Let's Fix Leadership Jen Thornton

Following a rigid hiring rule over filling a position with a great candidate. Or proving your co-worker is hard to work with over your own performance. How about, focusing on that pet project to the detriment of the company’s financial stability? 
 
False priorities show up all over the place at work, and we’ve all been guilty of them, because guess what? They often make things easier - but only in the moment. False priorities take us off course; costing time, money, innovation and growth. 
 
Simply put: when we fall prey to a false priority, our teams suffer. How do we identify a false priority and nip the imposter in the bud? 
 
In this episode, I talk about how to stay true to what’s important when a false priority trips us up. 

Leading the whole person is a non-negotiable requirement for every leader. To make everyone on our teams feel seen and supported, we have to get comfortable with uncomfortable conversations. This is especially true for disability, something a large percentage of the workforce lives with. 
Disability isn’t easy to talk about because we’re afraid we’ll say the wrong thing, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have the conversation. 
We don’t feel awkward asking people what their dietary restrictions are, so why do we feel uncomfortable asking how we can support a disabled coworker? How do we become better leaders for those with disabilities, seen or unseen? In this episode, I’m joined by leadership coach and my good friend, Jen Griffin. 
She shares her inspiring story - becoming an amputee and the mental game that helped her recover. We also share how leaders can foster environments where people are comfortable talking about disability. 
 

The more I guide and say it’s okay to ask, the better the conversations get. -Jen Griffin


 
Guest Bio 
Jen’s ability to lead from a creative perspective on life has served her clients well. Championing others by helping them unlock the secret shift they need to overcome and embrace life’s changes, is one of her true joys.
Jen’s professional career began as a real estate paralegal and worked for several top-tier corporations and law firms. Upon experiencing a life-altering medical event in 2007, Jen found herself shifting gears and she created and led her own non-profit, she began public speaking, writing, and eventually became a co-owner of a retail brick-and-mortar business. With all her combined professional experience, she is now a leadership coach to other businesses and individuals.
Through both her professional & personal life experiences, Jen has developed many tools for working in a fast-paced environment, serving many agendas, finding creative solutions, and overcoming the hardest part – fighting fear and just getting started!
Connect with Jen on LinkedIn.

When we’re starting out in our professional lives, we never know where this adventure known as a career is going to take us. What may seem like stray conversations, nuggets or threads can ultimately weave together and form something amazing in the future.
 
…Like working as an inventory manager, seeing how much of that inventory gets wasted and thinking, “wait a minute, I can build something and make a difference!”
 
That’s what happened to Jeannie Barsam. The founder of Gifting Brands can trace that pivotal decision to the many threads that came together. In this episode, she talks about the journey, how she’s making a difference and evolving as a leader. 
 
You’re always growing as a leader, you don’t just stop. -Jeannie Barsam
 
Guest Bio 
 
Jeannie Barsam is the founder and CEO of Gifting Brands. With three decades of experience in the dynamic world of Fashion & Retail, Jeannie had the privilege of traversing the globe, contributing to renowned brands, and providing mentorship to numerous individuals, both women and men alike. During her tenure as an executive at Zale’s, a part of Signet Jewelers and the world's largest diamond retailer, she encountered a unique challenge. Zale’s was seeking a nonprofit organization to accept excess inventory, yet, surprisingly, they struggled to find a suitable recipient.
 
This puzzling roadblock sparked a turning point in Jeannie’s journey.
 
Out of this challenge, the idea for Gifting Brands emerged, becoming a defining turning point in Jeannie’s life's work. Gifting Brands was conceived out of a profound commitment to the well-being of women, children, and the principles of giving back. To find out about the holiday auction from November 15th to 19th, head to www.giftingbrands.com.

If you’ve hung out with me for some time, you’ve heard me use the word self-authoring, but what does it actually mean, and why am I so passionate about it?
 
In a world where we’re constantly making complex decisions, and challenges come by the minute, we can’t let things just happen to us. We can’t be reactive - we have to stand firm in our vision and proactively decide how we’re going to show up.
 
This is self-authorship. It’s not getting swayed by what gets served up to us, but keeping ourselves, teams and organizations steady despite what’s going on.
 
Why are self-authoring leaders worth their weight in gold? How does this concept benefit everyone in the organization?
 
In this episode, we dive into self-authorship and why you can’t lead without it effectively.

If people were just their job titles, how boring a place the world would be! We are whole people - with hobbies, humor, and creativity.
Instead of reserving those pieces of ourselves for when we get home, showing them at work is highly valuable. Powerful things happen when we up our creativity - it sparks innovation and ideas that supercharge our workplaces.
How do we bring more of our wholeness to work? Why is vulnerability so important in leadership?
In this episode, comedian, creative and the COO of Pear Analytics, Tracie Mendoza shares how she brings her full personality to work, and how it impacts her team. 
 
If you’re not being creative outside of your workspace, how will you be creative within it? -Tracie Mendoza
 
Guest Bio
Tracie Mendoza is the COO of Pear Analytics. Before becoming a business owner, Tracie Mendoza did a little of this and little of that over the years – from comedy, retail management, education, consulting, and recruiting to name a few – Tracie landed in the Sales Field! This was no surprise to those around her, after all in kindergarten she had a line formed around the building, as she charged kids a quarter to color in her “Pink Panther Coloring Book!” She has always had an entrepreneurial spirit and a go getter mentality, and sets out to accomplish whatever she puts her mind to. Tracie graduated from Dallas Baptist University, where she earned a BAS in Communications and Theology and a MALA in both Fine Arts and History. When not leading a team, building a business, and working hand and hand with clients, you can find her shopping, traveling, playing with her pups, and of course making people laugh! AKA: Laughologist, Retail Therapist, Music Fanatic, Lover of the Arts, and Puppy Mama. For more information, head to http://pearanalytics.com/ or connect with her on LinkedIn.

To be one of 25 people to get $250 off, head to Pyrus Digital Media.

Have you ever wondered why the room goes dead silent when a leader asks the team to share their big ideas? It’s brain science. The fear that kicks in makes it impossible to get those creative, innovative, creative ideas flowing.
To make our teams more innovative, we have to reduce fear and create an environment where it feels safe to share ideas.
So, next time you want to trigger creativity and innovation, hold a crazy, big idea meeting!
How do we create a situation where the prefrontal cortex opens up and starts exploding with new ideas? How do we prime our teams for this meeting and facilitate it well? In this episode, I share how to create a meeting where people are excited to share all their best ideas.