Timeout Leadership: Understanding Individual Motivations for Collaborative Success

Key Quotes

"I think one of the things that has traversed both the business sector and the nonprofit sector for me is people development and relationship building. Even if you are a manager or a leader of people in some aspect, you need to get to know your people. It's not so much like forcing what you want, but building that relationship will help you get what you want as far as productivity."

Dr. Denise King argues that successful leadership, whether in business or nonprofits, hinges on prioritizing people development and relationship building. She explains that understanding individuals and integrating their needs into the working relationship is key to achieving productivity, rather than simply imposing one's own agenda.

"When I first entered the workspace, it was top-down for sure. It didn't matter what you thought, this is your assignment, this is what you're going to do, and just do it. Now our society, we're built on choice, and so now people are more willing to speak up and to talk about what they want to do, what they don't want to do. But I think as a leader, if we pull those things out of an individual, it helps us better prepare them for a path where they can feel successful, and then we can be successful overall as a team."

Dr. King contrasts past top-down leadership styles with the current societal emphasis on choice and individual expression. She posits that modern leaders must draw out individuals' desires and aspirations to better prepare them for success, which in turn benefits the entire team.

"I think that leading W2s is very different than leading entrepreneurs. The commitment with W2s that have a job that went through the whole hiring process and leading real estate agents who can up and leave tomorrow to set brokerage at any time for any reason. Do you look at them differently? Do you coach them differently? Do you agree with me or am I completely wrong? What are your thoughts?"

Daniel Dixon raises a point about the distinct nature of leading W2 employees versus entrepreneurs, particularly in the real estate industry. He questions whether Dr. King views and coaches these two groups differently due to the inherent differences in their commitment and autonomy.

"The juicy part of it is understanding, so that brought me into an area where I could understand the market a little bit more. Okay. And so for me, how to make money on with other people's money. That's, that's the whole, the ship. So that shift, I'm, I'm going to get there. I'm going to get there. Give me one second. I promise you I'm going to get there. So it took me into an area of being able to look at the market, understand charts, uh, price action and then move to trading, but not having to trade my own money, trade other people's money and make money."

Dr. Denise King describes her transition into trading, emphasizing the shift from traditional investing to understanding how to leverage other people's money. She explains that this involves analyzing market charts and price action, and ultimately trading with capital other than her own, often through prop firms in forex and futures.

"One piece of uncomfortable advice, again, I think, um, it would go back to listening and drawing into the people that are in your, your group, your team members, um, your staff to really be able to take the temperature and the pulse because, you know, as the leader, they're going to smile when you walk by. Yeah. But, but to really get to know their triggers and what's important for them will only help you be a better leader."

Dr. King offers uncomfortable advice to leaders, urging them to move beyond superficial interactions and truly listen to their team members. She stresses the importance of understanding individual "triggers" and what is genuinely important to them, as this deeper insight is crucial for effective leadership.