Join me, Susan Ireland, for my mind-shifting discussion with Sile Walsh about helping leaders enhance their inclusion practices in the workplace. Sile throws away the blame game when it comes to inclusivity and instead encourages a model of thinking that inclusivity helps everyone do their jobs better. She roots her practical advice in real-world solutions, challenging us to pursue the best thing we can do with our reality versus chasing golden solutions. She brings a new approach to inclusivity in leadership and the workplace that will change how you approach your own leadership.

Show Notes
(2:52) Sile shares, from her years of experience working with leaders, that the main challenges leaders face come down to core things including learning to be inclusive or engaging in inclusivity. The simple idea she promotes is if you include people in the solution, the solution will be more effective.

(6:00) The inclusivity gap, Sile asserts exists when leaders question, “what does inclusivity have to do with my job?” We talk about how to help people see that inclusivity helps you be a better leader and accomplish your job more effectively.

(9:39) Sile breaks down some of the 13 practices and principles for effective leadership, arguing that if a leader is not effective, it is because they are not following or practicing one of these practices or principles. She advocates for finding solutions rooted in reality – what is the best thing we can do with this reality versus chasing golden solutions.

(13:40) Inclusion is an invitation to co-create your workplace reality. Sile shares examples of how people from different experiences also have different expectations and how we most co-create spaces for everyone to feel safe to participate.

(19:38) Sile shares inspiring advice on how to shift your mindset from “people are hard to reach” to “needing to get better at having conversations that result in inclusion.” If we think about inclusion as a leadership practice, we can then work to close the gap.

(23:55) What parts of you do you reject? Sile talks through a thought exercise all leaders should face before working on inclusion – identifying what needs of their own do they first reject?

(29:07) What’s in it for me? We discuss how to motivate leaders to seek inclusion because it is good for their work (and how blame and shame don’t work to motivate this needed change).

About Sile: Sile Walsh specializes in inclusive Leadership. She is a lecturer, facilitator, coach and consultant and has worked internationally with over 22k leaders and organizations for over a decade. Sile is a PhD candidate studying inclusive leadership in the school of psychology and has a professional background in coaching psychology and organizational development.

Resources:
Website: silewalsh.com

Join Debbie Collard and Susan Ireland, certified coaches and co-founders of Seasons Leadership, in making positive leadership the norm rather than the exception on Wednesdays on the Seasons Leadership Podcast. (Selected by Feedspot as one of the Top 15 Positive Leadership Podcasts on the web!)

And now you can join our community of values-based leaders on Seasons Leadership Patreon at Patreon.com/seasonsleadership. At our gold-level, unlock our exclusive Lessons in Leadership Column from our Resident Seasoned Leader David Spong, a lifetime member of the Board of the Malcom Baldrige Foundation and our Leadership Elements Series.

Join us as we respond to listener questions and recount our unique journeys— how Susan's passion for Program Management and Business Operations catapulted her into executive roles, while Debbie’s early leadership duties in the military set a foundation she hadn't anticipated. This episode we dive deep and share more of our stories delivering on our promise to the Seasons Leadership community we made at the beginning of the year. Lots of our answers are connected to why we started Seasons Leadership to help you proactively steer your career to make a meaningful impact.

Questions
(0:55) How did you decide to be a leader and an executive and what advice would you give yourself earlier in your career?

(6:30) If you had a time machine what is the inflection point in your career that you would reapproach?

(10:50) What brings you joy in retirement that wasn't in your baseline plan?

(13:30) What do you wish you knew about business management or leadership earlier in your career?

(16:35) Who are your leadership role models?

(20:25) What was the defining moment for you in your career and why?

Resources:

Seasons Leadership: www.seasonsleadership.com
Seasons Leadership Patreon Community: www.patreon.com/seasonsleadership

Join Debbie Collard and Susan Ireland, certified coaches and co-founders of Seasons Leadership, in making positive leadership the norm rather than the exception on Wednesdays on the Seasons Leadership Podcast. (Selected by Feedspot as one of the Top 15 Positive Leadership Podcasts on the web!)

And now you can join our community of values-based leaders on Seasons Leadership Patreon at Patreon.com/seasonsleadership. At our gold-level, unlock our exclusive Lessons in Leadership Column from our Resident Seasoned Leader David Spong, a lifetime member of the Board of the Malcom Baldrige Foundation and our Leadership Elements Series.

Join us for our high energy discussion of the season of summer and get inspired to make the most of the season. We talk about the cyclical nature of the seasons, define summer and encourage you to ride the ebb and flow. We dive into how summer vibes bring a sense of flourishing and fun. Summer is a great time for discovery and cultivating new ideas and inspiration. Need more inspiration? Listen to our summer playlist and send us your additions - we would love to include your favorite songs of the season. We also preview what is coming next for Seasons Leadership - three new Leadership Elements for our Patreon community (join today!) and our Elemental Leadership course. Listen in or watch and get in on the summer fun. This episode is packed with valuable lessons to help you embrace change and make the most of every season in your leadership journey.

Resources:

Seasons Leadership Summer Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/01sJYDm5FRlTvHTK9av0JH?si=fc09c36155d24e2d

Seasons Leadership Patreon Community: www.patreon.com/seasonsleadership

Summer Rerun | The Almanac | Seasons Leadership Program

Join Debbie Collard and Susan Ireland, certified coaches and co-founders of Seasons Leadership, in making positive leadership the norm rather than the exception on Wednesdays on the Seasons Leadership Podcast. (Selected by Feedspot as one of the Top 15 Positive Leadership Podcasts on the web!)

And now you can join our community of values-based leaders on Seasons Leadership Patreon at Patreon.com/seasonsleadership. At our gold-level, unlock our exclusive Lessons in Leadership Column from our Resident Seasoned Leader David Spong, a lifetime member of the Board of the Malcom Baldrige Foundation and our Leadership Elements Series.

Join us for part two of our discussion with Celeste Ford, board chair and founder of Stellar Solutions, and Janet Grondin, CEO of Stellar Solutions, where we focus on how to navigate leadership transitions successfully. Together, they reveal a playbook for how to complete a leadership transition which includes continuous coaching, clear communication, and thoughtful planning.

Show Notes:
(1:00) Succession planning: Celeste talks about how she followed her gut and knew when it was time to transition from CEO to something new.

(4:20) The role of coaching: Janet talks about deviating from your plan and the role coaching plays in transition.

(8:22) How to let go: Celeste shares how she let go of being the CEO, going out on a win (Baldrige) and announcing on the fourth of July.

(12:40) Breaking down the transition: Janet relays what she does for a new role transition talking through her thought process step-by-step.

(15:10) How to take care of yourself: The leaders acknowledge that we are always in transition at some point. We swap strategies for how to stimulate yourself physically and mentally.

About Celeste: She founded Stellar Solutions in 1995 and served as CEO until 2018 with the mission to deliver high-impact performance for defense, intelligence, commercial, civil and international clients. She established Stellar Solutions Foundation in 1998, QuakeFinder humanitarian R&D program in 2001, and expanded Stellar’s global presence. She launched Stellar Ventures in 2022 to invest in the next generation of space technology companies. Celeste is Board Chair and Founder of Stellar Solutions, Inc., a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award-winning aerospace engineering company. She is Managing Director at Stellar Ventures.

About Janet: She is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Stellar Solutions Inc., a small, woman-owned business and leading provider of high-impact engineering services to significant intelligence, defense, civil, commercial, and international customers for the past 29 years. Prior to this role, she served as Vice President for Intelligence Programs, Vice President, Defense Programs and Director of Emerging Space Capabilities. Janet is a former Northrop Grumman Director and a retired USAF Colonel with 30+ years of experience in navigation, remote sensing, satellite communications, launch, space superiority, and launch ranges.

Resources:

Part 1: Leading Dream Jobs in Aerospace with Celeste Ford and Janet Grondin - Seasons Leadership Podcast

www.stellarsolutions.com

https://baldrigefoundation.org

Join Debbie Collard and Susan Ireland, certified coaches and co-founders of Seasons Leadership, in making positive leadership the norm rather than the exception on Wednesdays on the Seasons Leadership Podcast. (Selected by Feedspot as one of the Top 15 Positive Leadership Podcasts on the web!)

And now you can join our community of values-based leaders on Seasons Leadership Patreon at Patreon.com/seasonsleadership. At our gold-level, unlock our exclusive Lessons in Leadership Column from our Resident Seasoned Leader David Spong, a lifetime member of the Board of the Malcom Baldrige Foundation and our Leadership Elements Series.

Join us as we talk to Celeste Ford, board chair and founder of Stellar Solutions, and Janet Grondin, CEO of Stellar Solutions, about leadership transitions, aerospace, connecting the dots and creating dream jobs.

Show Notes:
(7:30) After the leaders introduce their stories, we talk about creating a long-time vision. Janet and Celeste share Stellar Solutions’ vision to satisfy customer critical needs while realizing your dream job, and they break down what that means to them. Janet and Celeste share how the landscape in aerospace has changed – that the money is no longer all from government and how that has required more connecting of the dots across the industry.

(13:30) Next, we talk about creating dream jobs and how they know they have succeeded. We get to talk about the Baldrige framework; Janet and Celeste’s actionable advice and their secret sauce – hint it’s about including everyone!

(20:55) Culture – the leaders share how they create something bigger than themselves, develop a team living the culture and how they provide 9 weeks of paid time off!

(28:15) Janet and Celeste share breakthroughs on remote work to keep everyone connected (no one size fits all!) and leaning into the big concept of deployment.

(33:25) Part 1 of the conversation wraps up with one piece of advice from Janet and Celeste but there is plenty more coming your way next episode when we talk to them more.

About Celeste: She founded Stellar Solutions in 1995 and served as CEO until 2018 with the mission to deliver high-impact performance for defense, intelligence, commercial, civil and international clients. She established Stellar Solutions Foundation in 1998, QuakeFinder humanitarian R&D program in 2001, and expanded Stellar’s global presence. She launched Stellar Ventures in 2022 to invest in the next generation of space technology companies. Celeste is Board Chair and Founder of Stellar Solutions, Inc., a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award-winning aerospace engineering company. She is Managing Director at Stellar Ventures.

About Janet: She is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Stellar Solutions Inc., a small, woman-owned business and leading provider of high-impact engineering services to significant intelligence, defense, civil, commercial, and international customers for the past 29 years. Prior to this role, she served as Vice President for Intelligence Programs, Vice President, Defense Programs and Director of Emerging Space Capabilities. Janet is a former Northrop Grumman Director and a retired USAF Colonel with 30+ years of experience in navigation, remote sensing, satellite communications, launch, space superiority, and launch ranges.

Resources:
www.stellarsolutions.com

https://baldrigefoundation.org

Join Debbie Collard and Susan Ireland, certified coaches and co-founders of Seasons Leadership, in making positive leadership the norm rather than the exception on Wednesdays on the Seasons Leadership Podcast. (Selected by Feedspot as one of the Top 15 Positive Leadership Podcasts on the web!)

And now you can join our community of values-based leaders on Seasons Leadership Patreon at Patreon.com/seasonsleadership. At our gold-level, unlock our exclusive Lessons in Leadership Column from our Resident Seasoned Leader David Spong, a lifetime member of the Board of the Malcom Baldrige Foundation and our Leadership Elements Series.

Join us as we talk about our popular blog post “Embrace leading from the middle.” We share more insight into how this idea developed and the challenge we all have to lead from wherever we are.

Show Notes:
(1:00) What does it mean to be middle? We talk about what that means to us and how it sparked the idea for Debbie to write the blog and now to produce this podcast episode.

(5:30) You may be "middle," but it shouldn't be an excuse to not lead or put yourself out there authentically. We share examples of how the boundaries of your role sometimes define your leadership.

(10:29) Stop waiting for permission. We give a call to action to see the potential inside yourself. We challenge you to lead from where you are and be creative.

(14:34) There is a difference between being humble and restricting yourself. We encourage you to learn and grow your leadership role.

Resources:

Embrace leading from the middle: www.seasonsleadership.com/almanac/embrace-leading-from-the-middle

Join Debbie Collard and Susan Ireland, certified coaches and co-founders of Seasons Leadership, in making positive leadership the norm rather than the exception on Wednesdays on the Seasons Leadership Podcast. (Selected by Feedspot as one of the Top 15 Positive Leadership Podcasts on the web!)

And now you can join our community of values-based leaders on Seasons Leadership Patreon at Patreon.com/seasonsleadership. At our gold-level, unlock our exclusive Lessons in Leadership Column from our Resident Seasoned Leader David Spong, a lifetime member of the Board of the Malcom Baldrige Foundation and our Leadership Elements Series.

Join us as we talk to Executive Director of the Bellevue College Foundation Melissa Johnson about her unconventional higher education journey and how that led to success and leadership opportunities. Melissa shares her passion for helping others along their own educational journeys and will inspire you to continue moving forward despite fear and doubt.

Show Notes:

(0:35) Melissa talks about her educational journey including getting expelled from high school and enrolling at Bellevue College at 37 years old and how that now has transformed into her role at the Bellevue College Foundation.

(6:06) We discuss personal leadership style and how Melissa developed her leadership experience before holding a formal leadership role.

(8:17) Melissa shares her biggest “ah ha” moment...when she learned it was really ok to be wrong and to say you don’t know but will figure it out. We discuss how confidence and leadership excellence are linked and how being an effective leader is about continuing to move forward.

(13:00) We talk about building your network and the importance of “getting out of people’s way” so they can succeed. Melissa shares the inspiring idea that “even if I can’t do what you want me to do, I still might be able to help with what you need.”

(18:21) We dive into fear and talk openly and honestly about being scared to take the next step in your leadership journey. Melissa affirms this as part of her journey and how she now helps encourage others to take that next step through her leadership.

(22:35) Finally we leave you with actionable advice to stop competing and to build bridges instead.

About Melissa: Melissa Johnson is the Executive Director of the Bellevue College Foundation. A late in life learner, Melissa attended BC for the first time at 37 years old. After achieving her AA, she attended the University of Washington where she triple-majored in Communications, Humanities and Social Sciences, receiving the President’s Medal in 2014. Next, Melissa attended Seattle University, graduating with a master’s in nonprofit leadership. In late 2022, Melissa joined the Foundation as their Executive Director. Returning to where her educational journey started is a privilege in Melissa’s eyes. Her passion is removing barriers and allowing people to flourish in ways that are meaningful to them. To do that in a place that meant so much to her journey is something she refuses to take for granted.

Resources:

Website: https://www.bellevuecollege.edu/

Join Debbie Collard and Susan Ireland, certified coaches and co-founders of Seasons Leadership, in making positive leadership the norm rather than the exception on Wednesdays on the Seasons Leadership Podcast. (Selected by Feedspot as one of the Top 15 Positive Leadership Podcasts on the web!)

And now you can join our community of values-based leaders on Seasons Leadership Patreon at Patreon.com/seasonsleadership. At our gold-level, unlock our exclusive Lessons in Leadership Column from our Resident Seasoned Leader David Spong, a lifetime member of the Board of the Malcom Baldrige Foundation and our Leadership Elements Series.

Patty Beach, CEO of Leadership Smarts and author of "The Art of Alignment: A Practical Guide to Inclusive Leadership," joins us for this inspiring episode about inclusive leadership. She gives practical, actionable advice on how you can be more inclusive in your leadership and how to get your ideas heard.

Show notes:
(1:00) Patty shares her background and her passion to be both an evangelist and evolutionist of inclusive leadership. The leaders discuss the difference between the two and why they are both important.

(5:00) Patty talks about her book “The Art of Alignment,” and about how to move big powerful ideas out in the world by including others. She highlights the simple and measurable structure of her alignment method and gives examples of how it has worked on high-stakes projects.

(12:08) The leaders discuss how her alignment method can work in all environments – in the workplace for first line leaders to at home negotiating chores with a teenager. Patty shares how she applied this alignment method to her own business.

(16:00) Talk turns to disruptors – Patty defines the difference between a dissenter and a disruptor. She gives advice on how to work with disruptors to help them buy into the process and contribute.

(22:45) Patty shares the powerful application of SHUVA. She talks about how respecting the universal needs of all people to be seen, heard, understood, valued and appreciated can help tap into the collective wisdom of the group and bring about a better world.

(29:55) The discussion ends with actionable advice that listeners can apply today to help get their ideas heard. Patty promises that this shift, will be a gamechanger.

About Patty: Patty Beach is the bestselling author of "The Art of Alignment: A Practical Guide to Inclusive Leadership," and a sought-after TEDx speaker, who specializes in empowering managers to excel and executives to inspire.

Resources:
Tedx Talk: SHUVA: The Secret to Inclusive Leadership: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGf6svw9CmM
Website: leadershipsmarts.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/pattybeach/
YouTube: @leadershipsmartstheartofal3556

Join Debbie Collard and Susan Ireland, certified coaches and co-founders of Seasons Leadership, in making positive leadership the norm rather than the exception on Wednesdays on the Seasons Leadership Podcast. (Selected by Feedspot as one of the Top 15 Positive Leadership Podcasts on the web!)

And now you can join our community of values-based leaders on Seasons Leadership Patreon at Patreon.com/seasonsleadership. At our gold-level, unlock our exclusive Lessons in Leadership Column from our Resident Seasoned Leader David Spong, a lifetime member of the Board of the Malcom Baldrige Foundation and our Leadership Elements Series.