Speak Up, Stand Up | Dr. Chris Johnson on Becoming Fierce

by LeeAnn Mallory | Awareness, Embodied Leadership, Leadership, Purpose/Mission, RiseRadio, Somatic, Women Leaders

#32: Speak Up, Stand Up | Dr. Chris Johnson on Becoming Fierce

Dr. Chris Johnson has joined me again in this episode to discuss a foundational leadership capability: the ability to speak up about the value we personally bring to our work. Our conviction is contagious and compelling, inspiring others to trust and believe in us as well.

Links

Dr. Chris Johnson

Q4 Consulting

Dr. Chris Johnson on Resilience

Show Notes

“You need to be able to take a stand. Extend your voice. Be pointedly focused on what you offer and the vision that you have, in order to impact the people that you say you want to impact.”

– Dr. Chris Johnson

Confidence and the mind-body connection

Dr. Chris Johnson has joined me again in this episode to discuss a foundational leadership capability: the ability to speak up about the value we personally bring to our work. Our conviction is contagious and compelling, inspiring others to trust and believe in us as well.

Earlier, in episode #21, I reviewed the importance of recognizing and owning the value we bring to our work. This value will remain hidden if we’re not able to confidently give voice to it. And the way we carry ourselves is inextricably linked to it all. Chris draws from her years of embodied leadership and martial arts practice to create a commanding presence while also staying calm and centered. She shares her insights on how to expand your presence and self-awareness to ultimately project your inner strength and achieve your goals.

The tangible impact: missed opportunities

[1:30] “The challenge about speaking up shows up in multiple ways…The most common are not sharing good ideas or opinions during meetings, not being able to promote themselves and their team. In avoiding conflict, staying silent or small leads to being undervalued and overlooked, and ultimately, to a lack of fulfillment, and possibly frustration.”

[32:44] “I’d get pulled in to take on leadership roles, and yet never fully owned them. And that was because I didn’t know if I knew enough, I didn’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings. I didn’t want anybody else to feel bad if I happen to do something really well. And all of that was a story that I told myself, and then it took residence in my body. I was very narrow, and small, my energy was very constrained.”

Centering in our body, our vision, and in action

[23:00] ] “We can either close in and hunker down…Or we can choose to learn a very simple skill and practice of centering. And by that, we mean centering in the body, relaxed…and then centering in something bigger than us, even if we don’t know what that is. And lastly, centering in an action that we can then take. And once we can learn that simple practice (because you have to practice it). Pretty soon that practice starts to reshape us…

“What matters is that we’re intentional. It’s based on what we care about, and that we’re consistently in deliberate practice.”

[29:00] “I like to say it’s tolerating the discomfort at the edges because it’s at the edges that literally, our neurobiology gets rewired. Hang out there in the discomfort for at least a little bit longer. Every time we do it, we’re growing new pathways that allow us to expand our capacity.”

Speaking about our accomplishments or sharing our thoughts in a meeting may bring physical sensations. We have to practice tolerating this discomfort though it feels unnatural. With time we grow accustomed to it.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

The Power of Pause in the Mindful Leader magazine:

https://www.mindfulleader.org/blog/44061-the-power-of-a-pause

Episode 21: Owning Your Value | Key Elements for Authenticity and Personal Power:

https://rise-leaders.com/owning-your-value/

A Guide to Owning Your Value

Download Guide

To connect to Dr. Chris Johnson please follow:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/drchrisljohnson/

https://q4-consulting.com/

Dr. Chris on Resilience: https://q4-consulting.com/resilience/

To subscribe to the Rise Leaders newsletter for more resources: https://mailchi.mp/426e78bc9538/subscribe

To discuss executive coaching, leadership development program design, and workshop facilitation, please visit:

https://rise-leaders.com/contact-info/

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What’s Your Cathedral Story? | Jonathan Haberkorn

by LeeAnn Mallory | Conscious Capitalism, Leadership, Purpose/Mission, RiseRadio, RiseWords, Servant Leadership, Vision, Values, Purpose

#31: What’s Your Cathedral Story? | Jonathan Haberkorn

Are you completing a task or working towards a bigger vision? If you have a Cathedral Story your work, your goals – your life will have more meaning.

As the cofounder of Intrizen, Jonathan Haberkorn specializes in making sense of complex processes and organizing them in a way that emphasizes human interaction first. By prioritizing the people who will be using the system and through promoting connections, Jonathan’s purpose fuels his craft.

Links

Jonathan Haberkorn

Intrizen

Cathedral Story

Show Notes

“If we’re going to spend the majority of our time doing work, there’s got to be a good reason and meaning behind it. That’s where the shift is. When you do land on where you feel like you’re in line with your purpose, it is easier to see the impacts, and you become a servant of that.”

– Jonathan Haberkorn

A serendipitous dinner conversation with Jonathan took place a few years ago and stuck with me. I was moved by a story he told about the time when the magnitude of his work was unexpectedly revealed. I call it a Cathedral Story.

Start with Purpose

Charging you work with purpose endows you with a greater sense of congruence between your professional and personal lives. Work then goes beyond the transactional aspects; supporting a life of intention and of fulfilling the promise of your potential.

As the cofounder of Intrizen, Jonathan Haberkorn specializes in making sense of complex HR processes and organizing them in a way that emphasizes human interaction first. By prioritizing the people using the system and the process of promoting connections, he relies on purpose to fuel his craft.

The Cornerstone of The Cathedral Story is our Orientation

[12:30] “The bricklayer said, ‘I’m a bricklayer, I’m working hard to make money so I can feed my family.’ The second bricklayer said, ‘I’m a builder, I’m building a wall.’ And then the third guy says, ‘I’m a cathedral builder, I’m building a cathedral where people will worship.’ …Basically, they’re doing the same job, but the context and the orientation that they’re doing it with changes everything.
“When we see how the work that we’re doing is going to be used, what’s the long term and even the multiplier impact it can have, it really changes. It changes the quality of our work.”

We can approach our work as a series of tasks or as a meaningful part of a greater vision with many ripples.

Purpose keeps us centered and whole

[26:00] “So knowing that things don’t always go to plan more times than not, and there’s deviations that happen, what’s our response to that? How are we going to react to it? We have the different ways we can react to it, we can be conscious about the way we’re thinking and kind of deal with it and handle it and give perspective around it.”

[31:40] “I used to think, okay, this is work, and then there’s home life…there’s definitely different aspects of life. But once I’ve really found my purpose, and have completely aligned to that, it all seems like one life to me. It’s all intertwining with each other.”
Purpose gives a perspective that transcends the silos of life.

Links to Intrizen and Jonathan Haberkorn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanhaberkorn/
www.intrizen.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/weareintrizen
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeAreIntrizen/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weareintrizen/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeAreIntrizen

To subscribe to the Rise Leaders newsletter for more resources: https://mailchi.mp/426e78bc9538/subscribe

To discuss executive coaching, leadership development program design, and workshop facilitation, please visit:
https://rise-leaders.com/contact-info/

I specialize in helping leaders and organizations thrive. Reach out if there’s a way I can support you.

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Local Economy Multipliers | Michael H. Shuman

by LeeAnn Mallory | Conscious Capitalism, Leadership, RiseRadio

#30: Local Economy Multipliers | Michael H. Shuman

Shop local is a mantra we’re hearing – and hopefully practicing – more often these days. Did you know we can also invest local? Michael H. Shuman is an expert in local economies. He’s a lawyer, economist, entrepreneur, author and activist when it comes to local. We cover the positive social and economic impact of local investment and talk about challenges and new solutions local business owners face. Hint: those that innovate – teaming up with like-minded small businesses in their vicinity, crowdsourcing, engaging their customers – are more likely to thrive.

Links

Michael H. Shuman

Put Your Money Where Your Life Is: How to Invest Locally Using Self-Directed IRAs and Solo 401(K)s

The Local Economy Solution: How Innovative, Self-Financing “pollinator” Enterprises Can Grow Jobs and Prosperity

By purchasing through Bookshop you’ll support local, independent bookstores. Rise Leaders is an affiliate and may benefit from your purchase

Show Notes

“Local businesses spend more of their money locally, and with those local relationships, what happens is that money stays in the economy. And you get the multiplier effect, which generates more income, wealth and jobs.”

– Michael H. Shuman

Home-growing a local economy

Around the holidays we often hear the rallying cry to “shop local.” We also hear that it boosts the local economy. Michael H. Shuman is here this week to share the true magnitude of just how important this is for local communities. He also clarifies what constitutes a local business and how they interact with and enhance their environments.

Local businesses have new sets of challenges that also require new solutions. Those that innovate – teaming up with like-minded small businesses in their vicinity, crowdsourcing, engaging their customers – are more likely to thrive.

Finally, the ability to invest in local businesses through self-directed IRAs and solo 401(K)s is becoming easier and provides a bridge between investors and local business owners.

All indicators rise with more local businesses

[10:06] “Regression analysis of communities across the United States [shows] that in those communities with the highest density of locally owned business, there’s the highest per capita job growth rate. And another study from the Federal Reserve in 2013 shows that when you look at counties across the United States and those counties with the highest density of locally owned business, there’s the highest per capita income growth rate.”

[11:03] “They are part of [communities] through volunteering, working through schools, supporting schools, etc. And it shows that in communities with a high density of locally owned business, there are higher rates of volunteership, higher rates of voting, higher rates of engagement in charities, higher rates of social stability.”

Collaboration is key

[12:46] “My biggest piece of advice to a local business proprietor is, stop acting alone, you don’t have the bandwidth to do everything you need to do to succeed. What you do need to do is bring in partners…partners in your ownership. I would bring in some of your customers as co-owners of your business, and also as helpers in the decision-making of your business.”

[28:16] “It’s pretty hard for one local business, especially a small one to take this initiative on his or her own. But if you have a collection of 20, or 50, or 100, businesses working together, these are problems that can be solved. The COVID-19 pandemic has been an invitation to local businesses who’ve been struggling to think about how to pursue their business model a little bit differently, a little bit more collaboratively.”

Partnering with other businesses can take many forms, such as collectively buying foodstuffs and equipment if you’re in the service industry, to bring down unit costs and become more competitive – establishing themselves as a mainstay in the business arena.

Female and minority-owned businesses are setting new standards

[16:18] “What we’ve seen with investment crowdfunding is that a half-million Americans put about $370 million into 1500 businesses. The most disproportionately successful businesses have been those run by women and people of color, those are the ones who have welcomed in grassroots ownership, grassroots partners. And also it represents the people who were locked out of the conventional capital markets. All of these outgroups are innovating in a different and exciting way.”

Michael H. Shuman’s website and more resources:

https://michaelhshuman.com/

https://twitter.com/smallmart

https://www.facebook.com/MichaelHShuman

By purchasing through Bookshop you’ll support local, independent bookstores. Rise Leaders is an affiliate and may benefit from your purchase.

Put Your Money Where Your Life Is: How to Invest Locally Using Self-Directed IRAs and Solo 401(K)s:

https://bookshop.org/a/16835/9781523088904

The Local Economy Solution: How Innovative, Self-Financing “pollinator” Enterprises Can Grow Jobs and Prosperity

https://bookshop.org/a/16835/9781603585750

Local Investing Groups & LIONs:

https://www.locavesting.com/how-to-invest-local/local-investing-groups-lions/

Turn Compost:

https://www.turncompost.com/

Interview with Turn’s founder Lauren Clarke:

https://rise-leaders.com/lauren_clarke_turn/

Sign up for Rise Leaders newsletter for episode announcements and an always-updated list of resources:

https://mailchi.mp/426e78bc9538/subscribe

To subscribe to the Rise Leaders newsletter for more resources: https://mailchi.mp/426e78bc9538/subscribe

To discuss executive coaching, leadership development program design, and workshop facilitation, please visit: https://rise-leaders.com/contact-info/

I specialize in helping leaders and organizations thrive. Reach out if there’s a way I can support you.

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Own Your Attention | Seth Braun

by LeeAnn Mallory | Awareness, Leadership, RiseRadio

#29: How to Own Your Attention | Seth Braun

Our attention is in demand. It’s up to us to know how to keep it focused on what matters most so that we spend more time enjoying what’s in front of us: other humans, nature, pets, art, etc. Managing our attention also provides a pathway for bringing our unique gifts to the world. Join me and Seth Braun as we explore the grander implications of Attention Management and a few strategies for living and working with intention.

Links

Seth Braun

Stagen Leadership Academy

Stagen’s Attention Management Core Practice Sheet

Show Notes

“This isn’t just about squeezing more productivity out of the machine…we get discouraged, disheartened, and we give up on the things that are important to us. So one of the most important things that I see in this is to come back to what’s important to me.”

– Seth Braun
Stagen Leadership Academy

Mindful Life, Better Living

Today we have more distractions than perhaps at any time in history, with our attention bought and sold as a commodity; our electronic devices tempting us with the promise of instant gratification. With so much vying for our attention, the question becomes: How can we navigate life in a way that’s meaningful, purposeful, and creative?

Attention management is a set of practices and habits that helps us increase the time we’re present, minimize distractions, and find flow. There are 4 zones to engage in: proactive, reactive, distraction, and waste. This week Seth Braun discusses Stagen’s Attention Zones model and how being mindful of these states can help us plan for and allocate time effectively. Ultimately it can help us bring our unique gifts to the world by engaging in life in a satisfying and productive way.

Beware the Distraction and Waste Zones

[9:59] “I’m not going to tell you that Netflix is a distraction. Consider: what in your life is a distraction – and what’s rejuvenating? There are certain things that I do in my family, like watching Netflix, where we laugh, and we have endorphins, and it’s rejuvenating, and it’s family time. It’s great. But then, where I start binge-watching and it’s 11. Then it’s 12…now I’m in a waste zone.”
A “lazy” activity isn’t always considered wasteful by default. Sometimes it’s what we need. However, there’s a point of diminishing returns, and we must consider the balance.

[19:20] “Most of us don’t come into the world highly disciplined, able to sit down and do the work. We need structures and practices to help us do that, including your 10-minute waste time.”
Even “wasteful” time has its place in preparing you to be proactive.

Be Guided by Your Ideals

Generally, anything in the proactive zone (with focused work) doesn’t come naturally and requires an act of volition.
[19:50] “Any act of creation or volition, whether it involves anything involving exercise or starting a business. Anything that’s…creative is going to have resistance.”
[33:30] “The most important thing we can do to live a fulfilling, satisfying life is (to) have an ideal. Keep track of it each week, when we’re planning our week, say, here’s what’s important to me, and I’m willing to go forward again.”

To learn more about Seth Braun and the Stagen Leadership Institute please visit:
https://stagen.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethdbraun/

Stagen’s Attention Management Core Practice Sheet
https://rise-leaders.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Stagen-Attention-Management-Core-Practice-Sheet.pdf

Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography:
https://www.amazon.com/Autobiography-Benjamin-Franklin/dp/B08C9616WW/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=benjamin+franklin&qid=1605824734&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExQklORjUySDVOTUo3JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTAxNzU5MkQ3VjBUNzNWOEo2SiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMDA1MjIxM0tYNDRIVzJPV0lEWSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

“In Over Our Heads” – Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey
https://www.amazon.com/Over-Our-Heads-Mental-Demands/dp/0674445880/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=In+Over+Our+Heads&qid=1605824766&sr=8-2

To subscribe to the Rise Leaders newsletter for more resources: https://mailchi.mp/426e78bc9538/subscribe

To discuss executive coaching, leadership development program design, and workshop facilitation, please visit: https://rise-leaders.com/contact-info/

I specialize in helping leaders and organizations thrive. Reach out if there’s a way I can support you.

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A High Integrity Leadership Coaching Ecosystem | Jerry Magar + LeeAnn Mallory

by LeeAnn Mallory | Culture, Feedback, Leadership, RiseRadio

#28: A High Integrity Coaching Ecosystem | Jerry Magar + LeeAnn Mallory

I called in a lifeline for this one. I wanted to talk about the importance of a supportive ecosystem when engaging in leadership coaching and didn’t like what I was producing on my own. So when my esteemed colleague, Jerry Magar, offered to interview me, I gladly accepted. And he delivered!

Links

Jerry Magar

Show Notes

“The pressure and expectation of organizational leadership demand emotional maturity, requiring leaders to be willing to do their internal work…we all must move away from leading from a place of fear and lack…and move toward vision and collaboration, which results in desired and sustainable outcomes.”

– LeeAnn Mallory, Founder

Rise Leaders

The tables got turned during this episode and I was interviewed by Jerry Magar, a wonderful friend and colleague. He was my lifeline! Listen to find out why…

Two decades of coaching insights

Leadership coaching has become increasingly common in organizations. Because it’s a significant financial investment, it’s worth knowing what to expect and how to maximize the experience. Being aware of the situations that could benefit from coaching, and knowing the potential pitfalls before beginning, are useful to walking in confidently and ensuring it’s a rich, seamless process.

The value of coaching

The more responsibility a leader gains and the broader the scope of their leadership, the more important that they’re able to develop and maintain meaningful positive relationships across the organization and outside the organization, as well as think strategically and execute against that strategy.

Leaders will hire a coach as they step into new and unfamiliar assignments and also as they face the inevitable bumps in the road. Having access to unbiased wisdom from outside the organization can provide a lifeline during times of transition and chaos. While they intuit the need to raise their awareness and increase their ability to respond to complex issues, the necessary feedback and support are often hard to come by.

A Wholehearted Approach

Most important to a successful coaching engagement is a motivated client who is committed to doing the work and has a learning or growth mindset. The work will be intense at times and will require courage and humility.

To subscribe to the Rise Leaders newsletter for more resources: https://mailchi.mp/426e78bc9538/subscribe

To discuss executive coaching, leadership development program design, and workshop facilitation, please visit: https://rise-leaders.com/contact-info/

To contact Jerry Magar:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerrymagar/
Website: http://jerrymagar.com/about-jerry-magar/

I specialize in helping leaders and organizations thrive. Reach out if there’s a way I can support you.

Remember…Elevate Your Part of the World!

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Offering Goodness, Truth + Beauty | Sofiya Deva, This Same Sky

by LeeAnn Mallory | Collaboration, Conscious Capitalism, Leadership, Purpose/Mission, RiseRadio, Stakeholders, Vision, Values, Purpose

# 27: Offering Goodness, Truth + Beauty | Sofiya Deva, This Same Sky

Sofiya Deva didn’t waver from her commitment to launch a new business, This Same Sky, even in the face of a pandemic. She was unwilling to turn away from any of her ‘loves’ – of beauty, for supporting multi-generational artisans, ethical and sustainable fashion and her self-described geeky love of strategy and business. I believe Jim Collins would give her an A+ in building a business with a clear core ideology (Vision, Purpose, Values). Listen in and you’ll also be gifted with Sofiya’s reading of This Same Sky’s brand poem.

Links

Sofiya Deva

This Same Sky

This Same Sky Instagram (check out the beautiful grid!)

Forbes interview with Sofiya

Show Notes

“We have a twofold purpose: On one hand, supporting the artisans and preserving their traditions. On the other hand, we’re trying to inspire a more intentional lifestyle for our consumers…that is more fulfilling and authentic.”

– Sofiya Deva, Founder and CEO of This Same Sky

Integrating your passions, strengths, and purpose

Not only did Sofiya Deva launch her brand, This Same Sky, in the middle of the pandemic, but she managed to masterfully integrate her loves and strengths. The company focuses on artisan-centered rotating collections of personal and home accessories, but it’s also a social enterprise that earns these multicultural artists an exceptional livelihood. Her purpose is to preserve traditional arts and crafts and remind us that we can’t forget the irrefutable value art can bring into our lives, – even in an era where minimalism is gaining traction.
One of the other passions the brand draws from? Poetry. The inspiration for the company name comes from a book of poetry of the same name. Everyone under “this same sky” lends to the sense of solidarity, that we’re all in this together. Profiling different artistic lifestyle pieces, it celebrates the distinctiveness of cultural differences while affirming a sense of unity.We discuss how Sofiya is achieving “the good, the true and the beautiful” within her new company, and how her pillars and purpose have fueled the company’s genesis and growth, even during such an uncertain time.

When less is more, choose intentionally

[17:47] “My subtle critique to sustainability in the present moment is we have a lot of emphasis on minimalism, and less clutter, which is great, but…I think if we just negate and eliminate, without tapping into a greater sense of who we are, a greater sense of where we come from, it’s incomplete for me.”

As consumers, we’re always voting with our dollars one way or the other. We understand not amassing possessions just to have them. But let’s also choose wisely, bringing things with beauty and life into our home.

The changing landscape of fashion

[25:51] “[The fashion industry] is in need of reform. But the great thing is that consumers are demanding that reform, so I think the brands that are going to deliver that reform have a competitive advantage in terms of being more desirable by consumers.”
[27:59] “Being born in the middle of a pandemic, it’s forced us to be even scrappier than we would have ordinarily been, and very adaptable and very agile – and to really think through, how can we create?How can we create a diverse and flexible business model?…We leaned into collaboration and how to create win-win scenarios.”

Balance passion and self-care

[34:03] “As an entrepreneur, you have to take burnout very seriously. You have to recognize that you’re not immune to burnout; you don’t have infinite energy and resources. I’ve had some really good coaches who have helped me recognize that, actually, my energy is a really valuable resource in this project, and I need to guard it.”

As Sofiya says, it’s important to engage intentionally and assess priorities so you’re able to follow through.

Connect with Sofiya:
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofiya-hyder/

This Same Sky https://thissamesky.com/

Social handle: @thissamesky

Twitter – https://twitter.com/sofiyadeva?lang=en

Other mentions:

This Same Sky by Naomi Shihab Nye – https://www.amazon.com/This-Same-Sky-Collection-Around/dp/0689806302
Guide to Owning Your Value – https://mailchi.mp/d37649fa5f04/own-your-value
Guide to Reading Poetry – https://mailchi.mp/6b573fc30d9e/guide-for-reading-poetry
Vickery Trading – https://vickerytrading.org/
Forbes article on Corporate Gifting: https://www.forbes.com/sites/shamahyder/2020/10/01/how-to-make-corporate-gifting-count-this-holiday-season/?sh=7b7db4453666

Sudara – https://www.sudara.org/
Olivela – https://www.olivela.com/
Wolf and Badger – https://www.wolfandbadger.com/us/

To subscribe to the Rise Leaders newsletter for more resources: https://mailchi.mp/426e78bc9538/subscribe

To discuss executive coaching, leadership development program design, and workshop facilitation, please visit: https://rise-leaders.com/contact-info/

I specialize in helping leaders and organizations thrive. Reach out if there’s a way I can support you.