Host Christi Scarrow interviews Tara Greenwood, CFO at GoCold Solutions, about leadership lessons and coaching techniques. Tara emphasizes the shift from directing to coaching, highlighting the importance of asking questions to understand and empower team members. She advises leaders to model desired behaviors, provide feedback, and foster open dialogue. Tara stresses the need for authentic leadership, recognizing personal strengths and weaknesses, and surrounding oneself with complementary skills. Influencing organizational culture involves rewarding desired behaviors and fostering accountability. Tara concludes that effective leadership is about becoming the best version of oneself.

Action Items

-Practice asking team members “Why?” to uncover the reasons behind actions

-Observe and listen instead of providing ‘direct’ guidance

-Be authentic in your leadership and supplement your weakness with the strengths of others.

-To build accountability, role model and recognize the behaviours you want to see.

-Recognize and reward actions that align with the culture you want to build

Outline

Lessons in Coaching vs. Directing

-Tara reflects on an early career lesson, emphasizing the shift from being an expert to trusting her team.

-She explains how listening and asking questions helps the team find solutions, crucial for growth and future roles.

-Christi notes the challenge of shifting from a “doer” mindset to coaching and asks Tara about her go-to coaching questions.

Effective Coaching Techniques

-Tara recommends asking “why” to uncover the reasons behind actions.

-She highlights how questions aimed at understanding often help team members identify their own obstacles.

-Christi agrees, saying good coaches help people discover their own solutions.

-Tara adds that not knowing all the answers naturally pushes her into a coaching approach.

Helping New Managers Transition

-Tara stresses observing, giving feedback, and holding open conversations with new managers.

-She notes that managing people is a continuous learning process and personal growth journey.

-Christi calls it “messy leadership” and asks about Tara’s current challenges and strategies.

Managing Diverse Teams

-Tara discusses managing teams with varied styles and motivations.

-She values bringing together people with diverse approaches to challenge and build ideas.

-Tara shares she asks what’s important to each person, observes reactions, and keeps open conversations.

Advice for New Managers

-Tara advises being comfortable with one’s authentic leadership style, focusing on strengths, and being honest about weaknesses.

-She suggests surrounding oneself with people who complement your strengths and clarifying roles accordingly.

-Christi agrees, noting the importance of recognizing strengths and areas for improvement.

Influencing Organizational Culture

-Tara emphasizes modeling the right behaviors and rewarding actions aligned with the desired culture.

-She explains that a true culture of accountability involves individuals owning their actions.

-Christi shares her passion for accountability and agrees with Tara’s insights.

Final Thoughts on Leadership

-Tara emphasizes the importance of knowing your authentic leadership style and leaning into it.

-She believes authenticity is the key to becoming the best leader.

-Christi thanks Tara for her insights and encourages listeners to explore more leadership resources and connect with Tara.

Useful Links

Host: Christi's Web Page

Guest: GoCold Solutions

Lighthouse NINE Group: Website

Contributors

Music: All The Fixings by Zachariah Hickman

Editing: tribe74