On today’s show, I have Dr. Natasha Ganem. Dr. Ganem is a business consultant, group trainer, and keynote speaker specializing in leadership development. She is the founder and director of Lion Leadership and writer for the ROAR blog, where readers gain perspective on themselves, their organizations, and how to reach their potential at work.
Show Notes:
What else do you want listeners to know about you?
Founder and director of Lion Leadership
Lecturer at University of Georgia
A mom
Why is leadership important to you?
She is very interested in it academically
The ways organizations function and the ways people operate within that group fascinates her
It’s interesting the way one person can bring people together and have them work cohesively, especially given their varying personalities
What has your leadership journey looked like?
A lot of it has looked like management
It’s taken awhile for her to be able to identify with the leadership identity
Somewhere in that, there was a realization that she is inspiring people
When you realize that you’re a leader, your whole world can change
What’s a time that you’ve experienced a leadership failure?
Every day there is something that goes wrong
We can consider the times we could have made our point more clear as a failure
What have you learned from those thoughts and reflections on failures?Having those thoughts and reflections are a good thing
Having those thoughts and reflections are a good thing
By thinking about what you’ve done well and what you could improve, you are able to improve yourself so much faster
What leadership successes would you like to share?
When your team does something and you realize “They get this…”
What have you done to improve your leadership skills?Journaling has helped
Journaling has helped
Creating a highs and lows list in the journal
Why should leaders gain perspective on themselves?
To be an effective leader and to impact others, you need to understand their vantage point
You need to reflect on yourself and reflect on yourself from other people’s viewpoints
To do this, go out and ask for feedback
What are some tips on getting effective feedback from those you’re leading?
Just going and asking people for their feedback is very effective
People are happy to lay it on the line and let you know what they’re thinking unless there’s a power imbalance
What do you wish you would have known about leadership 10 years ago?
You can’t know everything… Though you think you do
The leaders in her life were on leadership journies as well. No one had it perfect
Sometimes the leaders around you are doing the best they can
Leadership is a skill that can develop
Don’t take off the coat of leadership at the first sign of trouble. You can try again
Can you share 1 or 2 books you recommend to another leader?
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Reframing Organizations by Bolman and Deal
What’s one piece of encouragement you’d like to leave with the listeners?
Leadership is an identity that you can try on.
You might not get a positive response. That doesn’t mean you hang it up and run away.
Most people aren’t great the first time they try something. You’ve got to practice again and again
Resources Mentioned:
The Alchemist
Reframing Organizations
Where to find Dr. Natasha Ganem:
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