Masters of Leadership

By: Erica Dhawan
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  • Summary

  • Masters of Leadership is an original podcast hosted by Cotential CEO and Get Big Things Done author Erica Dhawan sharing powerful stories of masters of leadership who get big things done. Learn from business CEOs, entrepreneurs, creatives, authors, and more.
    Copyright 2017
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Economics Leadership Management
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Episodes
  • Dan Schawbel: Why “Back To Human” Is The Most Powerful Leadership Strategy

    Dan Schawbel: Why “Back To Human” Is The Most Powerful Leadership Strategy
    Mar 26 2019
    Back to Human: It's the title of Dan Schawbel's new book, and the phrase itself implies that we’ve departed from being human toward one another in significant ways. That’s the assumption behind Dan's work. He has devoted his life to studying human interactions and has compiled much of what he’s learned into his new book. He has tremendous insight into how we can be intentional about our human interactions so that they can be optimized for our health as individuals and our success in the workplace. You won’t want to miss this insightful episode. Dan shares why emotional intelligence is more important than skill competence, what social media and digital communication have done to us as humans in spite of their obvious benefits, and how we can turn things around to benefit ourselves and those on our teams in incredible ways. Getting “back to human” means understanding that emotional intelligence is more important than technical skill Think about what is typically looked for when resumes or CVs for open positions are submitted at your company. Typically, the focus is on education and experience. In other words - What has the person accomplished? What skills do they bring to the role for which they are being considered? But is that the right place to look for maximum fit and effectiveness on your team? Dan Schawbel says that it’s becoming more and more evident that the soft skills we’ve come to describe as “emotional intelligence” have a much greater impact on a person’s fit and effectiveness on a team than do their job-related skills. Why is that? It’s because the relationships within the team underly everything that the team does. If there is tension between team members, the outcomes the team produces will be impacted. That's a relational issue, not a skill issue. Listen to hear Dan share why leaders should focus more on emotional intelligence in themselves and their team members if they really want to move "back to human" in their leadership style. We are failing to understand and be understood when we only use digital communication Digital communication has been a great blessing to the world. We now have the ability to connect with others who are across the globe with the click of a button or a few minor keystrokes. But the ease of digital communication has taken some of the humanity out of the WAY we communicate with each other. Statistics are showing that though people are communicating with others more often digitally, the experiences of loneliness and isolation are growing exponentially. Why is that? It’s because there is something missing in the way we are interacting, and Dan Schawbel says it’s the human component of the relationship. He suggests we do everything we can to increase face to face communication with each other, whether we are connected through a work-related team, as family members, or in a service provider-client relationship. Listen to glean incredible practical advice from what Dan has to share. How do we express more empathy when we are unable to meet face to face? Though the ideal way to move back to more human interactions in our digital age is to get face to face with each other as often as possible, it’s not always possible. What can we do to express empathy and care for others when digital means of communication are all we have available? A simple first step is to take the needed time to sweeten up our email and text interactions. A few moments used to strategically add complimentary or appreciative words can go a long way toward creating connection with the person on the other end of the correspondence and add value to the interaction. Leaders can enlist and empower remote workers to lead remote meetings. Not only does it communicate trust, it also engages various team members in becoming known by the team and helps them develop confidence and skill - an opportunity most modern workers are looking for. For larger companies, Dan suggests that leadership creates a budget that enables leaders to travel to remote sites. It’s that important for leaders to stay engaged with the people on their teams by meeting them in person. Another approach would be to use that budget to host a group gathering annually where everyone across the team can come together in one place. People will work for your company longer if you care for them in a “back to human” way During our conversation, Dan Schawbel shares the story of a woman who took on a new role at a large corporation when she was young. The transition to the company location was daunting because she was moving from a rural area to a large, metropolitan city. Her manager took her under his wing like one would do for a beloved nephew or friend. The impact was powerful. The company was IBM, and the young woman has been a part of the team for 10 years so far. She now serves as an executive on the team. Her manager met her human needs before meeting her work-related needs, and the impact was tremendous. ...
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    32 mins
  • Tasha Eurich: Increase Self Awareness To Maximize Your Leadership

    Tasha Eurich: Increase Self Awareness To Maximize Your Leadership
    Mar 19 2019
    If you are a leader, the data is in: As you increase self awareness your leadership will improve. Self Awareness is a very simple concept, but quite difficult in practice. That’s because we don’t always see ourselves the same way that we come across to those we interact with. On this episode, my guest Tasha Eurich shares her findings regarding the quality of self awareness and drives home how important it is for leaders to increase in self awareness for the sake of their teams. Be sure you listen to learn how simple it is to improve in self awareness and how to establish daily habits that help. Ask the question, “How much time do I spend focused on knowing myself?” To begin an assessment of how self aware you really are, Tasha suggests you start by asking a simple question, “How much time do I spend focused on knowing myself?” She says it doesn’t take extraordinary amounts of time to get to know yourself but it does require a concerted effort. On this episode, Tasha shares a few simple but powerful routines you can add to your daily schedule that will help you discover who you really are and then apply that knowledge to your role as a leader. She also shares a free self awareness quiz she’s developed to help anyone quickly ascertain how self aware they really are. Get the details on this episode. Grow your self awareness by establishing the habit of a daily check-in One of the most highly consistent data points Tasha discovered that was common to people who were highly self aware but weren’t previously was a daily habit of checking in with themselves about how they are relating to others. The daily check-in she recommends consists of 3 questions: What went well today?What didn’t go so well today?How can I be smarter tomorrow? What Tasha loves about those questions is two-fold: First, it enables you to stay out of “overthinking mode,” which is counterproductive when it comes to increasing self awareness. Secondly, these simple questions can give you micro insights you can use to be more aware of your interactions with others. This can reveal big aspects of yourself that you haven’t been aware of before. Awareness is at the heart of being successful as a leader - and a human High profile leaders who are self-aware are a rare sight these days. Tasha points out that one of the best models of self awareness she’s met is Alan Mulally, a business leader who turned around two iconic American companies that were in big trouble - Boeing Commercial and Ford Motor Company. What enabled him to turn Ford from a $17 billion loss to a $20 billion profit just 6 years later? Surely, there were many things he did to enable that kind of turn-around, but he says that at the heart of any success - and something he focuses on personally - is the issue of awareness. When you have that value at your core, you are able to see the gems about yourself or your situation that enable you to make adjustments to what you’re doing. Don’t underestimate the power of awareness. People in positions of power tend to be less self aware: Find loving critics Leaders are high power, high energy individuals for the most part. But they don’t always have the greatest sense of self awareness. These people must go out of their way to get quality feedback. Tasha calls those who give this vital feedback "loving critics,” people who care enough to tell the truth about how the leader is coming across to those they lead. This insight alone is a gem that you can use to increase self awareness in a way that empowers your leadership, equips your team to be more productive and creative, and to become better at empowering and equipping others to become leaders themselves. Don’t miss this great conversation. Outline of This Episode [1:22] Tasha’s working definition of leadership: Bringing out the best in others[2:01] The power of improving self awareness[3:57] What does it mean to be self aware and how do we grow in self awareness?[6:06] How to apply a “daily check in” to enable your self awareness[7:42] Leaders Tasha holds up as great examples of leaders who are self aware[10:30] How to improve in self awareness in a society that works remotely?[14:01] Tasha’s biggest piece of advice for leaders[16:21] How to connect with Tasha Resources & People Mentioned Tasha Eurich’s websiteThe free 14-question self awareness assessmentTasha’s book: InsightTasha on LinkedInTasha on Twitter: @TashaEurichTasha on FacebookDr. Marshall GoldsmithAlan Mulally - turned around both Boeing and Ford using self awarenessEd Catmull of Pixar Connect with Erica Erica@cotentialgroup.com Linkedin.com/in/ericadhawan Twitter.com/edhawan Facebook.com/ericadhawan  
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    19 mins
  • Rahaf Harfoush: Transforming Modern Work To Help Productive Creatives Thrive

    Rahaf Harfoush: Transforming Modern Work To Help Productive Creatives Thrive
    Mar 12 2019
    The world of modern work is transforming before our very eyes. Remote working teams, new tools that provide faster communication, and a focus on team culture and environment are melding with traditional beliefs about work to create a complicated and often unhealthy place in which today’s workers must perform. My guest on this episode, Rahaf Harfoush is a digital anthropologist who has devoted herself to studying the many intersections between emerging technology, innovation, and digital culture. Her third book, entitled “Hustle & Float: Reclaim Your Creativity and Thrive in a World Obsessed with Work,” reveals the data and practices behind companies and organizations that are adapting to the needs of modern workers effectively and creating teams that are more productive and healthier, all at the same time. Don’t miss this conversation. "Productive Creatives" is a moniker that describes most people working today Most roles within companies and organizations these days fall into the category of knowledge work, and in those roles, a growing amount of creativity is needed to truly be productive. It’s an approach to work and performance that is relatively new but is quickly becoming the norm because of the digitally integrated age we live in. Rahaf’s belief is that we need to rethink the systems and approaches to work that have governed the way we work and live so that we can adapt to the needs of the modern worker - the ones she has dubbed “Productive Creatives.” Listen to this episode to hear how she suggests we go about addressing the very real needs that touch most people in the modern workforce. Does your team need more perks or a better behavioral environment? Policies that leaders often put in place to attract and retain team members are many times nothing more than band-aids - things that don’t truly address the needs of the very people they hope to benefit. In this conversation, Rahaf gives the example of how the leadership at Netflix created an “unlimited paid vacation” policy in an effort to attract and retain team members. What they discovered was that very few people actually made use of the benefit. What was the reason? It turns out most people felt that taking “too much time off” would cast them in a negative light among their peers on the team. So the desire leaders had to provide a helpful and appreciated benefit wasn’t fulfilled. Their final solution was to create mandatory time off for everyone. This removed the "peer pressure" aspect of the paid time off and gave everyone the permission to rest, decompress, and take much-deserved breaks. Listen to hear how fascinating examples like this inform us as to how companies and organizations are adapting to the modern worker's needs. Where do we get our ideas about work? How is modern work being impacted? There is a strange fusion of ideologies that go into the way each of us thinks about and approaches our work. Our personal history of work, the enduring idea of the Puritan work ethic, media influence and commentary regarding work, and the way we talk about modern work heroes create a cultural narrative about the ideal or standard of what successful work looks like. The problem is this: the modern workplace is full of “productive creatives” - people who need a different environment in which to thrive. Creative work requires unstructured time, pauses, rest, breaks, and other somewhat unconventional approaches that fuel effective work actually being done. That’s one of the reasons Rahaf has titled her book “Hustle AND Float” - it’s both hard work AND the “float” time that empowers us to do our best work. The constant urgency inherent in virtual working teams could be dangerous Rahaf is thrilled that remote work is becoming more and more accepted and encouraged in the modern workplace. But she is concerned that the tools adopted to facilitate remote work have many of the characteristics inherent to social media. Notifications are a great thing, but when they are constantly chiming, they can communicate an expectation that quick responses are “normal” or expected. When this happens, productive creatives begin to miss the “float” time they need to get things done. What’s the solution? Many organizations are taking proactive steps to allow for more creative work. Some communicate clearly about expected response times. Others block out days when no meetings are allowed. Listen to hear the science behind these types of decisions and how Rahaf suggests organizations optimize workflows and policies for the health of their teams. Outline of This Episode [1:24] Why leadership is about courage to execute on values[1:55] The reasons behind Rahaf writing her book, “Hustle + Float[3:10] Who are “Productive Creatives” and what kind of work do they do?[9:15] Where do we get our ideas about work?[11:40] How does the digital, virtual workplace impact this issue?[17:10] Advice for those wanting to learn ...
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    22 mins

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