243: Leading Through Failure with Sean Barnes & Selena Young

Sean Barnes and Selena Young unpack the connection between leadership and failure, why it should be celebrated, how to grow through it, and what it takes to be a calming presence as a leader. They share lessons on resilience, building strong teams, giving feedback, and stepping out of comfort zones, while reflecting on their own leadership journeys and future goals.   Podcast Show Notes – Episode 243 | 08.19.2025 Episode Title: Sean Barnes & Selena Young   Key Moments 0:00 - Introduction and guest Selena Young 1:31 - Merging leadership and failure insights 4:13 - Celebrating and learning from failures 6:15 - The cycle of learning, earning, and returning 8:05 - Being a calming leader 10:11 - Titles, office spaces, and leadership dynamics 16:37 - Strategies for overcoming adversity 20:37 - Essentials of building a strong team 24:26 - Feedback, self-awareness, and balancing tasks with team development 27:52 - The leader's role: Shielding vs. transparency 30:58 - Selena Young's pivotal leadership lessons 32:37 - Embracing discomfort for growth 34:01 - Sean's transition from IT to HR leadership 35:13 - Starting a podcast and redefining failure 37:14 - Setting future goals and team development 38:40 - The joy of aiding others' growth 41:20 - Gaining public speaking confidence 42:13 - The value of stepping out of comfort zones 44:00 - Upcoming events and networking opportunities   Key Takeaways Learning from failures and embracing discomfort are crucial for personal and professional growth. Strong leadership involves prioritizing people over processes and fostering a culture of transparency and trust. Building a team so strong you don't know who the leader is can drive exceptional performance and collective success. Guest: Selena Young LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/selena-young-phr-shrm-cp-b7b0a3149/   Host: Sean Barnes Website: https://www.wolfexecutives.com   https://www.seanbarnes.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanbarnes/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/wolfexecutives https://www.linkedin.com/company/thewayofthewolf/ LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7284600567593684993/ Register for the Wolf Leadership Series: https://lnkd.in/gbuJKXSj YouTube: youtube.thewayofthewolf.com Twitter: https://x.com/the_seanbarnes Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_seanbarnes https://www.instagram.com/wolfexecutives https://www.instagram.com/the_wayofthewolf TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@the_seanbarnes Email: [email protected] Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Way-of-the-Wolf-Podcast/B08JJNXJ6C Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2BTGdO25Vop3GTpGCY8Y8E?si=ea91c1ef6dd14f15