Spark Your Leadership Superpowers with Slalom
There are times in business when the stars align and you meet smart people who are kind to the core. It’s in this moment that you intuitively know you’ve found your people. That’s exactly what I thought when I met three exceptional Slalom Consulting team members: Amy Loftus, U.S. president; Lexie Kubisiak, employee experience manager; and Kate Jester, HR leader and advisor.
First of all, they have 13,000 employees operating in 43 markets around the world and generate over $2.9 billion in revenue. WHAAAAAAT?!?!
They were kind enough to invite me to share thoughts on Sparking Next Level Leadership. I went to serve them but walked away learning and questioning everything that I had ever thought about leading through a VUCA era. (Just in case VUCA is new to you, it stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity.)
I learned in my short time with them that their approach is unique so that they can make a difference in their team members’ and customers’ lives.
They shared with me their podcast, Slalom On Air. I binge-listened as Lucy Hur, chief people officer, said “My job is to be a steward of the employee experience so that each person loves their work and life.” That’s right. You heard it correctly. She used the word “love” as it relates to work.
Did you know that the average person in their lifetime will spend 90,000-plus hours working? That’s almost one-third of their life. Why not love your work and life at the same time?!?
I began to understand that Slalom’s vision statement is more than just returning shareholder value and being the most profitable company in the world. It’s about developing people in their core competencies and coaching them to be their very best.
She challenged everyone to do three things:
Own your career.
Take time and give feedback.
Step up and be a great people manager.
However, what really Sparked my thinking was the brilliant insight from Lexie and Kate, who asked all of the key leaders from the Northeast region to identify their leadership superpowers. Yes, they had each leader identify superpowers that could make a collective difference. Think Marvel Comics and the superheroes uniting to make a tangible difference.
What are your superpowers and how are you best leveraging them in your business?
Here are just a few of the superpowers highlighted by Slalom’s leaders:
Benjamin – People leadership and empowerment
Rob – Complex negotiations, executive-level relationships and networking
June – Delivering large and transformational projects and building future leaders
Walt – Bridging the technology and business worlds
Carol – Building highly successful teams
Humberto – Systems thinking and complex problem-solving
Lucy – Uncovering value streams and delivering impactful outcomes
What I so appreciate about Slalom is that they meet customers where they are, embed these superpowers with clients’ brilliant team members, and build a bridge together toward a bright future.
Find a way today to identify your superpower and share it with everyone. This is one of the keys to loving your work and life.
If you are looking for a better way to coach for brilliant performance, manage team conflict, nurture diversity of thought and make recognition a routine, then check out one of my LinkedIn Courses, Leading Through Relationships.
Bailey has more than 30 years ofexperience in hospitality. The formersales director for Disney Institute, he is a prolific author and hall of fame keynote speaker. Check out his newest book, Ignite the Power of Women in Your Life: A Guide for Men today.