Latest / Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections / Networking Unleashed: S1E57 An Interview with Ilia Jakel and Michael A Forman, Public Speaker

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Networking Unleashed: S1E57 An Interview with Ilia Jakel and Michael A Forman, Public Speaker · Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections

0:17
Welcome back to Networking Unleashed, Building
0:20
Profitable Connections. I'm your host, Michael
0:24
Foreman, speaker, strategist, and firm believer
0:27
that connections is the currency of leadership.
0:31
Today's episode dives into something every leader,
0:35
entrepreneur, and changemaker is facing right
0:38
now, the evolving challenges of leadership in
0:42
a rapidly shifting workforce. From employee engagement,
0:47
and cultural shifts to remote dynamic and generational
0:51
differences. It's no longer just about managing
0:54
people. It's about meaningful connecting with
0:58
them. My guest today brings deep insight into
1:02
the modern leadership experience and how intentional
1:05
networking can be to unlocking trust, collaboration,
1:10
and long -term impact. If you're leading a team,
1:14
growing a company, or building influence in your
1:17
space, this conversation will challenge and inspire
1:21
you. Ilya, I want to welcome you to the podcast.
1:26
I want to thank you for your time because you
1:30
have such a vast background. Would you mind introducing
1:33
yourself and telling us a little bit about your
1:36
background? Absolutely. I just want to say thank
1:40
you. I'm very honored to be part of this podcast.
1:43
And I'm Ilya Jekyll. I'm the founder of Sharpen
1:46
Leadership. Our mission is very simple but powerful.
1:51
We want to equip business professionals, leaders,
1:55
and entrepreneurs with the skills, the tools,
1:59
and the insights so that they can become great
2:01
leaders regardless of their job title. I have
2:05
over 20 years experience in the pharmaceutical
2:09
and healthcare industry. So my experience is
2:13
in business, leadership, and marketing. I'm also,
2:17
besides being a trainer, I'm also a speaker.
2:20
I like to bring my experience to conferences
2:24
and events, sharing stories that can empower
2:28
the audience. So that's in the nutshell, my background.
2:33
Thank you for that. And let's just dive right
2:37
into the questions. And first question. What
2:41
are the most pressing challenges leaders face
2:44
in today's rapidly changing workplace? There
2:50
are multiple factors that are impacting leaders,
2:56
but I'm just going to focus on three challenges
2:59
that I'm seeing repeatedly with some of my clients.
3:02
And the first one is managing highly talented
3:06
teams, okay? It can be both exciting and challenging,
3:11
but especially when team members' expertise surpasses
3:18
sometimes the leader's, it can certainly create
3:22
some insecurity in the leader and also make it
3:26
more difficult to lead with confidence. Also,
3:31
talented individuals, they tend to have higher
3:34
expectations. They are strong. They have strong
3:37
opinions. And they need somebody that can lead
3:40
them effectively. And leading these kind of teams,
3:45
it requires a balancing act. The leader needs
3:49
to give them guidance, support, but at the same
3:52
time, give them autonomy. The leader in this
3:56
nowadays is mostly like a facilitator where they
4:01
communicate the vision, the expectations, but
4:04
then and the outcomes they want. But then they
4:06
step back and allow the team to take ownership
4:10
of their work and the process. And this is important
4:14
because this type of high talented individuals,
4:18
they. perform better when they are motivated
4:22
and they embrace then collaboration instead of
4:26
competing and they bring their best to the table
4:29
when you give them that autonomy. The second
4:33
I will say is the fear of failure, especially
4:36
in high pressure situations that most leaders
4:41
experience today. But this is fear of failure,
4:45
something that we all going to experience sometime
4:48
in our career is how we respond to that fear
4:52
that will show our true leadership. OK, so fear
4:57
can be very paralyzing and detrimental. for the
5:01
leader, for the team, and the organization. So
5:03
let me give you an example of how it usually
5:06
tends to show up. Let's say there is a leader
5:09
that is leading this multi -million dollar project,
5:13
okay? If the person becomes paralyzed by the
5:18
fear, that leader will start trying to micromanage
5:22
every aspect of their project and their team,
5:26
which instead is going to be detrimental, right?
5:30
And instead of second guessing, he also heard
5:33
decisions and actions. So on the other hand,
5:38
you have the leader that understands that fear
5:42
is a natural part of doing business. And they
5:45
reframe that fear into opportunities to learn,
5:51
to grow, to be resilient. And that's what I will
5:55
tell you about the fear of failure. It's how
5:57
you respond. The third one, I think, is the most
6:01
challenging of all and is navigating uncertainty.
6:06
The best leaders are the ones that will build.
6:11
They understand that ambiguity is part of business
6:14
nowadays. You can never have completely full,
6:18
100 % all the facts, but they build trust and
6:22
they rally their team around their vision. so
6:27
they are not following them because they have
6:28
all the answers but they are following them because
6:31
they believe and they trust that leader and that's
6:36
one of the best ways to navigate the complexity
6:40
in today's business yes very good and you hit
6:44
on so many marks that I speak about between networking
6:48
and leadership and the difference between leadership
6:51
and being a boss. And it just you encompassed
6:55
everything very well. I want to thank you for
6:57
that. Let's change this around a little bit.
6:59
How has the shift to remote work affected leadership
7:03
strategies and team dynamics? Can you repeat
7:07
that question? How has the shift to remote work
7:11
affected leadership strategies and team dynamics?
7:15
How the shift from working in an office to remote
7:24
and how it affected the leadership and the team
7:28
dynamics itself. Oh, yes. It's absolutely, it
7:31
has changed because before everybody was in one
7:36
place. Now the leader is completely different.
7:40
The leader has to understand that they have to
7:42
trust those people or that. They are accountable.
7:45
They have to be accountable for what they do
7:47
in their own space at a home where they are working.
7:50
So it modernized everything like right now what
7:54
we're doing in Zoom. We used to use Zoom for
7:58
certain meetings, but now you can see that Zoom
8:00
is done for everything. We can have chats and
8:04
people in different rooms. And so everything
8:07
is being modernized. I believe that. Just working
8:12
from home, it can have some benefits, but also
8:16
can be detrimental to that team dynamics. Do
8:21
you believe that a team should get together face
8:27
-to -face once a week, once a month, once a quarter,
8:31
something like that? You know, that's hard to
8:34
tell because it depends the team, it depends
8:36
the manager. But I think some face -to -face
8:39
interaction is important to continue to build
8:43
that collaboration and that relationships they
8:48
have. You also know this. When you do an event
8:53
face -to -face with people, it's completely different
8:56
from when you do one through Zoom. The interactions
9:00
are different. So, yes, I think that human touch
9:03
is important. Yeah, exactly. That's what I talk
9:09
about when I go on the road, because you need
9:12
the vibe of the person. You need the vibe of
9:15
the room. You get a whole different feeling than
9:18
when you're just... having a Zoom conference.
9:20
Okay, but what innovative networking approaches
9:24
are leaders using to boost employee engagement
9:28
and retention? Some of the tips that I can tell
9:33
you about networking is most of these leaders,
9:37
they not only do things and dynamics inside the
9:42
workplace, but also in a more relaxed environment,
9:46
okay? But for me, networking is investing in
9:52
the future of your business and your career.
9:56
It really shifts the trajectory of a business
10:00
and a career. And for me, it's very important.
10:05
And when I was leading some of these teams, for
10:08
me, it was very important that we go outside
10:11
of the workplace. That's when you really get
10:13
to know. different people. There are so many
10:17
things that sometimes we don't know from the
10:19
people that we are leading. So golf is wonderful.
10:22
They do a lot of golf. They do a lot of boot
10:24
camps. And inside the work is when you do meetings,
10:28
I think the leaders that are very effective are
10:31
the ones that talk less and listen more. Very
10:35
good. Yes. I believe that as well. How are leaders
10:39
leveraging diverse networks? to create more inclusive
10:44
work environments? That's a hard one to answer.
10:49
I think one of the things to be inclusive, okay,
10:52
to especially when you're making very high profile
10:57
decisions, it's not just about collecting data,
11:00
but if you have a team that is diverse, they
11:04
can bring in. And when I say diverse, I said
11:08
not just of race, but I think experience. And
11:13
everybody have different experience, different
11:15
expertise. And that's what I'm talking about,
11:17
bringing diversity. But when you as a leader
11:22
need to make a decision, you should bring your
11:26
team to brainstorm with you to bring their ideas
11:29
and share their perspective. Because then even
11:33
though they are not making the decision, you're
11:35
giving a better perspective to that leader. And
11:39
those are great leaders when they are able to
11:41
include the diversity in their team. I believe
11:46
that. And I believe it's more effective when
11:50
you're doing it in person rather than through
11:52
Zoom. Because there's no other distractions.
11:55
There's nothing else. You can just concentrate
11:57
on work. But that was a very good answer. Let's
12:01
go to a crisis management question. Can you share
12:04
an example of how effective networking helped
12:08
you navigate a leadership crisis? Wow, that's
12:13
a good one. For example, when you're navigating,
12:17
wanting to keep, let's say, wanting to keep your
12:20
team motivated during a disruption, a big disruption
12:24
could be layoff. It can be a merger, okay? So
12:30
what these... leaders that are very effective
12:34
is that they're very transparent they they meet
12:39
with their team they're very transparent to what
12:42
is happening yes there is a reorganization yes
12:45
there is a layoff but they know they have them
12:49
they are The ones that you can tell right away
12:52
because they believe and they focus on the human
12:56
side of business. They focus on their team, okay?
13:00
And those leaders, they open the channels of
13:03
communication with their team. They are able
13:06
and they are empowered to bring their concerns.
13:09
But at the same time, they redirect them to move
13:14
forward. And to keep them motivated and focused
13:18
on what they can control. Because there are certain
13:22
things that nobody can control, and especially
13:24
in a layoff and in the organization. But these
13:30
kind of leaders, they are wonderful at understanding
13:33
the concern, be transparent with them, and guide
13:37
them. Good, very good. How important is mentorship?
13:43
in developing future leaders and how can networking
13:47
facilitate this? I believe in mentorship. I personally
13:52
have a couple of different mentors that actually
13:58
their help was incredible and how they open opportunities
14:04
was something that I could have never. imagine
14:07
without them. Your mentors are the ones that
14:10
if they are part of the organization or outside,
14:14
they can give you that perspective. They are
14:17
the ones that advocate for you when you are not
14:20
in the room with the decision makers. Also, they
14:23
are a great resource because what I'm seeing
14:26
is a lot of the first -time leaders that sometimes
14:32
they have questions and they don't know exactly
14:35
what to do, but they don't want anybody to know
14:38
because they don't want to look like they don't
14:42
have it together. So mentorship plays an important
14:46
role in that. One thing I've been developing
14:50
is that once or twice a year, and I do this sometimes
14:54
internationally through Zoom, of course, through
14:57
Zoom, but I gather people that are pretty much
15:02
at the same level of experience. And they have
15:05
to sign a contract that whatever is discussed
15:08
in there stays there. So these leaders can bring
15:13
their concerns, their challenges, their different
15:16
situations with people that are in the same,
15:20
have the same amount of experience. And they
15:23
can brainstorm together. And some of them already
15:27
have passed through that kind of situation. They
15:29
can facilitate insight. So it's very, it's amazing
15:35
to see the weight of their shoulder coming off
15:39
and the insight and the tools that they get from
15:42
that. And that when they finish that mentorship,
15:46
they can go back and apply what they have learned
15:49
in their situation. Because these are situations
15:53
that hit home. For them, because it mirrors some
15:57
of the things, situations and challenges that
16:00
they are facing on the job and in their role.
16:03
That's exactly correct. And one thing you have
16:06
to realize is that no matter what part of the
16:09
spectrum you're in, it's like I coach, I have
16:14
people that I coach, I mentor, but I have a mentor
16:19
as well. So it keeps going up the chain. So I
16:22
may have the answers for. my people but i still
16:26
have questions for my mentor so it goes it works
16:30
both ways and it's very much needed because i
16:34
think that people can't get ahead of where they
16:37
are without their mentors absolutely we all don't
16:42
have all the answers and the person that tell
16:43
you they have them all oh because i don't think
16:46
there is one that can tell you they have all
16:48
the answers so yes I have had throughout my career
16:52
different mentors and they have been critical
16:56
for my continue to advance in my career and also
17:00
as a professional. Yes, yes, absolutely, absolutely.
17:05
How is technology changing the way leaders network
17:10
and build relationships within their organizations?
17:15
That's a difficult one to answer, but... For
17:19
example, we need to keep with the times, okay?
17:24
Because if a leader is not keeping with the times
17:28
and understanding, technology is changing so
17:31
fast. Look right now with AI. AI is not just
17:35
for typing and retyping, it's for videos. It
17:40
does everything for you. So there are great benefits
17:45
to that, and there might be some things that...
17:48
you have to be mindful of. I, for myself, try
17:52
to keep with the technology, okay? Especially
17:56
for your teams. If you have teams that are in
18:00
one space, that's a little bit different. But
18:03
when you have teams that have hybrid jobs that
18:06
they were most of the time either at home and
18:09
only a few days out of the thing, you need to
18:11
have the technology to be able to communicate
18:14
the projects. For everybody to, if they are doing
18:19
one project, but everybody has a different part
18:22
of the project, they have to have the technology
18:24
and the system to everybody to be synchronized.
18:28
One great tool that is Asana, it helps, it's
18:32
a system that helps you to connect with your
18:35
team to see where everybody is in their project.
18:39
So it gives you overview. So technology, it can
18:42
be a blessing, but it depends how you use it.
18:45
Absolutely. Very well said, because I truly believe
18:49
that it is a tool in your tool belt. And if you
18:53
use it correctly, it will be magnificent. If
18:56
you don't use it correctly, it's like, why bother
18:59
having it in the first place? But very well said.
19:02
Let's go a little bit to work -life balance.
19:05
How are leaders addressing work -life balance
19:08
issues while maintaining the strong professional
19:11
network? It's like I said, you need to be sensitive
19:16
and you need to be focused on the, for me, I
19:19
always focus on the human side of business because
19:23
to reach any goals, to reach any results, your
19:28
team, your human employee, your employees come
19:31
first. Without them, there is no business. Okay.
19:35
So to me, I, I, I tried when they comes with
19:40
situations, especially My female leaders, they're
19:46
not only leaders, but they also are moms. And
19:52
sometimes the stress of work and at work, that
19:56
combination can be difficult and very challenging.
20:00
So I try to be empathic, use the emotional intelligence
20:06
and be empathic, putting myself in that person's
20:10
situation and try to listen. But that doesn't
20:13
mean that all the time I'm going to agree with
20:17
them. Sometimes there are decisions that are
20:21
hard decisions that you need to make. But I always
20:27
try to be empathic and try to really listen and
20:31
try to do what I can to help that individual
20:35
so that they can actually balance their work
20:39
with their home. I used to be a business owner,
20:44
pizzerias, restaurants, things like that. And
20:48
I know the value of the employees and you have
20:51
to keep them happy because if they're not happy,
20:55
then how can you expect them to make your customers
20:58
happy? But you have to draw that line saying,
21:02
look, I understand what you're going through.
21:04
I can give you this little bit of leeway. But
21:07
you have to understand that I have a business
21:09
to run and this has to be done a certain way.
21:11
So you're right. You have to feel where that
21:14
line is, draw it and just see where it goes.
21:17
But again, that was very good. What metrics do
21:20
you use to measure the impact of leadership initiatives
21:24
on workforce productivity and satisfaction? Let's
21:30
say that I trained a group of leaders in our
21:33
organization or even business professionals,
21:35
right? The first thing is we start with a baseline
21:40
of how they were doing prior to a training and
21:45
getting new skills or even modifying and gaining
21:49
more insight on the ones that they have. After
21:53
that, we work with the organization to see how
22:00
immediately they were able to apply what they
22:04
learned, and if they are able to make a sustainable
22:08
transformation in their jobs, in their role,
22:12
and affecting their department. And they can
22:15
do that by looking at the collaboration, if the
22:21
collaboration and morale increase. They can look
22:24
at performance by seeing how it has increased
22:28
the performance, the innovation also. Because
22:32
one of the main things that most of this organization
22:35
is they are struggling sometimes to innovate.
22:38
How do you get that team motivated to innovate?
22:41
So all these things, once you give them the tool,
22:44
the insight, and a space where they have room
22:47
to experiment, learn, and grow, they're able
22:51
to put all that together in their role. And then
22:53
the organization immediately, you can start immediately
22:56
seeing those results. But more than anything,
23:00
what they want is that. sustainable transformation
23:03
because a lot of places they said we have an
23:06
inside training programs but the problem is they
23:10
haven't seen a sustainable transformation with
23:13
us they do because when you immerse these people
23:18
in situations that they face on the job but sometimes
23:23
their skills is not there yet, and you need to
23:26
equip them, and you give them tools and insight,
23:30
and now they are able to come back and use what
23:33
they have learned, then that's something that
23:36
is going to be sustainable. Because now they
23:39
learn it. So those are some of the things. And
23:42
of course, there are many tests that you can
23:45
give before and after, metrics that you can give
23:48
before and after, and depending on the organization
23:51
and what they want to use. I hope that answer.
23:54
It really does. It really does. And let's just
23:58
bring this full circle. Let's talk a little bit
24:01
about the future. How do you see the role of
24:03
leadership evolving in the next five to 10 years?
24:07
And how will networking play a part in this evolution?
24:11
What I see is the leadership is going to be more
24:16
about becoming shifting and evolving to be facilitators.
24:21
not an influencing, not about the title that
24:26
you have or the authority that you have. Networking
24:30
is huge. Let me give you an example. When I first
24:35
started building my career, I became really intentional.
24:39
And this is what I advise to all my clients.
24:42
Be intentional when you are collaborating in
24:46
initiatives and in projects in your organization.
24:50
And not just with your team, but across departments.
24:54
Because when you're networking and connecting
24:57
with people of different departments, your visibility
25:00
increases. Your access to the leadership and
25:06
the decision to make it is all of a sudden expanded.
25:10
So when a promotion is coming up, when you...
25:15
A new opportunity is rising. Guess what? Those
25:18
that have more visibility and showing their leadership
25:22
are the ones that come top to mind, right? They
25:27
are the ones. And in networking, that is gold.
25:30
Because you're the one that's going to have access
25:35
to opportunities, access to resources, and everybody
25:40
started to see you differently. So networking
25:46
is huge for building a career, as well as launching
25:50
and expanding your business. There was a time
25:54
that I moved from California to Illinois, right?
25:58
So I knew I had great, solid experience and a
26:02
wonderful resume, but I knew it wasn't enough
26:05
for me to move to a new state just by going to
26:12
maybe Lincoln. and sending some requests, right?
26:17
Connecting requests blindly and then expecting
26:19
that that was going to work. It is very daunting
26:23
and it's ineffective. So what I did, I rallied
26:26
the network that I have in California and I have
26:30
very open conversations to them. And I told them,
26:32
hey, I want to move to Illinois and these are
26:36
my aspirations and the two industries that I
26:38
was interested. What happened is I asked also
26:42
one question, and it's who do you know in Illinois
26:46
that I should meet? That conversation opened
26:51
access to doors that I could have never done
26:54
alone. It was incredible. I have warm introductions
26:59
to business professionals in Illinois, and that
27:04
actually turned into direct job offers. That's
27:10
how powerful your network is. That's how powerful
27:14
it is. That's the name of the game. The networking
27:17
is gold. It's your go -to. It's your everything.
27:21
I believe that networking is the basis of every
27:25
business. Absolutely. Any business that they
27:30
want to, any person that wants to launch a business,
27:32
expand a business, they need to understand that
27:36
it's more than selling. OK, focus on connecting
27:41
and building those relationships with your customer,
27:44
your vendors, your community, because when it's
27:48
time to buy a service or a product, they only
27:52
do it. People only do it with people they trust
27:55
and who have been connected to. They feel connected.
27:59
If they know you, if they like you and trust
28:02
you, then they'll do business with you. So that's
28:05
the mantra. of networking. Ilya, I have to tell
28:09
you, this was a great conversation. You're a
28:12
great guest. And if anybody wants to get hold
28:16
of you, whether they want to be coached, ask
28:18
a question, or see what they can do with their
28:21
job, how can they reach you? Sure. They can go
28:24
to my website, Sharpen Leadership, or they can
28:28
go to my LinkedIn profile, Ilya Jacob, J -A -K
28:34
-E -L. And they can connect with me. Very good.
28:39
Outstanding. So thank you so very much for coming
28:42
on the podcast today. Thank you for having me.
28:46
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children. teens, and adults. To learn more, go
29:53
to revvedupkids .org. That's R -E -V -V -E -D
29:58
-U -P -K -I -D -S .org. Well, that's a wrap,
30:05
folks. A huge thank you to our special guests
30:08
for sharing such incredible insights today. And
30:12
of course, a big shout out to you, our amazing
30:15
listeners, for tuning in and spending your time
30:18
with us. Remember, networking isn't about being
30:22
perfect. It's about being present. So take what
30:25
you've learned today, get out there, and make
30:28
some meaningful connections. If you enjoyed this
30:31
episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave us
30:34
a review, and share it with someone who could
30:36
use a little networking inspiration. Let's keep
30:40
the conversation going. You can find me on Apple,
30:43
Spotify, YouTube, or my website, Michael. Remember.
30:48
Until next time, keep practicing, keep connecting,
30:52
and keep building those relationships. This is
30:55
Michael A. Foreman signing off. Take care and
30:58
happy networking.