long expedition to Antarctica. She is a keynote speaker on the topics of leadership and teamwork and her latest book, Respect Trumps Harmony, is out now. When you're sharing close quarters with a team of diverse people, small issues can boil over and turn into massive problems that can halt a multi-million dollar project. Rachael shares her leadership strategy to develop the self-awareness, the priorities, and the communication skills needed to have an open and transparent culture so that everyone can focus on doing their best work and not on the interpersonal conflicts. Key Takeaways [3:55] Looking through a newspaper one day, a photo of a penguin in the job section caught Rachael's eye. It was a call to lead an Antarctic expedition and they were looking for people with certain characteristics, not skillsets. Rachael already had a job, but she was curious. [7:10] The recruitment process was so different than anything Rachael had ever experienced. It wasn't a job interview, it was a boot camp. She was the only woman who applied and when she was selected, she was the youngest leader in the group. [10:25] There is absolutely no sunlight during winter. In summer, it's 0 degrees celsius. [12:00] The experience taught Rachael that she can overcome anything. Whenever she has a tough challenge in her life, she refers back to this expedition. [14:25] Rachael has applied for jobs before and not gotten them, and nothing bad happened to her! These mini "failures" gave her the resilience to at least try and see what happens. [16:10] Rachael shares a challenging experience she had as a leader that she affectionately calls the "great bacon war." Her team was split: Should bacon be crispy or soft and chewy? Upon further inspection, the problem was actually much deeper than that. [21:10] Rachael faced a crisis when a part of her team was stranded with less than 10 days worth of food. An important leadership lesson there was, be visible to the rest of your team and be transparent about the crisis and how it's unfolding. [24:05] Part of being a leader, you have to also take out the politics. You do that by putting systems and processes in place so that everybody feels like they got a fair shot. [26:50] Rachael had to work with a lot of different dynamics when it comes to how people get along. You're in darkness for half a year and sharing quarters with your workmates 24/7, things can get bitter quite quickly if you don't address the different personality types and styles in the room. [35:00] When you're living so closely and you have no privacy, the smallest things can manifest into big issues. The biggest source of conflict was leaving things around and disrespected common areas. [38:40] After Rachael came back over a year, the biggest feeling she experienced was overwhelm. There was so much to process and take in, in such a busy world. [40:55] Listener challenge: Practice optimism. Quotable Quotes "A really basic rule for me is, resilience is thinking about thinking. It's resting your thoughts before they continue [down a negative path]." "As a leader, if you have self-awareness, you can learn everything else." "I don't expect you all to love each other, but I do expect you to treat each other with respect." "The aim, going in, was to create a culture where people will speak up and deal with things because I was worried about someone spiraling with depression or exploding with anger." "We created a thing called 'no triangles.' If somebody has something to say, you go directly to the person, don't take it to a third party." "We don't know what's around the corner. Just be optimistic. Just keep hope alive." Resources Mentioned Rachael's website: Rachaelrobertson.com.au/ Leading on the Edge: Extraordinary Stories and Leadership Insights from The World's Most Extreme Workplace, by Rachael Robertson Respect Trumps Harmony: Why being liked is overrated and constructive conflict gets results, by Rachael Robertson Rachael on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter. The Leadership Podcast is Sponsored by: Cultivate Grit. Amplify Action. Click HERE to learn more. Free downloads of Quick Reference Guides on Delegation, Time Management, Sales, and more.

Siobhan McHale led a radical seven-year culture change project that transformed her organization from the lowest-performing bank in Australia to one of the highest-performing and most globally admired banks in the world. This gave Siobhan an insider role and a different perspective on culture change, which led to her book, The Insider's Guide to Culture Change. Siobhan provides an overview of how to best measure change, what to do if you feel powerless in an organization, and how to be an effective catalyst to improve culture. Key Takeaways [3:00] Siobhan noticed that a lot of organizational change and literature was written from an outsider's perspective. She wanted to write a book on how to make a change from within. [4:10] Culture is often framed for employee experience, but culture is much more than that. It's about impact. [5:30] Middle management feels powerless about creating lasting change within an organization, but change can happen at all levels. [7:30] Siobhan shares cultural differences between how leadership is led in North America vs. Australia. [13:40] People are running low on energy, and passion projects can be great ways to revitalize yourself. However, we first need to define ourselves and the various roles we have in our life. [18:30] Siobhan was led down this path of culture when she was fired by an organization for going "too fast." [21:30] Change is not someone else's responsibility, it's yours. Instead of empowering your employees to "change," it's about framing it around a goal and bringing accountability to everyone involved. [25:15] It goes back to: People help support what they create. [29:00] You can measure change by defining key metrics early in the beginning. For example, you can measure employee engagement, customer satisfaction, financials, and sustainability.[31:10] We all have a mental map of our roles, but it's time we update that. You don't want to operate just on a functional basis, you want to keep modifying and improving the culture so that it's healthy, vibrant, and adaptable. [34:40] A sign of a good culture is when, if there is a position available, thousands of people are trying to apply. Quotable Quotes "Culture change is led at all levels." "It doesn't matter where you are, you can start to shape the culture in your organization. You don't have to wait for it to be instigated from the top." "It's not so much about empowering your employees, but about framing the goal and not co-creating the pattern where change is someone else's responsibility." "Can you measure culture? No, you can't measure the patterns of the culture, but you can measure the impact it has." "If you do change right, your part of the business will start to navigate its way through this crisis." "Ultimately, culture is in service. Culture is not in competition with strategy. Culture enables strategy." Resources Mentioned Siobhan's website & book: Siobhanmchale.com The Leadership Podcast is Sponsored by: Cultivate Grit. Amplify Action. Click HERE to learn more. Free downloads of Quick Reference Guides on Delegation, Time Management, Sales, and more.

Rich Diviney lives to discover, inspire, and accelerate the potential of human beings. As a Retired Navy SEAL Commander, he completed more than 13 overseas deployments. He also spearheaded the creation of a directorate that fused physical, mental, and emotional disciplines. In January 2021, Rich will release his first book, The Attributes: 25 Hidden Drivers of Optimal Performance. Rich breaks down how your average teams can become high-performing teams, the mental strategies we can use to overcome stressful situations, and why we need to screen for attributes, not necessarily skill sets. Rich also works with Simon Sinek to help leaders and organizations create environments where people feel valued and free to explore their potential. Key Takeaways [4:25] When RIch was tasked with creating resilience among SEAL Teams, he created the "Mind Gym" concept. [6:00] Rich believed that, through resiliency, you could label and reframe PTSD in a new way. [10:15] One of the ways we can take care of ourselves mentally is to slow down and to let our brains rest. Sleep is the #1 way to recover. [11:05] If you're stressed out, turn off the news. It's one of the primary sources of stress because they throw so many unknown variables at you. [14:25] Rich is not always striving for peak performance. Instead, he searches for optimal performance, which he defines as, "How can you do the very best you can in the moment with what you've got." [17:25] Our attributes will tell us how we will perform when things go sideways. The good news is that we can develop our attributes. [21:55] Why does someone want to be in special operations forces? Rich believes that the reason is actually rooted in narcissism. We all want to be the best. We all want to prove we are the best. [24:15] Rich breaks drive down into five attributes: Self-efficacy. Discipline. Open-mindedness. Cunning. Narcissism. [27:15] The smaller the team or the smaller the organization, Rich doesn't see the same "groupthink" traits as he does in larger organizations. He believes this is due to lack of structure and corporate refinement. [32:10] You are not allowed to designate yourself as a leader. Leadership is a behavior that others are drawn to. People choose to follow a leader. [37:55] It is completely possible to recharge our mental and physical wellbeing during a stressful situation. It can be through meditation, through a quick nap, or even a visualization of what makes you happy. [44:00] In high-performing teams, Leadership roles and responsibilities will change to different people based on their expertise or who might be closer to a situation at the time. Rich has seen that leadership is fluid and people, including leaders, will shift power roles to the one who is most capable given the situation. [44:35] Trust is the key element to any high-functioning and high-performing team. They lean on each other. [45:35] Listener challenge: Break some of the preconceived constraints and boundaries that have been built on your current team. Quotable Quotes "Resiliency doesn't describe what high performers do. Resiliency by definition is the ability to get knocked off of baseline and get back to baseline." "One of the ways we can all take care of ourselves mentally is to actively find ways to slow ourselves down and turn off the outside world." "Things that bring you joy. Any time you engage in an activity that you feel more full after doing, you're likely in recovery mode." "What defines optimal performance — can you keep on moving and what are the attributes you bring to the table?" "If teams want to figure out how to manage in uncertainty, they need to look at attributes vs. just skill." "We are biologically designed to want to stand out. Narcissism in small doses, the desire to be special, can be a very, very powerful driver in performance." Resources Mentioned Rich's website & upcoming book: Theattributes.com Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, by Angela Duckworth The Leadership Podcast is Sponsored by: Cultivate Grit. Amplify Action. Investing in yourself isn't selfish. Click HERE to get gritty! Free downloads of Quick Reference Guides on Delegation, Time Management, Sales, and more.

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 Negotiate Anything Podcast Negotiation Guides Kwame's TEDx Talk Finding Confidence in Conflict: How to Negotiate Anything and Live Your Best Life The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion, by Jonathan Haidt The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance — What Women Should Know, by Katty Kay Women Don't Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide, by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever "It's Not About The Nail" The Leadership Podcast is Sponsored by: Cultivate Grit. Amplify Action. Investing in yourself isn't selfish. Click HERE to get gritty! Free downloads of Quick Reference Guides on Delegation, Time Management, Sales, and more.

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 Simonsinek.com The Leadership Podcast is Sponsored by: Cultivate Grit. Amplify Action. Investing in yourself isn't selfish. Click HERE to get gritty! Free downloads of Quick Reference Guides on Delegation, Time Management, Sales, and more.