We as humans have a great need for belonging and wanting to progress in our work. When you're a leader, it's important to not only be savvy when it comes to your industry, but also when you're developing people in their work. In today's episode, Shawn Wolf shares his story of starting his own business, Outside Force. He's held multiple other leadership positions in various industries, and his focus has always been on developing and coaching people in leadership roles.

Shawn has always had a growth mindset, and he loves helping others shift from a 'fixed' to 'growth' mindset too. He's passionate about investing in and developing leaders to become who they were meant to be. Ultimately, that starts with the culture of the organization they're a part of, because people need to know what 'winning' means with their work. His favorite quote that he lives by comes from his mentor, Harold Howard, which is "We don't get work done through people, we develop people through our work".

About Shawn Wolf:

Shawn is an experienced executive leader with more than 25 years in leadership positions, spanning industries such as higher education, manufacturing, and service-related businesses. He also holds multiple degrees, including a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership.

Today, as a Principal in the partnership Outside Force (a business development firm), Shawn focuses on business and leadership strategy and supplies training, coaching, and organizational development to a variety of industries. He is also an adjunct faculty member at UMBC in Baltimore, MD, and a Senior Facilitator at the UMBC Training Centers where he was a founding member of the Center for Leadership and Innovation.

Connect with Shawn:

https://www.outside-force.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnwolf/

Episode Timestamps:

• Shawn's story of pursuing business from a young age and eventually, starting his own business {1:32}
• Accomplishing things as a leader versus the focus of really developing people through leadership {7:15}
• A personal example of Shawn helping someone develop and engage more in their work {9:18}
• The most important lesson Shawn learned from his mentor about leadership {12:20}
• When Shawn decided he wanted to primarily work with and develop leaders {14:35}
• How we can shift our thinking and develop ourselves differently when leading {17:27}
• The type of mindset that Shawn has and practices in his leadership role {21:10}
• Why culture is so important in an organization {23:51}

"The quote by my mentor, Harold Howard 'We don't get work done through people, we develop people through our work', changed how I focused around managing and leading people. It allowed me to get past trying to become something, like an inspirational leader, that everybody should follow, and helped me turn that around a bit. I still need to be inspirational, and grow and develop myself with a vision, but if my focus is helping others develop and engage, they'll more likely want to follow me if I've already invested in them".

Connect with Rachel:

https://traumaspecialistsofmd.com/

https://www.frederickchamber.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trauma_specialist/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064008974101&mibextid=LQQJ4d

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-harrison-81a4796/