The Mary Mavis Show

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The Mary Mavis Show

A podcast for professionals in the critical middle of an organization, where the work gets done.

Mary interviews leaders and coaches to share lessons learned and insights about navigating the complexities of organizations and careers.

01/09/2023

I have always loved the days leading up to a new school year and Fall.

Now, rather than getting on a bus, I recalibrate my goals and plans for the next four months.

How about you? Does the change in season bring new energy to you?

31/08/2023

Human beings (you and me) want to be held accountable for what we can control. We don’t want to be at the mercy of others lack of capability or delivery.

However, for the most part, what we control is ex*****on of tasks and our words.

If, in fact, we are in control at all.

30/08/2023

Shared accountability is a shared commitment. Explicit, shared understanding fuels the action required.

29/08/2023

Nothing big or important is accomplished by one person.

That is a big assertion. So, let's think about it.

The obvious big, important outcomes are overarching results: revenues, product launches, innovations, etc. We expect teams and different functions to drive those big results.

For the smaller ones like a successful meeting or proposal; they require different participants to contribute in some way.

And the personal ones: holidays with family, selling a house, and entertaining friends, etc. How could you deliver a satisfying outcome or success without others contributing.

The question is: Do the people involved have an explicit or even sense of shared accountability? Less important for parties, for sure.

28/08/2023

I’m thinking about shared-accountability this week. Five key ideas:

Nothing big or important is accomplished by one person.

-The complexity of teams requires shared-accountability for all interim and ultimate outcomes, especially cross-function teams (leadership and project).

-Human beings want to be held accountable for what they can most control.

-Shared accountability requires commitment to an outcome (out of our control) and to the success of our partners and/or the team.

-Establishing shared accountability is one of the most missed opportunities on leadership teams, project teams, and among colleagues.

How clear are you about what and how you share accountability with others?

17/03/2023

It’s Friday! And I have a special weekend ahead. We are picking up a new board terrier puppy! Call me crazy, but I am very excited about this new member of our family.

16/03/2023

It’s nearly the end of the first quarter of the year?

How are you doing on your “remarkable results?”

What are you learning?

What’s directly ahead for you?

15/03/2023

In Oliver Burkeman’s newsletter this week, he talks about Jung’s concept of “life tasks.”

What’s directly ahead of you?

Life tasks are meaningful, difficult, and do-able.

What is your life-task right now?

14/03/2023

Big ideas often start with challenging questions.

13/03/2023

Sometimes when we are on the fast-moving conveyor belt of life,
we don’t realize that we should just get off for a day or two.

Have you taken time off lately?

10/03/2023

It’s Friday! I started with a new book club this week. Seven people. While I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it because I have so many books in progress, I was super thrilled to talk to smart people about an interesting book. I LOVE books!

09/03/2023

We often think about how to be effective with other people as understanding and influencing them? The complementary approach is to reveal what you know about yourself and why it might matter to the other person.

I learned this gem when I was leading consulting teams. I started each assignment sharing with them what they would find “difficult about me as a leader” and what I hope they “appreciated” about me.

08/03/2023

I have no problem thinking of new ideas and how to create new offerings. I have more trouble focusing on the few good ideas. I love this quote from James Clear, author of Atomic Habits.

07/03/2023

It’s hard enough to do the work of our jobs. It’s the people who often create complex dynamics.

There are four key challenges in understanding people:

1. Understanding a person rests on what you know—what do you need to
know?
2. You never know enough—how could
you?
3. You cannot know what “motivates” another person—even if they tell you what does.
4. You may not “like” or have access to the most important people—an important hurdle to leap.

In my Great Creator community, we are exploring this important work. Find out about the offering at maviscompany dotcom.

06/03/2023

I think about stakeholders as “Co-Creators.”

The distinction is important if you have big or important results to produce:

- Stakeholders are people “out there” that we somehow have to remember at key milestones.

- Co-Creators are the people we need “with us” along the journey of creating a result.

How would that distinction change the when, how, and why you engage key people?

03/03/2023

It’s Friday! And I have had a short week.

Why do short weeks often feel so long?

01/03/2023

I am reading Irresistible, by Josh Bersin. Josh is a top-notch researcher who shares
trends, ideas, and insights for HR transformation. This quote is sticking with me.

28/02/2023

When I talk about remarkable results, I mean exactly what you want to create.

Not necessarily changing the face of your company or life.

The challenge is really thinking about what you want to create—exactly.

27/02/2023

Do you design your meetings?

Do any of the meetings you attend feel like they were “designed” for engagement and valuable work?

Last week in my newsletter, I talked about these four ideas for meeting design:

· Start with the purpose of the team or bringing this particular set of people to a meeting (that will take them away from other productive work).

· Triage the attendance to the people who need to be in the meeting. Even well-designed meetings are annoying if there is no particular purpose for our attendance.

· Have a thirty-second round-robin "where are you?"—something like "what's going on in the background of life and work for you?" You have to time this sharing.

· Build in breakout discussions or collaborative work—maybe even having breakouts working on different problems, then use the group for new ideas.

What are your ideas about meeting design?

24/02/2023

It’s Friday! And I am on the beach for a five day get-away.

I’m not working, but resting, so that I can come back refreshed.

10/02/2023

It’s Friday! And it’s a Superbowl weekend ahead.

My stomach is already churning and tightening about whether the Eagles will win. It’s wonderful to have your team in the final game. But there is also something wonderful about NOT having your team in the game.

09/02/2023

How far can you see down your career-life timeline? One year? Five years? A decade or two?

Why would it be valuable to envision what I call “alternative futures” farther down that timeline?

How can we enjoy “playing” with our possible futures?

That’s what my Great Creators group is talking about tomorrow. If you’re interested, you can find a link to Great Creators in the comments.

08/02/2023

I am reading Think Like a Rocket Scientist by Ozan Varol. I am self-aware enough to real that I love his thinking because it mirrors my own. But I can’t compete with his stories of working on the Mars rover.

He is all about using your imagination to envision your desired future.

07/02/2023

Planning and analysis are important to creating remarkable results.

But only after we unleash our logical, practical thinking mind

from our ability to imagine the future.

31/01/2023

I have five tenets for how to think about careers:

1. By its very nature, the future is uncertain.
2. You own your desire and actions.
3. It’s about the long- and the short-view, not the next job title.
4. There is no crystal ball, no person or place to go for the answer.
5. There is no one like you—you are unique.

With what tenet do you most resonate?

30/01/2023

Early in my career, I thought the company should guide my career.
In my late twenties, I got frustrated and left my company to strike out on my own.

Some called me naïve. Others said I was brave. Only a few said I would be successful.

I was successful if you think about success as “paying your bills.” I did that for five years before joining a bigger consulting firm.

In hindsight, the biggest success was the opportunity to do exactly what I wanted, to be on-my-own, to learn from my mistakes, and to gain new confidence.

27/01/2023

It’s Friday! Hip, hip, hooray! What fun do you have planned? I’m hoping to watch the Philadelphia Eagles beat San Francisco and take us to the Superbowl. Go Eagles!

26/01/2023

When considering our career, we often ask “what’s next?” Rather than one or two steps ahead, we can ask “What are the potential futures from which I can PULL into the present?”

That question can illuminate the next step with far greater clarity and excitement!

The challenge is that the question is a hard one to answer and always delivers imperfect answers. Drop your challenging career question in a comment!

24/01/2023

I’m talking about How to Think About Careers in my Mastermind session this Friday. Here are a few questions we will explore.

•What value can you offer to any future career role?
•What criteria would deliver exactly what you want at different endpoints?
•How do you see alternative futures along a future timeline?

Career questions are often the hardest to answer.

13/01/2023

I’m not a superstitious person, are you? Glad to step over the date anyway. It’s been an amazing week.

- First Great Creators mastermind session today.
- Building brick-by-brick my early results for 2023.
- Super people all around!

How are you finishing this first week of the year?

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Videos

Episode #17 of The Mary Mavis Show is LIVE with Glenna Crooks, Ph.D. Glenna shares about how Becoming a NetworkSage created personal and professional value to her. Take a listen to this clip to learn how she got started. Find a link in the comments. Glenna Crooks

This week on The Mary Mavis Show, listen to a conversation on The Truth About Compensation. Listen to the clip below. I interview John Bremen and John Balkcom who are experts in compensation design. We talk about: 1. How companies think about compensation. 2. The elements of compensation. 3. Questions you can ask about compensation.

Excited to share this clip of my interview Winning the Performance Management Game with Erica Kaufman and Marc Effron. Listen the full interview at the Mary Mavis Show wherever you listen to podcasts.

I am excited to announce my podcast interview with Dr. Marilee Adams We talk about her work and book Change Your Questions, Change Your Life. Listen to the audiogram below for a taste. I will leave a link to the podcast in comments. Find marilee on FB at https://www.facebook.com/questionthinking

Season One, Episode 11 of The Mary Mavis Show is live today! My guest Karen Kaufman is a top executive coach, consultant, and keynote speaker. Karen is a pioneer in impression and relationship management. In this episode Karen talks about the key impression factors that are precursors to building a “compatible and trusting” relationship with a senior leader. She shares practical tips for gaining access and stepping up in the everyday opportunities for impact. The episode is titled Making A Powerful Impression. You can find the podcast on most streaming platforms or on my website www.maviscompany.com. #marymavisshow #podcast #leadership

Season One, Episode 10 of The Mary Mavis Show is live today! My guest is Lilian Li, a Compound Development Team Leader at Janssen Pharmaceuticals. In this episode, she shares about learning to both clarify expectations and seek and give feedback. She talks about the challenges that arise when we assume our manager’s lack of openness to a candid discussion, along with the culprit in our personal fears. The episode is titled Clarity Is A Competitive Advantage. You can find the podcast on most streaming platforms or on my website www.maviscompany.com. #marymavisshow #podcast #leadership

Season One, Episode 9 of The Mary Mavis Show is live today! My guest Pat Renzi, a Principal at Milliman, shares about her leadership growth, from team member to Practice Leader. The episode is titled Being YOU Is Your Leadership Advantage. You can find the podcast on most streaming platforms or on my website www.maviscompany.com. #marymavisshow #podcast #leadership

Season One, Episode 7 is live today! My guest is Marc Ceusters, the owner of The Marc Ceusters Company and a consultant to life sciences companies. Marc is an exceptional drug development team leader and shares a powerful story about a team that needed to make a big shift in plans. Take a listen to a one-minute audio-clip below. #marymavisshow #podcast #leadership

Sandra Morgan shares how she is “funny”-challenging. See the full episode ono of these streaming platforms: https://podlink.to/marymavisshow

Season One, Episode 6 is live today! My guest is Julian Kaufmann, CEO and President of the JDK Group. Julian shares what he calls some unifying theories about success in organizational life. For example, our tendency toward separateness and turf-building and how leadership can counter that natural drift. Take a listen to a one-minute audio-clip below. #marymavisshow #podcast #leadership

Season One, Episode 5 is live today! My guest is John O’Brien, Chairman of ARdVRk Technologies. John shares about his learning to adjust his approach to a manager who was very different from him. Take a listen to a one-minute audio-clip below.

Episode 3 of The Mary Mavis Show is live with guest Rachel Biblow. She is a partner at Press Ganey leading the Strategic Integration & Transformation practice. Rachel shares her experience as a very young leader at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She takes a new big job, reimagining her own leadership approach in the complex environment of a top academic hospital system. You can listen to a one-minute audiogram below and subscribe on Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts or watch on YouTube.

Happy Friday! Take a listen to episode 2 with Sandra Morgan. The painting is by my sister-in-law Gail Ragains Fine Art

Episode 2 is live with guest Sandra Morgan, retired SVP at HCA Healthcare. Sandra is a powerhouse leader and share her experience and learnings when she transitioned from Pfizer to HCA, two very different cultures. You can listen to a one-minute audiogram below and subscribe on Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts.

Thank you to everyone who has been been listening to the podcast and giving me positive feedback. New episodes will be out every Tuesday! Enjoy the show!

My podcast guest tomorrow is Bill Mezzanotte, EVP and Head of R&D at CSL Behring, a rare disease pharmaceutical company. Bill talks about his big vision at CSL Behring, the problem with under-promising, and the resilience required for remarkable results. You can listen to a one-minute audiogram below and subscribe on Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts. #marymavisshow #leadership #podcast

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