Executive Access

Successful leaders regularly make time for reflection and recovery. As a parent of three with a busy executive career, I've been asked hundreds of times, "How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?" I believe it's time to flip the script. In this episode, I share why that question is often the wrong one to ask.  Instead, the right question each of us should be reflecting on is, "What have I decided to do?" Juggling multiple priorities is often challenging, but we walk in power when we are clear on what our goals, priorities, and non-negotiables truly are…and then get after those choices with intensity.

In this episode, I refer to the following work:

Simon Sinek's Find Your Why

The Ideal Life by Mark Congdon

Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.

I gauge the health of an organization's culture, in part, by how fast or slow bad news travels.  No one likes to hear it, but bad news that is ignored or hidden can be deadly to an organization. When bad news travels slowly, innovation is stifled, time and effort are wasted, and morale is generally very poor. Great leaders understand that driving positive results depends heavily on identifying issues fast so that they can be resolved. In this episode, I share two core reasons that bad news is stifled in an organization and three things that great leaders do to make sure bad news travels fast instead.

Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.

Scaling a company through multiple growth stages is a challenging endeavor, and most founders I've met are dynamic and brave leaders. Jennifer Holmstrom, Platform Team Partner at Notable Capital, excels in partnering with founders to support them in successfully navigating these company growth stages. Jennifer and her team assist technology company founders with talent strategy, sales, marketing story, engineering velocity, and leadership development.  Jennifer recounts best practices from success stories at Handshake, Stripe, and Poshmark. She shares the keys to leadership success: growth mindset and an insatiable appetite for learning. In addition to supporting others, Jennifer is herself an excellent senior leader, describing how leaders must get 2 things right: 1) providing clarity around an exciting destination and) empowering the team to get there. Jennifer believes that both managing people and partnering are "1-on-1 sports," requiring deep situational leadership. Jennifer is a compelling, dynamic leader who generates energy in every interaction.

Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.

Giving constructive feedback is one of the best ways to help people grow and keep teams aligned. Yet, many people I work with struggle with giving constructive feedback effectively - including me earlier in my career! This short 7-minute video will explain a few reasons why leaders struggle and the unintended bad consequences that occur when they don't share feedback well. Also, learn a simple 3-step framework that will positively transform your ability to give effective feedback, enabling you to do so regularly and comfortably.

Jamie refers to this book, Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High by Joseph Grenny and Kerry Patterson.

Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.

Have you ever met with someone and experienced an explosion of ideas, excitement, and encouragement? I call Sig Behrens "the Spark" because he ignites in people a spirit of possibility and empowers them to do more than they imagined. Sig is CEO of Permuta Technologies, tech industry veteran (former Microsoft, Blackboard), and entrepreneur founder of multiple businesses. My discussion with Sig explores how he is able to be that spark as a leader that creates untold value and drives results. Sig discusses how his experiences early in his life shaped him, the importance of empowering your team from day one, and getting to know people - your team and customers - and their motivations. Sig shares helpful frameworks including C.I.A - challenge, interest, aptitude - to apply to career decisions. Sig is an extraordinary leader motivated by "making the news." He consistently says that it's his team that gets all the credit for the significant success he has enjoyed. While that may be true, Sig's spark provides a gift to everyone around him, lighting a fire of achievement that builds confidence and a sense of wonder.

During this episode, Sig references Simon Sinek's Find Your Why.

Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.

Imagine the challenge of leading an enormous, complex system -- 50k students, 6500 employees, 85 schools -- with passionate parent/ caregiver stakeholders that also need to be served. Anita Huggins, Superintendent of Charleston County Schools, leads with a focus on valuing people, serving, leading with enthusiasm, and communicating openly even when it's difficult. She discusses leading through influence and building consensus by separating the "how" and the "what" to bring people along. Anita's desire to understand the problems leads her to fearlessly invite public feedback in ways that few senior leaders are willing to do. Anita closes by stating that leadership is an honor, and how deeply embracing that statement enables leaders to make an enormous impact. Anita's passion for improving outcomes for students and care for community members is evident in this discussion. Anita is bold, brave, and kind - please enjoy getting to know her as I did!

Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.

One of the most important leadership skills is communicating effectively to a variety of audiences. This short 11-minute video will share 3 simple practices that you can use immediately to improve the way you communicate; tell them where you are going, say it simply, and "so what, who cares." Also, learn why fixing your team's problems is less important than demonstrating that you understand them.

Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally. 

Dr. Chris Streck is well versed in leading in high stress environments and shares his approach that hinges on preparedness and teamwork.  Dr. Streck believes in the uncomfortable practice of inviting review and feedback so that improvements are made rapidly in the pursuit of positive patient outcomes. He likens his role as a leader to that of a coach, listening and fine-tuning, and how being a great coach starts with really knowing your team members. He shares his approach for hiring residents including the most important qualities he looks for. Dr. Streck is also a leader on the national stage, stepping into influence leadership to work across teams in his passion for research that will help prevent injuries in children and keep them safe. Dr. Streck is an unbelievably accomplished and humble leader, a true role model for others in any industry.

Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.

Elizabeth Burwell is able to come across as both Warm and Strong at the same time, something many leaders strive to emulate but few are able to master. Listeners will get an insider look at how she is able to strike this balance, walking in confidence while truly understanding that how you make people FEEL is key to followership. Elizabeth discusses the value of direct communication, especially when it is difficult. She shares the importance of being curious, recognizing that there is always more to learn, and how important it is to see others in the same way. Elizabeth is an extraordinary leader who boldly shares what is usually unspoken in business settings, what is at the core of her leadership doctrine…the power of love.

Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.

Captain Thomas describes the USS Carl Vinson as a "City at Sea," with 5,000 sailors and all the complexity and functions required to power a city. As Commanding Officer, he is responsible for leading the entire operation. He explains how he leads a diverse group of senior leaders and the communication frameworks he asks them to use, particularly in high-stakes situations—What, So What, Now What.

We discuss the importance of strong cross-team leadership, emphasizing his constant reminder that "anything affects everything on an aircraft carrier." Captain Thomas excels at simplifying complex conditions and communicating the mission clearly to his sailors, focusing on two main priorities: 1) combat readiness and 2) quality of life and service aboard the ship.

He also shares insights about his career journey and his commitment to mentoring and growing future leaders within his organization. Listeners will gain a deep appreciation for the leadership skills Captain Thomas has developed during his time in the Navy and will find his insights immediately applicable to their own industries.

During the episode, Captain Thomas refers to the following work:

Speed of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything by Stephen Covey

Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell

Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.