Summary

In this conversation, Minette Norman, a seasoned leader and author, explores psychological safety, leadership myths, and managers' real impact on employee wellbeing. Minette shares her journey from technical writer to leading an enormous team of 3,500 engineers at Autodesk without learning any code. 

Minette has a genius way of simplifying the complex. She shares insight from her two books, The Boldly Inclusive Leadership and The Psychological Safety Playbook, giving you tangible how-to’s. Minette successfully navigated resistance to collaboration in her long-held position in Silicon Valley. From book recommendations to actionable insights for creating safe and productive work environments, this episode is packed with wisdom for aspiring leaders and curious minds alike.

Takeaways

• Debunking leadership myths and offering a model of vulnerability.
• Psychological safety fosters an environment where team members can openly ask questions, make mistakes, and share ideas without fear.
• Career pathway options for leaders and individual contributors.
• Building an inclusive workplace with the tipping point percentage.
• Offering the How-To guidance leaders are seeking.
• The importance of having an open mind in business.

Chapters

(00:00) Collaborating Ideas With An Open Mind With Minette Norman.

(03:08) Minette’s Journey From Technical Writer To Leader.

(04:59) Transforming Workspace Culture and Unify Teams.

(06:54) Overcoming Resistance To Collaborative Coding and Internal Competition.

(10:57) Importance of Yearly Summit In-Person Gathering.

(12:01) Adapting Meetings to Equalise Space & Include Quieter Individuals’ Insights.

(14:52) Reasons Behind The Boldly Inclusive Leader.

(17:36) Conceit of Leadership.

(21:47) Psychological Safety, Inclusion & Interpersonal Risk Taking.

(24:28) Co-Authoring Focused on How To Increase Psychological Safety.

(26:27) Asking For Other Points of View With An Open Mind.

(28:16) Learning From Mistakes.

(31:59) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership Conference.

(35:17) Overcoming Affinity Bias To Embrace Diverse Groups.

(38:49) Loneliness in the Workplace.

(41:39) Quickfire Q&A with Minette Monkhouse.

(47:02) Book Recommendations.

About Minette Norman 

Minette Norman is an author, speaker, and leadership consultant who previously spent decades leading global technical teams in the software industry.

Minette has extensive experience leading internationally distributed teams and believes that when groups embrace diversity in all its forms, breakthroughs emerge, and innovation accelerates. Before starting her consultancy, her most recent position was as Vice President of Engineering Practice at Autodesk. Responsible for influencing more than 3,500 engineers around the globe, she focused on state-of-the-art engineering practices while nurturing a collaborative and inclusive culture.

​Minette is a keynote speaker on inclusive leadership, psychological safety, collaborative teams, and empathy. Named in 2017 as one of the “Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business” by the San Francisco Business Times and as “Business Role Model of the Year” in the 2018 Women in IT/Silicon Valley Awards, Minette is a recognised leader with a unique perspective.

​Minette is the author of The Boldly Inclusive Leader and the co-author of The Psychological Safety Playbook.

Minette holds degrees in Drama and French from Tufts University and studied at the Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris.

Follow Minette Norman

Website: https://www.minettenorman.com/

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