Shift & Thrive: CEO Insights on Driving Change

Hi everyone. Welcome back to Shift and Thrive. So I don't usually. You do solo episodes, but as we get ready to close out the year, it felt important to me to take a moment and pause and reflect a bit and really share some thoughts with this community. I wanted to share first, a personal reflection as I look back on the year and talk about what it meant, what it taught me, and what I'm grateful for.

So wherever you're listening from, whether you're on a commute, on a walk between holiday gatherings, uh, I'm really glad you're here. I'll start with some leadership lessons and reflections and in so many conversations this year, whether on the podcast or with clients or inside my own team. A number of themes have continued to resurface really all around the theme of change and transformation first is that transformation requires openness.

This is not about big dramatic gestures, uh, but really having a true and genuine willingness to explore something new even before the path is fully clear. I know that that can feel uncomfortable. Uh, for many, I know that it stretches different muscles. Um, and that goes for both leaders and the rest of the organization.

A second theme is around curiosity and really looking at curiosity as a leadership skill. Uh, from many conversations on the podcast as well as my own experience, you know, we see how curiosity can deepen conversations, uh, really get to core issues or new opportunities. Uh, strengthen teams, make people feel, uh, genuinely heard and appreciated.

Uh, and then spark new ideas that may not have emerged otherwise. Uh, a number of, uh, discussions on the podcast have, uh, touched on, uh, listening to the naysayers as part of, uh, undergoing a transformation and really how that can help to reveal insights that. You know, sharpen your strategies or broaden perspectives of how you were thinking about a certain initiative.

Um, and this really comes back to, uh, the curiosity, asking the right questions. Um, and I also, at least personally feel a certain kind of energy and passion that stems from following, uh, following your curiosity. And that can really drive, uh, a shared passion and momentum. And finally that bringing people along a journey of a major change takes time.

I know the temptation, especially for many type a's is, uh, impatience, right? You, um, make a decision, uh, around a change and you wanna see it, uh, come to fruition. However, even when a strategic direction is super clear and simple to articulate. Even then, helping to move a team through change is far from simple, right?

It can be messy or it often is messy. It's nuanced, it's ongoing. Uh, we know that not everyone will evolve at the same pace, and that's okay. So keeping an open mind that we may need to change our management approach midstream, and that shouldn't feel like a failure. It's really, uh, leading in an adaptable and agile way and oh, an organization that is, uh, healthy and learning as we go.

Um, that's actually something that I am, uh, actively working on as we are, uh, on the tail end of our, uh, company's annual planning. There's a sentiment, uh, that I came across years ago that I'll mention here that has really stayed with me. And, uh, I may butcher the, the exact quote a little bit, but it's, uh, says that we never step into the same river twice because we're not the same person and it's not the same river.

And this year, uh, and some of those reflections that I just shared really reminded me. Uh, of that again, you know, we're all shaped by the conversations we have, the choices we make, the ideas we expose ourselves to, and the people we expose ourselves to, um, as well as the, the values and guiding practices or principles that we hold ourselves and our teams to.

So to me, this is the real work of leadership and knowing that, uh, we, our companies, our teams, uh, will evolve through that journey. Uh, I also wanted to share a bit of gratitude. Uh. For all the people that surround me, uh, clients, partners, peers, the broader podcast, uh, community, um, and, you know, the podcast specifically has given me a chance to connect with, uh, people in new ways.

I've met a lot of wonderful new, amazing folks. Uh, as guests on the podcast I've gotten to connect with. Uh, friends and clients and partners and learn new things about them and explore topics that we've never explored together. Uh, by having them on the podcast, uh, we experimented with new things like launching the go to market miniseries, and we got great feedback from that, that it is now a regular, uh, component, uh, in the different episodes that we host on the podcast.

And we have some other, uh, new ideas we're planning to bring to you in the new year. And we also launched our Shift and Thrive Executive Round Table dinners, uh, which held a few of those, uh, this past year. And it has turned into such meaningful spaces for honest conversations, um, and, uh, moving some of these, uh, you know, digital only, uh, conversations and relationships into the physical world, uh, in a very enjoyable, uh, rewarding and impactful way.

And so we look forward to continuing those in the new year. Before I close, looking ahead to the new year, my focus is really staying intentional and thoughtful in my core business and looking my marketing consultancy and looking at how we build on all of the, uh, foundations and new initiatives we kicked off, uh, this year around AI and automation and evolving, uh, what marketing looks like as the world around us changes, um, and not being afraid to experiment and move in new directions.

So as we head into this new year, I'm holding onto these themes of openness and curiosity and evolution, uh, and looking forward to the conversations that this will spark in the year ahead. And more than anything, I am so grateful for the many people who make this journey meaningful. So thank you all for listening.

Thank you for being part of this space, uh, where leaders can think and share out loud what it really means to navigate, change, and, uh, drive transformation. And I hope everyone listening has a restful and joyful holiday season. Thank you.