335: Leadership Skills: 3 Questions to Help You Hear Your Inner Voice

·11 min·1 clip

Andrea reveals how her childhood quiet time and a conversation with Joe McCormick about silence are essential for leaders to avoid being scattered.

Andrea opens the episode by mentioning a recent interview with Joe McCormick about his book 'Quiet Works', which discusses making silence a key part of the workday. She connects this to her own lifelong habit of seeking quiet time, starting from childhood nights alone and young adulthood journaling. Andrea explains that without such processing, thoughts become scattered, and for leaders, this leads to confusion and anxiety among team members. She recounts her experience with the Voxer app, where she could think aloud freely, and the shift to Slack, which required more concise and intentional messaging. Andrea emphasizes that quiet time allows for editing thoughts before sharing them, preventing reactive responses and reducing noise. She introduces the Voice Model, a framework used with clients that includes vision, offer, initiative, curiosity, and empathy to foster intentional communication. Andrea then details a practical three-question exercise for processing experiences: acknowledging what happened and its impact, assessing personal impressions, and deciding on next actions. She notes that this practice helps defer decisions when needed, such as in disagreements, allowing for thoughtful approaches. Andrea argues that this process is essential for finding one's inner voice, clarifying perspective, and making that voice matter more. The episode is structured as a solo monologue where Andrea blends personal stories, professional insights, and actionable advice. Recurring themes include the value of silence, the dangers of scattered leadership, and the need for intentionality in communication. Key moments include her transition from Voxer to Slack, the explanation of the Voice Model, and the step-by-step guide to the three questions. Andrea concludes by encouraging listeners to reach out for help in developing their voice of influence, reinforcing that individual and team voices matter.

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