This New Way

👉 Check out the resources mentioned here: https://fellow.app/supermanagers/amanda-blesing-credibility-killers-in-the-workplace-how-to-not-diminish-your-power

Do you ever say sorry when you’re late to a meeting?

It’s easy to be apologetic to our coworkers, but this can disempower you as a person. There are a few alternatives to ensure you stay empowered while being courteous, such as “thank you for waiting for me to begin”. 

Amanda Blesing dives into how to not diminish your power in the workplace, and eliminate credibility killers. She also explains how people can fall into a mindset that forces them to pay the “loyalty penalty” and why this mindset is so dangerous. 

Amanda Blesing is a leading author, speaker, mentor and corporate trainer and creator of The Ambition Revolution program, who consults busy and ambitious professionals.  She has over 25 years of leadership experience, and was previously CEO of SOCAP Australia. She’s spent time working with clients such as Atlassian, ANZ, and Suncorp. She’s coached over 2000 women to overcome societal limitations and take charge of their success. 

In episode #166, Amanda shares her experiences as an executive coach to help you be a more present leader who is a champion for career growth of those on your team.

Tune in to hear all about Amanda’s leadership journey and the lessons learned along the way!

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TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

[04:00] Being a present leader

[11:50] Self promotion tactics

[17:50] How to be heard

[26:00] The “We’ve got enough women” mentality

[31:00] Credibility killers

[37:38] Well-meaning poor advice 

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Connect with Amanda Blesing on LinkedIn

Check out Amanda’s books

Subscribe to the Supermanagers TLDR newsletter

👉  Check out the resources mentioned here: https://fellow.app/supermanagers/jason-smith-klue-scouting-for-entrepreneurial-talent-when-to-hire-generalists-vs-specialists

Do you ever think about the importance of the types of people your company hires?

When hiring, many companies focus on the experience of their candidates. While this plays a large role, who a person is and their level of entrepreneurial talent could be even more important. 

Jason explains the nuances of hiring the right fit for your company, breaking down the distinction between generalists and specialists. He also shares how to get your company ahead by leveraging AI and developing relationships with your competitors. 

Jason Smith is a product driven, sales and marketing centric tech entrepreneur. He has been the cofounder, investor or early employee of 5 start-ups. He’s led sales, marketing, product and services teams, advised great companies like Mobify (acquired by Salesforce.com) and Strutta (acquired by LX Ventures) and received E&Y's Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year for the Pacific Region. He is currently the CEO and Cofounder of Klue, an AI-powered Competitive Enablement platform.

In episode #165, Jason shares his experiences as an entrepreneurial leader to help you delegate, hire and manage better.

Tune in to hear all about Jason’s leadership journey and the lessons learned along the way!

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. . .

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

[04:10] Delegation reluctancy

[09:30] How to know when to have a tough conversation

[14:40] Hiring entrepreneurial people

[20:40] Ambiguous interview questions

[26:00] Looking at a candidate’s past

[30:00] Develop relationships with your competitors

[36:00] Company-wide AI day

[41:00] Being the bouncer of your company

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Connect with Jason on LinkedIn

Check out Fellow’s new Meeting Guidelines feature

Read No Rules Rules by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer

Subscribe to the Supermanagers TLDR newsletter

👉 Check out the resources mentioned here: https://fellow.app/supermanagers/james-carr-the-outcome-driven-engineer

How often do you approach your daily tasks with clear intention?

There's a prevailing notion in many businesses that prioritize "output" over "outcome". But what if this mindset inadvertently redirects our focus and dilutes our intentionality?

James explains that, “Every action is a vote for who you intend to be.” This philosophy revolves around aligning each action with the desired outcome based on set intentions. Moreover, James sheds light on the significance of acknowledging 'invisible work'—the countless, often overlooked tasks that fill our days.

James Carr is an engineering leader with over 20 years of experience building and running distributed systems, leading high performing teams, and collaborating across functions. He has worked in various positions at CARFAX, Monetate and Zapier, and is currently the ​​Director of Engineering at Care.com.

In episode #164, James shares his advice for using ChatGPT for job applications, being an ideal team player, and what to “lean in” on as an engineering leader.

Tune in to learn more about James’ leadership journey and the invaluable lessons he’s gathered along the way!

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Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the podcast with your colleagues.

. . .

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

[05:00] Focus on outcome not output

[09:30] What to lean in on as an engineering leader

[16:25] Change work by using intention

[23:28] Quality vs quantity

[26:00] Using ChatGPT for job applications

[31:00] What’s the deal with cover letters

[36:50] What an ideal team player looks like

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Connect with James on LinkedIn

Read Making Work Visible By Dominica DeGrandis

Read The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni 

Join the Rands Leadership Slack Group 

Listen to Michael Lopp’s (Rands’ founder) Supermanagers Episode

Subscribe to the Supermanagers TLDR newsletter

👉 Check out the resources mentioned here: https://fellow.app/supermanagers/shanee-ben-zur-crunchbase-fear-of-failure-and-hiring-sporks-the-startup-growth-guide

How often do you celebrate failures?

Don’t let the fear of failure stop your organization from reaching its full potential. 

Shanee Ben-Zur explains that “Companies that are overly risk averse are doomed to sameness,” which is a fate much worse than failure. She also shares how other types of fears can negatively impact your organization such as the fear of commitment. 

Shanee Ben-Zur is a customer-obsessed marketing leader with 15 years of experience leading teams across all areas of marketing. She has worked in various positions at Dropbox, PlayStation, NVIDIA, and Salesforce.Today, Shanee is at Crunchbase as their Chief Growth and Marketing Officer. 

In episode #163, Shanee shares her advice for going from peer to manager, learning what your values are, and why you should hire sporks - not spoons.

Tune in to learn more about Shanee’s leadership journey and the invaluable lessons she’s gathered along the way!

. . .

Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the podcast with your colleagues.

. . .

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

[03:06] Going from peer to manager

[11:30] Learning what your values are

[16:30] Share the milestones you’ve reached

[22:50] How to get people to speed up

[27:20] Take measured risks

[35:33] Help them with the hurdles

[39:10] Hire sporks and not spoons

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Connect with Shanee on LinkedIn

Subscribe to the Supermanagers TLDR newsletter

👉 Check out the resources mentioned here: https://fellow.app/supermanagers/carol-leaman-axonify-beyond-the-bad-news-leading-with-a-plan-of-action-and-assurance

How transparent is your leadership team about company information?

In an age where transparency can make or break trust, many leaders still wrestle with pulling back the curtain, especially when it comes to sharing sensitive company details such as finances. But what if withholding information is more perilous than sharing it?

Axonify’s CEO, Carol Leaman, delves into why she views the repercussions of not sharing this information as a greater threat. She offers actionable strategies to promote transparency and over-communication across all areas of a company and provides insights on how to motivate your employees.

Carol Leaman is an award-winning thought leader with an impressive track record of successfully leading tech companies. Before becoming the CEO and Co-Founder of Axonify, she served as the CEO of PostRank Inc. (acquired by Google) and held CEO positions at tech firms RSS Solutions and Fakespace Systems.

In episode #162, Carol discusses her experiences with boomerang employees, creating value for employees, motivating teams, and the decision-making process of hiring internally versus externally for roles.

Tune in to learn more about Carol’s leadership journey and the invaluable lessons she's gathered along the way!

. . .

Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the podcast with your colleagues.

. . .

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

[05:00] How to motivate your people

[12:05] Why not share company info with employees

[17:40] How to internally over-communicate

[26:50] Encouraging people to come back to the office

[31:40] Boomerang employees

[38:50] Hiring internally vs externally

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Connect with Carol on LinkedIn

Listen to Liz Wiseman’s Supermanagers Episode

Read Multipliers by Liz Wiseman

Get your 1:1 meeting guide 

Subscribe to the Supermanagers TLDR newsletter

👉 Check out the episode resources here: https://fellow.app/supermanagers/sabrina-leblanc-surveymonkey-are-you-being-the-bottleneck-or-building-the-bridge-lessons-on-cross-functional-leadership

How would you rate your organization's cross-functional communication?

Alignment at the leadership level and being aligned on the goals and incentives that you're driving towards is where it all begins.

Sabrina dives into how to approach friction between two cross-functional departments, why healthy conflict should be encouraged, and how to promote a growth mindset at work.

Sabrina is an expert in cross-functional communication and teamwork. She gives actionable strategies to improve cross-functional collaboration within an organization, utilizing a growth mindset to achieve organizational and team goals.

Sabrina Leblanc is the VP of Customer Success at SurveyMonkey where she’s been an employee in various roles since 2014. As VP of Customer Success, she successfully orchestrates cross-functional initiatives to accelerate customer adoption, drive renewals, and unlock expansion revenue within SurveyMonkey. She also has over a decade of experience spanning finance, business development, sales, and customer success.

In episode #161, Sabrina shares her experiences with mentors, leading DEI initiatives, how to listen to your team, and leading during rapidly changing times.

Tune in to hear all about Sabrina’s leadership journey and the lessons learned along the way!

. . .

Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the podcast with your colleagues.

. . .

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

[06:00] Trying to solve it yourself backfires

[12:00] Improving communication between teams

[19:30] The value of mentorship

[26:10] How to find mentors

[32:30] Building a growth mindset culture

[38:48] How to lead in rapidly changing times

[45:50] Trusting your instincts

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Connect with Sabrina on LinkedIn

Listen to Michael Watkins on Supermanagers

Listen to Kim Scott on Supermanagers

Listen to Alexandra Sutherland on Supermanagers 

Read The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker

Read The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins

Read Radical Candor by Kim Scott

Subscribe to the Supermanagers TLDR newsletter

Check out the episode resources here 👉 https://fellow.app/supermanagers/joanna-lord-reforge-is-that-true-managing-the-small-stuff/

Are you only focusing on the fires affecting your team?

We often overlook the things that may not need our instant attention. We know it’s important not to distance ourselves too far from the work of our team, yet we can put too much focus on those urgent things, leaving little room for anything else. 

In episode #160, Joanna Lord explains how important it is to focus on the small stuff as leaders to prevent it from turning into the big stuff. 

We also chat with her about the impact of emotional intelligence on leadership, the “is that 100% true” exercise, the importance of focus, how to hire, and of course, the craft of marketing. 

Joanna Lord is an Executive in Residence at Reforge and former CMO of Skyscanner, where she helped scale the company to over 100 million users per month. Prior to that, Joanna was CMO at ClassPass for four years, leading their marketing, brand, creative and product marketing. She's also a public board director, independent board member, advisor and consultant for consumer companies.

Tune in to hear all about Joanna’s leadership journey and the lessons learned along the way!

. . .

Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the podcast with your colleagues.

. . .

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

[04:00] The benefits of an executive coach

[08:00] The impact of emotional intelligence

[11:11] Is that 100% true exercise

[18:35] Being a later life convert of focus

[25:15] The craft of marketing

[31:15] When you’re asked something you should know the answer to

[33:24] Things that make a difference in hiring

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Subscribe to the Supermanagers TLDR newsletter

Check out the episode resources here 👉 https://fellow.app/supermanagers/erik-qualman-step-into-your-story-embracing-discomfort-and-the-hell-yes-principle/

Do you feel like everything in your life is happening to you or for you?

It’s easy to feel like you have no control over how things at work happen - especially as a leader. All the moving parts involved in each day make it difficult to distinguish what you have a say over and whether or not you get to do what’s a “hell yes” for you.

In episode #159, Erik explains how to change your perspective as a leader for the best, the difference between multitasking and switch tasking (plus the difference between them) and the impact AI will have on leadership.

We also explore the art of saying no and chat about the unique life experiences that have brought him to where he is today.

Erik Qualman is a bestselling author with 5 #1 Bestselling books on Innovation and Digital Transformation in 8 languages. He’s also a renowned motivational speaker and has spoken in over 55 different countries worldwide, reaching over 50 million people. He is currently a professor of Digital Leadership at Northwestern University, and his materials are used in over 500 universities. 

Tune in to hear all about Erik’s leadership journey and the lessons learned along the way!

. . .

Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the podcast with your colleagues.

. . .

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

[03:50] Early mistakes in leadership at Yahoo

[10:17] Things happening to you vs for you

[20:18] The difference between multitasking and switch tasking

[27:45] The impact of AI on leadership

[38:40] The art of saying no

[41:00] How are you doing on a scale of 1-10? 

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

👉 Check out the episode resources here: https://fellow.app/supermanagers/cristina-cordova-linear-problems-vs-side-quests-navigating-challenges-head-on/

Every company has unique needs when it comes to growth.

As a leader, it can be difficult to know what the next step is based on your company’s needs. Every company has its own context, problems and culture that uniquely affect what it needs to scale.

In episode #158, Cristina shares her experience working at Stripe and Linear, focusing on how she manages company growth, unique hiring practices, and what to do when your team presents you with problems (AKA side quests).

We also touch on work trials: what they are, how to go about executing them, and the benefits of implementing this practice within your company.

Cristina Cordova is the Chief Operating Officer at Linear. Prior to Linear, she worked at Stripe and spent 7 years growing their Partnerships organization and leading a business unit. After Stripe, she joined Notion as Head of Platform & Partnerships, where she led their growth team focused on the self-serve business.

Tune in to hear all about Cristina’s leadership journey and the lessons learned along the way!

. . .

Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the podcast with your colleagues.

. . .

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

[04:11] Not being vulnerable is a mistake

[10:08] Hiring people straight out of school

[19:30] How to respond to problems 

[24:22] Work trials and the hiring process

[30:00] Tips for starting teams from scratch

[35:40] Insight into growing a team

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

👉 Check out the episode resources here: https://fellow.app/supermanagers/jossie-haines-follow-the-leader-how-to-be-the-example-and-transform-engineering-teams/

Preventing burnout in your team starts at the top.

As a leader, it’s important to model the behaviour you want to instill in your team. If you’re feeling burned out and not sure about taking the vacation you need to take it. That’s what you’d want any member of your team to do so they can perform at 100%.   

In episode #157, Jossie explains how leaders can discourage burnout, improve their empathy and eliminate bias when working with different teams. 

We also touch on how to earn the respect of your team and the things we come face to face with on the journey of becoming a more inclusive leader.

Jossie Haines has over 22 years of experience in the tech industry as an award-winning software engineering leader at the forefront of emerging consumer technology across Silicon Valley, including leadership roles at Apple, Tile, Zynga, and American Express.

Today, Jossie is the CEO and founder of Jossie Haines Consulting where she offers coaching and consulting services with the underlying goal of retaining more women in tech.

Tune in to hear all about Jossie’s leadership journey and the lessons learned along the way!

. . .

Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the podcast with your colleagues.

. . .

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

[03:41] Early mistakes

[09:20] How to know you got enough buy-in

[18:04] Earning respect from the people you work with

[24:10] Improve empathy and reduce bias

[30:11] Manage burnout in your team better

[35:20] Setting the example for your team

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: