If you ever wanted to know a little more about me – and my leadership style and challenges – here’s your chance.
I was honored and thrilled when Jim Rembach invited me to join him for a chat on his FastLeader Show. I’ve known Jim for a few years; he’s a great guy, and he knows his stuff. And he knows how to host a fun podcast. It was an energetic conversation from the moment we started!
Jim’s interviewing format is unique. He starts with the interviewee’s bio: his approach is to not just list what you’ve done; it’s more about who you are and what makes you, well, you. From there, he delves into leadership beliefs and then into the all-important story or challenge that made you who you are as a leader. He follows that up with your epiphany and what you did to overcome your leadership challenge.
In closing, he does a hump day hoe down. It’s as fabulous as it sounds… six questions, in rapid succession, with a spin toward advice for other leaders or aspiring leaders. Questions include:
- What’s holding you back as a leader?
- What’s the best leadership advice you’ve ever received?
- What’s one secret to your success?
- and more!
To listen to our interview, please set aside about 20 minutes, and click here.
A couple of noteworthy things, according to Jim, that I said during this interview, include:
- Speak your mind; your opinion matters.
- When you come to a fork in the road, take it.
- Do your homework, and be prepared.
- Actions speak louder than words.
- Leadership is about a lot of different things.
- You can only blame yourself for where you are today versus where you want to be.
There’s one thing I said that didn’t make the final podcast cut, but I think it’s worth mentioning. Jim asked about how I balance all the things on my plate. My response/advice was to prioritize and to…
- Always make time for things that are important to you.
Hope you enjoy our conversation!
The supreme quality of leadership is integrity. -Dwight Eisenhower
"You can only blame yourself for where you are today versus where you want to be." I really appreciate this. Just yesterday I was telling someone this very thing and that you can change tomorrow only based on what you are thinking and doing today. Personal accountability is where it all starts.
I particularly like your point about speaking your mind Annette.
We love to conform, but in doing so we so often keep our mouths shut, which does nothing for either integrity or innovation.
Thanks, Skip. So true, isn't it!
It's a tough one because – from where I sit (as a woman) – speaking your mind sometimes gets interpreted differently. But I do believe it's important. We certainly can't move forward if we're all sitting around agreeing that what we're doing is the right thing… even though we know it's not.
Hi Annette,
Nice work! I particularly like the very last point: "Always make time for things that are important to you." I think the only distinction I would make is to be clear on what is important to you. Not, what you think should be important or what others think but what it is that is really important to you.
Thanks, Adrian
Thank you, Adrian. Great clarification to the mantra. The way I apply it is definitely making it about things that really matter to me.