Share
![cover art for Indispensable Lessons for Inspirational Leaders](https://res.cloudinary.com/pippa/image/fetch/h_750,w_750,f_auto/https://assets.pippa.io/shows/undefined/1586246642724-ad714d592266b49b0e6d601846cc1b07.jpeg)
Roar with Lakecia Gunter
Indispensable Lessons for Inspirational Leaders
A few years ago, I took a class at work called, “Executive Inspirational Leadership” – and as luck would have it, Adam Bryant, my guest today, was the instructor. The class was centered around inspiration and how to optimize your leadership voice to accelerate growth in the company. I was so excited to learn from one of the most respected and noted experts on executive leadership, and needless to say, I was not disappointed at the end of it.
In fact, I left extremely energized and motivated to put in practice every piece of information I got - and I’m sure you’ll feel the same way after listening to my discussion with him.
Today, I invited Adam to talk about the ways we can increase our leadership capacity and capability to be more impactful and inspirational leaders. He shares some of the insights he gained from interviewing hundreds of CEOs and underlines the qualities and skills he discovered in them by asking simple, yet powerful questions.
Adam Bryant is the Managing Director at Merryck & Co. – a leadership development and executive mentoring firm – and he joined the company in 2017, after a 30-year career in journalism, including 18 years at The New York Times. In addition to his roles as a reporter and editor, Adam created the weekly Corner Office column in 2009 where he interviewed 525 CEOs and other leaders, over a decade. Based on the themes that emerged from those interviews, he wrote two books - “Quick and Nimble” and “The Corner Office” - and he’s soon launching his third, called “The CEO Test”.
Since joining Merryck, he has started a popular interview series on LinkedIn with Board of Directors, CEOs and CHROs – Chief Human Resource Officers – and he writes a monthly column on leadership for Strategy + Business Magazine.
Listen to Episode 03 of Roar, to learn some of the challenges that make or break all leaders, how the new normal might look like in terms of leadership once the pandemic ends, and how do we prepare for all the changes that are going to happen.
Some questions I ask:
- What is your background and how did it shape you to be who you are today? (04:50)
- What was the most valuable lesson you learned while working as a columnist and an editor at The New York Times? (07:46)
- What led you to start the Corner Office? (11:06)
- What was a defining moment that pushed you to find your Roar – that thing inside that allowed you to move past inhibition, fear, or anxiety around what you wanted to do? (14:35)
- Has anything shifted or changed, given that we’re in a global crisis, that you think is important to call out to the forefront in terms of what leaders should be focusing on right now? (26:32)
- What do you think that the new normal might look like and what changes do you see as being inevitable once the outbreak is over? (28:40)
- What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received? (34:04)
- Can you tell us a little bit about your books? (37:23)
In this episode, you will learn:
- How being able to adapt to change and finding his voice at a very early age empowered Adam to pursue working at The New York Times. (06:20)
- How practicing the art of dumb questions can lead to innovative ideas. (09:06)
- What Adam focused on, as he explored the minds of the leaders he interviewed. (12:36)
- Entrepreneurship means taking leaps of faith, trusting your gut, and accepting you’re going to be wrong sometimes. (16:26)
- The three questions that lead to the most insightful answers. (18:40)
- The “bank-shot” questions CEOs ask when they are hiring people. (21:41)
- How to communicate complex strategies in a simple and easy-to-understand way. (22:57)
- Adam’s advice on the importance of building relationships. (42:59)
Connect with Adam:
Let’s connect:
More episodes
View all episodes
38. The Power of Modern Mentorship
44:17||Ep. 38Only 37% of professionals have a mentor. This statistic is surprising, as mentorship is the secret behind so many successful people. Modern mentoring and the power of mentorship can help you achieve your goals—both personally and professionally. We should all be seeking to develop our skills, continually learning new things, and challenging ourselves on a regular basis, which takes a good degree of devotion and commitment. In a mentor, you have someone who can help guide, advise, and teach you through a problem or towards a goal. My guest today is Lani Phillips, vice president of global partner solutions, US Channel Sales for Microsoft. She has over 20 years of experience and inclusive leadership and transformation management in the tech industry and has developed a reputation for being a transformational and inclusive leader who is committed to empowering people. Her passion for inspiring, transforming and growing leaders lead her to launch Modern Mentoring with Lani Phillips, a digital mentoring series created with the intention of sharing wisdom globally and making it accessible for anyone looking to thrive in corporate spaces.In this episode, you’ll hear Lani’s personal experience with mentorship, how it has contributed greatly to her success and why she believes so deeply in the practice. She shares how she took to heart her mother’s prioritization of education, why it’s important not to limit our network, and how she recently launched her own digital show centered on modern mentoring, What You Will Learn:The power of mentorship from a young age (09:59)Deliberate career planning is one key to success (13:57)Before looking for a mentor, define your needs (18:27)Mentorships should have a defined start and end date (22:19)The importance of valuing every member on your team (29:15)A sponsor should also be an advocate (32:39)Connect with Lani Phillips:Modern Mentoring with Lani PhillipsLinkedInLet’s connect!LinkedInTwitterInstagram37. Flipping The Switch And Moving From Employee to Entrepreneur
40:11||Ep. 37If you’ve ever thought about becoming an entrepreneur, the uncertainty of success can often be the biggest obstacle holding you back. Fear and doubt are inevitable, but allowing them to dictate your professional life could mean missing out on fulfilling your dreams. Sometimes it takes recognizing your potential through the eyes of others to really provide the confidence boost you need to take the entrepreneurial leap. My guest today is Monica Enand, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Zapproved, a cloud-based software provider for corporate legal departments. Their goal is to make it easier and more economical for businesses to navigate the increasing rules and regulations that clients face. Her many professional accolades include the 2018 Sam Blackman Award for Civic Engagement, the 2016 TiE Entrepreneur of the Year award, and the 2010 Portland Business Journal Orchid Award for achievement for women in business. In this episode, you’ll hear how Monica pursued her dream of building a successful software business. She shares her inspiring journey from employee to CEO, and how she overcame the fears and doubts she had about transitioning from a financially comfortable and successful tech role into starting her business. What You Will Learn:Recognizing your potential for the first time (5:09)The thrill when entrepreneurial lightning strikes (10:03)What successful entrepreneurs know about timing (14:36)Flipping the switch from idea to action (17:04)Fostering values of inclusivity within your business (24:59)Developing a mountain climbers mindset (30:33)Connect with Monica Enand:LinkedInLet’s connect!LinkedInTwitterInstagram36. The Wonder-Twin Powers of Recovery and Resilience
52:00||Ep. 36When we meet obstacles in our lives and careers, how do we move forward? After such a tumultuous year, we’ve learned to expect the unexpected with greater frequency. This has allowed us ample opportunities to test our ability to recover from adversity, and it’s built up our resilience to weather and learn from the challenges we face. My guest today is Kim Stevenson, Senior Vice President and General Manager of NetApp’s Foundational Data Services Business Unit where she’s helping to lead the charge into a new technology era. Kim most recently served as a senior executive with Lenovo as Senior Vice President and General Manager for the Data Center Group. She’s also a valued member of my personal board of advisors.In this episode, Kim shares the lessons she’s learned about overcoming adversity throughout her distinguished career. It’s taught her that avoiding change is never the best way forward, and the real wisdom is in the learning process. You’ll hear how she’s transformed adversity into her superpower, and why she believes diversity is so important in shaping a successful business. What You Will Learn:Drawing the line between kindness and being firm (6:06)Learning how to use your voice (11:09)Choosing to face the fire when things get hot (15:42)The simple key to overcoming adversity (21:41)Cultivating the muscle of resilience and recovery (33:25)Calling on the power of reflection (36:43)An outline for building a diverse team (43:50)Connect with Kim Stevenson:TwitterLinkedInLet’s connect!LinkedInTwitterInstagram35. Rising Up and Making Your Voice Heard
51:39||Ep. 35Success is something that builds up over time, making early influences fundamental. Having a strong support system of people who champion you and unbridled access to recreational and educational opportunities plant the seeds for strong, smart, and bold leaders.My guests today are Cyreena Boston Ashby, CEO of Girls Inc. in the Pacific Northwest, and Amaya Gustave, an alumna of the program and currently a student at Pitzer College in California. At Girls, Inc., Cyreena offers a variety of programs and after-school activities for youth, from 8 up to age 18. Amaya is a bright young woman on the rise who has come up through the organization since the age of eight. Both of these women share a capacity for inner strength, resilience, and a desire to make their voices heard. Through their mutual involvement in Girls, Inc., they’ve demonstrated how dedicated service to your community can become a pathway to your calling. Through effective mentorship, young people are able to use their voices fearlessly and courageously, building confidence and self-acceptance from the inside out.In this episode, we’ll talk about the early influences that led to a successful, service-focused career, and how that calling helped transform and enrich the life of one particular young woman. You’ll hear about the wide variety of programs that have influenced countless young people growing up with the support of Girls, Inc., and how access, encouragement, and early exposure are the foundational keys to future leadership.What You Will Learn:Early foundations for a legacy of service (3:45)How an iconic institution helped amplify a Roar (9:16)Carving out a career path through advocacy (13:55)Educating and preparing young women for lucrative careers (22:04)Key qualities that build resilience (32:32)The lasting power of being championed (34:12)Taking personal time to invest in young people (45:32)Connect with Cyreena Boston Ashby:LinkedInConnect with Amaya Gustave:LinkedInLet’s connect!LinkedInTwitterInstagram34. Building an Inclusive Space for the Future
39:07||Ep. 34If you can see it, you can be it, right? We know from history that it’s not always easy to become something when you’ve never seen your face reflected in the stories we’re taught. March is Women's History Month, and it’s an important time to recognize the trailblazers who have led the way. Their bravery and persistence have created pathways that make the journey less challenging for future generations who follow in their footsteps. My guest today is a trailblazer in every sense of the word. Dr. Renee Horton is an entrepreneur, author, international speaker, and physicist. After earning her bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Louisiana State University in 2002, she went on to earn her Ph.D. in Material Science with a concentration in physics from the University of Alabama. As the first African American to earn this degree, she continues to pay it forward as the proud founder of Unapologetically Being Incorporated, a nonprofit for advocacy and mentoring in STEM. Today, she works at the NASA Residential Management Office in New Orleans as a Space Launch System Quality Engineer. Her work is in helping to develop rockets for the 2024 Artemis mission, which will land the first woman on the moon.In today’s episode, you’ll hear her personal story of bravery and persistence as she rose above the challenges that life presented and claimed her seat at the table. She viewed every bump in the road as an opportunity, and her unique experience of rising to the top is helping countless others survive, thrive, and advocate for the success of future generations. You’ll hear how she’s literally sending rockets to the moon, and working every day to change the face of STEM. What You Will Learn:How strong early influences shape perspective (5:08)What perseverance looks like (10:16)Moving from imposter syndrome to owning our achievements (15:12)Sustaining the motivation to help your tribe (20:34)How a bump in the road led to novel innovation (21:55)Teaching the next generation how to survive and thrive (28:27)Manifesting your future into existence (34:58)Connect with Renee Horton:Renee Horton Ph.DLinkedInTwitterUnapologetically Being IncorporatedDr. H Explores the Universe: Mercury to Mars by K Renee Horton, Ph.D.Dr. H Explores the Universe: Jupiter to Uranus by K Renee Horton, Ph.D.Let’s connect!LinkedInTwitterInstagram33. Cultivating Greatness through Resilient Leadership
35:40||Ep. 33Throughout 2020, organizations have been tested as the pandemic quickly swept across the globe. Despite the rapid pace of change, some companies were able to meet their operational challenges head-on and actually thrived. These organizations share one trait in common. They were able to demonstrate resilience in the face of change. For high-performing leaders, resilience is imperative in order to thrive. Covid-19 has taught us the importance of being able to make quick decisions, and we’ve had to learn to be malleable as the conditions around us changed. Resilient leaders are born in these moments of adaptation, often learning through challenging personal circumstances.My guest today is Dr. Ruba Borno, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Global CX Centers at Cisco. Her role spans the full portfolio of Cisco support and professional services, including technical support, professional services, managed services, customer success, and global spare parts and repair logistics. Since first meeting Ruba at an event in Silicon Valley, we instantly struck up a lasting friendship. Her life story is one of great resilience, which has markedly shaped her life and ethos. Today, she shares her personal experience as a refugee, and how it led her to a keen understanding of the important things in life at a young age. The value she places on education, integrity, and family have played a pivotal role in her professional success, and her resilience in life has translated into outstanding professional success. What You Will Learn:How a resilient past paves the path to resilient leadership (4:49)The responsibility of leaders to those who come after them (6:55)Confidence in quick decision-making (11:21)Professional allies and the importance of advocacy (16:31)The most important skills young leaders must cultivate to be successful (20:13)How urgency can unleash innovation and inspire growth (24:40)Building better leaders through empathy and understanding (30:16)Connect with Dr. Ruba Borno:TwitterLinkedIn Let’s connect!LinkedInTwitterInstagram32. Making it Work: How Dual Career Couples Can Thrive in Love and Build Successful Careers
54:57||Ep. 32Having a handful of professional role models to look up to is important for anyone climbing the corporate ladder. But, we all know that work isn’t everything. When it comes to measuring the level of fulfillment in our lives, personal relationships are an important source of comfort and strength. We need role-models who represent our relationship goals, in conjunction with our professional aspirations.My guests today are power couple Tony and Lisa Neal-Graves, two people who have mastered the art of building successful careers and nurturing their strong partnership. They have served as industry leaders from high-tech to state government. Tony is Chief Information Officer and Executive Director of the Colorado Office of Information Technology, where he leads over 1,000 technology professionals. Lisa is a bonafide cultural innovation trailblazer. As CEO of Trustify Community Incorporated, she’s responsible for driving the creation of AI-augmented applications to address racial equity issues. Tony and Lisa were instrumental in my success at Intel, and they continue to be mentors and close friends. I’m excited to have them here sharing their unique and impressive experiences of navigating professional success while simultaneously nurturing their partnership. In this episode, Tony and Lisa share their sage advice on keeping a relationship strong when you’ve got two successful, continent-hopping executives in the mix. We’ll also talk about staying career flexible, embracing new opportunities, and the importance of making room for relationships within the context of busy work lives. What You Will Learn:How pioneering “firsts” help pave the way for many (4:30)The importance of building a solid foundation (15:10)What you can learn from your employment patterns (22:04)Staying flexible through phases of discovery (24:36)Sage advice from an intercontinental career (34:05)Deciding to be a force for change in your community (38:02)Lessons on work/life balance and effective leadership (49:15)Connect with Tony Neal-Graves:LinkedInConnect with Lisa Neal-Graves:LinkedInLet’s connect!LinkedInTwitterInstagram31. How to Develop a Personal Innovation Strategy to Ignite Your Career & Life
57:03||Ep. 31We’re living in changing times, and we’ve certainly seen how true that is with the disruption that’s been caused by Covid over the past year. We’ve all had to stay resilient through changing work, life, and family situations. It’s required us to think differently. It’s required us to be innovative in the face of change.There’s no denying that the digital revolution has arrived, and the pace of innovation isn’t losing any speed. If we want to stay relevant, we have to keep up and get comfortable with the pace of these changes. It’s become apparent that a personal innovation strategy is not only necessary, but it’s vital if we want to ride the digital wave. If we’re able to innovate in terms of the value we offer within the workforce, not only will we stay relevant, but we’ll create a unique niche for ourselves and stand out from the competition. My guest today is Steve Brown, a futurist, author, entrepreneur, and advisor. His experience in the world of high tech has spanned over 30 years, including a role as Intel's chief evangelist. He’s also worked in Intel labs, imagining and building plans for the world of the future. After Intel, Steve went on to build his own consulting business, Possibility and Purpose, LLC. His goal is to help companies understand and get comfortable with the breadth of technologies available to them, such as AI, blockchain, sensors, and augmented reality. He inspires companies to think innovatively as they prepare for the future. He’s the author of The Innovation Ultimatum: How Six Strategic Technologies Will Reshape Every Business in the 2020s.In this episode, we’ll talk about how you can prepare yourself, both personally and professionally, to be an active participant in the digital revolution, and why that’s crucial for the future of your life and business. We’ll also discuss how diversifying your experiences can ultimately help carve out a future that you’re uniquely qualified for, and how to avoid the limiting beliefs that can sometimes cause us to turn down great opportunities. What You Will Learn:How to raise a futurist (5:55)Building connection with your audience (8:35)Why the fear of failure can equal missed opportunities (13:09)Finding your personal definition for success (16:51)How diversification can broaden your path and create unseen opportunities (21:25)The “Four C’s”: Skills that will never be automated away (31:33)Technology trends that are shaping the future of business (41:14)Finding optimism through technology in a complicated world (51:11)Connect with Steve Brown:LinkedInTwitterResources:Website: The Bald FuturistBook: The Innovation Ultimatum: How Six Strategic Technologies Will Reshape Every Business in the 2020s by Steve BrownYoutube: The Bald FuturistLet’s connect!LinkedInTwitterInstagram30. The Art of Communication, and Why it’s Your Most Indispensable Skill
59:26||Ep. 30How much do you think about your role as a communicator? For leaders at every level, effective communication is what distinguishes the most impressionable leaders from the rest of the pack. Investing in this “soft” skill is not an elective in business; it’s an absolute necessity if you want to rise to the top. Good communication is universally agreed upon as being the most important and indispensable quality among leaders. It is inextricably linked to effective leadership because it is the basis of how we get things done day to day, it’s how we motivate people, and it’s the key to building lasting teams.My guest today is Larry Shoop, an expert in communications who helps leaders everywhere elevate their messaging, enhance employee engagement, and become more effective storytellers. Calling on over 40 years of experience in mainstream media and a distinguished career at Intel Corporation serving as Employee Communications Director and Executive Keynote Speaker, he started his own company. For over 5 years, FialloShoop Communications has been inspiring Fortune 100 leaders and executives to masterfully connect through more powerful and effective messaging. In this episode, we’ll hear about Larry’s journey towards becoming a master communicator, and the powerful lessons he learned from working with some of the most influential leaders in media and the corporate world. We’ll also discuss the lasting power of first impressions, the incalculable ROI when leaders invest in their own communications skills, and how leaders who listen can inspire and retain the people they lead. What You Will Learn:How tough love can inspire us to be better (6:33)How to have a constructive confrontation (8:57)The power of being prepared (17:01)Why good leaders are always great listeners (23:36)The weight of a first impression (32:52)Mistakes to avoid in the art of presentation (38:50)Getting comfortable with the physical aspects of presenting (40:33)Effective communicators who will inspire you (45:50)Connect with Larry Shoop:LinkedInEmail: larry@fialloshoop.com Resources:FialloShoopLet’s connect!LinkedInTwitterInstagram