EP116: Leadership IS Magic
IT’S YOU!!
Leadership IS magic - especially when you realize that you are the pixie dust!
Enjoy!
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(The notes below are only a brief bullet point summary of what is discussed in the podcast. Be sure to listen to get all of the goodness! If you would like a full transcription of the episode, please send an email request to: angie@angie-robinson.com. We’d be happy to provide that!)
Episode 116 is the first episode with the new name of the podcast! The first 115 episodes were known as The Practically Perfect Leader podcast. The new name is Leadership Magic!
I share a bit about why I chose to change the name.
When I first started the podcast just over two years ago - I wanted the title that not only included ‘leadership’, but also that reflected my brand. If you've seen my branding, you would see that my icon is a little umbrella. I am a very big Disney fan and one of my favorite characters is Mary Poppins. There are several reasons why Mary Poppins is one of my favorite movies and one of my favorite characters, one being just how much Mary Poppins meant to Walt himself. But it's also because of Mary Poppins herself. Her behaviors, her demeanor, her purpose. She's such an example of magnifying the importance of looking beyond the surface of people and looking beyond the surface of circumstances. She is about honoring story and doing that without judgment. She guides others to their own conclusion instead of solving things for them. She evokes intuition and digs into what is already innately there. And she encourages change when it makes sense, but she does all of this with imagination and fun. She is always helping people tap into themselves and their own potential. It's about celebrating the magic of making the impossible possible. That is how I view Mary Poppins. And it really speaks to my approach in the work that I do. Mary Poppins and the umbrella is part of my branding. So when I named the podcast The Practically Perfect Leader, it was a nod to Mary Poppins. She is practically perfect in every way. It made sense for me at the time. Although I will say - I struggle with the word “perfect” or the concept of perfect, because I don't really believe there is such a thing.
The more time I've spent honing in on my messaging and my business, it just made sense for me to change the name of the podcast to something that is more reflective of my message, of my offerings and of my own style and approach.
In case you're new to me, maybe a little context of my story might help. I've been in the leadership space since I was 18 years old. That's a long time ago! I've been a leader. been part of leadership groups and have trained, mentored, and coached lots of leaders since that time. And I love this space of leadership so much. I love when it's authentic and effective. Really healthy and strong leadership can have such an impact on not only the business, but truly in the lives of people. It can take an experience of a job and create an integrated whole person experience -creating ripple effects of good. Goodness in not just organizations, but the lives of people. There is so much responsibility with leadership, not only from a business results standpoint, but more importantly, a human connection and the human impact perspective. And that's why I love working in leadership so much. I have a passion for working with leaders who are looking to make this impact on their organization and their career, but also in the lives of people. Having an opportunity to help shape that is an honor for me.
I've also been doing my own work on getting really clear about my beliefs around how people can be the most confident and effective leader in a way that's fulfilling for them. We know that there are a lot of leadership philosophies and frameworks available. It can actually be a little overwhelming - although they do seem to have common threads. Because of the overwhelm, however, of all of the things that are available, I would find myself getting lost with trying to articulate my thoughts, my beliefs, and my own gifts. And I've had to do a little untangling of the different approaches that “grew up with” in my corporate days. I've worked for some great organizations over my career and I, of course, learned a lot from those organizations - including the different models that they adopted. I’ve spent time parsing through all the professional development that I have been through (like books and conferences and grad school). And I am comfortable claiming that some philosophies, although they might have some good core elements, are not necessarily relevant anymore as our generations evolve, our world experiences change and we learn more and lean into things like wellbeing and purpose and diversity and inclusion.
Over my years of working in corporate, there had always been a lot of focus on growing the business. That is, of course, very important. But also in my mind, the focus on leadership development could be pretty surface level. The topics have been very important for sure (for example - having difficult conversations, managing time, prioritizing delegating). It's still part of the work that I do.
There were few organizations that added the component of self-awareness and that is where I think that the true magic lies. It doesn’t always get the air time that it deserves. We can have the best strategies in the world and the best frameworks and tools, but underneath it, there's always something more at the core.
And that starts with you as the human.
So I've had to do some unraveling of the things that I was taught and the beliefs that I adopted around Leadership and where things like the human element fit into the picture. That's some of the work that I've been doing for myself as I've been honing in on my own offerings and my message.
I also recently conducted a survey of leaders. I wanted to understand what some of the biggest wins are and struggles are - and my findings were pretty interesting. I asked questions about their biggest struggles, and what they would like to learn more about and if given a magic wand - what is one thing they would change about themselves as a leader / their leadership experience. I also analyzed the reasons that people came to coaching (their initial goals). I took the responses and categorized them. Those plus the other questions asked gave me insight into what leaders would most like to develop so they can be the most satisfied and effective leader.
The top two areas of focus confidence in themselves and communication skills.
These results were very validating to me because this is what I do. This is where I think the magic really can lie.
And so now I do claim the slice of the leadership pie that I'm supposed to focus on. And hopefully you'll continue to join me and take the pieces that make sense for you throughout this podcast/blog.
Here, in a nutshell, is what I do: I guide leaders and teams and understanding themselves and others in a way that helps them increase confidence, cultivate connection, foster engagement, and create impactful results. I love to partner with individuals and teams who want to really confidently set that vision, inspire others, lead change, and create outstanding results for themselves and their teams and their organizations, whatever that means to them. I really do want to help improve communication and relationships with others while increasing their own personal and leadership effectiveness.
Listen leader, you have a lot on your plates. And I know you also desire to create that impact. You want to develop others- you are a leader because that's part of what you love to do. And at the same time you want to elevate the business, either in the organization that you're working for or your own business. And do you want that ability to create impact and to develop others to outweigh the to-do list.
It's leadership from the inside out. I believe wholeheartedly that for you to make the most impact to the business, to the results, to the people, to your own life, you really need to know yourself first. You need to know what your strengths are. You need to know what your defaults are, where you need to improve, what your values are, what your why is and who you really want to be.
That's where it all begins. Leadership truly is magic. And this approach is where leadership and magic meet.
So, let me break it down just a little bit more for you. Leadership, to me, is defined as not about a title or designation. It's about impact ansinfluence and inspiration. It's a person who guides and influences the behavior of the people who follow them. That doesn't necessarily mean direct reports. It's the peers that you work with, it is the customers or the clients that you engage with. It's the greater world around you.
What about the magic part? Let's just look at the definition of magic: having, or apparently having super natural powers, like a magic wand. It's the use of special powers that make things happen. It's that special, exciting quality that makes something or someone different.
That is the differentiator that magic you are the differentiator. You are the one that adds the magic to your leadership. But you have to know what that magic is. You have to own that magic. You have to love it, embrace it and apply it.
And that is the awareness that I talk about. That's the pixie dust. The level in which I believe and the passion that I have for this message and this work….I feel like it's reaching new heights and it feels so good, so empowering and so fulfilling.
How I got to this place of really immersing myself in this belief is by doing the work. I’ve been doing the inside out work.
Do you believe that, inclusive of all the frameworks and philosophies and the teachings that you've gotten about leadership - that you are actually the magic to creating the results and the impact that you want.
Leadership really is magic. You just have to believe.
I experienced it myself. I have coached people and watched other people experience the ahas and the fireworks that go off when they really understand who they are and embrace it and make intentional changes to live authentically and become the future version that they want to be. And by default, they start to understand other people better. It really influences their effectiveness and their communication and their connection with other people. When I say it's magic. I am not kidding.
Okay, so that should paint the picture a little bit as to why I have changed the name of the podcast. In the next post, I am going to share with you my new leadership framework - The three keys to leadership magic.
What Do You Think?
What are your thoughts about leadership being magic?
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