Resonant Leadership with Eva Jannotta
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
It’s been a minute, hasn’t it? I had all of these grand plans to write blogs and send out newsletters, even while taking a short break from the podcast (which we do at the beginning of every year). And yet, that clearly didn’t happen. Between travel, projects, and spending time with friends and family, I found myself focused on other things entirely. And, honestly, it was worth it.
One of the many benefits of taking a step back and focusing on other things, aside from feeling less rushed overall, was making space for meaningful conversation and connection with the people around me. And, that resulted in a number of conversations about the concept of leadership, in general – what it means to different people, how it’s changed, or even whether it has changed.
The reality is that people’s perception of leadership is dependent on a number of factors. And, what they value when it comes to leadership is dependent on even more factors. All of which highlights one key point for me: there is no one right way or model when it comes to leadership.
To be clear, despite not believing there is one right “model” for leadership, I do believe that there are some important skills or behaviours that effective leaders incorporate regardless of the model of leadership they subscribe to. A few examples of these are: listening to understand, creating space for differing opinions/perspectives/ideas to be shared without punishment, communicating transparently, taking accountability, etc.
At the end of the day, there is room for – and a need for – a number of different models and styles of leadership in the world. But most importantly, the styles and models of leadership need to start being representative of the different experiences and perspectives that exist around the world. Most of the leadership models that are commonly referenced were developed, practiced, and promoted by a small subset of the global population and are not inclusive in any way. The tools and strategies they promote often don’t work if you are not part of the “group” that developed the model initially.
One of the key opportunities, when it comes to leadership, is allowing more space for voices, models, ideas, and practices that are representative of different experiences and populations. This type of leadership could be categorized as Resonant Leadership or Magnetic Thought Leadership, which my guest on the podcast this week, Eva Jannotta, is an expert in.
Eva and the Medusa Media Group are on a mission to achieve gender parity in cultural, economic and social authority by amplifying the voices of women and other historically underestimated and underrepresented identities.
Eva maintains that “part of a leadership undertaking (development in one’s self or a role) is being an astute student of yourself and learning how appropriate, emotionally resonant, connecting vulnerability feels.” And, knowing the difference between that and being performative.
Lest we forget: we all have personal leadership opportunities.
It bears repeating in a moment like this, the goal is for this podcast to open up thoughts, ideas, and further conversation – because we are all doing different work in the world, and are different people with different perspectives.
I hope you find this one as fun and thoughtful as I did. And, that it leaves you with more to consider and explore.
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Resources mentioned in the interview:
Charlene Li's thought leadership on transformation being constant: Are You Prepared for What’s After Digital Transformation?
Eva’s thought leadership on vulnerability: Is “vulnerability” your permission slip? and Can you be TOO Authentic in your Marketing and Thought Leadership?
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Eva Jannotta (she/her) is on a mission to see women leaders and culture shapers take more than half of the seats as bestselling authors, top-rated podcast hosts, and highest-paid speakers.
Eva and the Medusa Media Group team train and advise authors, speakers, coaches and consultants to build authority and influence by publishing their best thought leadership.
Eva lives on O'odham Jeweḍ, Akimel O'odham, and Hohokam ancestral land in Phoenix, AZ.
You can learn more about her work and/or connect with her online at https://medusamediagroup.com/ or https://www.linkedin.com/in/evajannotta/.