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Strategic Communications: The Quiet Force Behind Real Authority with Nponano Maikori
5 Plays1 month ago
As part of our nod to women in leadership this month, we’re joined by one of our favorite people, Nponano Maikori.
Nponano is a strategic communications leader with over 15 years of experience building programs that cultivate engagement, shape culture and connect the dots across complex, global organizations. She brings both precision and heart to her work, using communications not just as messaging, but as a catalyst for clarity, alignment, and real change.
Currently the Director of Communications at Baker Donelson, Nponano understands something many leaders overlook: authority isn’t just held in titles, it’s built in narrative.
In this episode, we explore the power moves that don’t make headlines. The subtle decisions. The behind-the-scenes influence. The long-game thinking that builds credibility and trust inside organizations, especially in environments where not every voice is equally amplified.
This is a conversation about influence without ego, narrative without noise, and the quiet force that shapes how organizations move.
If you care about leadership, reputation, and building authority that lasts, this one’s for you.
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Transcript
Introduction to Fractional Frequency
00:00:10
Speaker
Welcome to Fractional Frequency, our take on talent, people trends, and the reality of building up businesses in an economy that keeps rewriting the rules.
00:00:18
Speaker
I'm Amy Crook, founder of Stratibus.
00:00:21
Speaker
And I'm Erin Todis, Managing Director of Talent Delivery, which basically means I live in the universe of finding the right people to make an impact for our clients fast.
00:00:30
Speaker
Around here, we talk about the real side of HR and talent, what works, what absolutely doesn't, and how to build teams that can carry a business, not drag it down.
00:00:40
Speaker
We'll break down trends, share the behind the scenes of scaling a consultancy from zero, and probably overshare a little because that's where the good lessons live.
00:00:48
Speaker
So whether you're building, hiring, leading, or just trying to keep your company profitable, you're in the right place.
00:00:55
Speaker
This is Fractional Frequency.
00:00:56
Speaker
Let's get to it.
00:01:07
Speaker
great day.
00:01:07
Speaker
It's flown by like many of them do.
00:01:09
Speaker
Yeah, I'm with you.
00:01:11
Speaker
I'm with you.
00:01:12
Speaker
Well, I'm super excited today.
Guest Introduction: Panana McCorry
00:01:16
Speaker
Today joining us as part of our homage to Women in Leadership this month, we have one of my all-time favorite people.
00:01:25
Speaker
She's a strategic communications leader with over 15 years of experience in building programs that cultivate engagement and connect the dots for global organizations.
00:01:36
Speaker
She brings a lot of heart to her work and is passionate about using communications
00:01:41
Speaker
as a real catalyst for change.
00:01:44
Speaker
She's currently the director of communications at Baker Donaldson.
00:01:48
Speaker
Welcome, Panana McCorry.
00:01:51
Speaker
Hello.
00:01:52
Speaker
Hi, ladies.
00:01:53
Speaker
Hello.
00:01:54
Speaker
Welcome.
00:01:55
Speaker
Yeah, I'm excited to be here.
00:01:57
Speaker
Thank you.
00:01:58
Speaker
I'm so happy that you're here.
00:01:59
Speaker
I really am.
00:02:00
Speaker
Like, you are always one of my favorite people to speak to.
00:02:04
Speaker
Always hilarious.
00:02:05
Speaker
Always in the know.
00:02:07
Speaker
I love it.
00:02:08
Speaker
Oh, stop.
Panana's Career Journey and Insights
00:02:11
Speaker
So let's start by talking through your career journey.
00:02:15
Speaker
When did you know that a career in communications was the right fit for you?
00:02:22
Speaker
When I got burned out on radio.
00:02:26
Speaker
I don't think that it was ever something that I thought about until I needed to find something other than what I had been doing.
00:02:32
Speaker
And so, you know, I worked in broadcast journalism for seven years after college and
00:02:38
Speaker
And it was one of those things where I just always envisioned myself in that space.
00:02:41
Speaker
And I remember an advisor when I was in college telling me that while radio and media at that time would be, you know, fun for the moment, he was, you know, very, very emphatic about the fact that they didn't pay well.
00:02:54
Speaker
And seven years in, I was teetering between do I want to continue being poor or do I just want to be able to enjoy free concerts, free promotions and all of the things that come with working at a radio station.
00:03:07
Speaker
And so obviously I chose the aforementioned because being poor at that point was starting to be kind of like a lifestyle struggle for me.
00:03:16
Speaker
I hated it.
00:03:19
Speaker
Feel that for sure.
00:03:23
Speaker
And what early experiences, Panana, would you say shaped how you think about influence and communication as you were sort of finding yourself on that journey?
00:03:33
Speaker
Yeah, you know, I didn't start my career, like I just said, thinking about corporate communications at all.
00:03:39
Speaker
And it was kind of one of those things where I do think that the background in journalism and broadcasting really helped shape everything that I was trained for moving forward.
00:03:49
Speaker
You know, I was trained to chase headlines.
00:03:51
Speaker
And I think over time,
00:03:52
Speaker
what happened is I became more interested in what happened before the headline and before that story, because it's not just what's happening, it's what people understand about what's happening.
00:04:03
Speaker
And so I think the, you know, the journalism taught me two critical things.
00:04:06
Speaker
First, the information was power.
00:04:08
Speaker
And second, that framing is also power.
00:04:12
Speaker
You know, two people could report the same exact story, same facts,
00:04:15
Speaker
and shape completely different reactions based on how they choose to sequence it or the tone that they use or the things that they emphasize.
00:04:23
Speaker
And so when I moved into corporate environments, I think what I really figured out, especially in male dominated spaces, I noticed that something else was just as important.
00:04:34
Speaker
It's one of those things where oftentimes the loudest voice is what gets credited as being the smartest voice.
00:04:40
Speaker
And that wasn't always true.
00:04:42
Speaker
Right.
00:04:42
Speaker
I became fascinated with how to gain influence that didn't require me being loud.
00:04:47
Speaker
You know, I grew up in a family full of Nigerians.
00:04:50
Speaker
And so oftentimes you had to shout over one another to have people hear you.
00:04:56
Speaker
And I saw that in that corporate setting.
00:04:59
Speaker
And, you know, it was just really.
00:05:01
Speaker
fascinating to me.
00:05:02
Speaker
And it's just kind of like, I don't want to always be the loudest person in the room.
00:05:06
Speaker
And so it also taught me that that fact alone does not move people, right?
00:05:12
Speaker
Feeling does, because there have been a lot of instances where we've shared facts and still had, you know, abysmal result or outcome to it.
00:05:21
Speaker
And so I think you can always give accurate information, but if you ignore how it lands emotionally, then you lose the room.
00:05:27
Speaker
So for me, communication became less about broadcasting and more about translation.
00:05:32
Speaker
Right.
00:05:32
Speaker
Strategy only works if people understand it.
00:05:36
Speaker
And understanding requires clarity.
00:05:38
Speaker
It requires context.
00:05:40
Speaker
But most importantly, it requires emotional calibration.
00:05:43
Speaker
And so for me, I think that's when I realized that I didn't need to be the headline when I could shape the headline.
00:05:49
Speaker
Yeah, that's such a great point.
00:05:52
Speaker
I wonder, like just listening to you talk about that journey of, of your growth, how did your definition of success evolve as kind of your influencing ability grew?
Redefining Success and Corporate Misconceptions
00:06:04
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I think early on in my career, success really looked like visibility, right?
00:06:08
Speaker
I think that's what most people would equate it to.
00:06:11
Speaker
You know, what's your title?
00:06:12
Speaker
How much time do you have in front of leadership?
00:06:15
Speaker
Like, how much of the floor are you given?
00:06:17
Speaker
Because I think recognition often feels like proof of value for people.
00:06:22
Speaker
But I think now I think success looks like a number of different things that, you know, for me in my role, it looks like alignment.
00:06:30
Speaker
It looks like fewer surprises.
00:06:32
Speaker
It looks like executives who aren't feeling blindsided, employees who feel informed without, you know, having to try too hard to get that information.
00:06:42
Speaker
You know, I used to equate recognition with value like most people.
00:06:45
Speaker
And I think now I equate consistency with value because sustainable leadership isn't about being impressive.
00:06:51
Speaker
It's really about being dependable.
00:06:52
Speaker
And so if you know leaders communicate with clarity and confidence because of work we did behind the scenes, for me, that's success.
00:07:00
Speaker
Like if trust increases, like even when the decisions are hard, that's success.
00:07:05
Speaker
You know, comms in particular internal, it's not sexy.
00:07:07
Speaker
So people don't like paying attention to it.
00:07:09
Speaker
And that's a gift for me.
00:07:11
Speaker
And I never see it as a curse, you know, unless I'm working with a leader or leaders who just really don't get it.
00:07:16
Speaker
Yeah.
00:07:17
Speaker
Yeah.
00:07:18
Speaker
No, that makes sense.
00:07:19
Speaker
And I don't know about that.
00:07:20
Speaker
I've experienced your internal communications and they were pretty hot.
00:07:25
Speaker
I enjoyed them.
00:07:28
Speaker
What misconceptions and you kind of touched on this a little bit with that comment, actually, like what misconceptions do people have about like corporate communications leadership?
00:07:39
Speaker
Well, I would say internally, I think the biggest misconception, and trust me, there are plenty of them, but I would say that we're mostly tactical, right?
00:07:46
Speaker
I think most people think of comms and they're like, oh, they send emails or they polish language after decisions are already made.
00:07:53
Speaker
But I think for many corp comms leaders, unfortunately, that is actually the case, right?
00:08:00
Speaker
But I would say in reality that corporate communications, I liken it to organizational psychology at scale.
00:08:05
Speaker
I think it's risk management.
00:08:07
Speaker
It's stakeholder mapping, it's scenario planning, it's culture temperature checks.
00:08:12
Speaker
I think it's executive coaching at really high stakes moments.
00:08:16
Speaker
It's a lot of really important things, but I think in its purest form, it's really essentially about truth telling.
00:08:21
Speaker
It's deeply human work and it's not made for everybody.
00:08:25
Speaker
I often say that comms is part science, part soul.
00:08:27
Speaker
The science part of it, it's the structure, it's the sequencing of information,
00:08:33
Speaker
It's anticipating reactions from your key stakeholders, from your audience.
00:08:38
Speaker
It's about measuring sentiment, not just engagement.
00:08:41
Speaker
You know, it's how like we understand ambiguity increases anxiety and how clarity will always reduce that.
00:08:48
Speaker
Right.
00:08:48
Speaker
And so for me, the sole part of it, it's the emotional calibration I was just talking about.
00:08:53
Speaker
It's knowing when people need data and when they really just want acknowledgement.
00:08:58
Speaker
You know, it's helping leaders sound like themselves and not sound like me.
00:09:02
Speaker
you know, reading the temperature of an organization and adjusting the tone in our messaging accordingly, right?
00:09:08
Speaker
So it's a number of different things.
00:09:09
Speaker
And I think regardless of what you think is the most important aspect of comms work, the bottom line is that you have to have both.
00:09:17
Speaker
Because if you have science without soul, then you get sterile messaging that technically says the right thing, but doesn't necessarily land with your audience.
00:09:26
Speaker
But if you have soul without science, then it's like you get warmth and, you know, pleasantness without structure, but it causes confusion.
00:09:33
Speaker
So, you know, I heard another comms leader say.
00:09:37
Speaker
not too long ago that like communications is data informed and emotion aware.
00:09:43
Speaker
And I was like, that's so beautiful because you have to have both to move people.
Strategic Communication Techniques
00:09:48
Speaker
And so, you know, I think for communicators, we're really fortunate to sit at this intersection of what's true and what's strategic and what people can emotionally handle.
00:09:58
Speaker
But I think yet and still, right, we're often the last function invited into strategy conversations, but the first ones to get blamed when alignment fails.
00:10:06
Speaker
So it's like, well, it's working.
00:10:08
Speaker
Nothing looks dramatic, right?
00:10:10
Speaker
And ultimately, that's the point.
00:10:11
Speaker
But that doesn't mean that it's not irritating.
00:10:16
Speaker
I love that you keep referring, Panana, to just moving people.
00:10:20
Speaker
There's so much power in how you frame information and how people receive that.
00:10:26
Speaker
They get them not just to digest it, but to actually act on it in the way that an organization is maybe hoping for them to.
00:10:33
Speaker
And I think it's just incredible, the work that you do.
00:10:37
Speaker
I want to shift the conversation a little bit here.
00:10:39
Speaker
And we've talked about your journey and about recognition and visible milestones, but I'm always more interested in the moves that don't necessarily make the bio or the headlines, like you mentioned earlier.
00:10:53
Speaker
And so, you know, some of the subtle decisions or actions that really quietly build authority and shift outcomes inside of an organization in a big way.
00:11:03
Speaker
And so my first question to you is to maybe share an example or two of a power move that looks quiet on the surface, but shifts everything behind the scenes when done right.
00:11:17
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I think for communications, right, quiet power moves are usually about like sequencing and tone and timing.
00:11:25
Speaker
They don't look dramatic, but they're fundamentally like they change the outcomes of your comms.
00:11:29
Speaker
For example, you know, I've been in situations where leadership wanted to announce a big shift really quickly because speed to them felt like decisiveness.
00:11:39
Speaker
But when you're close to the emotional temperature of your organization, what you realize is that speed is going to feel destabilizing.
00:11:46
Speaker
In one case, we paused the launch for 48 hours, and that pause allowed me the opportunity to pre-brief some of our senior leaders and
00:11:55
Speaker
And then anticipate what some of the tough questions would be once we rolled it out.
00:11:59
Speaker
And then we could adjust language that unintentionally sounded dismissive.
00:12:04
Speaker
And then when the message went out, it landed really calmly.
00:12:06
Speaker
There was no backlash.
00:12:08
Speaker
There were no fire drills, just thoughtful engagement.
00:12:11
Speaker
I think another quiet power move is changing the order of a message.
00:12:14
Speaker
Like I reviewed a draft not too long ago that led with performance metrics and strategic next steps, like after a really hard quarter, it was accurate, right?
00:12:24
Speaker
But it emotionally felt super tone deaf.
00:12:26
Speaker
So we re-sequenced it to acknowledge the fatigue and the uncertainty first, then we moved into the direction.
00:12:33
Speaker
And I think it was the same facts, but just adjusting the order
00:12:37
Speaker
That small change really completely led to a different reception, I think, that had we led with the previous way.
00:12:45
Speaker
And so sometimes the power move is choosing not to amplify something, right?
00:12:49
Speaker
Not every internal frustration deserves a megaphone.
00:12:52
Speaker
Sometimes stabilizing energy really requires restraint.
00:12:56
Speaker
And I think one of the most underrated power moves for me has always been preparation.
00:13:00
Speaker
I think for me, when I have to think three moves ahead, I'm at my best.
00:13:05
Speaker
So asking how will this land with our frontline teams, with our managers, with our global audience, that invisible anticipation, I think prevents visible chaos, right?
00:13:15
Speaker
And it's like, I'd like to think that preventing drama in any form has to be a power of some sort.
00:13:20
Speaker
Mm-hmm.
00:13:22
Speaker
Wow.
00:13:23
Speaker
Now that's so interesting, helping to kind of almost see around corners, it seems like in those contexts.
00:13:30
Speaker
And you mentioned earlier, Panano, that sometimes it feels like in corporate communications, while the function is so critical and can have so much impact to people,
00:13:40
Speaker
how a message lands that sometimes you're the last to be invited into the conversation.
00:13:46
Speaker
So tell us a little bit about it from your perspective, how can people build influence without positional authority?
00:13:54
Speaker
Become useful.
00:13:59
Speaker
I don't know that there's a sexier way of saying that.
00:14:02
Speaker
Just become useful and then do it consistently.
00:14:06
Speaker
I think early in my career, I didn't really have the biggest title in the room, but I could anticipate people's reactions.
00:14:12
Speaker
And so that helped me because then I could sharpen language.
00:14:15
Speaker
I could ask the question that no one else considered yet, or the question that a lot of people were afraid to ask.
00:14:22
Speaker
There were moments when I'd walk into a meeting and intentionally not speak first, just to listen for what was being said.
00:14:30
Speaker
And then if you offer a reframing like, oh, I think the employees are going to hear when we say that this is X, is that our intent?
00:14:37
Speaker
Because what that does is it shifts the conversation without confrontation.
00:14:41
Speaker
Right.
00:14:42
Speaker
And so for me, influence builds when you are consistently making other people look steady and thoughtful, not good, steady and thoughtful.
00:14:52
Speaker
You know, also I think confidentiality and trust builds influence, especially in my work, right?
00:14:57
Speaker
If leaders trust that you won't leak a draft or you won't gossip or weaponize information that they know could potentially be an issue, then they're more comfortable bringing you into bigger rooms.
00:15:09
Speaker
You know, I think one of the biggest mistakes people make is trying to prove that they're influential because it's like real influence.
00:15:15
Speaker
It's observed.
00:15:17
Speaker
You don't have to tell people that you're influential.
00:15:20
Speaker
And it grows when people realize that you increase clarity at the same time reducing risk.
00:15:25
Speaker
So for me, being in the room isn't influential.
00:15:29
Speaker
Improving the room is.
00:15:31
Speaker
I love that.
00:15:32
Speaker
Yeah.
00:15:33
Speaker
And so you're at this point in your career, especially you've been in a number of
00:15:38
Speaker
high stakes rooms and high stakes conversations.
00:15:41
Speaker
Tell us a little bit about how you protect credibility in high pressure or high visibility moments within organizations.
00:15:50
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I think that a lot of it, again, is it ties back to a lot of what I've really touched on in terms of like building that trust.
00:15:58
Speaker
But I mean, I think it's really simple, right?
00:16:01
Speaker
Credibility is built before you need it.
00:16:03
Speaker
Like you can't wait until you're in one of those high pressure moments and then start scrambling to, you know, come up with examples or scenarios of ways that you've added value.
00:16:13
Speaker
Right.
00:16:13
Speaker
And so it's just like you need it before you.
00:16:16
Speaker
like you build it before you need it so that you can leverage it once you actually have it.
00:16:21
Speaker
I think transparency in that instance, it has to be a muscle because if you only communicate during good times, then you're never going to be trusted during the hard ones.
00:16:29
Speaker
And in high pressure moments, like, you know, I focus on saying what we know, saying what we don't know, and then also being able and comfortable to acknowledge that when we know more, we'll share it.
00:16:40
Speaker
I think a lot of times leaders don't want to present as if they're
00:16:45
Speaker
uncertain about any of it.
00:16:46
Speaker
And sometimes I don't know, honestly, goes a long way.
00:16:51
Speaker
And so I think like avoiding exaggeration and getting your leaders aligned before messaging ever happens is also something that's really critical.
00:16:59
Speaker
I think, you know, if you're just drafting a message before everyone is on the same page, think about how many drafts you would go through as you're making tweaks, because people are now offering different perspectives and insight, as opposed to if you would have just taken the time to
00:17:13
Speaker
to start that alignment on the front end, right?
00:17:17
Speaker
And then for me, I think honestly, just being able to anticipate reaction in advance is another power because I think a lot of times
00:17:28
Speaker
People are more apt to just get out whatever the communication or the messaging is without really thinking about how it's going to land.
00:17:37
Speaker
And that's doing yourself a disservice in most instances, because if you're not able to anticipate the reactions in advance, then you're shooting yourself in the foot from a credibility perspective.
00:17:47
Speaker
Totally.
00:17:49
Speaker
And you mentioned earlier a little bit about the power of listening and sometimes not always being the first to open your mouth in a room, but to really absorb and get a pulse before offering your perspective.
00:18:02
Speaker
And so sort of along that thread, when would you say is silence maybe more powerful than speaking?
00:18:11
Speaker
Hmm.
00:18:15
Speaker
I think...
00:18:18
Speaker
Silence is more powerful than speaking when you're reacting emotionally instead of strategically.
00:18:26
Speaker
I think there's a difference between responsiveness and reactivity.
00:18:29
Speaker
And strategic silence gives you the space to gather the facts and the information that you need, right?
00:18:36
Speaker
It gives you the space to observe emotional patterns.
00:18:40
Speaker
And it gives you the space to prevent escalation, where I think a lot of people would see silence as avoidance.
00:18:46
Speaker
It really isn't.
00:18:47
Speaker
It's discipline.
00:18:48
Speaker
Because in volatile moments, calm is really the biggest influence you possibly could have.
00:18:54
Speaker
Yeah.
00:18:55
Speaker
I love that.
00:18:56
Speaker
Love that.
00:18:58
Speaker
All right.
00:18:58
Speaker
I've got a couple of really real questions for you, Panano, if you're good to shift gears a little bit.
00:19:06
Speaker
So the first may hit home.
00:19:09
Speaker
Do organizations, in your opinion, undervalue communications until there's a crisis?
The Value of Communication in Crisis
00:19:14
Speaker
Yeah.
00:19:15
Speaker
So this is one of those ones that I think most communicators are, you know,
00:19:20
Speaker
would probably err towards the side of hell yeah.
00:19:26
Speaker
But I mean, you know, for me, I don't think that organizations ignore communications until there's a crisis, but a crisis definitely exposes whether comms has been treated as a strategic partner or an afterthought, right?
00:19:37
Speaker
And I think that a lot of organizations don't hold that mirror up to themselves until it's too late.
00:19:43
Speaker
Because when things are calm, good communication tends to blend into the background, right?
00:19:47
Speaker
You almost don't notice it because it's working so well.
00:19:50
Speaker
And that's great.
00:19:51
Speaker
But the minute something unexpected happens is when everyone suddenly realizes how essential it is to have clear messages and align leaders and some kind of a plan, because then they're beating your door down.
00:20:01
Speaker
Like, what are we going to do?
00:20:03
Speaker
And it's like, oh, you remember that I work here.
00:20:05
Speaker
That's great.
00:20:09
Speaker
You know, so it's like like I'd like to say the crisis comms is really just the stress test for everyday communications, because if you're invested in building trust and clarity and good communication habits early, then your organization is going to weather any tough moment, no matter what.
00:20:25
Speaker
Right.
00:20:25
Speaker
And you're always going to be better for it.
00:20:27
Speaker
But if you haven't, well, then the crisis will make the obvious.
00:20:31
Speaker
Really quickly.
00:20:32
Speaker
We'll make that obvious really quickly.
00:20:33
Speaker
Right.
00:20:34
Speaker
So for me, it's less about organizations not prioritizing comms and more about helping leaders see the value before the fire drill starts, because when you make communications into your culture, not just into your crisis plan, you make everything stronger.
00:20:48
Speaker
And I think that I've had the immense pleasure of being in organizations over the last several roles that I've been in that really understand the importance of it.
00:20:59
Speaker
before the shit hits the fan, if I can say shit.
00:21:02
Speaker
Yeah, you can.
00:21:04
Speaker
You totally can.
00:21:05
Speaker
And it's so true.
00:21:06
Speaker
And it almost makes me think about just a more general principle in leadership around, you know, the strength of a person is demonstrated when there is a crisis.
00:21:21
Speaker
But if you haven't done the work when things are going well,
00:21:25
Speaker
To build that credibility and to build that relationship, then you are, you're going to get thrown under the bus.
00:21:33
Speaker
Because they're not going to trust you.
00:21:35
Speaker
So I think that's a huge lesson for anyone listening who's navigating a corporate landscape that, you know, building the credibility and the trust when things are good is important.
00:21:49
Speaker
You've got to show like your value.
00:21:51
Speaker
And sometimes that's quiet.
00:21:54
Speaker
And that's okay.
00:21:55
Speaker
So I think it's funny about that, Amy, I think a lot of people, when when you start and you know, I'm seeing it now as I'm stepping into this new role, and I'm meeting with different stakeholders and different people around the organization, people have a really hard time.
00:22:11
Speaker
feeling like they're bragging about themselves.
00:22:13
Speaker
And I'm like, you know what?
00:22:14
Speaker
You better learn how to gloat with the best of them.
00:22:17
Speaker
Otherwise your position is going to be eliminated.
00:22:22
Speaker
Like you have to learn how to tell the story of the work that you do better than anybody else in that organization.
00:22:28
Speaker
Because once you realize that a lot of times you're on an island and no one knows what you're doing.
00:22:34
Speaker
So you have to get out there and you have to toot your own horn.
00:22:36
Speaker
And I know that that's something that's extremely hard
00:22:39
Speaker
especially for professionals who consider themselves to be like humble people.
00:22:43
Speaker
It's like, yeah, you know, this is the one time in your life where I'd say you better find that new gear and be braggadocious as possible.
00:22:52
Speaker
A hundred percent.
00:22:53
Speaker
A hundred percent.
00:22:54
Speaker
And this, yeah, this time more than ever, you have to be able to demonstrate your value and believe that I just did a post on this earlier, actually about, you
00:23:02
Speaker
you know, your brand in an organization?
00:23:04
Speaker
Are you showing up with a point of view?
00:23:06
Speaker
Are you, you know, being proactive with your communications to deliver information?
00:23:12
Speaker
Like this is really important right now.
00:23:15
Speaker
Otherwise, yeah, you're right.
00:23:16
Speaker
Like if you're just, you know, doing, you know, a very simple A to B execution without that consultative or, you
00:23:28
Speaker
insightful piece, then people aren't going to realize what you're bringing to the table.
00:23:33
Speaker
So it's a really important message for people to take when they're navigating their careers that you have to find a way to get comfortable with promoting what you're doing. 100%.
00:23:49
Speaker
Well, I think we actually answered both of the tension questions with that.
00:23:54
Speaker
So that's awesome.
00:23:55
Speaker
So I am going to take us to our closing questions, which are just designed to be quick fire.
00:24:03
Speaker
But if we get on a tangent, that's okay.
00:24:06
Speaker
We're flexible around here.
00:24:09
Speaker
What do you believe is one invisible power move that more leaders should master?
Preparation as a Leadership Power Move
00:24:18
Speaker
Preparation is the spice of life.
00:24:20
Speaker
I mean, I think preparation communicates respect.
00:24:24
Speaker
If you've thought three moves ahead and you've anticipated reactions and you've mapped out consequences, then I guarantee you people will take notice and they'll feel it.
00:24:33
Speaker
Yeah.
00:24:34
Speaker
I agree.
00:24:35
Speaker
I agree.
00:24:35
Speaker
They'll feel more steady and more, more comfortable.
00:24:38
Speaker
I know that that's a word that you've used kind of throughout this conversation.
00:24:41
Speaker
And I, I don't think you can underestimate as a leader, like being steady is so important for those around you being consistent is so important.
00:24:51
Speaker
Oh, yeah.
00:24:51
Speaker
We've all worked around crazy erratic leaders.
00:24:56
Speaker
It begets crazy erratic cultures, right?
00:24:58
Speaker
And so it's one of those things where, you know, people, especially if you're someone with influence, people feed off of your energy.
00:25:04
Speaker
And so I just I just I can't over communicate how important, you know, you just said it steadiness really is.
00:25:11
Speaker
Yeah.
00:25:13
Speaker
So we just kind of mentioned influence.
00:25:16
Speaker
I'm curious, like, what do you think is one mistake that professionals make when trying to build influence in their organization?
00:25:27
Speaker
I think confusing proximity to power with actual influence.
00:25:32
Speaker
You know, being in the room isn't the same as being able to shape the outcome.
00:25:37
Speaker
You know, I've been in plenty of rooms with
00:25:39
Speaker
you know, people who are next to the CEO or the COO or the, you know, chief technology officer and thought that they had, because that they had their ear, that that would translate to them being able to influence an outcome in a different meeting or scenario with other stakeholders.
00:25:55
Speaker
And that just turned out to not be the case.
00:25:57
Speaker
And so I think that, you know, you can run around and you can use that proximity that you have to leadership as a way of getting people to listen, but not necessarily getting people to act.
00:26:08
Speaker
Yeah, there's such a big difference between the two.
00:26:13
Speaker
Like if you want people to follow you, you have to put the time in.
00:26:17
Speaker
And my last question, what is one action that leaders can take tomorrow to strengthen the trust and help to control the narrative of their teams?
00:26:31
Speaker
I would say ask them what feels unclear right now and then close that loop.
00:26:36
Speaker
Right.
00:26:37
Speaker
Because clarity is the currency of trust and, you know, trust helps build influence.
00:26:42
Speaker
And so I think that if you're, you know, showing an interest in fixing or solving something that is a challenge for them right now, that's the quickest, easiest one that you could possibly have.
00:26:55
Speaker
I love it.
00:26:56
Speaker
All these pearls of wisdom.
00:26:58
Speaker
I've got so many new catchphrases that I'm just going to drop into conversation after this call.
00:27:05
Speaker
It has been so fun to talk to you again, Penano.
00:27:09
Speaker
And I know that Erin feels the same way.
00:27:14
Speaker
You are always just so insightful.
00:27:17
Speaker
And I really appreciate you taking the time to connect with us today.
00:27:21
Speaker
No, I appreciate that.
00:27:22
Speaker
I mean, thank you for having me.
00:27:23
Speaker
I think that
00:27:24
Speaker
if there's two better people to get leadership and development advice from, it's the two of you.
00:27:31
Speaker
I hope that organizations are really taking the time to let you all help come and build out really an impactful culture for them.
00:27:40
Speaker
I think that it's one of those things where in today's day and age, it's more important than ever.
00:27:45
Speaker
And there's not a lot of great resources out there and you two are a great resource.
00:27:49
Speaker
So I hope people are taking advantage of it.
00:27:52
Speaker
Oh, thank you so much.
00:27:53
Speaker
Thank you so much.
00:27:55
Speaker
Well, we will be sure to speak to you soon.
00:27:57
Speaker
Keep in touch.
00:27:58
Speaker
And thanks so much again for joining us.
00:28:01
Speaker
Thanks, ladies.
00:28:02
Speaker
Have a great one.
00:28:02
Speaker
You too.
00:28:04
Speaker
Bye.