Interviews

You’re ready to get intentional about life and leadership.

You’ve committed to focusing on yourself and leveling up your leadership. Now you’re ready for actionable steps. Get practical leadership and personal development guidance that you can implement immediately into your career and life. Listen to all of my recent episodes on Spotify.

 

 

The SuperManagers Podcast
How to Use Emotional Regulation + Waterfall Habits

Ya know, sometimes being a great leader means managing your own emotions or limiting beliefs (besides connecting and understanding your teams on a level that helps you communicate effectively). By doing so, you become a more conscious leader.  I had such a great conversation with Aydin Mirzaee of the Supermanager Podcast and we covered so much! 

Early leadership and management mistakes that I’ve made when I first started leading teams.

  • I had a lack of awareness of my own behavioral and communication preferences and how opposite folks could prefer to work. It's really embarrassing and so obvious when I look back on it now. In real-time and in hard lessons, I learned that others perceived me as quite extroverted and having a pretty verbose communication style. I learned that I was limiting my team by not making space for folks who were more reflective and introverted, who preferred fewer words (from me!), and more time to think and to process to do their best work.
  • I didn't understand the complexity of leadership. The balance between completing the task and investing in the relationships. The connection between short-term and strategic solutions.
  • I wasn't aware of the differences between managing work and managing people until I was already in the role of manager and being asked to scale my leadership, my team and the business at the same time. Oof, It was a tough learning curve. 
 

Understanding communication styles to be a better leader

  • those that are introverted vs extroverted and how we need to change the approach in communicating to both
  • learning from DISC profiles and how to lean into other people’s styles is more effective. 
  • an example of starting a meeting by asking those about their weekend - some people may NOT want to share their personal stories. It’s better to be tuned in to different styles and who your audience is and who you are leading. 
  • Learn about your team, their behavioral preferences (and DISC profile) can be a helpful tool for any leader
 

Using tools for emotional regulation to make better decisions

  • We have an emotional side of our mind and reason based side (or logic based mind) and in the middle is the the wise mind where we are making decisions from a place of honoring both sides. Often we default to one side.
  • I love helping people find the tools to get into the middle more often. 
  • One tool is to take an emotional lap - take a breather, get in touch with your senses and get back to our ‘wise mind’. 
  • See the signs of when you may need to use these tools - holding your breath, fast heart beats.  Think - Am I in the best possible shape to make important decisions?
  • Jeff Bezos has a process where he only makes decisions in an optimal time of day when  he knows he’s in his ‘best state’. Know and understand WHEN you are at your best. 
  How to define and overcome Imposter Syndrome 
  • I look at where is this person experiencing pain, doubt, anxiety. Where are the limiting beliefs or thoughts that they are not good enough come from. I look at what the underlying cause is. 
  • Sometimes it’s life trauma or a bigger issue and yes sometimes it’s imposter syndrome. It’s important to define what the true problem is or where it’s stemming from. 
  • I use a leadership tool called Leadership Circle Profile. It gathers information on your strengths. And we may not have the clarity on what our strengths are as leaders, but we can use data to really help us inform some of our own internal negativity bias about ourselves. Get quantitative data on your strengths of yourself and those you lead. 
  • Create a hype sheet for yourself, a database of your amazing strengths and accomplishments, or put a post it note in the bathroom that you see everyday. Whatever works best for you (or them). 
  • Pivot your habitual thinking by using a countdown - 5, 4,3,2,1 - Countdown. Tell the negative thoughts ‘Thank you but not right now’ and then insert a new, more positive thought. It’s creating a habit to be aware and change your thought patterns. 
  • Imagine you see yourself as a friend, sitting on a porch. How would you approach them if they were struggling? With empathy, questions and encouragement. Treat yourself the same way. 
  Self care, dealing with the uncomfortable and burnout
  • Those kinds of discomfort or uncomfortable feelings are like a beach ball. And our hope is that we can push them down underwater, and then they will just disappear. And unfortunately, like a beach ball, they’re coming back and they’re coming back and you’re gonna get water in your face. 
  • We keep trying to push on and push through - but it still keeps coming back. Self management and self care is key. 
  • I try to help people see that their pace is not sustainable. It can host your health, relationships, budget, business and so forth. Asking yourself what is it costing you.
  • Are you feeling stressed, snapping at people at home, sleeping less, limited emotional capacity - all signs of burnout.  Know it doesn’t have to stay that way. 
  • Managing burnout could include creating movement of your body and exercise, turning your phone off (unplugging), sleep, meditation, do something joyful, have some quiet time, walk your dog. I call these Waterfall habits - waterfall habits being those things, once we start doing them, they fill us in a way that it flows over into other pieces or other habits of our life. 
  • Recommend the book Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown who is building a language around emotion, that kind of support for yourself to be able to label and identify and work through emotion and communicate around emotion. Put that book in your hand, put that in the book, but that book in the hands of people you care about, and leaders who can have impact lots of people because it can give us so much capacity and so much compassionate for our own experience and for others.
  • Be kind to others, assume they are doing their best. Show empathy. It’s part and parcel of being a conscious leader. 
  Listen To The Episode On The Show Page  iTunes Spotify Google Podcast OR search for Episode 98 of Supermanager Podcast in your fave app!  More

The Sticky From The Inside Podcast
How to be a Kind Leader – Sticky From The Inside Podcast

How to be a Kind Leader with Andy Goram and Jen Hope

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Is cutting yourself some slack part of your intention for this year? Quite rightly, there has been a flurry of activity around employee wellbeing of late, as businesses look to navigate their way through the changing business landscape. As a leader do you distance yourself from the act of kindness, or just plain humanity you are seeking to put in place for those in your care?  If you are insisting that everybody takes their PTO, are you doing it too? If you want to discourage email over the weekend, are you taking a break from it too? We know actions speak louder than words. There's a reason why we put the oxygen mask on first, right? But then why do we seem to struggle with the concept of being kind to ourselves? And what can you do to get started on that journey? In this episode of The Sticky From The Inside Podcast, Andy and I talk about just those things. Listen in and please thank Andy for all of his efforts by leaving a review if you enjoy it! More

Make Your Marketing
How a Business Leadership & Executive Coach Help You Thrive

A business leadership and executive coach provides you with a safe, compassionate, confidential environment in which you can discuss business and relationship challenges, practice leadership skills and behavior, and develop strategies and action plans to accomplish your goals.

So many leaders feel spread thin and stuck. Yet they are capable of greatness if they just had the right advice, guidance, and support at the right time.

If you're stuck, overwhelmed, or feeling unfocused, please consider listening to this conversation with Pia and me on the Make Your Marketing Podcast.

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HR Hardball
Embracing Side Hustles and Learning from Startup Mentors

Embracing Side Hustles and Learning from Startup Mentors

HR Hardball is unscripted and unrehearsed conversations with unbelievable guests in the business of figuring out people. Human Behavior IS Human Resources, so join in as host, John Whitaker, and guest, Jen Hope, talk about real experiences, real life, lessons learned, and how to make your next experience successful. Listen Now In this episode oF HR Hardball, we explore the world of side hustles and the valuable insights gained from startup mentors.

Side Hustling + Fulfillment

We delve into the world of side hustles and how they can be a source of growth, learning, and fulfillment. For instance, we talk about how side hustles often involve engaging in activities or projects that align with an individual's passions and interests. Unlike a primary job that may be chosen for financial stability or other reasons, side hustles allow individuals to explore and pursue their creative, entrepreneurial, or personal passions. This pursuit of meaningful work can bring a sense of joy and fulfillment.

Startup Mentors

I share my experiences as a startup mentor and emphasize the importance of also caring for your well-being while managing professional commitments. We also talk about the value of having a startup mentor who can provide guidance, support, and inspiration for startup leaders and entrepreneurs. They can help entrepreneurs navigate challenges, connect with valuable resources, and accelerate their growth in the startup ecosystem. This episode is packed with practical wisdom and inspiration for entrepreneurs and those looking to explore new ventures. Listen in if you'd like to learn exactly what to do to inspire others, perform at your best, and shine a light on what might be getting in your way. Interested in working with Jen and have a couple of quick questions about which services are best for you at this time? Book a call with Jen now.    More

Mom's That Lead Podcast
The Key to Accomplishing New Goals: Start Inside

Find out the key to accomplishing new goals by starting inside.

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Times of transition like the beginning of a new school year provides a great opportunity for a restart…to look at our leadership and life goals and check in to see how we're doing and if we need to make any changes.

But if looking at your goals sometimes leaves you feeling more discouraged than encouraged, this podcast episode is for you.

Listen in and hear Teri and chat about how to accomplish new goals in leadership as we in the US enter into this new school year. The conversation is uplifting and jam-packed with practical insights on how to grow as leaders and as moms, from how to select appropriate goals by starting inside, how to walk that goal back to the micro-decisions that will help us to stick with it, how to give ourselves grace and reprioritize when necessary and how to develop the habits and emotional resilience that help us to be healthy leaders and moms.

More
How to Navigate Emotions In The Workplace 26 Jul 2023 Achieving Balance: Tips for Self-Care In High Performance Leadership Roles 23 Jun 2023 Maximizing Leadership Potential: Exploring the Leadership Circle Profile 360® 21 Jun 2023