Jen Buck Podcast Transcript
Jen Buck joins host Brian Thomas on The Digital Executive Podcast.
Welcome to Coruzant Technologies, Home of The Digital Executive podcast.
Brian Thomas: Welcome to The Digital Executive. Today’s guest is Jen Buck. Jen Buck is an award winning and global keynote speaker. When the stakes are high and the team is struggling to meet the demands, Jen Buck provides individuals and organizations with the strategies they need to inspire themselves and their teams to their greatest heights, achieving more than they ever thought possible.
For the last 25 years, Jen has been leading corporate teams around the world, as well as building groups in the non-profit, social, and political sectors. She’s brought people to the rainforests of El Salvador, the deserts of Mexico, And the in-your-face duality of Kenya and the rich lush landscapes of Uganda, teaching and experiencing the power of human spirit when leaders are able to take themselves out of the equation and put the people around them.
First, all of our corporate nonprofit, political and humanitarian work has solidified her framework for leadership impact and the transformative power it has over individual leaders, teams, organizations, and cultures. So, get ready, Jen’s motivating stories from the boardrooms to the rainforest will leave your audience breathless and inspired to make an impact on every person and process they lead.
Well, good afternoon, Jen. Welcome to the show!
Jen Buck: Thank you for having me. I’m so grateful!
Brian Thomas: Awesome. Thank you for joining. I really appreciate this. And I know we all have to schedule times around our priorities in our life, our family, our work, and other things to get on a podcast, but it makes me so excited that you were able to join.
Jen, if I can, I’m going to jump right into your first question. You’ve worked with teams across diverse environments from corporate boardrooms to remote rainforests. What are the most impactful lessons you’ve learned about transformative leadership in such varied settings and how do these lessons translate into actionable strategies for leaders today?
Jen Buck: Yeah, you know, I’ve been really, really fortunate to travel the world doing both my speaking as well as humanitarian aid and everything I’ve learned honestly translates back to leaders in our corporate environment. And I actually have very translatable. Action strategies, if you will, that I’ve learned straight from the mouths of people that I’ve worked with.
You know, I have been to Uganda working with communities there. I remember going into one of the leaders’ homes and she was going to cook dinner for us and she first washed my hands and feet. For me, and I was so surprised, you know, and I remember asking her, you know, of course, respectfully, with all of the humility, you could imagine what this was.
And one of the things she said to me is she said, first, we take care of the person, and then we take care of the plan. And I remember that hitting me because, that’s all people want in the workplace is empathy. First, you know, when we put the needs of the human first, we have a whole and confident valued human who’s then able to tackle the problems.
And I remember another time I was in a village in El Salvador. This wasn’t that long ago, actually. And there were dogs that were covered in flies and ignored. You could tell they were lethargic and too weak to stand up and were probably dying of starvation. And it totally broke my heart, and the next day I went into another village, and they had happy, bouncing, energetic, you know, dogs running everywhere.
And I remember the community leader pulling me aside and telling me that you can always look at the dogs to see the true culture in the village. And what she was saying is that we’ve got to pay attention to the small things, you know, when we lose interest or devalue any piece of a process, every function suffers.
There’s so much that’s relatable. I remember a big one when I was in Uganda, that there were children, about 10 of them, asking me why Americans live in homes that are surrounded by walls, and they meant outdoors. And our fences and our gates. And I remember them asking me if we make our kids play in those boxes instead of out with their friends and their neighbors.
And I learned from a man that always stuck with me, that kids would ask that. Of course, I know the reason why, but it always stuck with me. And I remember being in Agua Prieta, Mexico, and I was with a community developer who builds homes, and he purposely does not Build backyards into the planning. And instead, he designs these lavish spaces with incredible amenities in the front yards.
And I asked him why he did this. And he said, because community dies in backyards. And the point was that he wanted us to stay open and accessible and commit to creating a culture of openness and, and vulnerability. And when we do that in the workplace, you know, we create thriving spaces for people, the whole human.
And unfortunately, a lot of people ignore, leaders ignore gossip and conflict, and secrecy ends up thriving there and cultures break down. So, there’s just so much that I’ve learned along the way. And I’m constantly bringing those ideas into the workplace.
Brian Thomas: That is awesome. Gosh, I learned so much on that, but it just goes to show what we can learn from others diversity around the world and some of the culture things that are so obvious.
Like you mentioned the dogs example, and you can tell the culture of the community based on how the dogs were being treated. So, I appreciate that. I really do. And I know that it certainly translates in the work environment as well. So, Jen, your work emphasizes creating world-class teams. In your experience, what are the fundamental traits or practices that distinguish a good team from a truly world class one, especially during times of high stakes and intense challenges?
Jen Buck: Gosh, this is such a great question. You know, I’ve been really fortunate to work with incredible companies, you know, Google, Walmart, Coca Cola, Mercedes, big, big, big names. And I think what I’ve seen is that world class teams stand apart from, you know, a simply good team, and I’m not putting down a simply good team, but they do things differently and.
What I’ve noticed is that first, there’s a commitment to excellence. World class teams are deeply committed to high standards and continuous improvement, and the team members are motivated to exceed those expectations, while average teams can sometimes be content with meeting the status quo. I also think that a great leader provides clear vision and goals, and they commit to strong communication and trust.
You know, these teams, these world class teams, have a shared vision, and everyone understands and aligns with that purpose. And when our goals are specific and ambitious, and everyone’s accountable, we have the ability to do more than our competitors. And on the flip side of that, you know, good teams, and I don’t want to put that down again, but good teams.
Sometimes lack alignment or clarity on the purpose, and it can lead to a disjointed effort. You know, when we look at world class teams, there is a culture of adaptability and innovation ownership accountability, and these teams are agile and proactive. And I think that when we. Start to compare that to average teams.
If you will, they tend to stick to some of these conventional methods and they sometimes get caught up in the blame game, which can stifle growth. So, when you have accountability and this collective ownership over results, I think it ensures that everyone feels responsible for the team’s success.
Brian Thomas: Thank you for really breaking that down for us. As far as that accountability piece, you know, when we do own the issue, the problem, the solution, whatever that is, we do feel a bigger sense of accountability and we can bring some closure to some things to help the team do better. So, I appreciate that. And Jen, one of your themes is helping people rise above self-doubt.
How do you coach leaders to inspire confidence and resilience in their teams? And what are some of the practical steps leaders can take to reinforce these qualities during these tough times?
Jen Buck: We’re all human, right? And we’re not all great at this, this whole leadership thing out of the gate. And the truth is, many of us have bad managers.
We’ve been the victim of someone who wielded their power and treated us sort of like a professional punching bag, right? And what I always have to remind people is that this is a reflection of that leader’s Own lack of confidence and self-doubt, and it’s being acted on through fear of being found out right that their confidence isn’t as high, or their abilities aren’t as proven or trusted.
And so, I like to remind leaders that your team is a reflection of you and to be an authentic leader of impact, you have to inspire confidence. And resilience in your team members. And I think that starts by modeling authenticity and vulnerability by openly sharing your challenges that you faced and how you’ve overcome setbacks.
I think it shows that resilience is about persistence, not necessarily perfection. And this authenticity creates this environment, this environment of safety. Where the team members feel empowered to take risks and they learn from failures and trust their leader’s guidance. And I really think that great leaders are vulnerable enough to show people that it’s about progress, not perfection.
I also think that great leaders. Understand that they’ve got to celebrate efforts and progress, even if it’s small progress, not just the results. And when we recognize our team members’ efforts, even if it’s incremental, and we watch those moments of learning, it builds confidence and reinforces the value of continuous improvement, which is the cornerstone for every leader.
When we celebrate those wins, however small they might be, it really reminds the team of their capabilities. And I think it fuels this resilience when they’re faced with obstacles or challenges. And I am always encouraging the leaders that I train, coach, speak to at events, that we’ve got to have those spaces.
To create that level of vulnerability and I have something that I have created that I call a 330 meeting, and a 330 meeting is just a 30-minute meeting that’s held on the third day of the week at 330, you know, every week and it’s with the entire team. So, this 330 is time for the team to speak on whatever they want.
And our role as the leader is just simply to be in service and support. Like that’s it. And so, it’s a midweek check-in for the team to reinforce the culture, build strength, practice vulnerability, support one another, see what it looks like for a leader to just be there to recognize and support those that they are in service to.
That’s a different way to look at leadership, but that’s what the greatest leaders do. And our job is just simply to listen, recognize, celebrate, and provide support. Like that’s it. And I think that great leaders understand that those are magic moments, those three 30s, where people get to run the show, they get to share what’s going on.
And it’s not necessarily about providing goals at that moment, but it is about providing encouragement. And it’s about providing support where it’s needed. Now, certainly we have to provide great encouragement all the time, but the point is we want to be able to give them their time to run that 30 minute meeting and have that culture created.
I also think it’s important for high impact leaders to be really clear on the goals and how they encourage their team. When we set these clear, achievable goals, it helps team members know what success looks like, and it allows them to tackle challenges with focus. And of course, confidence from you, right?
You have instilled confidence in them. And so, it translates into someone that’s more competent when they are moving toward that goal completion. And when we couple that with consistent encouragement and recognition, it ends up reinforcing this growth mindset and it helps the team build their resilience.
As they pursue objectives, you know, as a unit. And so, I really think it’s important that our job as leaders, whatever it looks like, is to cultivate an environment where people feel capable and resilient, and we enable them to adapt and succeed.
Brian Thomas: Thank you. You’re allowing that environment of encouragement to people you talked about authenticity, obviously, and vulnerability and, and building trust and trust is foundational for all teams.
And to get there, sometimes you do have to be a little bit vulnerable, but I like the idea of the three 30 meetings. I think that’s pretty cool. And that’s something I’d like to try in my hat of tricks that I’ve used over the years, but that’s pretty cool. So, Jen, last question of the evening here, if you could briefly share, you’ve said that the common leaders can accomplish uncommon things if they put their teams first, what advice would you give to leaders who feel they don’t have the natural leadership qualities, but want to make a meaningful impact?
Jen Buck: Gosh, that is always the number 1 question, you know, are leaders born or are they made? It’s always something that comes up and I, well, I certainly don’t know the exact answer I definitely lean toward leaders are made, you know, in my practice of working with world class leaders. I talk a lot about leadership impact and how we’re not just a leader because we have a title or we’ve been at the organization for a certain amount of time, or we’ve been graced with a great parking spot, right?
Impact is about how you make people feel. And when people feel valued authentically, they perform. And when you put your people first, truly, you know, putting their wellbeing first, they’ll take your process, whatever that is that they’re working from a level of good to great. I mean, it’s really that simple.
And any manager can improve their performance and develop more impactful leadership skills by investing in active empathy and active empathy Is not just me thinking in my head that I’m listening. It’s actually showing concern. It’s actually being interested. It’s actually working to understand where someone is coming from.
And great leadership starts with understanding people. Managers who actively listen to and ask questions and respond to team members needs end up building stronger relationships and create more engaged and loyal teammates. So that really is the goal. And when we practice empathy by putting ourselves in the team’s shoes, we actually lead better.
We also have to think about how much mentoring are we getting. As the leader, right, working with a mentor coach or asking for regular feedback from peers and team members can provide these great insights into areas that we need to improve. But most leaders, when they get to this level, think, oh, I don’t need a 360.
I don’t need to have something like this. I don’t need my team to tell me how I’m doing. And that is an ego block that. Literally keeps us from that great status. And so, when we get these constructive pieces of feedback, it helps us pinpoint those specific behaviors that we can develop in order to have a greater impact, which is the whole point of this.
And finally, you know, we really want to be great. We need to embrace continuous learning and skill development. And that’s where someone like me comes in. I’ve spent 25 years developing. Some of the most recognizable leaders in the world, and I work with these great teams because everything is so competitive that if we’re not developing our skills on a daily basis, we’re being left behind.
So, even without natural leadership instincts, right, managers can improve their skill set by developing those core skills or functionality, such as, communication, delegation, emotional intelligence. Reading books, attending workshops, all these things matter. And the whole point is that there’s steady growth into a more confident and competent leadership role.
And every one of these things help build a foundation for stronger leadership. Even if it doesn’t come naturally to you, it’s making you stronger in your role and it helps you foster a more positive and effective, well-oiled team, right? And that’s ultimately what this is about. It’s getting you closer to being an extraordinary leader.
And. That’s our job. It’s to make an impact on those that we lead and help them achieve more than they ever thought possible. And ultimately, I tell every leader that I work with, your legacy as a builder of high performers is what will be remembered. And so, you can’t get to that point of being a builder if you’re not building yourself.
Brian Thomas: Thank you for that. I appreciate you highlighting something I thought was really important. And we do see those senior leaders, you know, through their career, they start to get comfortable or overconfident or they have blinders on because gosh, I’ve been so successful. Look where I’m at today. I know all the answers.
And they tend to get in that comfort zone of thinking that everything’s on track when really getting from good to great, as you mentioned that status, you need to be very self-aware and be willing to take a 360 and understand where some of those deficiencies still lie. So, I appreciate that. I really do.
And Jen, it was such a pleasure having you on today. And I look forward to speaking with you real soon.
Jen Buck: Thanks for having me. This was a joy.
Brian Thomas: Bye for now.
Jen Buck Podcast Transcript. Listen to the audio on the guest’s podcast page.
