RADICAL LEADERSHIP

When you are in a moment that necessitates self-advocacy, having a prepared script can be extremely helpful. Gain useful tools on how to craft statements that reflect your genuine needs, voice, and personality in the final episode of the series. Remember, trust your intuition, and don’t feel ashamed to advocate for yourself.

Building off the previous episode, this installment of the series dives deeper into your needs: physical, emotional, cognitive, financial, and professional. Listing all of this information allows you to better understand what you need to function successfully and happily. Use your list as a reference to analyze where self-advocacy shows up and how to act on those observations in this episode.

Before advocating your needs, you have to first determine what they are. Join Virgie in identifying your goals, grounding them, and coming up with a plan to make them happen. Be sure to have your journal and favorite pen ready to tap into your inner self and make your goals happen.

“Self-advocacy can be a form of building intuition and self-knowledge.” The only person that truly knows your needs is you, so listen to what your intuition, body, and mind are telling you! In this episode, learn strategies to become more aware of your body signals and how to put your feelings and emotions into words and actions.

Only you know your needs, wants, and desires, but sometimes putting that out in the universe can be frightening. Self-advocacy is the solution to this challenge, and Virgie is here to help you along the way. Gain a better understanding of what self-advocacy is in this episode of the series before diving into more actionable teachings and tasks.

Taking a look at the people you surround yourself with allows you to understand that “the ideas you hold onto are often a reflection of what you’ve been absorbing from the community at large.” Are folks in your community bringing you up or bringing you down? Do you feel supported? These sorts of reflections urge you to choose who and what you want to spend your time on; that way, you surround yourself with a solid foundation to be the best version of yourself.

In a busy life, filled with working toward fulfilling your goals, it is crucial to ask yourself the question: am I caring for myself the way that I should? Liz says, “in order for us to go after our wildest ambitions, we must be mentally, emotionally, and physically sound.” Prioritizing sleep, nourishing food, and self-love are a few parts of building a self-care routine that will help power you through your busiest days. In this episode, you will write down some activities you can do to practice self-care and refuel your mind, body, and spirit.

You have what it takes to accomplish your dreams, and then some. In this episode, Liz urges you to visualize your goals and add 20% to them. This could mean anything from increasing how much money you’d like to make, or how big you’d like your company to be. Bringing voice to your dreams can be scary but it is an important step in realizing your potential and propensity to achieve your wildest aspirations.

In this journaling exercise, join Liz in writing about all the amazing things you are good at. By reflecting, we are beginning to see the many ways we are honest or dishonest with ourselves. You are capable and great at so many more things than you know, it’s just a matter of realizing your full potential and acting with conviction and confidence.

Impostor syndrome does not define you. You define yourself. Make sure to have a pen and paper for this episode as you will be reflecting on your dreams and goals. Nothing is out of reach if you are ambitious and believe in yourself!

Before diving into methods to combat imposter syndrome, you must first have a good sense of what it means. This episode invites you to reflect on your behaviors to see if you suffer from impostor syndrome. And if you do, acknowledge it, own it, and get ready because we are about to get into ways to tackle it.

In this last episode of the series, Irene talks about values, which are expressions of how you view yourself and expressions of what you hope for in the world. Your actions, the folks you hire, the content you put online, and more, are all reflections of our values. Irene encompasses this beautifully when she says: “you have skills, stories, experiences, perspectives, and questions that can benefit those around you, unlock new possibilities and change the trajectory for so many people.” Your leadership is valuable. Always remember the power you have to transform your community for the better.

As Irene says, “leadership is more than a title…it’s a vibe!” Leadership doesn’t stop and start, it is an ongoing process that becomes informed by asking questions and making observations. By fusing the perspectives of others with your personal expertise, you can focus your attention on how to pivot your leadership style to ultimately maximize your impact.

Irene invites you to reflect on your skills in a way that centers you, your practice, and the muscle of feedback in this episode. By asking questions like: “how are you deeply curious about yourself?” and “who lives and leads in ways that inspire you?” Irene compels you to think about how your unique skills can improve, and how they can transform others. Don’t just think about proficiency skills like creating complex Excel sheets for example, but skills that allow you to bring people together and cause change for the better.

When reflecting on the question, “what do you do?” it is easy to think about who you are serving, as opposed to who you are being in a specific space. In this episode, Irene urges you to reframe this question with respect to your impact on others. At times, this question can also seem very restricting, as though we are only what we do. So, as important as work is, you are always more than what you “do.” Work doesn’t define you, your impact on others, and how you decide to communicate this does.

What does it mean to take care? Who is the “We” in your life? Exploring the junctions, places, people, and emotional growth in your life will lead you to bigger and better questions like: “Why Not Me” and “Who else is making questions on my behalf?” and “How will I live and lead with my values?” In this session, Irene shares her own experience and creates a framework for how you can explore your own story and turn those insights into actionable strategies for growth.

Traditional job descriptions can be unclear, which is why Team Dynamics is here to help. When writing a job description, it is most important to be as clear and concise as you possibly can. Not only does this help potential applicants understand the roles they are applying for, but it also allows you, the employer to cast a wide net of qualified, and motivated candidates. In the “Job Descriptions” resource attached below, Team Dynamics shares a sample job description to help you create your own! After watching the episode, put together all of the lessons learned in this series to craft a standout job description. We are so excited you have chosen to join the hiring revolution!

If you enjoyed this series and would like to gain more access to Team Dynamics' content, purchase their book, Hiring Revolution.

“Readiness and value-add as an approach is about a departure from an assumption that a number of years, job titles, or degrees means someone is ready, willing and able to do your job.” As a hiring manager, you have the responsibility to be specific, precise, and explicit about the experiences a candidate must have, what actually adds value, and what you, as a company are able to teach them. Every candidate brings their own flair to the table, and it is your task to measure if they’re a good fit.

Our identities make us who we are. With our unique experiences come differing perspectives, preferences, and biases. This is nothing to ashamed of, but something to be aware of. Our gut impulses are often mirrors of our biases, so before we act, let’s investigate these instincts by pausing and reflecting on the situation at hand. Join Alfonso in learning strategies to investigate your instincts and assess not if, but how systemic and normative preferences seep into our perceptions. Scroll down to download the "Investigate Your Instincts" resource, filled with questions to ponder when making value-aligned and goal-aligned decisions during hiring processes. Take time to reflect on these questions, investigate your instincts and face your hidden biases in this episode of the series.

When building teams, it is easy to recruit those that have similar lived experiences or who look like you. Employing the same types of people limits the ability to have differing perspectives, which is why compiling a diverse team in terms of identity, race, skillset, and more is so important. Not only are mixed teams advantageous from a business standpoint, they also allow for people to be seen and heard in a myriad of ways. In this episode, learn strategies to build diverse teams because it is not just a business imperative, but a moral one too.

Embarking on hiring for the first time can be overwhelming, and oftentimes we can ease our own discomfort by following a process that just retraces where we’ve already been. The drawback is we often miss out on engaging with the person right in front of us. Learn from Trina and Alfonso about how to place yourself in a place of curiosity and learning while simultaneously being clear on what you need from the role, your team, and this specific hire.

Finding leaders in your field that can help guide you is the essence of mentorship. Seeking inspiration from others can be transformational when it comes to achieving your business goals. If you are looking for strategies to find a mentor or would like to strengthen your relationship with your current one, this is the episode for you.

There are so many costs associated with work other than the work itself. Childcare, food, mental health, travel expenses, and more are all aspects you should consider when figuring out your total compensation needs. To make sure you’re getting taken care of on all fronts before committing to a new job or project, Cate and Kalilah share details worth thinking about.

“You are providing something of value. What are getting in return?” As Cate and Kalilah said before, employers come to you for a reason, so never walk away from hard work empty-handed. Not only can opportunities yield a great payout, but there are also other ways to leverage opportunities. Think about being able to grow your network, or expand your leadership role(s), for example. Gain insights on how to maximize your work experiences in this installment of the series.

Employers want you for a reason. Be it your creativity, expertise, knowledge, or all the above, your work is valuable. As Cate says, “time is money for all of us,” so do not waste your time with people or companies that won’t compensate you fairly. Learn how to recognize your worth and strategies for healthy boundary setting in this second episode.

Cate and Kalilah have had wildly different paths to their current positions, but they share common values in ensuring you not only get what you want but stay true to yourself in the process. In this conversation, they focus on specific tactics and mindsets to employ when walking into negotiations recognizing the power and position within your lived experience.

Nancy Lyons invites you to show up as a leader in a way that is unique to you, the full you. “Your career isn’t happening to you, you’re happening to it”. Press play to start this encouraging leadership journey.

Fear is ungrounding and keeps you from your best self. Dive into this second episode as Nancy Lyons unpacks what it means to walk through unfamiliar situations, helm risks, and come out the other side successful for having tried and being true.

With this third episode of Radical Leadership, subscribe to who you are and align that energy with how you communicate with people in the world. Like any good skill, you have to practice — and Nancy Lyons has tools for you to choose from!

Money your mind with the fourth episode of Radical Leadership. Watch as Dionne Gumbs calculates ways to build, maintain and grow a friendship with your finances.