This is Part Two of my interview with Manu Sood. So, if you missed part one, you can click here and go listen to it. As I said last week, all leadership can be challenging; however, I also believe there is an art to female leadership. Manu is an accomplished leader with almost 20 years of demonstrated success in developing and executing strategic roadmaps in the fast-paced corporate work environment and that is part of what has shaped her leadership style.
I have known Manu for more than 10 years and have seen her collaboration skills in action across the organization. She has loads of expertise in application development, software platforms, APIs and system architecture. Her depth of experience in team leadership, hiring and retaining top talent is a result of working with these technical teams.
She’s an electrical engineer, but don’t let that fool you. She is certainly an expert in technology but hasn’t lost her ability to understand and connect with the most fundamental human elements of successful teamwork.
In her own words, she says “I like putting order to chaos.” So, she’s here today to talk with us about the art of female leadership. But trust me, this isn’t a podcast just for women. Her leadership tips will ring true for male and female leaders alike.
Here are some key leadership pointers that Manu gives us which you will want to take away from this episode:
- You have to grow and leave your comfort zone – everyone performs best in the stretch
- Focus on situations, not persons
- There is a commonality in the concerns raised by team members, listening to one could reveal how most are feeling
- Leadership agility means you are just as adaptable as you expect your team to be
- The best ideas come from trying, failing quickly, and learning
- The people closest to the work usually have the best ideas
- Failure is part of learning
- If we succeed, the credit belongs to the team. If we fail, then the leader takes the responsibility.
- Leading volunteers requires understanding a different set of motivations
- Becoming a part of a new culture doesn’t mean having to forget where you came from
- Pay it forward – you are blessed, so figure out how to give back
- Employees need continuous learning and fresh challenges to stay motivated
- Embrace failure and take a risk on yourself and others, especially women
If you listened closely, then you heard Manu share an important point multiple times. She said that as a leader, we must each become a student who learns every day then go teach it to someone else.
Manu’s Pillars of Strength:
- People are the strength of the team, so treat them with respect
- Have a clear inventory of your strengths
- Be credible
So what will you do with what you have heard today? If you take Manu’s challenge seriously, then you will find someone and share what you have learned. Because your knowledge has increased, I think you must talk to someone! So don’t wait.
Resources Mentioned In This Episode:
LTL 100: The Art of Female Leadership: An Interview With Manu Sood Part One
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