Connecting Is Not Enough - The Networking Radio Show

A fascinating conversation in this week's Connected Leadership Podcast. Andy Lopata is joined from New York City by the 'courageous communicator' Renee Lee Rosenberg, to discuss ages, generations and the huge cultural differences between generations. In today's business world, there are often five generations working in the same place, with ages from 20 to 70+ and this is something that has to be addressed. Renee identifies five generations each having its distinct style: Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y (Millennials) and Gen Z. People have to work hard to understand, accept, acknowledge and show respect for other people and understanding what’s important to them. Andy and Renee look at how leaders, both from the older and the younger generations must adapt to the challenges and get the balance right to overcome them while motivating and retaining employees.

Andy's guest Bruce Y Lee has had an interesting and very varied career. Professor of Health Policy and Management at the New York City University School of Public Health, he is well known for his blogs and articles on science and health, questioning established ways of communicating facts and theories. Bruce takes complicated ideas and makes them simple and engaging.  Andy and Bruce discuss how, despite some opposition, he is changing the tone of science writing, less serious and where appropriate using humour to make it more accessible.  Topics also covered are; the possible effect of using humour when dealing with a serious subject on reputation, and his writing process. Bruce frequently uses stories to illustrate issues and gives some tips for engagement in written communication emphasising the importance of thinking about how the message lands with the receiver.

Andy's guest on this week's Connected Leadership Podcast is from the US. Debbie Heiser is the founder of The Mentor Project, a global project to bring mentoring and support to school and university students. The Mentor Project has successfuly brought together a volunteer community of high achievers across the spectrum. Andy and Debbie explore a new perspective on this subject, lateral mentoring.  They compare hierarchical, lateral and reverse mentoring emphasising the need to both be a mentor and a mentee. Debbie believes everyone has mentors even if they are not always aware of it; this is the strength of lateral mentoring. Mastermind groups, other types of formal and informal mentoring and issues of reciprocity, vulnerability and diversity are part of this discussion.

Exploring the concept of happiness. Andy Lopata and the SUMO guy, Professor Paul McGee, discuss happiness and his new book 'The Happiness Revolution: A Manifesto for Living Your Best Life' by Andy Cope and Paul McGee. Lockdown has changed perspectives. The role of technology and social media in maintaining connections has been very important, but has also caused problems when it hasn't been used properly. A balance is required in identifying 'happiness', it doesn't always need to be goal orientated, you can be happy but still have further ambitions. Unhappiness has led to mental health problems. It is ok not to feel happy all the time. Happier people find it easier to form professional relationships.

In this episode of Connected Leadership Gold Andy Lopata interviews Kerrie Dorman, founder of the Association of Business Mentors and named the 'People's Mentoring Champion' 2019 and Vanessa Vallely OBE, International Motivational Speaker and Managing Director of WeAreTheCity, on the importance of mentoring for individuals, leaders and large organisations. What does a good mentoring relationship look like? Kerrie and Vanessa answer this question and go on to explain the distinction between mentoring, coaching and sponsorship.  

In this episode of The Connected Leadership Podcast, Andy Lopata talks to Nigel Kershaw, Chairman of the Big Issue, Big Issue Invest and Big Issue Exchange. They discuss the startup of the Big Issue by Lord John Bird and its mission to get the homeless off the streets. Seen as a business solution rather than a charity, Andy and Nigel discuss the interdependency between the vendors and the teams and the relationships between the vendors and their clients. They also look at the obstacles they faced and how they have changed the perception of homeless people. As the business has grown and in the current circumstances, digital changes and innovation have been made introducing cashless on the street to protect and help vendors. Big Issue Invest and Big Issue Exchange are an extension of the original mission.

The content for the next few weeks will be taken from the archives to re-visit some of the Connected Leadership Gold podcasts. Andy has some exciting news to share and introduces a previous guest on the podcast to talk about their upcoming collaboration in a new project for 2023. Listen to this short episode to hear the details!

This week in the Connected Leadership Podcast, Andy Lopata talks to Nikki Bush, Human Potential Expert, about what it takes to be a powerful and connected leader in a hybrid environment. Andy and Nikki discuss the importance of empathetic, engaging leadership that connects with employees. The importance of deep listening and an emotional presence even virtually for the retention of staff. Nikki emphasises a high-touch leadership style to improve the quality of conversations. In a hybrid working situation this takes the place of traditional command and control leadership, but the change to hybrid working can lead to more micro-management rather than less. The over use and changes in the set-up and purpose of meetings is also examined. Nikki believes that if you know your team, if you have these deep conversations, everything else will follow.

How can you be an effective leader when you are under pressure and stressed? Andy Lopata discusses this issue with Martin Laschkolnig, global inspirational speaker in self-esteem, serenity, motivation and inner peace. Leaders are not trained for crisis intervention but there are ways they can ease situations for teams and individuals. Martin suggests simple steps including support, comfort and where necessary, counselling. Also the acceptance of the importance of mental health issues and showing that you see the problem, that you are listening. Andy and Martin look at how you can stay calm so that you can find a solution. Acknowledgement that although you can't have control over everything, you can manage what you do have control over.  Martin advises the use of some helpful techniques which can ease stress and help to find solutions.

The theme of this week's podcast is 'Creating Authentic Connections'. Authenticity is a topic that comes up regularly and Andy Lopata invited this week's guest to look at different perspectives on the meaning of authenticity. Roxanne Derhodge is a certified psychotherapist and Forbes Business Council member. Her most recent book is 'Return on Relationships'. Roxanne believes that authenticity results from first understanding yourself and feeling good with who you are inside. Andy and Roxanne talk about the signs of authenticity, the professional and personal personas which leaders have to balance to connect with their teams. Leaders owning up to mistakes, knowing the different needs of their team, helps others to perform. Roxanne outlines her five elements of authentic heart leadership. Authenticity can seem obvious but it starts with understanding yourself and it can be learned, but you need to be willing to make the effort.

One of the legacies of the pandemic is the prevalence of overwhelm and burnout.  Dr Amy Bradley, a professor in leadership and management and a member of the prestigious Thinkers 50 and Dr Katherine Semler, Senior Partner at the global consulting agency Korn Ferry, describe this in their recent book as ‘Running on Empty’. In the workplace there are crises of confidence, pressure, a feeling of being thinly spread and in many cases zoom fatigue. We need to be conscious of the dangers and impact on mental and physical health of doing too much. Experience varies with individuals but there is a real need to find a balance and time for your own space. Andy, Amy and Katherine discuss the effects of admitting to burnout on reputation where there is still a stigma attached to confessing a weakness. There are also gender differences where women, especially mothers take on a double burden. The role of leaders is to provide a culture of support through empathy and compassion. It is our collective responsibility to addres

Andy Lopata's guest on this week's Connected Leadership Podcast is Antoni Lacinai, Global Keynote Speaker and Workplace Communication expert. Antoni's expertise is looking at the internal culture of an organisation and how that affects how employees engage with clients, suppliers and external stakeholders. If a leader doesn't set the tone and create a supportive culture within a company, this can frustrate and affect performance. Command and control leadership, silos within a company, is changing to a culture of engagement. Andy and Antoni discuss how you can get leaders to change a toxic culture using empathy, communication and trust and how leaders build that trust. The workplace is changing, is this a generational issue? Antoni believes that this journey from treating people better internally leads to a common cause, community and ultimately benefits everyone and the planet.

Andy Lopata's guest on this week's Connected Leadership Podcast is Matt Crabtree a corporate entrepreneur who worked with Barclays and other global companies but jumped ship, went freelance as a business consultant and then founded his company Positive Momentum encouraging other expert consultants to take the plunge. Matt and Andy discuss the importance of having the right support network and material backing before making such a change. Matt’s company gives guidance on taking a business-wide approach for a successful outcome. If you are providing expert business advice to one company, why not offer that expertise to a number of companies? Individuals and organisations have to constantly change and a world of consultants exists to help organisations change, so that they can grow. There is a lot of support out there, providing the scaffolding and the unvarnished truth that you don't always get in corporate life. Matt's book 'From Fulltime to Fulfilled' sets out the path potential freelance consultants need to

Looking at relationships between leaders and their teams and between employees, Andy Lopata questions Scott Friedman and Paul ter Wal on their theories of employee engagement. They both believe that if leaders ensure their employees have fun and enjoy their time at work, they will perform better and produce better results. Objectives and core values need to be defined and employees held accountable.  Changes in the workplace including hybrid working means that leaders have to listen and then act in response to what employees are looking for now. Mental health and wellness have become important issues since Covid.  With the move from a command and control model of leadership, empathy is now 90% of a leader's skill.  

Andy Lopata's guest on this week's Connected Leadership Podcast is former Red Arrows pilot and Executive Officer, Dan Lowes. After years as a fighter pilot in the RAF, Dan attended the prestigious Top Gun School testing new weapons systems, before being accepted as a Red Arrows pilot. He is now a high performance coach sharing the lessons he learned about working with teams to help leaders and others become the best they can be. Dan shares insights on how the Red Arrows integrate new pilots into the team without damaging the trust across the team that is so integral to their success. Andy and Dan discuss training, assessment and continuous improvement; the three most valuable approaches used by the Red Arrows to ensure trust and great teamwork. These techniques are equally relevant in business and elsewhere. They also examine the way the team deals with issues of mental health.

After a turbulent few weeks in politics, Andy Lopata shares his interview in 2018, for his book ‘Just Ask’ with the current UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. Andy wanted to explore whether we allow our politicians to be vulnerable and authentic. Or, is every slip, every doubt and every marginal turn magnified? For James there is in politics a ‘massive disincentive to show any kind of vulnerability, any kind of weakness, or any lack of knowledge’. The confrontational nature of Westminster politics encourages this attitude. James explains how this works using the example of the ‘dementia tax’ which caused accusations of a policy U-turn derailing the launch of the 2017 manifesto. He accepts that in other environments such as the military and business, there is an understanding that making mistakes is part of a learning and evolutionary process and people are comfortable with that. James and Andy discuss the possibility of a change in the Westminster culture with a healthier environment in government.  But is

Rebecca Morgan joins Andy Lopata to discuss Psychological Safety in this week's Connected Leadership Podcast. Rebecca has worked with the biggest companies in Silicon Valley, including Google and LinkedIn, looking at leadership practices with a particular focus on a culture that allows people to be vulnerable, to admit mistakes and to be comfortable in speaking up with a different approach without being penalised. Teams should not fear challenging the prevailing narrative. But, skills are needed to know how to be diplomatic and to disagree agreeably. This can only happen in companies with a recognised psychologically safe culture. In an interesting discussion, Andy and Rebecca also explore the value of planning for failure, and how to cope with people who don't accept these concepts.

Andy Lopata's guest on this week's Connected Leadership Podcast is Ben Brabyn former Royal Marine, ecosystem expert and crowdfunding pioneer. During a wide ranging and successful career, Ben developed an interest in network structures and communication between teams and internal networks. In the early days of technology and the internet he recognised the importance of connecting with a vibrant network and created the first crowdfunding platform changing methods of charity fundraising Comparing his experience in the Marines, J P Morgan and the crowdfunding platform, Andy and Ben look how networks are used in organisations. Ben emphasises the importance of listening, of access and of information within a hierarchy. There should also be support, flexibility and collaboration. This dynamic is particularly evident within the military. Leaders have the role of building communication between multiple teams, and to recognise the vital role of long-serving people who are 'the collective memory of an organisation'. And

Elliott Ferguson is the President and Chief Executive of Destination DC and Chairman of Tourism Diversity Matters, looking at race and racism in the hospitality industry. Elliott joins Andy Lopata in a frank, open discussion of how as leaders we should lead conversations about race and how we can manage the feelings and emotions close to this topic. His own experiences as a black leader in the corporate world in the US, the rise of BLM, George Floyd and other significant events have made him very aware of the importance of connecting with your team and providing a safe place for discussion. One effect of the pandemic has been a change in culture and leaders need to lead by example, encouraging teams to focus on things that are important to them. Andy and Elliott also talk about unconscious bias and how to deal with it. Diversity is becoming a priority and the older generation has to change and accept the changes in society.

Andy Lopata's guest on this week's Connected Leadership Podcast is Ray McGrath a senior technology executive and coach for senior leaders. The discussion is about executive loneliness, an unwanted lack of connectedness and how big an issue this is in business. There exists a sense of isolation as a leader and there is a need to have critical friends, where a leader can be completely authentic and able to talk about the challenges and issues that arise. Ray uses stories to illustrate his experiences in this field and the different leaders he meets; the irrelevant, the incompetent and the liar. Leaders often hide their vulnerability and loneliness under a mask of optimism. They need to be an actor and to wear that mask when appropriate and remove it when necessary.