#112 - It's not what you say that matters
Everyday Leadership for Smart Women
“What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.” ~Emerson One of the basic tenets of most parenting advice is that kids will do what you do, not what you tell them to do. If you yell and scream when angry, they’ll be more likely to yell and scream when angry (even when you tell them not to). If you talk about people behind their backs, they’ll be more likely to talk about people behind their backs (even when you tell them not to). And conversely, if you recover from mistakes and setbacks without berating yourself or others in the process, they’ll be more likely to...
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#111 - What's obvious to you may not be to everyone else
Everyday Leadership for Smart Women
Hello Captain Obvious! Four years. Or maybe longer because to be honest, I’ve lost track. Let’s just go with four years. That’s how long I’ve been using Notion to power my…well, everything. Now before you non-Notion users delete this message, I promise it’s not really about Notion. Notion plays a secondary role in my repeat performance of, “Captain Obvious, starring Steph.” This isn’t really about Notion, the tool. It’s about Notion, the idea. This week I launched the first issue of — a newsletter for leaders who want to leverage the power of Notion to keep them...
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BONUS Crossover Episode - Intro to Rest
Everyday Leadership for Smart Women
Welcome to this special crossover episode! Today I bring you an episode of The Happier Approach - an amazing podcast by my dear friend, Nancy Jane Smith. She invited me to her show to kick off a new series about rest, and I thought you'd enjoy it too! We talk about the different kinds of rest, why the pandemic really shook up our understanding of rest and hustle, and how tricky it can be to give ourselves permission to rest -- even when we know we need it.
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#110 - Great leaders demonstrate these 5 traits
Everyday Leadership for Smart Women
What makes a great leader? You don’t have to look far to find any number of think pieces and social posts declaring the strategies, tactics and traits leaders need to develop and grow to be effective. Today, I’m wading into this conversation with the five traits I’ve come to believe are critical to help leaders lead well. Here they are at-a-glance: A willingess to interogate their own thinking, beliefs and assumptions. A belief that there is enough success and opportunity to go around. A curiosity-over-certainty approach to problem-solving and conflict. An ability to stay humble while...
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To everything there is a season
Everyday Leadership for Smart Women
Hello and welcome back to the show! In today's episode, I give you a raw, behind-the-scenes look at leadership in real life -- or put another way, the tricky season I've been navigating lately and why I had to step away from the podcast for a while. If you are looking for my regular actionable leadership insights - come back for the next episode. But if you're feeling it too - or in a season that's asking a lot, listen in. AND - interested in the Notion Leader O.S. I mentioned at the end of the show? Sign up to receive my weekly and you'll be the first to hear all...
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#108 - "I can't talk about this with just anyone."
Everyday Leadership for Smart Women
In today's episode, we talk about loneliness in leadership. Because it's a real thing, and it's often under-acknowledged. Let's talk about it. Recommended Resources: Join – a community of practice for women who want to be better, braver leaders
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#107 - Who gets to be a leader?
Everyday Leadership for Smart Women
Who gets to be a leader? Short answer: you do. More nuanced answer: you do, and here’s why you might not automatically see yourself that way. Recommended Resources: Join – a community of practice for women who want to be better, braver leaders
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#106 - Be the author of your own ambition
Everyday Leadership for Smart Women
If I’m honest, a big reason I got (and have stayed) off Instagram since June 2020 is because I’m easily influenced by other’s ambitions. As I would scroll my feed, passively watching post after post go by of someone’s perfectly curated version of success, I’d find myself wanting things I hadn’t ever considered wanting or second-guessing the plans and desires I’d already thought were iron clad. It took me way too long to realize that spending time engaging in other people’s plans inevitably warped my own, leaving me in idea limbo more times than I’d like to admit. Finally, I...
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#105 - A behind-the-scenes look at LEAD.Well
Everyday Leadership for Smart Women
Leadership is a practice, not a position. This is our guiding principle inside LEAD.Well, my community of practice for women looking to become better, braver everyday leaders. What began as essentially a paid newsletter has now become a thoughtful, curious community of practice for women and non-binary folks to reflect, develop and practice their leadership. Today, I’m taking you behind-the-scenes, sharing about LEAD.Well’s origin story, how it’s changed and evolved over the years (thanks pandemic!), and what it looks like today. The doors are open for our spring enrolment until...
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#104 - Nekolina Lau Gives a Leg Up
Everyday Leadership for Smart Women
"It's not about my ambition for my team members; it's about me supporting them with theirs." Nekolina is the manager any employee would love to have. As the Director of Communications for ATB Financial, Nekolina leads a team of 10. Unlike many managers who get promoted based on their technical skills, but struggle with leading people, Nekolina has made it her life's work to be an empathetic, people-first leader. In this episode, we explore her leadership philosophy of 'giving a leg up,' and why she believes that investing in deep listening and active support of her team members is the best...
info_outline“The courage to be vulnerable is not about winning or losing, it’s about the courage to show up when you can’t predict or control the outcome.”
Brené Brown
Yesterday, while cooking my seven thousandth meal in the past few weeks, I was listening to one of my favourite podcasts, NPR Politics.
These hosts, who have been in my earbuds for years, are now recording from home – trying to produce a high-quality news show, while toddlers climb up their desk chairs and dogs bark in the background. I laughed yesterday, as one hosts’ dog barked a few too many times and she had to tell Buster to just “shush!”
It was a moment of realness that pre-pandemic, would have quickly been edited out.
There are have been many more of these moments over the past few weeks, as Late Night Show hosts introduce us to their family members, business owners share challenging behind-the-scenes moments of keeping operations afloat, Bon Appetit chefs teach us how to make gourmet Kraft Dinner, and closer to home, we all get glimpses into how people really live thanks to Zoom.
And while we all wish COVID19 wasn’t a word in our lexicon, let alone dictating the way we live and work, there are some bright spots amongst the clouds.
Our new willingness to let our audiences in – whether they be our friends on Facebook, our team members, our clients or our audiences-at-large – is an opportunity to connect with our people in a deeper, more authentic way. And I think that’s a great thing.
Enjoy the episode.
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