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Unapologetically Ambitious with Shellye Archambeau
18 Plays4 months ago
In this episode of The Goode Guide, I sit down with the brilliant Shellye, an accomplished executive and the author of Unapologetically Ambitious. Shellye shares her journey from the early days of her career, navigating barriers in the tech industry, to becoming a CEO and mentor for the next generation of leaders. Her journey isn’t just about professional success; it’s about overcoming the odds and leading with purpose. We dive deep into her book and discuss what it truly means to embrace ambition without hesitation, especially as women.
Shellye opens up about how ambition, often viewed negatively when it comes to women, can be a powerful force for change and personal growth. She sheds light on the importance of vulnerability and sharing your goals with others to help you reach them. Plus, we talk about building high-performance teams, the challenges of leadership, and why strategic career planning is essential to growth. This episode is packed with insights on how to create lasting impact while staying true to your ambition.
Key Takeaways:
- Embrace your ambition without apology. Women often hold themselves back due to societal perceptions of ambition, but it’s time to own your desires and aspirations.
- Build high-performing teams by recognizing different skill sets, fostering trust, and creating clarity on team goals.
- The key to leadership is not about titles—it’s about your ability to inspire and lead with integrity.
- Strategic career planning is essential, but it needs to consider not just your job, but your whole life. Keep your vision broad and include those who are part of your journey.
- Vulnerability and ambition go hand in hand. To achieve your goals, you need to open up, share your aspirations, and build a network of support.
Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Welcome to The Goode Guide: Introduction to Shellye and her impressive journey.
00:01:25 - From Corporate to CEO: Shelley shares her early days in tech and how she rose to the top.
00:06:15 - Unapologetically Ambitious: The meaning behind the title of Shellye’s book and why it’s important for women to embrace ambition.
00:09:32 - The Power of Vulnerability: How being open about your goals and challenges can accelerate your success.
00:12:30 - Building High-Performance Teams: Shellye’s advice on assembling teams with complementary skills and fostering trust.
00:15:45 - Strategic Career Planning: The importance of having a long-term vision and including your personal life goals.
00:19:50 - Leadership Lessons: How Shellye defines leadership and the traits that make great leaders.
00:22:00 - Mentorship and Impact: The importance of mentoring the next generation of leaders.
00:24:20 - Advice for Women Aspiring to Leadership: Shelley’s top advice for women looking to make an impact in their careers.
00:27:00 - Wrapping Up: Final thoughts on staying unapologetically ambitious and making a lasting impact.
Resources Mentioned:
- Unapologetically Ambitious by Shellye
- Shelley's mentorship program: Ignite Ambitions
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to The Good Guide Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey there, welcome to The Good Guide, your ultimate career companion. I'm Shannara Good, and I've been on quite the career roller coaster. From the trenches of entry-level positions to the boardrooms as a now more seasoned professional.
00:00:15
Speaker
Believe me when I say i have been there and know that I've acquired some wisdom over the years that I cannot wait to share with you. Ever felt like you're on your career journey solo?
00:00:26
Speaker
Or maybe you're curious about conquering career plateaus, overcoming imposter syndrome, or leading with unwavering confidence. Well, I promise you are in the right place.
00:00:38
Speaker
Every week, my guests and I will share our own challenges and successes. We'll talk about everything from career development to leadership to even work-life balance. Expect a healthy dose of authenticity and, of course, our tips and tricks that will have you navigating your career with a newfound confidence.
00:00:58
Speaker
Don't miss out on the knowledge drop, y'all. Hit that like, subscribe, and follow button on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. Trust me, you won't want to miss an episode.
00:01:12
Speaker
Because this is the good guide where we're not just chasing success, we're defining it. Are you ready to elevate your career game? Let's dive in.
Shelly's Career Journey
00:01:26
Speaker
All right. Well, thank you so much, Shelly, for joining us today on the Good Guide podcast. This episode or this recording has been um a little bit in the making. And when I tell you, I'm very excited to just pick your brain after the last couple of months, just kind of like following along and seeing all that the amazing things that you're doing. So thank you so much for being on the podcast.
00:01:45
Speaker
It's truly an honor to to be in your presence. So thank you. Oh, you're quite welcome, Shannara. I've been looking forward to it. Awesome. Awesome. Well, i want everyone to just get grounded quickly in who you are. What has brought you to essentially the the position and the life that you're living today? And kind of what are some of the passions that have really taken you on this journey?
00:02:09
Speaker
So what really set me up and drove me in my career was that I figured out very early that the odds just weren't in my favor. And Therefore, if I wanted to get anything out of this life, I was going have to figure out how to be intentional to actually improve my odds to go get it.
00:02:30
Speaker
So that was really my whole framework, which made me very goal oriented. Because i didn't have a goal, then wasn't working towards anything. I wasn't probably going to get anything. So lay that picture of potential kind of set goals, et cetera.
00:02:45
Speaker
And I had this really interesting conversation. with my guidance counselor. It's the one that every kid has in your junior year of high school. Are you going to go to college or not? Well, my family, yes, going to college.
00:02:57
Speaker
Father didn't a college degree. It was all about education. you're going to go. Okay. Number two, she said, so what do you want to do after college? I was like, I have no idea. All I know is I want to make enough money be able to eat out in restaurants, heat my thermostat at 72 degrees in the wintertime,
00:03:16
Speaker
and travel because those were all things I couldn't do. And she laughed and then she realized that I was dead serious. I'm like, yeah, that's what I want life. And so she said, well, what do you like to do?
00:03:27
Speaker
And for this, I give her a ton of credit. And said, oh, that's easy. Clubs. I'm in everything. American Field Service, French Club, Key Club, National Honor Society. I've been a Girl Scout, but like, don't tell anybody because it's not.
00:03:39
Speaker
Right? Yes. So anyway, she said, oh, well, you know, clubs are like business. Mm-hmm. You put people together and you get things done. And I said, done.
00:03:50
Speaker
going go into business. And I actually like to run these clubs that I'm in. I was president of this, vice president of that. And I looked up and people who ran businesses were called CEOs. So I came home at 16 and told my parents, I'm going to be a CEO.
00:04:04
Speaker
Oh my gosh. Now that is
Unapologetically Ambitious: The Book
00:04:07
Speaker
a unique, I feel like um origin story. Cause I, it also hurt to your point, like giving her credit for like the connection. I would have never, ever, ever in a million years have even thought like, okay, clubs, AKA business, AKA CEO. Like, so what a great like hook, line and secret she had you with. So yeah, yeah, no, absolutely. So anyway, now that I have any idea what that really meant.
00:04:31
Speaker
No. But I now had a goal. yeah So literally I spent my whole career on, all right, how do I achieve this goal? yeah um And that's what really set up the framework for my life is back to being goal oriented. So I knew I wanted to have a career. knew wanted to be a CEO.
00:04:48
Speaker
I also knew that I wanted to get married and if I could, I wanted to have children. So those were really the goals that I set out was how do I do both of those things successfully? Yeah, I can totally relate. i knew early on in my, you know, I guess career, but I would even say back in high school as well, that like business was where I wanted to b I probably had that same kind of inclination of running things and and having conversations and, you know, kind of constantly being in, in some ways, like in group think mentality, which is very much that like club oriented
00:05:32
Speaker
vibe, as people say these days. so i So I love that and definitely can can relate to that. So thanks for for sharing that story. Yeah. So i I want everyone to learn a little bit more about the work that you've been doing on your book.
00:05:46
Speaker
So you've got your book, Unapologetically Ambitious. unpad There's like a couple of words that I feel like I throw out there very frequently. And unapologetic is one of them.
00:05:57
Speaker
um Because to me, I truly... feel so connected to what that means. It kind of, I put that in the same bucket as words like selfishness, which again, and i think just like unapologetic, it sounds negative when you hear it, but when you actually explain the meaning behind it, it actually isn't. So take us, talk talk a little bit more about your book. How did it even come to be?
00:06:24
Speaker
Where'd the title come from? i mean, I'm just, I'm so curious. Absolutely. So You know, throughout my career, as I was working my way through tech, because i picked tech, and I started my career in the early 80s. So there weren't many people who looked like us, yeah right? yeah on yeah yeah So people reach out. as I was moving along, people reach out to say, oh, I'd like to just meet you, pick your brain, hear your story. And honestly, I tried so hard to do that, right? Because I'm like, you know...
00:06:54
Speaker
If I don't do that, then how do people see that they can do the same thing? Correct. Yeah. So I would meet people, do whatever. But then as I took on more responsibility, I couldn't meet with people one-on-one.
00:07:04
Speaker
I still responded to notes and emails and LinkedIn. Actually, I still do all that today because I wanted people to know I'm a real person. You can touch me, right? So before, you can do what I do. There's nothing special about me.
00:07:16
Speaker
But I decided that, you know what? When i finish this always-on full-time CEO role, I'm going to write it down. to write down do you actually improve your odds to get what you want out of life.
00:07:31
Speaker
Because i think it's a different frame of approaching things. And I wanted to share that. Because I do believe we can improve our odds. And I want more people to be able to improve their odds.
00:07:42
Speaker
So that's why I wrote the book. It a way to share broadly. Because i just can't talk to everybody out there. And I've learned so many lessons. that i you know I wish that I either knew sooner or Right? Or that others knew. so that's what I was trying to share with the book. So here I am.
00:07:57
Speaker
And I wrote the book. And i wanted it to be a story. Meaning, there are a lot of books out there that say, okay, to be a great leader, here are the 10 steps. Right?
Owning Ambition as Women
00:08:08
Speaker
Here are the five things to do. Well, okay, that's kind of cut and dry.
00:08:12
Speaker
I wanted people to really understand that you can do this in the context of life. Because those books are fine, but they don't take into account that, hey, you have a whole life, right? In addition to this whole thing.
00:08:24
Speaker
So that's a worth book. i wanted to feel like a story, like we're sitting down in your living room telling you, right? So I get the whole book done and I have no title. I cannot come up with a title, Shana. I'm like, okay, base life work, how to improve your eyes. I mean, all these things.
00:08:41
Speaker
And I was like, you know, I want the word ambition, ambition. want that in there because... So many times people told me and others, right? Oh, you're so ambitious. And it wasn't as a compliment, which is ridiculous. Yes.
00:08:53
Speaker
Correct. Absolutely ridiculous. Yeah. And so I thought, okay, I know I'm vicious. And I was sitting down with friends, um all women, and we were talking about something. Oh, apologizing. And oh, you all that yeah, and exactly.
00:09:07
Speaker
And I said, you know, I feel like women are raised from the cradle to apologize because we apologize. Yes. For the five, 10% of the time we actually do something wrong. But the other 90 to 95% of the time that we say, I'm sorry, it's to make the rest of the world feel better.
00:09:24
Speaker
Right? Show empathy, show we care, show we dare for them. Right? All of these, I'm sorry, like cook and chef's juice salt. It's pretty little salt. It always tastes better. Right? Add little I'm sorry and it's easier to handle.
00:09:35
Speaker
Yep. We've got to stop doing that. And that's when it hit me. That's it. Unapologetically ambitious. Everyone has the right to be ambitious and no one should have to apologize for it.
00:09:49
Speaker
Yes. ah Oh my gosh. All of the snaps because this is truly, truly like so a motto that I live my life by. And I, you know, i would argue you have years of experience that I don't have, but it's,
00:10:05
Speaker
women like you that like to your point did pave the way or like make it feel as though that I could do those things. And there are so few of us that I feel like have in a way, I think,
00:10:22
Speaker
I'll kind of go backwards a little bit. I remember years back when I was having a conversation with my mom and I was saying, you know, I think it's so amazing that we have a lot of entertainers to look up to within minority communities, right?
00:10:39
Speaker
The black community, especially like we've got the Beyonce's and the Oprah's and the white, and you know, we've got these entertainers, these like big names. that we've grown up hearing about.
00:10:50
Speaker
And that's amazing. But it's like, you don't really get to hear about names of Black women outside of that realm a lot of the times. And I love your story. And I think even when I first stumbled upon you, that was what I resonated with it. I was i was just like, this is a...
00:11:09
Speaker
normal person. This is, you know, like this is just a normal person that has had an amazing career and has been able to stair step her way into the success, but it didn't come from her being an amazing singer or an amazing actor.
00:11:26
Speaker
like it came from your smarts and your expertise and the skills that you've gained over time. And I just think that that's such an amazing story that we don't necessarily always get to hear about or have the platform to share. So love, love how you, how you brought, you know, unapologetically ambitious together and,
00:11:43
Speaker
the meaning even behind the title. So that's awesome. I want to talk a little bit about the ambitious part of your title though, and and maybe even like, what are some of the misconceptions? I'm assuming as you were even doing research for the book, like what are some of the misconceptions or almost, um not rules, but um things that you tried to burst to say like, actually, this is not what it means to be am ambitious.
00:12:11
Speaker
This is what it means to be ambitious. This is what it looks like. like What are some of those misconceptions, especially as they tie directly to women? Tabs, listen, absolutely. So when women are even told, oh, you're just too ambitious, right?
00:12:24
Speaker
They put this negative tone on it. And so therefore, a lot of women feel that being perceived as being ambitious is a negative. So what it does is it holds us back from asking for what we want, for taking credit for things we've actually done.
00:12:40
Speaker
right and for doing it It holds you back. It's like, oh, we don't want to be seen as ambitious because that's a negative. yeah well Therefore, what happens is we get passed over. What happens is we don't get the opportunities that we deserve.
00:12:51
Speaker
There are a lot of things that that are missing. So turns out that indeed, being ambitious Right. And the way I define it, which just means you have something in the future that you're striving to achieve, to create, have to impact, to build.
00:13:08
Speaker
Yeah. And you're working towards it. Yep. That's ambition. Yeah. We would never like raise our children to say, oh, work hard. would never raise our children to say, oh, work hard, get involved in that extracurricular activity so you can learn and grow and develop, get good grades, right?
00:13:24
Speaker
Be a good friend, do all these things, but oh, oh, oh, don't, don't be ambitious. Right? We never do that. So it's ridiculous for people to tell us we shouldn't be ambitious.
00:13:35
Speaker
So the other thing about being ambitious is if we actually own our ambition, it actually helps to reinforce confidence.
00:13:48
Speaker
Right? Because if you own your achievements and your aspirations, you actually internalize them. yep Versus push them off, wave them away.
00:14:03
Speaker
Right? we're just What we're taught to do is that we're not seen as ambitious. So that's also an important part. And, you know, and people, the thing is people who are ambitious in the right way, and I don't mean being rude.
00:14:21
Speaker
I don't mean stepping up taking no prisoners, right? People like to follow leaders who are ambitious, who are confident, and who they feel they can learn from.
00:14:36
Speaker
it's often easier to build. Yep. absolutely resonate with that or like could not agree more. I think it's, it's funny. um As you were saying that to even today, i was um putting on my coat at work and by like my little coat closet um is my, you know, my little like name tag.
00:14:57
Speaker
And so it says like Shinarga, it says my cube number, then it says director. And i I just stepped into a director role in the last, like in the last year. And, you know, even in that moment, I was, there was a part of me that kind of wanted to take a picture of it and like share it.
00:15:13
Speaker
And then I was like, no, no, no. Like that's what I, i've you know, I was running it a while ago. Like, why would I share that? Like, that's like so silly, whatever, like who cares? But I think that's such a good point of like, a lot of times I feel like we are okay with sharing our achievements, like the onesie twosie times or in the moments that they happen. Right. And then we're kind of like, all right, done. Like, you know, it's been achieved.
00:15:37
Speaker
um I'm not going to necessarily go revisit that or talk about it again, or, you know, that's in the past. But I think even what you just said, like, it's a good reminder to like celebrate those achievements and always as opposed to feeling like you you're over-celebrating or you're overdoing it or you're, you know what i mean? Like you're you're being over-ambitious.
00:16:00
Speaker
Yeah. And then to another point that you had mentioned also today, ah was ah had a like a meeting with my boss and I hesitated on bringing this up with her because I was like, i again, I haven't even been in my role in a year or for a year.
00:16:15
Speaker
um i need to cool it. I need to like you know just be happy with where I am. But then I stopped myself and I was like, no, like I am genuinely curious about like How do you continue to progress in your career and how do you continue to move up?
00:16:27
Speaker
And so I asked the question, but I feel like so often we stop ourselves one after success, after a successful moment, we'll stop ourselves and say like, I've had enough or, you know what i mean? Or um not I've had enough, but um my turn is up kind of thing.
00:16:45
Speaker
You know what i mean? Like I've already gotten promoted. I don't deserve to be promoted again. I've already gotten my flowers. I don't deserve another bouquet, right? And so I i think that kind of, again, that drive for more is where that ambitious or that ambition kind of comes in.
00:17:04
Speaker
And instead of shying away from it or feeling like it's a negative, like, oh God, like I don't need to be too much to, you know, lean into it more and actually like appreciate that part of you.
Leadership Development
00:17:15
Speaker
um because there are other people that are out there that are probably second-guessing themselves less that are going to surpass you because they second-guess themselves less. Indeed. yeah The other thing is bring people along with you.
00:17:28
Speaker
Yeah. So, you know, the things that you achieve, whether it's promotions, recognition, et cetera, it's never just you alone. No. Yeah. So, yes, it's okay to be ambitious, but make sure. know, you get praise, you get flowers. Yeah. Great. Yeah.
00:17:42
Speaker
Share them. Yeah. Yeah. Right. It's not like, oh, thank you. I deserve them. Right. Right. You know, it's more like, thank you so much. That team. Right. Worked very hard. Did this. yeah if you bring in, you know, everyone who supports you along the way. Who's gotten you there. Yeah.
00:17:57
Speaker
Yes, absolutely. It just creates a great foundation. Yeah. As you, as you move forward. Yeah. So it's all about the how, here not the what. It's fine to be ambitious. Yeah.
00:18:09
Speaker
But it doesn't mean, as I said, stepping over others, taking no prisoners, being cutthroat, not sharing, not supporting others because you're trying to figure out how to position yourself. That's not being efficient. Yep. And i felt I feel like you learn as you become a leader, those are actually the moments that are the most exciting when you get to like recognize yourself your team and like their development and their growth. Like those the same, like, don't get me wrong. i I love getting recognized too, but I love it when my group of analysts like get promoted or they get recognized or something like that to me brings me as a leader so much joy because like, that's what being a leader is about.
00:18:49
Speaker
It's about guiding people. agree. If I can just, yeah, I can just jump in, you know, mentor told me a long time ago, The number one job of a leader is to build more leaders.
00:19:00
Speaker
Yes. That is the number one job of
Strategic Planning for Life and Career
00:19:03
Speaker
a leader. Because if you aren't building more leaders, your organization cannot scale. Oh my God. Absolutely. Absolutely. Could not agree more. Like could not agree more, especially in this day and age.
00:19:15
Speaker
So one thing that you touch on and you even, I was looking at your Instagram and you even posted about it recently was around strategic planning. your career growth, right? Can you share, like, this is actually something that I'm genuinely curious about as I, again, kind of continue to think about like those next moves.
00:19:33
Speaker
What does that look like? And especially at various times in your career, like how do you lean into strategic planning um to understand like when to press, you know, when, when are you given a little gas? Maybe when are you backing off or, or when are you know i mean like what does that look like?
00:19:50
Speaker
Yeah. So first of all, you're, In my opinion, your strategic plan has to be for your life, not just your job. Because if you build a strategic plan for your job and you have it built in or accounted for the rest of your life, it's going to be really hard to execute that plan.
00:20:07
Speaker
Yeah. And if you happen to be married or in a relationship where it's not just you, but there are others, that's the key plan. You need to incorporate them too. Yeah, yeah. Because otherwise, like I said, it's going to be really hard to be successful.
00:20:23
Speaker
A strategic plan first just starts with just a vision. just like in a company. What's the vision? What are we trying to do here? right And with that vision, you kind of set goals.
00:20:35
Speaker
And honestly, this doesn't have to be 30 years out. I mean, I was a bit of anomaly, right? Deciding early what I wanted to go do. yeah yeah But make it as far out as you can envision. right If it's 10 years, great.
00:20:48
Speaker
If it's five years, you know, okay. If it's just two, I would say that's almost too narrow. Yeah. um like Because if you're only doing two years at a time, then honestly, you're not really building toward anything. That's just more tactical.
00:21:00
Speaker
Okay. So try to figure out, right, at least five years with something. Now, again, it does have to be exact. Your, you know, your vision could be one day what I really so want to do and see myself doing is I want to lead a large organization.
00:21:16
Speaker
That doesn't mean haven't given you roles, haven't given you titles, no industry, no company, so it's not specific. Or, you know, your aspiration could be, I want to be a chief scientist.
00:21:28
Speaker
yeah great So it can be as broad or as specific as you're able to determine.
00:21:36
Speaker
Great. Now that you've got that, socialize it. Back to you, you've got a partner of the style, socialize that Because What you want ideally to do, especially when you're a partnering relationship, is you want to have a common vision for yourself.
00:21:54
Speaker
So if you want to be that chief scientist and your partner doesn't know that's what you want to go do, right? It's going to be very hard for them to support you. And there may be times you end up doing this because it wasn't understood what you're trying to go do. So, hey, share it.
00:22:07
Speaker
And they can share Great. You know, I've always wanted to be, matter what they're doing now, maybe I wanted to be an artist. What? You want to be an artist? I thought you were it, right? But whatever it is. Now you create the vision of where you're trying to go, right? you want family?
00:22:22
Speaker
you want kids? you want impact community? you want to build a church? you want whatever I don't know what it is, yeah but those are the things that you put in your collective vision for yourself.
00:22:33
Speaker
yeah And then here's what you do. Once you have that vision, you from there you can create goals. It's like, okay, if that's my vision, You know, i want to an actually scientist. Well, you know what? i've got to make sure I've got the ah degrees necessary to be able to get that.
00:22:49
Speaker
I've got have the expertise necessary. Let me go do the research. So what I ask myself is once I set that vision, I create a goal. And then for each goal, I ask myself, what has to be true for me to achieve that goal?
00:23:03
Speaker
So when I said I want to be a CEO, I had to say, well, what has to be true for me to be a CEO? yeah And guess what? I had no idea.
00:23:14
Speaker
yeah Right? Most of us don't for those big goals that its got for ourselves. yeah yeah That's okay. That's when you have to do your homework. You ask yourself what has to be true. And if you don't know, go do your homework, which is really just research.
00:23:28
Speaker
yep And that's what I did. And back then it was much harder. There was no internet. I went to the library, I went to the magazines and all kinds of stuff. Who are these CEOs? What were their backgrounds? What were their education like?
00:23:40
Speaker
yeah right What kind of jobs did they have? that is a So I could say, ooh, that's what made me say, all right, I want to go to Wharton because I need a key degree because when i look nobody looks like me, so odds are not need make sure have the highest credential and best credential behind me.
00:23:53
Speaker
yeah right So then you start setting up the what has to be true, and then the plan is how do you make it true? How do I get the credential? How do I go get that right first job?
00:24:05
Speaker
Or how do go build that skill set? yeah And that's how you take and put in place a strategic plan. Start with a vision. yeah There you then create goals.
00:24:16
Speaker
yeah Ask yourself what has to be true. Do the research if you don't know. And then put plans in place to go make those things true. yeah And then let people know that's what you're trying to do so they can help you. Because if you don't tell anybody, nobody can help you.
Vulnerability and Ambition
00:24:31
Speaker
Yes. Yeah. I mean, i think even that is like the simple, like the the same concept of putting things out in the universe. you know what i mean It's like, if you don't ever share to your point, that vision, that, that goal, that, that anything, if it kind of stays in, in the vessel that is your, you know, your mind, it never goes anywhere and it kind of, you know, burns out in that same place.
00:24:56
Speaker
So i I wholeheartedly agree with that. Like you have to, you know, vocalize the things that you want. You have to speak them into existence. You have to speak them to others so that they can help support you.
00:25:10
Speaker
i think we can both probably attest to the fact that like, as a woman, again, as a woman of color, like that's hard. It's hard to be vulnerable in that way, but. Yeah, no, it's true. But I, will but I'll also tell you one of the things that i did learn. Yeah. And it was a hard, it was a hard lesson. Yeah.
00:25:26
Speaker
Was that, vulnerability yes and ambition go hand in hand. you aren't vulnerable, it's going to very hard for you to achieve your aspirations. That is literally like the direction that I was going in. Like if you are not vulnerable, if you do not open yourself up,
00:25:44
Speaker
you're never going to be able to achieve the things that you want. Because a lot of times ambition comes from like kind of that deepest, almost like little secret that you have, that little, that desire, that burning passion.
00:25:56
Speaker
And if you aren't vulnerable enough to open that up, it stays there. It stays in that same place. So I 100% agree with you there. And it's definitely something that I've had to learn and just kind of become more comfortable with over the years. I think now I have no problem with it, but Definitely earlier on in my career, it was like, oh, I don't want to i don't want to share that goal. like That feels really lofty. I feel like someone's going to laugh at it. I feel like, you know what i mean? And that's where it stayed.
00:26:21
Speaker
um so So yeah,
Building High-Performance Teams
00:26:23
Speaker
I love that. Okay, so pivoting just a little bit because um one of the things that you also speak a lot to is ah around hy the the the concept of building high-performance teams.
00:26:33
Speaker
Yeah. um And I think now more than ever, um you know, it's I don't know, ah can't speak for every organization, but I think that um we're going through a lot and in the corporate space of teams kind of getting a little smaller and, you know, things shifting, especially with people going back into the office, like maybe losing headcount, things like that. Right.
00:26:54
Speaker
um And so you have it's almost like the bang the bang for your buck, right? The headcount that you do have has to work so hard for you. And it helps to have high-performing teams. But how do you even build that?
00:27:08
Speaker
Because obviously you don't – yes, some people have that like raw talent that they get into a role and they're instantly just like out of the gates, the easy for them to achieve whatever they need to.
00:27:20
Speaker
But also I think high performance is something that you learn and you have to be coached through. So how, what are some tips or or how do you even build that or like lay the groundwork for building that?
00:27:31
Speaker
Yeah. So building high performance teams, you know, there's whole books written on this, but let me, let me just focus, let me just, let me just focus on a few things. ah One, you want to make sure as you're building the team that you build a team around you that has complimentary skillsets.
00:27:47
Speaker
All right. You want to fill in your personal weaknesses. So they're areas you're not strong, you want to make sure somebody on the team is really strong, right? in that yes And you want to make sure that people actually have different views, different experiences, because what makes the team strong is when ideas get thrown out, iterated, improved, iterated, improved. And we're all thinking the same way. We all have the same perspective. We all came from the same background.
00:28:11
Speaker
That's iterate and improve that innovation. It's going to suffer. Yeah. Because we're all looking at the same lens. need somebody who's looking at it for different perspective to say, oh, right, what about?
00:28:21
Speaker
i done the smells here it was some Yeah, exactly. So first starts with that raw ingredient. Once you've got those set of raw ingredients together, then honestly, I believe the number one thing is clarity.
00:28:34
Speaker
It's clarity on the objective, right? What are we trying to do? What does success look like? Crystal clear. And then it's clarity on each individual role.
00:28:45
Speaker
and how they come together. When people are clear on what their role is and what they need to do, they're able to best prioritize. Because here's where high performance gets lost.
00:28:56
Speaker
Everyone has more on their plate than they can do. Period. I mean, we can we just do. oh we're individually prioritizing. If I don't have the knowledge and the clarity of what we're trying to do is the group,
00:29:14
Speaker
how I'm being measured and what success individually, et cetera, I'm probably not gonna prioritize what's on my plate the best that I can. And so something might sit that's critical to another team member or critical someplace else, but to me, I didn't think it was that important.
00:29:28
Speaker
I thought these five things were. So the reason you wanna drive clarity is it helps people prioritize. And if everybody's prioritizing to the same thing for optimization, now you really get that momentum where everybody's able to build, right? And to build on each other.
00:29:46
Speaker
The other thing you need for high-performance teams is to create an environment of trust so that people will ask for help. And when people start to think, oh my God, um I may not make this deadline or I'm not quite sure about this, instead of hiding it because they're afraid of getting, you know, dinged, beat up, bad feedback, whatever, they go up and say, hey, I need help, right? There's a risk over here.
00:30:08
Speaker
Or they're willing to share their ideas because the ideas won't be shot down, right? Out of hand. you've got to create an environment where there's this trust, this respect, right? For people. So people are willing to be vulnerable. Remember that whole concept?
00:30:23
Speaker
Right. right That it them to do that and therefore also enables them view to be collaborative. It's the same thing. If they're feeling at risk, they're feeling that they compete against each other, feeling that they're not going to be as collaborative and it's through collaboration.
00:30:37
Speaker
that you get ideas, you get innovation, and therefore you get transformative, right? Actions and opportunities created. Yeah. You've touched on to me, like something that I try to hammer into my team's heads all the time. Like first and foremost, before we are professionals, before we are sisters, brothers, but we're human. Like we are human.
00:31:02
Speaker
We are human. And so We are going to make mistakes and we're not going to have the answers to everything and we're going to need assistance. But you've got to ask questions. Like my team, i and and I think it comes, right, the lack of questions or being like, oh, God, I'm afraid to and ask a question because it's going to make it seem as though I don't know something. Okay, you don't know it this one time.
00:31:23
Speaker
And then you ask the question and and then you get the answer. And guess what? You know it now. Like, I'm like, you can, I, I never know where you stand or where you need, um like where there might be gaps or you might need assistance if you don't ask the question. Cause I can't read your mind.
00:31:39
Speaker
And then when you don't ask the question, I'm going to assume, you know, what's what you're doing or what's going on or that you have none. And then when there is a mistake, I, that's where the prop, like the friction comes in. Cause it's like, I didn't, you never brought me along for the journey of like, Hey, I i need help with this.
00:31:56
Speaker
So like help me lead you through that work by cluing me in on it. Like the first thing I do when I'm in a new role or when I truly don't know is I ask a freaking question. And I'll say, and I'll, a lot of times too, when I start my questions, I'll say circle of trust.
00:32:14
Speaker
And then I'll ask my question. And that literally typically tells my team, I'm about to ask something that maybe feels a little like I should either already know or you know, a silly question.
00:32:25
Speaker
And then I think it just like breaks the ice and kind of like, again, level sets the like humanism. Like I'm coming from just being a human and like having questions and not all having the answers to everything. And that's me as your leader.
00:32:38
Speaker
um So I think that the curiosity factor is so important. um And so I love that you mentioned that. um I also, i think for me, one of the things that I i try to do as a leader is find those future leaders and and help them hone in that that craft or that kind of like that spark, that thing that I'm seeing that they're cluing in on or the ones that are chiming in and helping out the team. Like those are the ones I'm also like really trying to fuel and and not in like a favoritism way, but in a like, you've got this knack, you've got this desire. So yeah, I'm curious, curious like how have you either kind of
00:33:18
Speaker
gone through that process or advised individuals on like how to even pinpoint those future leaders. So I personally look for people who are intellectually curious.
00:33:29
Speaker
I look for people who are intellectually curious because that means they are willing to learn and they're going to be proactive about it. And that is such an important element. That's one. Two, I look for people who are already showing leadership tendencies, right?
00:33:43
Speaker
A title does not make you a leader. A title will make you a manager. But people listening, following, right, will enable you to be a leader. So you do not need a title to be a leader.
00:33:55
Speaker
I'm looking for people who are actually at taking the lead, the ones that people tend to go to to get clarity or to solve problems, right, who pull people together when something needs to get done, even if it's not officially, right, labeled or yeah created in terms of task force or something like that.
00:34:15
Speaker
They just naturally – kind of bring people together to address situations. That's what I look for yeah future leaders. So I watch how other people react to people to see, right? yeah Are these future leaders or not? And I'm looking for people who are able to get the job done.
00:34:32
Speaker
and know, honestly, yeah it's great if people follow you. It's great you have good ideas. It's great, whatever. But if you actually aren't able to execute consistently, yeah it doesn't work. So that's table stakes.
00:34:42
Speaker
All the other things are on top. Yep. Yep. And also I would add, you do not have to be the loudest person in the room. Like, and actually, if anything... I feel like oftentimes leaders come from sitting back, observing, understanding, and then acting as opposed to going straight to action.
00:35:03
Speaker
So I try to tell that a lot of times to my team too, um especially the leaders that are maybe on the more reserved side or like, again, they're not the loudest person in the room. I'm like, that does not make you a leader. Please do not think that you have to be the one that's shouting from the rooftops and suddenly, oh, that means you're a leader.
00:35:20
Speaker
Absolutely not. So I think that's another thing that I also really try to like, again, hammer into my team of like, silent leadership is also a thing. You know, speaking up when you need to speak up is also important.
00:35:31
Speaker
Yep. I fully agree with that. And listen, i I sit on public boards and there are people who haven't gotten the top jobs yeah because they suck all the air out of the room. Yeah. right Or because they have to, they seem like they have to be the hardest person in the world.
00:35:46
Speaker
They take up most of the oxygen. most that will get Well, guess what? Yes. That's not, those aren't the people that you want actually leading because leaders need to yeah listen yeah a whole lot more they need to talk.
00:35:58
Speaker
So if you're talking too much, then you're, you're missing it. You're missing it.
Advice to Younger Self
00:36:05
Speaker
Um, okay. Well, I always end and did I never, I never prep anybody for this because, um,
00:36:11
Speaker
i' I like to catch people a little off guard with this question. But if, so speaking to your younger self, right? Knowing now, what, you know, what advice would you give to your younger self about kind of that career journey or that life journey or whatever it is? Like, what advice would you give to your younger self?
00:36:34
Speaker
You know, my biggest advice is number one, don't take yourself so seriously. yeah When I started my career, I was so, buttoned up and perfect. I'm like, oh my God, everything matters. I can get fired any moment. I can't sit any moment. It's all like all very tense.
00:36:47
Speaker
Right. Don't take yourself so seriously. and Number one. And number two, if you don't take care of yourself, nothing else works over time. Yes. So those were those are the two. guys these Yes, yes, yes. And I'm so grateful to be coming up in a time where self-care and I don't mean just like the soft stuff, but like the true internal work that goes into self-care. I'm so glad that it feels like we're at the forefront of like, again, making sure that you're okay
Episode Wrap-Up and Call to Action
00:37:22
Speaker
first. but I always say like putting on your oxygen mask first, because like you said, if you're not well, if you aren't a hundred percent, like it's going to be really hard to, to kind of move forward. So
00:37:34
Speaker
Well, thank you so very much. Like truly, truly, truly. This is actually um my first episode back recording. I've been working on some stuff on the side for for the good guide and the expansion of the um the good guide. So it's been so fun, like getting my toes wet and the the interviewing and especially like I said, i really having followed you and having got to know you a little bit more over the, even just the initial research process, like it truly does um feel like an honor to like see somebody that gone through the journey and has, you know, ah made both life and work like a priority and found a way to really like merge those two together into something that like you're truly passionate about. So
00:38:15
Speaker
Thank you so much for for being with us today. And how can people find you? Where do you like to to engage and interact with with anyone who wants to find you? um Well, thanks for asking. So I'm very active on LinkedIn.
00:38:27
Speaker
Instagram are probably my two most active spaces. But the other thing I'll say is that I'm a big believer in mentoring. And so I've actually launched something called Ignite Ambition, which you can find at Shelly.com, S-H-E-L-L-Y-E.com, which is really providing mentoring advice and perspective in scaled way.
00:38:45
Speaker
So if you're interested in advice to help you as you're growing your career and getting lots of exposure and perspectives, then check out Ignite Ambition. i love that. And I will definitely make sure that I include all of your details in the show notes and link where they can find you. And yeah, I'm excited.
00:39:04
Speaker
Thank you. Perfect. i Yes. Well, thank you very much. Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode of The Good Guide, the podcast dedicated to guiding you through every twist, and turn in your career journey. If you loved this episode, make sure to leave those five-star reviews and share this podcast with a friend, loved one, or hey, even a colleague.
00:39:27
Speaker
If you have a topic that you'd like for me to tackle, check out this week's show notes for links to where you can submit your question. It might even be featured during the Q&A segment of the next episode.
00:39:38
Speaker
But first, make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss a beat. Take care, y'all.