093: Joanna Howes: Putting the Right Part of You In Charge of Your Leadership

In episode 93 of the podcast, I’m exploring how you can make sure that you are putting the right part of you in charge of your business and leadership.

This idea comes from Internal Family Systems, which was created by Dr. Richard Schwartz. It’s the idea that we as humans are all made up of a system of protected parts that we can manage and use when needed. Think of it like your own internal leadership team.

It’s risky not to have the right part of you in charge, so join me as I explore how you can make sure you have the right part in the driver’s seat of your leadership.

Key takeaways include:

● Understanding your internal world in order to self-lead
● How to identify the different parts of you
● Tips for managing your own internal board of directors
● How G.I. Jo and Hippie Jo help champion me

Follow Joanna Howes and The Change Creators:

website: https://www.thechangecreators.com
linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannahowes/

In episode 92 of the podcast, I speak with Flavilla Fongang, the Founder and CEO of Black Rise.

Join us as we discuss why as leaders, we need to stop focusing only on financial outcomes and also look at the greater impact we are making on the community and even the planet. In the era of cancel culture, we have to be more socially responsible if we want our organisation to succeed.

We also discussed why it is so important to invest in protecting your peace. There is power in getting comfortable saying no without explanation, and it is something that we all need to embrace more, particularly as leaders.

Key takeaways include:

● The importance of empowering black women in technology
● Why it’s not okay to be the only woman in the room
● What an entrepreneurial mindset really is
● The balance of business impact and leaving a legacy
● Knowing how much money you need to be happy
● Developing a solution mindset so that you can solve any problem
● Why you can’t let the naysayers stop you, and you should always trust your gut
● How the first step to climbing the pyramid is just taking the first step

Flavilla Fongang is a multi-award-winning serial entrepreneur and an international keynote speaker. She is the author of “99 Strategies to Get Customers”. She is also the founder of Global Tech Advocates – Black Women in Tech, the largest organisation of black professional women in tech.

Follow Joanna Howes and The Change Creators:

website: https://www.thechangecreators.com
linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannahowes/

In episode 91 of the podcast, I’m focusing on the feeling of not belonging and how important it is as leaders to create belonging and connection amongst our teams.

In the last episode with Jake Brody, he shared something with me that gave me goosebumps. It was so simple, yet it completely reshaped my perspective on my responsibility regarding this topic and what I can do about it.

Join me as I share my own personal experience of feeling like I didn’t fit in and how I learned to overcome it.

Key takeaways include:

● The 3 universal fears we all have
● How to identify if you are a leader who creates belonging
● What you can do to enhance team connection and foster a sense of belonging

Follow Joanna Howes and The Change Creators:

website: https://www.thechangecreators.com
linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannahowes/

In episode 90 of the podcast, I speak with Jake Brody, Senior Managing Director of Accenture Song.

Have you ever wondered how you can make a big company feel small? Jake shares his insights into how he does this by celebrating good news and having an open-door policy so that the people in his company don’t feel like they are just a number. They feel like they are part of something bigger.

He also discusses the power of having the courage to speak up, even in a senior position. Your words matter, and that is an important thing to remember, no matter your position.

Key takeaways include:

● Choosing to belong and not trying to fit in
● The mantra of ‘having fun’ and how to truly live it
● Understanding FUD and helping people navigate fear, uncertainty, and doubt
● The teachings of being with a company for 26 years
● Why intention, representations, and stewardship is key to courageous leadership
● Knowing you have something to offer, making it happen, and getting a seat at the table
● The importance of remembering that clients are human beings and have the same
fears, worries, and aspirations that we do

Jake Brody is a Senior Managing Director and the lead for Accenture Song in the US South Market Unit where he and his team deliver relevant, creative, and growth-focused solutions for clients across all industries and sectors.

Follow Joanna Howes and The Change Creators:

website: https://www.thechangecreators.com
linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannahowes/

In episode 89, I’m discussing something that many people struggle with - perfectionism. This includes myself and my husband and I share our personal stories of how we manage this.

How can we start to embrace imperfection? Perfectionism is a personality trait that's
characterised by a relentless pursuit of flawless standards, often accompanied by critical self-evaluations and a fear of making mistakes. In this episode, I’m sharing the two sides of perfection and why we as a society struggle to let go.

I’m also discussing the traits of perfectionism and why they are ultimately just signs of
procrastination. The fear of failure, for instance, can really hold you back from doing what you really want to accomplish.

Key takeaways include:

● The risk of setting your standards too high
● Identifying control patterns
● Seeking external validation to feel worthy
● Experimenting with imperfection and my personal story of doing this
● Steps to begin to let go and free yourself from perfectionism

Follow Joanna Howes and The Change Creators:

website: https://www.thechangecreators.com
linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannahowes/

In this week’s episode of the podcast, I speak with Neisha Tweed, Executive Creative Director, Inclusive Creative Strategist, and DEI Leader and Speaker.

Neisha discusses the power of bringing situational leadership, adaptability, and flexibility to the work environment in order to create a space in which you can focus on the individual and bring out the best in your people.

She also shares the powerful lessons in leadership that she has learned from her 5-year-old, neurodiverse son which has changed how she approaches providing support for the people on her team. There is power in just listening to what people need instead of assuming you already know, and Neisha shares her thoughts on that.

Key takeaways include:

● How to arrive at your vision and take action to make it happen
● Tips for asking the hard questions and managing the responses
● Learning to stop waiting to be ready and go for it
● You don’t need to be perfect you need to be present
● The questions to ask if you want to drive a real conversation
● Stop assuming you know what the other person needs, let them tell you

Neisha Tweed Bell is a creative visionary who seamlessly intertwines creativity, inclusion, and authenticity, leaving an indelible mark on both the professional landscape and the lives she touches.

Follow Joanna Howes and The Change Creators:

website: https://www.thechangecreators.com
linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannahowes/

In this week’s episode of the podcast, I’m going solo and sharing my thoughts on the impact of quiet leadership.

This is my natural style of leadership and for a long time, I thought it was a flaw.

Quiet leadership often has an underestimated impact. I want to shed some light on the
common misconception of equating quiet leadership with low confidence, and why we need to recognise and appreciate the strengths of quiet leaders.

Join me as I share what it means to be a quiet leader, the qualities surrounding this leadership style, and how you can take this superpower and make more of an impact than ever.

Key takeaways include:

● What quiet leadership actually is and how to know if you are a quiet leader
● Why we have to stop mistaking quiet leadership as low confidence
● How we can start to ensure that quiet leaders are not overlooked
● The powerful ability to stay calm and steady under pressure
● The superpower of creating safe spaces for people
● How a lot of the strongest leaders are not the upfront superstars
● The art of leading from the back

Follow Joanna Howes and The Change Creators:

website: https://www.thechangecreators.com
linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannahowes/

We are back and in this week’s episode, I speak with Karl Marsden, Chair of Contagious
Communications.

Have you ever struggled with negative self-talk? You’re not alone. Karl shares why overcoming that negativity is the most important key to building resiliency as a leader. He shares valuable tips for how we as high-achieving leaders can overcome this bad habit and find more confidence in our own leadership abilities.

Karl also delves into the true courage it takes to admit that you might not always be the best person for a job, even if you are the leader.

Key takeaways include:

● Courageous leadership starts with self-belief and belief in what you are doing
● The art of quiet leadership
● The mindset of loving work and how this can help you succeed
● Why not rushing to climb the ladder could be the thing that sets you up for success as a leader
● Recognising that you will make wrong decisions sometimes, but you will make the right ones even more
● The power of surrounding yourself with good people

Karl is an ex-media executive turned business performance and turnaround specialist with a specific interest in the SME sector. After nearly 20 years in the magazine & digital media sector, Karl left his corporate seat to become part of the founding management team at Shortlist Media Ltd a freemium-based media company.

Follow Joanna Howes and The Change Creators:

website: https://www.thechangecreators.com
linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannahowes/

The Courageous Leaders Club Podcast is back for its 12 series!

Prepare to gain insights from seasoned leaders who've weathered the storms to emerge as the courageous figures they are today:

● Karl Marsden: Chair of Contagious Communications
● Neisha Tweed: Exec Creative Director, Inclusive Creative Strategist
● Jake Brody: Senior Managing Director of Accenture
● Flavilla Fongang: Founder and CEO of Black Rise
● Sarat Pediredla: CEO at hedgehog lab

💡 Solo Episodes: A New Feature!

This season, I'm excited to introduce my Solo Episodes. In these five insightful episodes,
I'll be delving into the heart of courageous leadership, sharing coaching tips that are not
only impactful but truly transformative.

A few of the key takeaways from the Solo Episodes:

● Putting the right part of you in charge of your leaders: Uncover the secrets of
effective leadership from within.
● Understanding what drives you: A deep dive into self-awareness and motivation.
● Why we need to let go: Letting go for growth, success, and well-being.

I strongly believe that courageous leadership starts with believing in oneself. It's all
about embracing the subtle art of quiet leadership, cultivating a mindset of loving our
work, and, most importantly, being present rather than striving for perfection.

Throughout the episodes, I'll be guiding you on how to build resilience, set yourself up
for success as a leader, and create cultures that prioritize psychological safety.

📅 Mark Your Calendars!

The 12th season of The Courageous Leaders Podcast kicks off on January 18th, 2024,
featuring not only insightful interviews but also transformative solo episodes. Hit that
follow button now, so you stay in the loop. Remember, in the world of leadership,
courage is what sets YOU apart.

I’m doing something a little different in this week’s episode and sharing my first solo podcast episode.

We decided to do this to wrap up 2023 and bring to you some of the key highlights of what we covered from our incredible guests that came on the show. There was a strong theme of finding strength in vulnerability as a leader.

Vulnerability is the key to courage, to unlocking human potential, connection, and trust, and that's the foundation to build a high-performing, courageous team.

We are also planning to shake up the podcast next year and I will do even more solo episodes. We want to get that balance of sharing inspiring stories for courageous leaders, and then also sharing some of the coaching tips, educational, and practical things people can do with the information they're hearing.

Key takeaways include:

● The incredible power of vulnerability and sharing who we are despite our fear
● How failure can change the trajectory of our lives by giving us the courage to move
forward
● We can’t grow if we only celebrate our wins
● The importance of seeking help when we burnout
● Being open and authentic about your struggles as a leader
● The trust that you build with others when you embrace your vulnerability

Follow Joanna Howes and The Change Creators:

website: https://www.thechangecreators.com
linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannahowes/