FIRST THOUGHT: Mass Exodus
Last weekend, I went to an imaginative art installation. Interactive rooms featured fun, throwback photo opportunities, with rainbow-colored stairways, pinwheels and even a seesaw. All of this was pure magic but, funnily enough, what I remember most was in the restroom. A sizable rectangle room housed your standard bathroom stuff, with a notable exception: a full-sized changing table equipped with some necessities. And that, my friends, is how you know a place has been designed by women. While I doubt the 18-year-old Instagrammer would notice that table, I’m sure it was a godsend for the disheveled new mama. You see, little details that make someone’s day even 5 percent easier are worth celebrating.
WOMEN IN NUMBERS: 3 Million
Hot coffee and ice-cold La Croix-stocked grates in the break room go a long way, y’all. Paid parental leave, an on-site gym and more go an even longer way. If you’re wondering why you’re hemorrhaging employees at your company, take a look at implementing something new. After all, since June 2017, 3 million people have left their jobs on their own free will. If someone’s leaving your company, the least you could do is have a third party ask them why they did so; you can’t fix what you don’t know about. Champagne Fridays will help boost morale. Just sayin’.
WOMAN TO WATCH: Shani Magosky, Founder of the LeaderShift Project
We often hear that so-and-so was born a natural leader. Maybe back in, say, cave(wo)man days, it was easier to be a good leader, when our to-do list was pretty straightforward: survive. Leading in 2018 has many facets, though, because what might work for one person in one kind of industry might not work for another. Either way, if you’re not actively educating yourself on leadership, the story of today’s Woman to Watch, Shani Magosky, is your wake up call to do so.
Shani started the LeaderShift Project to coach executives and other leaders, with the end goal of improving employee satisfaction. As a former manager at a TV station and later vice president of Goldman Sachs, Shani has dealt with people in very different positions, with very different goals.
One of the toughest first steps Shani faces is trying to get even the biggest leaders to admit that they could use some guidance. She emphasizes that one of the qualities good leaders possess is real concern about company culture because, according to Shani, there’s often an imbalance. Business owners will nail the strategic side of their company but without much mind to employee happiness. Without the latter, this imbalance will stifle tremendous growth. Period.
Shani also mentions that company culture is often passed off to the HR department, without much follow-through on implementing a specific strategy with measurable goals. So, employees quickly end up getting the vibe that HR doesn’t care, doesn’t do anything and doesn’t matter, except for when you give your two weeks’ notice. In her book, The Better Boss Blueprint, Shani cuts through what she calls the “old, white-guy discourses” that some leaders swear by: You know, the dated mode that approaches leadership in terms of what it can do for me instead of what it can do for you.
Shani’s coaching style is straightforward or, as she calls it, “IKEA-like” simple and irreverent like Jon Stewart. Sold! Whether her experience is needed to facilitate engagement in a corporate setting or even to help guide a graduate studies program, leadership needs are everywhere. During Shani’s down time, she likes to either scale mountains or ski down them, which is the perfect metaphor for how she approaches her career: with complete confidence and courage.
Follow Shani on Twitter @leadershiftproj.
A good business has a strong brand and message, which takes time, perseverance and meticulous planning. Check out our four tips on how to shift your business’s rhetoric to results by clicking here or, if you’re listening via podcast, head over to OnTheDotWoman.com!
QUITE THE QUOTE
I was going to share a quote by an old, white dude, but I think we’ve heard enough from those kinds of leaders. How about one from an impressive woman, instead? Here’s one by CEO Lisa Cash Hanson:
"Leadership is the ability to guide others without force into a direction or decision that leaves them still feeling empowered and accomplished."