Have you ever heard of a story of resilience and grit, where a woman who spent 20 years in supply chain and logistics reinvented herself to become a podcast host and a champion of diversity and inclusion in the workplace?
Well, meet Sarah Barnes-Humphrey, the inspiring woman behind 'Let's Talk Supply Chain,' who skillfully navigated the world of microaggressions and biases, turning them into lessons of resilience and leadership success.
In our revealing conversation, Sarah unfolds her journey from being a marketing director to a part-time receptionist, never losing sight of her passion project - her podcast. We touch on the multifaceted challenges that women leaders face and how to steer through these adversities. Sarah shares her wisdom on creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, encouraging open conversations about previously deemed inappropriate topics. She underscores the need for respectful dialogue, understanding different perspectives, and the importance of addressing people appropriately.
As we wrap up the episode, Sarah imparts three invaluable pieces of advice for fellow leaders - maintaining authenticity, looking out for each other, and valuing progress over perfection.
A must-listen episode filled with insightful discussions and a wealth of wisdom from Sarah, this is the podcast that will inspire you to champion diversity and inclusion in your sphere. So tune in as Sarah takes us through her journey and shares her mission to promote diversity and inclusion alongside her commitment to helping fellow leaders succeed.
Connect with Ron
Just Make A Difference: Leading Under Pressure by Ron Harvey
“If you don’t have something to measure your growth, you won’t be self-aware or intentional about your growth.”
Learn more about Global Core Strategies
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Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any organization or entity. The information provided in this podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice. Listeners should consult with their own professional advisors before implementing any suggestions or recommendations made in this podcast. The speakers and guests are not responsible for any actions taken by listeners based on the information presented in this podcast. The podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice or services. The speakers and guests make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in this ...
Have you ever heard of a story of resilience and grit, where a woman who spent 20 years in supply chain and logistics reinvented herself to become a podcast host and a champion of diversity and inclusion in the workplace?
Well, meet Sarah Barnes-Humphrey, the inspiring woman behind 'Let's Talk Supply Chain,' who skillfully navigated the world of microaggressions and biases, turning them into lessons of resilience and leadership success.
In our revealing conversation, Sarah unfolds her journey from being a marketing director to a part-time receptionist, never losing sight of her passion project - her podcast. We touch on the multifaceted challenges that women leaders face and how to steer through these adversities. Sarah shares her wisdom on creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, encouraging open conversations about previously deemed inappropriate topics. She underscores the need for respectful dialogue, understanding different perspectives, and the importance of addressing people appropriately.
As we wrap up the episode, Sarah imparts three invaluable pieces of advice for fellow leaders - maintaining authenticity, looking out for each other, and valuing progress over perfection.
A must-listen episode filled with insightful discussions and a wealth of wisdom from Sarah, this is the podcast that will inspire you to champion diversity and inclusion in your sphere. So tune in as Sarah takes us through her journey and shares her mission to promote diversity and inclusion alongside her commitment to helping fellow leaders succeed.
Connect with Ron
Just Make A Difference: Leading Under Pressure by Ron Harvey
“If you don’t have something to measure your growth, you won’t be self-aware or intentional about your growth.”
Learn more about Global Core Strategies
.
.
.
.
.
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any organization or entity. The information provided in this podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice. Listeners should consult with their own professional advisors before implementing any suggestions or recommendations made in this podcast. The speakers and guests are not responsible for any actions taken by listeners based on the information presented in this podcast. The podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice or services. The speakers and guests make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in this ...
Welcome to Unpacked Podcast with your host leadership consultant, Ron Harvey of Global Core Strategies and Consulting. Ron's delighted to have you join us as he unpacks and shares his leadership experience, designed to help you in your leadership journey. Ron believes that leadership is the fundamental driver towards making a difference. So now to find out more of what it means to unpack leadership, here's your host.
Speaker 2:Ron Harvey. Good morning, ron Harvey, the vice president, the chief operating officer of Global Core Strategies and Consulting. We're a leadership firm based out of Columbia, south Carolina, and we spend all of our time helping organizations create a winning culture Caveat. We do that through the lens of a leader, because we believe leaders are responsible for the culture of an organization and the people within an organization. So we spend all of our time around leaders and helping them become really, really good at not being technical experts, but being people experts. So once you get to the leadership level, it's all about people. It's no longer about your skillset or how smart you are about doing that thing that you used to do that got you there. So we love doing what we do, but what we do every Monday is we release a podcast called Unpack with Ron Harvey.
Speaker 2:This is where I have real conversations, authentic conversations, and let you behind the curtain with the leader from different organizations that are doing different things from across the country or across the globe. If you will. That let you behind the curtain about what are some of our experiences and our challenges and things that we're learning and observing. Maybe out here again is we don't have any questions. That's prescripted for you. So our guests are like taking a risk and going out on a limb with me and they don't know what we're going to ask next, except for who they are and what their business is. But we don't have any questions that scripted and I thank them for really coming on and taking that opportunity just to be real, to have fun, to enjoy it. So, as we go through it, I'm excited to bring on our guest that's taking the challenge with us.
Speaker 2:Sarah Barnes Humphrey is on with us this morning. Thank you for joining us all the way from outside of Toronto or in Toronto. Thank you for saying yes and thank you for being with us. What I'd love for you to do, if you can, as we get started, sarah, is can you just tell us who you are? What is it that you want us to know about who you are and the things that you're doing, before we really do the questions?
Speaker 3:Yeah Well, first I want to say thank you so much for having me on the show. Usually I'm on the other side of the mic, so my name is Sarah Barnes Humphrey. I'm the founder and host of let's Talk Supply Chain, which is a podcast. We create all sorts of digital content, like LinkedIn Lives, all about supply chain. And I'm also the founder and host of the blended podcast, which is a podcast where I bring five people from different walks of life together to talk about diversity and inclusion in the workplace. And then I'm also the founder of the blended pledge, and it's a nonprofit where we give away grants to cover travel expenses so diverse voices can say yes to speaking engagements.
Speaker 2:Oh, my goodness, we were in the green room, sarah, you know, for all you know, to just catching us now. You know, at the beginning of this we're in the green room and it's always fun in the green room to talk with your guests.
Speaker 2:And as she was, saying I'm like man, what are we going to talk? You're giving me so much to talk about to unpack here. You know what do I unpack first? And you know, and pleasure.
Speaker 2:In the green room we had a great time having conversations. We were talking about names. It would talk about where she's at and all the stuff that she's doing, and I love the idea of the work that you're doing. You know, being able to talk about the blended podcast, de and I was just a topic that's pretty hot and heavy right now. It's really, really important. And talking about grants, and how do you get people to say yes to speakers because you're creating grants, you know, which is good. And then supply chain so phenomenal, you know. So I'm excited. I hope this relationship continues to build on this particular podcast. Today, what I want to be able to share with the audience and our viewers is it's really talking around the lens of leadership and unpacking whatever comes up. You know. So, with the work, what got you into doing all the things that you do? What was the motivation? I mean, something happened, what was that? One thing that happened that says I'm going to do this because it matters. It matters to me. What was it?
Speaker 3:Yeah. So I spent 20 years working in logistics for the family business. My dad owned a freight forwarding company and I spent eight years in operations, eight years in sales, and then I was director of sales and marketing and we needed to tell our brand story. Podcasts were just coming out. At the time it was like 2016. Marketing and supply chain was not the greatest, and so I thought, well, if everybody else can have a podcast, why can't I? And so I asked a guy from my customs department. I said will you be my co-host? And I wanted to see how far we could push the industry. And so, tongue in cheek, I called it two babes talk supply chain, and overnight, one night, it exploded with like a thousand downloads.
Speaker 3:Then my dad closed his doors about a year later and I was out on my butt. I had no job, no prospects, I had no team, but I had companies paying to come on the show, and so I learned graphic design, social media, website design, and I also decided at that point that I wanted to feature women in the industry, and so I started a woman in supply chain series, not only just because I wanted to hear about their stories, I wanted to hear from other women in the industry what their journey looked like. I knew what mine looked like. There wasn't a ton of women in supply chain at that time that I was connected to, and so I wanted to learn more about them, and so I started that in January 2018. But I kept the name. So by April 2018, no women would come on a show called two babes talk supply chain, so I rebranded it to less talk supply chain, and that's how that happened.
Speaker 3:And then, in January 2020, I was like I need to do more. I had been doing this woman in supply chain series for two years and I thought to myself I want to do more. Diversity isn't just about gender. It's about all sorts of different things. We're not talking about it. People do want to talk about it. They want to navigate diversity and inclusion in the workplace, but they don't really know what that looks like and they're not paying attention to the authentic stories. And so it took me about six months to really figure out what I wanted to do, and so I mean, I launched the blended podcast in October 2020. And then I launched the nonprofit, because, of course, I was like I want to do more, and so I launched the nonprofit in October 2021.
Speaker 2:So what I've learned is is be careful when Sarah says she wants to do more. Something else is coming.
Speaker 1:You know, so you really want.
Speaker 2:I want to do more. I want to do more, but that's important to understand. When you think of entrepreneurship and you watch your dad and business for so many, many, many years, how much do you realize now that you've learned from your dad being a business that's helping you be successful today?
Speaker 3:I learned a lot. I learned what not to do. I learned you know what to do, so I learned a lot. The whole family worked for the business, including my husband up until a certain point, so I learned a lot about dynamics. I learned a lot about what can be spoken about in the office, what I wanted people to share about me and what I didn't want people to share about me.
Speaker 3:Like it was like it was a ride. Those 20 years was because I literally grew up in the business. I went into the business right out of high school and grew up in the business and oh, there were moments.
Speaker 2:You're like how did I get? How did I get to this place? Like, who picked me to be in this family? Yes, which is important. So when you think about you know that experience and what you've learned to help you be successful. But you also learned what not to do, you know. Which is just as important for us as leaders and organizations and entrepreneurs is life does teach you and sometimes those lessons are hard. Is there anything that you would trade in? You know, because I'm sure you learn some things from some hard lessons. Would you trade in it or change any?
Speaker 3:of that, I would believe in myself a little bit sooner. Wow, so I always had side hustles. I always had side hustles, whether I got paid for them, whether I did them for the experience, you know, always had side hustles. And I think I wish I would have believed in myself a little bit sooner and started working on it a little bit sooner. Because when the doors were closed, you know it was my 37th birthday, like two weeks before my 37th birthday, and I walked in that day and it was like your expense check is gonna bounce, like you know you're not getting any severance. You know that was a rough birthday.
Speaker 2:Yeah, wow, I love it. You know I would unpack that for a second. So for people that are listening and that may think all of a sudden, you had it together all the time. It's always been great, it's been handed to you. You never had any rough days. How did you respond to that birthday, which you'll probably never, ever forget? It was right before your 30th. It was a rough birthday. What were the things that you think kept you together? Because events do happen, but it doesn't stop life from happening.
Speaker 3:What kept you together? So that's an interesting question, because I did not keep it together. Wow, I cried in front of all the staff. It was the worst day of my life. I thought for the longest time I was gonna take over that business, since I was 16. Wow, and yeah, it was rough. I was in tears for a very, very, very long time that day.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what was the turning point for you? What was the moment that it began to? Because thank you for being transparent, thank you for being, as I say, unpack. Just keep it real, because there are some people that are gonna go through this and I want them to walk away understanding that those things can happen and will happen. What was the moment where you begin to say okay, let me pull it back together? What happened that got you back on track to start getting out of that hole that you were in?
Speaker 3:I don't know if it was one thing necessarily I've always been fairly self-motivated. There was definitely some dark moments, but I got up every day and I did something and I had the podcast right, I think. If I hadn't had the podcast, like I had something to focus on, people were coming on, they were expecting something from me, and so I had the expectations, at least just from the podcast, at least just releasing a podcast episode or keeping it going or scheduling a conversation with somebody for an upcoming episode, and I started to think about what could that be like and I had no idea. I had no idea what it could look like, but every day I did something towards it. I didn't even know if I was good at it.
Speaker 3:I had no idea. But I just kept doing it. And then I sent out resumes Like I was hell bent on getting a job, but nobody. I had no responses back. It was awful, but I just every day got up and did something towards this podcast just to keep it going. And I tried different things and I did this and I did that and some things worked, some things didn't work.
Speaker 3:Eventually that year I ended up getting a part-time job at an indoor tennis club as a part-time receptionist and that gave me the opportunity to get some money in the door. I actually worked. I was working three jobs. Because I was working let's Talk Supply Chain, I was working a part-time reception at an indoor tennis club and I was also convening basketball and volleyball, so I was scoring men's basketball games and man, can that get ugly If I'm wrong button. I was person non-grata but and that was stressful, holy moly the receptionist job allowed me to do my work, what I needed to do for let's Talk Supply Chain. And so I tell this story all the time because I was director of sales and marketing. And then I was a part-time receptionist at an indoor tennis club mopping floors at the end of the day, but I was doing what I needed to do to keep moving myself, keep moving my business forward and doing what I needed to do for my family.
Speaker 2:Wow, I mean, when you think about resiliency and you think about bounce back and you think about humbling yourself and doing something every day.
Speaker 2:And what I heard as I was listening to you is, even though it was a place that was a hard moment or a dark moment, some days that were really challenging, you kept getting up, you kept putting one foot in front of the other, and you did it because you knew someone was counting on you to show up, and so it wasn't even like you had the energy, like let me show up for me.
Speaker 2:It's like you stepped outside of you and you say someone's counting on me to do this podcast, someone's looking for me to do so, just do it. And I didn't even know what I was doing. Half the time I didn't know if it was working or not working, but I knew one thing for sure someone was counting on me to show up. And so you think from a leadership if you're listening to this and you're observing, what we're talking about with Sarah is how do you keep showing up, like, how do you keep doing that thing and doing something? I love that you kept moving and you humble, like from marketing director to now I'm all of a sudden at the desk marking floors, like that moment literally allows you to say, okay, you're not all of that. Don't take yourself so serious, because tomorrow it can be a different title.
Speaker 3:Yep, yeah.
Speaker 2:It literally can change at the blink of an eye because the circumstances beyond your control.
Speaker 3:And don't get me wrong, I mean, there were some moments with that mop. Let me tell you, I was angry. I was like what am I doing?
Speaker 2:Water everywhere.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, no, I am not very good at that, let's just put that out there. That was not my forte, but you know, I tried.
Speaker 2:I was angry. I'm doing this job. You gotta be kidding me in that mop. I can just only imagine we had video of that to see how you were. You know, but the reality is you start thinking about.
Speaker 3:Well, sorry just to interrupt. There was days where we got really bad snowstorms and I had to go out there with snow up to here and clear out the doors of the indoor tent. It was oh yeah. There were days where I was like I don't even know how I got myself into this.
Speaker 2:Yes, which is a part of leadership. Sometimes you find yourself in situations that you're like how did I get here? Like, who did I make so angry that I found myself in this situation? Yes, who did I make that mad that I'm doing this today? Yes, and so, leaders, if you're listening, we're laughing, we're having a good time, but the real story is that look at her where she's, at what she's doing now, and how did she get there? And so when you think of I always tell people if I make it look easy, my apologies.
Speaker 2:There were some days there was nothing easy about it, absolutely nothing fun about it, nothing that made me feel like I was gonna be here today. It was like just keep moving. You know, yes, that's the only promise I had to myself. So, as a female and I wanna lean in a little bit because you, oftentimes, when I'm in DE and I space, I see a lot of people that have color in DE and I a lot. I mean that's easy to find for me, but I don't see a lot of people that's not of color and that are females that are in this space. What made it important for you to even lean into that space and start taking on DE and I. What was the thing that attracted you to it that you need to do something about it? And it's not just about color, it's DE and I, the whole thing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean, it started with the women in supply chain series. Once I saw the traction of that and I heard the feedback about how it was helping people yes Then it was like, okay, well, if that's what this series is doing, what more can I do? Because DE and I is not just about gender. So how can we expand on this conversation? What do people need? What do they need to hear about? What do they need to learn about?
Speaker 3:I have a very diverse family. My husband's background is Trinidadian. My sister-in-law she's from Korea, so I have Korean nieces and nephews and my stepchildren, you know, and it was also 2020. Like that year, in 2020, a lot happened and there was conversations that I was having with people in my family that I'd never really thought about before. Like, where do you feel like you belong? Yeah, right, because my stepchildren are mixed, and so you know, where do you feel like you belong.
Speaker 3:I started having those conversations. I started talking to them more about what some of this means to them and what would they like to have access to or what they would like to hear more about, and I started not just asking my family. I started asking people that I was interviewing for the podcast, I started talking to people who were doing charitable work and they were saying you know, july 2020, everybody was calling me, everybody October 2020, all stopped. It all stopped. It was a three month window. They pledged a few things, never went through and by October 2020, they weren't even answering their calls and it was like, okay, first of all, that's not okay. We need to talk about it. But we also need to give people space. We need to give people grace, because nobody knows everything right. We need to give people grace. We need to give them an opportunity to make a mistake and then say I'm sorry and do something to make it better for the next time.
Speaker 3:And so that's what the blended podcast has been for me. I mean, I'm kind of biased, but when I say it's magic, you know we turn off that record button and people have told me thank you. I felt heard. Today after our Black Lives Matter episode, I had an ageism episode where I had a woman who is in her 40s, person of color, out of the UK, and I had a 60 year old white guy from the US, and at the end of the conversation she turned to him and said thank you so much for showing up today and sharing your perspective, wow, like that's the type of conversation and environment that we need to create to really be able to move forward and make a difference and make an impact, and that's how I feel about it. That's what keeps me going, that's what keeps me thinking about okay, well, what else can we do? But not just talk about it. It needs to be tangible, like the blended pledge. The whole point is for us to be able to visibly see a difference on industry stages.
Speaker 1:Yes and in audiences yes.
Speaker 2:We totally agree. So when you think about it, I can tell you passion. You know this is important to you. What do you see are some of the challenges that we still face that people are uncomfortable talking about?
Speaker 3:Everything. You've got people who are like I'm not going to do anything because I don't want to say the wrong thing. Yes, you've still got people who are around saying that, and that's not okay. We don't want people tiptoeing around. We want people to be able to say the wrong thing and not get vilified for it or not get put on video. I understand certain things need to be put on video and called out, et cetera, et cetera, but we've also got to understand that we're all in very different places around this conversation.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, yeah, which is amazing. I mean thank you for doing the work, because you're exactly right. When it comes to it, everybody's walking on eggshells. You know everybody says I want to make sure I'm politically correct. I don't want to say the thing. I don't think that there's a day that I can tell you I've been great at not offending anyone. I've never been that good at not offending anyone, and so, yeah. So I say please don't have that as a standard barrier, that I want to make sure I don't offend anyone. Well, you can stop talking, you can stop leaving your house, you can stop going in public, you can get off all social media. There's just no way that it's possible not to offend anyone. But when you do, I love that. You said Sarah apologize. Hopefully the person forgives you and let's move forward.
Speaker 3:Like put in the work, yeah, put the work in. Apologize and say, listen, I'm going to go and do something. I'm going to do some more research and I'm going to go learn more about this topic so that next time I can do better.
Speaker 2:Yes. Do you think people are willing to put in the work? Based on the work that you're doing and the conversations that you're having, do you think we're really at a place where people are willing to do the heavy lifting?
Speaker 3:Yes and no. I think there's some people out there who do share resources, you know, on Instagram stories and things like that that people can read, but I think it starts with the conversation, because you don't know what you don't know, and until you're faced with a conversation about something that you're not comfortable with or you don't know enough about, or you've said something wrong yes, that you didn't know was wrong it's the conversation that starts that and it's the conversation that really is the educational piece. And it's the reaction to that conversation, right, because it's oh, okay, you know. Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I'm going to take that away and absorb it. I'm going to think about it in my own way. I'm going to figure out what that means to me Instead of what are you talking about?
Speaker 3:I didn't do anything wrong. Like you're just emotional, right, like it's very, very, very different, and I think people are Open to having those conversations. But I also don't think we've been taught the way to communicate and how to actually absorb it. When we say something that has offended somebody else, that we don't think should be taken as offense, right, there's an EQ component, I believe.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, I totally agree with you. I mean it's, how do you own it? How do you not all of a sudden say you're too sensitive or you're being emotional? And you know, because you do hear people say, Well, everybody's just too sensitive today. Well, it wasn't appropriate 10 years ago. It just there was no way to hold people accountable, so it's never been appropriate and it's never been where it's cool. It's just that now we get into a place where more people are speaking up about what's inappropriate and we're starting to hold each other Accountable, you know, in a more effective manner. I'm still got work to do and I love that. You say I started having the conversation With my own family.
Speaker 2:Yeah because most people want to have the conversation outside. But when you say, well, have you talked to your own family about it? They haven't done that. So they like to start outside and then fix the world, but they don't want to like start inside and make sure their family's not making those same mistakes, I will say for me. So a lot of the things that I've learned that were inappropriate I learned from being around the community that grew up in and I had to reprogram myself like, hey, you know what? Maybe that, maybe it was. It was funny, at least I thought when I was younger. But it's actually not.
Speaker 3:Right. Well, and it's also how you grew up. I have this conversation with my husband. I even had this conversation with my mother-in-law A couple of weeks ago and it's all in how you grew up, and one example is that we talked about the other day.
Speaker 3:My husband was like I grew up saying miss or mister, not calling people by their first names. I grew up calling people by their first names. So to him, me calling somebody by their first name that is older than me Is disrespectful, yes, but to me I've never grown up that way and it can be a term of endearment. Like I used to call my step-grandmother Leslie yes, it was something that I've done for years. She was my step-grandmother, I loved her, but I called her Leslie, and it's horrifying to my husband, but he now understands that we've grown up very differently. And so me calling somebody by their first name that is older than me, he won't do it Because that's just that's him and his values and things like that. But he now doesn't take offense to what I do Because he understands that we grew up differently and I know that's a very, very small example, but a lot of people could probably resonate with that. A lot of people don't know that they're being disrespectful In a way that you've been grown up to Understand in your world is disrespectful.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, yes. Very small example, but very real example. And I say that because you're absolutely right. Depending on where you grew up in the country you know, or in, it comes down to gender, it comes down to race, it comes down to religion. I mean, there's so many variables that say why is it disrespectful, why is it perceived as disrespectful? And so you got to be able to.
Speaker 2:How do you meet people where they are without judging people for who they are? And I think we oftentimes want to meet people where they are, but then we become very judgmental versus. Let's me understand who, who you know Sarah really is. What is this thing that says here's how I see the world, he was how I grew up and and and be able to have that conversation. And if you're going to do the work, can you come to the table, have the conversation, do the work and be understanding without being judgmental. And I think you know what I've experienced in my time series. We are so judgmental that um, because we'll talk that at a very early age Like being judgmental of something that's just different than the way you're normally used to seeing.
Speaker 3:It Doesn't make it right or wrong, but we'll put a label on it, so we become very biased well, if somebody came to me and said you calling me by my first name Is disrespectful, I'd be like, okay, how would you like me to address you? Because in my world it's a term of endearment and it means that you are close to me. And so what is it that you need for me?
Speaker 1:Is it miss?
Speaker 3:Sure, okay, no problem, right, but then we can have that conversation. But when you turn around and you start talking about me Because I've done something that you think is disrespectful, rather than coming to me and having that conversation and basically saying I think what you're doing is disrespectful, I mean, that's a very, very, very different scenario.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, yes, and I love that. You said hey, what do you need from me? So, leaders, is important for you to ask what do you need from me?
Speaker 1:You know, and no.
Speaker 2:So I understand what you're saying. I, I get it. What do you need from me so that we can have a healthy relationship? And I think oftentimes we, we will listen to it, but we don't ask that question what do you need from me? It's just like, well, you want to continue to stand on the lane, that you would talk.
Speaker 2:Well, this is how I was taught. So you just got accepted, and I don't know if I I lean on that side, quite honestly, that people have to accept it because they really don't. They have a choice not to accept it and not have the relationship. And you may need that relationship and you want it to be healthy. So is it easier for me to say, hey, what do you need? I can accommodate you, no problem, I can do that, and it's not outside of your limits or outside of your values. It's not like you're losing anything by helping them feel more comfortable having a healthy relationship.
Speaker 2:Let's unpack for a second, if you will. I know we talked in the green room. Some of the challenges have been in your space as a woman yeah, leadership as women and we're not there yet as a country. I already know it and we're still having those conversations, but I would love for people to understand some of the challenges that are there and what have you done to overcome some of those challenges, and I know they're real. So what are some of the challenges that that we still face as a, as a society, with valuing women for everything they bring to the table?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean, that's a that's a challenging one to unpack, because I think it's also different for different people and it looks very different. I think that, like I'll give you an example I was at a conference a couple months ago and A guy, an older, you know, caucasian gentleman, came up to me and he was like I love what you're doing. I just want to say how proud of you I am Like, how like, thank you very much, and I appreciate the sentiment because I know where it's coming from and there's good intention behind it. But it's very condescending Because he would not go To a guy and be like hey, buddy, I'm so proud of you, look at what you've done. You know, oh, drives me crazy, but he doesn't know that he's doing anything wrong.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yes, but we call those microaggressions you know, how do you have these biases, these microaggressions that that you, he doesn't get it. We may not get it, but I've been times I didn't get it, quite honestly, but there are moments that I get to learn like that. So you know, if I'm making that, that error, that mistake, I want people to say hey, can I share something with you? How you, how that made me actually feel. I know where you're coming from, but going forward here, here's what, here's how it made me feel and here's what doesn't feel good. So I think in those moments, can you, can you receive feedback when someone lets you know like, hey, thank you, but it didn't feel well.
Speaker 3:Well, and it's also very different when you're in the public eye as well.
Speaker 3:In how you handle some of those situations and some of them you do want to say something and some of them you don't, especially depending on what's going on. I mean, in that moment I was, I was getting ready to record a video with somebody. It was very, very fast interaction. I didn't have the time to be able to do that and I didn't see him afterwards, uh, but in things like that you know, oh, I can't believe what you've been able to accomplish, what. Why can't you believe it?
Speaker 2:Yes, that's that's. That's the part like, why can't you believe? What makes it so hard to believe, yeah, like, what is it about me that make you feel like you can't believe it? Like, that's the part where we will get stuck at. Is that those assumptions of like, like, like, I'm blown away that you were able to do that. Like, why?
Speaker 3:I also. I've had people who are like I don't think you should do the blended podcast. I think you were extremely brave to do it, because I think it's going to come back and bite you in the butt.
Speaker 1:And I was like really okay.
Speaker 3:You know what, if I see something wrong, I guess there's cancel culture and I guess we'll see. Yes, but I would hope that all of the good that I've done and all of the positive energy I've brought to the industry and to the conversations and and what I've been able to contribute would hopefully Outweigh a mistake, that that I have the potential to make. But I'm not going to stop having those conversations like we talked about before, because you know, I'm afraid these things need to happen. The impact is made Every time we we record a blended episode. I think.
Speaker 3:The other thing, the other challenge I had a technology company and trying to find investment. I don't know if that was because I was a woman or not a woman or whatever, but man, was that ever challenging? And then I hear about my male counterparts and they were able to get like $2 million in investment without even a product or anything to show. And I kept being told the font on your pitch deck is not good enough. I can't show that to anybody. What the font? I have been working on this for 18 months and now we're at the font. Listen, if somebody doesn't want to invest in me because of the font, I don't need them to invest in me.
Speaker 2:Yes, not a project yet we're taking on.
Speaker 3:Yes, and I felt like I got strung along a little bit by some people and it was very, very difficult to find investment versus my male counterpart. So I think there's a lot of challenges and I think I've brought up just a few, but I try not to think about it. I also think about backroom deals, or maybe not the backroom deals, but like the deals that are done on the golf course. How do deals on the golf course? But some of those deals they're spending money with those people and they do it every year and it's being questioned why are we spending money? Oh, just do it, Just pay it. I don't have any deals like that, so I feel like I miss out a little bit on that. I'm not going to lie. Yes.
Speaker 2:I have to tell you, yes, there are some deals that happen Two places that I've learned, that I've learned to how do I play at that level In the golf course and the dinner table. I've learned that there is a lot more happened at the golf course and the dinner table. Sometimes then that will happen in the boardroom. So I had to figure out how do I get to that space and be a part of it. So I've learned through sponsored golf events I've learned to find things that put me in a space and have those conversations.
Speaker 2:So I totally agree with you and these are conversations from our experiences. That's why I say it's called unpack and it's not like we're speaking on behalf of every woman or every African-American man. What we're talking about is our experiences, so people get more exposure to who we are and there's some of the challenges, there's some of the levels to assess and what is it like to be able to be a leader in the space for who we are and the people that we cater to. So thank you for sharing that. You're right, there are some deals lost that we're not at that golf course, I have to agree with that and not even that.
Speaker 3:I feel like men support each other at a certain level or maybe certain men, I don't know but there's this unwavering support and making sure that those deals are always being done and passed through and making sure that they're in those pockets.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah. So, sarah, that's a whole other podcast. I'm going to have to bring you back over that one, so we don't have time to unpack that one.
Speaker 3:We can't unpack that one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we can't unpack that one.
Speaker 3:I'm just leaving that one there.
Speaker 2:Yes, and I think that you're absolutely right that there is this unwavering level of support or commitment, and I've always asked, when it comes to women supporting women at a level, is that unspoken, is that unheard of the way men do it? And so I think that's also a conversation that we get to have at some point. How do we make sure that women are supporting women at the level that they see men supporting men, and I'll see them at conferences. But you're absolutely right, this worked the conversation to just unpack, so there's not a right or wrong answer. It's just bringing awareness to what's happening so we can do better at it. So definitely. So. The other question I love to ask, as we begin to look at time for our listeners and viewers, how important has having a mentor? If you've had a mentor or role model, how important has that been to your career?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean I've learned from a lot of people throughout my career. I've learned, yeah, I've had bosses who have been great leaders and who have not been so good leaders, who have shown me different ways, giving me different perspectives. I have a business coach right now, and I would say that that is absolutely critical for me as an entrepreneur, so that I don't feel alone and that you have somebody as a coach. I've always played team sports, so I've always had a coach of some sort, and so I do believe in coaching. As far as mentorship, I haven't really sought out necessarily anybody specific. I try to learn from every interaction and from different people in my life at various different times, depending on what it is that I'm doing and what I need to learn.
Speaker 2:Yeah, awesome. I love that you endorse coaching. So I'm a certified coach. I love it. And then you get to see it like immediate impact on return on investment if you do it really really well. So for those of you who listen to, what Sarah and I are talking about is coaching. At the end of the day, who do you have that's helping you bring out the best game that you can bring?
Speaker 3:out.
Speaker 2:Which I totally have a coach as well, a business coach, and I do a lot of business coaching, which is how I get to connect with people like Sarah, who's helping you win the game that you're trying to win. Talon along is not enough. You're going to need someone that sees the things you don't see and the opportunities that are there for you. So I'll say find a way to invest in you. You bet it on everyone else. You invest in other people, spend something on you to get better. I think it's super important as a leader or entrepreneur or person that's in business. Just figure out a way. How do you invest it in to make you better long term?
Speaker 2:I guess the final question that I have for you, as you look at leadership and where you are and the things you've been able to accomplish, and the word that comes to mind is grit your level of determination and work hard and get it done regardless of the adversity. The word grit comes to mind. It's like I'm going to make it work, I'm going to figure it out, I'm going to get these three jobs. I'm going to have my tears, but I'm going to wipe them and I'm going to move it out of the way and I'm going to show up, I'm going to keep moving. What do you tell leaders? But what advice, what three tips would you leave with our audience, like, if you want to be successful? Here are three things that may be relevant or important. Here's what I've done. What three things would you leave with our audience?
Speaker 3:I would say number one is be yourself. It's too tiring to be somebody that you're not, so figure out what that is. Figure out what you're bringing to the table, what you still need to learn, but be yourself about it. I think the other part of it is, through the pandemic, I reached out to leaders, supply chain leaders, and just said hey, how are you doing? I did a buddy check on LinkedIn. There are a lot of leaders out there who are putting giving their all to the teams beneath them, but they're not necessarily getting that same support or mental support that they need on the other side. And so check on your fellow leaders and just say hey, how are you doing? Is there anything that you need to vent about or whatever? This is a safe space. Let's have that conversation. So I would say number two is look out for your fellow leaders and make sure that you've got somebody checking up on you as well. Putting yourself out there well, it should reciprocate, and I think progress, not perfection.
Speaker 3:And everything is understood backwards Right. Wait a minute, wait a minute Time out.
Speaker 2:You just confused everybody. This and this and two, what do you mean? Everything's understood backwards. You've got to unpack that one. You can't leave them hanging like that.
Speaker 3:Well, because you might not understand it in the moment, but as you move forward and you look backwards and you gain the knowledge from that moment until the moment that you're able to look backwards and truly understand what it is that was happening in that moment, you understand it way better when you look backwards than when you are. In that moment, life is understood. I can't remember what the quote is, but I used it before. But yes, it's all about understanding it backwards and then progress, not perfection.
Speaker 3:Do not get caught up in perfection, because it'll stop, you will never move Everywhere, like one of my best episodes are some of the ones with the worst audio, like worst audio and people love them and you never know unless you try. So I know that was like five.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry you asked for three. Oh great, no, no, apologies. Oh great. Remember this is an impact in real time.
Speaker 3:Sorry, life is live forward but understood backwards. I'm sorry, that is the quote.
Speaker 2:Wow, yes, I got it. Yes, yes, so give it to us again.
Speaker 3:Life. Is live forward, but understood backwards, understood backwards.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, if I knew what I had, if I knew, if I would have knew what I know today, I would have to change the whole course. Yes, yes, because you understand backwards, yes and you didn't understand.
Speaker 2:then I mean phenomenal way. So I wanna be able to make sure people know how to reach you, I think for nominal podcast. Thank you for sharing and being transparent and vulnerable and having fun in the podcast. I think the viewers will get a lot out of it and people will wanna reach out to you, other podcasters, people that are in the space and wanna be on some of your shows. How do we reach you? You know, if we wanna make contact with you.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so LinkedIn. So Sarah Barnes-Dash Humphrey on LinkedIn. There's also let's Talk Supply Chain on LinkedIn. Come and connect with me or follow, engage. I'm very engaged with my audience on LinkedIn, so you'll always hear from me. I'm also on Instagram. Be victorious. Let's Talk Supply Chain is on Instagram as well, and then let'stalksupplychaincom is where you can find the blended podcast. We also have blendedpledgeorg as a website as well for the nonprofit.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, awesome, awesome. I'm looking forward to getting on that blended podcast. So I'm excited about that. But she shared that with me, so I'm looking forward to being a guest. So please send me and invite to the episodes, or whatever the topics are, so I can see where I fit in and support you and have a good time with you.
Speaker 2:But for everyone that's listening, I mean, sarah, you've been phenomenal. You've answered some questions. You know we did the unpacking. You know not enough time for us to unpack. You know most of the stuff that we talk about, but definitely enjoy the topics of conversation and the value that you added to our podcast. You know, for everyone that's listening, we release a different podcast with the guests every single Monday. We love being able to unpack something that's of use for you, that's relevant, that makes you a better leader, a better supervisor, a better parent, a better spouse, a better you know, just a better person in general. We feel if we can be better people, the leadership becomes easier, and so thank you for listening and then we will release another podcast. So follow us on LinkedIn. You can find global core strategies, ron Harvey's on LinkedIn as well, probably the two areas. You can go to our company website and find me, so thank you for joining us.
Speaker 1:Well, we hope you enjoy this edition of Unpacked Podcast with leadership consultant Ron Harvey. Remember to join us every Monday as Ron Unpacked Sound Advice, providing real answers for real leadership challenges. Until next time, remember to add value and make a difference where you are, for the people you serve, because people always matter.