Explore every episode of the podcast MeetMyPotential

A key aspect of Leadership is realizing that you cannot be in every detail of a project for your organization. Instead, you have to trust your team to run experiments, fail often and quickly and provide you with feedback of what is working and sometimes more importantly, what’s not working. So, how do you let go of being in control of all the details? What ingredients are needed to create a culture of collective responsibility instead of control?

Today Deepa speaks with Jan Gilg about the limits of a controlling culture. Jan tells us how we can create empowered workplaces that build trust and growth for all.

• Clarity is key. Give your employees the freedom to make decisions. Giving them this environment lets them get out of their comfort zone and grow. Stay away from the “how”.
• Over communicate with team members. Give boundaries and set up the right framework.
• Fail often, fail early is a key philosophy, not only in the Technology industry.
• Total consensus is not the goal in projects.
• As a leader- the more concerns you can hear, the better.
• Vulnerability is needed for all of these aspects of a product: running experiments, having feedback sessions and how things are going, and there is a sounding board as well. 
• Articulate a clear vision and strategy in addition to acknowledging nothing is going to be perfect. Create the safety to have open communication, including challenges. This creates collective responsibility in the system.
• It’s important to acknowledge and accept the realities of the world and life. We need to give employees more flexibility.
• You have to take time to create team spirit which builds collaboration and connection. 
• Everyone needs to feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves, make sure you connect your people to that purpose and vision which will unlock potential and motivation. This creates amazing things.

We hope you liked this episode! Let us know, what’s a piece of advice from Jan that you’d like to start incorporating in your organization?

Please feel free to connect with Jan and Deepa through LinkedIn to continue the conversation.

About Jan

Jan Gilg is President and Chief Product officer of SAP S/4HANA, which is SAP’s flagship product that encompasses ERP, finance, and supply chain. In this role he has global responsibility for the development, delivery, and product management of SAP S/4HANA, SAP’s Industry solutions, as well as the Digital Supply Chain portfolio. He is a cloud evangelist, a customer advocate and a business problem solver.  He is based in Walldorf Germany, but lived in the US for many years.

Thanks for listening and stay cool! 

Visit the show website at (http://www.meetmypotential.com)

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Have you ever felt a disconnect between who you are outside of work and who you are at the workplace? Have you ever felt like you can’t be with the politics and the way restructuring and tough decisions are made inside your organizations? 

Today Deepa speaks with Anjana Sivakumar about authentic Leadership. Anjana has real tactical advice that you can start to use immediately. These are things they don’t teach you in business school!

• Authentic Leadership starts with knowing who you are and having a good sense of your personal values. You have to feel comfortable in your own skin. And this comes across in every role you have - be it Executive, parent or child, volunteer.
• How to stay true to yourself while dealing with sensitive information at work and dealing with colleagues/friends.
• Don’t feel like you need to stay in a rigid box in a Leadership role. Bring your personality to the role.
• Being Authentic builds trust and connection. Acknowledge the uncomfortable or hard things. 
• Don’t go easy and blame another person, own your mistakes. We lose a lot of time doing impression management and stressing over these situations!
• Communicate organizational changes and then listen to others as they go through their emotions.

We hope you liked this episode! Let us know - what’s hard about being authentic in your Leadership role? Do you feel comfortable enough to be human? 

Please feel free to connect with Anjana and Deepa through LinkedIn to continue the conversation.

About Anjana 

Anjana Sivakumar is a dynamic HR executive with over 20 years of experience across various industries. She has worked with C-suite and senior leaders in numerous global organizations, both large and small. Her experience spans various facets of HR, from talent and leadership development to operating model and organizational design to DEI strategy development and implementation.

Thanks for listening and stay cool! 

Visit the show website at (http://www.meetmypotential.com)

Follow Deepa on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepanatarajan/)

As a highly driven person, you are so good at problem solving. And most likely, you have been promoted again and again because you get things done, you achieve and solve the problems at hand. But at a certain point, these problem solving traits do not help you get to the next level. So, are you ready to take your leadership to the next level? 

Today Deepa speaks with Tony Stead from Airbus Defence and Space about stepping into Leadership. It’s important to acknowledge the different mindset that is needed between management and leadership - leadership requires letting go and building collective responsibility. Let’s move from management into leadership!

• As a manager, you can be great at all the doing, problem-solving. Leadership is more about stepping back and reflecting - seeing the whole picture. 
• When you are growing within your company, the way to stand out is to deliver results. When you are promoted to a higher leader, you have to focus less on delivering as an individual and focus more on the bigger picture and delegating to your team. Leadership is about letting go.
• Leaders need to focus on the problems of tomorrow instead of problems of today. 
• Making the transition from management to leadership is much like going from a parent to a grandparent. 
• Leadership is about finding the needle in the haystack. It isn’t about knowing everything. 
• You can’t lead with buzz words. You will lose connection with your team.

We hope you liked this episode! Let us know - where are you getting stuck between moving from management to leadership? And where are you succeeding at becoming a leader? 

Please feel free to connect with Tony and Deepa through LinkedIn to continue the conversation.

About Tony 

Tony Stead is currently based in Munich working for Airbus Defence and Space. He has been working within the Middle East and Europe for the last 15 years. He focuses on the agility of the team, the agility of the business and the agility of the project to improve our operational effectiveness and ways of engaging the stakeholder community. Tony is also a Fellow at the Institute of Leadership and Management.

Thanks for listening and stay cool! 

Visit the show website at (http://www.meetmypotential.com)

Follow Deepa on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepanatarajan/)

Have you ever been in a meeting thinking, “I have the best idea - no one else’s even comes close to mine”?

Then this episode is for you! Today Deepa speaks with Bjorn Ekelund about diversity and the need for all perspectives to be shared by everyone on the team and organization. We tend to believe our own thoughts and processes are the right way, but it is so important to hear from everyone and get curious about ideas and structures. 

• It’s difficult to discuss cultural differences because it is so much a part of our identity. 
• Culture is not only a personal matter; it is important to business.
• We have been given a certain structure for how to succeed at life through our upbringing and culture. Every person is unique.
• Diversity Icebreaker is about getting a group together to recognize differences and our own processes. 
• Many times what happens is the participants realize it is very easy to have an individual think their way is better than another person’s way. The process brings awareness and consciousness to each person so that going forward they will acknowledge another person’s idea differently.
• We need all perspectives, this is a level set for the icebreaker. It creates understanding and respect for the team. It creates psychological safety.
• Go find someone that you disagree with and talk through the topic with openness and curiosity. 
• Managers and Team Leaders who expect the unexpected will make the best leaders. Listening is a powerful tool.

We hope you liked this episode! Take the challenge this week and go find someone to disagree with. The point of this conversation is to get curious about their different viewpoints rather than arguing who is right and who is wrong. Be open to learning something new!

Please feel free to connect with Bjorn and Deepa through LinkedIn to continue the conversation.

Bjorn Ekelund is a psychologist with over 25 years experience. He is most known for creating the Diversity Icebreaker – a concept that combines assessment of cognitive styles with an experiential learning seminar. Besides running his own companies, he has been lecturing at management schools in organizational psychology and international management. Learn more about Diversity Icebreaker here - https://diversityicebreaker.com/. 

Visit the show website at (http://www.meetmypotential.com)

Follow Deepa on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepanatarajan/)

Is your organization looking to build and sustain an innovative growth culture? What is holding you back from fully embracing this change?

Today Deepa speaks with Tobias Klein about the essential shift organizations and senior leaders need to make this culture change happen. It is not sufficient enough to only build an organization with knowledge and expertise. So what else is needed?

• It’s time to take a look at the inner game of leadership.
• Cultivating a culture of failure is key. The point is not about failure, it is about how you move forward from the failure.
• Organizations need to take a look at how they measure success and how they reward their employees.
• Societal norms have set us up to have to finish what we start - but it is necessary to evaluate when is it time for something to stop, to come to an end.
• You cannot do everything at once, everything cannot be the priority.
• The top level leadership should take the time to ask and listen to their bottom levels. 
• Empower the younger employees to be creative and innovative. Don’t be afraid of trying new things.
• Critically look at your recruiting approach. What values are you looking for and what is missing from your current team? It’s important to have shared values.
• Everybody is better than you at one thing. This is a great way to embrace and include everyone on your team. 

We hope you liked this episode! Let us know - what are the values that your leadership team shares? When was the last time you spoke about your organization’s values? It’s so important to be on the same page. 

Please feel free to connect with Tobias and Deepa through LinkedIn to continue the conversation.

About Tobias

Tobias Klein is a Chief People & Culture Officer at SEBA Bank. He has full accountability for building, maintaining and continuously improving the entire HR Life Cycle. He has implemented objectives and key results as one of the 1st financial institutions in Switzerland. He believes to win the marketplace, you have to first win the workplace.

Thanks for listening and stay cool! 

Visit the show website at (http://www.meetmypotential.com)

Follow Deepa on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepanatarajan/)

Leaders are often judged by their decision-making. So, how do you make better decisions? Is there a formula to making better decisions? 

Today Deepa speaks with David Siegel, author of Decide and Conquer, where he offers three main principles for better decision making. 

• Not making a decision is actually still making a decision
• Culture matters, don’t ignore behaviors.
• Don’t only make decisions based on tangible items. There can be a lack of accountability around toxicity.
•  Be kind and nice as a leader! You can be nice and clear. 
• Surround yourself with people who will disagree with you. This will ultimately lead to a better decision. Make sure you ask your team to disagree with you before the meeting. 
• Repeat the same message many times in order to change your organization’s culture.
• Embrace optionality - think about what options you can give yourself based on the decisions you make.
• Be careful when decisions are made by your ego. 
• Be willing to share about your mistakes and failures. 

Remember that being vulnerable as a leader will make you a better decision maker, which will lead to becoming a better leader. The vulnerable leader creates a culture of learning and developing by being open about their own failures and successes. 

We hope you liked this episode! Let us know - what’s the hardest part of making a decision for you? Please feel free to connect with David and Deepa through LinkedIn to continue the conversation.

David Siegel is the Chief Executive Officer of MeetUp, with 20+ years’ dramatically growing revenue and profit in digital media, subscriptions and e-commerce. He has recently authored Decide and Conquer. He is a motivational leader with full decision-making and P&L ownership. His experience includes M&A, turnarounds, scaling operations and growing post startup phase. David is a Management Professor at Columbia and has an MBA from The Wharton School. 

Thanks for listening and stay cool! 

Visit the show website at (http://www.meetmypotential.com)

Follow me on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepanatarajan/)

Change agents can be a buzzword, and you may want to be one. But have you ever thought about how humans have acted as agents of change towards this planet? Instead of listening to nature and letting it show us the best way, we have created and controlled nature. Now shift this metaphor to you and your organization. Are you taking responsibility for your development? What would it look like if the collective group allowed you to figure out the best way for you to grow? 

What does it mean to shift from being Agents of Change to Stewards of Change? This is a paradigm shift. How can we unfold the potential within each of us? Listen to this conversation with Trevor Comyn and Deepa to start exploring these ideas. 

Trevor’s Tips for Rewilding Leadership:

• Rewilding Leadership is a metaphor taken from agriculture. It is a concept to play with.
• Instead of bending nature to our will, we can become stewards and allow nature to show us the way. This is believing and trusting in the cyclic nature of life.  
• In this stewardship model, ownership is taken by the individual and collective responsibility is in the system. 
• Before starting development, it is important to start with why. Why are we developing? 
• Instead of focusing on the problem, focus on the shift needed in the person.
• It is important for everyone to feel psychological safety in order to encourage personal development within an organization.
• Collective learning is the key to sustain change and keep accountability. 

Becoming a part of a community that has a shared goal is the best way to grow. We can read all of the books and articles on developing leadership, but until you start an open conversation with others you won’t be able to fully integrate all of your learning. You are part of this learning community, thank you for listening and please let us know how we can best support you.

We hope you liked this episode! Please feel free to connect with Trevor and Deepa through LinkedIn to continue the conversation.

About Trevor

Trevor Comyn is the Director of Knowledge, Learning and Development at Mills and Reeve, where he has been for over 16 years. He is currently focused on developing a deeper understanding of adult development theory. Trevor is a systemic coach and believes team coaching can deliver meaningful results for both organizations and individuals.

Thanks for listening and stay cool! 

Visit the show website at (http://www.meetmypotential.com)

Follow me on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepanatarajan/)

Have you ever heard of the idea to have people stand on airplanes instead of being seated? Does that sound crazy to you? Do you immediately think that is not possible? Well don’t jump to that conclusion yet.

Today Erwin De beuckelaer joins Deepa to discuss innovation, change and challenging assumptions. Every team and organization needs to set the right foundation for innovation to happen - this includes psychological safety, setting the right candor and being explicit about critiques on the idea instead of on the person. Erwin shares his best practices for engaging with innovation from his experience.

Erwin’s tips for Innovation and Change:

• It can be hard to bring change to highly regulated areas, but also the most rewarding.
• Signaling is a great tool when bringing up new ideas. Frame the conversation of innovation to your audience. You are signaling the type of responses you want to receive.
• Every belief about if an idea will work or won’t work is an assumption. It is important to test assumptions. Testing an assumption will then offer a shared belief in your team.
• There should be a story that is told with innovation and new changes within the business. You have to know the very clear “why” in the change and how the “why” changes at every level of the organization.
• It’s easy to think of innovation in terms of products. Don’t forget that innovation can be applied to culture and team management too. Teams can get stuck doing the same thing, don’t be afraid to check in with your team and see what’s working or not working. Find something to test together as a team!
• Give yourself permission to innovate - it’s easy to get caught in perceived barriers.

Signaling can be a powerful tool for you to create breakthroughs in your ecosystem. You and your crazy ideas are needed, don’t give up. If you need a place to start your innovation, pick up a paper and pen and answer this question, “What would I do if I gave myself full permission?”. Set a timer for 10 minutes and see what you come up with! 

We hope you liked this episode! Please feel free to connect with Erwin and Deepa through LinkedIn to continue the conversation.

About Erwin

Erwin De beuckelaer is a guest professor at the University College of Ghent and the Director of Innovative Capabilities at The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. He is transforming innovative practice and culture for the Quality & Compliance in Clinical Trials team. He is an expert in design thinking, digital health, strategy definition and business process management. 

Thanks for listening and stay cool! 

Visit the show website at (http://www.meetmypotential.com)

Follow me on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepanatarajan/)

It is the beginning of a new year and the perfect time to reflect on the way you lead. As you move forward into 2022, let’s make sure you are thinking about being strategic in your leadership.

Today Victoire de Lajudie joins Deepa to discuss - what is a strategic leader exactly and how do you keep your strategy alive throughout the year.

• Being a leader is being strategic. Make sure you think about your strategy before diving into a project.
• Leaders should: learn fast, fail fast, and have empathy.
• Learning includes curiosity and pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone.
• A mission can be short–term. The most important piece is for everyone to know and stay connected to why they are working on the project.
• Creating a vision needs a team, it is a collective responsibility. 
• Dream big and don’t get stuck wondering “how”.
• Ask questions to keep your organization on track for culture change and strategy.
• Challenge the stories and assumptions that run your organization.
• Vulnerability is needed for connection and connection fuels collective work.

What practices do you put into place to reflect on your goals? Do you write in your journal or have an accountability partner? Remember being a strategic leader does not end in January - keep going throughout the year.

We hope you liked this episode! Please feel free to connect with Victoire and Deepa through LinkedIn to continue the conversation.

Victoire de Lajudie is VP, Head of Group Strategy at Michelin. She previously worked with Sanofi and McKinsey. She has a Master of Science, Applied Mathematics & Economics from Ecole Polytechnique.

We learn from some of the most successful people. Nils Michael’s leadership has brought him extraordinary results and he created that with people. He was the Head of A400M Retrofit at Airbus Defense and Space and he now heads Center of Competence for Programme/Project Management (PM).

Listen to this episode to hear what key factors have contributed to Nils’ success with teams and projects.

Key Points from this Episode:

• Start journaling. You’ll be surprised by how much clearer you will be when writing ideas down. Journaling also forces you to reflect on what is happening and how best to move forward.
• Foster a sense of belonging for your team. Bring the organization’s purpose to the individual level.
• Team building is necessary for every team. And it keeps motivation up on the project throughout. An example of this could be to come together as a team to support a charity that everyone can connect to.
• Remember to celebrate hard - you work hard, make sure you take adequate time to celebrate those successes and failures as a team.
• You always need to be yourself and be able to look into the mirror with pride. If you start acting not within your values, then that creates a problem.
• Don’t fall into the mode of compliance and control. Believe in yourself and your team.
• Remember that change does not happen overnight. That doesn’t mean that we need to give up.
• Being a good project manager is being a good leader.
• Change should be considered positive, look forward to it.

We hope you liked this episode! We’ve written up a wonderful article based on this interview, it is in our latest issue of Samskara magazine. I hope you will subscribe here! 

About Nils

Nils Michael is the Vice President Head Of Programme Management at Airbus Defense and Space. Prior to that he was the VP of A400M Retrofit & MRO Programmes. He has a history of working in the European aviation and aerospace industry. He was part of the German Air Force for 10 years. 

Thanks for listening and stay cool!

Visit the show website at (http://www.meetmypotential.com)

Follow me on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepanatarajan/)

Have you ever felt excluded in the workplace? We are willing to bet your answer is yes. Feeling excluded can range from being the minority to not being invited to a lunch group. What corporations tend to forget about is that employee motivation and retention is directly linked to belonging and inclusion. 

Today Deepa is speaking to Cheryl Thompson, Founder and CEO of CADIA - the Center for Automotive Diversity, Inclusion and Advancement. Cheryl is on a mission to double the amount of diverse leaders in the Automotive Industry by 2030. She offered great tips for how we can begin to change our work cultures to be more inclusive.

Key Points from this Episode:

• A big challenge for minorities is feeling as if you are always being watched and will be judged more than the majority. 
• When someone doubts us, we immediately turn and doubt ourselves.
• We can easily give up our own sense of identity to fit into corporate culture. 
• When we can’t be our authentic self, our brains don’t work as well! How much more productive and profitable would organizations be if all employees can be authentic?
• It is not enough to hire diverse talent, organizations need to embrace all cultures. This promotes creativity within projects and the organization is able to keep talent instead of having a high turnover rate.
• A change of culture within organizations will help build inclusive environments. First thing is to include yourself, take responsibility for showing up authentically. You can be the change agent.
• There has to be a Leadership Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion- they set the tone and the priorities, they model what is valued within the company. 
• Systemic Change is needed for overall inclusion in a company as well. You have to look at how your company hires, offers benefits, and unconscious biases.
• Start to assess performance differently. Ask your leadership team - What do you define as success? What would get in the way of someone who doesn’t look like you to reach that success?

We hope you liked this episode! Let us know in the comments - have you had moments where you have felt excluded in your work culture? What did you do? 

About Cheryl

Cheryl Thompson is the founder of the Center for Automotive Diversity, Inclusion & Advancement. A veteran of the automotive industry, Cheryl has over 30 years of experience at Ford Motor Company and American Axle and Manufacturing in positions ranging from skilled trades, operations, engineering and global leadership. She is trained in diversity and inclusion, career and leadership coaching and is Six Sigma trained and certified as a Black Belt. Learn more about CADIA and their mission to double the amount of diverse leaders in the Automotive Industry by 2030 here. 

Thanks for listening and stay cool!

Visit the...

As the workplace has turned more and more virtual over the past year, teams can fall easily into the trap of getting onto a meeting and only discussing the projects at hand. At the end of the day though, we are all still human beings. Humans require connection and building trust with your team will actually increase productivity. 

Today Katja von Bergen joins Deepa to discuss attitudes and dialogue. She ventures to say that managers and executives should lead the way to create meaningful conversation for their teams and organization. 

Key Points from this Episode:

• In the Virtual environment, it can be easy to jump directly into business and tasks. We cannot forget to connect with each team member directly and get to know them as a human.
• Be aware that these valuable dialogues are going to be different and possibly outside of your team’s comfort zone. It’s good to make it fun, like bring a game. Keep it fun, the conversations do not have to be hard work. Try it once and see how they react. If it works, great. If not, try something different next time.
• These meaningful conversations lead to teams listening to each other deeply.
• You get to decide how deep you go. You cannot build trust unless you get vulnerable.
• Be easy with these valuable conversations and have fun with it. Be the example for your team.
• Create a space that is non-judgmental. 
• If the person does not want to go deeper, accept that. Do not force anyone to give more than they are willing to.
• This can be a great tool for inclusion.
• Here are 5 great questions to start these conversations-
• What was the best decision in your job and why?
• What are you most proud of?
• What are you grateful for?
• What gives you energy to get up in the morning?
• What is your type of humor? What do you laugh about?
• You must first open yourself in order for others to be open.

We hope you enjoyed this episode! Thank you for listening. Tell us in the comments, how are you taking one step towards meaningful connection today? 

About Katja

Katja von Bergen is the Managing Director and Entrepreneur of Agile Transformer, business unit of the German consultancy Kraus & Partner, but starting her own business in 2022. She has been in change consulting for 12 years and has been involved in quite a few projects, some of which went well and some of which went badly. Make sure you write to Katja on LinkedIn to get your free copy of questions for your next meeting! 

Deepa will be starting...

We are no longer strangers to the digital space. The pandemic has forced us into this environment if we were not already there. We’ve had to move quickly and adapt and continue to evolve how we make use of digital platforms.

Today’s episode dives into the world of digital learning and transformation as Deepa speaks with Detlef Hold, Head of Digital Learning Experience for Roche. They talk about what digital learning is as well as give practical tips for how to use the platforms to achieve the most engagement and success within organizations. 

Key Points from this Episode:

• Digital Learning leverages technology platforms for individual or group learning. And it is about creating the best environment for digital workers, the world we are living in today.
• There is a lot of responsibility on digital workers. They have to be able to search, assess, and find what’s relevant. It’s important to use technology and build community around it.
• Small things make all the difference in digital learning, but it does require you to rethink the way you design these experiences.
• You have to create an environment where everyone has a voice and feels comfortable sharing.
• Focus on people first. 
• Climate, Facilitation, and Pace of program are key ingredients in keeping transformation happen in digital learning environments.
• Use co-creation to increase engagement in your digital environment.
• Make the most of your meeting time! This means you focus on dialogue and connection rather than tactics and summaries. Make videos of those items before the meeting.
• Utilize all forms to communicate on your digital platforms, be breakout rooms or chats or small groups. Engage in multiple ways so that everyone has an option to get in the conversation.
• Keeping cameras on for online meetings creates more connection, so encourage the use. This can take time and needs to be woven into your organization’s culture.
• The platform is a means to an end. You will have to convince your stakeholders of the technological investment.
• You are asking your employees to rethink the way they work. You are helping them build new habits and forget their old ways of doing. This is about mindset.
• Focus on the social structures needed to engage every employee. This is more important than the actual technological part of the transformation.
• Articulate your intention. 
• Experiment and observe ourselves. This brings about change within us. 
• When you find yourself in a place where there is opportunity, take it!

We hope you enjoyed this episode! Tell us in the comments, what is one way you are embracing digital learning? And what is one new way you learned from this episode to use digital learning?

About Detlef

Have you ever been a part of a transformation project? Or an organization who was looking to make scalable, rapid change? Being a part of these times in an organization can be stressful and intense. Many times employees are nervous about entering a transformation project due to all of the unknowns. 

Today Deepa is speaking with Elodie Loing about transformation in critical situations within organizations. Elodie shares her real life experiences with scaling organizations and creating change within teams. Elodie’s approach is about empathy, letting go and collective responsibility. This episode is for any one who may be experiencing a critical time in their organization, but especially for executives and managers. 

Key Points from this Episode:

• Many times change agents are called into a project and organizations are called in too late. 
• Critical times happen when there is high pressure and stress within an organization. It is generally systemic and performance is low.
• Being a mediator is different from being an operational manager. 
• Empathy is enriching and humbling because you are looking at the situation from another person’s perspective. 
• Being unattached - the ability to do the best you can and let go of what the future holds or what the outcome actually is.
• There is an opportunity to grow in every situation.
• Promote diversity in your teams. Hire those who have different opinions from yours and let them talk.
• Here’s an easy way to practice stillness - make an appointment with yourself, put it in your calendar! 
• The hardest part of a reset is your ego and your rational brain. Watch out for those!
• Co-creation allows you to let go of your own ideas and let others in to help you. Give your teams the benefit of working with you.
• Collective responsibility comes from within each person. 
• Accept yourself - the strengths you have, the weaknesses you have, every part of you. And realize you will make mistakes. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone.

We hope you enjoyed this episode! Elodie gave so much wisdom. Let us know in the comments, have you been a part of a transformation project? Was it during a critical time? What was the most memorable part? Was it stressful or fun? :)

About Elodie

Elodie Loing has 25 years’ experience in retail organizations including The Disney Store, Le Cèdre Rouge, The Nuance Group, Fashion History, Jean Paul Gaultier and Manutan. Elodie scales up and turnarounds organizations (in France and Internationally). She implements conflict wise dynamics which lead to improved team spirit and accelerated performance. Elodie is a National Mediator at French Ministry of Economy and Judicial mediator at the Paris Court of Appeals. She is also a Lecturer and Independent board member. Elodie is convinced that conflict-wise organizations are wiser and more

How many times have you had an idea or suggestion and not actually spoken it out loud? How many times have you seen something wrong happening in your workplace but you have not told anyone about it? Did you know that you are having an impact whether or not you are speaking? What is the legacy that you want to leave as a leader? 

Today, Deepa is joined with Zana Goic Petricevic, Founder of Bold Leadership Culture, to discuss how and why you need to be bold in your leadership. We are all leaders of our own lives, so why not be bold about it?

Key Points from the Episode:

• Boldness takes your soulfulness. In order to be bold, you have to engage your entire soul.
• There is a limit to your boldness that comes from your head.
• Reasonable and safe behaviors and decisions come from the brain. Unreasonable and risky behaviors and decisions come from the heart or soul, anywhere besides the brain.
• You have a choice to act more boldly and step outside of your comfort zone.
• Your discomfort matters less than your vision. This pushes you to act boldly.
• Zana shares a perspective to see how bold you are, based on SOUL - Self, Other, Universe, and Legacy.
• This is not easy! 
• Leadership is as much about the “being” space as it is in the “doing” space. There needs to be moments of pause and presence as well as moments that challenge and grow us.
• There is no boldness without personal risk involved.
• Try to break out of the mindset that your work is solely a means for income. 
• You cannot create legacy by staying small. 
• You are creating an impact whether or not you speak up. 
• Silence is a misused privilege. 

We hope you liked this episode! Let us know in the comments what part of the SOUL was most intriguing to you and your bold leadership. 

About Zana Goic Petricevic

Zana is the Founder and Managing Director of Bold Leadership Culture. Our mission is to cultivate bolder individual and collective leadership in organizations through coaching, learning and development. Zana also holds many certifications and credentials that make her a sought after Leadership Coach, Executive Coach and Facilitator. Visit her website here. 

Thanks for listening and stay cool! 😎

Visit the show website at (http://www.meetmypotential.com)

Follow me on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepanatarajan/)

Many organizations are finding themselves in crisis right now. The pandemic has turned businesses upside down. So how do you persevere through crisis and come out stronger on the other side?

Today, Deepa is joined with Magali Euverte who is the Director of the Normandy lines contract with SNCF. Magali shares her experience of pushing through crisis, when it lasts for more than a year. Listen to this episode to hear real life experience of how you can inspire and invest in your team to build collective responsibility and achieve success.

Key Points from this Episode:

• Invest time and training in your frontline managers. Get them on board and encourage them to bring their teams.
• Find your purpose and why you will continue on this journey. If you don’t know your why, you won’t have much luck in continuing when the journey gets difficult.
• Understand what is in it for your fellow employees. Both in the sense of empathy as well as anticipating any possible roadblocks that may come along down the way.
• Celebrate every step along the way, otherwise the team will lose their motivation.
• Transparency includes engaging your employees in solutions, allowing them to contribute their feedback to build the solution.
• It pays to spend more time on the short term goals, rather than the long term goal.
• Communication builds team spirit. Team Spirit is what keeps the project going, even for over a year.
• It is important to be able to zoom in to the short term and zoom out to the long term, even with the crisis right in front of you there is a need to put processes in place that will help in the long term.
• Remember to reward every part of the project, especially in support of the long term goals.
• Resiliency is needed during a long crisis.
• Be honest about the crisis now and hold the future goal – yes the process will be hard and we can see what the future will be so we are going to keep going.

We hope you liked this episode! Let us know in the comments what was the most inspiring part of Magali’s journey.

About Magali

Magali Euverte is the Director of the Normandy lines contract - monitoring and implementation of the operating agreement signed by SNCF and the Normandy region. She has operational management experience at the service of clients and teams. Magali implements several change management systems and supports managers for successful customer relationships.

Thanks for listening and stay cool! 😎

Visit the show website at (http://www.meetmypotential.com)

Follow me on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepanatarajan/)

What is spirituality? Does that question make you nervous? Spirituality is not a part of the rational mind. This is why it is so hard for us to get into a practice of including spirituality into our lives because it is not in our comfort zone. The world favors the rational mind and we are conditioned to leave behind what is innately in us. 

Join Deepa and her guest, Gaurav Arora, as they explore the intersection of spirituality and leadership. How could including a practice of spirituality improve your leadership? What does it mean to ‘come home’? Are you living a life of intention? Listen to get simple tips on how you can start on this journey today.

Key Points from this Episode:

• From Gaurav’s perspective, spirituality is a process of coming back home. Where you unlearn what you’ve learned from social conditioning. Spirituality is being your true authentic self without any need of appreciation or acknowledgement from the world. It is a lifelong journey.
• Just by starting to ask questions about how you begin this journey, you have started this important work. 
• Ask yourself “Who am I?” continuously over time, keep checking in with yourself and discovering who you are.
• Find your source of joy. 
• When you are fully in what gives you joy,, you are not fulfilling a need. A need to show how smart you are or a need for approval from others. 
• Define your version of success, and make sure it is truly from you instead from others or the world.
• Intentions are extremely important. They can guide you on this journey. To find your intentions, ask yourself “What do I stand for?”. Your intentions should be the foundation of your leadership.
• Take a moment before your day starts or before a meeting to question, “What is my intention for this day or meeting?”.
• Gaurav says Leadership is a process of a leader leading a team to a common goal. It is a performance art. “Who you are is how you lead.”
• “Who you are is how you lead.” If you don’t know who you are, you won’t be able to lead.

We hope you liked this episode! Let us know in the comments how you define spirituality and how it is included in your leadership journey. If you’d like to dive deeper into how you can achieve more in harmony, come take Deepa’s masterclass on why you need to rethink leadership here.

About Gaurav

Gaurav Arora is the Country Head of Erickson Coaching International - India as well as the Director of Certifications at The Leadership Circle. He is a Master Certified Coach, designated by the International Coach Federation. Gaurav co-founded Inspire Coaching Systems, a professional training and coaching company in 2009, with the mission to inspire himself and others to live up to our own expectations.

Check...

Have you ever come across an arrogant leader? I bet everyone has come across at least 1 arrogant leader. I have come across many in my years as a Transformation coach, working with many high level executives in organization. But, have you ever taken the time to turn around and examine your own arrogance? What would you find if you asked yourself why that leader’s arrogance bothers you? 

We will always have arrogance to deal with, but the most important piece of this is to recognize what triggers you and how you can better deal with the arrogance. Once you know why arrogance irritates you, you’ll be better equipped to name it and move forward. Listen to this interview with Bob Anderson where we dive into specific examples of arrogance.

Key Points from this Episode:

• It is easy to spot arrogance in others around us but more importantly arrogance needs to be identified within us. Instead of placing blame on others, first look at yourself and see what you find in yourself.
• We can feel vulnerable in work environments. As much as we want to feel like we are equal to or have the same amount of power as another, the truth is we all have different amounts of power at work. 
• We attach many things to our identity, our ego. We get validation from those around us which inforce how we think about ourselves. This has the potential to grow our arrogance.
• If you are curious about how you are showing up, go ask a few of your colleagues how they see you. You might be surprised to hear what you are telling those you work with, even just with your facial expressions!
• You never know someone’s story, where they came from and what they are dealing with. Remember compassion.
• There are no difficult people. They only exist because they raise a difficulty in ourselves.
• “It’s not who we are, it’s how we’re not who we are.” 
• Get in the practice of asking yourself, “Am I part of the problem?”
• It is so easy to identify ourselves as our ideas or our title, and if those things are not accepted then we feel not accepted.
• Remember to be open and listen. 
• Our life stories have developed us in a certain way. This is not a bad thing, but it is something that needs to be examined and looked at so that we can know why we behave the way we do.

I hope you liked this episode! If you are curious about knowing how and why you behave the way you do, schedule some time with me! I love helping others get to the root of how they act and figuring out next steps to create the change you are wanting. Schedule a session with me here. 

About Bob

Bob Anderson

Our world is built on a lot of complexity. But what would happen if we stopped and took the time to evaluate if that complexity is serving us? What if we realized that the complexity within our organizations is actually wasting time and doing the opposite that we are hoping for? 

Today I’m joined by Lisa Bodell and we talk about why it is important to get back to simple. There can be so much value in simple things like asking ourselves what are we saying yes to? In this question you can find what you are valuing and you will instantly know if you are on track to what you’ve said is the purpose of your work. Take a listen and get ready to be very honest with yourself!

Key Points from this Episode:

• We add complexity with the best of intentions, we are trying to solve a problem or trying to add onto a process we already have. We should spend more time stopping and getting back to simple.
• The goal of simplifying means to get to the heart of the work, meaningful work. We get too stuck in the meetings and emails.
• We all value getting stuff done. We all need to check our behaviors to take into account not our own work loads, but also our colleagues’ load.
• Complexity is driven by fear and creates comfort because there are places to hide.
• Most of us have been taught to not take risks. And no one gets punished by following the status quo so not taking risks is reinforced. 
• Change won’t happen unless the leaders give permission.
• ‘Kill a stupid rule’ exercise - remember to look at the rules that you adhere to each day, not only the rules in other departments.
• The way to make change stick is to change behaviors. Instead of changing tactics, you must change behaviors. Start doing this by questioning the assumptions around you and that you are run by.
• Complexity not only wastes time but it also kills your company culture.
• When everything is simplified, transparency rises above everything. It is easier to spot the problems and see what needs to change to make companies more efficient and innovative.
• Everywhere can have simplicity, no matter how regulated it is.
• Do a calendar audit - think about how many meetings you may not be needing to attend a week!
• These 3 behaviors are needed to embrace simplicity: Permission to be questioned, Say No, and Streamline decision making. 

Thanks for listening! If you liked this episode, you will LOVE my masterclass on how to Achieve Success in Harmony. It is all about diving into what drives you and what behaviors you could add into your life to achieve more balance in your life. Check it out here!

About Lisa

What does a “good” leader look like? What do you want from someone who is leading your organization? Times are changing, our environment is always in motion, our world is forcing us to think outside of the boxes we have created. As humans we create these boxes in order to give ourselves a sense of control and certainty, but the time has come to rethink the way we lead.

Sonja Blignaut joins me today to dive into our complex world and talk about how we as leaders need to reframe what we think is leadership. Sonja provides a very realistic and human approach to complexity. She highlights 5 points to thriving in complexity as a leader. 

Key Points from this Episode:

• Complexity is multiple aspects in a system that interact with each other in ways that are not linear. Each thing is changed when they interact with another thing and you are not able to predict the changes. It is a messy environment.
• We need to let go of what we think of as “Traditional Leadership” and what being a “good leader” looks like when we are faced with complexity. It won’t do us any good to be stuck in old expectations.
• Leaders need to normalize the idea that the world is uncertain and that will always be the case. One easy way to do this is to say “I don’t know.”
• Instead of drilling down to time-based goals(6 month or 5 year), it can be more helpful to focus on a direction than being very specific so that you can be flexible within complexity.
• Being fully present in complexity is key.
• All of us live and thrive in complexity every day, in social situations, in family events, even just in driving on roads. For some reason though, we decide that experience is not valid to bring into the workplace. Instead we walk into work and think everything is going to be ordered and we can control it. We need to let go of that.
• Here are 5 points for leaders to take to better deal with complexity:

1. Be open to diversity. In addition to being open to different races, cultures, genders, it is important to have a diverse set of perspectives and ideas on your team and within your organization. Oftentimes it is easy for an organization to have employees who end up all thinking alike. We need to be aware of multiple perspectives so that we can catch our blind spots as well as diversifying the way we do things because the only constant is change and you cannot do the same thing the same way for too long.
2. Be curious and cultivate it. Be open to being surprised. Over the past few decades we have become obsessed with being efficient and that has made us extremely task focused. There is no time to be curious in this efficiency world. 
3. Have the courage to be vulnerable. Acknowledge that situations are not always enjoyable and foster co-responsibility so that everyone can work on the problem together.
4. Get closer to the front line....

100 Episodes of MeetMyPotential podcast!! Wow!!! Thank you so much for being a part of this journey with me and for taking the time to listen to each show. I truly wish that you are inspired after listening and get ideas on how you can unlock more of your potential. 

Thank you to all of the amazing and fascinating guests we have had on the show from Episode #1. I’ve been so honored to speak with so many different leaders across many industries. It has enriched and inspired my life, thank you again to our guests. 

I’m very happy today to say that one of our very first guests on the podcast is back. Sam House is an Executive Coach, a Leadership consultant, a Senior Faculty Member of the Co-Active Training Institute and my personal coach. What a treat to have him join again to celebrate this occasion.

In this episode, Sam and I discuss what is spiritual leadership and why should we be interested in starting a journey. Don’t confuse spiritual with religion here; we speak of spiritual in a very broad sense of being connected to everything in the world. It is a big conversation, both conceptually and literally, so get ready! And stay open to what might show up for you. 

Key Points to this Episode:

• Spiritual Leadership is Leadership with a broad lens. It asks, what is the thing that needs to be done in our organization that is aligned with something bigger in the world? It’s a holistic approach. 
• There is room for holding onto a goal and moving toward it as well as being open and flexible to what actually shows up in our lives.
• Control is an illusion.
• You need to observe yourself, without judgment. 
• Appreciate yourself and others, especially those who you disagree with. Appreciation does not mean “to like”.
• As humans, we will become attached to an idea or an opinion but you need to realize when you become attached and know how to recover from attachment.
• Highly Driven individuals always have a goal in mind and the drive to move forward to achieve them, but if something happens to derail their progress to that goal they can get lost or frustrated. We need to get to a place of balancing the drive forward with flexibility and moving with flow.
• We are in constant relationship with everything in our world. Sometimes we make up that we are alone and that we are in isolation. 
• Three practices that will allow us to be more receptive to messages from the universe are: meditation, be in connection to nature, or any kind of physical movement. Stay open to receive anything or nothing. Make sure you start by making a decision that these practices will be valuable to you no matter the result. This leads to an expanded relationship with everything in our world.
• Don’t look for evidence, look for the experience.
• Spiritual leadership is a path to see wholeness instead of separateness. We have a need to work this path instead...

Did you know the peak of our curiosity is at the age of 5? After that, there is a quick decline in how curious we continue to be. This is part of my conversation today with Dr. Diane Hamilton, author of Cracking the Curiosity Code and Behavioral Expert. Diane walks us through the four inhibitors and shares examples of how they show up in our lives. 

Curiosity is needed now more than ever in our world. I hope you enjoy this show and I hope it encourages you to ask more questions. 

Key Points of this Episode:

• There are four inhibitors to curiosity - Fear, Assumptions, Technology and Environment.
• If you don’t take the time to look at what factors are stopping you, then you won’t know how to move forward. 
• Curiosity requires us to have compassion and to be courageous. Time and experience help with this.
• Curiosity is the spark that lets leaders create whatever they want to make. For instance, if you were going to bake a cake, you not only need the ingredients but you also need the oven. Think of curiosity as the oven.
• The biggest step is to realize what behaviors you are exhibiting and seeing if they are rational or not. 
• Ask yourself, what stories are you telling yourself? Are they working for you?
• To build your emotional agility and curiosity, you need to ask questions because that will develop your empathy. Asking questions is the foundation of curiosity.

About Dr. Diane Hamilton

Dr. Diane Hamilton is the Founder and CEO of Tonerra, and Co-Founder of DIMA Innovations, which are consulting and media-based businesses. She is a nationally syndicated radio host, keynote speaker, and the former MBA Program Chair at the Forbes School of Business. She has authored multiple books which are required in universities around the world, including Cracking the Curiosity Code: The Key to Unlocking Human Potential, and The Power of Perception: Eliminating Boundaries to Create Successful Global Leaders. Visit her website here. 

I hope you liked this episode! Please rate and leave a comment on the podcast wherever you download your podcasts. Let me know in the comments what you think is the biggest inhibitor of your curiosity!

Thanks for listening and stay cool!

Visit the show website at (http://www.meetmypotential.com)

Follow me on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepanatarajan/)

When we are young, it is so easy for us to try new things and get out of our comfort zone. But as we grow up, different situations happen where we start to learn to stay where we are comfortable. Perhaps we have a big failure and lose something dear to us. Maybe we do something wrong and get criticized harshly. No matter the way it happens, we become conditioned to not take risks.

Today, listen to the show to hear Andy Molinsky speak about his formula, The Three C’s, to reach out of your comfort zone. Get inspired to discover your conviction, customize your approach and gain clarity on what your reality might look like!

Key Points from this Episode:

• We all have different zones: comfort, panic, learning, etc. Different tasks fall into different zones and they can change over time. 
• Anxiety does serve a purpose; too much might paralyze you from action but a little bit might provide the right amount of motivation for you to step outside your comfort zone.
• The Three C’s: Conviction, Customization and Clarity. Think about a situation that is outside of your comfort zone. First think about the why, this covers Conviction. Next you can figure out a way to make stepping outside a little easier for you, customize it. Finally establish the realistic outcomes of this step outside of your comfort zone, this provides clarity.
• Babies have a learning orientation, they get feedback from parents and the outcomes of what they try. Over time, we shift from learning orientation to a performance orientation. 
• Psychological safety plays a big part in stepping outside of comfort zones within organizations. Think about how you can contribute to your organization's psychological safety.
• We are really good at avoiding anything outside of our comfort zone, but if we try and reflect on what happens then every time it will get easier. 
• When stepping outside our comfort zones it is very common to have some kind of physical or body response (like a knot in your stomach). Normalize this! 

About Andy

Andy Molinsky is a professor, consultant and keynote speaker. He helps individuals and teams reach their potential by learning to step outside their personal and cultural comfort zones. He is the author of two popular business books (Global Dexterity and Reach)and was recently chosen as one of Marshall Goldsmith’s Top 50 World Leaders in Coaching. He has two different coaching and training certification programs based on his books. Check out his website - www.andymolinsky.com. 

What is needed to make a transformation in your organization? What’s the difference between working with individuals and groups when trying to make a successful change? What is easy to forget when working with organizations and change? 

Join Reshma Ramachandran and I as we discuss transformation - what is hard about it, how it changes from individual to a group and what are the key ingredients to make it successful.

Key Points from this Episode:

• Human beings naturally do not like change.
• Change requires us to get out of our comfort zone.
• Every change makes you a better person.
• Organizations are not inanimate objects. Organizations are like humans- they have emotions, egos, ambitions and desires. 
• You don’t try to change individuals; you create change agents. 
• When making change, it is most important for the leader to change first. Walk the talk from the top down.
• Build trust by giving trust
• Speed is never at the cost of trust.
• There is no finishing line for transformation. 
• Change has to become part of the DNA of the company. 
• Change cannot be at the cost of the team.
• Challenge your thoughts and bring out your biases, then put the facts next to your biases.
• Life is what you make of it. We all have choices but we must be willing to accept the consequences of the choice. Change the narrative - can I accept this consequence?

About Reshma

Reshma Ramachandran is the Vice President of Hitachi ABB Power Grids. She grew up in rural India without access to reliable power, clean drinking water and other basic needs, her purpose to empower people to believe they have the power to choose and to enable people to go beyond their self-limiting beliefs has shaped Reshma's journey as a business leader over the last two decades.

I hope you liked this episode! Please rate and leave a comment on the podcast. If you’d like to dig more into transformation and how to make the sustainable change you need to become the leader you desire to be, come watch my masterclass! You can find it here. 

Did you know that most people fail at making change in their life? Even when told that the change will save their life, a majority of people still do not effectively make the change they want. So how does effective and sustainable change happen? What do we need to pay attention to in order to make the change and have it stick? Listen as I dive into how we all need to rethink leadership.

Key Points from this Episode:

• Don’t fall into the common mistake of thinking you can make change just by setting up a task list to get it done. 
• Making change is about you! Sit with yourself and figure out what your personality is telling you about how you can effectively make change
• Highly driven people are action-biased, a perfectionist, a problem solver, self-sufficient or future-focused.
• Oftentimes, we repeat our patterns of success. What trait has helped you achieve success in your life so far?
• Now, It’s time to look at what the negative effects are of these traits. Because we repeat these patterns of success, we often overuse the trait. This leads to negative effects. So, if you are so focused on everything being perfect, what have you lost? If you are always looking at the future, what are you missing in the present? These are some good reflection questions to ask yourself as we close out the year.
• Complexity asks us to slow down to sense what’s happening while speeding up to test quickly. 
• If mindset and personality were the biggest factors in thriving in complex times, which one of the opposing traits do you need the most? Stillness, cyclic nature, more presence, more co-creation, or more co-responsibility? Take some time to think and journal about what you are looking for more of in 2021.
• Would you like a thought partner with you on this reflection? Book a strategy call with me and we can walk through what traits are making you successful and what they may be holding you back from. Book a call with me here!

If this episode piqued your interest about how you can rethink leadership and make sustainable change in your life, please come watch my masterclass! You can find it here.

I would appreciate it if you posted a review of the show! And leave a comment, what does rethink leadership mean to you? What highly driven trait do you most identify with?

We live in a complex world and as humans, our brains often try to find ways to break complex things down into simple, manageable tasks. But what if instead we embraced the complexity and the chaos around us? What would happen if we let go of needing to know every answer to every question? 

Today I’m speaking with Dave Snowden, Founder of Cognitive Edge. Dave has been a pioneer of complexity and encourages us to let go of some of the ideas we may think are serving us and our brains. Get ready to be challenged!

Key Points from this Episode:

• Cynefin Framework - there are five different domains where five different types of Leadership are needed.
• Good leaders take those with them that compliment their weaknesses.
• Complexity is the new simplicity.
• You won’t know what you need to change, you need to have a team around you to see where you are intentionally blind.
• Collective leadership is necessary in complex adaptive environments.
• Hear about small experiments you can implement at your company.
• Consciousness is a distributed function in the body, it’s not just in the brain.
• There’s a difference between giving people direction and having goals.
• Hierarchy does not help in complexity.
• Leaders need diversity around them. Remember, cynics are the ones who care- keep them around.
• Be more connected and engaged in the world.
• Accept things as they are, don’t fight against them.

About Dave

Dave Snowden is Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Cognitive Edge. Dave is currently working on the application of natural sciences to social systems through the development of a range of methods and the SenseMaker® software suite. Cognitive Edge is the pioneer of the field of complexity, charting the way before complexity became “mainstream”.

This Thursday (10 December) is Human Rights Day. We are celebrating this year by speaking with Aron Le Fevre, the Director of Human Rights at Copenhagen 2021. He has a profound range of international politics and a solid knowledge of inclusion and equality with focus on the LGTBQ+ community. Take a listen and hear how you might be able to widen your perspective of inclusion. 

Key Points from this Episode:

• Inclusion means that every person can be him/her/themselves and not have to live in fear about being accepted. It is very broad.
• Many times, we hide certain parts of ourselves because we are afraid of having this difference from our colleagues.
• Diversity needs to be embraced.
• If you accept yourself, it will be easier to accept others.
• Systemic change is needed. Everything starts with the individual though.
• There is a need for shared responsibility and to be in service of others.
• Visibility is key to inclusion.
• Get out of your comfort zone and experience the world. Go see how other parts of the world live.
• We need to move faster to this place of inclusion. We all need to be more curious to always be challenging our own biases. 
• Change can only be made when we look at ourselves.

About Aron Le Fevre

Aron is a passionate and multilingual champion of human rights, with experience in international politics and the global LGBTI+ and Pride community. He is leading the Copenhagen 2021 Human Rights Forum with the goal to elevate the international LGBTI+ agenda, working together with a multitude of governments, civil society and non-governmental organizations both in Denmark and abroad. Check out Copenhagen 2021 on their website.

On this week’s episode I am honored to share with you a recent interview I had with Suzie Lewis on the Let’s Talk podcast. It was a pleasure to speak with Suzie and speak about why I created MeetMyPotential and the need to rethink leadership. I hope you enjoy this episode and after you listen, go take a look at Suzie’s podcast, Let’s talk. She has some great interviews so that you can stay connected to the changing digital world.

Key Points from this Episode:

• Find out why I started MeetMyPotential
• Find out who I work with
• Technical challenges are easy to solve with your expertise, time and/or money.
• Challenges with other human beings take more work to solve.
• Highly Driven people usually can identify as a perfectionist, a problem-solver, being action-oriented, being future-focused, and/or being self-sufficient. These are the exact reasons why they have been promoted.
• All of these highly driven traits can be taken too far, it’s important to balance them with their duality. 
• Listen to my example of balancing between being a problem-solver and having co-responsibility. This is what I mean when I say we need to rethink leadership.
• Hear my definition of balance
• Ask yourself: Is the way I’m functioning sustainable? 

I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek into MeetMyPotential and my journey to create the Rethink Leadership program. Please reach out if you’d like to learn more about what your highly driven traits are and what gaps you may have! 

Find out how to listen to Let’s talk here.

Are you always on the move? Running to the next meeting or get the next project done? Do you find yourself relying on your logical, problem-solving mind? So many of us do! And to be honest, the world and society has rewarded this behavior for too long.

Today I’m joined by Joel Monk, co-Founder of Coaches Rising, to discuss the inadequacies of our rational minds. Take this time for yourself, maybe go out for a walk or find a place to sit and take in Joel’s words of wisdom. It is so important to not only take time for ourselves, but also listen to our bodies and make sure we connect so we can use the intelligences of our emotions and bodies. Let this podcast be a gift to you today.

Key Points from this Episode:

• The rational mind brings many gifts to us, we need to use it. Over the years though, we have placed too much emphasis on our rational minds. There are limits of the rational mind, we cannot depend on it for everything. There needs to be a balance.
• We need to develop emotional intelligence, body intelligence, and cultivate presence. This can open creativity and new solutions to problems you were encountering when you were stuck in your rational thoughts and ways.
• We get socialized in a certain way - performance and achievement are defined based on our upbringing. It’s so important once we are grown to take time to stop and get curious about what we as our own person define success as and what we need physically, mentally, and spiritually in order to feel our best. 
• Our world is so prone to action and doing instead of stillness and silence. We need to slow down and give space to feeling into nonverbal cues. Naming what is the feeling of the room or a meeting is a valuable leadership skill. And yes, you can do this without using your sight!
• Cognitive overload surrounds us; look for ways to bring simplicity into your life and work.
• Expand your window of tolerance with practices like going out in nature, breathing exercises, meditation, or any activity that slows you down and takes you out of your rational intelligence.
• Once we are open to sensing, we will be more open to welcome uncertainty and the unknown. This is truly how we live in complexity.
• Welcome all emotions. They are all valid.
• Take a pause, breathe and feel into your body. Notice what shows up without judgement. Remember to take moments of stillness throughout your day. 

Let us know what you felt from this conversation. What are you recognizing? What is stirring inside of you? Thank you so much for listening!

About Joel Monk

Joel Monk is a leadership coach, educator, facilitator and entrepreneur. You can get in touch with Joel by emailing him, joelmonk@coachesrising.com. 

He co-founded Coaches Rising, a company on the...

Did you know every time you speak you are having influence on those around you? Did you know that your behaviors can unconsciously be picked up by your colleagues, friends and family? How much are you aware of your influence? Are you being intentional? 

Join Jayson Krause and me as we look at the places where we are having influence and how we can become more aware of what impact we are creating on our environments. Make sure you listen to the end to hear 3 important questions we should all be asking ourselves to deepen this practice of intentional influence!

Key Points from this Episode:

• Learn about behavioral viruses and become aware of them
• You are responsible for everything in your environment either by the actions you have taken or the actions you have not taken.
• You are always having an impact, you just need to become intentional about it
• As a leader, you are a walking advertisement. Be careful what message you are spreading!
• Every behavioral virus you spread is your legacy.
• The biggest challenge to being the best version of yourself is giving the time to being intentional.
• Get clear about your brand - yes, you have a brand whether you like it or not. Once you know the qualities that make you you, that’s when you can dive in and start being intentional about how you show up.

About Jayson Krause

Jayson is a leadership strategist who specializes in helping organizations develop high-performance leaders and grow strong leadership pipelines. His experience spans from tech startups to Fortune 500 companies. Check out his company, Level 52, here.

What is your biggest commitment for this year? Do you ever feel like you are slipping away from this commitment? Can there be any compromise in commitment? If so, what is the impact of making compromises in your commitments?

Join Angela Philp and I as we discuss these questions and give simple tools to help you navigate your commitments through the rest of this year.

Key Points from this Episode:

• Making very clear definitions of commitment and compromise
• Learn if you are committed to pleasing or serving.
• Examples of having commitment with no compromise
• How to make a commitment
• Commitment comes from something bigger than you
• Easy tips for reminding you of your commitment - get your sticky notes out!
• Stay inspired by others around you! And surround yourself by a community, virtual and in person.
• Courage is a muscle that needs to be worked on
• Voice, write down and be your commitment! And don’t compromise.

About Angela Philp

Angela is an Executive Leadership Coach. She supports women who’ve created millions in revenue for their organisations through their deep commitment, devotion and brilliance, to also get more REAL, lean more fully into their edge – and own their power. Visit her website to learn more about her and her company, Queen of Possible.

What kind of internal and external validations are we looking for? What serves us and what holds us back from living from a true, authentic place? 

Join Mark Metry and I as we discuss what validation is helpful and what validation is not helpful. We had such a great conversation, I’ve split this episode into two parts. Make sure you’ve listened to Part I from last week first.

Part II

Key Points from this Episode:

• How building good habits adds up
• Be yourself. 
• Get into meaningful discomfort. 
• What you want to hide from the world, that is actually the thing you need to pursue and put out into the world. This is how you step into your life.
• Be aware of the small things. 

About Mark Metry

Mark is a Forbes Featured TEDx keynote speaker, on Amazon Prime's Docuseries the Social Movement & podcast host interviewing Billionaires, New York Times Bestselling Authors and World-Class human beings on his Global Top 100 Humans 2.0 podcast.

What kind of internal and external validations are we looking for? What serves us and what holds us back from living from a true, authentic place? 

Join Mark Metry and I as we discuss what validation is helpful and what validation is not helpful. We had such a great conversation, I’ve split this episode into two parts. Make sure you come back next week to hear Part II!

Part I

Key Points from this Episode:

• In order to feel the high points, you have to feel the low points.
• You cannot live by logic alone. Don’t be afraid to step into your emotions.
• Don’t overlook the small things! 
• Be yourself. 
• You can be successful and vulnerable.

About Mark Metry

Mark is a Forbes Featured TEDx keynote speaker, on Amazon Prime's Docuseries the Social Movement & podcast host interviewing Billionaires, New York Times Bestselling Authors and World-Class human beings on his Global Top 100 Humans 2.0 podcast.

High Achievers set a goal, they go all in and give 100%. They don’t stop until it is achieved. Then, they move on to the next goal in a heartbeat. Do they achieve high amounts of success? Of course, yes. There is no doubt of that. But what is the cost?

Join me as I give 3 simple ways to break out of this pattern of constantly moving and focusing on the future!

Key Points from this Episode:

• High Achievers love goals and being constantly challenged
• What is the cost of always driving and pushing to the next goal?
• How can High Achievers be challenged and be present in the moment to appreciate the here and now
• Be present with ‘what is’.
• Emotions are often underrated in the business world, but all decisions include emotions as well as data so make sure you are checking in with how you are feeling daily.
• Look how far you have come and how much you have achieved.
• Remember, the present moment is all we have.
• You are enough as you are!

I hope you liked this episode! Please leave a review and let me know - do you consider yourself a High Achiever? Do you give yourself all the credit you deserve for everything you achieve?

Would you like to know how you can rethink leadership to achieve success in harmony? Come attend my free masterclass to learn more! www.meetmypotential.com/webinar

How do you design systems for inclusion? We all want inclusion and want to work for a system that is inclusive, but in the workplace we are run by policies and procedures. These systems may have thought they were inclusive but what is the reality? Do you feel empowered at your job? Do you feel that you are involved in decision making?

Today I’m joined with Suzie Lewis and we are diving into how to build systems for inclusion. Come hear how you can be part of the change your workplace culture may need.

Key Points from this Episode:

• Design for Inclusion approach that Suzie has created and a brand new program you can join soon
• How to incentivize involvement on your team and in your organization
• Four Founding Elements of Designing Inclusion - Empathy, Psychological Safety, Collective Intent and Vision, and Co-Responsibility
• Empathy is the starting point of Inclusion and Design Thinking
• How to start making change around you - visualize, understand, define, act and pilot small changes, and realize this is primarily about transforming people, it will not happen overnight.
• Before transitioning to “We”, you have to understand “I”.
• How to do a diagnostic to see how inclusive is your organization.

About Suzie Lewis

Suzie is a global business leader and executive coach with extensive experience of international transformation projects and preparing business leaders and employees for change. Visit her website to learn more - www.transformforvalue.com.

Have you ever tried to make a change in your life? Maybe a habit, how you disagree, your morning routine, the way you communicate, what your eating looks like or the way you lead? We all want to make changes in our lives. The big question is, how easy was it to make that change? Did you have the impact you wanted?

Change is hard and can be a long journey. Sometimes we even dissuade ourselves from making a change because of how difficult we think it will be. Take a listen to this episode to hear how we most often self-sabotage ourselves on the way to making change.

Key Points from this Episode:

• Hear my top 3 reasons why we give up on change
• Understanding change
• Why it is worth it to make a change, even when it is hard

I hope you liked the show! Make sure you are subscribed to the show so that you can hear more about change in the coming weeks. And tell us what change, big or small, you want to make below! 

Curiosity may seem like a very basic skill. You might be thinking, “I know how to be curious, why would I need to listen to this episode?”. Well, take a listen and get ready to dive further into this skill of curiosity than you ever have before. Are you ready to hear about the ‘7 C’s of Curiosity’ model? Are you ready to take a look at yourself and your team to actually see how curious you are being? Are you ready to get uncomfortable and take your curiosity to a new level? 

Simon Brown and Garrick Jones join me to discuss how critical curiosity is to you, your own leadership, your team and your business. 

Key Points from this Episode:

• Hear from the authors of “The Curious Advantage” about their process and research
• Why curiosity is at the heart of how we navigate and make sense of the digital world
• Why faster is not always better
• How to reveal our unconscious biases and get uncomfortable by staying in the question
• How important it is to create a culture of curiosity and experimentation within your organisation, otherwise innovation will die
• The 7 C’s of Curiosity model - Context, Community, Curation, Creativity, Construction, Criticality, and Confidence
• What gets in the way of you being curious
• Curiosity has its place everywhere, even in safety or security situations

About Simon Brown and Garrick Jones

Simon is Chief Learning Officer at Novartis, a focused medicines company, and one of the leading companies in the world. He is a commercially-minded learning leader with experience across a range of the World’s top organisations. 

Garrick is an entrepreneur, academic and musician based in London. Co-Founder and Partner of The Ludic Group (founded in 2004), a pioneering consultancy, transforming the way people live, work and learn across time and distance. He is a renowned expert in Digital Transformation, Digital Learning and Engagement.

Please visit their website for their book, which they co-authored with Paul Ashcroft, and podcast - https://curiousadvantage.com/ 

What if perfectionism was dead? What would that give you? What would be present for you? What would society and organisations look like if perfectionism didn’t exist?

In recent months, we have had to change so much and pivot in ways we may not have known were options. Have we let go of our perfectionist ways? I don’t know for sure, but let’s take a moment to ask ourselves what our perfectionism may be holding us back from. Ask yourself - What else is needed from me at this time and am I too caught up in getting it perfect?

Key Points from this Episode:

• It is common for High Achievers to be perfectionists! We want to get it right all the time.
• We can be so forgiving of others’ errors. It is time to start being more accepting of our own errors.
• One of the consequences of perfectionism is that it slows everything down.
• Listen to a real life example of how one company was able to see how their products were working for their customers and hear the question they took back to their CEO to implement in future product releases.
• Get ready to be honest with yourself about your work and ask “What is the minimal viable product?”
• Our world is always changing. If you want to stay innovative and be a shape shifter, you need to let go of your perfectionism.

I hope you liked this show! Here is another show where I go more into the limits of perfectionism. Please leave the show a review and comment how you are letting go of perfectionism.

Do you feel like there is so much to learn with technology while also learning about all of your employees too? Where do you begin if you want to learn about relationships and how best to interact with other human beings?

Wendy Tansey joins me to discuss how to best answer these questions and how you can save your business time and energy through continual learning.  

Key Points from this Episode:

• In order to adapt to changes well, you must continuously learn especially about your coworkers and employees. If you stop learning, you will get left behind.
• Every person is unique, so be curious about each person. Take the time to communicate and understand how best they work. For example, do they prefer a phone call or a text?
• As a leader, be willing to set the right expectations for your employees. This may be different for different employees!
• It is critical for Leaders and Managers to put time into learning about their employees, otherwise it will cost you and your business.
• There are a number of resources for you to learn, don’t limit yourself! (Hint: You could subscribe to a podcast)
• Learn Wendy’s top 3 areas to pay attention to in order to be successful in your workplace and leading others.
• Don’t get stagnant in your leadership! Hear easy ways to start your learning journey.
• Instead of staying in your own perspective, get curious and listen to others’ perspectives. This will help you upscale your leadership and your business.

About Wendy Tansey

Wendy Tansey is an expert at Microlearning, giving leaders the ability to lead with Confidence. She simplifies the complexities of managing people. She has over 20 years’ experience with working with leaders. Visit her website to learn more - https://wendytansey.com/. 

Did you know there is only one person getting in the way of you reaching your potential? Yes, only one! And it is you. There are 3 ways you could be self-sabotaging yourself and your potential. Let’s explore them so you can allow your potential to shine and allow your business to perform.

Key Points from this Episode:

• You may be spending too much time with your self-doubt. The more you step outside your comfort zone, the bigger the self-sabotaging voices get. Learn how to move past these thoughts to return quickly to your high performance.
• Saying no to others is critical for high performers. Learn a quick exercise to give yourself full permission and say yes to you and your projects more!
• Do you find yourself getting paralyzed by the opinions and advice from other people? Listen to hear how you can focus on one thing and move forward with clarity.
• It is easy to let fears hold you back from pursuing your big goals. Instead of sitting with them, connect with others to gain new perspective on your situation. Don't wait!

Remember, the more you can quickly recover from these self-sabotaging ways, the more your potential will shine, and your business will perform better.

Please let me know how the tips I shared to work through your self-sabotage worked for you! Are there other ways you are self-sabotaging? Leave a comment!

Have you asked yourself why despite great HR Diversity and Inclusion practices, workplaces look alike and senior management positions are not very diverse. Or have you ever wondered - How unconscious biases are dampening the spirit of diversity?

Insights you will get from the episode:

• What are unconscious biases?
• What are some typical unconscious biases around women of color?
• What challenges exist as a result of unconscious biases around women of color and how can one overcome them?
• 1 Key advice for women of color, what can they do in situations of discrimination?
• What can people around do to build more inclusive cultures? How can you be a lever for change?

About Advita Patel

Advita Patel is the co-founder of A Leader Like Me, a global platform that helps women of colour progress further into leadership roles. She is a specialist in internal communications, and Chartered PR practitioner. In 2018 the Northern Power Women movement named her as one of their future leaders.

Website: https://www.commsrebel.com

A community to help women of colour: https://aleaderlikeme.com

Is your organisation pivoting in this time of social, economic and health crisis. While this might be strategic for your company, you definitely don’t want to make this particular mistake. 

• With the increase in competition, pivoting your business as become if not essential quite essential to the survival of many companies.
• Technically pivoting requires investments in information technology, marketing, and logistics but as as much as this is needed, Mindset has been the biggest game changer.
• People who allow fear to run them find themselves freezing unable to respond to the needs of the crisis.
• While people are reinventing themselves and their organisations are gaining momentum in a new direction, so the question is what do they do differently ?

Listen to this short episode to find out what are those simple things you can do and the 1 biggest mistake to avoid.

It is sometimes hard to know how to lead in tough times. What should my leadership look like? What are some simple things I can do during the social, economic and health crisis that we are going through with COVID 19. Valerie Rocoplan CEO & Founder of Talentis gives us insights on what leadership can look like in changing times. 

• If leadership is not about status, knowledge and hierarchy anymore and if leadership is about helping people to decide, then what must be done to build that environment? 
• What challenges do leaders face in complex times?
• The 5 key elements that can help you as a leader wade through times of social, economic and health crisis.
• How to best manage your energy energy?
• How expressing emotions moves you into action?
• What is the one thing you can do to feel less fear and more connected to people?

Valérie Rocoplan founded Talentis in 2003. Talentis is an international company, specialised in executive coaching and leadership development. Valérie Rocoplan is on a mission to develop leaders and optimise collective intelligence. She manages a team of 85 coaches as partners in more than 23 different countries worldwide.

Website: https://www.talentis-coach.com

Valérie Rocoplan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/talentis/

Are you fatigued by your job and want to make a change in your career and just don’t know how. 

Andy Storch is a talent development specialist and if you wanna to know how to make that shift listen in. It is time to S.T.O.P drifting along in your career, especially if you don’t find meaning and purpose in what you do.

Is your job supporting the greater vision of where you want to get to in your life?

Does it get you excited to get to work?

Is your job connected with your purpose?

You get the picture it is important to own your career and own your life.

• What does it mean to take ownership of your career?
• How do you take ownership?
• Taking ownership might look scary, but there are ways to not let norms of society run you and take away what you truly want to do. 
• Ideas to get started on how you can shift your career. 
• How to let go of the fear of judgement from others?
• What are those tough conversations you need to have?
• What kind of support can help you move ahead?

Andy Storch is a talent development specialist. He is the host of 2 podcasts. Author of the forthcoming book Own Your Career Own Your Life.

Website: https://andystorch.com

Top 5 common mistakes people make in the career world: http://ownyourcareerownyourlife.com/mistakes

We all make sense of the world differently and make meaning differently. As we move into complexity that becomes a greater challenge. 

Do you question the way decisions are taken in complex times? What might be going wrong in the way decisions are made in meetings?

I have been observing senior executive meetings and providing feedback and I found Keith Johnston from Cultivating Leadership has some great insights on this topic.

• Typical mistakes executives make in meetings.
• How early convergence and polite agreements get in the way of solving problems in complex times?
• Why letting go of – “holding on to rightness” – is so important?
• What assumptions get in the way of running a great meeting?
• Key ingredients of running meetings in complex times.

Keith Johnston co-authored with Jennifer Garvey Berger Simple Habits for Complex Times. Leadership development was the focus of his PhD. He has explored the capability for complexity required of senior leaders and how this might be enabled.

Email: keith@cultivatingleadership.co.nz

Website: https://www.cultivatingleadership.com

Are you a shy introvert? Are you struggling to get your voice out there and be heard?

Bob tells us we often see mediocre people standing up and taking all the attention and amazing people hiding their light and it is completely irrational. So how do you get yourself out there and not let your shy nature limit you?

• What is it to be shy and how does it steal your potential?
• How can you break down the barriers of being shy and or being an introvert and get out of your comfort zone?
• How does comparing yourself with others help or hinder you?
• How can you change the way you are so that you can stand in the spotlight?

Do you wake at 3am and worry what if they find out that "I'm a fraud" or "I am not as good as people think?"

Then maybe it is imposter syndrome that you are suffering from. You don't have to pretend anymore to be someone. You can end imposter syndrome and be yourself.

The four signs of Imposter Syndrome for Clare are:

• Perfectionism
• Procrastination
• Project Paralysis
• People pleasing

We can’t rationalize with our logical mind, coz if you do that you will only end of wresting with those thoughts giving it more attention and you will end up making it worse. One can’t use mindset level tools to deal with identity level issues.

• What is imposter syndrome?
• How does it manifest in the workplace?
• How can you identify if someone at work is suffering from imposter syndrome?
• How to men and women cope with it? What’s the difference?
• Why does changing negative self-talk with positive ones does not work?
• How do develop natural resilience?
• What can you do in 60sec to turn them over?

About Clare Jose

Clare Josa is a professional speaker and the author of seven books.She has specialized in helping business leaders and high achievers to clear the self-sabotaging thoughts and change behaviors caused by Imposter Syndrome. The stuff that goes deeper than mindset or confidence, but which gets in the way of you making the difference you really want to make in the world.

She is the author of eight books. Her latest book: Ditching Imposter Syndromewas published in 2019.

Get your ABC technique:http://www.clarejosa.com/meetmypotential/

This is a true story of an entrepreneur who set up his business and made millions in a short time, got published in Forbes as a digital health thought leader, owned a Ferrari, and then everything came tumbling down the point that his business partner went to prison and he had 2M in personal debt.

One of the most painful moments for Dr. Tamer Shahin was to call his business partner’s pregnant wife and tell her that her husband won’t be home for the delivery.

Tamer then rebuilt success in digital health, won a UK national innovation award, and gave a TEDx talk. He has learnt from extraordinary success and catastrophic adversity! Today, he is on a mission to help business owners and entrepreneurs learn those precious lessons.

• What failure feels like? How to break out of your cocoon and not be a hermit when failure hits you.
• How can we embrace failure and move forward?
• How can we as leaders, bear responsibility for ourselves, as well as others during times of failure?
• We can’t engineer our way out of failure, but we can talk about how we feel when things don’t work out.
• What is needed for “Rising Strong”? How do we turn the page and become resilient?
• Simple tips to raise up again with resilience after a failure.

Dr. Tamer Shahin went from academia, to advising country ministers on national policy and multi-billion-dollar productivity programs, founding and growing multi-seven figure businesses, living large (then not so large) in Dubai, and taking a global health start up stratospheric. He’s advised corporate titans, authored several textbooks, taught at universities around the world, spoken at TEDx, and published in Forbes as a digital health thought leader.

Tamer has gone through rags to riches and (seriously) back again. He’s designed learning at every level — and learned the hard way that capacity often starts with belief, and that success often starts with failure.

Tamer now enjoys being a serial entrepreneur, investor, business coach and mentor. Currently the founder and CEO of CEO Entrepreneur, he transforms entrepreneurs into CEO’s and small businesses into global companies; without stress or overwhelm. CEO Entrepreneur: https://ceoentrepreneur.com

Take the 3-min super intelligent business clarity quiz and get a free customised report on your single biggest business challenge: https://ceoentrepreneur.com/quiz

• Success is not just about achieving goals at work, it’s important to be fulfilled, which comes from inspiring others and creating impact around you.
• Find one person who supports your cause and helps you in the organization. One sponsor is enough to help you embark on your path.
• If you struggle to get heard in a meeting, here are 4 tips that Virginie share:
• Use humor to shift the energy of the meeting.
• Talk about the elephants in the room.
• Put the hard topics on the table
• Build alliances with people you work with.
• To create gender balance in your teams, set clear rules and boundaries on the values that are important. Every time it is violated, speak about it until becomes a practice. Say it in a non-blaming non-judging way, and don’t be silent about it.
• To ensure you are involved in decision making ensure
• You are building the necessary and right bilateral relationships.
• Don’t be shy!
• Don’t care much how others perceive you.
• Having an executive presence is about the ability to
• Have the real quality conversations.
• Make quality decisions.
• Give space to people to move forward with autonomy.
• To grow stronger with debates.
• How do we manage time as an individual, mother, wife and businesswomen?
• Accept all the different part of you.
• It may not be possible to have a 24hr period where you are efficient in all areas of your life. Accept that there will be periods where you will be more at work and then there will be time for kids and other things.
• Being just in one area of life can be boring.
• Final Advice:
• Surround yourself with people who can give you candid feedback, i.e. give you both the tough and good feedback.
• Connections: Build true meaningful relationships and stay connected.

Virginie Boucinha works at the headquarters of Sanofi,Paris, as the Global Head of Transformation. At Sanofi, she was previously the Chief of staff CEO Office. She is mother of 4 children. Virginie Boucinha is icon of intelligence, strength and humbleness. A strong women leader from whom we can learn a lot. She has also lived abroad in Morocco and India.

If you are an executive and wondering how to setup your brand image in the industry, do not miss this episode.

• Decide how you want to be perceived and remembered.
• In a world of competition where business cards and job titles are not sufficient currencies, building a reputation brand is becoming critical for most executives.
• Learn what is reputation branding? How can you create this currency for yourself both internally in your organization and outside?
• How can your reputation brand be aligned with that of your company?

Mary Henderson shares valuable content here. Don’t miss this episode!

Mary Henderson Coaches, Consultants & Corporate Professionals commercialise their PersonalBrand to stand out, become an authority in their niche or industry and build a sustainable & profitable digital business.

Links: 

Apply for a free consultation with her: https://www.maryhendersoncoaching.com/apply

Her website: www.maryhendersoncoaching.com