I'm joined on the show today by Aimée Lapic, the Chief Marketing Officer at Pandora. She's a passionate, authentic, and high performing leader who cares deeply about her team. Aimée and I discuss ways to be authentic and caring as a leader, how to manage your personal and professional life without feeling guilty, and the key elements that make a great team.

Key Takeaways

[3:25] Aimée shares a little bit about her background and where she grew up.

[9:50] Back in the mid-'90s the internet was on fire and it gave Aimée the chance to hit the ground running in the Bay Area. She was able to work for startups and get her feet wet in online marketing and e-commerce.

[14:25] When Aimée stepped into a leadership role, the biggest lesson she learned was that not everyone is motivated by the same things. You have to pay attention to each person and what they care about.

[19:15] Aimée has always strived to be the top of her class but when she got into Princeton she realized that the country's top students were also there and it was incredibly hard adjusting to this new environment. However, it gave her a good wake up call that she had to work even harder and that work ethic has served her well in life.

[23:15] When Aimée became a mother, that's when her high-achieving streak had to take a back seat. Being a working mom and managing three children is tough and sometimes you just have to let go and be happy with the 'good enough.'

[29:25] Aimée believes she's a better leader today because she is much more transparent about the conscious choices she is making. She decided to go into work late the other day because she wanted to have a nice breakfast with the kids. She decided not to have breakfast with the kids so that she could be on time for important meetings on other days. She makes conscious choices now and doesn't feel guilty about them.

[36:35] Aimée looks for talented people who have a growth mindset. She wants to know that her team can be empowered to do things on their own and not be micromanaged. When it comes to hiring, she actively seeks key characteristics like a positive outlook to make sure that they will fit into and adapt to the company culture.

[42:00] Aimée believes that in order to develop good teams it comes down to having the people connect with one another on a personal level. When you have a connection, you build respect and trust. You don't have to be the most qualified in the room, but if you know how to work together, then you really are able to move mountains.

Resources:

Purchase Bring Your Whole Self to Work and gain access to bonus material

Mike Robbins Website

Mike Robbins Podcast

Mike Robbins on Facebook

Mike Robbins on Twitter

Mike Robbins on Instagram

TED Radio Hour

Pandora.com

Aimée on LinkedIn