Real Talk: Leadership Lessons from the Field

How have you chosen who you want to work with? Whether you were starting out in your first job or establishing a new business partnership, what indicators did you use to select the team that you wanted to be a part of?Bill Forsyth and Bolu Johnson share their strategies formaking these decisions in the latest episode of Real Talk: Leadership Lessons from the Field. We discuss the importance of choosing the right people towork with and the value of a growth mindset to enable you to learn as much as possible from others. We also consider the balance needed between a leader's role in establishing the vision for an organization and the importance of remaining flexible and including knowledge and input from others on your path to reaching your goals. Take a listen to hear about these topics and more. Manythanks to Bill and Bolu for their thoughtful insights!

Have you ever wondered how leaders sift through the competing demands on their time and decide where to focus? Or how they make decisions, even when they don't have asmuch information as they would like?In the latest episode of Real Talk: Leadership Lessons fromthe Field, we cover these topics plus how to fail with grace, when leaders should trust their instincts (spoiler alert – the answer is always!), and more.Many thanks to Kent Barnett, CEO of Performativ and serial entrepreneur, and to Chanita Jones, who is a Teacher, Leader and new entrepreneur, for sharing their time and insights in this compelling conversation.

In this episode of Real Talk: Leadership Lessons from the Field, I am pleased to introduce cohost Yadira Estrada, a research fellow in the Psychology department at the University of Pittsburgh, and our special guest Taal Hasak-Lowy, the Executive Director of Friends of the Children.  Yadira is in the process of exploring her career path and choosing her next step, a critical point that so many of us have experienced. Our conversation explored various avenues for achieving her goals and how she can frame her options and consider her next step.  Yadira brought up her quest to balance confidence and humility, and Taal challenged her to be bold and openly share the unique skills she brings to her workplace without selling herself short.  We had a rich discussion about the value of providing honest feedback in the workplace and how to know if you are in a safe setting where counterpoints and new ideas can be shared. Taal and I shared strategies we have used to giveand receive feedback in ways that can enrich organizations.  Watch or listen to learn about the above topics plus Yadira's hopes for her career and Taal’s strategy for countering the negative voice in your head and enhancing the positive voice.

In today's episode of Real Talk: Leadership Lessons fromthe Field, I am thrilled to introduce Dr. Kristine Lombardozzi and Jaime Barajas to discuss transitioning into that first job out of college and looking ahead towards a future career.We talked about the importance of staying open-mindedearly in your career and trying as many new things as possible. As Kristine put it, “Go all in where you are and trust that you will find the right path.” We discussed the importance of identifying specificskills and competencies that you want to develop and seeking out opportunities expand your skill set and demonstrate a growth mindset. We also talked about takingnote of the things that you are not interested in and using those lessons to help hone your career path.Kristine and I could both relate to Jaime’s feeling ofbeing overwhelmed with all the options ahead of him and trying to figure out the right steps. We both remember being in our first jobs and wanting to have it all figured out but reassured Jaime that he has plenty of time to discernhis future.Many thanks to Jaime and Christine for this importantconversation!

In this episode of Real Talk: Leadership Lessons from theField, I am excited to introduce Matt Kueker, CEO of Kenway Consulting, and Apurva Bhagali, Program Manager at Microsoft. Matt and Apurva are both immersed in the technology field in different ways, which enabled a robust conversation about the various paths that rising leaders can take in their careers. Matt and Apurva have had very different career trajectories, demonstrating how each of us can find our own way and end up exactly where we're supposed to be.Beyond the discussion about working in the technology field,Matt and Apurva provided helpful insights into key strategies for rising leaders from any industry. They shared their approaches to networking with other leaders, their strategies for choosing how to focus their time, and the steps they take to develop themselves and others. We also discussed the benefits of working in small andmid-size versus large enterprise organizations. Each has different advantages that rising leaders should consider when determining the type of organization that is the best fit for them.Take a listen to hear about these topics and more, includingMatt's view on the importance of humility in leadership and Apurva’s thoughts on being authentic and on demonstrating your value.Many thanks to Matt and Apurva for sharing these valuablelessons!

In this episode, I am thrilled to introduce Brenda Asare, President and CEO of The Alford Group and Chanita Jones, who identifies as a Teacher, Speaker, Liberator, and new Entrepreneur. They both have unique stories and career trajectories that illustrate uncommon options that rising leaders should consider when exploring their own career paths.  Brenda spent 10 years working her way up at The Alford Group before ultimately buying the company from its previous owner. She brings a unique perspective to leadership development, and we had a candid conversation around practicalities of business ownership as well as differences between leading and owning a company.I have known Chanita as an exceptional special education leader and powerful public speaker, and I was thrilled to see her expand into owning her own business as well. She is leveraging her leadership in special education to push for changes that need to be made to best serve diverse learners. Both Brenda and Chanita are largely driven by their passion and commitment to making a difference in the community. They also share a love of learning and a growth mindset that have served them well in their careers.Take a listen to hear about these topics plus learning to recognize when leaders should let their teams operate without them and options for funding a company launch or purchase.Many thanks to Brenda and Chanita for sharing so many important insights!

In this episode of real talk, I am happy to introduce ourspecial guest Kendall Mallette, who is an education leader, coach, and community leader along with my co-host Jamarius Jennings, a nonprofit professional, coach, and community leader in his own right.Our conversation focused on the idea of leadership as aform of service. Both Kendall and Jamarius are servant leaders, and their careers have both been mission focused. As Kendall put it, she believes it is imperative to tap into your passion and your purpose to be the most effectiveleader you can be.We also discussed the importance of understanding yourselfand the type of leader you are. Knowing yourself lets you build on passion and purpose to tap into your authenticity, which is where you can be the highest and most effective version of yourself.Watch or listen to hear about these topics as well as Kendall'sadvice on controlling what you can and creating your own peace, and the life mantra that's Jamarius lives by that he learned from his grandmother at a youngage.

In this episode of Real Talk, I am happy to introduce Mindy Rapp, Chief Operating Officer of Standard Iron &Wire Works and Destiny Lara, a Civil Engineer at Burns and McDonnell. We had an insightful conversation about a number of topics including the importance of establishing trust, the value of feedback, and the lessons that we can learn from exposing ourselves to new challenges, like when Mindy moved to new places to learn different cultures and when Destiny elevated her work when day-to-day  tasks were getting easier and she started to get comfortable. I was especially impressed with both Mindy and Destiny’s approach to feedback. Mindy sees feedback as agift to help others grow and believes deeply in providing those growth opportunities. She talked about the importance of building trust with her team and how she is mindful about how she delivers feedback, taking time to plan for those conversations in advance. Destiny shared her initial fear of feedback when she first started her career, which so many of us feel, but she learned quickly that when her managers and coworkers were giving her feedback it showed that they wanted her to grow. As a result of that understanding, she haslearned to be vulnerable and accept feedback in the spirit in which it is intended. Take a listen to hear about these topics as well as the importance of mentoring and advocacy, Destiny’sthoughts on how to approach work in her twenties, and Mindy’s mantra, “There is more to life than…”. Many thanks to Mindy and Destiny for their thoughtful input.

In today’s episode of Real Talk, I am thrilled to welcometwo longtime friends, Maureen Mohlenkamp, VP, Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer & Chief Human Rights Officer for DXC Technology and Silvia Gonzalez, Human Resource Business Partner at PepsiCo.Maureen and Sylvia are both driven by a baseline desireto help others. A few key takeaways from our conversation:Both Maureen and Silvia believe an important part ofleadership is to develop others. We had a rich conversation about their approaches to helping others grow, including strategies for adopting a continuous improvement mindset and remaining adaptable. We discussed fear and failure and how to channel both tocreate opportunities to develop ourselves. That can be easier said than done, which is where mindset comes into play yet again.We also had a robust conversation about balancing workand family. As a newlywed(!), Silvia asked about this, and Maureen and I shared our strategies for integrating parenting and high-demand jobs.Take a listen to hear about these topics and more, including how Silvia thinks managers should connect with employees and how Maureen and I both managed to coach our kids sports teams at busy points in our careers.

In this episode of Real Talk, I am excited to introduce Chuck Zich, owner of Tera Logistics and Ashley Plump, healthcare professional and licensed realtor. I wanted to have Chuck and Ashley on the show for tworeasons. They have both been on unique career paths that I thought others would be interested in learning about, and they both exemplify a hustle mentality. Chuck grew up working in his father's manufacturing business, eventually becoming CEO, and then he pivoted to purchasing his own logistics company and challenging himself in new ways. Ashley has leveraged her skills and demeanor to findsuccess both as a healthcare professional and as a realtor. The connections between those roles might not be obvious on the surface, and she shared how she saw the link between them and created her own opportunity. I was excited to pair Chuck and Ashley for this conversation. Take a listen to learn about how they have each made their way and to hear their advice to others looking to create their own path.

In this episode of Real Talk, I am pleased to introduce my Co-host DeJah Broaster, a public health advocate, and Dr. Caprice Greenberg, Chair of Surgery for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Co-Founder ofthe Academy for Surgical Coaching. It was fascinating to hear how Caprice has approached hercareer development and how DeJah is setting out on her career path. A few keytakeaways:·        Caprice shares her unique journey to her currentrole as Chair of Surgery. While she worked for prestigious organizations as onemight expect, her path included time off from surgery to focus on research, and outside efforts to launch the Academy for Surgical Coaching, a nonprofit she cofounded to help support surgeon development and effect patient care. Herstory is an excellent reminder that not all paths are linear. ·        DeJah discusses how she became Interested inpublic health through her own life experience of witnessing the disparities between those who have access to quality healthcare and those who lack access to healthresources, depending on the neighborhood. DeJah shares how she witnessed communities that are considered food deserts that also have overgrown lots that could become community gardens, and how she wants to be part of creating safe and fruitful places. DeJah’s passion was on full display when discussing this topic, driving home the importance of value fit in choosing a career path. ·        When sharing their ideas of leadership, both Caprice and DeJah talk about the importance of building great teams. Caprice and DeJah discuss the importance of mentorship in career development, with Caprice emphasizing the need to find a team of mentors in order to learn different things from different people.·        When I asked them what they want their leadership legacies to be, Caprice shared her hope that she can help change theway surgeons think about learning and continuous quality improvement that affects patient care, and DeJah talked about striving to be a person that others could turn to for learning and mentoring once she is established in hercareer.My sincere thanks to DeJah and Caprice for sharing theirtime and insights. Listen to the episode to hear about the topics above plus how Caprice leverages Ted Lasso (hint- it involves a goldfish) and how DeJah addresses overthinking and the fear of failure.

In the first episode of Real Talk, I'm excited to introduce my Co-Host Destiny Lara, Assistant Civil Engineer at Burns and McDonnell and our guest Aimee Daniels, Master Chair at Vistage Worldwide. I have been fortunate to know both Destiny and Aimee for many years and was excited to connect them to share their insights on leadership and explore strategies for developing the next generation of leaders. A few key takeaways:• During our conversation, Aimee shared lessons from her own career, including experiences she had early on with a leader who believed in her fully and other team members who welcomed her and made her feel comfortable in the organization. Aimee explained how much this helped her build confidence and enabled her growth at a very young age. Hearing how much of an impact this experience had on Aimee is a strong reminder that how we see others and how we treat others, especially when we serve as leaders, can dramatically impact how they see themselves. • Aimee and Destiny were well aligned in their thoughts about how successful leaders operate. Destiny shared the helpful approach that her manager uses to ensure she has the support she needs and that she is getting exposed to various types of work across the company. Aimee and Destiny both spoke on the importance of leaders building productive and cohesive teams that lift and include voices from across the organization. They also discussed the importance of psychological safety and team alignment in optimizing productivity and enabling strong team collaboration. Aimee and Destiny both highlighted the ways in which successful leaders balance the needs of the organization and the needs of their team members.• We had a great discussion about the role of failure. Destiny shared that she has learned to appreciate failure because of the value that comes in learning from our mistakes. She talked about the importance of viewing failure as an opportunity for growth, and Aimee echoed those thoughts and shared a little about Carol Dweck’s research on the growth mindset. We covered the myth of perfection, imposter syndrome, and self-doubt, and we discussed how each of us has worked to overcome those issues. This was especially poignant for me as a recovering perfectionist, and I shared how it's only in recent years that I have let myself try things when I wasn’t certain I could be successful. • Destiny was interested in learning about approaches to stress management. Aimee talked about meditation, screen-free time and processing with others, and I shared how much exercise helps me to manage stress in my day and how I address negative thoughts. Destiny talked about how she learned to create a ritual for herself in the morning. One of my favorite quotes from the conversation was Destiny sharing about how she has learned, "What I need to feed myself mentally and physically in order to be the person I want to be.”Many, many thanks to Destiny and to Aimee for this rich conversation. Take a listen to hear about the topics above and more, including Aimee’s top 3 skills for aspiring leaders to develop and what Destiny wants to learn from other leaders.

Real Talk connects current and future leaders to learn key lessons from each other. Episodes bring together two perspectives: a seasoned leader who shares their experience and an aspiring leader seeking to grow and make their mark. Episodes are hosted and moderated by Audrey George who conceived of this platform to accomplish three goals:1. Learning practical lessons from current leaders2. Empowering future leaders3. Enabling communication between generations A different guest and co-host will participate in each session, providing a range of perspectives from a wide variety of industries and career trajectories. There are many roads to leadership, and you'll see an array of paths represented. If you're an established leader, you'll gain insights from your peers and hear directly from the leaders you need for the future. For aspiring and rising leaders, you'll get an inside look at how others have built their careers and learn lessons that you can take with you on your own journey.