In this enlightening episode of Transform Your Workplace, Sarah Schneider, a seasoned executive coach and leadership strategist, delves into the profound impact of societal, cultural, and familial conditioning on leadership. Sarah emphasizes the importance of recognizing the human aspects of leadership, arguing that as the world becomes less human, leaders need to embrace vulnerability and authenticity. Drawing on two decades of experience, Sarah encourages leaders to design their unique leadership style, bringing their full, authentic selves to work, and ultimately fostering a more human and effective workplace.
GUEST AT A GLANCE
Sarah Schneider is a certified executive coach and leadership strategist with over 20 years of experience in tech and coaching. Her expertise includes IT consulting, corporate dynamics, and transitions from employee to entrepreneur.
A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST
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🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws
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BRINGING YOURSELF TO WORK
In our most recent podcast interview, Sarah Schneider highlighted how more leaders are beginning to see the humanity of their team members. She pointed out that “there’s actually a whole human that’s doing this job” — one who is dealing with not just work tasks but also personal ups and downs at home. Schneider believes this shift is helping people be more “human” at work instead of trying to be perfect or “robotic.”
Sarah also talked about the idea of a “vulnerability hangover,” a term coined by Brené Brown, which is that all-too-familiar feeling where we question whether we should have said something different or not shared so much. Among other tips for thinking through this discomfort, she stressed the importance of staying true to personal values and determining whether any follow-up is needed to keep things real and authentic.
PODCAST EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Defining Leadership
“What’s the definition of leadership that we’ve heard? […] When I was coming up in leadership, the message that we received is that the person that was the loudest or the person that talked the most or the person that had the most to contribute was the most leaderly. And I remember being a 25-year-old and my boss at the time who was very, very quiet would come in and say one thing, and it was like somebody just dropped a mic, and then she would leave. But she did it with care and brilliance, and I see that over and over again where somebody thinks they have to be louder, and actually, it’s their quietness that has what they say carry more reverence.”
Looking Inward
“If somebody comes to me, and they’re like, ‘I want to up my leadership game,’ I’m like, ‘Okay, well, what does that mean? What’s the version of leadership you want to bring forward?’ They may not be able to answer that right away, or they may answer it in a way that they’ve learned they’re supposed to […]. But then the self-reflection and the self-awareness is like, ‘Well, hang on. What are your values? What’s meaningful to you? If you hadn’t learned any definition about leadership or professionalism, tell me what you would want it to be.’ […] Otherwise, we just repeat what’s modeled to us.”
Asking the Right Questions
“Most people have a knowing or have an inkling already about the question they’re asking. And I think part of my job and even part of a great leader’s job, regardless of what level you’re at, is to ask open, expansive questions because it’s far more lasting for the person than just giving them the information.”
The Impact of Your Words
“Whether you’re a middle-level manager or a CEO, when you’re responsible for people, what you say carries a greater impact. And so the level of transparency or how you are transparent is [about] what you want people to do with the information. […] If you want people to run around like chickens with their heads cut off, then yes, by all means, freak them out. But if you want people to take the transparency and do something actionable with it, then be transparent with some thoughtfulness.”
The Re-Lead Framework
“What if we actually got rid of the idea that there was any model or mold or concept of leadership altogether and just looked at what the individual brings to the table? Traditional models of leadership don’t account for the neurodivergent and don’t account for working parents. It doesn’t account for people that are more underestimated or under-recognized. And so we’re missing out on […] all the vision and possibility and disrupting the status quo that’s available to us when we pigeonhole people into that.”
Bringing Real Value
“[I thought that] if I talk as much as possible, then I will have been a value to them, which is the opposite of my job. My job is to allow for silence, but I’ve had to do work on my inner beliefs about silence to be effective. So I’m with you on looking at our beliefs and how we make decisions and our perspectives. I cannot think of a more crucial thing […] to do in this life.”
LEARN MORE
Sign up for Sarah Schneider’s biweekly Leader Letters and check out her workbook, “Big-Ass Daring Decisions,” by visiting her website here.