Leading at Altitude: Using Intuition, Creativity, and Storytelling to Lead with Authority and Compassion

Leading @ altitude
Using Intuition, Creativity,
and Storytelling to Lead with
Authority and Compassion
Terri Trespicio

This is a story
about a difficult
ascent.

Everything
seemed really
great the first
night!

The next day, I
was fully
acclimated.

I’ll never make that
mistake again.

This is what
Diamox feels
like.

What has helped you acclimate to
higher altitudes?
Copyright © 2020 Terri Trespicio All rights reserved.
territrespicio.com/getit
Patience? Resilience? Work ethic? Other people?

Your success in rising is a
nod to your ability, skill,
persistence. To meet
expectations, and then
exceed them.

There’s the part of you
that’s trained…and
there’s the part that
knows things you never
taught it.

There isn’t a person in this
room who doesn’t want
women to succeed.

…To adapt to where we are; and 
…To keep climbing.
Every one of us is engaged
in two efforts.

We still believe there’s not
enough room for us. And, that
it’s not safe to be seen.
The problem?

It presumes there’s one way to do or
think about things (and sees
anything else as a risk). And it
functions on a scarcity model.
Challenge: The system itself.

We still think
we’re fighting
over one slice.

Rooted in the belief that there’s
not only not enough, but that
we don’t deserve what’s there.
Challenge: Internalized doubt

territrespicio.com/getit Copyright © 2020 Terri Trespicio All rights reserved.
McKinsey and LeanIn.org surveyed 329
companies and more than 68,000 employees. 
Half the women surveyed have been
interrupted or talked over in meetings. 
Around 40 percent watched other people take
credit for their ideas.
2019 Women in the Workplace
Report

Kathryn Heath, Jill Flynn and Mary Davis Holt,
“Women Find Your Voice,” Harvard Business Review
More than a third [of men] indicated that
when their female peers do speak up, they
fail to articulate a strong point of view.  
Half said that women allow themselves to be
interrupted, apologize repeatedly, and fail to
back up opinions with evidence.
“

Don’t worry
about taking
notes!

Men tend to be rewarded for
standing out, showing status.  
Women tend to be rewarded for
playing down their achievements
and being inclusive.
Fact!

There’s been a huge shift in
awareness and a push to
support women.
However.

Metrics are like climbing
anchors.

Just because they’re
there doesn’t mean  
you “feel” secure.

Excel in a role or skill, then get
promoted out of that role to
manage other people who do it.
The irony of work.

Effectively encourage other people’s
strengths and help them rise.
The challenge of leadership

I hosted a live radio show for years.

“Stop searching for your
passion” 7M+ views

I have my very first
book coming out
this December! 
 
unfollowyourpassion.com

My role today is to highlight
what doesn’t get enough play,
support, validation, or air
time.

Access a part of you that you don’t always get
the chance to use.
What we’re about to do

Experience the power of story in leadership.

Learn to listen and respond  
with a new set of tools.

And we’ve gotten tunnel vision
around it—which blinds us to
everything else.
We’ve been baptized in the
culture of criticism.

can hinder collaboration,
innovation, and insight
Focusing only on flaws

…And of morale, and of women. It
weaponizes feedback and makes us
doubt ourselves.
Criticism is the enemy
of innovation

The thing that makes you exceptional
isn’t the part that complies, but the
part of you that doesn’t.
Fact:

idiosyncratic
Excellence is
Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall, “The Feedback
Fallacy,” Harvard Business Review (April 2019)
“

Being a woman in leadership is in
itself a creative act.

The ability to transcend traditional ideas,
rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and
to create meaningful new ideas, forms,
methods.
Creativity, defined

Not just what we do, but how it’s
received, matters.

What makes for the most
effective team?
“Hey Google…”

They assumed that an ideal mix
of skills and traits was the
answer.
They were wrong.

The Five Keys to a Successful Google Team, Julia
Rozovsky, Google People Operations | November 17, 2015
Who is on a team matters less
than how the team members
interact, structure their work,
and view their contributions.
“

Feeling secure enough to contribute
was the most common feature, by
far, of high-performing teams.  
“ Why Is It So Hard to Speak Up at Work? By Ruchika
Tulshyan, New York Times, March 15, 2021

So why is this hard?

Your brain has a
negativity bias
(so negative
thoughts stick
more).
Rick Hanson, Hardwiring Happiness

You’ve been
taught to
believe
criticism is
“good” for you.

You’ve been taught to
compete with instead
cultivate creative work. Copyright © 2020 Terri Trespicio All rights reserved.

Criticism
shuts down
your
creativity.

“Can I give
you some
feedback?”

This is
way, way
better.

‘While the critical method
sharpens the mind, it dulls the
heart. We fail to see what is right,
what is working, what is good.”
Patricia Madson, Improv Wisdom
“

People don’t need feedback.
They need attention to what
they do best.
“

How do we access the brilliant,
creative, generous, part of us?
So.

We go to
the page.

Our relationship to the page began
a long time ago.

This is where
we were
conditioned to
distrust
ourselves (and
each other).

Squeeze
That tightening / fear / worry?
We call it the

…But it can also feel like this.

You’ve heard (ad nauseum) to get
OUT of your comfort zone.
I disagree.

Take us very far out of our
comfort zones, and our brains
stop paying attention to anything
other than surviving the
experience.
“

We learn most in our comfort
zones.…It’s where we’re most
open to possibility, most creative,
insightful, and productive.
“

A methodology created by Suzanne
Kingsbury to quiet the critic and
amplify your creativity & intuition.

Began as tool for busting
through writers block.

We do it by listening to what works.

you’ll start to see it in
your own.
Train yourself to look for genius in
others’ work, and

The process is deceptively simple;
the results can be profound.

I’ve used this particular workshop approach
for…
at L’Oreal, Google, Clorox, Wells Fargo, and more
entrepreneurs
writers financial advisors
admin staff
Plus, top executives and teams
Creatives
consultants
authors
therapists
Speakers

How this works
• You’re brought into a state of relaxation and
heightened attention
• You’re given a prompt and a few minutes to write
• You share your work (optional!)
• You comment on the work by pointing out what’s
working

WHY this works
During heightened creative thought, the
neurotransmitter norepinephrine—responsible
for anxiety, low energy, and decreased focus—is
greatly reduced. Lowered norepinephrine may
stimulate novel connections and new ideas.
Source: Dr. Kenneth M. Heilman
You decrease norepinephrine.

WHY this works
One study found that when jazz musicians were
spontaneously composing, self monitoring was
suppressed, which allowed for intense, highly
emotive work.
Source: Charles Limb and Allen Braun
You free up your limbic centers.

WHY this works
Dr. Rick Hanson, neuropsychologist says
that a focus on what’s working can
actually help retrain our brains, rather
than only get snagged on the negative.
You begin to retrain your brain.

WHY this works
• We remove fear of criticism/judgment
• We ease the fight or flight response
• We give ourselves the chance to connect with
story, memory, intuition
• We’re given rules AND room to explore
• We create a safe container in which to listen and
share without repercussions

The Rules of Engagement

The Rules of Engagement
• No disclaiming
• No criticizing, questions, suggestions
• We focus on what works
• We stay on the page
• We refer to the “speaker,” “narrator,”
not by name

How to write
to a prompt.
Listen to what comes up,
write it down.  
Think small, detailed,
something we can see or
feel.
Write about any scene,
moment, from any time in
your life.

Ready?

Your prompt…
A time you went with
your gut.

Time for
feedback

How to comment
• Choose one thing you loved: a word, a
phrase, a moment
• Reflect back what you heard
• Stay on the page with the writer

What does this do?
• Taps insights you wouldn’t have considered
• Changes the tenor of conversation
• Gives us another way to view work
• Shifts us out of fight or flight
• Trains us to look for patterns of genius
• Teaches us to separate work from person

Pre-order now for exclusive bonuses at
UnfollowYourPassion.com

Unmute Yourself

Speaking up can sometimes
feel like a zero-sum game.

“Unsure”
“Weak” “Insecure”
“Not confident”
“Forgettable”
Say nothing and people may think…

“Assertive”
“Aggressive”
“Demanding”
“Bitchy”
“Bossy”
“Talkative”
“Outspoken”
Say something and you’re…

What’s at stake?

What’s at stake?
•I may come off as aggressive
•I may not be likable
•It may hurt my chances
•It may __________ [insert your answer here]

What’s really at stake?
•You may be overlooked and underestimated
•You may stunt your own growth
•You may allow likable to trump impactful
•You may never realize your own potential

Reputation vs.
representation
How do people see me vs. how do people see us

“How do I contribute without
interrupting?”
Q.

Men have been doing it for ages.
They just don’t call it interrupting;
they call it…talking.

“Interrupt”

“Interrupt”
to stop or break the
continuity of

Seeing yourself as
“interrupting” assumes
you’re not part of the
conversation.

A conversation is not a monolith.
It’s an irregular, ongoing, living thing.
Conversations disrupt themselves!

You don’t have to stop
the flow to start
swimming.

How can I come across as
assertive, not aggressive?
Q.
Let’s look at those words
more closely.

Aggressive: Ready to attack

Assertive: Confident & direct

Participation does not
equal aggression.

We’ve been taught that if we’re nice,
good things will happen.
But that’s not how great
things happen.

You don’t have to change who
you are to be worth listening to.
But you can change tactics.

Do not disclaim.
It does not endear you. It’s not
effective. It looks bad on everyone.

Do not disclaim.
“I just”
“I think”
“I don’t know if”
“I’m not sure if anyone agrees with me”
“Maybe I’m alone here on this”
“This is just my opinion, but”

“I’m sorry.”
Be aware of how you use the words

The friendly pause
“Chris, I love what you just said
—I don’t want to move on from
that too quickly. Here’s why…”

•They think they know what you’re going to say
•They think they can save time
•They’re trying to “help”
•They don’t want to be questioned
•They don’t want to lose the floor
Why do people interrupt?

Hold your ground
(keep talking)
“Bob, let me wrap up this point and
then I’ll hand off to you…”

OR! Pause and pick back up
[Wait til they take a breath, or come to
the end of a sentence, then]
“One point before we move on from
this…”

Make your case
Don’t shy away from a strong opinion.

Use “muscular” language

SOURCE:
“Women Find Your
Voice,” Harvard
Business Review

•Headline your point
•Present the shortest path, unfold as
needed
•Don’t pretend you know something
you don’t
Media training tips:

I’m afraid of saying something
in case I’m not 100% correct.
Q. You don’t have to be infallible to say
something worthwhile.
Calculators are 100% correct. Leaders have
insights, hunches, ideas. They take risks.

How does
Rachel
Maddow
handle that?

Listen like a leader.
You don’t have to talk all the time to
have an impact.  
The more closely you listen, the
more you’ll have to say.

Getting someone else to feel something is
strategy.  
But when your own feelings get in the
way, it’s static on the line.
How emotions work for
and against us.

Channel passion.
Elicit emotion.

Tolerate some tension.
Resist the urge to cave on the spot or fill
the space.
Use silence to your advantage.

Get a good mic
•Amplify your voice! This can have a
far bigger impact than you realize.

This is not a
zero-sum game.
You can go beyond being heard, to having impact—
and help others do the same.

It’s possible to take your turn
on purpose…to change your
approach and to choose to
take your turn.
Seth Godin, What to Do When It’s Your Turn
territrespicio.com/5ways Copyright © 2020 Terri Trespicio All rights reserved.
“

Leading at Altitude: Using Intuition, Creativity, and Storytelling to Lead with Authority and Compassion

Recommandé

Recommandé

Contenu connexe

Tendances

Tendances (18)

Similaire à Leading at Altitude: Using Intuition, Creativity, and Storytelling to Lead with Authority and Compassion

Similaire à Leading at Altitude: Using Intuition, Creativity, and Storytelling to Lead with Authority and Compassion (14)

Dernier

Dernier (20)

Leading at Altitude: Using Intuition, Creativity, and Storytelling to Lead with Authority and Compassion