Stepsero

Leaders and remote work

Kem Boggs joins Stepsero to share her thoughts on the role of leaders in a remote work environment. Below are a few main takeaways: The changes that occurred in the past few years forced many companies into a globally distributed and remote model. Many organizations are still in the adaptation phase.Leaders face an increasingly difficult position, as they now need to consolidate their vision and communication more than ever.Technology can help leaders offer the same experience to employees, regardless of whether they work remotely or not. Technology can make it easy to arrange AMAs (Ask-Me-Anything) and Forums to address relevant questions. Face-to-face interactions, even if just occasional, can further support remote work.CEOs are likely to experience a certain degree of loneliness. It is important that they build their own network in order to create a safe space and discuss ideas.Leaders can benefit from a structured and thought-through onboarding process.

Our Guest: Kem Boggs

Top-performing human resources and talent acquisition leader with over twenty years of experience in positions of increased responsibility and a track record of promotions during my career. Fifteen years of experience in HR leadership. Five years of experience in leading employment branding programs. Four years on the executive or extended executive leadership team in multiple organizations.References:Kem Boggs Linkedin profile

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A chat with Richard Turner from Employees Health

Richard Turner, Director at Employees Health, joins the Stepsero podcast to discuss how to improve employees’ health and well-being. 

Here are a few main takeaways: 

What is the point of going through life if we aren't happy, fulfilled, and healthy? Richard’s mission is to help professionals keep an optimal health state for as long as possible.

With our world being set up to be so negative these days, it is crucial that we focus on positivity, which in turn will help us achieve happiness and well-being. 

Companies should strive to help employees fullfill their needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness (Self-determination theory). A lot of this depends on the culture that is promoted within the organization.

Senior leaders have a great impact on their teams and can help set the example in areas such as work-life balance, self-learning and development, setting boundaries at work, nutrition, and exercise.

Our Guest: Richard Turner

As a personal trainer for nearly 10 years, Richard has been helping people live healthier lifestyles and improve their health and fitness. In 2019 he founded Employees Health to help businesses create a better workplace as well as help them improve their employees health, wellbeing and performance so that every employee can come to work and thrive. In 2018 Richard lost a friend and mentor to suicide which opened his eyes to the importance of looking after people’s mental health and the devastating effects of not doing so can have on us.

Since then he has been an advocate for learning about and raising awareness for Mental Health which has led to him completing his MHFAider qualification and his Science of Wellbeing qualification from Yale as well as all the awareness activities they do throughout the year.

Today, Richard’s mission is to help employees create happier and healthier lifestyles which improve their wellbeing and performance so both the individual and business can succeed. To do this, he always strives to help the companies he works with make positive, proactive changes that produce quantifiable, lasting results for employees and employers.

References:

Richard Turner Likedin profile

www.employeeshealth.co.uk

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Leadership and trust

In this episode of the Stepsero podcast, we discuss leadership and trust with Leo Wang. 

Here are some useful pointers: 

It is important that your team members operate according to a shared set of values they adhere to and engage with.

Letting your team know early on that you have their best interest at heart might help establish a baseline of trust. However, sharing your intentions is not as important as actually delivering on what you have promised.

It is great to look at experienced leaders, while trying to define your own leadership style.

When moving from an individual contributor role to a leadership position, it is important to help your team build bridges with other departments. Working on your communication style can help achieve better internal connections between your team and the rest of the company.

Our Guest: Leo Wang

Leo is a Berlin-based sales leader in the geospatial and remote sensing industry. Having started as the first salesperson at UP42, he took the company from €0 to over €4M in Annual Revenue in less than 4 years through an unwavering customer-first operational approach. He has a passion for leadership, deeply thinking about the strategies and mindset around what makes a great leader and their powerful impact on performance. Outside of work, you'll find him playing tennis, going to concerts, and spending quality time with the people he loves.

References:

Leo Wang Linkedin profile

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Toxic Leadership

Kasia Musur joins the Stepsero podcast to discuss toxic leadership. 

Below are a few main takeaways: 

It can be hard to define toxic traits in leaders. Generally speaking, toxic leaders put their image and interest ahead of the well-being of the people they lead. For toxic leaders, success is not about their team or even the company, but rather about themselves.

Especially early in your career, you might think that you simply have to accept toxic leadership as part of the process. But this does not have to be the case.

Toxic leadership highly depends on the company culture which tolerates it. Some businesses choose not to remove such leaders because of the short-term benefits they may bring. However, in the long-term, it is better for the bottom line if they are replaced as early as possible.

Different companies have different processes, so it is important to discuss with your HR department and understand the best approach to tackle the issue.

A toxic leader’s behavior may also get to the point where it affects someone’s dignity. This trauma often follows professionals into their private lives, impacting their health, social and family life as well as their next job performance. This is why it is important to spot and tackle the issue early on.

Our Guest: Kasia Musur

Bio Kasia Musur is a Berlin-based founder of an early-stage startup dealing with toxic leadership. Passionate about human dignity and human rights, Kasia also runs "lightup Germany", a non-profit focusing on human trafficking and sexual exploitation in Germany. 

References:

Kasia Musur Linkedin profile

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Effective Coaching with Costas Kalisperas

In this episode, Costas Kalisperas shares some precious insights about coaching and building trust. 

Below are a few notable highlights: 

While most companies offer training for technical knowledge, few offer their leaders opportunities to acquire key behavioural skills, which are critical for building trust, forming alliances and creating inclusive thinking environments.

When coaching is offered, it is usually imposed on leaders as a behavioural “remedy”. Instead, coaching should be offered to the best executives and the next generation of leaders to help them strengthen their performance, rather than to remedy it.

Coaching is most effective when the asking of non-directive questions helps clients to find their own best answers.

The key to improved well-being at work is self-awareness and self-management: while you can’t affect other people’s behaviour, you can learn how to react to it in a way that is more likely to be constructive.

If you are in tune with how you are feeling, you can manage your own ego better, as well as find tools and techniques to build trust and collaboration for improved well-being and collective success.

Our Guest: Costas Kalisperas

Costas is a Londoner of Greek Cypriot heritage and has worked as a barrister, solicitor, investment banker, private equity executive, angel investor and board director across a range of industries in a professional services career spanning 30 years. He has lived and worked in the US, UK and the Middle East over that time. 

Now an executive coach, his clients describe his approach as one that encompasses structure and challenge on the one hand and empathy and support on the other. His focus is on helping leaders to be in tune with themselves and their environment, tap into their inner resourcefulness and manage their interactions with others more effectively. This helps to nurture greater collaboration and collective success, while having some fun along the journey. 

Costas has been entrusted with leadership responsibility around team cohesion, morale, mentoring and career development in all his prior roles, including as a Head of a team and as Chair of year-end review committees at Barclays investment bank for many years, as well as in senior positions at Credit Suisse, Lehman Brothers and Bank of America. He has thereby gained valuable insights into the importance of transparency, collaboration, diversity and inclusion in achieving the best results. 

Costas is a graduate of Meyler Campbell's Mastered Programme, an accredited coach by the EMCC, a Fellow of the Institute of Coaching and a Hogan Certified practitioner.

References:

Costas Kalisperas Likedin profile

www.intune-exec.com

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Mental well-being at work with Thomas Forstner

Thomas Forstner joins the Stepsero podcast to discuss mental well-being at work, focus, and vulnerability.

Here are some takeaways from our chat:

In recent times, many companies have provided their employees with some useful resources, including tools for online therapy. As great as these may be, however, they should come as part of a wider strategy to foster mental well-being at work.

A “productized approach” to people can be helpful to developing your company and removing part of the uncertainty (and fluff) that professionals experience at work.

To improve focus at work, you must understand your role within the organisation, and what you are building towards. For example, while some focus on building the company’s product, others may be tasked with developing people.

Companies that invest disproportionately more in the product than their people, typically tend to fail, get a bad reputation, or both.

It is hard to communicate to your company that you are not ok. However, being vulnerable could be a catalyst one needs to take a break and get the necessary energy back.

Our Guest: Thomas Forstner

Thomas is the Senior Director of People & Talent at Juro – a 100-strong, collaborative contract management platform on a mission to de-throne MS Word – where he is building a human-centric, scalable team from the ground up.

References:

Thomas Forstner Linkedin profile

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Global mobility and Employee relocation

This episode covers Global Mobility and employee relocation, as well as their impact on employees’ mental well-being. 

Below are a few highlights: 

Employee relocations have become more popular in recent years, also thanks to the growth of the Tech industry. However, company leaders may not always understand the importance of relocation processes.

Proactive assistance can go a long way. Employees who relocate may not be aware of the hurdles they will face. These can affect their performance at work and their mental well-being.

Expectation management is a crucial skill for relocation professionals. Experts like Michali know this is a very complicated process. It is, therefore, important to be as realistic and accurate as possible.

When that does not happen, employees may get disappointed and frustrated, which can have a very negative impact on their well-being.

Relocation professionals themselves are also at risk of experiencing a significant amount of stress and anxiety, as they sometimes bear a big responsibility.

If you are considering relocating, beware of social media because sometimes information can be confusing. The subject is very complicated, and it is crucial that you speak to an actual expert.

Our Guest: Michali Henig

Michali Henig is a Global Mobility Leader. During her career she had a small relocation agency which specialized in relocating highly qualified employees to Germany, and then was working as an in-house Global Mobility Partner in several companies, focusing on establishing the GM team and creating people-friendly mobility policies and processes. Being an expat herself, Michali is fascinated with international environments and is passionate about making an impact in creating inclusive environments for people on different immigration paths.

References:

Michali Henig - Linkedin Profile

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Brain Health

In this episode, Dr. Sara Whedon joins us to discuss the importance of Brain Health at work.

Below are a few relevant pointers: 

Brain Health is the main driver of employees’ performance at work. However, organizations rarely know how to help their people reach an optimal level of functioning without going over budget.

Understanding Brain Health is crucial for organizations to get a footing in areas such as high churn rates, conveyor belt mentality, and lack of productivity.

Dr. Sara helps companies by giving them tips and tools to enhance what they have and allow them to grow exponentially.

Sometimes we refer to employees as toxic, demotivated, or lazy. However, this is usually due to their brain not reaching an optimal state, thus not firing properly.

Well-being apps and training programs are great, but they are not necessarily a foundational layer for brain health. Very few people will take action and engage in said programs unless they first feel better.

Dr. Sara follows a three-phase model (Aware, Adapt, and Accelerate) which she describes during our conversation.

Her approach varies depending on the company she works with, as not every problem or situation needs the same solution.

Our Guest: Dr Sara Whedon

Dr. Sara has combined her years helping patients transform their lives, her desire to allow people to live their best life and her experience as a daughter of a corporate executive to bring brain-based transformations to organizations.

With over 50,000 patient interactions, she has seen time and time again, what the brain and body are capable of when they are optimized. She is changing the narrative that wellness in an organization must be expensive, generic and provide little to no return to individuals or the organization. 

References:

Dr Sara Whedon

www.drsarawhedon.com

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On Naturopathic medicine

In this episode of Stepsero we chat about naturopathic medicine and human interconnectedness with Dr. Antonella Aguilera Ruiz, ND.

Below are a few main takeaways from our discussion: 

Naturopathic medicine is a relatively new discipline and is sometimes perceived as an antagonist to Orthodox medicine. In the US, there are only five accredited colleges.

It is Dr. Antonella’s hope that Naturopathic Medicine and Orthodox Medicine will manage to coexist in the near future. Ultimately, we should we able to combine different schools of education so that patients have access to the best possible care.

Human beings are complex interconnected systems, made of different delicate parts which function in relation with each other. One aspect of particular importance is social connection, which is however rarely taken into account, despite having a significant impact on our well-being.

Social connection can look very different for different people (e.g. an introvert vs an extrovert), and it can be expressed in many ways, such as being part of a religious community or going for a hike with a small group of friends.

Agency and Control are two crucial concepts and yet they are often misunderstood. While we all are mortal beings, we do have agency over certain aspects of our life that can create a greater sense of well-being and purpose. On this note, we should be careful with telling people that they have total control over their health.

Agency can actually help us rewire and reshape our brain (neuroplasticity). Through positive neuroplasticity our brain can learn and grow. This means that, for example,  with the right behavior we change the structure of our brain, adjust our fear response, and develop greater resilience.

Our Guest: Dr Antonella Aguilera Ruiz, ND

Antonella Aguilera Ruiz is a naturopathic doctor based in Northern California. Her virtual clinic, Wild Lemon Health, specializes in mental health using a whole person approach. The clinic incorporates evidence- based nutrition with integrative medicine along with health coaching, group classes and mind-body medicine. After graduating magna cum laude at Santa Clara University, she earned her naturopathic doctorate (ND) from the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) in Portland, OR. She is licensed by the California Naturopathic Medicine Committee and the Oregon Board of Naturopathic Medicine.

References:

Dr Antonella Aguilera Ruiz, ND: Linkedin profile

Wild Lemon Health

National University of Natural Medicine

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Weekly working hours

Weekly working hours are not just about mere efficacy and effectiveness.They are also about the way one handles stress and interacts with colleagues and clients. A few days of overwork and you will inevitably be grumpier, more tired, less focused, and increasingly more stressed and anxious.

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