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Mastering Your PIE: The Secret Recipe for Career Acceleration with Linda Strange · Loud & Lifted

0:00
Welcome to Loud and Lifted. I'm your host, Betsy
0:02
Hamm. Today, we're diving into one of my absolute
0:05
favorite professional development tools, Pi,
0:08
performance, image, and exposure. I'm joined
0:12
by Linda Strange, my former business coach and
0:14
a leadership guru to unpack why mastering your
0:17
Pi isn't optional, it's essential. We'll talk
0:20
about what each element means, why so many people
0:23
get stuck focusing on just one, performance.
0:26
and how you can recalibrate if your pie is off
0:29
track. This isn't just about climbing the ladder.
0:31
It's about owning how you show up, how you're
0:34
perceived, and how you're positioned for the
0:36
opportunities you deserve. Welcome to loud and
0:47
lifted Linda. I'm so happy to have you here.
0:51
So great to see you, Betsy. And I'm so excited
0:52
to be here as well. So before we get into the
0:55
topic, which is one of my favorite topics, Pi,
0:57
and anybody who's listened knows I mention it
0:59
like every other episode, let's talk a little
1:02
bit about you, how we even know each other and
1:05
how we even became connected. It's crazy when
1:07
we think about it, right? Because we were just
1:09
saying it's been 20 years since you and I met.
1:12
And a bit about me that you know is that, you
1:14
know, I spent 20 years with the Hershey company.
1:16
So that was kind of my corporate career. I was
1:18
in sales and marketing. I morphed into like a
1:21
sales trainer. And then I was like, wow, I really
1:23
love this work. I love working with the workforce
1:26
and emerging leaders and helping them, you know,
1:29
kind of get started in their careers and doing
1:31
training and facilitation. And so I kind of took
1:34
that then to the next level and got into an organizational
1:37
development role. Never went back to sales, although
1:40
I always say, you know, kind of selling organizational
1:43
development initiatives is selling as well. But
1:45
I just love that work. And so after 20 years
1:48
with the Hershey company, I went out on my own,
1:50
started my own business called People Tracks.
1:52
which is when I started to do some work with
1:54
Hershey Entertainment and you and I were connected.
1:57
And the focus of people tracks has been kind
2:00
of the same, like everything that I learned in
2:03
those roles at Hershey, coaching and emerging
2:05
leaders, leadership development, training and
2:08
facilitation, and really just. My passion is
2:12
really helping emerging leaders maximize their
2:15
potential and kind of set themselves on the career
2:19
journey or the career path that they want. Well,
2:21
I can say you helped me do that. That started
2:23
20 years ago and I had the opportunity to work
2:25
with you for several years in a coaching capacity.
2:28
And a lot of those things that you taught me
2:30
20 years ago, I still use and refer back to.
2:33
Well, maybe save the whole circle of influence,
2:35
circle of control for another day. But today
2:37
we're going to dig into Pi. which was an idea
2:41
that you had shared with actually the women in
2:43
leadership group years ago. And out of all the
2:46
things that I have learned for my career, the
2:48
one that has stuck with me, the one that I have
2:50
taught pretty much any woman on my team, I actually
2:53
try to enforce this with my teenage daughters.
2:56
because I think it's relevant to anyone, not
2:59
just a professional setting, but schools, sports,
3:01
take your pick. So it's been mentioned on a couple
3:03
of previous episodes, but we have to have the
3:06
expert here, the one who introduced this to me,
3:08
to really talk us through like, what is it? What
3:10
is pie? What and why should we care about it?
3:13
I love that. And I love that you're Talking pie
3:16
with your teenage daughters, which I've done
3:18
as well with my kids because the earlier you
3:21
look I always wish that I had learned this earlier
3:23
in my career I even you know have done this kind
3:26
of work with interns and that kind of thing because
3:28
you know you get this idea and This concept early
3:31
on it can really help you. So the the pie model
3:34
is I like to call it a career enrichment or a
3:37
career effectiveness model. And it's like you
3:39
said, it's super easy to embrace. And that's
3:41
what people like about it the most because it's
3:43
something they can remember and it reflects the
3:46
interplay of three important components on your
3:48
career. So P for performance, I for image and
3:51
E for exposure. So, you know, performance is
3:55
easy to wrap your hands around, right? It's,
3:57
it's what you're praised on, what you're, what's
3:59
expected of you, the role that you have, the
4:02
things that you do every day. responsibilities.
4:05
I, a little bit more difficult to wrap your arms
4:08
around, right? So it has to do, it's for image.
4:12
And it has to do with your reputation and the
4:15
words that people use to describe you, which
4:18
usually scares people half to death when they
4:20
think about that. But it's your personal brand,
4:23
right? And what I say about pie is you have to
4:26
really be aware of what your image is, because
4:30
if you don't craft your eye, it will be crafted
4:32
for you. So we'll talk more about that. But it's
4:35
an interesting thing to think about. And then
4:37
E is exposure. It's, you know, who's mentoring
4:41
you, your advocates, your network, the things
4:43
you do outside of work where you're making important
4:45
connections. And really, if you think about E,
4:48
it's the showcase for the other two. Because
4:51
when you have those opportunities to get in front
4:53
of people, you have advocates that you're in
4:56
meetings with, how are you showcasing your P
5:01
and how are you building or crafting your I when
5:05
you have that stage? So that's what the E stands
5:09
for. And I know that you know this really well.
5:12
No, it's always good to have a refresh because
5:13
I talk about it a lot, so I should make sure
5:15
I'm saying the right thing. The right things.
5:18
Yeah. I think sometimes it's important to share
5:23
some personal stories about that. So I'll share
5:26
one of mine. And then I'd like you to share one
5:29
of yours. I think it could be helpful for the
5:31
group. So there's a reason why this is really
5:34
important early on in your career. And I never
5:36
really had this concept. And I'll share a story
5:39
that was really a turning point in my career.
5:41
And it really had to do with getting some coaching
5:44
on Pi, and specifically I. One of the difficult
5:48
things about I is that Not only is it difficult
5:51
for us to wrap our arms around, but it's usually
5:54
difficult for managers to coach on it. It's not
5:57
a natural thing. Some managers are just really
6:01
intuitively good at giving eye type of feedback,
6:04
but most aren't. For I, which is super important
6:08
and could be something that's derailing your
6:11
career. You don't even know about it. It's important
6:12
for us to, you know, be aware, get the feedback
6:15
we need if it's not being given to us. So the
6:18
story I have to tell is years ago when I was
6:20
at Hershey and I was the new director of sales,
6:23
staffing, training and development. And I was.
6:26
kind of a leading edge type of innovative thinker
6:28
when it came to OD types of initiatives and a
6:32
little bit more of a risk taker than most HR
6:34
people would be because I came from a sales and
6:37
marketing background. But I was in the process
6:40
of creating this kind of leading edge DE &I initiative,
6:43
which was kind of new to the organization at
6:46
the time, so years and years ago. And I went,
6:50
my supervisor, who was the VP of sales and also
6:54
the chief customer officer, he and I went to
6:57
present this initiative and get approval from
7:00
HR group to move forward with this. So I had
7:03
what I thought was an unbelievable presentation
7:05
and presented it with all the facts and you know
7:09
just the excitement that I had about moving this
7:12
forward in the organization. And it was met with
7:15
a lot of pushback because it was kind of leading
7:18
edge and maybe a little risk taking. And so it
7:23
wasn't like they put the kibosh on it, but they
7:25
started asking me a lot of questions. And my
7:28
response to those questions were maybe what they
7:31
not should not have been. Not that I was disrespectful,
7:34
but I think I got defensive. likely I was had
7:38
some facial expressions and body language, which
7:40
were like, how can you be questioning this? And,
7:44
you know, just kind of that, almost like a leadership,
7:47
what I look at now is probably like a leadership
7:50
in maturity. Like, this is so awesome. How come
7:53
we're not all jumping on on board with this?
7:55
So anyway, when my boss and I, my supervisor
7:59
and I left and went back to, you know, our offices,
8:02
he said, Let me talk to you for a minute. You
8:04
got a minute?" And it was so awesome the way
8:08
he put this. But you talk about coaching on I.
8:12
He said to me, I love your passion and everyone
8:15
in our organization loves your passion. But I
8:20
fear that when you show up in those situations,
8:24
You get reactionary and impatient. You wear your
8:28
heart on your sleeve because this is really important
8:30
to you. I know that about you, but they don't
8:32
know you as well. I would hate for them to think
8:35
that you are an emotional, reactionary, impatient
8:40
type of leader. He said, I want you to focus
8:42
on a word and that's poise. I don't want you
8:47
to lose your passion, but I want you to share
8:49
your passion with poise. Understand that when
8:52
people are asking questions, They want the product
8:55
to be better. It's not that they are challenging
8:58
you. They just want the product to be better.
9:01
And that fact -finding is important for this
9:03
initiative to fly. So we're going to have another
9:05
chance to do this, and we're going to work on
9:08
how we show up in that way. And we'll get this
9:11
thing moving forward, but I don't want your reputation
9:13
to suffer. Oh my gosh. What an amazing coach
9:16
and boss to handle it that way. So, okay, this
9:17
is like however many years ago, 20 and some years
9:21
ago, but I remember it as a turning point. And
9:24
I always think because I, you know me, I'm an
9:27
excitable person. I'm passionate. And some of
9:30
those things are my strength, but I try very
9:33
hard to keep that poise word in mind. And that
9:36
comes from that little image or eye coaching
9:39
session that I had. That is so awesome. I can
9:42
totally relate to that. I can't say I ever got
9:44
feedback that nice, but having the passion and
9:48
the enthusiasm, I can be defensive. And, you
9:51
know, I was aware of the image piece and I think
9:53
we get stuck on like, well, what are we wearing
9:56
and how do we look? part of it, right? That's
9:58
part of the image. But it's so much about how
10:01
you talk to people and the facial expressions
10:04
you make and your body language. And, you know,
10:06
I can think back times even recently where maybe
10:09
I'm making that, you know, WTF face or whatever
10:14
it is, you know, like where you're and you have
10:16
it's poise is such a great word that you kind
10:18
of have to maintain composure and control and
10:22
still get your point across, but once you become
10:24
defensive or combative or just snarky, like everybody
10:28
else. like doesn't listen to you anymore. So
10:31
it's being able to have that control to be able
10:34
to respond in a way that's productive versus
10:36
people being like, Oh, she's annoying. She's
10:39
emotional. Exactly. And you know, I found it
10:41
in that particular situation, a great thing to
10:43
do is just open up some questions. Like when
10:46
you feel yourself getting, because you and I
10:48
have also talked about triggers and like trigger
10:50
thing where like somebody is questioning my brilliance.
10:56
I'm clearly in the right. Well, now that's a
10:59
different perspective. Like Tell Me More is just
11:02
a way more poised way to like move forward with
11:04
trying to collaborate on things. So it's just
11:07
one story, one example. I don't know if you have
11:10
a personal story to share that you might share
11:13
with the group as well. A lot of my challenges
11:15
I think have been around that. It's been around
11:16
being defensive and being coming across combative
11:19
and then people kind of shut you down. So it's
11:22
been trying to focus on the poise and the control
11:25
of that. And I think about through my career
11:27
being so aware of this with women on my team
11:31
and especially younger team members where, you
11:34
know, whether it's on a team's meeting, like
11:36
the virtual or they're sitting in a conference
11:38
room. And this is like, goes back to lean in,
11:40
right? Like they come in and they sit in the
11:42
back of the room and they don't raise their hand
11:45
or, you know, try to add any value to the meeting.
11:48
And they're just, sometimes you can even see
11:49
them if they, I would force them to sit at the
11:51
table, sometimes outside their comfort zone.
11:53
And you could see some were just so. uncomfortable,
11:56
like they would try to make themselves smaller.
11:58
And again, it goes back to that image that that
12:00
like, oh, she doesn't deserve to be here. So
12:04
something I've just been so aware of one being
12:07
introduced this so young, not that I've done
12:09
it perfectly. And then having a boss who is very
12:13
big on pie with image and exposure and getting
12:16
out there. It does really make it top of mind
12:19
of like, okay, how do I do this better? And I
12:22
know in the past, we've talked about like those
12:24
enhancers and derailers, right? So how do you
12:26
kind of look at some of those things that enhance
12:29
your pie and what are some of those things that
12:31
can derail it? Absolutely. We've been talking
12:34
about eye a lot because it is one of those things
12:37
that you have to wrap your arms around a little
12:38
bit more. But going back to P, I think the important
12:42
thing to think about is P is table stakes. You
12:45
have to perform before you think about these
12:47
other things. You can be doing a great job with
12:50
your image, but if you're a low performer, then
12:52
the table stakes is performance. It's a thing
12:55
to focus on. It's the foundation, obviously,
12:57
and then the irony just grow on that. And you
13:00
know, so it's the kind of thing where as your
13:03
career progresses, where you've become a strong
13:07
performer over time is the time to like really
13:10
think about these things. And also when you go
13:12
into a new role, you know, you may have been
13:14
spending, you know, strong performers spending
13:16
a lot of time on I and E and then you, you know,
13:19
you do a good job there and you get that promotion.
13:21
Now you're in a new role. You kind of have to
13:24
shift back to making P your focus, right? And
13:28
not to diminish the I and E. point, but it's
13:30
really kind of pies a journey almost through
13:33
your career. We haven't talked a lot about E
13:35
yet. And, you know, E is one of those things
13:38
where, like I said, it's about your network.
13:40
It's about your, you know, gaining sponsorship
13:43
and mentorship and advocacy. Like, who are those
13:45
people that are sharing stories about you and
13:48
advocating for you when you're not even there,
13:51
right? So that's super important as well. And,
13:54
you know, I think about the fact that in this
13:56
remote and hybrid world, E is become more of
14:00
a challenge because kind of the myth about E
14:03
in the past has been that exposure is those things
14:06
that I wait for. Like it's the annual sales meeting.
14:11
town hall event where, you know, all the leadership
14:14
team is there. It's the cocktail hour before
14:17
this affinity group meeting, like whatever the
14:19
case might be when you're going to have the opportunity
14:22
to, you know, brush elbows with a lot of leadership
14:25
team and stuff. And that's really important.
14:27
And those things still happen. And at those types
14:31
of things, it is important to not sit with your
14:34
team. go into the corner and just be snacking
14:38
on the vegetable tray with the people you work
14:40
with every day. But take the risk. Take the risk
14:43
to go up to the CEO or one of the VPs and say,
14:47
I know we've met briefly, but we don't know each
14:50
other that well. And I just wanted to say hello.
14:52
I'm working on a lot of great projects right
14:54
now. Just taking that opportunity for that little,
14:56
what we call that little elevator speech when
14:58
you have the opportunity and not standing in
15:00
the corner with the people you know. So those
15:03
types of things. And of course, you know, you
15:05
have the opportunity to do a presentation at
15:07
a leadership meeting or an executive meeting.
15:10
I mean, that you are ready to really showcase
15:14
that P and I when you have those opportunities.
15:17
So not to diminish those because we need to totally
15:20
focus on them and really be intentional. But,
15:23
you know, the myth about E is it's only those
15:27
things. Well, I call those things the Broadway
15:29
stage. But we have opportunities for E every
15:33
day. So think community theater. Because, you
15:38
know, you're on a Zoom call with your team. You're
15:41
on, you have the opportunity, as you said, maybe
15:44
your manager's on vacation and they've asked
15:46
you to sit in on the weekly team meeting with
15:49
their peers or you're, you know, in this remote
15:52
world, you're in a Zoom meeting like that, or,
15:55
you know, whatever the case might be. You have
15:57
to take that opportunity to kind of craft. your
16:00
eye. So engaging, asking questions, contributing.
16:05
You want to be as intentional about those small
16:08
kind of community theater events as you are the
16:10
big events. So that's kind of the myth about
16:13
E. The other thing that I would say about E is
16:16
in this remote hybrid world, it's become more
16:18
of a challenge. So much so. So much so. And I
16:22
think that what I'm finding with a lot of folks
16:26
is that they're really enjoying this hybrid remote
16:28
situation, which is great, right? Who wouldn't?
16:31
But the less time that you're in the office and
16:33
the less exposure you get, the more intentional
16:36
you have to be to make sure people know who you
16:39
are, what you're producing, what you're doing.
16:42
from a networking standpoint on the side. And
16:45
so when you have those opportunities, take them,
16:49
you know, if you have the opportunity to work
16:51
one day a week in the office or two, you might
16:54
consider going in two days a week if it's an
16:56
opportunity to have water cooler conversation.
16:59
And maybe Tuesdays is the weekly meeting where
17:01
you have the opportunity to shine and contribute.
17:04
It's just a matter of thinking through those
17:06
things and, and to absolutely not miss. when
17:10
there is kind of an opportunity for exposure.
17:13
I'll tell you about a little story about a client
17:16
that I was coaching. And he's very excited about
17:19
working remotely and doesn't necessarily feel
17:22
the need to be in the office. And it was the
17:23
company. This is a small, you know, a smaller
17:27
local kind of insurance company. So it's not
17:29
a big company, but they have an annual Christmas
17:33
party and everybody's there. And it's the opportunity
17:35
for networking, that kind of thing. And he said
17:38
to me, I don't think I'm going to go. I have
17:39
a soccer game. And I said, I don't know that
17:42
that's a great choice. This is an opportunity
17:45
to get dressed up, go to the Christmas party,
17:48
say hello to all the folks that have something
17:50
to do with your career. And I convinced him to
17:53
do so, and he was glad that he did. But I was
17:57
kind of surprised that he was going to go that
18:00
route. But I think the more people are working
18:03
at home, they... they just kind of don't think
18:05
about how important those opportunities are.
18:08
So maybe you have some thoughts on that because
18:10
you were at organizations that started working
18:13
remotely. Right. Yeah, it's funny, you know,
18:15
the first part of my career, everything was in
18:17
the office all the time. So it was trying to
18:19
be intentional. Of course, I love the Broadway
18:21
versus like the community stage. But it's even
18:24
if you're in an office, like stopping by and
18:27
saying hello, like if somebody sitting and if
18:29
it's appropriate, I understand some situations
18:31
stopping by at a high level person is not appropriate.
18:33
But if you see them in the hallway, see them
18:35
in the lunchroom, like it's just engaging them.
18:37
And you don't even sometimes have to have your
18:39
elevator pitch right away. Maybe it's just Maybe
18:41
it's introducing yourself. Maybe it's, you know,
18:44
making a comment about the weather. They're kids.
18:46
I don't know. Take a pic, but you know, it doesn't
18:48
have to be overcomplicated when you start just
18:51
to sort of make that intro. Because I think if
18:53
you start small, then you kind of build that
18:55
confidence that like, oh, they didn't blow me
18:58
off or act like they didn't know who I was. So
18:59
you can kind of build the confidence over with
19:01
those small little like safe conversations. Yes,
19:05
for sure. And I think too now then also being
19:07
on like the receiving end of that, right? Like
19:10
I, I loved when people who maybe I didn't work
19:12
with a ton, even though it was a smaller company
19:14
would stop in my office and it could just be
19:16
a little bit, a little BS, right? Just to, Hey,
19:19
I saw this or the Steelers lost again, whatever,
19:21
doesn't matter. But they made the intention to
19:23
make a connection with me, which I appreciated.
19:26
And I think even if you're not in office, sometimes
19:28
it's sending an email. So sometimes I would get
19:30
an email from somebody that I didn't really have
19:33
a reason to interact with a lot, but they'd say,
19:35
Hey, thanks so much for this or I love that we're
19:38
doing that. It was just acknowledging something
19:41
that was happening at the company, not complaining,
19:43
not a good way for the exposure, but just reaching
19:46
out with like positive feedback about something
19:48
that was happening in the company. And I appreciated
19:50
that. And then that gave me a reason to engage
19:53
with that person. So a lot of times that's how
19:55
those relationships could start because it just
19:57
started with something as simple as like, Hey,
19:59
I love that we're doing this. Or I saw that the
20:01
company did that and just sort of open that door,
20:03
probably made them more comfortable. And then
20:05
realize like, Oh, this isn't scary, like I can
20:07
have conversations with her. Absolutely. And,
20:10
you know, it's funny that you say that because
20:12
most people will say, when I engage and try and
20:16
meet new people, a lot of times it's because
20:18
of my the E, like I'm engaging in E, but it's
20:22
because what I know about that person, I know
20:24
that Betsy has teenage daughters, I know that
20:26
she's, you know, unfortunately, a Steelers fan.
20:31
those kinds of things because you know or you
20:34
know I'll say like in my elevator speech that
20:37
I play I still play competitive tennis and I
20:39
did the Susan G Komen walk for breast cancer
20:42
three times and you know when I do my little
20:45
intro when I'm you know kind of involved in presentation
20:49
or or even just like teaching a pie class that
20:53
has the elevator speech exercise and it's amazing
20:56
how many people come up to me like at a break
20:58
and whatever like I play tennis too or you know
21:01
I have a son that lives where your son lives
21:03
in California or oh my gosh I've done that. walk.
21:07
And so that's kind of a lot of times sharing
21:10
kind of those things that you do either outside
21:13
of work or even inside of work, but maybe outside
21:15
of your daily role. Sometimes that's the way
21:17
to make the connection then to get more familiar
21:20
with people. So then you can kind of expand on
21:23
your eye at some point, let them know more about
21:26
what you do professionally and that kind of thing.
21:28
But those are a lot of times kind of the entry
21:31
into the relationship. Absolutely. And sometimes
21:33
you have to start small. And sometimes I understand
21:35
people aren't all extroverted like us, where
21:38
they're not comfortable starting, you know, those
21:40
random conversations. So start with a conversation
21:43
you're comfortable with or a compliment, whatever
21:45
it is, it doesn't have to be complicated. I think
21:48
that's where people get a little hung up or like,
21:50
what are they going to do? Walk away from you?
21:51
Like, what's the worst that can happen if you
21:53
talk to somebody? Exactly. Exactly. It's about
21:57
taking that risk. And, you know, you bring up
22:00
a few points about when I think about my coaching
22:04
clients over years, and specifically women. The
22:08
themes that I see around some mistakes that people
22:11
make around I, specifically women, are a couple
22:14
things I want to share. First of all, the total
22:18
over -focus on P. with less focus on INE. You
22:23
know, it's very easy to get very secure in the
22:26
job that we do. And we're very, it's a security
22:29
blanket. Like I do this job, I do it really well.
22:33
It's my thing. I'm the go -to person. I get a
22:36
lot of confidence from being really good at this
22:38
job. And I might be putting 150 % into this job,
22:42
but my eyes are down. And the point of that is
22:47
to, it's not all about, and you know, now in
22:49
a remote world, it even makes it a little different.
22:51
But when we were all in the office, I would see
22:55
people in their offices with their doors closed
22:57
and just knocking out work and tasks and to -do
23:01
lists and, you know, staying in the office till
23:04
hours. And that's only part of it, because when
23:06
your eyes are down, you are missing opportunities,
23:09
because it's never the person that's working
23:12
150 % that never has any exposure or is not trying
23:17
to craft their brand that gets the promotions,
23:20
right? It doesn't happen that way. It really
23:22
has to be an interplay of all the three. So I
23:25
say the first thing, and even in this remote
23:27
world, it's even more important, is have your
23:29
eyes up, looking for those opportunities for
23:32
more exposure. opportunity to just, that people
23:35
know who you are and what you stand for and not
23:37
just the work you do. And I see, you know, women
23:40
tend to have, and I may be over generalizing
23:43
a little bit, but the themes that I've seen with
23:46
the women versus the men I coach is the women
23:49
tend to have that more of that over -focus perfectionist
23:53
thing on P sometimes. So are you given 150 %
23:57
to P where you can be given 110 and given a little
24:00
time to the other stuff? Because the expectations
24:03
are not Not everybody's given 150%. You don't
24:06
need to do that. You need to think about the
24:08
interplay of three. And it's funny too, because
24:11
I always think, I just think through people I've
24:13
met through my career, I feel like women struggle
24:15
more with the exposure piece because they feel
24:17
like they're going to come across as being cockier,
24:19
taking the credit for something that was a team
24:21
and, oh, people just know what I'm doing and
24:24
kind of keep their head down. working on their
24:25
performance versus men have a natural ability,
24:29
I feel like, to be able to get that exposure
24:31
to bullshit with people, whatever it is, they
24:33
just, they have that ability to get that exposure
24:35
and it feels natural. Like it doesn't, some guys
24:37
might not feel natural, might feel a little over
24:40
the top, but it just seems like women struggle
24:42
with that as an approach to get those exposure.
24:45
And it may be because they don't have, they have,
24:47
you know, men seem to create those like more
24:49
casual networks. of, you know, this people like
24:52
golf with and maybe have beers with or, you know,
24:55
whatever. And then it's easier to kind of like
24:58
build their network. For women, sometimes it
25:01
has to be a little bit more intentional. And
25:03
we can have those networks as well with women
25:06
at different levels in organizations. But again,
25:08
it takes a little bit of work, right? And that
25:11
goes back to the boys club versus the girls club.
25:13
The boys club is because they do that and Nobody
25:17
wants to be excluded from a club, but that's,
25:19
I don't think it's intentional. Most of the time
25:20
are malicious. It's just how they operate versus
25:22
women. We have a harder time creating those relationships
25:25
and establishing that. So there isn't a girls
25:28
club. So we should work on the girls community,
25:30
right? That sounds more inclusive. No matter
25:32
if you work for a really small company or a really
25:34
large one, take the initiative to kind of build
25:37
a circle. of women, you know, that can be supportive
25:40
and that you have, you know, the opportunity
25:43
to kind of vent to once in a while or go have
25:45
a drink after work or get together. And a lot
25:48
of us, too, are moms at different ages of lives
25:52
within our kids' lives and stuff. And so, you
25:55
know, having that network to be able to talk
25:57
about kind of the challenges of balancing kind
26:00
of the work life thing and where your kids are
26:02
and, you know, in their lives. And those things
26:05
have been really kind of irreplaceable in my
26:09
life to have those circles. And it's so funny,
26:11
every single woman on this episode or on any
26:13
episode has said the same thing, like you need
26:15
the support, you need the circle, you need multiple
26:17
circles, right? There could be some professional,
26:19
personal, but you need that support and you need
26:21
those circles. you're not going to be successful.
26:24
No one's doing it on their own. If they're not
26:26
available to them, take the initiative to create
26:28
it. It doesn't have to be a formal, I mean, great
26:31
if it could be like a formal kind of leadership
26:33
affinity group, women in leadership type of thing,
26:36
but it doesn't need to be that formalized either.
26:39
If you're in a small organization or working
26:41
hybrid, kind of craft one on your own. Right.
26:45
Okay. So if someone's listening to this, and
26:46
this is the first time they've heard about Pi,
26:48
and now they're sitting there probably thinking
26:50
about their performance. What do you suggest?
26:57
So a couple of little techniques, I think, is
27:01
to think about your eye. Well, first of all,
27:05
think about your P and say, Have I been performing?
27:08
Do I have performance appraisals and conversations
27:11
with my manager that lead me to believe that
27:12
I am performing at an acceptable or exceptional
27:16
or effective level? That's table stakes, right?
27:19
And then if you say, yeah, that's true. That's
27:22
true. Then you want to think about your I and
27:23
your E. little trick or a little technique for
27:27
your eye that I mentioned earlier that scares
27:29
people half to death is To think about the words
27:32
that people would just how people would describe
27:34
you when you leave a room Now that can be a little
27:37
scary and you're like, oh my gosh I have no idea
27:40
and you have to be really honest with yourself,
27:42
right? so imagine you're in a meeting or on a
27:45
zoom call or whatever and Think about how you
27:48
showed up and go. How would people describe me?
27:51
And if you don't know the answer that question
27:54
You can do a little 360 and ask some peers. Ask
27:57
your boss. I've asked my kids. That's really
28:00
scary when your kids come back with stuff. I'm
28:03
not doing that. I realize that my sons are way
28:06
less judgmental than my daughter is on me. Two
28:09
words were really scary. But one of them was
28:12
stalwart, which the other kids were like, we
28:14
don't even know what that means. It means like
28:17
hard working and generous combination. That was
28:20
my son -in -law, right? So he's gonna be nice
28:23
to me. That's the nicest one, of course. So that's
28:26
a really important exercise. And then there's
28:29
kind of a part two to that exercise, right? So
28:31
maybe you kind of write down what you think and
28:35
then maybe you ask people to give you some feedback,
28:37
your peers, your boss, your direct reports, whatever
28:40
the case might be. You compare them and you say,
28:43
okay, here's some matches. but here's some gaps
28:46
like I didn't know that I was seen like this
28:49
and then you start to think about What words
28:52
do I want to add to my list that aren't there
28:54
right now? And with the idea of what's my aspiration?
28:59
Is my aspiration to become more masterful in
29:01
the role that I'm in? Or is my aspiration to
29:04
grow in the organization? Make lateral moves,
29:07
like what is your aspiration? And then you have
29:09
to think about like, what are the words if I'm
29:12
looking to grow in the organization and I've
29:14
been in an individual contributor role for a
29:16
while, or I'm looking to get to the next level
29:18
of leadership? I want to really look at my words
29:21
and say, are those the words that are going to
29:23
get me there? I had a client once who did the
29:27
words and asked about them and came back and
29:29
was really excited. And this was somebody who
29:31
wanted to grow in the organization. And her words
29:34
were things like friendly, fun, cooperative,
29:38
accommodating, and personable. And she was really
29:43
excited about that. And I'm like, those are great
29:45
words, and you should be very proud of them.
29:48
But does somebody want to promote you into a
29:51
leadership role with those words? What are the
29:54
words that we need to add? And what's the role
29:56
that you want? Is it a marketing role? Do you
29:58
need to be more strategic? Do you need to be
30:00
more innovative? Do you need to be more leading
30:02
edge? Do you need to be more creative or collaborative?
30:08
Like those are great words, but they're probably
30:11
great words that are going to keep you in the
30:12
job that you're in. supporting others, being
30:15
personable, being fun, like it's great to be
30:17
fun. You can still be fun and be innovative.
30:20
Right. What do we want to add? And then when
30:23
you think about the words that you want to add,
30:25
then it becomes really kind of an intentional
30:27
thing to say, if I'm going to get this exposure
30:32
opportunity on this zoom call, and there's going
30:35
to be people on that zoom call that are higher
30:38
level than me that are looking at me as a possible
30:42
replacement for somebody on their team when things
30:44
get shifted around? How am I going to show up
30:47
strategic? I may not have the opportunity to
30:50
contribute much, but when I contribute, it's
30:52
going to be an innovative statement or a strategic
30:54
statement. What does that look like, right? So
30:57
then you become really intentional and that's
30:59
what this whole idea of crafting your brand before
31:01
it's crafted for you. I love that. Craft your
31:04
brand before it's crafted for you. That's so
31:06
true. And it's being intentional. And again,
31:08
it goes back to everybody's going a million miles
31:11
a minute. We're trying to get things off of our
31:13
list. And sometimes you have to take a step back
31:14
and be intentional. Like, where am I not showing
31:16
up when I should be or how I should be? And really
31:19
evaluating that. And I think it's so important.
31:21
And I've done that through my career. I asked
31:23
people who I respected and trusted and know would
31:25
give me an honest answer is, tell me how you
31:27
describe me. people. That's the best way because
31:30
hopefully it's aligned with what you're thinking,
31:33
but there might be a word or two that you're
31:34
like, Oh, didn't know I came across that way.
31:36
Or you might be thrilled that you come across
31:38
a certain way. Exactly. And so it's a matter
31:41
of thinking about it with, like we said, within
31:43
the context of your aspirations or, you know,
31:48
what you want to do next in the company or that
31:50
kind of thing. The other thing is to, I think,
31:55
Think about those opportunities when you're going
31:58
to have exposure and I think you started to mention
32:00
this a little earlier another mistake that I
32:02
see women make is shying away from those opportunities,
32:07
not sitting at the table, not contributing. For
32:10
example, if you have the opportunity to go to
32:13
a meeting you're not normally invited to because
32:15
you're filling in, you go, you sit at the table,
32:18
and you're not just taking notes. You have thought
32:21
ahead about what the agenda is and what you're
32:23
going to contribute. The other thing that I think
32:26
when you talk about mistakes that are made and
32:30
things to think about moving forward with your
32:32
eye. A couple of things that I'd like to bring
32:35
up for women because I see it all the time and
32:37
it's I want to and I know you've seen it as well.
32:40
You have a woman who now has this emerging leader
32:43
has this opportunity for exposures in front of
32:46
a group of leaders and is is starts the presentation
32:49
by saying, I don't want to take much of your
32:52
time today. And I'll apologize if this isn't
32:56
exactly what you're thinking it was gonna be.
33:00
It's that, and it happens more often than you
33:03
think. I'm not going to take much of your time,
33:05
like almost like this apologetic kind of thing
33:08
before you even start. Because I think women
33:11
sometimes when they're in showcasing and having
33:14
that opportunity, feel like if I kind of throw
33:16
this kind of validator in at the beginning, they
33:20
won't expect much or something like that, you
33:23
know? And so I can't disappoint them. Instead,
33:26
you want to walk in like as a confident person,
33:28
like I'm here today to share this data. I've
33:31
done a lot of research. I've explored options.
33:33
This is the way that I think we should go, but
33:36
I'm looking to have some really robust discussion
33:39
today so we can collaborate as a team. Super
33:41
different. I see that more than you think. I
33:45
wanted to bring those up too as a couple of mistakes.
33:47
That's so true. I've had people on the team who
33:48
say, I'm sorry a lot. They almost start a sentence,
33:51
I'm sorry, but I'm sorry to interrupt. I'm sorry
33:53
to ask. No, you're not freaking sorry. Stop.
33:56
There was one that I wanted to have a shot caller
33:59
every time she said it. I know. Great. Yeah,
34:03
it's a bad habit. You'd also ask me what people
34:06
should do with this moving forward. I think that
34:09
word exercise is a really good one. I think that
34:13
maybe really giving some thought to the E opportunities
34:17
that are upcoming and not just the Broadway stage,
34:19
but the community events, community stage, thinking
34:22
about that. And then also thinking about the
34:25
fact that when you have that E, how will you
34:29
craft your brand? So those little E opportunities,
34:32
if there's three words on your list that you
34:34
don't think are there and you want to add them,
34:36
how will I show up in those ways? So that's a
34:40
great way to think about it as well. The other
34:42
thing, some people will ask me like, and I'm
34:46
coaching some people right now, like my eye has
34:48
left the station. It's already been crafted for
34:51
me and I'm now I'm learning this. Like, is there
34:56
a way I can fix my brand since it's left the
35:00
station? And I will tell you that I'm working
35:02
with a coaching client right now who has just
35:04
done that. He is so, he's brilliant. He's strategic.
35:09
He has all of the like leadership competencies
35:12
kind of down, but he talks over people. He doesn't
35:16
listen. He is my way or the highway. Like these
35:19
are now his words that I'm using to describe
35:22
him. Right. And he really wants to grow. And
35:25
he definitely has the, you know, the competencies
35:28
to contribute a great deal to the organization.
35:32
But so really thinking about what we're working
35:35
on right now is how Kind of the same thing when
35:39
every time I have the opportunity and not just
35:42
in a meeting or where there's a bunch of people
35:44
around but in every one -on -one Opportunity
35:48
I have to even meet with my internal constituents
35:51
my teammates my peers Knowing what techniques
35:54
I'm going to use to slow myself down to take
35:57
a breath to listen and not have it be ingenuine,
36:02
like it has to be authentic. And, and even a
36:05
vulnerability part of that. So if you're trying
36:08
to fix your eye, vulnerability is a huge thing
36:11
to build trust. And I will say that women have
36:14
an edge there. I think we can become more vulnerable
36:17
than men sometimes. But you know, so if you think
36:19
your eyes left the station, you know, to go to
36:23
a group of people or in a one on one and say,
36:25
you know, I was just exposed to this awesome
36:28
concept. And I believe that I've done some damage
36:31
to our relationship because I am pretty passionate.
36:36
I move fast. I'm always action -oriented. But
36:40
those things may come off as me only wanting
36:42
to do this one way, not really listening, not
36:45
wanting to collaborate. And I want to change
36:47
that. So I hope that you'll take my vulnerability
36:49
here as a way. This was difficult for me to come
36:52
to you with, but I would like to start to rebuild
36:56
this relationship and repair any damage that's
36:59
been done because I really do respect your insights
37:02
and I want us to collaborate better. Are you
37:04
willing to do that? Are you willing to give me
37:06
feedback and call me out? when I get off track
37:09
because I'm really committed to this. And I think
37:12
that that's, that's a way that you can do that.
37:14
And I've seen people do it. That makes sense.
37:17
I'm acknowledging it and then trying to take
37:18
steps to stop doing whatever that behavior is.
37:21
I mean, it, it won't be overnight, but over time,
37:24
people will realize that you've, you've changed
37:25
and that's really important. Oh, this is awesome.
37:28
Linda, thank you so much for being here and finally
37:31
explaining PI since I'd love to mention it so
37:34
often. If people want to connect with you, where
37:36
can they find you? They can find me at lmstrange
37:41
at comcast .net. I'm also on LinkedIn, Linda
37:45
Strange. So feel free to reach out, ask questions,
37:48
share your pie stories with me. Love to connect
37:50
with you. Awesome. Thank you so much, Linda.
37:53
This conversation with Linda was filled with
37:55
advice I was fortunate to learn early in my career.
37:58
Wisdom I've carried forward and have shared with
38:00
countless women through the years. Remember,
38:02
your career isn't only about the work you deliver.
38:05
It's about how you're seen and whether the right
38:07
people know the impact you're making. Performance
38:09
gets you in the door, but image and exposure
38:11
keep you in the room where decisions are made.
38:14
Be intentional. This episode resonated. Share
38:17
it with a friend, mentor or colleague who needs
38:20
a reminder to focus on their pie. And don't forget
38:23
to follow us on Instagram for more practical
38:25
leadership tools. Until next time, stay loud,
38:28
stay lifted and show up with a powerful image.