311: Former Amazon VP on Character and Leadership

311: Former Amazon VP on Character and Leadership

311: Former Amazon VP on Character and Leadership

Over the course of his career, Ethan Evans reviewed 10,000+ resumes, conducted over 2,500 interviews, and made more than 1,000 hires. He knows a thing or two about finding, onboarding, AND developing the right people.

In this high-energy conversation, Ethan shares the qualities he looked for and the aspects of character he believes are most important for leaders. You’ll find great value in reflecting on the lessons he learned from a big mistake he made at Amazon that got him in trouble with CEO Jeff Bezos.

Ethan is a former Vice President at Amazon. During his 15 years there, he helped invent many of the offerings that we take for granted today, like Prime Video, Amazon Video, and the Amazon App Store. Prior to Amazon, Ethan spent 12 years at 3 startups.

In September of 2020, Ethan retired from Amazon and made the decision to pay it forward. He devotes time teaching leaders to become true executives through courses he offers and free content he provides on LinkedIn and his website.

You’ll discover:

  • How Ethan added to the Amazon Leadership Principle of Ownership
  • What Ethan looks for when interviewing a candidate or considering someone for a promotion
  • The five steps in Ethan’s Magic Loop for managing up
  • What leaders can do to build trust quickly
  • A big mistake Ethan made at Amazon and the lessons he learned from it

Watch the episode:

 

Connect with Ethan

  

Ethan’s Website

Ethan Evans

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310: Moving Past Perfectionism

310: Moving Past Perfectionism

310: Moving Past Perfectionism

Have you ever taken on a project that you thought would be straightforward…and then discovered it wasn’t?

Sometimes that occurs because of the expectations we put on ourselves to perform at a certain level.

That’s what happened to me when I tried to record a headshot video.

In this solo episode I describe the situation, how I handled the setbacks, and what I learned from the experience that might be helpful for you, too.

I’m the co-founder and president of Grow Strong Leaders. We’ve created online resources that help leaders strengthen their character and communication skills to build strong relationships and inspire others to perform at the highest level.

You’ll discover:

  • The challenge I was given in a LinkedIn course
  • How I define perfectionism
  • Why I struggled initially to complete this assignment
  • What slowing down and reflecting helped me realize
  • 3 insights that allowed me to relax and enjoy the process

Watch the episode:

Connect with Meredith

        

Meredith’s Resources

Website

Grow Strong Leaders

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309: Coaching at the Intersection of Love, Language, and Leadership

309: Coaching at the Intersection of Love, Language, and Leadership

309: Coaching at the Intersection of Love, Language, and Leadership

Have you thought about how your words create you and your world? No matter what you answer, Trevor Timbeck will help you gain a better understanding of this power we all have if we choose to use it well.

Trevor co-authored The Power of Systems with Steve Chandler. You’ll recognize the book and Steve’s name from episode 300 of the podcast. In this episode, we discussed the book and how it ties in with who you are BEING and what you’re CREATING in the world.

Trevor is an absolutely remarkable human being, with important insights not just on the power of systems, but on life itself. You’re going to want to give this your full attention because you’ll hear many valuable ideas to reflect on.

Trevor has a deep technical background and started his career as a software engineer. He was promoted to leadership roles and eventually became head of Sales and then Chief Talent Officer with a large IT company. Today Trevor is a very successful leadership coach.

You’ll discover:

  • Significant lessons Trevor learned in his leadership journey
  • How Trevor weaves together love, language, and leadership when coaching his clients
  • What he learned from his first coach that transformed the way he led
  • The difference between language as coordinating behavior and language as communicating information
  • Why Trevor says our words create our world

Watch the episode:

Connect with Trevor

      

Trevor’s Resources

Website

Trevor Timbeck

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The Power of Systems: How to Create a Life that Works

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308: Remove Chaos and Head Trash from Your Mind

308: Remove Chaos and Head Trash from Your Mind

308: Remove Chaos and Head Trash from Your Mind

Do you ever have thoughts that could be called “head trash”? Very likely, you’ve experienced them, and those thoughts may even keep you awake at night. In this conversation, Dr. Robyn Odegaard provides a concrete, practical tip for getting back to sleep if you wake up at 3:00 am. She also shares her approach to questions and conversations with her clients that you can use yourself for your long-term happiness and success.

Dr. Robyn is a former competitive beach volleyball player turned business psychologist and professional confidante. She did her graduate work in business psychology with a concentration in high performance and sport. She’s been working in the space between executive coach, therapist and best friend for more than fifteen years and has designed her business to support ultra-busy clients who live excessively fast-paced lives.

Dr. Robyn’s expertise has been showcased through her TEDx talk, Creating Success Out of Chaos, the seven books she has authored, co-authored or contributed to, her Five-Point Paradigm for Creating Success Out of Chaos™, and her signature talk: Take Out the Head Trash: How to fight the demons keeping you awake at 3am.

You’ll discover:

  • Robyn’s personal journey as a young adult and what she learned along the way
  • Why she had self-doubts about her ability to succeed in college
  • A 5-point paradigm for creating success out of chaos
  • The #1 question she asks her clients to help them identify what’s holding them back
  • How Dr. Robyn learned to make Big Asks in quoting fees to potential clients

Watch the episode:

Connect with Dr. Robyn

    

Dr. Robyn’s Resources

Website

Mental MacGyver

Other

TEDx Talk

The Head Trash Talk

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307: Leading People Who Are Not Like You with ALLY Leadership

307: Leading People Who Are Not Like You with ALLY Leadership

307: Leading People Who Are Not Like You with ALLY Leadership

Leading people who aren’t like you can be challenging. In this episode, Stephanie Chung provides important insights and tips to help you be more effective in this critical area. You will love the passion and stories she brings to our conversation.

For the past 30 years, Stephanie has been a force of strategic innovation, a beacon of change, and a titan in the world of business growth and human capital management.  

Stephanie blazed trails as the first African American to serve as President at a private jet company. Under her visionary leadership, JetSuite evolved from a mere service provider to a symbol of luxury and excellence. During her tenure, JetSuite was named one of the Best Places To Work by the Human Rights Campaign and one of the 100 Fastest Growing Private Companies by the Dallas Business Journal. From there, she became Chief Growth Officer and Global Brand Ambassador at Wheels Up.

Stephanie’s impact extends far beyond the boardroom. She serves on the Make-A-Wish Board and the Advisory Council for the National Business Aviation Association. Stephanie is also a #1 international best-selling author with her excellent book, Ally Leadership: How to Lead People Who Are Not Like You.

You’ll discover:

  • What the acronym ALLY stands for
  • How to meet people where they are
  • What to do if you don’t like someone on your team
  • Why the most effective leaders are “culturally intelligent”
  • The various kinds of privilege that exist and how to leverage yours

Watch the episode:

Connect with Stephanie

      

Stephanie’s Resources

Website

Stephanie Chung

Book

Ally Leadership: How to Lead People Who Are Not Like You

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