Host Christi Scarrow is joined by Tracy Nolan, Senior Vice President at Humana and Board Member at Dress for Success, who discusses her leadership journey, emphasizing the importance of understanding individual motivations and respecting different career goals. She highlights the value of listening and asking questions to foster understanding. Nolan shares a story about a goose that illustrates how you might be missing what truly matters to people. She also stresses the significance of providing and receiving feedback, noting that tough conversations are crucial for growth. Nolan advises leaders to balance their time between doing, managing, and leading, and to have regular check-ins with their teams for better performance and development.

Action Items

-Reflect on where you are spending your time as a leader - doing, managing, or leading.

-Allow time to truly listen to, hear and act upon employee concerns, especially during times of change.

-Schedule regular 1-on-1 check-ins with your team members, even if you don't have specific agenda items.

-Seek out feedback, including 360-degree feedback, to identify areas for your own personal growth and development.

Outline

Early Career Lessons and Initial Leadership Challenges

-Tracy shares an early career lesson from her time in retail, emphasizing the importance of understanding different motivations within a team.

-Tracy recounts a story about pre-judging a colleague's work ethic, learning that not everyone has the same career ambitions.

-Christi relates to Tracy's experience, discussing the challenge of judging others based on personal ambitions.

The Importance of Listening in Leadership

-Tracy discusses the importance of listening as a key leadership skill, emphasizing the need to seek understanding.

-Christi agrees, noting the common mistake of new managers who feel they need to set the scene and give directions.

-Tracy shares a story about holding weekly open calls during a company transition, highlighting the value of listening to team concerns.

-She recounts a specific example where a team's concern about a goose in the parking lot led to a positive outcome, illustrating the impact of listening.

Handling Tough Conversations and Feedback

-Tracy talks about the challenges of having tough conversations with senior leaders, sharing a story about a leader with a temper.

-She explains how providing feedback can lead to positive changes, even if it is initially met with resistance.

-Christi and Tracy discuss the importance of feedback as a gift, even if it is initially difficult to accept.

-Tracy shares her experience with a recent 360-degree feedback process, emphasizing the value of continuous learning and development.

Balancing Doing, Managing, and Leading

-Tracy advises leaders to assess where they are spending their time between doing, managing, and leading.

-She suggests using a simple exercise to track time spent in these areas and adjust accordingly.

-Tracy emphasizes the importance of regular one-on-one check-ins with team members to ensure open communication.

-Christi agrees, noting that reflecting on time allocation can help improve team performance and reduce dysfunction.

Final Thoughts on Leadership Journey

-Tracy concludes by emphasizing that leadership is a continuous journey, requiring continuous learning and self-improvement.

-She encourages leaders to help their teams learn and grow, which will lead to better results and a more fulfilling experience.

-The conversation ends with a mutual appreciation for the importance of effective leadership and continuous improvement.

Useful Links

Host: Christi's Web Page

Guest: TBD

Lighthouse NINE Group: Website

Contributors

Music: All The Fixings by Zachariah Hickman

Editing: tribe74

Host Christi Scarrow talks to Preet Makkar, the Head of Human Resources at Haleon, who emphasizes authenticity in leadership. She discusses managing personal and professional stressors, advocating for emotional regulation and self-awareness. Preet highlights how leaders' emotional states impact employee retention, noting how negativity can increase turnover. She stresses candid conversations, prepared feedback, and continuous growth through self-reflection and mentorship. She underscores vulnerability in building trust and effective leadership.

Action Items

-Engage in personal reflection and understand your triggers to get “out of the box”

-Prepare for difficult conversations with specific examples and clear impact.

-Schedule feedback when the recipient is in the right frame of mind.

-Follow up after feedback to address questions or concerns.

-Embrace positive feedback to identify strengths.

-Reflect on triggering feedback for growth.

Outline

Lessons in Authentic Leadership

-Preet stresses being an authentic leader and staying true to oneself.

-Christi notes leadership's complexity due to maintaining an image.

-Preet discusses challenges of staying present amid pressures.

Emotional Regulation and Triggers

-Preet highlights how personal struggles impact leadership and the importance of being present as a leader.

-Preet explains the concept of "going into the box" and its negative emotional effects and the financial and engagement risks of prolonged negativity.

Building Trust and Self-Awareness

-Preet emphasizes self-awareness and self-reflection in leadership.

-Preet stresses work-life integration and self-investment post-pandemic.

Vulnerability and Emotional Trust

-Preet shares a personal story, drawing leadership parallels to parenting. She highlights the need for openness and vulnerability's role in building trust.

-Preet reflects on generational attitudes toward vulnerability and stresses that vulnerability fosters emotional trust.

-Christi shares lessons from good and bad managers.

Handling Difficult Conversations

-Preet stresses the importance of candid conversations at work and at home.

-She shares the quote that “avoiding difficult conversations is trading in short term discomfort, for long term dysfunction.”

-Preet advises preparing for conversations with clarity and timing.

Balancing Support and Psychological Safety

-Christi and Preet discuss balancing support and psychological safety.

-Preet critiques the "s*** sandwich" feedback approach and dvocates for clear, specific, and prepared feedback conversations.

-She emphasizes follow-up and continuous discussions for growth.

Receiving and Embracing Feedback

-Christi asks about making feedback easier to receive.

-Preet stresses embracing positive feedback and strength and shares a story about a triggering word and dealing with unresolved issues.

-She advises thanking people for honest feedback and using it for growth.

Self-Awareness and Continuous Development

-Christi asks her to discuss the role of self-awareness in development.

-Preet highlights learning through experiences and mentorship and encourages embracing feedback for self-improvement.

-She warns against treating feedback as mere theory without action.

Final Thoughts on Leadership

-Emphasizes leadership as a responsibility and a chance for growth.

-Encourages leaders to take their role seriously and be memorable.

Useful Links

Host: Christi's Web Page

Guest: Haleon

Lighthouse NINE Group: Web page

Contributors

Music: All The Fixings by Zachariah Hickman

Editing: tribe74

David Singer, President of Thomas Large and Singer, emphasizes the importance of listening in leadership, drawing from his sales background. He stresses the value of patience and active listening to understand employee concerns, leading to better outcomes. Singer suggests focusing on building empathy in his employees, advocating for regular constructive feedback and trust-building through personal connections. He highlights the need for leaders to be approachable and present, balancing formal feedback tools with personal interactions. Singer underscores the significance of trust and humanity in fostering effective leadership and team alignment.

Action Items

-Provide constructive feedback to managers regularly.

-Carve out time to walk around and build trust with employees through personal conversations.

-Use 360-degree reviews and external leadership training to improve leadership skills.

-Develop emotional intelligence and self-awareness in high-performing team members lacking these skills.

Outline

The Importance of Active Listening

-David Singer shares advice from a manager to use the "two ears, one mouth" rule, emphasizing listening.

-He stresses the need to be patient and listen fully to employees to avoid misguided solutions., noting that leaders often know less about specific issues and should let employees communicate.

-He highlights waiting through pauses to gather more information and admits to working on patience daily.

Influencing Change and Building Trust

-David suggests writing thoughts down to improve focus and creating a safe space for employees to share openly.

-He notes that driving change requires understanding root issues and listening to all perspectives.

-Specifically he shares that credibility is key and rushing into solutions can harm trust.

Managing Talented and Building Empathy

-David shares the need to build empathy in employees; with less focus on driving performance.

-He discusses providing regular constructive feedback and managing by walking around.

-He recommends HR tools like 360-degree feedback reports help evaluate leadership and having a balance between personal connections with formalized feedback tools.

Hybrid Work and Leadership

-Singer acknowledges hybrid work challenges and emphasizes relationship-building.

-He discusses using tools like 360-degree feedback and external training to maintain rapport and understand employee needs.

Advice for Struggling Managers

-David advises struggling managers to build trust and foster humanity in leadership.

-He emphasizes the importance of personal connections and creating a safe space for employees are key.

-Christi thanks David for sharing insights on building trust and humanity in leadership.

Useful Links

Host: Christi's Web Page

Guest: Thomas, Large and Singer

Lighthouse NINE Group: Website

Contributors

Music: All The Fixings by Zachariah Hickman

Editing: tribe74