Renee Giarrusso's Blog, page 7

Energy is the New Currency of Leadership

In the evolving landscape we all work within, leadership has undergone a profound transformation.

The world has changed and so have we.

With so much going on, we need to be mindful of our energy and that of others and not just our physical energy but our energy across the five key facets that make us who we are.

This approach helps us to be what I call a Limitless Leader. A leader of self-and/or others who can learn, unlearn, relearn, and evolve.

It’s all about energy and involves us harnessing this energy across the 5 Dimensions of Limitless Leadership:

Emotional energy – How we feel.Mental energy – How we think.Social energy – How we connect.Physical energy – How we function.Spiritual energy – What we believe and nurture.

Energy is something I am known for and passionate about. I have always reinforced the importance of protecting and replenishing our energy to live our best lives in and out of the workplace.

When we have energy across these five areas, we have balance and can do the things that light us up. We can also assist those around us to be aware of their energy.

Knowing when we are at our highest energy in each area can help us identify where we currently sit and what we need to do to bring this back up.

Learning Jolt:
Rate each of the 5 dimensions listed above 1-5 (1=low and 5=perfect)

Ask:
What is one thing I can do to move the needle towards a 5/5?
When I was a 5/5 in this area was different?

“We cannot lead from an empty cup,
we want to give the world the best of us,
not what’s left of us.”

 

Here are 5 strategies to embrace multi-faceted energy:Emotional Energy

Tap into and deepen emotional intelligence through self-awareness and empathy. Encourage open communication, active listening, and a culture where vulnerability is embraced.
Self-awareness involves understanding your emotions and knowing when you might be feeling stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed. Know your triggers and what people and si8tuations best serve you. Acknowledge and validate your feelings rather than suppressing them. Prioritise self-care as a regular practice and lock this in your diary.

Mental Energy

Be conscious of your mindset as your thoughts result in feelings and actions. Promote continuous learning and adaptability. Encourage critical thinking, innovation, and problem-solving. Incorporate mindfulness into your daily routine. Start with short meditation sessions or deep breathing exercises to stay present and reduce stress. Cultivate gratitude by acknowledging three things you're thankful for each day. I love the 3:1 ratio-3 positives to every negative.
Ensure meaningful social connections and relationships. Spend quality time with loved ones, friends, or support groups.

Social Energy

Build deep connections and relationships & foster collaboration and inclusivity. Eliminate relationships that drain you. Spend quality time with family, friends, and loved ones. Make sure you practice active listening and open, honest communication in your relationships as this creates understanding, resolves conflicts, and builds trust.

Seek out new social opportunities that align with your interests. Meeting new people can broaden your social connections and provide fresh perspectives. Put in place boundaries in relation to the time and energy spent with others. This can prevent burnout and maintain emotional well-being. Create your “No” list-who and what are you saying NO to?

Physical Energy

Create habits around health and well-being. Get moving!! Australians spend 90% of time indoors!! Ideally aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise per week. A 15-minute walk can do wonders.

Get outside in nature. Our brains slow down as we cannot comprehend the complexity of nature; therefore, we feel more in tune and relaxed. Mix up your diet so it’s balanced and ensure you are getting 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Minimise screens tow hrs before bed. Practice stress-reduction techniques such as deep breathing or yoga to lower cortisol levels and promote physical well-being.

Provide flexible work arrangements to accommodate personal needs, reducing burnout and increasing productivity.

Spiritual Energy

Nurture a sense of purpose and meaning. Bring mindfulness into your everyday life by staying present in each moment. Pay attention to your thoughts and feelings without judgment. Encourage mindfulness practices or moments of reflection to help you and others connect with their inner selves. Starting a daily journal to record your thoughts, experiences, and reflections can help you gain insight into your spiritual journey and track your growth over time. Know your beliefs and values in life and review these to ensure you are living a life aligned with meaning and purpose. Practice forgiveness and know that your spiritual well-being is a deeply personal journey. It involves self-exploration, growth, and a commitment to living in alignment with your values and beliefs.

Energy can be felt by others and when we have balanced energy across the 5 dimensions of wellbeing, we can live the best version of ourselves.

By focusing on these five dimensions, our leadership not only empowers individuals but also can transform ourselves and the business we work within, into vibrant, adaptive, and sustainable entities capable of thriving in an ever-changing world.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts and what you are putting into action.

Who’s Looking After the Leader?

Who’s looking after the leader?

We are all leaders.

Whether you lead a team or lead decisions, first and foremost you need to lead yourself.

Yes, self-leadership is what I am referring to and unfortunately, it is an area that often lacks focus.

Would you believe Australia has the highest reported rate of burnout globally?

We sit at 62%, with the global average at 48%.

Many factors are contributing to this, such as fewer people doing more in the workplace, people working longer hours, unclear role expectations, post-pandemic trauma and an imbalance between our work and personal lives.

There is also the common reality of working within a workplace where the culture focuses on 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 and 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 and where 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 are the least focused on.

Less people are doing more.

This often results in business leaders experiencing overwhelm, burn out and mental health issues.

There may be ad-hoc yoga, muffins, and sugar-hit feel-good remedies but not sustainable, long-lasting practices to enhance connection, collaboration, and purpose among employees.

I believe that energy is the new currency of leadership.

When we don’t look after ourselves and focus our attention outwards this can prevent us giving and living our best selves in and out of the workplace

“Give the world the best of you,
Not what’s left of you”.

We need to create energy and balance in each of the 5 key areas of wellbeing:
• Emotional energy – How we feel.
• Mental energy – How we think.
• Social energy – How we connect.
• Physical energy – How we function.
• Spiritual energy – What we believe and nurture.

We cannot pour from an empty cup, in life and work, we should be giving all of us, not what is left of us.

Over the last 8 months, I have seen so many leaders and executives operating in survival mode, and this is affecting their health, career, home life and overall selves.

Recently, I’ve been working across many organisations and associations, running keynotes and “Skill Pill” size 2-hour workshops on “Who is looking after the leader?” The feedback and responsiveness to the twelve strategies we have been teaching have been amazing. We include a self-rated energy review which is a great starting point to know where your energy is currently at and when was the last time you felt energised across the five areas of wellbeing.

We need to know when we have felt our most energised in order to gauge when we feel depleted.

A few of the strategies we explored and expanded upon include:

Start a ‘NO” list

Who and what do you need to say no to?Create a list and review it monthly.Helps to put boundaries in place.

Nurture your support network and mentors

Ensure you have a strong support network around you.Aim for 5 people who will support, challenge and be there for you.Be open and honest with your mentor or coach.

Create boundaries-digital/physical/emotional

Get away from the screen-diarise a cyber cleanse time.Eliminate people and situations that drain you.Create working hour boundaries and times to exercise and sleep.

Practise gratitude

Journal who & what you are grateful for.Gratitude helps us focus on what we do have as opposed to what we don't.Read more here: https://reneegiarrusso.com/gratitude-the-untapped-currency-for-workplace-retention/

Do what lights you up

Know the things that energise and motivate you.Bring these into your professional and personal life.Kick off Monday with these, as this sets the tone of the week.

Delegate what you like doing

Let go of something you have learnt from.Empower and grow others by sharing tasks across the team.Get the time back to do something progressive (leading Vs. managing)

Embrace a Gift Mindset

Welcome challenges and mistakes as an opportunity to learn.Take the time to reflect on what you have learnt.Share your lessons with others; this may be a survival guide for them.

Get moving outdoors

Diarise the time to walk daily outside – 15 minutes even does wonders.Our brains cannot comprehend the complexity of nature, so it slows us down.Take some time to be alone and present.

How we live and lead ourselves is entirely up to us, but the good news is, we all have a choice and a choice that has two options.

The more we give back to ourselves, the more we can grow and be in service to others.

As always, I’d love to hear what resonated with you!

52. Who’s looking after the leader? Yes that’s you!

In this solo episode, I talk about the importance of self-leadership and how it can transform our lives and careers. As leaders, we often neglect ourselves as we juggle work, life, and everything else happening in the world. Unfortunately, this has led to Australia having the highest reported rate of burnout globally. It's time to prioritise our wellbeing, integrate balance into our lives, and focus on people over progress.

Key Take Aways:

We discuss key strategies for self-care, setting boundaries, gratitude, delegation, and embracing challenges as opportunities. Remember to spend time in nature and prioritise self-care to grow and better serve others.

The high rate of burnout and its impactBuilding connection and purpose in the workplaceCreating a No ListSetting boundaries and prioritising self-careThe power of meaningful relationshipsPracticing gratitude for personal and professional growth

Resources:

Cook & Connect 1-day Retreat November 2023

Team Cook & Connect Retreat

FREE resources and 90-day Planner

Enjoy This Podcast?

Leadership in changing times can be difficult, but you can adopt certain traits to get your team through it. You can also join mentorship programs to gain the skill you need.

Post a review and share it! If you learned something by tuning into this podcast, do not hesitate to write a review and share it with your friends! The world needs more people with the drive and leadership qualities to make the world a better place. We need strong leadership skills and a learner’s attitude today more than ever.

For more updates and episodes, visit and subscribe to the Limitless Leaders podcast page!

Have any questions? You can contact me through these platforms:

Company website   Instagram   Facebook   LinkedIn   

To leading the future,

Renée

51. What it takes to create winning presentations with David Fish

In this episode, Renee speaks with David Fish, a globally recognised strategist, business leader and record-breaking pilot. David's book “What it Takes to Create Winning Presentations” is structured around 12 tools, organised into four toolboxes: clear, concise, compelling, and simple. These tools help understand the audience, organize content concisely, create a compelling story structure, and ensure the message is understood and conveyed effectively.

You can watch the podcast here, click the image below, or listen on your favourite platforms.

Key Take Aways:

We discuss his new book which emphasises the importance of seeking different perspectives, tailoring communication to meet client needs, and using storytelling and emotion to engage audiences. David shares insights on simplifying content, maintaining virtual audience engagement, and creating positive and engaging introductions.

The importance of presentation skillsA leader David amiresShifting mindset to focus on solving audience's needsStructuring presentations with clear, concise, compelling, and simple toolsAdapting presentations for virtual settingsKeeping the audience engaged and avoiding disconnectionTips for overcoming nervousnessUsing headlines to tell the story.

Contact David:

David Fish Website

What it Takes to Create Winning Presentations book

David Fish LinkedIn

Enjoy This Podcast?

Leadership in changing times can be difficult, but you can adopt certain traits to get your team through it. You can also join mentorship programs to gain the skill you need.

Post a review and share it! If you learned something by tuning into this podcast, do not hesitate to write a review and share it with your friends! The world needs more people with the drive and leadership qualities to make the world a better place. We need strong leadership skills and a learner’s attitude today more than ever.

For more updates and episodes, visit and subscribe to the Limitless Leaders podcast page!

Have any questions? You can contact me through these platforms:

Company website   Instagram   Facebook   LinkedIn   

To leading the future,

Renée

Relationships and Connections are Key to Workplace Retention

In today's fast-paced world of work, corporate leaders and business owners are constantly striving to achieve success while in the pursuit of profits and growth. Unfortunately, one important factor that often gets overlooked is the value put on relationships and connections within the workplace.

Attractive compensation packages and incentives are not enough to keep people committed and fulfilled in their roles. What I am seeing and know from experience is there needs to be a focus on creating an environment where people feel valued, engaged, and connected.

The Bureau of Statistics shows that in Australia, 13.8 million people were employed in February 2023. Over half had been employed in their current job for less than five years. About 1 in 5 (21%) had been in their job for less than one year. People are moving; they are seeking purpose, appreciation, and connection. 282,700 professionals changed jobs during the year ending February 2023, which was a 24% share of all people who changed jobs. The pain is real, and apart from the cost of rehiring, we are losing great talent and diminishing what could be a great workplace culture.

In this week’s Limitless Leaders blog, I want to explore and expand on why I believe relationships and connection are key to retaining staff who are fulfilled, productive, committed, and happy.

The business of business is relationships;
the business of life is human connection.
-Robin Sharma

Working across a myriad of organisations, I see many putting a high value of forging and sustaining strong connective relationships as part of the culture. On the flip side, there are those organisations that are so focused on the bottom line, profit, and productivity that the human element is put on the back burner.

I say, “Put people before process and progress.” We can have the best strategy, systems, and structure in place, but without the people, nothing can be achieved, and the culture would be soulless.

There are many strategies we can implement to create and foster connection and deeper relationships in the workplace. I’ve expanded on a few that I have seen in practice.

Promote Open Communication: Encourage open, honest, and transparent communication channels between management, employees, and divisions. The pay-off is that this creates a sense of trust and empowers employees to voice their concerns, ideas, challenges and even mistakes without fear of facing consequences. Be sure to diarise and implement regular one-on-one meetings and team gatherings to promote a culture of openness.

Adopt the Gift Mindset Culture: Create regular open forums such as “Win Wednesdays” and “Failure Fridays” where people can share their gifts (lessons) from the challenging and positive experiences they encounter. This is a great way for people to connect through sharing best practices and what they have learnt from challenges or mistakes that could be a survival guide for someone else. These Gift Mindset forums allow people to share the good and the bad without judgement and with support to move beyond their mistakes or challenges.

Create activities to bring people together: A great idea that maximises learning and connection is to invest in initiatives that boost employee engagement. This could include things such as training and development programs, team-building activities, and wellness initiatives. When people learn and grow together, relationships grow deeper, especially if participants are grouped together for accountability check ins and regular catch ups. When people are engaged, they are more likely to stay committed to their roles, knowing their growth and well-being are valued.

Conduct Stay Interviews: This concept was something I bought into organisations many years ago. By simply conducting periodic stay interviews, you get to understand what motivates employees to stay and what aspects might lead them to consider leaving. This proactive approach allows leaders to address potential issues and implement necessary changes to improve retention. If you’d like to know more, please go to an article I wrote on this here.

Promote a Collaborative Environment: Collaboration is key; when people feel like they belong, they feel connected and part of something bigger. Getting teams to brainstorm or co-create together results in collaboration, connection, and buy-in. When employees feel connected to their colleagues, they are more likely to form long-lasting bonds and are less likely to leave for another job opportunity. Encourage cross-functional projects and open spaces for brainstorming and knowledge sharing.

Practice gratitude: Lack of recognition and praise is a key reason many people leave organisations. Take the time to acknowledge and appreciate employee contributions regularly. A simple “thank you” or recognition program can go a long way in making employees feel valued and motivated to continue performing at their best. A great question to ask at team catch up is, “Who and what are you grateful for?” Gratitude is now proven to have wellbeing effects, something much needed now.

Leverage strengths: We all have strengths and certain things we enjoy doing at work. Find out what lights people up and delegate to these strengths. Ensure individuals know each-other’s strengths, then these can be leveraged, and everyone will feel involved and be doing what they love at the same time.

Make work-life balance a priority: Burnout, exhaustion, mental issues and overwhelm are in play more than ever. Recognise the importance of work-life balance and encourage employees to take time off to recharge, set boundaries around work hours and come up with sustainable ways of working. Burnout is a leading cause of employee turnover, so promoting a healthy balance between work and personal life is essential.

Relationships and connection are priority factors in staff retention. I believe as leaders, or as a business owner, we need to nurture these bonds within organisations.

There is no magic pill for retention; sometimes, freeing up an employee’s future is the right thing to do, but in many cases, we lose great people for the wrong reasons.

We need to be proactive, and by fostering some of the above strategies, we can create a workplace where employees feel valued, engaged, and fulfilled. Investing in these key actions will not only lead to improved employee retention but also contribute to a more successful and sustainable business in the long run.

Please remember, your employees are your most valuable asset – nurture those relationships, and your business will thrive.

50. Communication and courage to lead through the storm with Leah Mether

In this episode, we discuss the importance of soft skills in leadership and navigating change effectively with Leah Mether, a Communications Specialist and author. We explore the role of emotional intelligence and the challenges faced by leaders who excel technically but struggle with people management. We emphasise the power of curiosity, reflection, and gratitude during times of change. Tune in for practical tips and a team game that promotes diversity of thought and communication.

You can watch the podcast here, click the image below, or listen on your favourite platforms.

Key Take Aways:

This episode delves into the mindset of leadership and the importance of caring for and empowering individuals. The conversation emphasises the power of curiosity in resolving disagreements and the value of questioning established practices and traditions. We discuss the fear of change and the need to focus on what comes next and ask questions to navigate change effectively.

The importance of leadership in guiding people through changeEmbracing curiosity and collaboration in navigating changeWhat do we want to be known for as a team?The power of choosing our responseLife-altering changesFinding gratitude in times of change

Contact Leah:

Leah Mether Website

Leah Mether LinkedIn

Leah Mether Instagram

Enjoy This Podcast?

Leadership in changing times can be difficult, but you can adopt certain traits to get your team through it. You can also join mentorship programs to gain the skill you need.

Post a review and share it! If you learned something by tuning into this podcast, do not hesitate to write a review and share it with your friends! The world needs more people with the drive and leadership qualities to make the world a better place. We need strong leadership skills and a learner’s attitude today more than ever.

For more updates and episodes, visit and subscribe to the Limitless Leaders podcast page!

Have any questions? You can contact me through these platforms:

Company website   Instagram   Facebook   LinkedIn   

To leading the future,

Renée

How do you respond when asked the ‘RUOK’ Question?

September 14 is RUOK Day!

For me, I believe we should be checking in with others and ourselves every day.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that over two in five Australians aged 16-85 years (43.7% or 8.6 million people) had experienced a mental disorder at some time in their life, and anxiety was the most common group of 12-month mental disorders (16.8% or 3.3 million people).

Burnout, overwhelm, anxiety, and poor mental health can affect our wellbeing and life in every area. These are all things that can sometimes not be visibly seen, and therefore, we need to reach out to others and be open when others reach out to us.

Being a natural “giver’ in my work and home life, it’s sometimes hard to ask for help, let alone be open and sharing with where I’m at. Recently, I had to learn the hard way. I was feeling extremely overwhelmed and hit with a health issue, and it was only when a close friend kept on my back on how I was really feeling that I broke down in uncontrollable tears and shared what was going on. For two days, I felt shocking, and then I pulled myself together and felt more grounded and calm than I had in a long time.

Sharing how we are feeling doesn't always cure what’s going on, but connection is a human need and having support and care from others counts for a lot.

What I find when checking in with many people, both in and out of the workplace, is that sometimes the response to the question “Are you OK?” can be a bit vanilla with responses like “I’m OK, I guess”, “Yeah, I’m hanging in there”, or the most common one “, I’m not bad, thanks”.

It’s too easy to accept those responses, and if you are on the receiving end, it’s just as easy to have an automated answer, but is that really working for you?

There is a lot of focus on asking, “Are you OK?” but not much focus on how we could or should respond to make the most of this kind of check in from others.

When someone asks if you are okay or how you are really doing, you have a few options for how to respond, depending on your comfort level and the relationship with the person asking. If you are suffering in any way and someone asks if you are okay, it can be challenging to know how to respond.

Here are a few ideas:

Say thank you: Always say thank you for asking: It doesn’t matter how you choose to respond; I believe it’s essential to acknowledge their concern. You can say something like, “Thanks for caring about me. It means a lot.”

Ask for support: If you feel open and comfortable seeking help from the person asking, you can let them know what you need. An example could be, “Thanks, I really appreciate your concern. Right now, I could use someone to talk to and a bit of support.”

Be open and honest: If you feel comfortable sharing, you can be open and tell them how you're feeling. You might say something like, “I appreciate you asking; thank you. I've been feeling a bit down lately, but I'm trying to work through it.”

Express gratitude: People reach out because they care and usually have good intentions. If you don't want to share your current mental state or whatever it is that is going on, you can still express gratitude for their concern. For example, you could say, “I appreciate your concern. It means a lot to me that you asked.”

Engage a professional: When you feel comfortable doing so, you can always mention that you're seeking support from a mental health professional. You could say, “I'm working with a therapist to help me through this difficult time.”

Deflect with empathy: Sometimes, you may not be open or ready to talk about your mental well-being. This is where you have every right to deflect the question. Make sure your delivery is polite and authentic. You might say something like, “I'm okay, thank you. How about you? How's everything going on your end?”

Find someone you trust and seek their support: If you feel like you need someone to talk to, consider reaching out to a friend, family member, or a professional you trust. You can tell the person who asked that you appreciate their concern and have someone you're comfortable talking to.

Make your boundaries clear: Boundaries are simply rules around what and what isn’t okay. If the person asking is not someone you want to discuss your well-being with, you need to set boundaries. You could say, “I prefer not to discuss my state right now, but I really do appreciate your checking in.”

I will say I am not an expert at this, but over the years, I’ve come to realise I always support others more than I do myself. This is not sustainable. We all need support in different ways and from different people. When people check in, it’s almost an insult to brush them off when all they are doing or offering is support.

We need to remember that it's essential to prioritise our well-being and comfort when responding to such questions. Whenever you feel overwhelmed or need support, don't hesitate to reach out to someone you trust or a professional. Our overall health is essential; seeking help when needed is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Taking care of your mental health is a non-negotiable, and seeking help is a sign of strength and self-care.

Reach out to me if you need a chat or any support.

Lead and live limitlessly.

49. Lead with Wellbeing

Joining us today is leadership expert, keynote speaker and founder of Blueberry Institute, Fleur Heazlewood. Fleur is the author of the best health and wellbeing book in Israel in 2022, entitled Resilience Recipe. Her follow-up book, “Leading Wellbeing,” is a great resource for mental health conversations at work.

With over 20 years of corporate leadership experience, Fleur has changed more than 3,000 people through programs on positive performance, future-fit resilience, and mental health mastery. She helps address the challenges of change, uncertainty, team stress, and top talent burnout.

You can watch the podcast here, click the image below, or listen on your favourite platforms.

Key Take Aways:

Many have experienced burnout and exhaustion because we were used to the culture of prioritizing results, sales, and targets. People come in last. The thing is, organizations can only be sustainable when leaders treat themselves and other people well. Now, we know that burnout is not an acceptable prize for success. If we want high-performing teams, the health and wellbeing of their people must come first.

A lot of leaders are focusing on the bottom line to the detriment of the people. During stressful situations, leaders double down on what they know, i.e. getting results, sales, quotas done. They do not double down on things that they were not trained to do, i.e. prioritize their people.Leaders are in danger of burning out, too. To propel their team forward, they must take care of themselves first.By setting boundaries, leaders can identify what they need to be doing and what their teams need to be doing. Burnout is not about balance, it is about boundaries.Hybrid work environments have advantages and disadvantages on wellbeing. As humans, we are wired to connect with other people. It is not healthy to function at work solely on a transactional basis.We have become “human doings”, not human beings. High performers are seen as human capital, which makes them more vulnerable to burnout.One thing that all of us can do is to start our day right. What we do in the first hour of our day sets the tone for the entire day. Monday mornings will also set the tone for the whole week. We all have an hour of our day if only we put down our phones upon waking up.

Contact Fleur:

Blueberry Institute Website

Fleur Heazlewood LinkedIn

Fleur Heazlewood Instagram

 

Enjoy This Podcast?

Leadership in changing times can be difficult, but you can adopt certain traits to get your team through it. You can also join mentorship programs to gain the skill you need.

Post a review and share it! If you learned something by tuning into this podcast, do not hesitate to write a review and share it with your friends! The world needs more people with the drive and leadership qualities to make the world a better place. We need strong leadership skills and a learner’s attitude today more than ever.

For more updates and episodes, visit and subscribe to the Limitless Leaders podcast page!

Have any questions? You can contact me through these platforms:

Company website   Instagram   Facebook   LinkedIn   

To leading the future,

Renée

48. How to create impossible change in the new world of work

Vanessa Vershaw, author of “Unreasonable Ambition”, is an award-winning organisational psychologist and is recognised as an elite peak-performance coaching psychologist, entrepreneur, and transformation strategist.

Her dedication and experience, spanning over two decades of work, have paved the way for business leaders to shift their mindset to go beyond resilience, adaptability and big-hearted ambition.

 

Key Take Aways:

There is no one way to be a good leader. There is only YOUR way. As the world changes, it is crucial to discover one's gifts and potential and harness them in their own unique way. The challenges of this world are so big that they demand big ambitions from our leaders. There is no better time than now to adopt a people-centric organisational culture.

The world has changed, and so have we as we are now living in the “next normal”. After going through the pandemic, people's priorities have changed. Employees want a human-centric culture, where they (not their tasks) are the priority of the company.Change starts with the leader. It's “people before process before progress”. This is not the time to fear the storm. Instead, they as the leaders must be the storm to shake things up and deliver the outcome most beneficial for all.The leader's role is to grow future leaders. It is not a natural position, there has to be intentionality in prioritizing people and organizational dynamics instead of strategies.We are the leader of oneself who are capable of leaving a legacy to each person we interact with. To lead your life, you need to be leading yourself first.Knowing is one thing. Doing is where the magic is. Your personal values and the values of the company should be aligned. Every decision you make is anchored on the values that you hold onto.

 

Contact Vanessa:

Vanessa Vershaw websiteVanessa Vershaw LinkedIn

 

Unreasonable Ambition on Amazon

 

Enjoy This Podcast?

Leadership in changing times can be difficult, but you can adopt certain traits to get your team through it. You can also join mentorship programs to gain the skill you need.

Post a review and share it! If you learned something by tuning into this podcast, do not hesitate to write a review and share it with your friends! The world needs more people with the drive and leadership qualities to make the world a better place. We need strong leadership skills and a learner’s attitude today more than ever.

For more updates and episodes, visit and subscribe to the Limitless Leaders podcast page!

Have any questions? You can contact me through these platforms:

Company website   Instagram   Facebook   LinkedIn   

To leading the future,

Renée

Share Failures to Create a Connected Workplace Culture

I’d love to ask you a question.

“Do you and those within your organisation feel confident in being open to sharing mistakes and challenges at work?”

Over the last few years, I have asked this question to leaders, executives, business owners and my peers, and eight times out of ten people responded with no.

How your organisation views failure as a whole will ingrain the behaviour of whether or not sharing lessons, mistakes, and challenges is part of the culture. This has a direct impact on productivity and connection within the organisation. People waste time and resources by reinventing the wheel, reliving the mistakes of others, and wasting time researching solutions and information to create future success.

Many organisational cultures do not encourage or condone the sharing of challenges or failures. This means that sharing might never enter your mind, especially if your current organisation is all you have ever known.

Analysts show that Fortune 500 lose a combined $31 billion annually from employees failing to share knowledge and lessons effectively.

The Gift Mindset is the portal to creating a culture of openness, sharing, connection and collaboration.

A Gift Mindset is a mindset where we are open to unwrapping the lessons (gifts) in challenging experiences and even challenging people.

Sharing these lessons can progress us and others forward in an open forum.

Why share challenges and mistakes?When people can share challenges, mistakes, and failures in a safe space, they are encouraged and supported to move beyond these.Promotes innovation and creativity as people feel open to creating and taking risks.It helps build trust and psychological safety.Encourages a learning organisation that promotes learning and sharing.It enhances problem-solving skills and helps get to the root cause.Helps avoid costly mistakes as when discussed, this can help prevent serious errors.Improves team collaboration as openly discussing mistakes encourages teamwork and cooperation.Reduces repetitive errors if these are shared out in the open.Sharing our lessons could be a survival guide for someone else.Identifying “how” we got through something helps us deepen and develop key soft skills such as resilience, optimism, curiosity and growth.Failing to share what we have learnt is selfish.Sharing drives connection, innovation, communication and collaboration.There are many strategies we can implement, including:

‘Win Wednesday'
Get individuals/teams to share a win and how they achieved it, including the challenges and mistakes.

Create a regular forum to share and learn, which can be done face-to-face or virtually. This provided motivation, sharing of learnings and connection and trust in the team.

‘Failure Fridays'
Share a mistake, challenge, or failure, what helped them through it, and the key learnings.

Discuss the learnings openly; you will see others contribute with similar experiences and lessons.

1:1 Sessions
Individual catch-ups encourage people to share challenges and opportunities and deep dive into what went wrong and how that lesson can feed into future development plans.

It's important to note that while sharing mistakes is beneficial, it should be accompanied by a supportive environment. Employees need to feel supported and encouraged to learn from their mistakes rather than being shamed for them. This will foster a positive and constructive learning culture within the workplace, which we call a Gift Mindset Culture.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback.

Lead to be limitless.