Unpacked with Ron Harvey
People Always Matter. Join Ron as he unpacks leadership with his guests.
Unpacked with Ron Harvey
The Foundations of Effective Leadership
Leadership consultant Ali Stewart shares her decades of wisdom about what makes leaders truly effective, revealing that while challenges like pandemics and AI may evolve, the core elements of great leadership remain surprisingly consistent.
• Leaders need both high challenge and high support to get commitment and high achievement from their teams
• Effective leaders are visible with a consistent, authentic personal style that builds trust
• Ground rules must establish clear rights and responsibilities for both leaders and team members
• The leadership process progresses through visioning, mobilizing, developing, and enabling stages
• Feedback should be a daily practice that is specific and conditional
• Being explicit about what behaviors demonstrate success is critical for effective leadership
• The best leaders adapt their communication style to meet different team members' needs
• Having a mentor significantly accelerates leadership development
Pay it forward by not only finding a mentor who's ahead of where you want to be, but also by mentoring someone who's where you once started. Your experience is invaluable to others on their leadership journey.
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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 Unpacked Podcast with your host leadership consultant, ron Harvey of GlobalCore Strategies and Consulting. Ron believes that leadership is the fundamental driver towards making a difference. So now to find out more of what it means to unpack leadership, here's your host, ron Harvey.
Speaker 2:Good morning. This is Ron Harvey. I'm the vice president and the Chief Operating Officer of Global Core Strategies and Consulting, which is a professional leadership development firm based out of Columbia, south Carolina. We love helping leaders be better connected to their workforce, which actually gets everything done in organizations. So leadership is valuable and we spend a lot of time figuring it out, understanding the nuances of it so we can help our leaders grow and take care of their people. Understanding the nuances of it so we can help our leaders grow and take care of their people.
Speaker 2:But what we do on this particular show, every single week we release a different episode of Unpacked with Ron Harvey, and the goal of that is two things One, to showcase the talent that's across our globe so not just where I live, but across the entire globe of all the professionals that we bring on the show. The second part is to give you something that's very helpful for you in your role and your position as a leader. So hopefully you'll enjoy this session as we get ready to invite our guests onto the platform and talk more about leadership, unpacking it and some things that I will learn as well. So always learn something from every guest. So I'm going to pause and I'm going to invite Ali on and she's going to introduce herself and tell you who she is and what she does, or whatever she chooses to do. Quite honestly, it's unpacked. We don't know what's going to happen, except for we're going to talk leadership. So, ali, let me let you introduce yourself.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much, ron, and it's lovely to be here with you. I am Ali Stewart. We are your, like, your transformational learning and development expert. We go into companies. We can sort out all the training and development needs for individuals, for teams, for leaders, for organizations, from kind of recruitment to exit. So we help leaders to lead with strength, dignity and compassion. We help individuals to get out of their own way and shine and we use a beautiful tool for, as the general language for communication, that kind of psychometric tool.
Speaker 2:Yes, I love it. She's speaking, so you're speaking my language and probably everybody else is watching. You know this transformational thing that's happening constantly, so thank you for sharing the information that who you are, what you do. So when you think of it's evolved. You've been in business over 20 years. We were talking in the green room before we got started and you've been in long we've been in business. How much has leadership evolved over 20 years, based on your experience?
Speaker 3:I think the world has evolved, yes, and leaders have to step up to every challenge, but actually the fundamental skill of leadership hasn't really changed very much. We just have to be ready for each and every challenge, whatever you know like pandemic, like financial crash, ai, anything that comes along. Leaders have to be ready.
Speaker 2:Yes, what are you noticing about those leaders that are ready? What does it look like if I'm into the role and the pandemic happens or some crisis happens? What are some of the characteristics that show up that say that I'm ready to be adaptable and prepared to take that on? If leadership hasn't changed, the world has changed. What are some skill sets I need to bring to the table to be ready for that?
Speaker 3:So in times of great change, leaders need to be visible, they need to be talking to their people, they need to be sharing the vision for the future. You know what does this new world look like. They need to be ready for all the individuals going through their own kind of change curve, the kind of denial you know the immobilization, denial, frustration, acceptance, testing out, completion and people go through that at different rates. So leaders have to be ready, absolutely on it and in it to bring their people through really quickly.
Speaker 2:Well, I love it. Can you speak? Can you unpack for a little while? When you said on it and in it. Can you unpack that? Because I actually like that for, like man, okay, I never kind of used that language, but they need to be on their game and they need to be in the game. Like, what is that? Can you unpack that?
Speaker 3:Yes, I guess when I said that I have. You know, I've worked in organizations where leaders perhaps are responsible for the change going on in the organization and they kind of communicate the change and then they disappear. You can't do that. Leaders have to be visible with staff to explain, to understand that it might be uncomfortable for some people to understand that some people are going to get it really quickly and want to move on really quickly and others will take a little bit more time. So you can't do that if you're still sitting on your high horse in your office thinking, oh, I've done that change thing, now Off they go because they won't.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love it because that's the reality. You know, the thing I love about this podcast is we talk about, like, practical things. That's real. So if you're talking to the leader that that has worked hard to get promoted to whatever level, what I hear you saying is that's, that's not it, because you've got promoted, now you've got to have visibility.
Speaker 3:People got to see you molded.
Speaker 2:now you got to have visibility.
Speaker 3:People got to see you, yeah, yeah. And visibility of personal style. You know, having an authentic personal style doesn't matter who you are, as long as it's authentic, consistent, visible is really important for people because they can follow a leader that's visible and they understand. For people, because they can follow a leader that's visible and they understand. So visibility of style is fundamental to everything we do. Sorry, I forgot the rest of the question, Ron.
Speaker 2:No, I mean, I love that you're unpacking it, because so what do you tell the leader that says you know, when you think of Ali, what do you tell the leader that's introverted, that's kind of hands-off, that likes to empower, and empower is a great thing, but they're becoming not as connected because they want to be so hands-off or they're just introverted? How do you help that leader get out of that space of their comfort zone of wanting to stay very secluded?
Speaker 3:So if you want to be a leader of people, you don't have the luxury of staying in that introverted space. I am a raving introvert, but when I'm leading others I do not have that luxury. I have to put myself out there. Most leaders are imposed because of their skill or their specialism, their entrepreneurial flair or they've been around the longest, not because they're skilled at leading and developing people. So once they learn the process, the mindset, we've got a beautiful psychometric tool called. Am I allowed to say what it's called?
Speaker 3:Absolutely yeah, for a moment yes, insights Discovery, which is available all over the world and it's about 96% accurate, which makes it brilliant, it's very memorable. It's based on color and I say to leaders it doesn't matter whether you're red, yellow, green or blue, which are the colors. You have to be able to use all four colors and step into those at the right time for each individual in your team.
Speaker 2:Wow, yeah, absolutely promoted, because what we do offer here is resources and hopefully someone will say I need to hear more from her about that tool. So I tell people come on the show and I want to promote the business on your products. If it's going to help the people that we serve, I want you to be of help to them and I want to be of help to you so you can promote it. So when you think about the work that you're doing, what are you seeing are the biggest challenges? Because it's changing fast. I mean, the world is really changing every second of the day. What are you seeing are the biggest challenges in the next year?
Speaker 3:for leaders that are coming into these changes constantly. Leaders, well, because they're in post because of their skill or specialism, they haven't learned the skill of leadership. So if they want to get through the changes really fast, they're going to have to learn really fast how to be a great leader of people. There is no shortcut. You've got to do the work. So what we found in all of our research about leaders is that the highest performing leaders of people it doesn't matter where they are in the world, what industry they're in the highest performing leaders of people have the same innate mindset. They have the same process and they have the same set of skills and a beautiful ability to surf the waves of change well. So if you learn the mindset, the process, the skills, you will automatically lead people through the change.
Speaker 2:Wow, okay, ola. So you know I have to ask because people are asking well, what is that mindset Like? What's that secret recipe? Because if I have it but I don't know what that habit is. So I kind of got to you know, I don't want to tease them too much what is that? What's that leadership mindset?
Speaker 3:So there is nothing new about anything I talk about Honestly. It's been out there for years. We've put it into a process. So we start with the mindset. So this magic ingredient is the concept of high challenge and high support. Because when you think of high challenge and high support, you know, if you think of an organization where there's a lot of support and very low challenge, war kind of goes on there, what do you think?
Speaker 2:Chaos.
Speaker 3:Yeah, people coast, don't they? They're never pushed to be the best they can be.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you kind of get settled and complacent.
Speaker 3:Yeah. And if it's the opposite, if it's very high challenge and very low support, where are your people now?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, I think they're feeling like they don't, almost, like they're insecure, they're not safe or it's hard to take a risk.
Speaker 3:It is, or some of them will, but it's stressful. It leads to burnout and high staff turnover Because actually these leaders are only focused on bottom line performance. People don't matter, you're here to do a job. If there's low challenge, low support, it's a really unhealthy place and many organizations going through massive change find themselves there. It's unhealthy because there's no, there's no vision, there's no purpose, there's no, nothing. Yes, so we're looking for this sweet spot of high challenge and high support in powerful and equal combination.
Speaker 2:Then you get commitment, high achievement and development from your people yes, I love it so, so I know they'll be like okay, Ron, so you have to listen to the recording. She's dropping it all out. The good thing about it is you can go back and listen to the answers that she's sharing. So when you think about your role and you've gone into an organization, what are the things that you tell new leaders? So the mindset is important. Understanding how to set the tempo in an organization is important.
Speaker 1:How do you?
Speaker 2:help leaders deal with conflict or confrontation. A lot of leaders that know in our space struggle. I mean they avoid conflict or just don't like it, and it's becoming very difficult to lead. If you don't do that effectively, how do you help leaders?
Speaker 3:get through that, absolutely. It's all part of the process. So, after the mindset, you have to then set the ground rules Now the ground rules for the leader. The have to then set the ground rules Now the ground rules for the leader, the rights and the responsibilities of a leader is that I promise that I am going to give you feedback every day on how you're doing the good, the bad and the ugly.
Speaker 3:I am going to share my vision so that you can decide. If you want to come with me, I'm going to share how we treat each other, how I expect we treat each other. These are the key rules, and you, as a team member, have rights and responsibilities. One is to not follow my vision if you can't agree with it, but go elsewhere and follow your own vision, and you have a right to treat me with courtesy as much as I treat you with courtesy and a responsibility to do that as well. So we share these very clearly. So feedback as a way of life becomes important. So you can have those difficult conversations, because I'm going to tell you, team member, if you're going off track. I'm going to tell you if you're doing it right. I'm going to tell you if you're doing it downright wrong, because I want you to succeed. I want you to grow with me. Do you want to do that?
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 3:And usually when you talk to people like that, of course they want you to tell them they want to do a good job for you.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes. So I love that you're saying it, because oftentimes people think they have to be mean spirited when they're giving feedback. And you don't have to be a mean person or you don't have to be harsh, I mean, I think feedback is necessary for people to grow. So how do you get leaders to pass this thing that they have to be mean or they have to be loud or they have to be harsh, because I don't.
Speaker 3:It doesn't work for me. No, it doesn't work for anybody. It doesn't work for anybody. So part of the underpinning kind of principles for high challenge, high support are positive regard and genuineness. Now, if every leader on the planet was to treat their people with positive regard and genuineness, there would be no more wars in the world. Wow. So most leaders are more skewed to one than the other. So, if I can use an example of my husband and myself, I'm really good at positive regard. I, you know I love people. I, you know, I see the good in people, no matter what they're doing. I have to really focus on being genuine and giving people frank, honest feedback about their behavior. When I see it, my husband, who is opposite, really good at genuineness. You generally see on his face if he doesn't like your behavior right now.
Speaker 2:And he doesn't mind.
Speaker 3:He doesn't mind telling you, so he has to focus on positive regard, because he really doesn't like people. So you know, if you're a leader of people, you have to honor and respect people. You have to.
Speaker 2:Otherwise go and be a specialist somewhere else. Yes, love that you're saying it. I mean, if you're a leader and and usually you gotta you gotta like people, I mean you know you gotta figure out a way and if you don't like them, you need to get out of that role because it's gonna be bad for everybody it's amazing that you bring this up, because I talk about it all the time and people don't like to put it together, but you kind of, if you're in a leadership role, you've got to find a way to love people.
Speaker 2:You do, and if you don't want to, because what's in your heart will show up.
Speaker 3:Yes, and what I find is even leaders who are reluctant or accidental leaders, as a lot of them are, once they know and they think, actually I can now see the process to getting there it actually liberates them. Our program is called the Liberator because it liberates them and it liberates their people.
Speaker 2:So, ali you spoke about, you're very positive and you have to work really hard on giving people honest feedback. You know which is worthy, so there are a ton of people that fall into that category as well. What are the steps you've taken to ensure that you do that effectively? Because you know you want to. You see the good in everybody, but you've got to get some feedback that they need to hear and it may not be the greatest thing that you want to have to deliver. What have you done to get to be able to do that more effectively?
Speaker 3:I think it's holding people in the highest positive regard and being very genuine with them. So I've had to make people redundant in the past. That's not a nice job. Nobody wants to have to do that. But generally when I finish those there conversations the people shake my hand and say thank you so much, ali. I totally understand and you've done it so beautifully, because I'm not rubbishing them as a person. I'm trying to support them and encourage them. Encourage them onto their next place. You know it doesn't have to be horrible.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love that and it doesn't I mean. So if you're listening and you're watching us like it doesn't have to be horrible and even with a horrible situation, you can still be a really good leader in this situation, you know. So I love that. You put it out. How do you show up? And I tell people your character will show up. You know, if you're, if you mean and you want to pretend that you're nice when the pressure is on, you're going to be mean, because that's that's what you've kind of decided as your character. What you've kind of decided as your character. How do you help organizations? One of the things that's a challenge across all organizations and industry is this thing called trust. It's not an all-time low. Yeah, what do you help leaders do? That's struggling with building trust with their team or trusting their team. Either way, both need to be addressed.
Speaker 3:They do need to be addressed, and that is developing the mindset, putting the ground rules in place. If I use an analogy, if you imagine taking your team to the top of a skyscraper, the tallest skyscraper you can think of, it's got a flat roof, it's dark. You take them right to the top, you take them out onto the roof. It's dark. You take them right to the top, you take them out onto the roof. It's dark and they've got roller skates on and the roof is flat. There's no edge, you know, apart from the drop off.
Speaker 2:They've got roller skates and you say to them skate. What are they going to do? Probably not going to skate.
Speaker 3:They're going to stand still like, no, I'm not doing this. I'm not doing this Exactly. So now, if you illuminate the roof with your vision, which is so bright it lights up the whole roof and you put railings around the edge and say this is the area we're working in, this is where we're going, then the team will skate and use all the space and do amazing twirls that you never knew they could do on their roller skates, because they they feel safe, they feel they know the boundaries, they know where they're going. So that creates trust. It creates psychological safety for your people. You've got to put the boundaries in place.
Speaker 2:Yes, how much I love that you put that, because you're absolutely right. I mean the illumination of here's where we're going, so people can see it, and then you put parameters around here's what within the context that we're working in. What role does effective communication play in that, though? I mean, oftentimes, you know, there's a big gap between what I said and what they heard. How do you help people close that gap?
Speaker 3:Part of that is using the insights discovery tool, because that helps you to adapt and connect with different types of people. So some people want it in writing, some people want it with bells and whistles people. So some people want it in writing, some people want it with bells and whistles, some people want it in pictures, some people want it audio, some people want it visually. So you have to use every style of communication to communicate with your people and you need them to say it back to you to know if they've understood.
Speaker 2:Wow. So what I'm hearing from you, ali, is as a leader. It feels like if'm, if I'm listening to you, like I'm doing all the work as a leader to connect with my people.
Speaker 3:In the beginning. This is all the grumpy management work to set the scene, to set the you know, to set the parameters for the way we're going to work. And then, little by little, team member by team member, their internal motivation will kick in. And once that happens, you can flex your style and now it's much more partnership, it's more coaching, and then you've got to let them go. It's, you know, the enabled stage, as we call it. You empower them, you transform them.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, I love it. Which was the question that came up as you were walking through the stages. So you know you did one of the stages. What are the stages? You know? Like you said, when you first come on, you're going to do a lot of heavy lifting at the beginning. What?
Speaker 2:are the stages of that you know for leaders, you know. So you know you talk about the enabling stage. What are the stages for leaders? You know, so they can notice what stage they're in and what they should or should not be doing in those stages.
Speaker 3:Absolutely so. This is the process we defined. Now, lots and lots of management gurus out there over time have identified a four, four step leadership process. It's called all different things, yes, and every process is good, but most leaders are rubbish at working the process.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 3:They get stuck in that their four-step process in their own style of leadership, their own preferred way of working. So the first stage is always we call it visioning, mobilizing, developing, enabling. So visioning and mobilizing take a lot of your time. This is setting the rules, setting your visibility of style, seeing what's going on, making your analysis, setting your vision. Then you go about through explicitness leaders aren't normally explicit enough through being assertive, appropriately assertive. This is where we're going and this is how I want it done. We nip performance issues in the bud, we give feedback every day and we maintain momentum. So that takes time to put all that stuff in place.
Speaker 3:Once you do, we call that the transactional stage. And then the transformational stage developing. Once their internal motivation kicks in, we can now take account of the individual's motivation. Right, how do we keep them motivated? How do we keep them on track? We adapt our leadership style accordingly. We don't need to be as explicit or give as much challenging feedback or if the challenge is where next from the good you're at, to even better. So it's a different quality of leadership and doesn't take as much effort because they're super motivated to do it.
Speaker 3:And then the enabled stage we let them go and we have to get out of their way. You should do yourself out of a job and either they will stay or they'll leave and go on somewhere bigger and better. And you have to have the generosity to allow them to go. If there's nowhere for them here, but at that enabled stage, with your team, all you have to do is provide continued support. You empower them, you delegate, which is an act and also a mindset delegation, and then you're just saying well done, I've got a fully enabled team around me, all self-employed. But I constantly say I love the way you crafted that email. That was brilliant, the way you responded to that. So they know I can see them, I've got them.
Speaker 2:Yes, I love that, the fact that they know you can see them and I think sometimes we don't share enough of those kinds of compliments. So people know that you can see them, which is important. People want to be seen, they want to be seen, they want to be appreciated, they want to be valued, and the best way is to give some kind of feedback that lets them know that you do see them. And so, leaders, if you're listening, what are your ways that you're doing every single day, every single week? Letting your team know you see them and you appreciate them and value them. And it doesn't have to be long, it can be just a short thank you. Hey, I noticed you did this. I really appreciate that. You crafted the email that way. Great job, and that's enough.
Speaker 2:I think we make it more difficult than it needs to be sometimes as leaders, to let people know exactly what you just said. I see you, I hear you, I appreciate you. So, when you think about leaders first coming in, what if you're talking to the new leader that's coming in? Are there any particular things that that they should focus on? So, people that listen to and watch the show, they always say, well, that's my first leadership role when do I start?
Speaker 3:So you start with who am I, what kind of leader am I, what kind of leader do I want to be? And I now make it visible and consistent. As we've said, I now go and talk to all of my people so that I know who they are, I understand their concerns, I understand what they're doing. I make my analysis of where they are and what they're doing in terms of what I need to achieve now as the new leader of this team and what you know. What's the vision of the organization and what is my vision for this team here, and how do they fit together? So the leader has to do a lot of work. One of the best um, can I talk about a film, one of the best films where you can see this so visibly is an old film Coach Carter.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 3:With Samuel L Jackson, because he does it in a very extroverted way, but it's very visible. He watches the team first of all. He just watches them. He watches how the team interact, he watches what goes on. He watches a game before he even agrees to take the job on, so he gets to know the team. So that would be the place to start. You can't do anything unless you know your team.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love that. You said you know Ali is. I get to know who they are and oftentimes, as leaders, we're so busy trying to make sure they know who we are because we're the leader.
Speaker 2:You know we want to come in and let me tell you my vision and you really haven't said hey, I want to get to know you before I put anything out, and I love that you also share that. You know, as a leader, once you get to that enabling stage, all you have to do is provide support and it's almost like owning a home. Once it's built, everything's in place. If you continue to provide support, that home will stand for years. But if you don't do the minor repairs and you don't do the cleanup and you don't do the things that you need to do that require service in that home, you'll find yourself with a home that's not going to stand very long.
Speaker 3:Yes, the foundations won't be there. It'll crumble.
Speaker 2:It won't be there, it'll crumble. It won't be there. It'll crumble on you over time. So I would say, building a team is just like that Do the hard work up front and make sure the foundation is solid and the structure that it's standing on is solid. Then you can do the little things later on. But it's going to take work to clear the land and to pour the foundation and make sure it's level. All that does take time, but if you don't do it right, you will have more problems later on because it's just not gonna stand very long. So we've talked about a lot here.
Speaker 2:Ali, when you think about your 20 years in the industry, in the space, what do you think has been some of the most measurable changes you've seen happen that leaders are starting to do better at? What do you notice over the years? You know, because it has changed from when my grandparents were leaders. You know I watch my mother, my father. As entrepreneurs, we lose and I watch. Now is my time and I'm in that space. The way that they did things gave me a good platform, but I had to change some of the things that they've done or were doing. What are you noticing about leadership that leaders are starting to embrace and change to be more effective.
Speaker 3:Yes, certainly. We've seen a huge shift from the kind of command and control type leadership to much more embracing leadership, servant leadership and all that kind of thing. So it's constantly adapting to the time you're in, whatever time that is constantly. I mean, the greatest leaders in the world are constantly changing. You know, Madonna wouldn't be so amazing if she hadn't kept reinventing herself. Leaders are having to do the same. You can't do what you've always done. Or, as Marshall Goldsmith would say, what got you here?
Speaker 3:won't get you there, so it's being alert to what is going on. You have to be reading, you have to be listening to, you know TED Talks and watching TED Talks and podcasts and you have to be absolutely on your game as a leader.
Speaker 2:I love it. Two questions for us. We don't get time for us. Game as a leader. I love it. Two questions for us. We don't get time for us. The first question is you said something that's important constantly being in class. How important is that for leaders to constantly be learning To constantly be learning, to continue reading, to be in podcasts, to take a course. How important is it for leaders to constantly be a learner?
Speaker 3:It's hugely important. Yes, you can't do this unless you're willing to learn, because you're expecting your employees to constantly learn. So you can't do. You can't expect that if you can't do it yourself.
Speaker 2:Wow, which is amazing. Thank you for sharing the response to that. The other question what? How valuable for you? Valuable for you if you've had a mentor? What role did it play in who you are today, and how valuable is it for the people to seek out a mentor?
Speaker 3:I would not be here today if I hadn't had the most amazing mentor. So it is super important and I've had experience of a great mentor from. I desperately needed a job in 1990, like you do, a long time ago. I'm really old and the chap I met at that time was a chartered occupational psychologist, 20 years older than me a bit more than 20 years older than me and he has been my guide and mentor all these years. He's now in his late 80s and he still will phone me up and say, ali, I've been thinking Super important. But it's also important for leaders to pay that back. So I am now mentoring a young entrepreneur or two in Mauritius to be able to help them grow their businesses. So it's really important to have somebody who's a few years older, a few years possibly wiser, to just share what they know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love that you said hey, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for that individual that poured into me. You know, more than I probably could have ever. You know, done for myself. But also to give back, and I think that's the thing of leaders, you know, being able to reach back versus hey, I have mine. You have to figure it out and I hear that quite often where people just leave people up to their own devices. Versus, hey, what can you do to give back to someone that's a couple of years behind you, that you know where you started, they're currently there and you've learned some lessons.
Speaker 2:So if you listen to this podcast one find a mentor, someone that's ahead of you, and you envision yourself being like them, but then be a mentor, play both ends of that, and you do have the time. It's important for us to do that. Is there anything that you'll share, ali, that I really haven't asked about? I mean, you gave some great responses to the questions. You share some great practices and some processes. Is there anything that we haven't touched on that you want to share that you feel is very valuable for our listeners?
Speaker 3:touched on that you want to share, that you feel is very valuable for our listeners, possibly the one thing. When I take coaches and trainers, when I take leaders through the Liberator program, the key skill of explicitness, time and again, is the thing they remember. Mostly it's just a little short bit in the book, but it's the most powerful, because leaders often aren't explicit enough. They'll say something like use your initiative or be passionate. What am I doing when I'm passionate? What am I doing? You've got to be a better strategic thinker. What does that look like when I'm being a strategic thinker? So leaders have to say explicitly and by this I mean and these are the actions I need to see so that I know you're doing it so to, and also in giving feedback, which is part of explicitness, make it conditional, which is part of explicitness. Make it conditional.
Speaker 3:So don't just say that was a great presentation. Tell the person what you loved about the presentation, because if you said that to me, I might think you might. You know, was it the way I presented? Was it my slides? Was it my presence? You know what was it about my presentation, which was great. You know what was it about my presentation, which was great, so make it conditional. It was great because this is what I noticed, or it wasn't so great because this is what I noticed, and next time, if you try this, it would make it superb. Wow. So you can give positive conditional and negative conditional just as effectively yes, yes, I, yes, I love the word you know use effectively.
Speaker 2:If it works, great. But if it's not working, I want you to know that as well. So I don't normally use the word bad or good. I say effective or ineffective is the language I use. I mean, you've been phenomenal on answering the questions. How do people reach out to you? First, you know you have a phenomenal tool that you use and help people figure out how to be more effective as a leader. How do people, where do people find you? How do they reach out to you? If they want to, you know, bring you onto a podcast and find out more about your organization or your tool.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much, ron. Well, everything with me is Ali Stewart and Co, so wwwalistewartandcocom, linkedin, allie Stewart Co. If it's Twitter Allie Stewart Co, instagram, allie Stewart Co, so they'll find me.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, consistent. So hopefully everyone has listened to this. She made it really easy. With everything that she has, there's one brand, and so you want to be the same way as what Allie just did is what's your brand? How do people find you, how do people locate you? She's visible, and there's one thing that you can use to find her, no matter what platform you are. So if you're listening, you're paying attention, you want to reach out to her.
Speaker 2:I love what you shared with us today. I mean your passion you can feel it in your, in your heart and your conversation is that you're you're designed to do this and you care a lot about doing it. You're designed to do this and you care a lot about doing it. And for everyone else that's listening, hopefully we share something in the time that we spent with you that made a difference for how you show up as a leader. That made a difference for how you take care of the people that are really counting on you, and you figured out a way to find out more about mentoring or finding out your style of communication or your style of leading, and, more importantly, that you find out that it takes a foundation and then you can build from there. So for all you just listen.
Speaker 2:Thank you for joining, ali, and I know another episode of Unpacked with Ron Harvey and until next time we wish you the best. We hope everything goes well and we hope that you reach out to us and connect with us if there's anything we can do for you, either one of us. We're in this together across the universe, so please reach out to us if we can ever help you be a more effective leader. Until next time, ali and I are signing off.
Speaker 1:Well, we hope you enjoyed this edition of Unpacked Podcast with leadership consultant Ron Harvey. Remember to join us every Monday as Ron unpacks sound advice, providing real answers for real leadership challenges. Until next time, remember to add value and make a difference where you are, for the people you serve, because people always matter.
