035: How to Change the World Without Getting Burnt-Out with Shannon Lucas

My fantastic guest today is Shannon Lucas, former Executive Vice President at Ericsson and Co-CEO at Catalyst Constellations. She is also a co-author of the #1 Amazon best-selling book, Move Fast. Break Shit. Burn Out.: The Catalyst’s Guide to Working Well.

Most of the material I see for product leaders tends to focus on “doing the job,” meaning: how you do the work of product leadership or product management. Rarely do they focus on the person themselves; in being a good leader while simultaneously driving change, working with others, and not going crazy in the process.

That’s why I was so excited to be joined by my friend Shannon for today’s episode! As an expert on this topic, Shannon shares key insights on the topic from her new book, Move Fast. Break Shit. Burn Out.: The Catalyst’s Guide to Working Well, and, on how you can become the changemaker you desire to be — without getting burnt out! Shannon also provides the framework on how to become a better leader by understanding whether or not you are a catalyst yourself, as well as how to work better with other catalysts in your life. Shannon and I also discuss the emotional challenges that come along with being an agent of change and how to better cope with the uncertainty that comes with the job.

If you are a product leader, grab your pen and paper! This is a not-to-miss conversation.

Episode Details: with Shannon Lucas:

“My belief is we need those positive changemakers… now more than ever. And there’s more and more being demanded of them. So it’s really important that we find sustainable ways to support their energy, but also give them the tools to be more effective.” — Shannon Lucas

About Shannon Lucas:

Shannon is an intrapreneur, innovator, entrepreneur, facilitator, and catalyst with a 15-plus year track record in technology design and implementation, technical sales, and innovation.

As a global innovation executive, Shannon specializes in future trend analysis, driving innovation and intrapreneurial culture, and delivering transformational technology solutions. Her main mission and purpose is to help transform the world’s largest organizations to be more sustainable in every sense of the word — for profit, people, and the planet.

Topics We Discuss in this Episode:

• Shannon’s career background and how she’s become the catalyst she is today

• Key lessons in change-making and leading impactful innovations

• About her new best-selling book, Move Fast. Break Shit. Burn Out.: The Catalyst’s Guide to Working Well, and how it helps catalysts see themselves, be more effective, and not burn out

• About Shannon’s company, Catalyst Constellations

• The key attributes of a catalyst and the distinguishing factors that separate them from other visionaries

• How to work better in a more sustainable way as a catalyst

• How to recognize other catalysts and equip them with the right tools and knowledge to thrive

• The importance of understanding the core traits of catalysts to enable better collaboration, better support systems, and create a culture that thrives

• Why failure at the front-end should be celebrated, not punished

• The common patterns and pitfalls of catalysts

• What catalyst burnout looks like and how to bounce back, fully rejuvenated

• How Shannon works with catalysts as a catalyst herself

• Top tips for catalysts

• Tools and techniques that can take you to the next level as a catalyst

Product Leader Tips of the Week:

If you suspect you are a catalyst (or you work with catalysts), the #1 thing you need to remember is to slow down and have some self-compassion. It is hard work to be a catalyst so you can’t be too hard on yourself (or, on the catalysts around you).

To Learn More About Shannon Lucas:

• Shannon Lucas’ LinkedIn

• Move Fast. Break Shit. Burn Out.: The Catalyst’s Guide to Working Well, by Shannon Lucas and Tracey Lovejoy

• Catalyst Constellations

• Join the Galaxy Community

Related Resources:

• The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail (Management of Innovation and Change), by Clayton M. Christensen

• DanielElizalde.com/Template — Download Daniel’s free IoT Product Strategy Template here!

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