1 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:07,320 Welcome to the new Manager podcast. 2 00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:16,200 I'm your host, Kim Nichol. Hello and welcome. 3 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:18,800 I'm glad you're here and I hope you're doing well. 4 00:00:19,240 --> 00:00:25,560 I have to say, coming back after the last four weeks feels kind 5 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:29,880 of strange. It was really nice being away 6 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:35,520 from my Home Office, being away from my screens, and really 7 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:41,440 taking some intentional time to connect not only with my own 8 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:46,000 inner self. Having that time to reflect and 9 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:49,200 make a little more space to listen to that internal voice 10 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:54,600 and recalibrate that internal compass, but also spending time 11 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:59,320 with people that I care about, with my family, with my partner, 12 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:03,920 with friends, and also spending time with nature. 13 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:12,960 And it has been so grounding and so fulfilling to have that time. 14 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:16,480 And there was a time in my own career journey where this would 15 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:21,000 have seemed kind of crazy. You don't just go for a month 16 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:27,360 and have vacation and conference in a beautiful place And like 17 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:29,320 that just that wasn't a normal thing. 18 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:32,120 And so I think there's, you know, a part now too, where it 19 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:37,280 also just is a little bit mind blowing to think that this is 20 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:44,160 kind of what life can look like, that work can include time away, 21 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:48,320 whether you think of it as a sabbatical or whether it's an 22 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:51,800 extension of your own learning journey, both personal, 23 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:56,240 professional. Anyway, I'm feeling what it 24 00:01:56,240 --> 00:02:01,320 feels like to be back home and really wanting to share some of 25 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:06,120 what I have been learning and practicing with you. 26 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:11,800 Because I think that when we're looking at career, when we're 27 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:16,560 looking at work and really wanting it to be sustainable and 28 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:21,920 wanting to do a good job in the roles that you know that you 29 00:02:21,920 --> 00:02:26,680 step into as a leader, as a manager, I think that including 30 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:32,640 the whole human part of it becomes an important ingredient 31 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:39,800 to be able to do that. So today I wanted to share three 32 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:43,320 main topics or sort of three tips. 33 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:46,200 Tips feels like the wrong word. What is it? 34 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:52,160 It's like 3 categories of idea that I wanted to bring back to 35 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:58,280 you and offer because I think it will help you both to remember 36 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:04,040 to take that step back to gain that perspective and also help 37 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:10,040 you navigate uncertainty. Whether that uncertainty is 38 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:14,560 expected, like you're stepping into a new role and you know 39 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:18,640 some things will be uncertain. Or whether it is unexpected, 40 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:22,040 like you did not expect your organization to go through a 41 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:27,240 major reorg or you did not expect for a senior leader to 42 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:31,720 suddenly leave and now things are really uncertain in ways 43 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:35,120 that you hadn't planned. I know for sure that you will 44 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:38,920 face different kinds of uncertainty, not just in your 45 00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:41,560 career and in your daily work, but in your life. 46 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:45,960 And so these are things that I believe will help you to 47 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:51,160 navigate those times in a way that is good for your own 48 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:53,240 well-being. You know, that will let you 49 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:56,360 sleep well at night, that will let you tap into your own 50 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:59,680 resourcefulness as well as maintain that sense of 51 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:02,800 connection to something that's bigger, that extends beyond you. 52 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:07,840 So let's begin. The first idea I want to share 53 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:14,280 with you is the idea of being curious or following the vibe 54 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:20,680 and intuition can come into play here a little bit as well. 55 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:29,440 So being curious is that quality of not knowing and being OK with 56 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:31,680 that. There's a distinction between 57 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:38,000 curiosity and anxiety. And anxiety can feel very like a 58 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:42,280 attention, a very fast-paced spinning kind of feel. 59 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:45,040 And it might sound like, well, what if, what if? 60 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:49,480 What if it can turn into this rumination, this kind of urgent 61 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:55,680 spinning feeling? And curiosity feels a little 62 00:04:55,680 --> 00:05:00,040 different. Curiosity has a little bit more 63 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:03,640 space, a little bit more breathing room. 64 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:09,280 There can be a little more gentleness and a little bit more 65 00:05:09,280 --> 00:05:15,440 groundedness. It's that sense of I wonder what 66 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:21,480 might happen if I try it this way, or I wonder what it would 67 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:25,880 be like if I tapped this person and invited them along. 68 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:29,600 And I'm not really sure exactly how it will go, but I kind of 69 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:32,440 have a feeling. I'm just curious to find out 70 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:37,160 what will happen. Do you feel the difference in 71 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:40,200 the tone? Do you feel the difference in 72 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:44,320 your body between that more anxious? 73 00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:50,800 What iffing that very tight spinny feel versus that more 74 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:56,840 spacious, open kind of, you know, softly held curiosity. 75 00:05:57,200 --> 00:06:00,200 And what I love about that quality of curiosity is that it 76 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:04,800 provides both focus and direction, which can feel really 77 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:10,600 grounded, but it allows us to let go of that kind of urgent 78 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:14,360 attachment to knowing how things will be. 79 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:18,280 And this is a quality that I believe you were born with. 80 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:24,800 I believe every human is imbued with this quality of curiosity 81 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:29,880 that is just interested and wants to know, huh, I wonder 82 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:33,120 what might happen. I wonder how this will be. 83 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:36,080 And there's No Fear or urgency in it. 84 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:40,520 There's just this beautiful, open, curious quality. 85 00:06:41,840 --> 00:06:45,240 I also have been thinking about this in terms of following the 86 00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:50,320 vibe because that was very much in play over the last month and 87 00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:56,000 specifically when I was in Switzerland at Co Forum, when I 88 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:58,920 had seen that the event was being held again. 89 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:03,120 And I, I first attended a few years ago, I went as a speaker 90 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:07,280 and you know, time has changed and I have changed and the 91 00:07:07,280 --> 00:07:09,680 organization has changed a little bit. 92 00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:13,640 But when I saw that they were holding the event again in 93 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:20,880 person, I felt this resonance. I felt this curiosity about, oh, 94 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:23,520 I wonder what it will be like now. 95 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:27,800 And it really was the sense of following the vibe. 96 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:32,720 Like, I don't know exactly what's going to happen, but I 97 00:07:32,760 --> 00:07:38,240 understand the intention and that kind of grounding purpose 98 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:42,040 of the organization and I believe in what they're about. 99 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:47,960 And I'm interested in what I can see about the content and what 100 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:50,040 they're offering. And even though I don't know 101 00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:54,640 exactly how it will go, I want to follow the vibe because that 102 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:57,360 feels like a match. I believe that when we bring 103 00:07:57,640 --> 00:08:01,920 good people together with great intentions, diverse perspectives 104 00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:08,120 in a beautiful space that's really designed to hold both the 105 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:13,000 intentional doing as well as that personal reflecting and 106 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:17,040 surrounded by nature, that's a winning combination for me. 107 00:08:17,280 --> 00:08:23,480 I will follow that vibe and see what is there like, what is it 108 00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:28,520 that I'm being drawn to? So that is part of what guided 109 00:08:28,520 --> 00:08:32,559 me in that decision to say yes, I will apply. 110 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:35,080 And then when I was accepted, I say yes, I will go. 111 00:08:35,440 --> 00:08:40,120 It was that curiosity and that willingness to follow the vibe 112 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:46,320 with that too. So second part is to set an 113 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:49,000 intention. So when you're facing 114 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:54,360 uncertainty, you can set an intention and that can be part 115 00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:58,360 of your compass, the thing inside you that gives some 116 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:02,960 guidance and that imbues a little bit of certainty even in 117 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:07,480 the midst of the unknowns. So for me, my intention with 118 00:09:07,480 --> 00:09:11,120 going to Co was I wanted to be present. 119 00:09:11,720 --> 00:09:15,480 I wanted to be, you know, sort of open and curious. 120 00:09:15,760 --> 00:09:20,000 And I also wanted to use that time to step away from my 121 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:24,960 day-to-day so that I would have some time to reflect and have 122 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:29,560 conversations with people I might not normally meet or be 123 00:09:29,560 --> 00:09:33,800 able to have a conversation with in a serendipitous way. 124 00:09:34,120 --> 00:09:37,280 Knowing that this was going to be a community gathering with 125 00:09:37,280 --> 00:09:40,120 people from all over the world, from different kinds of 126 00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:45,240 backgrounds. But the theme was around both 127 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:49,160 the connection of our own inner development and how that 128 00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:53,320 supports us as leaders. And then specifically for me, I 129 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:57,120 had registered for the partnership track. 130 00:09:57,880 --> 00:10:04,560 So the focus of that track in the program was around holding 131 00:10:04,560 --> 00:10:08,000 this question of how do we partner with others? 132 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:12,080 How do we collaborate? How do we work together to 133 00:10:12,080 --> 00:10:15,880 address complex global challenges? 134 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:21,280 And that really spoke to me because I think that we can 135 00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:25,280 become a bit, you know, very individualistic in our thinking. 136 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:29,120 And especially in the US, which is this idea that it's 137 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:33,720 independent and it's me and it's, it's very an isolated kind 138 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:37,560 of perspective. But when we remember that each 139 00:10:37,560 --> 00:10:41,840 individual person like we want to hold the both, yes, there is 140 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:45,600 the element of personal responsibility of individual 141 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:51,040 decision making, of personal self-care and self-awareness. 142 00:10:51,040 --> 00:10:54,320 Yes to all of that. But all of that is happening 143 00:10:54,320 --> 00:11:00,800 within and, and as part of a broader community, a bigger 144 00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:04,920 ecosystem within an organization. 145 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:09,360 And so we want to include the both they go together. 146 00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:14,600 And I also believe that the more that you understand about 147 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:19,880 yourself as a human, the better equipped you are to connect with 148 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:23,960 and work effectively with other humans because you start to 149 00:11:23,960 --> 00:11:27,200 realize, oh, not everyone sees things as I do. 150 00:11:27,480 --> 00:11:31,800 Not everyone has the same strengths as I do, and by 151 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:36,960 understanding that, by understanding yourself first, it 152 00:11:36,960 --> 00:11:42,840 makes it so much easier to partner effectively with others. 153 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:46,600 And that is so much about what we're doing in the workplace or 154 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:49,600 what we're trying to do in the workplace is how can we 155 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:54,080 collaborate well together? How can we bring people that 156 00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:58,080 have different functional expertise, different subject 157 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:02,240 matter expertise, different priorities, different visions of 158 00:12:02,240 --> 00:12:05,640 how things can work? How do we kind of make that all 159 00:12:05,640 --> 00:12:08,120 work together? And sometimes I think it's 160 00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:14,320 astonishing that we've been able to accomplish so much in light 161 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:18,840 of all of the different opinions about how things should go, 162 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:22,320 right? And without, you know, having 163 00:12:22,320 --> 00:12:25,680 lots of training in communication skills or deep 164 00:12:25,680 --> 00:12:29,240 listening. Like it's kind of amazing that 165 00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:33,360 we're able to accomplish so much collectively together. 166 00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:38,160 So this idea of, you know, whenever you're engaging in a 167 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:43,160 conversation in a situation, you can set an intention for 168 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:48,640 yourself even in the midst of the uncertainty, whether it's, 169 00:12:48,880 --> 00:12:53,160 you know, absolute chaos or whether it's just that, you 170 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:55,440 know, I wonder what might happen next. 171 00:12:55,680 --> 00:12:59,720 You can always set an intention to help guide you. 172 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:02,840 And there might be some discomfort, you know, when 173 00:13:02,840 --> 00:13:06,560 you're facing the unknown and you're facing change. 174 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:10,560 But that's OK, right? Like, discomfort can be a sign 175 00:13:10,560 --> 00:13:12,520 of growth. And you want to be able to 176 00:13:12,520 --> 00:13:16,680 distinguish between the discomfort that is getting 177 00:13:16,680 --> 00:13:22,080 beyond the familiar and the discomfort that is kind of like, 178 00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:25,320 you know, smelling smoke in a burning building. 179 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:29,080 You know, what's that distinction between, oh, this is 180 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:31,040 a sign of danger? I need to leave here 181 00:13:31,040 --> 00:13:34,000 immediately. I need to get out of this versus 182 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:37,040 like, yeah, this is definitely going to be a bit of a stretch. 183 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:39,920 It's going to be uncomfortable, but that's OK. 184 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:45,840 That is part and parcel of being a human and, you know, working 185 00:13:45,840 --> 00:13:49,520 with others in a, in a dynamic situation. 186 00:13:50,640 --> 00:13:55,400 And then the third tip or the third idea to share with you 187 00:13:55,400 --> 00:14:00,880 today is bring friends. So one of the things I did when 188 00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:04,320 I went to Switzerland and this was something I had started 189 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:10,120 planning months and months ago, was I thought, who else would be 190 00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:13,840 a really good match for this? I thought about who are the 191 00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:18,320 other people that when I imagine this event, who do I imagine 192 00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:21,120 being there? And maybe they don't know about 193 00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:24,760 this gathering, maybe it's not something that is on their 194 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:30,040 radar, but who would I like to invite to be there with me? 195 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:33,640 And there were a couple of friends that came to mind 196 00:14:33,640 --> 00:14:37,600 immediately. And one of them lives in Sweden, 197 00:14:38,040 --> 00:14:41,400 another lives in Italy. And so I thought, oh, this, this 198 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:44,840 might actually work well because it will be closer for them to 199 00:14:44,840 --> 00:14:46,800 travel. I'll be the one coming the 200 00:14:46,800 --> 00:14:51,040 furthest. But I decided to message them 201 00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:55,840 each and say, hey, I am attending this event in 202 00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:58,960 Switzerland this summer. I think it would be a great 203 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:02,680 event for you For these reasons. And so I wanted to share it with 204 00:15:02,680 --> 00:15:07,680 you and encourage you to apply. And I'm very fortunate that both 205 00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:12,000 of these friends said, wow, I've never heard of this, this sounds 206 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:14,440 amazing. I, I would love to come. 207 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:18,480 And they applied and they were accepted and then they, we all 208 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:23,640 met there. And it was so nice to have that 209 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:29,440 time with people that I like and respect and admire, both as 210 00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:33,200 friends and in some sense also as colleagues. 211 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:36,160 And I was also really proud. One of the friends that I 212 00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:40,000 invited ended up becoming a speaker at that event. 213 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:42,120 She submitted a workshop proposal. 214 00:15:42,120 --> 00:15:45,920 It was accepted. And so it really reminded me 215 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:48,920 too, you know, that as you're moving through the world 216 00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:55,080 thinking of who else can you think of to bring with you and 217 00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:58,640 realizing that you know what other people are also thinking 218 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:02,160 that of you. And if you want to make it 219 00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:07,960 easier for other people to think of you in that sense, then all 220 00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:12,040 you simply do is make it easy for other people to know who you 221 00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:17,960 are, what you care about, where you're headed, what you want to 222 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:22,280 be working on, where like what your sense of intention and 223 00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:28,000 direction is. And by letting other people know 224 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:31,400 that, you're kind of planting seeds so that as they're moving 225 00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:35,320 in the world, they find something, they feel like the 226 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:38,440 vibe match between what that thing is and you. 227 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:42,320 And then they just make the connection, whether that is a 228 00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:48,600 job opportunity or an event or a conference or something else 229 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:51,880 that might be a great fit for you. 230 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:57,320 And this too, is part of that sense of not needing to control 231 00:16:57,320 --> 00:17:00,560 everything, right? Like, you don't want to try to 232 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:06,200 micromanage your career or, you know, your world or life. 233 00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:09,920 That's way too big a job. Like, trust me, you don't want 234 00:17:09,920 --> 00:17:12,640 that job. But instead thinking in 235 00:17:12,640 --> 00:17:19,720 partnership, how can you work in partnership with your career, 236 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:23,319 with your colleagues, with your with your friends, with the, the 237 00:17:23,319 --> 00:17:26,839 bigger world? How can you do that right? 238 00:17:26,839 --> 00:17:30,800 One is make it easy for others to know what your direction and 239 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:34,080 intention is. And for you Also, when you're 240 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:38,880 moving in a direction that feels kind of good but also maybe kind 241 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:41,520 of scary, remember that you can bring friends. 242 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:45,960 Remember to invite people that you want to have in that room 243 00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:49,520 with you. So that is what I wanted to 244 00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:51,520 offer. I'm still feeling a little bit 245 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:55,520 like haven't totally landed. There's still so much that I'm 246 00:17:55,520 --> 00:17:59,800 reflecting on from my travels. But remember, you know, be 247 00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:07,800 curious, follow the vibe, set an intention and bring friends 248 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:12,600 along on the journey. So that is what I will leave you 249 00:18:12,640 --> 00:18:16,720 with today. Thank you so much for listening 250 00:18:17,400 --> 00:18:19,320 and I will talk to you next time. 251 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:26,520 When you're more effective at work, you're happier in your 252 00:18:26,520 --> 00:18:30,280 life, and when you're happier in your life, you're more effective 253 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:32,080 at work. I can help. 254 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:36,640 Go to my website, kimnickel.com and sign up for a coaching 255 00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:39,080 consult. It can get better.