Leading by Example and Cherishing the Moment

Ever found yourself juggling multiple responsibilities and struggling to maintain consistency? This week, I share my own experiences of navigating a hectic schedule while giving myself the grace to adjust priorities. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the exhaustive process of preparing for the fall season of our podcast, from researching and vetting guests to recording and promoting their stories. If you're curious about the dedication it takes to bring fresh voices to the show, this episode will give you a firsthand account.

Leadership isn't about delegating tasks and sitting back—it's about supporting and elevating your team. Drawing from my journey in the marketing and communications industry, I dismantle common misconceptions about management. Listen as I reflect on my approach to leadership, shaped by my experiences in various roles. Whether you're a leader or a team member, there's much to learn about balancing multiple responsibilities while fostering a supportive and inclusive environment. Tune in for an honest discussion that's both informative and relatable.

Takeaways

• Juggling multiple responsibilities can be challenging, but giving yourself grace and being proactive can help manage the workload.
• Leadership involves supporting and elevating others, not just delegating tasks.
• Recognizing and respecting others' boundaries is important for maintaining healthy relationships.
• Cherishing every moment in life, especially with loved ones, is crucial because time passes quickly.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

bit of a pivot this week. So I try really hard to um release episodes same day every week, just so you guys know what to expect and like when, when the new episodes will drop. I know you get notifications, but I still want to maintain some consistency and this week was one of those weeks where I was trying to be as proactive as possible. But then I had to. I had to give myself grace, um, or, I normally would have gotten incredibly frustrated and been like kind of raging a little bit. Um, I just gave myself grace and said you know what? This is one of those things that's going to have to bounce to the next day. You've all heard me talk about the rubber ball, glass ball method. It it's worth it. Um, it's helped me quite a bit with like prioritizing stuff when I was starting to feel overloaded.

Speaker 1: 0:51

So I'm in the midst right now of interviewing and um vetting and recording for the fall season. Um, I am so flippant excited about the fall season and the guests that are coming on. It's like unbelievable. So just be prepared, because that's coming, it's going to be really awesome. You're not going to just hear my voice anymore, guys. You're going to get other people, but it's shaping up really nicely, but that all takes a lot of work on my part. So, the behind the scenes things for podcasting when you're preparing for another season, you are pulling together your guest roster. You are, you know, researching your guests, vetting your guests, meeting your guests, recording your guests, each guest. You want to approximate that there'll be about three hours or so, roughly, of behind the scenes work that has to happen for each guest, um, because you need to have your little bio ready for them. Um, you're going to do the recording call itself, you're going to edit the recording call, you're going to create promotional materials. So, like there, there's a lot of behind the scenes work. I actually know a lot of folks that have outsourced that. I do it it all by myself. I actually happen to enjoy it, but it is a lot of work. So, because I'm in that zone right now, I'm fairly busy because of that. So there's quite a bit of calls every single day that I take outside of my regular daytime job. This week, my regular daytime job um, my counterpart, the person that I always partner with, is on vacation. So not only am I busy with podcasts, I'm actually busy with my daytime job too, more intensely than usual because I'm also making sure that her things are getting done.

Speaker 1: 2:38

Now I wanted to pause there for a minute because there's something I wanted to highlight for folks that I don't think gets enough gets as much attention as it needs when you're in like a leadership position or not even a leadership position, but when you're on a team no, I'm going to go leadership position. Let me back up. When you are meant to be leading a team, and even when you're just on a team, meant to be leading a team and even when you're just on a team, you're supposed to be supporting people. So for a really long time I had the image that when you are managing someone or when you're in a leadership position, that you just delegate things out and it's kind of easy street and you don't really have to, you know, do the grudge work anymore. Part of that's true. There's some components that are true.

Speaker 1: 3:33

I started from the ground up in my industry, in marketing and communications. I'm very familiar with every single step of the ladder, every role that you could have in my field, in client services, like I've had it. So I have a greater amount of respect and sensitivity to everybody that I work with because I've been there, I've done that and I can help you Now. I know some folks like myself before that thought well, once I become a manager or once I become a supervisor, I'm just delegating all that out. That's not my wheelhouse anymore. I don't need to do these things anymore.

Speaker 1: 4:08

There are some elements to that that are true, but a true leader is supporting people. You're actually there to help elevate other people. Yes, you have a skill set and an expertise that you can lean on and you can use it to help guide these other folks. But it doesn't mean that your job like is done and is any easier. It actually is a little bit harder because you are responsible for these people, these people that you work with, and you know if you're on a team and you're the leader or your supervisor, what have you? You're responsible for your team and making sure your team has the tools that they need to be successful, and that sometimes takes quite a bit of work on your part, because not only do you have to do your own work, but you also have to make sure that your team feels supported and that they're getting everything that they need to do their jobs. Yes, there is an element of responsibility on their side too. They have to meet you 75% of the way, 60% of the way, make sure that they're pulling their weight, but you are still responsible, and that is something that I take very seriously.

Speaker 1: 5:14

So and that's part of the reason why I want to mention it, because I think quite a bit of people don't take that seriously and to them they're like well, I'm a leader, now I'm a VP, I'm a president. I don't, I'm not responsible for any of this. I can just, you know, delegate out and you need to do it and you know what. So what? Those are the chops. If you have to, those are the breaks. Kid, if you have to stay up until midnight, three o'clock in the morning, those are the breaks. That's what happens. No, it's actually not what happens. That's what happens when things are toxic. So I wanted to take that minute here because I'm crazy this week, yeah, but it's because I'm trying to make sure that I'm supportive of my teammate that's not here this week, because you don't ever want to come vacation and find out that nothing was done and that your projects are a mess.

Speaker 1: 5:58

I've had that happen to me and I'm a really big advocate of like you treat people how you want them to be treated Like. It's so simple, it's such a simple lesson that we teach kids and yet somehow, when we become adults, this no longer applies Like hello, treat people how you want to be treated. If no longer applies Like hello, treat people how you want to be treated. If you yourself are struggling with mom stuff and you are like I just need someone to give me a little grace here, I just need a little bit of support, show up that way. Then, if you show up that way and you're putting that energy out there, then you are going to get that energy back. That's how it works.

Speaker 1: 6:33

Um, I had somebody compliment me. I took it as a compliment. I don't think they realized that they were complimenting me, but somebody had said to me recently wow, you really know a lot of nice people. And I immediately was like yeah, I do, because that's what I put out there. I try to put out the message and lead by example of like responsible, nice, like, you know, respectful, and thus I hope to attract people that are in the same vibration, because I don't want anybody who's, you know, full of drama and you know all these issues and, and you know, kind of bringing people down, like that's not my vibe.

Speaker 1: 7:14

Um, hectic Cause I have my stuff, I have my coworker stuff, I have my you know daytime stuff, I have podcast stuff, I have my family stuff. Um, and then yesterday, in particular, was a bit of a a mental load day because and I'm going to highlight this too I had to hold on recording this until the house was empty. Um, but I I had um I was supposed to have off yesterday and ended up not taking off because, again, you know, I had to fill in and I wanted to make sure things were moving along. So I was working throughout and instead of, instead of spending time with my kids, I took them to an inside park, which you know, it is what it is. They were happy with that and I was still able to do something for them. So, while they played and for like two or three hours, I brought my laptop and I worked from the place to get things done, to make sure things were still moving.

Speaker 1: 8:04

Then, when I got home, it turned out that my husband was not in a great mood and he was just I don't know if he was just hangry, I don't know what it was and he was just I don't know if he was just hangry, I don't know what it was. Sometimes you have to just not poke the bear, if you will. And I recognized I was like, oh, his energy is off. I have to shift what I'm thinking about at this point in time, because at that point I was like, oh, his energy is off. Wait, I have to realign what I'm going to do, because if his energy is off, then that means that I have to kind of shift things a little bit to pull some weight off of him because his energy is off.

Speaker 1: 8:38

Now, if you recognize that in your partner and then you continue to pile things onto them, well, they're going to just implode, like it's going to happen, there's going to be an explosion. I try to avoid those things when I can. So I recognize that he was struggling and was just not in a good head space, and thus I was like I pulled the kids aside and was like, guess what? Like this is going on. And I always told them to like, hey, look, poppy's not in a good mood. Let's try to, let's try to, you know, stay away and let him have his space and, and you know, let him feel better. So I do actually make it a point to let the kids know too, because I think it's important for them to be able to recognize like, oh, this person needs space, because not just amongst our family, but this is an important lesson for their life.

Speaker 1: 9:25

When they're out in the world, when they're with their friends, when they're at school, if you see that somebody is having a hard time, sometimes you have to step away and say you know what, I'm going to go do something else. I'm going to put my energy elsewhere while they work out whatever they need to work out Important lessons that I think that people need to know and children need to know and grow up knowing. So I, while juggling you know dinner and the kids and then also doing interview calls for the law series, I was kind of just keeping the wheels turning. But the load of that shift for me mentally in my brain, it was very interesting because I felt it like the movement and was like, okay, I have to shift from saying to okay, I have to be aware he's not in a good headspace. I got to carry this a little bit harder today. So that takes a toll. That does take a toll. I had a little. I had a little bit of a moment. I am also coming off my my monthly visitor, so I am still feeling those hormones, but yeah, it was, it was a little bit tough. Um, the night ended well, though, and it was fine, and you know we all went to bed and good spirits and whatnot, but you know it, it it takes a toll.

Speaker 1: 10:37

Um, I told someone recently that this summer has felt like a marathon. I feel like I've been running a marathon since June, and I don't think I'm going to get the stop until early September, when the kids are back in school, because everything shifted, every single thing shifted, and my whole schedule shifted once the kids were home, because when they're here, they take up all the free time and that's fine, I don't mind. I am incredibly grateful that I get to have all this face-to-face time with them, even when I have to work. You know, it's still a rewarding thing. It's just tough, you know, and it's not for the weary and it's not for the weak, and it's for the, it's for the strong, basically. So so, for those of you out there that are going through something similar, if you're in the same boat as me, um, we only have about six weeks left of summer or five weeks left of summer. Let that kind of sink in a little bit.

Speaker 1: 11:33

While it's difficult having, you know, kids home from school, we only have this time. Kids home from school, we only have this time. This is the only time we're going to have eight and seven this year. Next year, early eight and nine, and going on and on and on and on. This is the only summer they're going to be this age. This is it.

Speaker 1: 11:54

My kids are no longer into, like you know, little little kid activities anymore. I missed the boat there. I did loads of activities with them, but this summer, when I tried to re-engage a couple of things that I used to do before, it occurred to me like, wow, my kids are big now. They're not going to be interested in this stuff. So cherish it. It's hard and it's frustrating and you're going to have blowouts and you're going to have days where you just cry that's okay, that's all part of this, and we have to appreciate the process, as my little guy says. Appreciate the process because this is only going to happen once. We only get one shot at this life with them, and even just life with ourself. We only get one shot at this. This is it Like we have to, and just envelop ourselves in every single moment because this is all we have.

Speaker 1: 12:46

Apologies for the miss scheduling this week of episodes or the you know the little odd episodes this week. We'll be back to Tuesdays and Thursdays next week. I appreciate all of you listening and when you can leave me a review, on whatever medium you're listening to the podcast on, I'd greatly appreciate it. It helps to actually bring the podcast to other people's feeds the more reviews you leave. So I thank you guys for doing that, because I've been seeing them coming in. Check out the links in the description. There's new content. The how to Podcast Guide was released and I appreciate all of you and I'm so grateful that you're all with me on this journey. We'll see you on the next one. Take care everybody.