181: Client Showcase: Empowering Women in Leadership with Niven Postma

In this week’s episode of the Seven Figure Consultant Podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing my client Niven Postma, an advisor, author and keynote speaker.

We explored Niven’s expertise in addressing workplace disengagement and her ongoing PhD research on office politics, particularly concerning women.

We also talked about LinkedIn, where Niven has built a strong presence by sharing insightful content, as well as the importance of genuine connections and effective communication. 

 

In this episode: 

• [00:00:47] Introducing Niven Postma.
• [00:02:33] Niven explains her work addressing workplace disengagement and her focus on effective teams.
• [00:04:15] Methods of engagement, including team effectiveness and customised workshops on office politics.
• [00:05:55] Jessica and Niven share their experiences with academic writing and its reception.
• [00:09:03] Social media and content creation, including Niven’s intentional strategy for using LinkedIn.
• [00:13:33] LinkedIn’s potential for global connections and becoming a LinkedIn top voice.
• [00:15:09] The importance of pursuing meaningful work and the unexpected resonance it can create.
• [00:17:03] The evolving opportunities available through platforms like LinkedIn and global interconnectedness.
• [00:18:09] Making conscious choices in life, how it shapes your identity and the importance of shared human experiences.
• [00:21:22] Niven explains how she navigates cultural differences in her research and identifies universal themes.
• [00:23:49] Lessons for corporate women on office politics.
• [00:26:32] The challenges of corporate ladder mentality and the need for new business perspectives.
• [00:28:45] The importance of recognizing personal blocks and seeking external help for growth.
• [00:30:17] Niven discusses her powerful vision board session and its significance in her journey.
• [00:34:15] Niven and Jessica discuss the importance of rest and its mental benefits to regain focus and creativity.

 

Key Takeaways: 

• Niven emphasised the importance of authenticity. Share your true insights and experiences rather than trying to fit a mold. 
• Niven highlighted an interesting statistic: Nearly 80% of employees feel disengaged at work. This disengagement isn’t due to a lack of desire to contribute but a disconnect between employees and their work environments. Listen to the episode to hear strategies to combat disengagement.
• Niven’s ongoing PhD research focuses on how office politics differ for women. Women often need to be more strategic in navigating office politics due to different expectations and biases. 

 

Quotes: 

“Significance is not something that you can pursue, it's something that will ensue when you are doing things that matter in a way that are powerful to and for you.” - Niven Postma

“There is a profound difference between being right and being effective. They're not the same thing. Being the best and being the most successful, you know, against the metrics you define as successful, which are highly personal, these are not the same things. So being the best, it might be necessary, it's not sufficient. And being right may be useful, it's not sufficient.” - Niven Postma

“We've got almost 80% disengagement in organisations around the world while at the same time we've got almost 80% of adults saying that even if they were to become financially independent and didn't need to work, they'd still want to work. So for me, this is such a tragedy, such an irony, such a waste.” - Niven Postma

 

Useful Links

Niven: 

NivenPostma.com

Connect with Niven on LinkedIn

Jessica:

The Seven Figures Club

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Guest Bio

Niven Postma has held executive positions since she was 29, in a career that has spanned multiple sectors and roles, including: CEO of the Businesswomen’s Association, Head of the South African Reserve Bank Academy and Head of Leadership and Culture for the Standard Bank Group (the largest bank by assets in Africa).

Having started her career as a strategy consultant, she now works with global executive teams to build what she calls “Whole System Leadership” and so doing, fundamentally transform how they are able to work together and what they are able to achieve.

Niven is the author of If you don’t do Politics, Politics will do you, a contributor to Harvard Business Review, a part time tutor at Cambridge University’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and a guest lecturer at Stanford University and London Business School.

She is an expert facilitator on women’s leadership development programmes around the world and is currently enrolled for her PhD in Organisational Behaviour, seeking to understand whether organisational politics are different for women.