Unpacked with Ron Harvey
People Always Matter. Join Ron as he unpacks leadership with his guests.
Unpacked with Ron Harvey
The Power of Introverted Leadership in a Loud World
Discover how introverted leaders can harness their unique strengths to thrive in today’s workplace. In this episode, leadership coach Sharissa Deppen provides valuable insights on effective leadership, focusing on the importance of authenticity, trust, and coaching for growth.
• Sharissa's journey from software development to leadership coaching
• Importance of introverted leaders in fostering genuine connections
• Overcoming misconceptions about introversion and leadership
• Building trust within teams for successful leadership
• Coaching as a tool for leaders to gain new perspectives
• Strategies for introverted leaders to leverage their strengths
Connect with Ron
Just Make A Difference: Leading Under Pressure by Ron Harvey
“If you don’t have something to measure your growth, you won’t be self-aware or intentional about your growth.”
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Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any organization or entity. The information provided in this podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice. Listeners should consult with their own professional advisors before implementing any suggestions or recommendations made in this podcast. The speakers and guests are not responsible for any actions taken by listeners based on the information presented in this podcast. The podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice or services. The speakers and guests make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in this ...
Welcome to Turning Point Leadership Podcast with your host, ron Harvey of Global Core Strategies and Consulting. Ron's delighted you joined us and excited to discuss and help you navigate your journey towards becoming an effective leader. During this podcast, ron will share his core belief that effective leadership is one of the key drivers towards change. So together let's grow as leaders. Here's Ron Harvey.
Speaker 2:Good afternoon, it's afternoon, we're right at a little bit after 12 o'clock. Ron Harvey, vice president and chief operating officer of Global Core Strategies and Consulting. We're a leadership development firm and we focus on helping leaders be better connected to the workforce. That's the easiest way to put it, and we do that through a lot of things, but we're excited.
Speaker 2:My wife and I have been in this company, running the company, for 11 years, and so what we also do is we stop and we do a podcast, which is, you know, every single week we release another episode of our podcast with leaders from around the globe, with all backgrounds, and it's called Unpacked with Ron Harvey, and the goal of this podcast is two things to give you some really, really great information to help you be more effective as a leader, but to also make our services available to you.
Speaker 2:So every guest I bring on, they talk about their books and they talk about their products or their services, but they also share things that you normally don't see or hear or may not find on their website about how you can be more effective. So we put that out in front of you for about 25 minutes. So today I'm super excited. I got someone coming from my home state of Florida that's joining us, and so I'd love for her to introduce herself, and then we're going to dive into some questions. But I always let our guests introduce themselves and share whatever they wish to share, so I'll hand the microphone over.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much, ron. Thanks again for the opportunity and, of course, I've been a big fan of your podcast and so I'm so excited to have the opportunity to chat with you today. But, for your audience, my name is Charissa Sebastian-Deppen and what I do is I'm a leadership and executive coach, and I founded a company called Leadership Mastery Alliance, and we focus primarily on introverted servant leaders and also women in particular, when it comes to who we serve and how we help and support those women in the corporate landscape. So that's a little bit about me and what I do and, again, very excited, can't wait to jump into our conversation today.
Speaker 2:Awesome. I'm excited. I don't know if I've had anybody share with us that talks about introverted women or leadership, and it's good that you have a niche of where you want to focus at, because, as an entrepreneur, if you're listening from that lens as our podcast, how important was it for you to really segment out who was going to be your potential client or who did you want to focus on. How did you get so? I mean really very specific. You know what you're looking for. How did you get there?
Speaker 3:I think a big piece of that puzzle was just simply experience. Like I've been doing this for over 10 years now and in that 10 year period of doing this so much, day in and day out, speaking to incredible leaders all over the world, you know from different companies, different industries, different backgrounds, cultures, all the things there's so much you learn right, and that whole process of just talking to people, being curious and you know, leaning into, understanding and just learning from them Like what is it that they struggle with, what is it that they would like, what are their aspirations, and all of that and through that whole journey I started off as a coach in the career space. So basically, when I transitioned over into coaching, I had a passion for helping women not feel the way that I did when I was in towards the end of my corporate career. They just were a lot of things that weren't working well. I felt very stuck, I was heading towards burnout and I just couldn't figure it out on my own. I was like, okay, I just I don't know where to go with this. That's all I know Like. So my background is actually in software development, so that's where I started.
Speaker 3:That's my undergrad degree, went right into software engineering as my first career, and so as I progressed in that career, I eventually ended up in leadership, which I love. There's so much about leadership that I love, which is why that's the area I focus on now, but at the same time, there were a lot of things in that space that just weren't working for me, so I wasn't completely aligned with where I was supposed to be, and it was only through finding a coach interesting enough, I didn't know anything about coaching at that time, didn't even know the help was available found my very first coach on Groupon of all places. And so from that point on, as I leaned into the coaching process and discovered so much about myself and how I'm wired and all of that, and so, for those listening, I definitely identified that introverted servant leader. But that's actually not how I ended up focusing on that particular Through that 10-year process. I started off focusing on helping women in their careers.
Speaker 3:I transitioned into leadership specifically and I spent many, many years focusing on leadership in general and helping companies and individuals really step up and help them to feel more confident in their leadership and have more impact, influence and also not sacrifice who they are and their ambitions outside of work and their work-life balance and all of that.
Speaker 3:And then after a while, I started to notice like going back to what I was saying earlier about just learning from that experience I started to notice that I tended to attract a lot of these introverted servant leaders, and so let me break that down for you.
Speaker 3:What I mean by introverted servant leaders is and I think a lot of people are familiar with introversion versus extroversion in general, right, so the reason I focus particularly on introverted servant leaders is I find that people that just have a heart for others, they want to just do good in the world, they want to have that positive impact, that think of others first and say, okay, how can I serve, how can I do well as a leader, how can I just impact the people that I have the ability to influence?
Speaker 3:I just really have a passion for helping people like that to navigate that space of it's not about me, it's about how I can be of service, how I can add value. But of course, that comes with its own challenges, especially for introverts, and I'm sure we'll get into this in more detail in our conversation, because a lot of times the extroversion tends to be, you know, celebrated right in the workplace, and thankfully we're now putting more of a spotlight in this kind of day and age on introverted leadership and what that looks like and why that should be celebrated and why there's just so much benefit to helping those introverted leaders succeed in a way that makes sense for them and in a way where they can really shine. And so that's how I ended up in the space of serving introverted leaders and it's just been an absolute pleasure and privilege and joy to do that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thank you. I mean a lot of great information in how you got to where you are. Is there a misconception about people that are introverted not being great leaders?
Speaker 3:That is such a good question. A lot of times, what I hear from my leaders is that there's this idea of a lot of them get told they need to have more visibility, they need to get out put themselves out there more.
Speaker 3:They need to be more vocal in these meetings or these situations and things like that. And that message is not always even though the intention is good right. And so these are people that are saying, hey, we see an opportunity for you to step up and to grow. It's to an introvert. Sometimes that can feel overwhelming, that can feel like, oh, that feels so uncomfortable, it feels like somebody I'm not, like I'm trying to be somebody, I'm not. I'm trying to be somebody I'm not.
Speaker 3:And that can lead to other things like that, what I call the comparison trap. Right, comparing themselves to other leaders that are more extroverted and saying, okay, well, I just don't have that ability. How do I now get ahead in a way that makes sense for me or that works for me? And so there's so much untapped potential in introverts and I think a lot of times we undervalue simply because we don't have that level of understanding. It's not with intentionality, but a lot of times because we don't know what we don't know about introverts and how they function. It's very easy for the expectation to be that they should function in a slightly different way or they should show up in a different way, when really, if we tap into their true potential and how they're wide and how God created them to be, oh my goodness, the impact is incredible and the results are incredible.
Speaker 2:Yes, wow. So when you're dealing with you know the introverted servant leaders, what are you noticing as some of the things that you're helping them get through? You know? So if you had to name two things that say, hey, when I come into it and this introverted servant leader is struggling with, I got to step up or I got to be seen or I got to behave this way, but it's not being the authentic self, how do you help them be the authentic self and still become more of what they need to be or want to be to be a leader, without being overwhelmed? What are you showing them? What are you helping them through?
Speaker 3:Right, and I love that you mentioned your authentic self, because it really starts with that. If we are not truly grounded and confident and clear on who we are and what we bring to the table, it's very hard to fully step into our confidence and have those conversations and have that impact. And so I have a process within my organization. It's something called the leadership zone of genius, and what that is is getting really aligned with who you are at your core. Who is that authentic leader that you already are?
Speaker 3:Right, there's so many strengths that we have based you know, there's things based on our experience. We have talents, we have aspirations. We have so many things that make us unique, that give us a particular value that we bring into the world, and a lot of times, without having a clear focus on that, it's very hard to then step into a world because it's very easy to compare ourselves right, to go externally and say, okay, I'm not good enough in this area or that area. Let me work on my weaknesses. And I hear this so much from my leaders Like, okay, tell me what my weaknesses are so I can go and work on that when really I think it makes more sense to start. Not that weaknesses are not an area to focus on, but there's another thing we kind of process through with the weaknesses, like what weaknesses make sense to address and I use that term weaknesses loosely because there's a lot of different ways that people can interpret that. But but it really starts with your strengths and knowing who you are and your unique value, and from that place it's so much easier to have that level of confidence.
Speaker 3:And I can even use my own experience.
Speaker 3:For example, if you had told me 10 years ago or more than 10 years ago, when I was working in the corporate world, that I would be doing things like this, that I would have done a TED talk or something like that, I would have said absolutely not, I'm an introvert, I don't do that. That's just not something I'm comfortable doing. However, when I got aligned in my own leadership zone of genius and I started to embrace the way I made and my strengths and what I'm really passionate about, the passion took the front seat and I was like okay, I know what I'm here to do, I know clearly my purpose and you know how I can serve in the best possible way. So that's where my confidence comes in. Anytime I have an opportunity to do one of these interviews or to really speak about this area that I think can help so many people. I'm just so driven to do that that it's easier for me to step into that leadership zone of genius and overcome any kind of fear or anything else that might come up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love that you're sharing that. You got to first define who you are and it will serve you well, but I think it's so important to define who you are so you can be of service. I think it's the service to yourself when you think about some of the things that's most common that female leaders face in corporate America. You've dealt with it and now you get to train around it. What are some of the challenges that the top three, if you will that you're seeing women leaders face in today's society, and it's still a male dominated society. When it comes to when you look at corporate boardrooms or you look at women in leadership, we're not there yet. Let's just put it that way. I think we're making great progress, but we're not there yet. What are some of the challenges you're noticing, even on your own journey of women in leadership?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think one of the core things the first thing that came to mind when you asked the question is like feeling understood. We have such a strong desire as humans to feel understood, to feel like we matter and people like we truly cared for and we're valued. And so I think if you can start there whether you're working with introverts or extroverts, a lot of times especially introverted women in the workplace if they feel like they're in an environment that doesn't really get them, that doesn't understand them, that doesn't know how to engage with them, it becomes so much more challenging right to navigate that. And I think the other thing for introverts that's number one is they feel misunderstood a lot of times and they also feel like people don't take the time to really want to understand you know, understand who they are, understand how they work best and things like that. But there's also a responsibility on the introvert right to advocate for themselves and to make sure that people you know understand what's the best way. And so that's another area that I coach on is how to help introverts really communicate and have effective relationships with those around them so that they can function more in their zone of genius and they're more aware of that zone of genius in other people around them, right, whether they're working with introverts or extroverts. So I would say that's the one thing.
Speaker 3:And then the second thing, as far as what they struggle with is exactly that. So that relationship building, relationship building how do I, as an introvert, engage really well with people that are different than me? That I just why different, right, have different personalities, are extroverted, you know, show up in a different way, have a different cultural background. So, and that's why I always talk about, like, leaning into curiosity and understanding, so that you can build a solid foundation on which to build those relationships, because the more you can create that psychological safety in your, the easier it's going to be to engage with those relationships and feel like, okay, people are actually taking the time to know who I am and they want to work with me, they want to engage with me. So I think that you know those two things, that relationship building sometimes can be a struggle. And then it's also the you know like just making sure that they feel like people are taking the time to understand who they are.
Speaker 3:And then the third thing that I hear a lot is this aspect of visibility, right, so everybody has their own interpretation of what visibility means, but a lot of times my introverts will interpret that like, oh, I just need to be vocal, I just need to go out there and speak, and people are expecting me to be more visible, so that means I just have to push myself into the limelight, and that's not necessarily what they, and they struggle with that because it's like well then, how do I do?
Speaker 3:That feels like I'm not using my own authenticity and who I am, and so that's another area that we navigate within. Coaching is you can still be visible from an introverted perspective in a way that helps you feel really good about how you show up and helps you be really confident. It starts with understanding that leadership zone of genius, and part of that leadership zone of genius is being aligned with the work that you do. So if you really are on mission, if you feel like the work that you do matters, if you feel like you're making a difference and that you are aligning more closely with your passion and your purpose, it's a little bit easier to then guard and have that level of visibility that feels good to you because you're talking about, you're engaging on a level where you already have an interest you already feel passionate about. You know your place and you know how you can add value, so it's a little bit easier.
Speaker 2:So I address your question twofold. One is what are the things they struggle with and what are some of the things to focus on to help to overcome some of those challenges? Yes, yes, you talk about introvert and extrovert and some people may think I like people or I don't like people. Can you spend a little time unpacking the difference between the two so those that are listening? They've never been explained. What does that look like? How do I know whether you know what is the introvert and extrovert? I think it's like or not like people.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's so good, because there's so many misconceptions out there and there's also lots of different definitions of introversion versus extroversion. So I will say, for the purposes of the work that I do, the way I look at it is it's very simply about where you get your energy from, right. So introverts it's not that they're antisocial or anything like that, and, to be honest with you, this is from my own personal experience. When I grew up because they wasn't those examples of like introverts and they weren't, you know, celebrated, I thought I was antisocial and I got labeled as antisocial because I wasn't, you know, functioning in a way that other people expected or wanted me to. And so just understanding that you know introverts are, it's simply about how they get the energy. So I'll give you some characteristics of introverts because I think that will help answer the question as well.
Speaker 3:Introverts usually will get the energy from being by themselves, because they like to. They're very introspective, so they take in information, they absorb information. They need a moment to kind of internally process and make sense of the information and the environment and all of those things that are coming through, and so they're going to probably be very thoughtful in the way they process what's going on in the external world. They are often very curious, so they're going to be especially in that one-on-one or small setting with people. They're going to be very curious and they're going to pay attention, so being aware of their surroundings, aware of how people are showing up, and so they engage with people, and sometimes on a very different level. They also like to be prepared for situations, situations especially when they're engaging with others. So they more they know about what's expected of them in a meeting setting, for example, if they need to do a presentation, the easier it is for them to say okay, I can mentally prepare for this before I. They don't like being put on the spot a lot of. And again, these are. You know I am using generalizations.
Speaker 3:Not every introvert is like this, but generally speaking, this is how you can identify the introverts in your space. They oftentimes are not going to be the first people to speak up, especially in a group setting, but that's not because they don't want to engage in conversation or be part of the conversation. A lot of times they're just taking in what's going on, giving other people the ability to speak, and they're often really good at actively listening as well. So those are some characteristics. So, going back to your question, introverts just get the energy from, you know, taking the time to be by themselves. It's not that they don't like to engage with others. They do that and they enjoy doing that and being around other people. But there's certain things to consider when you know, to make that situation with those environments more conducive so that they can really shine and be there. You know the most authentic self.
Speaker 3:Now, on the opposite spectrum, as far as extroverts go, extroverts tend to process externally, right, so they're often going to be the person that's going to speak up, you know, speak up, or even if they haven't quite got to a decision or anything like that, a lot of times they're going to speak out loud and kind of figure it out as they're processing externally or processing verbally in a situation, and so they're not going to.
Speaker 3:You know, a lot of times extroverts are not going to hesitate to do that in that setting where they're with others. And then they also get the energy from being in the space with other people. They like being around other people. It's not that introverts don't. They're just a little bit opposite in terms of where they gain the energy. And fundamentally, that's really how I distinguish between the introverts and extroverts. So that's how I define it. It's introverts just get the energy from kind of withdrawing from that space where there's a lot of other people and that are going to require that engagement and they fill up their tank and then they're ready to go back out and engage, whereas extroverts tend to get their tanks filled by being around other people.
Speaker 2:So you think about introvert, extrovert is any of that? Can it be culturally based, especially where you know, when I was growing up, culturally based or when it came to gender, women were quieter and they were taught to be quieter. But now the world is changing around super fast and women, you know, are doing great things. But if I've been taught culturally to be reserved and be quiet, can that be something? Is it just a? It can be culturally driven, but it also can be behavior driven. Is that accurate or inaccurate?
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely. Culture and our upbringing and our belief system all of that plays a part in how we show up, and so that's a really interesting perspective because a lot of different cultures are going to. You're going to notice different things as far as what we see when it comes to introversion and extroversion. Interestingly enough, I've done so many studies in these personality assessments and things like that across the board and even in the cultures where we tend to see them as more say, introverted, as an example, they do actually have extroverts in that society. But what tends to happen is, when it comes to introversion and extroversion, that's usually your first tendency.
Speaker 3:I always think like I always talk about it in terms of your initial tendency. Your first inclination is going to be to align with either on the introversion side or the extroversion, and is going to be to align with either on the introversion side or the extroversion. And then, of course, we have a choice. We have a choice in how we behave. So a lot of times, even though that might be, our first inclination is to either speak up if you're an extrovert and you're going to want to do that, but if you're culturally taught that that's not what you do and you need to hold back. Well then that's the second step in the process.
Speaker 3:We're going to change my behavior and behave, you know, in a way that's conducive, and so sometimes that can become very challenging to identify whether you're an introvert or extrovert, because if you've trained yourself for so many years in your whole life you've lived based on a cultural norm, then it's hard to identify okay, what am I really? And so that's why a lot of those like the Myers-Briggs, for example there's so many other personality assessments out there can be so so beneficial to help you to go back to. Okay, who are you at your core? How are you wired? It doesn't mean that you have to change the way you interacted as you've been growing up or anything like that, but it just gives you awareness.
Speaker 2:It gives you more input, so makes the most sense for you going forward. Yes, yes, thank you for the response. I want to lean into. The world is changing fast and social media, ai, it's important. I mean, it's almost like it's going to happen. What do you say to the person that's an introverted and everything is social media driven right now that says, yeah, I just don't want to put this out, I don't want to be on film, I don't want you know. Social media is really, really important today. How do you help the person that's naturally introverted that's struggling with? I hear what you're saying. I need to be somewhere present if I'm a leader, but they're not comfortable being in front of people, especially with social media. So at a high level, Okay.
Speaker 3:So the first thing I would think about is where is this coming from? Where is this idea of you've got to be in front of the camera, you've got to be more, you know, like online and social media and things like that coming from? Is it an internal thing, that where you're deciding that that's what you should do, or is it something external? Is somebody telling you? It's your leadership team, is your? Is it driven by some other? So what is that driving force behind you getting on social media? So that's the first place I would start is this, because it depends on where there's an internal or external source as far as what that is, and then also, just you know, asking yourself does it make sense? What you know? Kind of like what Stephen Covey says, right? So, starting with the end in mind, what am I trying to achieve by this? Is it? What is the end goal? If it is more, you know, say it's more visibility, for example, right To get in front of people more from a business perspective, or even just to create that professional brand and to have that, you know, the strong professional brand. If that's the case, what are some other ways to consider that maybe you know either is a stepping stone to you, getting to that place where you feel more comfortable, or is there a different direction? Are there other ways that you can still achieve that goal? And then, if it's an external influence, if somebody, if you're seeing or hearing that people are saying, oh, you should be doing this, then of course you know having those conversations and getting to the core of okay again, what is the angle? If you're telling me that I should be doing this, what is the objective? What are we trying to achieve here? And is there another way to go about doing that in a way that feels more comfortable for introverts, or are there other avenues to get to that same angle? And I'll say, like, even from my own experience, this is something as a business owner like.
Speaker 3:When I went into coaching, I knew nothing about sales, marketing, building a business. I just launched into it because I had a passion for this and I was like I will figure it out as I go, and so in doing that, I had a steep learning curve when it came to marketing and advertising and all of that. And one of the things that I was taught from that marketing perspective from the beginning is well, you have to get out there, you have to be in front of the camera, you have to teach, you have to do those things. And I will tell you, just based on going back to that leadership zone of genius, when I aligned with my passion and the message that I feel so strongly about, the media didn't matter to me, so whether that was writing. So I started off by writing articles and that started to get traction, and then I started doing more videos and then I did the TED talk and all of that.
Speaker 3:So for me, the passion drove. How I got out in front of people, even though, yes, it was scary, but because I had that passion, that also helped me have more confidence in getting out there and being more visible. So there's so many different elements of this, but that's how I kind of unpack that with my clients. And that's just a tip of the iceberg, like there's so much more we get into under the surface of like, okay, is that actually the right thing for you? Why, you know, why is it that you're pursuing that and what makes you feel uncomfortable? Is it something that can be addressed so you can overcome that, or are there other avenues to get you to where you want to be?
Speaker 2:One of the things that's shown up in leadership across the globe is there's a low level of trust across society, with the leadership People not trusting leaders, leaders not trusting the workforce, and it's rampant, whether I'm on the leadership side, of not trusting my team or the team not trusting the leader. How do we help close this divide or this gap that's happening between leaders and workforce with trust?
Speaker 3:Oh, that's such a great topic. I love this. I love, love, love talking about a topic of trust. So there's so many different elements to this Right, no-transcript discussion and open dialogue, and you invite the conversation, you invite different ideas and things like that, even if you completely disagree. So creating that psychologically safe space where people feel safe to have a different opinion, right or to point things out that might not be going according to the way they think should, and giving honest feedback and things like that.
Speaker 3:So I think it starts there for the leader to create that environment, even if they feel like, okay, I don't know if I can trust my team. Create that space so that you as a leader can then observe and lean into curiosity, start asking really good questions to understand where your you know your individual employees are coming from, and help them function in zone of genius. I mean, there's a reason that they're on that team, there's a reason that they're in those particular roles. So drawing that out of them and engaging them in that conversation. So it's not, they don't feel like they just have to do what you say, but you're actually that type of leader that is open. Now, it doesn't mean that you give up your authority. It's not to say that you have to lead by consensus, but it's simply being open and having that, creating the space so that people feel comfortable sharing with you, still knowing that ultimately in a lot of those situations, you are going to be the decision maker. But when people feel heard and understood, even when you make a decision to go in a different direction based on their opinion, they can still agree to disagree and still commit right, so they can disagree and commit, and so that creates an environment. It's a healthy environment where there's open communication and dialogue. They feel respected and they're going to reciprocate and also celebrating celebrating who they are, celebrating what they're doing and how you see them show up is going to help so much. It's going to help them trust you more as a leader when they feel like, oh, my goodness, my leader cares enough to point out the things that I'm doing really well. It's just going to help them feel more engaged. It's going to help them be more open to, especially when there's good and there's always going to be some opportunity for difficult conversations or there's going to be conflict, right, because we're humans and we work with each other, and so that's we're all different and that's going to create some level of conflict, but I think about it in terms of.
Speaker 3:There's actually a concept that I want to share with you, that I share with my clients, and it's called a relationship bank account.
Speaker 3:So there's'd like to describe is a relationship bank account, meaning that if you, as a leader, take the time to positively support your, your team, take time to listen to them, take time to support them, even in the little ways, go above and beyond and see them as you know people first and help them and encourage them and all those things, those are deposits in that bank account and over time, as you build on that, you know those deposits.
Speaker 3:You're building on the trust. You're building on that. You know those deposits. You're building on the trust. You're building on that rapport with your team and all of that. And so when it comes time to make withdrawals like asking to work on a weekend, for example, or having a difficult conversation and things like that those withdrawals because you've been so intentional in making those deposits, those positive deposits those withdrawals are not going to tank your relationship with your employees, right, you're still, because you've been so intentional with building that relationship and building that trust along the way. It makes those difficult conversations and addressing conflict that much easier. But it takes a lot of intentionality and it takes consistency from a leadership standpoint.
Speaker 2:Phenomenal. I mean talking about trust, because it's one of the conversations that leaders are having across the globe, and how do they establish it? How do they continue to maintain it? You know it's super important. Continue to maintain it, you know, is super important when you think about leading across multiple generations, which is where leaders are faced with now.
Speaker 2:I mean, the world is very diverse, generations are all over and people are struggling with, first, some of the stereotypical conversations around what they think each generation should do. So I will tell you to stay out of that space. But how do you help a leader be effective with five generations in the workforce and everybody's looking for something different, wanting something different, and they're looking to their leaders to be able to understand. How do you help a leader lead effectively with five generations?
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's a very interesting challenge, or it could be. Well, let's look at it as an opportunity, right, there's an interesting opportunity that we're faced with. Well, a lot of times I get that as far as like, when leaders come to me as, okay, this is a challenge, but really, if you flip the script, we can see there's actually an incredible opportunity for leaders. To number one, be really honest about how they're showing up as a leader. Are you really open to embracing how people show up, based on the different generations and what they feel are important and all that? One other thing I will mention, and this is something I've actually been studying a lot recently and there's a ton of information.
Speaker 3:We live in a world where there's no shortage of information, right, and so, looking at the research and looking at there's so much that's put out there as far as the, you know, like the different generations and how they function, what is their primary like belief system around, what their expectations are in the workplace, what are they looking for from their leadership, from you know the company or the type of job, even the type of job that they're looking for, what is top of mind, and the way this is normally categorized is by generation, right? So you go from Gen X to, like, millennials and Gen Z and all of these and alpha and all of that, right? So there's a lot of research already out there that will give you some insight. And, of course, this is generalization right? So there's a lot of general information as far as these different generations and how they all show up in the workplace. Now, having said that, though, of course you have to be careful because you don't want to generalize based on that and treat people based on some research study that you've seen.
Speaker 3:So it kind of goes back to what we were talking about so leaning in with that curiosity and understanding, really having those conversations and it's so important to not just have that mindset, from a leadership perspective, of being open, being curious, not assuming you know the answer, but going in and saying, okay, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt. I want to learn about you, I want to know how you function, what's important to you as a person, not just an employee, but as a person, because the more we get to know people as individuals and understand who they are and what their belief systems are, what are important to them, things like that it's so much easier from that level of understanding to then decide as a leader how do we navigate and how do we lead them as individuals. But then also you get a sense for what does that team dynamic look like? Right, and how do we really embrace these different generations and what are important to each of the generations, even in terms of something like you know, as far as communication, how do we all like to communicate with each other, how do we engage as a team? And so I always tell my leaders you want to be proactive with that. You want to talk about how are we going to address, how are we going to deal with conflict when it comes up before you're in the conflict situation. Right, you want to talk with your team about how do we address communication externally, outside of our team. How do we address our communication within our team? How do we want to address conflict and things like that?
Speaker 3:When you know your team as individuals first, it's a lot easier to come together and see, okay, who are we now as a united team and how do we function really well together, proactively, before we get into a situation where we need to make sure that you know we're all on the same page. So that comes down to team values, different things like that, but that's what I would say, because there's so many nuances within generations too right. So it's not just about boxing people into this generation or that generation. We have to take the time to. Yes, you can use that as a framework, as a starting point, but we have to also understand people on an individual level, and that means really being curious and really truly caring for them and making them feel like they matter, and that's their opinion. You know matches as well yes, yes.
Speaker 2:so as I'm listening to you, I'm like man, this sounds exhausting as a leader. What if I'm that leader? Says you know what? I hear you, but I don't have time to do all of that. I got work to do, I got metrics to meet, I got deadlines and goals. I need to make a profit. I don't have time to do all this thing that you're saying that take time to get to know. I just want them to do their job. What if I'm that leader? How do you?
Speaker 3:help? Oh, great question, because pretty much 100% of my leaders they have so many responsibilities and they are very, very crunched on time, right? None of my leaders come to me and say, oh, I have a ton of time.
Speaker 3:I don't know how to you know how do I help me use all this time? It's never the case, and so actually what we do in our leadership program is help leaders being very strategic with how they spend their time and making the most out of those, especially those one-on-one engagements, but just working with them to try to figure out how do you still, you know, have these elements of connection with your employees? And it doesn't have to take a ton of time. You just have to know how to do that and how to engage and asking the right questions, and it doesn't have to take a ton of time. And so we have, like a lot of my leaders have one-on-ones with their employees or with their skip levels and things like that. Right, so they already have these connection points built in.
Speaker 3:It's just a matter of how do you make sure that you're using that time in the most effective manner and actually, to be honest with you, a lot of times we can actually cut down on some of that time. When we take a look at you know how they're spending their time during those meetings, during the you know engagements, and how they engage with their teams, we can actually save a ton of time if they can use the little time that they have more effectively. So it's all about being effective in how you use the limited time that you have. It's not about adding more time so that you can get to know your team. It's okay. How do we use the time we already have to do this to accomplish this, and the results I mean it would just skyrocket once leaders understand how to do that really, really well. It doesn't have to be a factor of time.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, and I love that you're addressing the issue. The last one, then we're going to go to. You know how do people contact you if you have any books or anything out to a program? When you think of in a leadership role today, do you think every leader should have a coach? If so, why and if not, why not oh? Yes.
Speaker 3:That was an easy, easy question. Yes, and I will tell you why. It doesn't necessarily have to be somebody with a coach title, right, so you can be somebody that's acting in a coaching capacity. So it could be a mentor who's, you know, has that coaching mindset and can approach conversation with you from that mindset. But here's the beauty, I mean, there's so many benefits.
Speaker 3:But the first thing that comes to mind when you ask that question is coaching just gives you a different perspective. It helps you look at things from a different angle, because a lot of times when we're in go mode, right, there's so much on our to-do list we're constantly trying to get to the next thing and check up our list and move on, and so we don't normally take the time. It's not kind of in our nature in the way we normally function. Society functions right now. To be reflective, right To take a step back to say did I address that?
Speaker 3:What are some good questions I can ask myself to give me to maybe even challenge some of my beliefs, challenge how I'm doing certain things and help me to engage in a better way. And so that's where a coach can be so effective to bring in a different perspective and to help you to navigate that in the quickest and fastest and easiest way possible. We're not designed to live by ourselves. We know this that we're supposed to function within a community and that means leaning into your support system, leaning into help, getting help from a coach or mentor or whoever it is that's going to help you to see things from a different perspective and help you to be more authentic, be more of who you are and also just be on the same page as far as your success, and it's just as bought into what you're trying to achieve and your success as you are.
Speaker 2:So they can be that champion that cheerleader but also can have those difficult conversations with you when it's most needed to get you to where you want to go. Yes, yes, thank you for sharing. So you've shared a lot with our audience. As you're listening, I mean, she's putting a lot of information out that's within her industry and her space. So how do people find you? Is it LinkedIn? Do you want to send them to your website? Do you have a book or anything out? Can you tell us a little?
Speaker 3:bit about if you have anything out that we should be interested in and how do we reach you? Absolutely, thank you for asking. So there's a couple of different ways. I would love to connect with anyone that's listening right now through LinkedIn. That's where I share a lot of videos and podcast episodes and all kinds of information. So if this is an area you're interested in, feel free to search for my name. So it's Charissa Sebastian Deppin, and you'll find me on LinkedIn.
Speaker 3:And then our website is leadershipmasteryaliancecom and we have got an incredible eight-week program. It's a foundational leadership program that is so powerful and it kind of ties in all of what we've discussed today, in addition to other areas, to really help you have that solid foundation of leadership and help you to shine from that leadership zone of genius so that you can have the level of impact and influence that you want without burning yourself out and while still enjoying your life outside of work. So that's called the Leadership Mastery Alliance, mastermind, and you can find that on my website at leadershipmasteryaliancecom. And if you have any questions, if there's something that sparked a question from today's conversation, feel free to email me at info I-N-F-O at leadershipmasteryalliancecom. I would love to hear from you.
Speaker 2:Awesome, awesome, thank you. Thank you for sharing with the audience and all of our listeners and viewers. It's been fun, it's been exciting. You shared a lot. If everybody is listening, continue to do professional development Now listen to a podcast, read a book you know, go to an event, join a mastermind something that continues to help your ability to lead effectively. And as the world changes, leaders have to continue to grow. So never stop growing as a leader. Your team expects for you to be better, just as we expect for them to get better. So thank you for all of you that are listening and joining Unpacked with Ron Harvey, and until next time, charissa and I will sign off and we hope that you share this with a friend or a colleague, and if you know someone that may be a good guest, we'll be happy to reach out to us and we love to have them on the show as well. So until next time we will sign off and you have a wonderful day, and we'll talk to you on the next podcast.
Speaker 1:We hope you enjoyed this edition of Turning Point Leadership with your host, Ron Harvey. We're so glad you joined us. Remember to join us every first and third Mondays and expect to receive real answers for real leadership challenges. Until next time, make a difference where you are and with what you have. There are those who are counting on you for effective leadership.
