The show is back!  I'm thrilled to be back on the mic, and in your earbuds.  This episode is an audio version, with bonus riffs, of my weekly Leadership Letter newsletter.  You can sign up to get the full letter, including added curated content for leaders, over at StephaniePollock.com  The original essay first appeared here.   

Rise without Compromise

Are you following the old rules, or creating new ones?

I'm back!  After a short hiatus, while I navigated online school for my two kids, I'm back on the mic and am here to give you a quick, time-sensitive update.  Remember Inspector Gadget? This episode is like that: it will disappear from the feed on Wednesday, March 3rd.  I'm also inviting you to join LEAD.Well - my membership community for women looking to become better, braver leaders.  Our prices are going up March 1st from $150/year (CAD) to $770/year.  Visit WeLeadWell.co to sign up.  AND - as a special note, use the coupon code PODLW to get this pricing until the end of the day on March 3rd once the pricing goes up March 1st.  *NOTE: this coupon code is only good for the LEAD.Well Annual Membership, and can't be applied to monthly or the PRO version. And will only work between March 1st and March 3rd.         

Special Disappearing Episode!

 “The most important possible thing you can do, is do a lot of work.” ~Ira Glass Over my years in coaching, I’ve heard many, many stories about something being ‘too hard’ or ‘too overwhelming’. And I’ve heard stories like, “I’m just not good at technology” or “I can’t ever seem to figure out how to launch my new thing,” a million times.  What I want to remind you of today is that what you tell yourself about your work will inform how you experience your work.  If you tell yourself that you suck at writing, you’re going to avoid it like the plague or never put it out there and you’re never going to get better at it.  If you tell yourself that you’re never going to catch up to those further ahead, you won’t because you won’t even begin to try.  If you tell yourself that you’re terrible and inexperienced at managing staff, you’ll avoid dealing with them and make things worse (for you and them).  If you believe that marketing is slimy and overly-complicated, you’ll stay the world’s best-kept secret.  It’s ok to be nervous about something new. And it’s fine to acknowledge where your real (not perceived) limitations are. We are not meant to be brilliant at everything. It’s time to close the gaps. Enjoy the episode. Recommended Resources: Truth: Good things take more time than we’d like The Taste Gap – Ira Glass video  Join LEAD.Well – a new leadership subscription for women who want to be better, braver leaders. Sign up to receive my weekly Leadership Letters Join me on Instagram here or on Twitter

Close the gaps

 People will thank you if you created good rules, because otherwise it’s awkward, and you’re leaving everyone to figure them out on their own. ~Priya Parker Over the past few months, tens of thousands of meetings that would otherwise be conducted in boardrooms, coffee shops, libraries and dining room tables are now being held virtually – over Zoom, Google Meets and Microsoft Meetings. And while current technology allows for connection and continued business communications now more than ever, it isn’t without its problems. Hosts who’ve never conducted an online meeting are trying to push in-person ways into virtual rooms. Participants are exhausted, depleted and Zoomed out. Many meetings leave people feeling disconnected and confused. In today’s episode, we get really practice and offer up a ton of tips and strategies for both hosts and participants. Enjoy the episode.  Recommended Resources: Setting digital boundaries Embrace your humanness Zoom Effectively: Discover Ways to Lead Inclusive Meetings and Participate Productively CV Harquail’s mini-book, Bringing Feminist Practices to Online Work Sessions Why Zoom is terrible The inescapable pressure of being a woman on Zoom Join LEAD.Well – a new leadership subscription for women who want to be better, braver leaders. Sign up to receive my weekly Leadership Letters Join me on Instagram here or on Twitter

How to have meaningful online meetings

 “The courage to be vulnerable is not about winning or losing, it’s about the courage to show up when you can’t predict or control the outcome.” Brené Brown Yesterday, while cooking my seven thousandth meal in the past few weeks, I was listening to one of my favourite podcasts, NPR Politics. These hosts, who have been in my earbuds for years, are now recording from home – trying to produce a high-quality news show, while toddlers climb up their desk chairs and dogs bark in the background. I laughed yesterday, as one hosts’ dog barked a few too many times and she had to tell Buster to just “shush!” It was a moment of realness that pre-pandemic, would have quickly been edited out. There are have been many more of these moments over the past few weeks, as Late Night Show hosts introduce us to their family members, business owners share challenging behind-the-scenes moments of keeping operations afloat, Bon Appetit chefs teach us how to make gourmet Kraft Dinner, and closer to home, we all get glimpses into how people really live thanks to Zoom. And while we all wish COVID19 wasn’t a word in our lexicon, let alone dictating the way we live and work, there are some bright spots amongst the clouds. Our new willingness to let our audiences in – whether they be our friends on Facebook, our team members, our clients or our audiences-at-large – is an opportunity to connect with our people in a deeper, more authentic way. And I think that’s a great thing. Enjoy the episode. Recommended Resources:   Join LEAD.Well – a new leadership subscription for women who want to be better, braver leaders.  Buster the NPR podcast-interrupting dog Notice these moments Children interrupt BBC News interview Sign up to receive my weekly Leadership Letters Join me on Instagram here or on Twitter

Embrace your humanness

 Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returns. Anne Lamott As we find ourselves in the middle of this global pandemic; past the shock and awe of those first few weeks of the shutdown and quarantining, yet still months away from anything that looks like 'normal,' I've been thinking about what we can notice about our experiences, right now. The conversations I'm having with friends, family and clients are ones around the future - what we want, what we no longer want and where we want to put our attention and focus when this is done (or close to done). In today's episode, I talk about the importance of noticing: paying attention to the rhythms of our days, to our energy, to where we find ourselves pulled. I believe these quieter moments in this global pause, can be helpful informants for how we make decisions about the future. Recommended Resources: Join LEAD.Well – a new leadership subscription for women who want to be better, braver leaders. *Price goes up May 11th. Keep a quarantine diary Sign up to receive my weekly Leadership Letters Join me on Instagram here or on Twitter 

Notice these moments

 All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. J.R.R. Tolkien As we all navigate working from home, with partners and kids, and new learning curves – it’s easy to find ourselves feeling foggy, scattered and completely unfocused. Given that most of us are now working from home with more familial demands on our time, it can feel discouraging and futile to carve out focused blocks of time to do your most important work. Here’s where using your margins becomes so very important. Enjoy the episode. Recommended Resources: Join LEAD.Well – a new leadership subscription for women who want to be better, braver leaders.  Pomodoro Technique 3 Reminders for Uncertain Times Sign up to receive my weekly Leadership Letters Join me on Instagram here or on Twitter

Use your margins

In these shorter episodes, I’ve been primarily focusing on how you can better navigate these challenging times. This is the idea of putting our own oxygen masks on first as we can’t give what we don’t have.  Today, I’d like to shift focus and speak to how you can lead others through these times – whether they are co-workers, employees, clients, customers, contractors or even your family members.  We’re all carrying a lot right now, and as uncertainty runs high, it can be easy to find yourself with intrapersonal challenges because everyone is on alert.  This has been a source of many conversations with clients over the past few weeks. As they try to manage their own feelings and actions as a result of the pandemic, they’re also very mindful of the leadership responsibility they have to the people they lead.  So while this list is hardly exhaustive, let me take a moment to share five ways to lead your people through uncertain times. Enjoy the episode. Recommended Resources: Join LEAD.Well – a new leadership subscription for women who want to be better, braver leaders.  Sign up to receive my weekly Leadership Letters Join me on Instagram here or on Twitter

Helping others through uncertain times

 Boundaries are a part of self-care. They are healthy, normal, and necessary. Doreen Virtue As we enter wrap up week six of working from home during COVID-19, many of us are looking forward to a weekend free from yet another Zoom meeting. While I'm grateful for what technology has offered us during this time, it isn't without its challenges. Today, we're going to talk about why setting digital boundaries are vital to preserving your well-being and capacity as a leader - especially now. Enjoy the episode and stay safe. Recommended Resources:  Join LEAD.Well – a new leadership subscription for women who want to be better, braver leaders. Sign up to receive my weekly Leadership Letters Join me on Instagram here or on Twitter 

Setting Digital Boundaries

 Doing nothing is sometimes one of the highest duties of man. G.K. Chesterton Do you worry that you’ve got to make this quarantine count? Are you measuring yourself against what everyone else is getting done while at home? In today’s episode, we continue with our shorter sessions as we navigate COVID-19. We’re going to talk about why there is no test at the end of this and how to let go of the fear of not making this time at home count. Enjoy the episode and stay safe. Recommended Resources: Join LEAD.Well – a new leadership subscription for women who want to be better, braver leaders.  Sign up to receive my weekly Leadership Letters Join me on Instagram here or on Twitter

Ditch your metrics

 We can endure almost anything if we are centered, if we have some focus in our life. You can endure if you have an anchor. Renita J. Weems A reminder that for the next little while, I’ll be publishing more often with shorter episodes as a way to talk about and support you during the uncertainty of the times.  Today I want to chat about finding your anchors.  A month into self-isolation I’ve learned that there are a few things I need to do every day to stay grounded. This goes beyond my micro-moves I talked about in the last episode – those were more about what I wanted to accomplish each day.  My anchors are the activities I do my very best to ensure happen every day, no matter what. These are simple things that help me feel more like myself, turn down the volume on any anxiety I’m feeling and remind me that at this moment – I’m ok.  When I do these things, I feel more capable of taking on the to-do items on my list. And when I do these things, I feel better, more hopeful and like I’ve had a mindset reset. Listen in to hear what they are and how you can find your own. Enjoy the episode. Recommended Resources: Join LEAD.Well – a new leadership subscription for women who want to be better, braver leaders. USE coupon code: communitycare for 30 days free (April sign-ups only) In praise of micro moves Sign up to receive my weekly Leadership Letters Join me on Instagram here or on Twitter 

Find your anchors

 As I mentioned in last week’s extra episode, for the near foreseeable future, I’ll be coming to you more often - every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to drop a shorter episode with the hope of helping you navigate these new and uncertain times.  Alright, let’s dive in.  It’s Monday, April 13th and we’ve been in self-isolation for a solid month now. I don’t know about you, but my productivity has been all over the place. Some hours I’m raring and ready to go, and others I find myself lethargic and questioning my ability to get even the most basic of tasks done.  I know I’m not alone in this - countless pieces online and memes galore speak to this middle place we find ourselves in - where we’re home more and theoretically have more time (though any fellow parent can agree that we don’t have more time - we now just have more fragmented time).  We’ll talk about productivity more in a future episode, but for now, let me offer one simple strategy that’s helping me with the tension of wanting to get my work done while finding myself with depleted energy stores.  Enjoy the episode. Recommended Resources: Join LEAD.Well – a new leadership subscription for women who want to be better, braver leaders. USE coupon code: communitycare for 30 days free (April sign-ups only) Here are the top 5 business lessons I learned in 2017 How to do more brave things Sign up to receive my weekly Leadership Letters Join me on Instagram here or on Twitter

In praise of micro moves

A quick note to share a podcast update. 

Extra Episode: Podcast Update

 No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. ~ Hal Borland We are navigating new territory as the world collectively deals with the impact of COVID19. Today, as we all continue to orient ourselves to this new 'normal', I want to come in and offer three reminders that I'm using daily (ok, hourly) to cope. These three reminders aren't a one-and-done, we'll be flowing in and out of them regularly, but hopefully, they're helpful touchpoints when the anxiety rears its ugly head or you're struggling to stay focused on anything, except refreshing your Twitter feed (or is that just me). Enjoy the episode. Recommended Resources: Join LEAD.Well – a new leadership subscription for women who want to be better, braver leaders. USE coupon code: communitycare for 30 days free Burnout: the Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle Sign up to receive my weekly Leadership Letters Join me on Instagram here or on Twitter 

3 Reminders for Uncertain Times

  “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” ~Coretta Scott King I’m excited to kick-off a brand new series on the podcast all about masterminds, communities and networking for leaders. I’ve been planning this series for a while and given that spring is hopefully right around the corner, it’s a good time to think about getting out into the world and building relationships and deepening connections. And the good news is that all of what we’ll be talking about over the series also translates to the digital world. If you can’t travel, if accessibility is a challenge for you, if you’re a raging introvert or if unexpected forces ie. Coronavirus prohibits going into crowds, we can always leverage the power of online masterminds, communities and networking to support our connection goals.  Today we’re going to talk briefly about all three, and why they matter in your own leadership development path. It’s easy to take connection and community for granted in our busy, on-demand world, but it’s a vital component to how we get better as leaders and how we stay resilient in the face of uncertainty, change and setbacks.  Enjoy the episode! Recommended Resources: Join LEAD.Well – a new leadership subscription for women who want to be better, braver leaders. Learn more and apply to the Leadership League Mastermind Sign up to receive my weekly Leadership Letters Join me on Instagram here or on Twitter

[new series]: Masterminds, Communities and Networking

The Rise without Compromise podcast is a weekly show designed to help entrepreneurial women become better business leaders and CEOs. Episodes will explore leadership ideas and insights specific to the challenges and opportunities faced by micro-business owners. Stephanie Pollock will cover topics like self-leadership, productivity, growth strategies, sustainability, scalability and cultivating a powerful mindset. The Rise without Compromise will help you move beyond the daily demands of running your business - and step into a space where you can experiment, innovate & claim your place as an expert - without sacrificing yourself in the process.

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Rise without Compromise

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