The Mind Takeaway Podcast

In this episode, we speak to Yonason Goldson. He is a director of Ethical Imperatives, LLC, and works with leaders to create a culture of ethics that builds trust, sparks initiative, and drives productivity.  He’s a keynote and TEDx speaker, trainer, coach, and community rabbi, as well as a podcast host, columnist and author, repentant hitchhiker, world traveller, and retired high school teacher in St. Louis.

He’s published hundreds of articles applying ancient rabbinic wisdom to the challenges of the modern secular world, and six books, most recently “Grappling with the Gray: an ethical handbook for personal success and business prosperity.” 

Connect with Yonason here

Website: https://www.yonasongoldson.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yonason-goldson/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/yonasongoldson

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

Podcast: https://www.yonasongoldson.com/podcast-the-rabbi-the-shrink

Timestamps

01:57 Whilst backpacking, Yonason ended up in Israel, where he discovered a rich tradition of heritage, philosophy, practical wisdom and community that changed his life.

05:34 Most of our culture today is designed to self-sabotage us because of our often misaligned definition of success.

09:02 Why is it so important to have a sense of community and play an active role in it.

15:12 Yonason shares a story of how he would pay for his ride by listening to understand when he was hitchhiking.

16:55 Why great leaders benefit from having coaches, mentors and trusted advisors?

20:21 The dangers of not allowing dissent and opposing views in your company.

32:40 Can there be a universal set of principles for leaders that sets a balance between what is eternal and the ever-changing world of reality?

37:08 One of the principles from Yonason’s new book is to encourage constructive disagreement as opposed to when each side digs in, negates and vilifies the other, which can often lead to extremism.

In this Micro Episode, we explore Psychological Safety.

Psychological safety is believing you won't be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes.

Google conducted a study for over two years called Project Aristotle and came up with 5 Key dynamics of successful teams: psychological safety, dependability, structure and clarity, meaning, and impact.

Psychological safety stood out as the most crucial factor, to everyone's surprise.

Timestamps and Takeaways

01:29 It looks like a complex topic, but you don't need to be a psychologist to create an environment where people feel safe and included.

02:00 Cognitive Diversity means everyone in your team can share their ideas and get into discussions or dialogue.

02:36 From the outside, a psychologically safe team will be high-performing and successful but may look messy or chaotic from the inside to people outside that team.

03:05 The common misconception is that these teams are uniform and predictable, but people feel safe being themselves and expressing their opinions.

03:50 For Diversity to flourish, you and the team need to feel and have those challenging and sometimes uncomfortable conversations.

04:48 Everyone in a group will benefit greatly from getting to know everyone individually and collectively on a human level, outside of their roles and responsibilities.

05:11 A vital tenet of a psychologically safe team is that everyone trusts each other to do their best work.

05:42 Leaders need to go there first and trust themselves before they can genuinely impact others to do the same

06:38 The human connection and bond between people are vital, regardless of their opinions and how they see the world.

06:56 There is a willingness to say when you are wrong because there will be less judgment, plus failure and learning are encouraged.

07:10 Another critical trait is being curious, listening to each other, and not being scared to address topics as they arise.

07:37 It doesn't mean that things will be perfect with a team with high trust, just that if the wheels start to come off, they are more likely to self-correct.

08:43 How not valuing your option can open the door to your team's collective power shared experiences.

09:43 You don't have to talk about Diversity and Inclusion so much if you create safe spaces where everyone feels part of a community.

In this episode, we speak to Jennie Stephens, Professor of Sustainability Science & Policy and Director of School of Public Policy & Urban Affairs at Northeastern University in Boston.

Professor Stephens’ most recent book, Diversifying Power: Why We Need Antiracist, Feminist Leadership on Climate and Energy (Island Press, 2020), inspires collective action with stories of innovative diverse leaders who are linking climate and energy with jobs and economic justice, health and food, transportation and housing.  Trained at Harvard and Caltech, she is an educator, social justice advocate, and internationally-recognized expert on renewable transformation, energy democracy, climate justice, and gender in energy.

Book: https://islandpress.org/books/diversifying-power

Timestamps:

02:36 The premise of Jennie's new book, Diversifying Power, is about leadership that acknowledges the complex power structures that give privilege to some at the expense of marginalizing others.

04:22 How feminist leadership isn't just about women; it's an invitation for all of us to acknowledge the harm to society and the hurt for some many when we have these complicated power structures.

05:04 The importance of empowerment and holding both ourselves and the organizations we work for accountable so that we are not perpetuating inequities and disparities.

08:08 We already have the technologies right now to move away from fossil fuels, to shift to a renewal based society. Still, profiting from continuing to use fossil fuels are investing in undermining science and technology.

10:18 The research shows that when women, people of minority backgrounds, and indigenous people are in leadership positions, they bring different priorities, lived experiences, and perceptions of risk when it comes to the Climate Crisis.

12:06 How transformation always requires disruption, which is also uncomfortable; however, it's a window of opportunity to take action against climate change and inequality.

13:29 No one will benefit if we do not allow our planet to regenerate,, regardless of our net worth, if we end up with a dead ocean or deplete our natural resources.

16:26 Jennie shares one example from her book about the dangers of individualistic, technology-based thinking that doesn't consider our social structures.

22:39 The benefits of cognitive diversity in having different people from all backgrounds in leadership roles.

24:54 The idea of growing the squad, referring to, for example, in the United States, the four junior congresswomen representing four different states who have made such positive changes.

29:26 When we are scared and stressed out, we often tend to act in an individualistic way and only think about our own survival.

30:33 Some great examples of compassionate, empathetic female leaders during the pandemic, where transparency, clear communication, and community-based leadership were demonstrated, elevated people to rise about the fear.

33:10 Is it not time to take leadership off the pedestal and bring it to all of us in the form of collective action by seeing ourselves as leaders and inspiring others to do the same.

36:35 The Importance of avoiding generational conflicts by thinking about and listening to our young people regarding climate and social issues.

40:31 How politicians cannot see past their terms, business up to the next quarter and humans cannot think further than a generation when making decisions that affect our future.

Why do we experience Imposter Syndrome, and what can we do about it?

In this 10-minute Micro Episode, we explore Imposter Syndrome.

Timestamps and Takeaways

01:23 How feeling like an imposter is part and parcel of everyday life and the human experience.

02:05 Peter shares a story of how, in the past, he did everything possible to avoid public speaking.

03:38 We often compare ourselves to others and only see the good bits.

04:40 Just because you might feel like an imposter doesn’t mean it's true.

05:39 We often create this idea about ourselves based on what others may or may not think about us or how we feel the outside world sees us.

06:31 How comparing ourselves to others only detracts from us taking action and learning from doing.

7:16 Doing something for the first time will always feel uncomfortable, but that doesn’t mean you are not good enough to do it in the first place.

In this episode, we speak to the bestselling author of Energize, award-winning coach and keynote speaker Simon Alexander Ong. Everything that Simon does is built to inspire people to see their world differently and ignite their imagination of what is genuinely possible so that they can live a better story. He has been interviewed on Sky News, BBC and Forbes and has spoken at some of the planet's most successful organisations, such as Virgin, Salesforce and Microsoft.

Timestamps:

02:10 The importance of human connection in business and how telling our authentic stories is so powerful.

04:18 Simon explains the benefits of transformative coaching and often shares one of his favourite TED Talks from Dr. Atul Gawande with sceptics.

09:27 How we silent have a companion in the form of innate wisdom, always in the background guiding us.

11:26 The idea of slowing down to speed up is because we can listen and be more connected to that voice within, and that's where the world's most significant ideas have come from in history.

11:42 When things get stressful, usually, one of the first things that often gets sacrificed is rest and sleep. The less sleep we get, the less productive we are.

12:29 The innocent misunderstanding: when we get stress out it, looks like we need to do much to get where we want to be, but we need to see what we are doing wrong and stop doing that instead.

17:52 How having a routine is vital; designing your life begins with planning your days, and a productive day starts the night before.

19:48 Why coaching is so powerful, and the real art is making things simple to understand, simple to action and straightforward to follow.

20:59 Simon shares a powerful example of how accountability is critical to success and asks an important question.

22:49 One question we can all afford to spend more time dwelling on is: Are your current actions and choices currently reflective of what you are telling me is important?

26:10 How you can't have fundamental transformation quickly; success doesn't often happen overnight. It happens over time; it's the compound effect of taking action.

28:10 The paradox of goals, how we need goals or plans to give ourselves context of the actions we are going to take today, but you then have to forget and not focus on them.

28:52 As we get older and wiser (hopefully), we realize that the goal and the vision are not the most significant rewards; it's about the journey of who we must become in getting there.

32:17 When you come from a place of joy, happiness, and love, you want to show up and express the gifts you were born to share with the world.

33:01 The misconception of purpose and how it's more about the experience of going through a series of events and following your curiousity that leads you to what you want to do in life. What am I more curious about right now?

38:05 Simon reminds us that a super-power we often forget is we have the power to choose one thought over another.

42:45 We ask Simon about his new book, which will be published next year with Penguin Random House.

To become an impactful leader, you need to go through a personal transformation rather than just learning from books and reading content.

Is this Micro Episode of we explore Impactful Leadership

Timestamps and Takeaways

01:18 You cannot expect to positively impact the people around you unless you are willing to go on a transformational journey first.

02:59 Leadership development is more about going out there, testing what works, experimenting and being creative.

03:38 Most of the things that distract from us being great leaders stem from fear.

05:17 It's only through continuous exploration and curiosity that you will become an impactful leader.

05:52 Any transformation you go through will be uncomfortable at some point, similar to going to the gym and getting yourself fit, but you get stronger.

06:20 You can only improve by being reflective, having a curious mindset and acting on feedback.

07:14 To create psychologically safe spaces for people to do their best work, you need to be comfortable in your own skin.

08:07 If you hide away from decisions, if you don't trust people, they will not trust you back and may even copy your toxic behaviour.

09:27 Don't be afraid to get stuff wrong or sometimes upset people because it will happen, but as long as you show up authentically and have a willingness to admit when you got it wrong, people will be much more forgiving than you think.

In this episode, we speak to Tony Loyd , a leadership development expert. He empowers aspiring changemakers to grow a business with a social mission rapidly.

His Purpose-Driven Leadership Program provides a blueprint to bridge the gaps from idea to innovation to impact.

Tony is a former Fortune 500 executive with companies such as John Deere, Medtronic, and Buffalo Wild Wings.

Today, Tony is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, business coach, and podcast host.

He is the Executive Producer of the podcast Social Entrepreneur. He shares positive stories from underrepresented voices, focused on solutions. Social Entrepreneur is downloaded more than half a million times in over 180 countries.

Tony also hosts Thrive. Connect. Contribute. where he tells stories of people who thrive in life, connect with others, and contribute to the world in the face of adversity.

He is a TEDx speaker and the best-selling author of Crazy Good Advice: 10 Lessons Learned from 150 Leading Social Entrepreneurs.

Timestamps:

00:01:57 Successful people do not wait for creative ideas to kick in to take action; they start doing things even when they are not inspired.

00:05:09 How did Tony come to write his book Crazy Good Advice: 10 Lessons Learned from 150 Leading Social Entrepreneurs.

00:08:06 How quite often many opportunities show up when you say yes to one thing.

00:12:42 If you want to live a life of purpose and meaning, you have to bring purpose and meaning into your work.

00:14:43 The higher up in the organisation you go, the more you see the choices and tradeoffs made to maximise shareholder value.

00:16:42 The idea of social entrepreneurship is to make money and difference at the same time.

00:18:45 Tony explains four different ways to bake your social good into your business model: selling, sharing, staffing and sourcing.

00:28:30 One of the keys to social entrepreneurship is starting with the question: What breaks your heart?

00:31:59 When you are struggling on your entrepreneurial journey, hold tight to the vision but let the form be flexible.

00:34:18 Self-care is the first step in making a difference in the world.

00:42:48 Five reasons why people do not start businesses: fear of financial instability, not enough time, not having big enough idea, not having a skill set, and the biggest is self-doubt.

00:49:45 Tony shares five things one should think about when starting a social business.

In this Micro Epsidoe, we explore Empowerment.

Timestamps and Takeaways

01:31 When we believe that someone has power over us, we begin to act as if that is true, and in that, we are giving our control away.

02:45 If you're waiting for someone else to empower you, you will never reach your true potential.

02:57 Empowerment comes from within us; therefore, we can call it in-powerment  (we can credit @garry Turner for this one, the term he coined during a discussion on Clubhouse last year) to avoid misunderstandings. 

03:44 You are only ever one thought away from either empowering or disempowering ourselves and is it easy to forget that sometimes.

06:35 There are two challenges in companies right now: managers believe they can give or take away Empowerment, and the second is that employees are waiting to be told what to do.

08:52 We have a lot more autonomy than we think, one example being Nelson Mandela, who was incarcerated for many years and never gave his power away.

09:08 It's like self incarceration when we disempower ourselves as we wait for others to tell us what we can or cannot do.

In this episode, we speak to Cordelia Gaffar, an author, leadership coach and founder of Replenish Me. Through her work as the Emotions Opener Transformation Strategist, she is guiding leaders to use their darkest and most difficult emotions to show up powerfully and be courageous.

Cordelia is also the co-host of the Unlearning Labels Podcast together with us.

Cordelia has been at the forefront of facilitating difficult conversations surrounding diversity, equity, belonging and inclusion on an organisational level, beginning with the Co-Creating the Bridge event in June 2020 with Devon Bandison. She has also spoken on several international platforms, Amplify DEI, based in the Netherlands, L&D Cares Summit based in Germany and Discovering the Truth, based in the UK. In February, she was selected as a peace ambassador by INSPAD, which is based in Belgium and Pakistan.

She is also a force in women’s empowerment. She was selected Top National Influencer of the Success Women's Conference, a Sexy Brilliant Ambassador and Leader and inducted into the Global Library of Female Authors by Ona Miller. She is also the best-selling co-author of America’s Leading Ladies, who positively impact the world with Oprah Winfrey and several dynamic women.

Despite all her accolades, her biggest brag is being a homeschooling mom of six children.

Timestamps:

05:46 Cordelia helps leaders open up and be comfortable showing up emotionally. 

07:55 How different education systems and lack of diversity in schools can impact how we show up as leaders in the future.

13:46 The best leaders see their role as being of service and not thinking about themselves all the time and how others see them.

17:36 Leadership is all about knowing when to show up authentically and be ok being vulnerable. 

19:06 The most underdeveloped skill right now is a lack of awareness and an ability to slow down and reflect.

22:00 How the pressures of having to stay late in the office are hopefully changing, since COVID-19, as we debunk the misunderstanding between business and productivity.

25:30 How to step off the hamster wheel of pressure and avoid peer pressure.

29:09 How can you help your team be more creative and effective without micromanaging them and adding pressure? 

31:30 Knowing how to set boundaries for yourself in terms of work-life balance will make you a better leader for others and your community.

36:00 What can we do to nurture ourselves better?

39:16 Success is subjective, and we should define what that looks like instead of comparing ourselves to others.  

Exploring Clarity of Mind

“When we feel anxious or worried about something, it looks like we have to do something about it to change the feeling. Is that true? What is going on there?

Being in a low state often feels like a call to action, but that is the worst thing we can do; taking action and creating goals from a state of anxiety versus allowing our mind to settle to see what is required more clearly.

Timestamps and Takeaways

01:00 When feeling anxious about something, we often think we have to do something to change the feeling. Is that true?

02:00 Trying to change the experience of having an uncomfortable feeling can often compound the issue and worsen it.

02:57 Being compassionate towards yourself and allowing yourself to feel the full spectrum of human emotion is the best gift you can give because it leads to clarity.

03:42 The more you get curious and explore how your mind works and go out there and experiment, so you can see if this is true for yourself.

04:11 When there are storm clouds above you, and it’s pouring down with rain, you are getting zapped by lightning, and it’s a crappy day; you want to give up, close the curtains and go back to sleep, but there is always blue sky and sunshine above those storm clouds, and that’s your clarity, still there when your mind settles.

05:48 If you feel low, the best thing you can do is not change that feeling is reach out to other people to express how you feel.

06:82 Even on the worst days, you can get back to a place of clarity.

07:14 Mira had some profound moments of clarity at the times when she had the most stress in her life.