Connect with Nichole on LinkedIn

Episode Summary:

In this special milestone episode, Nichole Harrop reflects on the journey of creating and growing the Future Female Leaders podcast. Nichole shares her experiences, challenges, and accomplishments over the past five years, celebrating the podcast's 250th episode. She discusses the importance of celebrating milestones, the evolution of her podcasting skills, and the valuable lessons learned along the way.

Key Points Covered:

1. Introduction and Milestone Celebration

   • Nichole celebrates the 250th episode and reflects on starting the podcast nearly five years ago.
   • Emphasizes the importance of celebrating both small and large accomplishments.

2. Starting the Podcast Journey

   • Nichole shares how she was encouraged by a business coach to start her own podcast after not finding many relevant podcasts to guest on.
   • Initial challenges of learning podcasting basics, including using GarageBand and creating an RSS feed.

3. Overcoming Doubts and Initial Struggles

   • Dealing with doubts and the desire for perfection.
   • Early experiences of recording episodes in less-than-ideal conditions and the slow growth in the initial months.

4. Finding a Niche and Audience Growth

   • Nichole's goal to fill a gap in the podcasting space by focusing on career growth for future female leaders.
   • Realizing the need to pivot content based on feedback and focusing more on career growth topics.

5. Podcast Rebranding and Impact

   • Changing the podcast's name from "Next Level Leaders" to "Future Female Leaders" to better align with the target audience.
   • Celebrating the global reach of the podcast with listeners in 120 different countries.

6. Top Podcast Episodes

   • Highlighting the top five episodes based on listener engagement:
     1. Episode 15: Building off Strengths
     2. Episode 231: Are You Setting Boundaries at Work?
     3. Episode 49: Are You Doing the Right Things to Stand Out at Work?
     4. Episode 241: The Most Important Thing About Consistency
     5. Episode 215: An Easy Way to Approach Giving Feedback

Get the Career Growth Guide

Connect with Nichole on LinkedIn

In this episode, Nichole Harrop reflects on her past approach to career growth and shares how she wishes she had focused more on holistic growth rather than just climbing the corporate ladder. She discusses the importance of celebrating each step of the journey and offers practical advice for maintaining a balanced and fulfilling career trajectory.

Key Takeaways:

1. Career Growth Guide: Nichole introduces a helpful resource, the Career Growth Guide, to assist listeners in establishing a consistent and effective growth strategy.
2. LinkedIn Importance: She stresses the importance of having a LinkedIn profile for career development and networking, even if one is not actively posting content.
3. Ladder Growth vs. Expanded Growth:
   • Ladder Growth: Traditionally, career growth is seen as climbing a corporate ladder, focusing on achieving higher titles and positions.
   • Expanded Growth: Nichole advocates for a more rounded approach, where growth is multifaceted, similar to a garden of blooming flowers. This includes expanding skills, knowledge, and impact without necessarily moving up in title.
4. Personal Reflection: Nichole shares her experience with burnout from focusing too heavily on upward career movement and the lack of fulfillment that came with it.
5. Work Journal: Keeping a work journal to track accomplishments, projects, and impacts can help one recognize their growth and stay prepared for future opportunities.
6. Mindset Shift: Listeners are encouraged to reflect on their own growth strategies and consider adopting a more holistic view of career development.

Check out Nichole's digital resources here

Connect with Nichole on LinkedIn

Episode Highlights:

• Importance of Building a Personal Brand:

  • Focus on LinkedIn, but also applicable in general.
  • Creating a personal brand helps in career growth and visibility.

• Reminder:

  • Check the link in the show notes for career growth resources.
  • The Career Growth Guide is a valuable tool to complement building your brand.

• Personal Brand Backstory:

  • Nichole's experience as a career job hopper and the fresh start it offers.
  • Importance of professionalism and maintaining a positive reputation.

• Key Points on Building a Personal Brand:

  • Reflect on how you make people feel and interact with others.
  • Set personal boundaries and hold yourself to a standard.
  • Consider how you want to be remembered after leaving a job.

• LinkedIn Tips:

  • Start by engaging with content and commenting on posts.
  • Gradually build confidence to post your own content.
  • Share your growth journey, insights, and recommendations.

• Networking:

  • The power of building a network and offering value.
  • Consistent visibility on LinkedIn opens doors to opportunities.

• Practical Advice:

  • Download the Career Growth Guide for monthly focus areas and video content.
  • Use the guide for ideas on what to post and how to grow.

Get the free intro to the Career Growth Guide!

Connect with Jennifer Moore on LinkedIn
Connect with Nichole Harrop on LinkedIn

Topics/Questions discussed:

How can someone in an entry level role recognize that they might need to help their leader to become more of a coach?

What is a good way to go about changing the structure of a helpful 1:1?

What can you do if you are trying to make changes to your 1:1 structure and it’s not going well?

What other advice or guidance do you have to help someone who wants to grow?

Get the Career Growth Guide here.

Connect and ask any questions to Nichole on LinkedIn.

Key Points:

• Importance of knowing your boss's expectations, especially if aiming for growth or leadership.
• Metrics such as customer satisfaction, quality scores, attendance, and meeting punctuality can be key.
• Tailor your approach to meet your leader's priorities.
• Ask your leader what they need from you today to endorse your future growth.
• Use the Career Growth Guide (in show notes) for career roadmap and growth tips.

Connect with Nichole on LinkedIn

Check out the different digital offerings Nichole has, here!

Here's the link to grab the digital download for the Ultimate Career Growth Workbook

Connect with Grace Wright on LinkedIn

Episode Highlights

• Networking and Personal Growth:

  • Grace shares her journey of starting to post on LinkedIn despite feeling unprepared initially.
  • Nichole emphasizes the importance of networking and supportive connections in personal and professional growth.

• Overcoming Fear and Taking Action:

  • Grace emphasizes the significance of pushing past fear by simply taking action, even if it's starting with small steps.
  • Both hosts discuss how supportive networks contribute to building confidence and making strides in their careers.

• Challenging Self-Limiting Beliefs:

  • The conversation revolves around challenging self-limiting beliefs, encouraging listeners to question why they delay their aspirations.
  • They discuss the need to challenge one's own beliefs and surround oneself with supportive people to move forward.

• Benefits of Taking Risks:

  • Grace shares her experience of stepping into roles she felt unprepared for initially and the growth that came from embracing these challenges.
  • The conversation delves into how the discomfort of uncertainty can lead to personal and professional growth.

• Transition into Leadership and Self-Reflection:

  • Grace recounts her transition from an individual contributor to a leadership role and the challenges she faced, particularly around uncertainty and self-doubt.
  • Both hosts discuss the importance of self-reflection in career progression and the necessity of balancing feedback-seeking behavior with confidence in leadership roles.

This week Nichole shares an episode where she was a guest on The Thinking Project Podcast, hosted by Dalton Jensen. 

Key Takeaways:

1. Common Leadership Pitfalls:

   • A good boss avoids deflecting blame and takes ownership of team success.
   • They actively engage in one-on-one meetings and recognize their importance for team growth.
   • Avoid making quick assumptions and judgments about team members. Encourage diverse opinions.

2. Promoting High Performers:

   • Promoting the highest-performing employees is not always the best decision. They might lack people management skills.
   • Being an excellent individual contributor does not guarantee leadership potential. Leadership requires caring about others' success.

3. Being Authentic as a Leader:

   • Leaders should avoid pretending to be someone they're not in pursuit of success.
   • It's essential to be your authentic self while still refining your leadership skills to adapt to your environment.

4. Importance of Soft Skills:

   • Developing soft skills is crucial for successful leadership. Start with self-awareness to understand your impact on others.
   • Building individual relationships and caring about team members' lives outside of work fosters trust and psychological safety.

5. The Value of Empathy:

   • Empathy is a key element of great leadership. It involves genuinely caring about your team members' success and well-being.
   • Leaders should strive to understand their team's challenges and actively support them.

Challenging Work Environments:

• It's vital for leaders to acknowledge that the environment can sometimes restrict open communication and empathy.
• Organizations should encourage leadership that promotes caring and connection within teams, even outside of the workplace.