The Blue Pea Leader

Ruth Sanderson
The Blue Pea Leader

Welcome to The Blue Pea Leader Podcast with Ruth Sanderson! If you want to become a leader of an organization where people feel alive and fully contribute, one that really understands who you are, lets you contribute your talents, live your purpose and make a difference. Listen in now as we share the latest practical ideas and techniques to experience authentic success through leadership.

  1. 03/02/2023

    How to Create a Culture Change – FAST

    In this podcast I want to talk about how you can create a culture change quickly. First let’s start by looking at why creating the right culture is important. Why is creating the right culture important? It’s the hidden force that drives most of our behaviour in the company.  Therefore, it drives our choices or decisions Culture and leadership are the same coin, just different sides.  Leaders are responsible for managing the culture, re-enforcing what’s still working, leading the way and role modelling what needs to evolve. A leader must be right for that stage of a business.  There are leaders that are great at turning a business round, those who are great for stability and those great for growth.  There are leaders who are great for start-ups, those taking it to the next level and those who are right for large, mature organisations. Bring in the wrong leader for the phase of the business you’re in and complications ensue. When new Leaders join a team or business and don’t know how to manage culture then things can get messy, fast. They either fight the existing culture – which can result in them being spat out quickly by the company or employees play the game and on the surface go along with the new leader, waiting it out till the leader moves on.  Existing cultures usually win here. The new leader could give in to the culture – in which case what needed to change and evolve doesn’t.  This is usually a slow creeping death.   What is culture? In a nutshell it’s derived from unspoken behaviours, mindsets and social patterns Culture shapes the attitudes, decisions, choices that are made.  It defines what’s normal, acceptable and rewarded in this team, site or company. Culture is like a soup, if it’s a healthy one it nourishes you.  If it’s unhealthy for you then you want to get out – it’s one reason people leave within 6 months of joining an organisation.  What’s more as an organisation grows the culture will evolve, as it does, some people choose to leave, the soup no longer right for them.  Sometimes though evolution is required but it’s fought by all and then the soup becomes toxic and if nothing happens the company goes under.   How can I tell what the culture is? Observing the culture could be split into 3 aspects The easy What do you see around you, the artefacts, the behaviours.  Eg Is it open plan, formal dress, mini football table, what’s the art on the wall, the way the phone is answered or you’re greeted at reception – it’s the surface presentation of the culture, but it might not actually be the culture.  Some of what you see could be the desired culture or it could be the espoused culture.  In some cases it’s just a collection of stuff and means nothing at all.  Without further enquiry, observation and interrogation you don’t really know how valid this stuff that you’re observing is.  Plus you need to remember you’re observing it through your subjective filters. The intermediate The values they state.  Eg Teamwork.  But how do they behave that demonstrates teamwork?  Is it that no decision is made until we all agree.  People can attend any meeting they fancy if they believe they have something to contribute.  We work together and no one is left to sink.  No shouting or strong expression of emotion.  It’s OK to let rip if it’s at the idea not the person.  You see how these are all different and without being explicit then each person will come with their expectation of what this value means.  The upshot is that people think they’re living the value and others might disagree. Then you need to observe – are decisions made in line with the values or conveniently forgotten if it’s going to cost time or money. The harder or deeper What’s the history of the team or organisation.  What were the key values, beliefs, assumptions and mindset of the founders.

    13 min
  2. 23/11/2022

    Is Distraction Good for Your Productivity?

    With the end of 2022 in sight, I’ve been looking at my productivity.  My August went by so fast I missed it, and September wasn’t much slower.  So much so that I began October with more work than I knew I could get through.  I started to get that sinking feeling, where I have this crazy desire to pull the duvet over my head and hope I wake up when it’s all over.  Instead, I muttered some inspiring words, in this case “pull yourself together Ruth”.  And thought I’d better sort out my focus, priorities and relook at a few of those entertaining but time sucking distractions. And voila I entered November feeling like I’d finally got a grip of the year, rather than the year having a grip of me. Now I don’t know how your diary and productivity are as December knocks on the door with its plate of mince pies.  But if you think you want to be more ta dah, tick, tick, tick…hey I’m making things happen.  Then I have a few ideas for you.   Revisit your goals Have an honest look at them.  Do they still excite you?  Are they still valid?  Knowing what you do today could they be improved? Once you’ve reassessed you have your priorities.  And that does mean making some tough decisions.  In my case I moved the deadline on one.  I’m getting better at being human, rather than demanding I’m wonder woman.  I also binned one goal, which was a result of looking at it from where I and the world is right now, rather than when I set it.   Daily Actions Now look at your daily actions.  Have they got anything to do with any of your priorities? Too often we get sucked in to working on those priorities that come in via email, slack and a quick phone call.  If we step back, and hit pause, there’s a good chance that the request isn’t aligned to your priorities / goals.  I’m not saying it isn’t important and a priority for the other person.  If we enjoy collaborating, supporting our team, or suffer from people pleasing and the word no struggles to make it into our vocabulary, then we can pay a higher price.   Banana v Spinach & Kale Smoothie To achieve your goal, there will be actions that are easy and those that are more complicated, uncomfortable or just plain who knows how they’ll turn out.  If you’re only doing the easy, comfortable actions you’re not going to make the progress you could.  Are you choosing the equivalent of the banana smoothie and pretending you’re full when it comes to the spinach and kale one.  The latter is nutritious, the taste takes a bit of getting used to.   Procrastination What are you putting off and why?  When you get honest with yourself you can then do something about your answer.  There are things I put off, and when I’m honest with myself it allows me to make better decisions.  That might be I decide not to do it and manage the consequences.  Or I diarise it along with a reward for doing it.  Sometimes it’s realising that I’ve attached some drama to it.  Like… “What it if all goes wrong” “What if I do this and they laugh at me” “I’m not ready yet, I just need to…..”   8 Seconds Now you’re reading this far, so I’ve had your attention for more than 8 seconds.  And I appreciate that.  I read the other day that we now live in a world where the average attention span is 8 seconds before the person begins to get itchy and looks to move on.  Multi-tasking is a myth, or an illusion at least.  If something is worth doing, I’d bet my tuna sandwich this lunch time that it’s worth focusing on 100%.   And getting the real reward from doing it will come when you do it for longer than 8 seconds. Check out how often you get seduced by wanting instant gratification for your action. If you’re looking to lead from significance and service, then instant gratification and multi-tasking aren’t going to help you.  Growth, learning, being uncomfortable,

    10 min
  3. 07/11/2022

    Archetypes – The Impact of the Caregiver

    What is an Archetype?  Carl Jung was the first person to bring archetypes into the more mainstream.  He said you could no more separate yourself from your archetypes than you could separate yourself from your DNA.  We’re familiar with archetypes and their influence even if we don’t go around thinking consciously about them.  The word archetype means original imprint.  It’s a pattern or essential properties of something that determine how it behaves.   If I say the word Caregiver, you have a pattern of qualities, properties and behaviours underneath the word.  Knowing more about an archetype helps you understand how it’s influencing your life, shaping your decisions and choices.  Being conscious of which archetype is at play in your life and leadership allows you to create a more fulfilling, meaningful and successful life.  One in which you’re in the driving seat, rather than being driven.   And so in this episode of the blue pea Leader I want to explore the Caregiver archetype   The Caregiver  When we talk about Emotional Intelligence, Compassion, Wellbeing, Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace, there are a variety of archetypes that underpin this conversation.  And one of them is the caregiver.   Now how easy or otherwise you find it to access this archetype will shape how you work with the above subjects.  And indeed it will certainly influence how others see you working with the above subjects.   I’ve had clients who were very high in caregiver and whilst they took immense care of their staff and teams, they ignored their own wellbeing.   When the caregiver is high for you then your nurturing, compassionate, giving side will be a core part of your identity.    If it’s low for you it can indicate a few things.  It’s not a core part of your identity and self image.  It’s something you find hard to access and need to learn to get better at, aka a development opportunity.  Or it can indicate that you’ve recently had an intense spell of drawing upon this archetype and it’s in currently having a holiday so to speak.   Qualities of Caregiver  The Caregiver is focussed on being of service to others, to care, nurture and protect.  Of course they decide what or who they are in service of, care about, look to nurture and protect.  For some this could be their family.  For others it’s a wider concept of family i.e. their team or department.  For others it could be the ocean, the local park or the village bus service.  Selfless and self-sacrificing they can give without thinking of the consequences or the cost.  I mention above, it’s not uncommon for them to take care of others and neglect their own needs.  This archetype is motivated to provide reassurance, service, advice, listening and an open heart to support the welfare of others. The Caregiver is compassionate, generous, efficient, self-sacrificing, patient, highly competent and an excellent multitasker. Able to find the silver lining in any cloud, the Caregiver remains calm in a crisis, makes friends with everyone, and radiates the lightness of optimism.  On the downside this archetype can also be overprotective, overly involved, rather than allowing their loved ones or their employees the space to solve their own problems they dive in to rescue them.    They can also get serious tunnel vision.  Lastly I’ve alluded to this earlier, whilst they’re good at taking care of others and spotting when someone needs attention, or is getting out of balance. They can miss this completely in themselves.  Continuing to push through and sacrifice when they should say no and apply some self-care.    Stereotypes  There are of course still stereotypes in the workplace associated with this archetype.  I often describe a stereotype and a dead or lifeless version of an archetype.  Archetypes are animated, active, shaping.  Stereotypes are limiting.

    10 min
  4. 04/10/2022

    Why Smart Leaders Invest in Personal Development

    This is an AI transcript of the podcast, please excuse any minor errors.   Sadly there is still an all too common belief amongst leaders that they won’t benefit from personal development and it’s over rated.  They believe that the technical skills that got them to where they are will be enough to keep them going.  These leaders are intelligent, good at figuring things out and as long as they hit their targets, then whippi doodee and all is good.   Honing their technical skills is something they still pay attention to.  Looking at themselves and the soft skill side of leadership isn’t seen as important.  One of the reasons for this is that they don’t hear or see leaders around them doing the sort of personal development that leads to increased self awareness, authenticity and real empowerment.  Lifelong learning and continuous growth is something we know is fundamental to business success.  If our staff arrive having left university and think “that’s it, I know it all, now let’s get on the career ladder” we’d laugh our heads off.  There is a point in our leadership journey that our learning and growth isn’t technical, binary or external, rather it’s subjective, contextual and internal.  That aspect of our growth and development can get a bit messy and messy isn’t something that’s talked about much in business and leadership development.      I think of leadership as a profession, just like dentistry or accountancy.  There are skills leaders should have, like delegation, influence, coaching, consequential thinking, to name but a few.  Qualities we admire in great leaders include authenticity, humility, resilience, courage, empathy.   How do we learn those skills and embody those qualities in ourselves?  The answer, personal development.     7 Benefits Consistent personal development through a variety of approaches brings with it many benefits:-  1. Increased self-awareness.  You can’t change what you don’t know.  Which means if you don’t know, aka aren’t aware of something, you can’t improve, change or stop it.  Authenticity – is so much harder when you don’t know who you really are.   2. Becoming the best version of you.  Through reflection, study, practice, feedback you can enhance your strengths and lead on purpose.  Of course, becoming the best version of you, also requires increased self-awareness.   3. Harness your talents.  There are things we’re good at, and then there are our talents or gifts.  These we often take for granted and therefore overlook.  Personal Development can make you aware of these and then learn how to harness them further so they benefit you, your team and the business.   4. Demystifying your blind spots and weaknesses.  We all have them.  And sometimes a blind spot can hide within it a talent.  Personal Development isn’t about eradicating the weaknesses, rather it’s understanding how to manage and minimize the impact.   5. Add more value.  As we continually learn and grow, we look to apply and contribute more, typically through others or strategically.  We talk about empowerment.  For a start this involves us learning to have dominion over ourselves, to own our power.  To become aware of when we give it away or when we look to control others / situations.  Until we learn this, we’re never going to be comfortable empowering others, even if we talk about it and aspire to it.  We’re going to sabotage our efforts here.   6. Comfortably Uncomfortable.  Again our growth keeps us on the leading edge of our comfort zone. It’s short bouts of discomfort, continuously repeated and we build our leadership muscles. Let’s face it, if we’re truly being a leader and adding value then we’re going to be making some tough decisions.  If we like feeling comfortable we’re going to seek that in the decisions we make.   7. Inspire others.  I said at the beginning that one of the reason

    11 min
  5. 19/08/2022

    Learning From Risk

    As a leader we’re constantly taking risks. Or should be.  The question is are we mitigating, minimising or trying to eliminate and which is the best for the situation to encourage growth. I was running a group leadership programme the other week and they were sharing their wins in applying the material.  I also got them to share their learnings.  This is often where the ‘learn from making a mistake’ shows up.  And it did for one participant.  A significant learning too.  And I could see that they were beating themselves up about it. The thing is it was a valuable learning for others too, one that meant they didn’t need to personally make the same mistake in order to learn from it. One of the things that’s important to me as the leader of the course is being able to reframe things for participants. And so, I said to her that as a leader if you get to the end of the year and you haven’t made any mistakes, you haven’t been leading. It was like watching the night sky light up.  Her entire physiology changed.  Her response, along the lines of “I’d never thought of it like that before, thank you”. I went from having someone in their head, beating themselves up and feeling ashamed, to someone raring to learn the next chunk and with the confidence to go back and apply it. I also had a few more of the participants willing to step further outside their comfort zone and take a risk. Now of course when we take risks we can also take measures to mitigate or minimize the impact if something does go wrong. Talking and sharing with others in the field really helps you with this, especially if the field is relatively new for you.   Allow me to share a story that illustrates this. I moved to the coast a few years ago and the other year we got a small boat and tender.  We also got life jackets and never go out without them on.  They’re the self-inflating version so should you hit the water unconscious they’ll still go off and keep your head above water.  Now I really hope that unconscious bit never happens, but just in case the risk of drowning because you can’t pull the inflate cord is mitigated. The other week we decided to take the tender round to what I call the 3rd beach.  The main beach is always accessible, the 2nd beach via steps or when the tide is out.  The 3rd by boat and at high tide is completely covered. So dry bag filled with coffee and cake and a small towel, off we went. Coming into the beach I’m giving clear instructions to avoid the rocks. We have a lovely time on the beach and then notice the waves have changed slightly and think, it’s time to head back. So there I am getting in to the tender and just as I’m 1 leg in the boat and the other mid air, the 7th wave hits the bow and I’m now leaving the boat, stylishly backwards and land in the water.  Wet and surprised I gasp for air as a wave breaks over my head.  Poof, poof, poof the life vest inflates. My husband is seeing the funny side of all of this as he helps me up.  And he later informed me that apparently my stylishly backwards wasn’t so stylish. 😊 Anyway take 2 and I’m onboard.  Wet and with a fully inflated life vest and off we go back to the 1st beach. It’s a village and the next day one of the old fisherman asked how our trip went.  He also had a knowing smile on his face. We told him, and it brightened his day.  Over the next 3 or 4 days people asked me how I was, yes word had got around. What accompanied the good natured teasing was also a story of I’ve done a similar thing and here are some other things to look out for.   Reflection It turns out that most accidents with boats happen when you’re getting in to and out of them.  Apparently, most people only think to wear their life vest when they’re out at sea. We both knew how lucky I was as there are rocks around that area.

    8 min
  6. 31/05/2022

    Success Principles – Imagination

    Welcome to the 2nd Podcast on Success Principles.    Our mind has several higher faculties – these include reason, will, perception, intuition, memory and the one I’m going to talk about today – IMAGINATION.  Of course depending on how you use these higher faculties, determines what you think about and therefore bring about.  Imagination for me is one of the most powerful and possible the first faculty you need to learn to work with and harness the power of.  In fact, Einstein said “Imagination is more important than knowledge”    Let’s Practice  Close your eyes for a minute and imagine yourself lying on a beautiful sandy beach, feel the warmth of the sun on your skin, hear the waves gently lapping the shore line.  Now add in the action of your choice – perhaps your children are building sandcastles, or you’re about to swim in the ocean.  You can spend as little or as much time on that beach using your imagination.    I think sometimes we forget we are creative beings.  We get to run movies in our head of pain or pleasure.  Of things working out for us or against us.    Of course we can delegate this faculty to others.  When we read the news or listen to others they’re giving us a narrative, a stream of instructions that we imagineer in our heads.  Just like I gave you the instructions to see yourself on a beach.      We need to pay attention to what movies we run.    Amazon and Netflix recommends other movies based on movies you’ve watched (and liked).  Our mind does the same thing.  We imagine relaxing on a beach and then our mind goes ooh what other holidays can we imagine (or recall) and what other ways of relaxing are there.  All good stuff.  And the mind doesn’t discriminate – you run a movie of giving a presentation for a job and it being a flop and then your mind goes, how else could we be a flop, be rejected, make a complete nit of ourselves.  Or when else have we made a mistake, been rejected, or made a fool of ourselves.    And down the rabbit hole we go.     Now I said that what we think about we bring about.    Which is true, and there are a few additions to that.    The power of repetition Firstly we have to repeatedly think about it – and as I’ve said the mind is like Netflix, so we don’t have to repeatedly think about the same beach scene, variations on a theme are repetition enough.  We also have to feel it.  Now if you run the movie of the beach scene for a couple of mins you’ll feel more relaxed, happy, peaceful etc – unless of course you have a real dislike for the beach, all those grains of sand getting everywhere, in which case you might notice you’re increased frustration or annoyance as you continue to imagine yourself there.    What does it mean to use Imagination as a success principle?  By running a movie of you experiencing success in something regularly, with feeling, you’ll begin to build a bridge between what’s currently going on for you and what you wish were going on for you.  You’re impressing your goal on to your subconscious mind.    Your unconscious mind will now be on the look out for any opportunities to get to you your goal.  I.e. the thing you’ve been imagining and thinking about.  And so when anything that is a fit and a match to the map of you getting from A to G, your unconscious mind will seize upon it.  And some of these actions that you take will be outside of your conscious awareness.  Let me illustrate.  Have you ever given someone a compliment about something they’ve just done and they said nothing.  A little later on they’re telling someone else about the event and highlighting all the things that went wrong.  No mention of your positive feedback.  Their unconscious view of what happened / the global narrative they have of themselves is what they’re sharing.

    9 min
  7. 26/04/2022

    Are You Using Your Creator Archetype Fruitfully?

    In this episode of the blue pea leader, I want to explore the use of archetypes, well one specifically.  But what are archetypes, well they’re a language of power and a route to know ourselves better.  Why do we do what we do, respond how we do.  What makes us attracted or repelled by someone/thing.  When a particular archetype is active is influences or shapes how we view the world or our life.  We already speak them fluently and unconsciously recognise them in others.  It’s ours at play that we need to become more conscious of and learn to use as a powerful resource.  Becoming more conscious as a leader is something I help my clients achieve.  Understanding their archetypes is a significant element of this.  So then in this podcast I want to explore The Creator archetype specifically.    Creating…something new  The Goal or purpose of the creator archetype is ‘the creation of something new’. Fairly self explanatory then, so let’s look a little deeper. The gifts of this archetype or the resources available include creativity, vision, imagination, following your vocation and identity.  This archetype should be at its most obvious when we’re brainstorming, problem solving and setting the vision for our business. It should be allowed expression so that we can create our desired reality.   However all too often it’s stamped down or worse out by the processes and conditioning of life. Children are initially very creative, the other day I was sat on a rock on the beach when a child of about 5 or 6 claimed the next rock, except it wasn’t a rock, no it was a hotel and she was inviting people to check in and the other rocks, well rooms of course.  Although some were not for these guests.  There was at least 15 mins of fun as everyone checked in and out of their rock hotel.  Children have make believe friends, yes that’s who these rooms were reserved for.  Yet as adults we become more disapproving of this.  It’s fine when you’re 6, but not when you’re 16, or 36, it probably becomes OK again when you’re 86 if you can remember how to do it.    And that’s the thing, we’re encouraged to leave behind this form of creativity. Now I’m not suggesting for a minute that we have imaginary friends at work, but somewhere along the way some of us have had the creative stuffing knocked out of us.   So perhaps it’s time to get back in touch with this resource.  Because that’s what it is. A powerful resource, an antidote to stress, handling uncertainty and the route to creating more of what you do want in your life and business.    Benefits of the creator archetype  People who can easily access the creator archetype tend to have many ideas, flights of fantasy, what if moments, and they’re not too attached to them in the first instance.   It’s only when they’ve dwelled upon an idea that attachment forms. So these people are good at innovating and coming up with ideas to solve problems (both practical and impractical) they just don’t filter for a start. Of course if as an individual or a business you get too creative, then you need to ensure there is enough space to make things happen (and there is some element of market reality or demand) or you can go in to overload and nothing happens.  If we look at this from a leadership perspective then the creator archetype allows us to come up with the vision and describe it in such a way that others buy in and want to follow.   If we look from a brand perspective then this archetype is about producing wonderful works of art, and I mean that in the looser sense.  A good example would be Apple.    Now of course if you draw upon the creator a lot, then you may find yourself shying away from boring or routine work and people who lack imagination. On the other hand people may perceive you as eccentric or just plain weird. The Creator is also about vocation and identity,

    11 min
  8. 24/02/2022

    Working With Fear

    This year I’m exploring and attempting to understand what drives fear(s) more. I know what a topic to pick. Maybe something smaller for next year 😆 However fear is a powerful emotion.  It stops us in our tracks, influences our thoughts and the words or actions we take. Let’s take Psychological safety – so important in any relationship, work or personal.  Fear is a significant component that reduces this. So I’ve been asking myself questions like:- * As a leader how do we reduce the amount of fear present? * Is fear ever healthy? * What’s the toll on our health, productivity and creativity? * How do my fears determine what’s possible for me / the group / business? Big questions, and hopefully by the end of the year I’ll have more answers to these.   Did You Choose Your Fear? An email from Thoughts From The Universe dropped in to my inbox. If you don’t subscribe yet go to TUT.com A particular sentence jumped out at me ….Even your fears and challenges are admired, along with the courage it took to choose them. (Yeah, you chose them.)… It stopped me in my tracks and I reflected. And here’s the magic or the power. I did choose my fears. All of them. In a nano second there was a conscious choice. After that my fears run on autopilot which makes it feel like I didn’t choose them. Some fears make sense, there is an event and you can correlate it to the fear. Others, well they’re there, and yet the event that started it all is forgotten. And we wonder why, and did I really pick this one, because it makes absolutely no sense at all etc.   39 Steps After all, who’d choose to be scared of steps. I mean I’m 52 for goodness sake and still when I walk up or down steps I have to talk to myself – hilarious.  Really, I do see the funny side of this. I was in my 40’s when I almost fell down a flight of stairs, but I’ve had this, what seems like an irrational fear, forever. I know the saying feel the fear and do it anyway. And sometimes that works.  We grow, our fear shrinks, or we just find a way of managing the fear, keeping it in proportion or at a level that it doesn’t change our actions.  In other words if we didn’t feel the fear we’d still do this same action. And we should feel proud of the fact we’re taking the same action, even though we feel anxious or whatever.  It’s true, every time I successfully navigate a set of steps, I acknowledge that I didn’t let my fear make other choices for me.  Because sometimes there is a voice in my head shouting there is a lift over there you could take that, who cares that it’s just one floor.   Is It Fear? There is another possible outcome to feeling the fear and doing it anyway.  We feel elated afterwards.  In other words at times we get confused between the feeling of fear and excitement; as they can produce similar sensations in the body.  It’s all a matter of how we label them.  And more often than is useful we’re quick to label the sensation as fear. Butterflies in the stomach is a sensation commonly present in both emotions. The fear of presenting is a very a common fear.  It’s another one I had.  Now notice I use the past tense with this fear.  That’s not to say I don’t experience a few nerves occasionally.  It’s an alert telling me there is something else going on, another fear.  A fear that has usually has nothing to do with presenting perse.  What is normal for me to feel is a few butterflies, a slight buzz, it is a feeling of excitement. Years ago I had the pleasure of chatting with an actor and we were talking about walking out on to a stage.  I was describing how I used to be…. aka, a nervous, shaking wreck that spoke to either the floor or the...

    11 min

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Welcome to The Blue Pea Leader Podcast with Ruth Sanderson! If you want to become a leader of an organization where people feel alive and fully contribute, one that really understands who you are, lets you contribute your talents, live your purpose and make a difference. Listen in now as we share the latest practical ideas and techniques to experience authentic success through leadership.

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