E69. Leadership Diligence: Refining Influence and Cultivate Org Success with Dr. Janice George

Join me for a conversation with Dr. Janice George, as we explore the unchartered territories of 'leadership diligence.' Imagine a world where leaders are as disciplined as elite athletes, engaging in 'leadership workouts' to hone their skills and nurture thriving corporate cultures. Dr. George, with her deep-rooted experience and innovative strategies, reveals the secrets to these practices and the profound impact they have on organizational success. Our conversation traverses the art of consistent leadership refinement, offering actionable insights for those looking to elevate their influence in the boardroom and beyond.

This episode is a crucible of wisdom for navigating the complex landscape of modern leadership. We dissect the undeniable link between an engaged leader and a vibrant organizational culture, illustrating how the most successful leaders don't just craft visions—they inspire ownership and action within their teams. Dr. George draws from her vast knowledge and her Leadership Passport initiatives, providing a compass for leaders to cultivate authenticity and accountability. And as we steer towards actionable change, learn to wield my Thrive Square elite program and the ACT framework, empowering you to turn leadership theory into everyday excellence. Join us, and harness the power to reshape your leadership destiny.

Visit Dr. George's website @ leadershippassport.com to connect and to purchase/download her books.

Thrive 2: Living and Leading a Win-Win-Win Organizational Culture

FREE E-Book: Six Leadership Hacks

You can also find Dr. George on LinkedIn.

Looking for leader and team development for your organization? Contact us today!
info@belemleaders.org

Until next time, keep doing great things!

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hi there, welcome to Conversations where we seek to advance your leader and team excellence by discussing relevant topics that impact today's organizations. Welcome to the show. Hey there, and welcome to Conversations where today we have Dr Janice George, who is a leadership and organizational culture strategist, consultant, coach, author and speaker who empowers leaders and organizations to thrive through strategic leadership in a win-win corporate culture. Using her extensive product development leadership and unique multi-disciplinary experience, dr George helps executives overcome hidden gaps to elevate their leadership, revive their culture and put their puzzle pieces together so that everyone the organization, employees and customers can win. She is the author of Thrive 2, living and Leading a Win-Win-Win Organizational Culture and e-book Six Leadership Hacks.

Speaker 1: 1:00

Dr George has an extensive career in the corporate world, serving global organizations of various sizes, including Fortune 100, enterprises and Working with Senior Executives, the C-suite Board Members and Entrepreneurs. She has worked in various industries, including telecom, cybersecurity, insurance, adult IT, education and non-profit. Janice loves and lives by this quote my mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive, and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor and some style. For all you strengths and enthusiasts, dr George leads with Relator, responsibility Activator, strategic and Achiever. Welcome to the show my friend how are you today. Well, thank you, dr.

Speaker 2: 1:54

Kelly, I am delighted to be here. As you and I have discussed before, this is long overdue. We've talked about it for well over a year, so the day has finally arrived. So I'm delighted to be here with you. So thanks for the invitation.

Speaker 1: 2:10

Absolutely. I'm excited to have you be here. We go back, we have had a journey together, we've studied together and just have been amazing. You were part of the Confident Leader Symposium last year and that was on organizational culture, so that was terrific to have you there. And I'm excited for today and to see where this conversation goes, because I know that you have a lot to offer and I'm excited for the things that you're doing in your business.

Speaker 2: 2:43

Well, thank you. Thank you, Dr Kelly, and I'm just thankful for you. I'm thankful for not allowing our paths to cross, and one of the things I think about when I think of you is how we were all in the program together, working really hard and diligent and getting the work done how we did it. I have no idea why, by the grace of God, but in the midst of all of that and dealing with life and work and everything else, you saw fit to bring us together through Facebook community, and that was just such a blessing and that's true leadership. That's a leadership at its best. In the midst of everything that's going on in your life, you still saw fit to bring us together and I cherish that. I cherish those moments and I'm thankful that now what, five years out, almost six years out, we're still interacting with each other, and so I'm just very thankful that the friendship continues.

Speaker 1: 3:45

Well, thank you for saying that Community is so important. And I never realized, like when I stepped into the doctorate program and knew that our cohort was going to be like this no cohort cohort and I just felt that I needed those relationships around me. So it was very easy for me just to start reaching out and say, hey, let's start this Facebook page. And it was before Facebook pages were really taking off in a lot of different areas. So it has been a blessing and it has been a way for all of us to stay connected. So I love that.

Speaker 1: 4:21

Yeah, but today we're going to talk about a few things here. And I know that you love watching the NBA, which is news to me and I love hearing that when I read that and that you were glued to the TV for the US Open and you really liken the players performance to what they do off the court and off season, and when I read that I thought she is so right. She is so right because typically we're watching TV, we're watching these people perform at peak performance, but we just see them on the TV, say on a Sunday if I'm watching football, you know, in their peak performance, but never really thinking about all that goes in it and you talk about how we can have this leadership diligence. So I would love to hear from you about what is leadership diligence and why is it important.

Speaker 2: 5:21

Well, thank you, yes, and as I was watching the US Open, it just really piqued my interest because I'm watching them and obviously I'm wanting them to win, but I'm not really thinking about all of what they have done to get there right. And it really hit me when the commentator said that they have to be hydrated. Obviously, in the heat of the summer They've got to be really hydrated, but they have to manage how and when they drink the water, because they have to make sure they get rest so they can't keep getting up to go to the bathroom. And I'm like, wow, you know, and yes, I love the NBA and I have a favorite player, steph Curry, whom he's probably a lot of people's favorite player, but his diligence and his workouts are so excruciating, to the point that even when his teammates or even competitors because the competitors they're also friends when they work out with them, they're sometimes, I mean, they're like sick. I mean his workouts are like crazy, right. So I started thinking about this. And these people are making millions of dollars. I think his estimated income is like 51 million for like one year and I'm sure his net worth is significantly better than that.

Speaker 2: 6:46

But just some idea, right? And so what if leaders took on that same leadership diligence, that leadership discipline? My leadership starts before I walk into the office or turn on that Zoom call, right? And so what are we doing to have that leadership workout? What are we doing on a regular basis to develop that leadership discipline?

Speaker 2: 7:19

And so leadership diligence, when we really think about it? I mean, let's just kind of break down the words, right. So leadership, well, leadership is not about title. Leadership is a process of influencing others to a common mutual goal. So, with, leadership is really all about influence and we are influencing others. I mean, you and I have been influenced just by the clothes we have on today, right? So we are being influenced and we are influencing others through our character, the way we act. All of that we are influencing others. So leadership is about influence and influencing people towards a common goal.

Speaker 2: 7:56

Okay, but then when we look at the word diligence, it's hard work, it's persevering. Even as we talked early about our program, we persevered through those. For me it took five. I think you went a little you took you're a little less because I took some breaks along the way, but anyway, we persevered, we were persistent in getting it done a lot of hard work and doing the difficult work. So these players, they're doing things that we don't wanna do. I mean partly wanna walk them the street for some just a little bit of exercise. These folks, they're in the gym and they have coaches, they have people around them that are helping them along the way. So, combining the two words, it's about leaders putting in the hard work to be excellent in the workplace to win those championships, whether it be those revenue targets or what have you. But it's not just what we do but how we do it right. So leadership diligence is really putting in that hard work and doing those difficult things to make sure that the organization and the employees succeed.

Speaker 1: 9:03

Of that and it reminds me of some leaders that I've known and they say, well, when I leave work, I leave work and I'm not a leader anymore. It's like, well, if you have a family, you're leading your family, you're leading yourself first and foremost, as you're talking about and really what we're doing. So what might be some of those elements around leadership diligence?

Speaker 2: 9:32

Well, I think you hit the nail on the head with leading ourselves, and I think, initially we've got to prioritize taking care of ourselves, and then the other part is the leadership journey of having the character, the competence and also focusing on the culture and our leadership. So, just taking a step back, taking care of ourselves, there's that physical component, the intellectual component, the emotional component, relational component and the spiritual component. So we've got to make sure all of those elements are aligned. And one of the things for even myself, because everything I'm saying to you I'm saying it to myself, right, because I've got to continue to be more diligent in all the things that I'm doing. So, even with this balance that leaders need to have, I have come up with the word for myself this year is balance, and I don't know if you've heard of this book. It's called the One Word. I'm forgetting the author's name at the moment, but the one word, okay, the one word that will change your life, and it's by John Gordon. And so just choose a word for the year.

Speaker 2: 10:44

Sometimes last year I think I had the word victory. Another year I had the word encourage. This year I'm seeking balance because I like being productive. I tell my mom. I don't like her using the word busy. I like being productive, but sometimes in my effort of being productive I will let go of some sleep and rest that I need. Or even if I'm taking time out to watch the NBA games or watch the Warriors, like they will come on tonight, I may feel guilty because I'm watching the game, but that's part of my rest, you know, even though they stressed me out a little bit because I'm wanting them to win. But we've got to take time out to make sure we're getting the proper sleep, that we have the proper diet, that we're spending good time with friends and family, right.

Speaker 2: 11:38

And so there has to be that balance in our lives where we are seeking to be our best, because if we're not our best as a person, then we will not be our best as leaders. When we walk into the office, right. And then when we're in the office I mean not when we're in the office, but just our leadership in general. It is a 24 seven responsibility. You know we have to look at our character. You know what are we doing to make sure that we are representing ourselves, representing our organizations and, as fellow Christians, representing God, with our character, with our competence, and we need leaders to have great character and great competence in order that they can influence great cultures. Yes, and we can break that down some more, but I just want to, you know, pause there for a moment. But those are two key elements. You know, our physical health, our overall total wellbeing, and then our leadership, as we focus on character, competence and culture.

Speaker 1: 12:46

Yeah, yeah. And I've heard people say, well, I work hard and I play hard, and it's like, well, do you rest hard too? Because that you know, if we're looking at this even from a Christian lens, you know Jesus did that. He rested, he took time away from the crowd and he sat and got quiet. And that is so imperative for leaders. I know firsthand that burnout is real, that you cannot keep going and going and going and going without some. At some point you're going to crash and that happens. And then it takes all that self-care that you need to do and you need to allow yourself to heal, to get back into the game.

Speaker 2: 13:26

but for sure, and you know, along those lines, because I had to do some self-introspection, I want to say in the last month, because, you know, as you know, I had a health challenge five years ago and, thank God, you know, he got me through that. But it's still, you know, one of those things that I have to be mindful, you know, of my health and take care of myself. You know, because it is a situation or a health challenge that I live with and I'm blessed, I feel great, I'm doing well, you know. But I, when I look back, I said to ask myself what has changed, because I have gotten back in the rat race in the sense of I love what I do and If I didn't have to sleep, I wouldn't sleep. I mean, that's how much I love when I do.

Speaker 2: 14:17

But rest is key and I'm thankful that I have that clock that says you know what, janice, you go in the bed because my eyes will start to close and I'm not thinking clearly. So it's like you know what. You better take yourself to sleep, you know. But seriously, I started thinking about myself. So I am resetting. So, when I talk about this year's, about balance, I'm having to reset to make sure that I take care of Janice, because when I take care of Janice, that helps me as a wife, it helps me as a daughter, a sibling, and it helps me in my business, as I'm working with other people. We have to take care of ourselves.

Speaker 1: 15:01

Yeah, one of my words from last year, because I can never land on just one word. I'm just like that. It's usually two, three words that I have and that I post, and last year one of my words was self-care, and that carried back into this year along with. I decided to put two words together for my second word, which is really my first word, which is zestify. So it's zest and amplify, so zestify.

Speaker 2: 15:25

Oh, I love it.

Speaker 1: 15:26

And self-care I'm gonna write that down. Zestify, although that's right, zestify, but there have to be You're zestifying that too, you're right, but there has to be that self-care that I continue to reflect on and implement and be intentional, or be diligent, if you will, to make sure that that's part of my everyday. Yeah, yeah. So what are some of the downsides of not having this? And we've kind of talked about this, about this leadership, diligence and maybe some of the things that a leader would experience if they're not practicing.

Speaker 2: 16:08

Well, I mean, I think one you won't achieve your goals, right, you will not be focused. It's almost like anything goes. Your employees, they're impacted, your organizations are impacted, you're not performing at optimum level. And along those lines, most recently, I've been reading an article well, it's a large article from McKenzie, but there was a part that I settled on where they said that only 25% of leaders are engaged. Only 25% of leaders are engaged. Okay, so if they're not engaged, then they don't have the vision, they're not inspiring their employees. So I mean, so why should we think employees are gonna be engaged if the leaders are not engaged? Right? But what also got me was that they said that the leaders that are engaged, or 20% of those leaders that are engaged, their total care holder return was 2.8 times higher than the average leaders. That ends up, I mean like, say no more, right, say no more Like let's get engaged, let's do the leadership diligence that's gonna help us get there right, and so, yeah, so performance will be kindred when leaders are not engaged and when they are not taking their leadership diligence to heart, putting in the hard work, taking the time to make sure that they're turning their team into a community. They're taking time to not only determine a vision, but they're communicating the vision. They're taking time to develop the strategic plans.

Speaker 2: 18:13

But we know, as we learn, that being strategic is 24 seven. You know, you don't just write a plan, put it on the shelf, check the box. Yes, we did it. You gotta continually be strategic. But the other part of it is you've got to bring up everybody in your organization to be part of the strategic planning process. You know that's part of them being engaged, and then they will own the strategy with you. They will then become engaged employees because they can see themselves in the vision, they can see themselves in the strategy because they've been part of it, you know. So, yes, performance team. So then obviously this also impacts retention, right? So if you wanna retain your employees, then hey, being engaged leaders so that you can do the. Do so that your teams are engaged, and then you will retain your employees and then you can save the cost of trying to bring in new ones, right? So it's just a snowball effect right, it is a snowball effect.

Speaker 1: 19:18

Wow, yeah, and it seems that when I worked with the C-suite teams, they think that they're the only ones. Yes, they have a lot of work and they have a lot of work to do, but, as you're saying, to push it down and throughout is really important. It can't stop there. It can't cultivate and brew there. It definitely needs strategy, does need to go down and throughout the organization. I don't think that that's even something that they think about. Right, it's not where they live.

Speaker 1: 20:03

I think it's really important, especially what we've gone through over the last few years and really communicating with our people. Now, how can we take all those practices that hopefully some of the really good companies that got through the hard times that our world had there? How can we take those now into our boardrooms, into our C-suites and really talk about that so we can be diligent with our leadership and help our people to be diligent? Whether it's with that vision, whether it's with the work that they're doing, it's just I don't know. I itch my head sometimes. It's like why aren't you considering the people who are doing the work? Our frontline people work hard For the most part. People need to make a paycheck, yes, but they want to walk into work. They want to get out of bed and walk into work and have a great day and feel like they are, in your words, productive in what they're doing.

Speaker 2: 21:03

Right, people want to feel good about themselves and the work that they do. The work that they do, it's not just doing something, it's doing something that's going to achieve a goal, feeling good at the end of that goal, celebrating the achievement of that goal. But yes, people want to feel good about themselves and have that satisfaction that they've done something that has value to people in the company but also to their external customers. It's very important. I think with that, our focus has to change. It's like. I'm a product manager by profession and I love product management. I love working with all the different departments to get everything out the door.

Speaker 2: 21:57

But being a great leader is not about just getting the products out the door, it's how we get it out the door right. That's where culture comes in. Leaders got to make sure that they are influencing the right culture. When people are not, I want to say, representing the culture or not living the culture, then accountability needs to come with that, because all of those things impact how people enjoy their work. At the end of the day, leaders suffer when they don't manage culture. Edgar Schein says that the number one priority is for leaders to create and manage culture. If you don't do that then anything can happen. Next thing you know it's managing you, right?

Speaker 1: 22:51

It starts at the top.

Speaker 2: 22:53

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 22:54

Yeah, for sure. Why don't you talk a little bit about what you do in your business and how you can come alongside these organizations and leaders and help them with their organizational culture, with their leadership diligence? Thank you.

Speaker 2: 23:13

Thank you for that question. So at Leadership Passport we focus on three elements Okay, there's the character, there's the leadership competence and then there's also the culture. And so, with the character, you know we're focusing on, you know making sure that you know there's respect, there's trust, you know there's the integrity, ethics, you know all of those things that are that help form the character of the company. But the character of the company is a reflection of the character of the leaders, okay, okay. And then with the competence that gets into, you know, building the team so that it is a community. You know, dealing with the vision and the strategy, as we talked about, but also even as how we look at empowerment, right, a lot of times people say, or leaders will say, well, I empower you to do XYZ, and it's almost like they want you really to be the magician. Right, but as leaders, you also have to equip them with the right tools, the right training in order that they can really be empowered. So, just looking at all of those elements, you know, from a different angle and going deeper into thinking about am I really empowering my team? I use that word, but do I really empower my team? Okay, and then when we character and competence right, you know the culture will follow. So if there's anything wrong with the culture, fix the leaders, you'll fix the culture. And holding that accountability. You know being intentional about how you are influencing the culture and sometimes you have to do the hard thing and that is even letting some of your top performers go. I mean, that's hard to say, that's hard to do, but that's impacting your organization in negative ways that you may not even realize. So that's the framework and the services that I deliver. You know includes the training.

Speaker 2: 25:29

So, as I mentioned in an earlier conversation with you that I currently am doing a beta and it's called Drive Squared LEAP. Leap stands for Leadership, Elevation and Alliance Program, and the whole goal with that is to enable that leadership diligence. So it's not like you're going to a conference for three or four days, which all of that is still necessary, but this is one week for an hour and 15 minutes. We want to call with about 12 leaders and we are discussing key leadership concepts. It's curriculum, so there's there is some structure with it, but that's what we're doing and so I'm beta testing that now. It'll end in April and then my intent is that it'll launch in November. I'm also planning, by the end of the year, to have a digital course that will also be something that leaders can use to promote their leadership diligence and also working with organizations, and I'm not going to be doing a program that I'm beta testing right now. It's a program that can also go into organizations to help them with their culture and with their leaders.

Speaker 2: 26:46

I mean also just writing, you know. So written a book, as you mentioned in the, in the bio, and also an ebook, and I will probably continue to write more ebooks to include probably one on leadership diligence, but, yeah, and public speaking and consulting, you know. So we have this vision of what the right culture should be so that everyone can thrive. But then, what are those areas where an organization may need to work on, whether it be like succession planning, you know, the team building, the strategy all of those types of things can be separate projects or on consulting services that we can offer our clients.

Speaker 2: 27:32

So, so, yeah, but I'm very excited about, you know, leadership has for it. I think, you know, at the end of the day, the overall goal is to create and maintain a standard of leadership and organizational culture, excellence, where everyone can thrive but also people would respect leaders that people respect and want to emulate. You know, if people want to emulate your leadership, that's the best compliment they can give you and that's what our world needs right now. We need strong, courageous leaders who are going to stand for truth, they're going to do the right thing, they're going to operate with ethics and integrity.

Speaker 1: 28:14

We need that there. Do need that more than ever.

Speaker 2: 28:18

You know, one thing that came to mind. You know, even as we talk about going to conferences, even the things that I'm doing in my beta, people need to act on the information. People need to act on the information and I use it in a cross-stich and I have that in my book and I'm also using this in my program act, assess, assess your leadership, see, commit to change, whether it be a personal change or organizational change, and then transformation, transform your thoughts. Now that's the cross-stich. But at the end of the day, we need a mindset change to change the behaviors in order that we get the desired outcomes. We want to encourage leaders that, even as we talk about leadership diligence and getting the education, getting the training, going to conferences, attending webinars, or at some point they may decide to attend my elite program, my Thrive Square elite program, but doing the work we have to get in the gym. When we go to the gym, if we just look at the equipment or if we're looking at a health video with exercise, an exercise video, and we just looking at them, we're not doing any exercises, building anything. So we go to conferences. That's like we're just sitting there, we watching the exercise video, we watching them talk about leadership and all this, but then we leave.

Speaker 2: 30:00

We felt good, we got motivated, but then we didn't do anything about it. There's no act. Yes, there's no. So we need to act. We need to act on what we are learning. Otherwise it's just information. It went, we read it, it went in our ear, in one ear, out the other. We didn't do anything with it. And so what good is it? We didn't spend the money.

Speaker 1: 30:23

We spent the time we could have been sleeping. Well, that's the difference between training and development. Yes, conferences and different things like that, they're wonderful because you are gaining that information, as long as you're not glazed over from the information that's coming in. But unless you take that, as you're saying, and really put it into action, that's where the leader development comes in. It's understanding and taking that knowledge but then implementing it. That's where leaders start making a difference for themselves as a leader and for their people and organizations.

Speaker 2: 31:02

Exactly, and I'm sure you can attest to this, being a coach and all the things that you're doing at your organization. But sometimes leaders also need that accountability. You need that accountability to do the right things and do the right things at the right time. You need accountability. We talk about respect and trust and it sounds like an easy thing it really does but then sometimes you've got to dig deep and you have to ask yourself am I respectful? And as we talked about, it's not a 24, I mean I'm sorry, it's not just a nine to five, it's a 24 seven responsibility. We're leaders in how we influence. I mean, even yesterday I was talking to someone. They couldn't help me, but the whole time I'm on this call, I'm reminding. I mean I'm irritated. Really, I'm really irritated because they made a mistake and they're telling me what I need to do to fix.

Speaker 2: 32:07

You know one thing that came to mind, you know, even as we talk about, you know, going to conferences, even the things that I'm doing in my beta people need to act on the information Right people need to act on the information and I use it in a cross stick and I have that in my book and I'm also using this in my program act, assess, so assess your leadership, see, commit to change, whether it be a personal change or organizational change. And then transformation transform your thoughts right Now. That's the across stick. But at the end of the day, we need a mindset change to change the behaviors in order that we get the desired outcomes. And so we want to encourage leaders that, even as we talk about leadership diligence and you know, getting the education, getting the training, going to conferences, attending webinars or at some point they may decide to attend on my LEAP program, my Thrive Square LEAP program but doing the work, you know we have to get in the gym. You know when we go to the gym, if we just look at the equipment or if we're looking at a video, a health video with exercise, an exercise video. You know, and we don't, do we just looking at them. You know we're not doing any exercises, building anything right. So we go to conferences. That's like you know. We're just sitting there, we watching the exercise video, we watching them talk about leadership and all this, but then we leave.

Speaker 2: 33:49

We felt good, we got motivated, but then we didn't do anything about it. There's no act. And yes, there's no. And so we need to act. We need to act on what we are learning, otherwise it's just information. It went, you know, we read it, it went in our ear in one ear, out the other, you know we didn't do anything with it. And so what good is it? You know we didn't spend the money. We spent the time. Could have been sleeping.

Speaker 1: 34:17

Well, that's the difference between training and development. Yes, conferences and different things like that, they're wonderful because you are gaining that information, as long as you're not, you know, glazed over from the information that's coming in. But unless you take that, as you're saying, and really put it into action, that's where the leader development comes in. It's understanding and taking that knowledge but then implementing it. That's where leaders start making a difference for themselves as a leader and for their people and organizations.

Speaker 2: 34:51

Exactly, and I'm sure you can attest to this. You know being a coach and all the things that you're doing at your organization, but sometimes you know leaders also need that accountability.

Speaker 1: 35:07

I would love to be able to point people to your book and to your ebook. So you've got your Thrive 2 book. Where can people find that?

Speaker 2: 35:16

Well, they can find that on Amazon, but if they go to leadershippassportcom there they can, they'll see the ebook so they can download that. That's a free book, free offering the book Thrive, thrive Square. That's also on the yes and it'll have the link where they can go to Amazon. So, yes, and then there's contact page where they can contact me. They can schedule a strategy session if they wish, or just send a message and say that you don't wanna talk.

Speaker 1: 35:50

Awesome. And are you on LinkedIn? Can people find you there as well?

Speaker 2: 35:55

Yes, I am on LinkedIn. That's Janice McLaughlin, George, and there's also a leadership passport page on LinkedIn as well. Excellent.

Speaker 1: 36:04

Well, janice, it has been terrific to have you on today. I appreciate you and the work that you're doing with leaders, with organizations. It is I mean, it's hard work, but we love it. Right, it's work that, as you said, you wouldn't sleep. You didn't have to, but we know that we need sleep and self-care and balance. Yes, indeed, that's right. Well, thanks again, we'll make sure that we put all those things in the show notes for our people and, until next time, keep doing great things. We'll see you soon.

Speaker 2: 36:36

Well, thank you so much for having me Take care now. Yeah, you too.

Speaker 1: 36:39

Då bye.