In this episode, Andy interviews Janet Polach, author of The Strategic Leader’s Mindset: Unlocking the Keys to Success. They discuss the struggles that come with the journey of transitioning from tactical to strategic roles. Janet shares insights from her book on how to develop a strategic mindset, work through people, and stay authentic.

The conversation covers key challenges in leadership, such as delegation, decision-making under ambiguity, and the importance of authentic communication. Janet highlights the benefits of structured thinking time and the potential pitfalls of empowerment. The episode provides practical advice for new and experienced leaders aiming to move from day-to-day management to higher-level strategic thinking.

Whether you’re already at a higher level of leadership or want to prepare so you’re ready for it, this episode is for you!

Sound Bites

  • “What I’ve discovered in coaching executive leaders is that it’s about how do you think about things differently? How do you think more broadly? How do you take more risks? How do you lean into ambiguity?”
  • “Surround yourself with people who are more courageous, who are more comfortable in ambiguity. You, as a leader, don’t have to be the perfectly all-knowing, courageous, ambiguous kind of leader.”
  • “Set a timeline for the decision… after all, especially at the executive level, we always want more information. But there’s a diminishing return because you’ll lose the opportunity of time. So maybe by Friday you have three options; by the following Friday, you decide.”
  • “How would we make this worse? So together… everybody has fun with this.”

Chapters

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 02:03 Start of Interview
  • 02:57 What Stays the Same As Your Grow in Leadership? What Changes?
  • 05:54 What It Means To Think Strategically
  • 11:08 The Value of International Exposure
  • 13:47 Empowering Others and Delegation
  • 17:31 Handling Difficult Team Members
  • 21:38 Understanding Employee Termination Fears
  • 22:39 Decision Making Amidst Ambiguity
  • 24:36 Techniques for Facilitating Meetings
  • 26:43 Strategic Leader Success Stories
  • 28:27 End of Interview
  • 28:54 Andy Comments After the Interview
  • 32:48 Outtakes

Learn More

You can learn more about Janet, her work, and her coaching services at JanetPolach.com/coaching.

For more learning on this topic, check out:

  • Episode 360 for my first interview with Janet about mistakes new managers make.
  • Episode 391 with Adam Bryant about making the leap to a new level of leadership.
  • Episode 320 with Greg Githins about how to think strategically.

Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast!

Talent Triangle: Power Skills

Topics: Leadership, Project Management, Strategic Mindset, Management, Empowerment, Decision Making, Authenticity, Culture, Coaching, Trust, Ambiguity

The following music was used for this episode:

Music: On Point by Steven O’Brien
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Synthemania by Frank Schroeter
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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