The Mind Takeaway Podcast

What Makes a Great Leader?

In this episode, we explore

- Being comfortable with being uncomfortable

- The benefits of listening to understand

- How being authentic can increase your impact 

🚀 Stepping up into a senior leadership role? Set yourself up for success and avoid burnout with these three key areas:
1:Reassess your boundaries: It's a common challenge faced by our Executive Coaching clients. Your new position demands new boundaries, and ignoring this can lead to future difficulties.
2: Energy exploration: Discover what fuels and drains you. This awareness allows you to recharge efficiently and minimise energy-zapping tasks.
3: Prioritise self-care: Don't neglect yourself! Schedule breaks, create downtime, and nurture your creativity. Remember, you will only be the leader your teams deserve with self-care.

Listening to understand is probably one of the most impactful and profound skills you can master as a leader.

In this episode, we explore what gets in the way of becoming a better listener and what practical steps you can take to improve. 

What gets in the way of feeling safe in leadership roles?

In this second series of what gets in the way episodes, we explore what gets in the way of having more women in leadership roles and, when they are in senior positions, what stops them from feeling safe, valued and being themselves. We also share some practical tips and suggestions for the future.

What gets in the way of collaborating and working together effectively?

We also share some practical tips to make it more enjoyable to work together.

Our business relationships and teams will benefit from embracing our intercultural differences.

We were at a friend's wedding in Portugal last week, and my friend's father said something interesting about the secret to lasting relationships. He mentioned embracing intercultural differences. We looked around our table, and In our conversations, we realised all eight of us were from different countries, each with unique cultures, and we were in four relationships, each with intercultural differences.

Being authentic isn't just doing what occurs to you at the moment; it is knowing who you are and following your truth to the best of your ability.

In this episode, we speak to Sunday Times bestselling author, speaker & coach Jamie Smart. We talked about the pressure to conform, the dangers of losing authenticity as leaders, and what we can do about it, so we do not lose ourselves and do it in a way that doesn't alienate others.

Bringing authenticity to work is powerful;  If everyone in your team wakes up to who they truly are, you are more likely to have a more connected, motivated, and productive team. There is also a reasonable chance that someone might quit. - When people wake up to who they are, they may understand that this place is not for them.

We discuss and share examples:

Connect with Jamie here https://www.jamiesmart.com/

Self-doubt is a typical experience of being a great leader.

Learning new skills and becoming aware of how your feelings can impact your ability to lead will be messy sometimes; you will feel uncomfortable, and you might feel like an imposter some days.  That doesn't mean you are heading in the wrong direction, and it's part of learning from your experience.

If you are not doing the work, pushing the boundaries, or are unwilling to change. You cannot expect to grow or become a better leader.

This episode explores self-doubt,  imposter syndrome, and why growth requires us to feel whatever we feel. 

Do you celebrate your milestones?

If so, how do you celebrate with your team?

This episode explores the importance of celebrating milestones and enjoying the journey.

In this 10 minutes episode, we explore a story about one leader's challenge with getting comfortable with being uncomfortable in front of his team and sharing when he got things wrong or did not always answer.

The positive impact of sharing your learnings and challenges with your team is this:

- It builds trust, compassion, and empathy.

- You go there first, allowing others to do the same.

- Transparency reduces people second-guessing you behind your back.

- Collaboration and creativity improve when you work together to find solutions to challenges.

The flip side of the above is that the leader usually feels uncomfortable, then tries to ignore their feelings or push any discomfort away so they can get on with their work. This behavior only leads to more suffering for everyone. The best gift you can give your people and yourself is to get comfortable with noticing when you feel uncomfortable and being curious about the source of those feelings.