Growing Beyond What You Do So Well

Guest: Lesley Southwick-Trask You’ve earned a reputation for knowing what you’re doing. When did you last let yourself learn something you might be bad at? Cultural anthropologist, CEO, and leadership strategist Lesley Southwick-Trask joins Maureen Metcalf to explore how unfamiliar experiences can help accomplished leaders see problems differently. Through stories of a skeptical engineer in an art museum, soldiersl learning acting, and her own life-changing walk on the Camino de Santiago, Lesley examines what it takes to move beyond familiar ways of thinking. Maureen also shares how improv helped her confront a fear of public speaking—and the unexpected beauty-pageant talent that helped set that story in motion. Discover why we gravitate toward learning opportunities where we already expect to succeed, how curiosity creates room for experimentation, and why your next step in leadership may require becoming a beginner again. Other episodes you'll enjoy: - A Dozen Lessons Learned Running Dunkin’ Donuts with Robert Rosenberg - When Women Lead: Courage, Change, & Representation with Joyce Beatty - How Purpose-Driven Women Redefine What It Means to Lead with Karen Longman For daily wisdom from our guests, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn. RESOURCES: Learn more about Lesley’s work with Bounce Beyond at https://www.bouncebeyond.global/. Our host Maureen Metcalf posts a newsletter every week on LinkedIn. You can subscribe here. Maureen’s latest book is Innovative Leadership & Followership in the Age of AI. You’ll find details about it at https://bit.ly/LeaderInAI, or check out the Kindle version at https://amzn.to/44buVz8. The audiobook version is now available at https://amzn.to/4dTCleZ. Her other 10 books are available on Amazon here. ----------------------- OUR PODCAST TEAM: Host & Executive Producer: Maureen Metcalf Editor & Executive Producer: Dan Mushalko Graphics Editor: Stacia Rogan Booking Producer: Jenna Reik Theme Music by Pavel Bekirov from Pixabay. CONNECT WITH US: YouTube: @InnovatingLeadership LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ILI-LinkedIn2 Website: InnovativeLeadershipInstitute.com Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating! ----------------------- About Our Guest: Lesley Southwick-Trask is a cultural anthropologist and strategist whose career spans transformation initiatives in more than 500 organizations. She is Co-Lead Steward of Bounce Beyond, where her work focuses on systemic transformation, communication, and engagement. Her approach draws on systems change and Theory U. An author of three books, she has been recognized among Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women and Atlantic Canada’s Top 50 CEOs. From 2010 to 2020, she hosted a regenerative farm and intentional community on the Portuguese Camino de Santiago,an experience that continues to inform her work.