Joyful Leader

“You need clear boundaries.” “You need to draw a boundary with that person.” There’s so much talk about boundaries, needing to have them, and how to establish them. What are they? What does it mean to have them? How do you establish them? How do you make sure they’re upheld? Today on the podcast, we are talking about boundaries. I’m giving you my recommendation for a working definition of boundari...

Last week we talked about change resistance — how, in the effort to be efficient, the human brain manufactures thoughts that, if listened to, will keep us where we are. Today I want to share three more thoughts that come up more often — and very commonly — in women. They are different variations of the thought I shared last week: I can’t do it. It won't work. It's confusing. It's too hard. But the...

Let’s talk about change, shall we? Specifically, changing our actions, habits, and behaviors in ways that make our lives better. When we try to change something about our lives, we often experience doubt, insecurity, or resistance. And while these things feel very true and worth listening to, they are actually a manifestation of the human brain’s natural desire for efficiency and keeping the statu...

How’s “Failure” as an episode title? Does it really make you want to listen? I thought so. Today we are indeed talking about failure. Specifically, how many of us encounter situations where our fear of failing threatens to prevent us from seizing opportunities or going after things we’d like. I’ll share a bit about where our fear of failure is born, and how it changes over time. And, we’ll break d...

Today on Joyful Leader we’re diving back into team culture. This week is all about specifics — I’m walking through WHY, HOW, and WHAT from the framework we shared last week, and giving you different ways to apply each. I’ll share specific examples from my experience. And, I’ll tell you how to apply a cultural leadership approach to your company, team, or a specific situation. Thanks for listening....

Every group of humans who spend time together develops a group culture — a set of behavioral or attitudinal norms. These norms become the group’s default way of being — the way they are without even thinking about it. See where I’m going? When it comes to our teams, building culture — common behaviors and practices — intentionally, helps us create the culture we want. The culture that makes for a...

Today we’re talking about a standard I recommend to my clients: self-evaluation without self-judgment. Many of us are committed to learning, growth, and deeper self-understanding. Judgment moves us farther away from these things. Every single time. Setting this standard means — inside your own mind — redirecting self-judgment. Instead of judging, you’ll walk yourself through an evaluation process....

Today is the 2nd of two episodes on creating a great meeting culture and improving your company or team meetings. (Or your one-on-ones!) This episode is all about clear and well-executed roles. We’re talking about facilitation, participation, power structure, decision-making, and having the right people in the room. We’ll also talk about why facilitation and participation aren’t tasks, but positio...

Today on the podcast, we’re talking about a ubiquitous part of office culture . . . meetings. Generally, we talk about meetings with a tone of annoyance or exasperation. We have too many, they’re not effective, etc. But there’s a light at the end of this tunnel. There’s a way to make meetings effective, efficient, and exceptional. To make sure they support our work, and our companies' and teams' v...

I love a good story. Listening to one. Telling one. And it seems like an appropriate day for a story. About summer camp, inspiration, and professional trajectory. About gratitude, and the mysteries of human connection. Tune in, cozy up. Happy Thursday. Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks for listening. Hungry for more of the things we talk about on this podcast? Visit mimigordon.com to find articles, class...

A lot of the people I work with are born workers. They started working early in a lot of cases. Especially early in their careers, work provided growth, learning, mastery, and success. But at some point, they started to feel like work took up too much space — over time or overnight. Mental energy, emotional energy, or time. So the thing they love (work) that is such a part of their contribution, i...

Today on the podcast, I’m sharing one of my favorite, super-practical techniques for shaking your brain out of a spin. The human brain is an exceptional (if overexuberant) danger scanner. This means that it sometimes (or often) defaults to negative interpretations — of a colleague’s tone or facial expression, or an interaction with a stranger. This is especially true when the stakes feel high. (Mo...

An exceptional mentor is invaluable. They provide perspective, wisdom, and guidance. One of the greatest skills we can develop is to mentor our own minds. To learn to step in and be that voice for ourselves. Today’s podcast is an in-depth, practical guide to developing or deepening this ability. I’m sharing more about what it means to mentor your mind, and specific, practical tips for exactly how...

Today is the final episode in our short series about making job searches more delightful. And it’s about the final mindset shift that can aid your enjoyment of your job search: I hope they like me. This particular thought has deep socialization roots. Particularly for women, who — in dating and job searching and everywhere else — are taught that other people's opinions are more important than thei...

Episode three in a short series of episodes about making job searches more delightful. Today we’re talking about the second of three mindset gremlins that often come along with a job search: this is going to be a slog (or difficult/hard/annoying . . . fill in the blank with your brain’s favorite flavor). This thought has caused so much misery. 🤓😉And it’s caused so many highly qualified, ambitiou...

This week, we’re continuing a short series of episodes about making job searches more delightful. In this episode, we’re talking about the first of three mindset gremlins that often pop up when we begin to look for a job: thinking there’s nothing out there (that matches what you want). This little thought demon rears its head often, and when we let it run the show, it can cause us to feel defeated...

On its face, a job search is just a project. Take action, take action, and eventually get a result. But a job search rarely feels like “just a project.” For many people, a search brings up all kinds of insecurity, dread, and discomfort. Over the next few episodes of Joyful Leader, I’ll be talking about the mindset shifts that can help take your job search from terrible to terrific . . . or at leas...

On today’s podcast, I’m talking about my favorite tool of all time. It is a tool for planning . . . whether you’re planning a single event, the next 10 years of your life, or your next salary negotiation. Using this tool helps you connect your plans to bigger ideas, build engagement and buy-in, create a healthy and flourishing team culture, lead out-of-the-park quality presentations . . . and gene...

This week, we’re talking about balance. Specifically, your balance line. If you imagine a glass filled to the midpoint, this is your balance line. It represents the place in your life and work when your needs are met, and you have what you need to be at your best. When one or more of your needs goes unmet, you fall below your balance line. This is such an important topic. Because when we fall belo...

Action. Getting started. Momentum. Consistency. Starting and keeping up desired habits. You want to do something. It’s beneficial. Good for you. You know it. But it feels hard to start. Or . . . You have a habit. It’s working. It’s good for you. You want to keep it up. But some circumstance arises (travel, a bit project) and you “fall off the wagon.” These two themes — starting and continuing — ar...

Whether in one part of your life or in general, you’ve likely felt the ick of feeling stuck. We all have at one point or another. Stuck in a job, but not sure what to do next. Stuck about making a relationship decision. Stuck. It feels uncomfortable, slow, disempowered. Like there’s no way to make a good decision. Or downsides to every choice. Most of my clients find me at points when they have a...

Joyful Leader with Mimi Gordon — the podcast about all things leadership, including leader mental health. Listen starting September 12, 2024. Original music by Amir Sberlo | Never Bored Photograph by Vivian Johnson Design by Deena Rutter This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm