Hairdresser in the Boardroom...

Dear friends, colleagues and industry associates,

I want to welcome you to the inaugural newsletter for myself and my podcast, Growing your business with People! This episode (11) is called Hairdresser in the Boardroom and I think it will resonate with you. I would love your feedback on the podcast and newsletter! (scroll down for newsletter and a summary of the podcast)

PS: I have not started at Episode 1 (don't worry - we are on it!) because as my producer and I finalized this podcast, the concepts seemed to resonate with so many of you - I just wanted to try this newsletter format to share it! 

Growing Your Business with People! Podcast (GYBWP)

A podcast dedicated to CEOs who are looking to get their MBA in People.

Click below to find more ways to learn, watch, and listen.

Episode 11 Hairdresser in the Boardroom

Kim-Adele Randall – CEO, Consultant, Senior Business Leader, Board Member, Coach and former hairdresser is joining us for the episode, Hairdresser in the Boardroom! Kim-Adele Randall

Kim-Adele takes her 25 years in the corporate world, with lessons she has gathered throughout her journey to help others achieve real transformation, personally and professionally. She is currently writing the forthcoming book Authentic Achievements - The 7 Secrets to Building Brave Belief, Unstoppable Sales, and Turning Your Leaders Into Talent Magnets for Guaranteed Sustainable Growth, based on her experience delivering those results for organizations including Sage and Barclay’s Bank.

A 3-Part Podcast about how the lessons learned by being a Hairdresser and a Mum translated into exceptional leadership and high performing teams. Join us now to learn more.

 Click here to listen to Part 1 of 3 Episodes of Hairdresser in the Boardroom.

Part 1 of 3

Lessons from a Hairdresser

As a hairdresser she was taught to

1) Listen to really understand what is important to that person

2) Try and find a way to make it happen

3) Have them leave you feeling like the best version of themselves

 If you do these things as a leader, you will never have to worry about people wanting to work for you! People will get an increase out of every interaction. Even if we disagree we can still listen, understand be respectful to those around us.

Listening to get past biases and closer to reality

She also shares how perception is only one version of reality. She spoke about three versions of reality – 1) my version, 2) your version and 3) the actual version. Each of our versions are flawed with limited information and biases and we need each other to help come closer to the actual version.

 She also discusses the differences between our emotional brain and “thinking brain” – how peoples emotional response is estimated at 24x faster than our cognitive/thinking brain! This means that emotions are very big decision influencers, whether we like it or not! It means most of the time that we are not responding to facts, but we are responding to what we have made it “mean” to us.

 If we recognize this, then we can be curious and ask ourselves, “I wonder what I am making this mean? I wonder what you are making this mean? I wonder why I made it mean that?” – getting comfortable with the uncomfortable. This allows us to take fast thinking emotions and slow them down to allow our cognitive thinking/problem solving/fact based brain to catch up. It also creates a space for the same thing to happen with the person you are working with – giving them time and permission to slow down!

How and why we need to immerse ourselves in other people's stories

Finally, Kim-Adele asks the question - Are we listening to understand or are we listening to interject? We naturally want to fill in the silence but would we learn more if we listened? She gave funny examples of people she interacted with in business and as a hairdresser. She also talks about how being a Mum has also given her very powerful leadership tools!

Finally, I share how Black Swan’s (information you need but which someone else has) can be uncovered by deep listening!

To learn even more, please go to Hairdresser in the Board Room Part 2

Part 2 of 3

Frog Protection

Continuing our theme of listening, Jeff refers to the Discover Card Commercial for Frog Protection and relates this back to what teams in both large and small companies experience every day. Kim-Adele shares a hilarious but very real example from her experience, highlighting the trouble with jargon and acronyms. It is a wonderful example about how team members can all "feel aligned" but be utterly and hopelessly confused.

The Power of a Tea Trolley

Kim-Adele shares with us how she, as COO, was faced with dire financial challenges and how she chose to deliver tea around to her co-workers in an effort to lift spirits and learn more about what they were experiencing. She won over a very "dour" CFO. His comment was, after taking a walk with her and the tea trolley, "I have learned more in the last half an hour, than I have learned in the last 13 years in this organization." The business turned around and is operating to this day - in some part due to the revelations garnered from colleagues over tea and biscuits.

Our subconscious brain - the happy little helper

Kim Adele shares an example of how, when you are fearful of something, it may be the words you use to frame it that are causing you challenges. She then asks our audience to consider re-framing the statement and sharing "what might you be hopeful for".  Fear and hope are described almost like one-coin, but two sides. 

 She also describes the "happy little helper", or our subconscious brain. Whatever you tell your subconscious brain, it thinks you want - but it has one flaw… it cannot discern the difference or help or harm! Redirecting our subconscious mind to remind of us times when we "got it right", and not only when we messed up, can help us discover the confidence and competence to be successful.

 How did Kim-Adele overcome her fear and low confidence to help contribute to the writing of an international best selling book? She describes this in a touching and personal story - including how she was "stood in her garden, in her pajamas, live on BBC London Radio. I was thinking that 'I am so glad this is audio only!'". A quote Kim-Adele shared is very close to her heart "Be Kind, Be Curious, Dream Big, Take Action, and Believe!"

To learn even more, please go to Hairdresser in the Board Room Part 3!

Part 3 of 3

Imposter Syndrome

"We are all vulnerable about something and once we can share a little bit of our vulnerability we can create a safe space for other people to share theirs. The reality is we are all perfectly imperfect and we are striving to be perfect , which is not what we are here for - it's not what we are supposed to do! It's about recognizing that my imperfections could very well be someone else's perfect… and therefore if we work together we will be significantly better as a result!" - Kim-Adele Randall

In this episode she shares an example of where she got her first ever coach for her executive level job - and was utterly convinced that she was rubbish at her job. She takes the journey that awakened her to other's people view of her and how that has helped her with her "imposter's syndrome" as she continues to deal with the fear that they will "discover that she is just the hairdresser". The feedback from others labeled her as "brave and fearless" and she explores what might happen if she started borrowing other people's labels of "brave and fearless" rather than her own of being "flighty and stupid"?

If I cut you, you will bleed

In this section, Kim-Adele deals with people who feel they cannot talk to a person because they are "too important". She talks with a co-worker and discusses how we are all just people - including saying - "I'm pretty sure that if you cut me, I will bleed… if I cut you, you will bleed. Please don't tell HR I threatened to cut you!" Every part of the car must work for the car to perform - same with teams!

 Even Einstein even had imposter syndrome, as expressed in this quote … "the esteem in which my works are held leave me feeling like an unlikely swindler."

Lending our Belief

We discuss the amazing impact of what happens when "we lend people our belief to them (a colleague, friend, family member)… until they own it for their own". Like encouraging a child to walk or ride a bike - if we could do the same for our colleagues, this may be just what they need to crush their inner imposter!

In case you missed the other episodes, go to our YouTube channel, Growing your business with People, where you can find the other 10 previous episodes with interesting people, great stories and practical advice you can use today!

 Thank you for reading this newsletter!

 I hope you listen, share, and subscribe! Most importantly - I want your feedback and comments!

 Jeff Lackey

Some books by Kim-Adele Randall, include (contributing anthology):

 Pivot and Grow

#Remote Working!

 Learn more about Kim-Adele Randall at https://authenticachievements.com/

Growing Your Business with People! Podcast (GYBWP)

A podcast dedicated to CEOs who are looking to get their MBA in People.

 Click below to find more ways to learn, watch, and listen.