38. Be Yourself: The Power of Authenticity

In this episode, Jamie speaks with Adam Curran, Founder of Curran Financial Partners, a wealth management firm based in Charleston, SC. Jamie respects those who lead with conviction and spoke to Adam about his unapologetic, authentic way of representing himself and his company. Adam calls himself a "God-fearing, flag waving conservative" and discusses why he decided to become so vocal about his beliefs and how he encourages others in business to do the same, especially those who disagree with him. Jamie and Adam also discuss entrepreneurship, the changing views on retirement across generations, and how responding to the needs of his clients (something Jamie calls Customer Obsession!) led to him creating his high-performing God Bless America ETF. Adam is a witty, engaging, and direct leader. Whether you agree with Adam's political views or not, this episode will challenge you with the question, "How might I bring more of my authentic self to my work and leadership?" During this episode, Adam refers to the following books: Principles by Ray Dalio The Road Less Stupid by Keith J. Cunningham John Maxwell works

In this episode, Jamie speaks with Maggie Driscoll, Chief People and Culture Officer at Blackbaud, a large public technology company based in Charleston, SC.  Maggie spent her entire career in the human resources field, following her true passion for helping companies succeed and grow through building strong internal cultures and pathways for team members.  Maggie joined Blackbaud, moving to Charleston just weeks prior to the COVID pandemic that caused massive uncertainty and challenges for people leadership.  Maggie and the Blackbaud senior leadership team remained agile, listened to their team members, and received many external accolades for the way they rebuilt their company workstyle, honoring their team members and serving their clients, an approach Blackbaud calls "remote first flexible."  Maggie and Jamie also discuss three pivotal career stages that leaders go through -- first-line manager, second-line manager of managers, and broad business leader -- and the unique challenges and pitfalls of each.  Maggie shares why leading authentically is so important and why her leadership style emphasizes the avoidance of surprises.  Maggie and Jamie close with a discussion on how the "employee deal" may be changing with the latest generation of team members entering the job market.  Maggie is an accomplished Human Resources professional, highly recognized in the tech industry and sought after as an advisor in her profession.

In this short, 7-minute episode, Jamie gets real about how top performers often feel a quiet discontent while at work, impacting both them and the organizations they work with. Top performers are wired to hit the gas pedal, so busy achieving that they don't often take time to reflect on their dreams or acknowledge them.  Each of us is wonderfully and uniquely made with a God-given purpose.  When we can't connect our work to that purpose, discontent grows until it boils over.  Jamie shares 3 steps you can take to find clarity and make your work epic, benefitting both you and the organization you work with.     In this episode, Jamie refers to the following work: The "I GOT THIS Framework" for identifying your purpose and setting goals Find your Why: A Practical Guide for Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team by Simon Sinek   Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.

In this episode, Jamie speaks with Melanie Stith, former healthcare executive and Founder/ CEO of Culture Wins Culture Wins, LLC | Transform Your Organizational Culture. From attorney, to HR executive, to government relations executive, Melanie wasn't afraid to "change lanes" in her career while building broad business experience.  She shares that she recently completed a year of personal reflection and growth after transitioning from her high-powered corporate position into founding her own consulting business.  Melanie shares several specific examples about how she grew her leadership over the course of her career.  One lesson learned is how embracing vulnerability leads to authenticity and deeper relationships. Melanie is a highly respected leader whose willingness to share personal insights is not only refreshing, but will be significantly encouraging to many of my listeners contemplating their own transitions.   During this episode, Melanie and Jamie refer to the following work: Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life by Arthur C. Brooks The Happiness Advantage: How a Positive Brain Fuels Success in Work and Life by Shawn Achor Does Bad News Travel Fast in Your Organization by Executive Access Podcast   Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.

In this episode, Jamie speaks with President and CEO of Coastal Community Foundation, Darrin Goss, Sr.  He describes his work as connecting people with the impulse to do good with the ability to do good. Darrin's leadership style was shaped early as an officer in the Army.  His transition into civilian life taught him the importance of finding purpose and aligning your career to pursue that purpose.  We also discussed how he successfully holds that tension line as a leader between valuing people and driving accountability, something he describes as taking courage to get right. His insights on influence leadership are excellent.  Finally, Darrin shares the importance of staying true to your values as a leader - two of his cornerstone values are faith and family.  Darrin is a deeply respected leader who is making a big impact in the communities of South Carolina through the coalitions he builds. During this episode, Darrin refers to the following work: Lincoln on Leadership by Donald T. Phillips Chief Executive Magazine   Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.  

In this episode, Jamie speaks with long-time senior technology executive David Weiss, Operating Partner at Thoma Bravo and Clearhaven Partners.  Jamie finished the interview, turned to her producer and said, "Now that is what excellence in leadership looks like!" David says that while many leaders have a gift of natural charisma, he relies on a very intentional approach to leadership that has turned out to be a strength.  Drawing upon Eduardo Briceno's work, he advises leaders and teams to know when they are in the "performance zone" and when they are in the "learning zone."  He describes the stages he sees companies grow through and why assessing complexity is just as important as measuring revenue.  David gives us a short primer on how private equity firms work and discusses 3 of 10 levers of scale he has identified.  One of those levers is culture and he introduces his very interesting "Energy Creator Framework" making the case that it's not enough to make sure you have the right people; your organization needs the right energy from those people.  David is an extraordinary leader; you will find yourself playing and replaying this episode in the weeks to come.   During this episode, David refers to the following work: The Performance Paradox: Turning the Power of Mindset into Action by Eduardo Briceno What Leaders Really Do by John Kotter (especially Chapter 3)   Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.

Energy on any team is the difference between winning and losing, the difference between second place and first place, and the difference between seeing hard things through and throwing in the towel.  In other words, high energy teams deliver great results and are magnets for talent. At Microsoft, we were told as leaders to "generate energy." That's what great leaders do.  But how do you generate energy with your team? This short video, "Generate Energy" breaks down several ways that any leader can bring more intentionality to the way they generate energy.    Jamie refers to a previous short video: 38. Be Yourself: The Power of Authenticity  

What if your biggest strength is quietly sabotaging you? One of the realizations I had in my executive coaching practice is that our biggest strengths, when overdone, show up as our biggest weaknesses.  What if these overused strengths are showing up as your team's biggest problems? Please review my 7-minute short video for ideas for identifying these potential areas in your leadership and how to take action!   Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.  

The most powerful thing you bring to leadership isn't your title, it's your true self.  I believe this so deeply that when I was asked by an emerging leader a few months ago,  "What advice would you give for leading authentically?" I was excited to answer.  But when I tried to articulate HOW I was able to make that transition from "imitating others" to "embracing my authentic way of leading", or how I have witnessed others make the same transition, I struggled to explain it.  After much thought, I finally have the right answer and I captured it in this 5-minute short video.  Enjoy!   In this episode, Jamie refers to "The Neuroscience of Trust" by Paul J. Zak.   Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.  

In this episode, Jamie speaks with Tim Solms, CEO Slingshot Aerospace. Tim talks about why culture is the #1 priority for a senior leader and how leaders need to watch out for inadvertently creating drama themselves.  He discusses the importance of "bright lines between clear roles and responsibilities" and how mastering this creates alignment throughout the organization. Tim's final reminder to us around ownership is poignant, that each of us is not just a culture consumer, but a culture creator. Tim is an outstanding operator who isn't afraid to share some of the big mistakes on his way to success.   In this episode, Jamie refers to Patrick Lencioni's "First Team" model.   Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.   *Please note that in this episode, the video quality on Jamie's camera is slightly out of focus due to an unexpected technical issue. We apologize for any inconvenience and assure you that we've taken steps to prevent this from happening in future episodes.