Most leaders feel called to leadership because they want to serve.

And there are two warped ideas about what service means that I have seen adopted, then weaponized against leaders themselves, the teams they work with, and the companies they work within.

Those two ideas are that service is the same thing as pleasing. And that service is the same thing as sacrifice.

Any trace of these two things in your service definition is dangerous.

Today on the podcast, we’re talking about why this is, and what to do about it.

Thanks for listening.

Hungry for more of the things we talk about on this podcast? Visit mimigordon.com to find articles, classes, and other resources. Or to schedule a free 60-minute consultation to talk about working with me as your coach. You can also find me on Instagram @mimigordoncoaching.

Help other people find exactly what they’re looking for — take two minutes to rate and review Joyful Leader. Give the podcast 5 stars and a one-sentence (or more) review. I appreciate you in advance. And so will the people who find the show. (Find the show in Apple Podcasts from your phone, and scroll to the rate/review section below the episodes.)

Original music by Amir Sberlo | Never Bored Photograph by Vivian Johnson Design by Deena Rutter This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

Last week, we talked about bringing purpose to our roles as leaders, and today, we’re diving into one specific aspect of purpose: significance.

We’re going to break down two types of significance — the significance of each of your team members, and the significance of each role on your team.

When you have a deep understanding of significance, it shows — your team feels it, even if you never mention it explicitly.

And I’ll share tips for applying this concept immediately.

Thanks for listening.

Hungry for more of the things we talk about on this podcast? Visit mimigordon.com to find articles, classes, and other resources. Or to schedule a free 60-minute consultation to talk about working with me as your coach. You can also find me on Instagram @mimigordoncoaching.

Help other people find exactly what they’re looking for — take two minutes to rate and review Joyful Leader. Give the podcast 5 stars and a one-sentence (or more) review. I appreciate you in advance. And so will the people who find the show. (Find the show in Apple Podcasts from your phone, and scroll to the rate/review section below the episodes.)

Original music by Amir Sberlo | Never Bored Photograph by Vivian Johnson Design by Deena Rutter This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

Humans love purpose. We crave it. We want a connection to meaning in our lives and in our work.

Having purpose makes us go farther by lightening our steps on the journey — this is true of individuals and of teams. And leaders are purpose torchbearers.

Today on the podcast, I’m sharing what it means to lead with purpose and how to bring purpose into your daily work with your team.

Thanks for listening.

Hungry for more of the things we talk about on this podcast? Visit mimigordon.com to find articles, classes, and other resources. Or to schedule a free 60-minute consultation to talk about working with me as your coach. You can also find me on Instagram @mimigordoncoaching.

Help other people find exactly what they’re looking for — take two minutes to rate and review Joyful Leader. Give the podcast 5 stars and a one-sentence (or more) review. I appreciate you in advance. And so will the people who find the show. (Find the show in Apple Podcasts from your phone, and scroll to the rate/review section below the episodes.)

Original music by Amir Sberlo | Never Bored Photograph by Vivian Johnson Design by Deena Rutter This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

On Mike Birbiglia’s podcast, he regularly asks guests to share the best piece of advice they’ve received that they actually used. Every time I hear him ask, I think of today’s podcast topic: people support the things they help create.

This idea, taught to me by my beloved mentor and friend Ken, is a leadership game-changer.

Let’s talk about what this means, what it definitely doesn’t mean, and why it works.

Thanks for listening.

Hungry for more of the things we talk about on this podcast? Visit mimigordon.com to find articles, classes, and other resources. Or to schedule a free 60-minute consultation to talk about working with me as your coach. You can also find me on Instagram @mimigordoncoaching.

Help other people find exactly what they’re looking for — take two minutes to rate and review Joyful Leader. Give the podcast 5 stars and a one-sentence (or more) review. I appreciate you in advance. And so will the people who find the show. (Find the show in Apple Podcasts from your phone, and scroll to the rate/review section below the episodes.)

Original music by Amir Sberlo | Never Bored Photograph by Vivian Johnson Design by Deena Rutter This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

Do you know what obstacle many people find when attempting to transform their work lives?

Not wanting to be weird.

It sounds funny, but it’s true. Claiming the work lives we want sometimes means doing things differently than the people around us, or out of sync with the prevailing culture of our workplaces.

Today on the podcast, we’re diving into this. And — fair warning (but also, you knew this was coming) — I’m going to try to convince you to be a weirdo. 🤓😍🥳

Thanks for listening.

Hungry for more of the things we talk about on this podcast? Visit mimigordon.com to find articles, classes, and other resources. Or to schedule a free 60-minute consultation to talk about working with me as your coach. You can also find me on Instagram @mimigordoncoaching.

Help other people find exactly what they’re looking for — take two minutes to rate and review Joyful Leader. Give the podcast 5 stars and a one-sentence (or more) review. I appreciate you in advance. And so will the people who find the show. (Find the show in Apple Podcasts from your phone, and scroll to the rate/review section below the episodes.)

Original music by Amir Sberlo | Never Bored Photograph by Vivian Johnson Design by Deena Rutter This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

Overdoing.

It doesn’t matter what. Work. Netflix. Pinot.

If you are taking an action over and over again that has a negative effect on your life, here’s what’s important to know: all overdoing is a pattern of avoidance + seeking.

We’re avoiding something (usually a feeling), and seeking something else (see earlier parenthetical). And often, this pattern has us trying to “fix” a “problem” with the entirely wrong solution.

On today’s podcast, we’re going to talk about how to bring this to light, and how to assess if we’re really getting what we want from overdoing, especially at work.

Thanks for listening.

Hungry for more of the things we talk about on this podcast? Visit mimigordon.com to find articles, classes, and other resources. Or to schedule a free 60-minute consultation to talk about working with me as your coach. You can also find me on Instagram @mimigordoncoaching.

Help other people find exactly what they’re looking for — take two minutes to rate and review Joyful Leader. Give the podcast 5 stars and a one-sentence (or more) review. I appreciate you in advance. And so will the people who find the show. (Find the show in Apple Podcasts from your phone, and scroll to the rate/review section below the episodes.)

Original music by Amir Sberlo | Never Bored Photograph by Vivian Johnson Design by Deena Rutter This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

Most of us have experienced a “busy season” — either because our work flows in seasons, or because of project crunch time, or for some other “work is going to get wild for the next few weeks” reason.

The thing about busy season (no matter what you call it in your world) is that it has a sneaky way of keeping itself alive and relevant. Meaning the more we accept it as fact and brace for it, the more stressful it can become.

On today’s Joyful Leader, we’re breaking down why this is and what to do instead.

Thanks for listening.

Hungry for more of the things we talk about on this podcast? Visit mimigordon.com to find articles, classes, and other resources. Or to schedule a free 60-minute consultation to talk about working with me as your coach. You can also find me on Instagram @mimigordoncoaching.

Help other people find exactly what they’re looking for — take two minutes to rate and review Joyful Leader. Give the podcast 5 stars and a one-sentence (or more) review. I appreciate you in advance. And so will the people who find the show. (Find the show in Apple Podcasts from your phone, and scroll to the rate/review section below the episodes.)

Original music by Amir Sberlo | Never Bored Photograph by Vivian Johnson Design by Deena Rutter This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

If you added up every incoming request, data point, question, and flashing blip that enters your brain daily, the number would be enormous.

Many of us walk around carrying these things as psychic weight, feeling pressure and burden about not being able to get it all done, or respond quickly enough.

Today, we’re going to break down some of the twisted socialization that’s at play here and peel back the layers of this situation, so that we can look at it from a different angle.

If you are one of the many, many people who feel overwhelmed, or behind, or like there’s not enough of you to go around, this episode is definitely for you.

Thanks for listening.

Hungry for more of the things we talk about on this podcast? Visit mimigordon.com to find articles, classes, and other resources. Or to schedule a free 60-minute consultation to talk about working with me as your coach. You can also find me on Instagram @mimigordoncoaching.

Help other people find exactly what they’re looking for — take two minutes to rate and review Joyful Leader. Give the podcast 5 stars and a one-sentence (or more) review. I appreciate you in advance. And so will the people who find the show. (Find the show in Apple Podcasts from your phone, and scroll to the rate/review section below the episodes.)

Original music by Amir Sberlo | Never Bored Photograph by Vivian Johnson Design by Deena Rutter This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm