Navigating Leadership as an Introverted Servant Leader, feat. Sharissa Deppen, CEO of Leadership Mastery Alliance

TLC 12.11.24 Sharissa Deppen
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Layci: [00:01:00] Hello and welcome back to Confessions of a Terrible Leader. I'm your host and let us not forget former terrible leader Layci Nelson. I am here today with Sharissa Deppin and I am so excited for this conversation. Sharissa is the CEO of Leadership Mastery Alliance and her expertise is working with introverted servant leaders and helping Them figure out how to navigate this landscape of a world that oftentimes feels like it was built to just reward extroverts, especially in leadership roles.

Layci: Go to her website. We'll link everything. Amazing articles. She's written some great articles for Forbes and a bunch of different things and done some. Teaching on LinkedIn. Shereza, I am so glad you're here and I'm really excited to learn from you today. So welcome to the show.

Sharissa: Thank you so much, Laci. It's a pleasure to be [00:02:00] here and I cannot wait to get into our conversation today.

Layci: I have so many questions. First of all, how do you define yourself? Are you more introverted or more extroverted? Oh, great question. So I am definitely more introverted. And it's interesting because I do a lot of, you know, speaking and things like that, and these kinds of podcasts. Most people will look at me and go, Oh, I wouldn't have guessed that you're introverted, but a hundred percent, I am very much introverted.

Layci: And so the people that I sell right now through my business and all of that tend to be more introvert. I tend to attract a lot of introverts. that is really my passion is just helping other introverts to find their space and to feel like they, you know, they really are in the driver's seat when it comes to how they lead and how they show up and that they absolutely have the ability to have the level of impact and influence regardless of.

Layci: What the world may look like or regardless of how they may compare themselves To extroverted leaders and different things like that So I know we'll get more into the details on all of that as we chat But yes, that's really my passion and for sure I identify as an introverted leader. [00:03:00] Excellent. . How did you get on this pathway from i'm an introverted leader to what you're doing now building a whole company around? helping people Figure out how to navigate, not just navigate, like thrive in their roles, thrive in life with this label that I think we mostly as a society don't really understand.

Layci: I'll give you a little bit of a backstory first and then come back to actually answering the question specifically. Because I think it'll make more sense that way. So I started off as a software engineer and it's funny because most people, when I tell them that, they're like, Oh, well, it kind of makes sense.

Layci: You know, you're an introvert. Most people look at engineers and go, Oh, you're probably introverted. And so I started off there for a number of different reasons. But also at that point in time, I was, you know, of course, as we all are right coming out of high school, we don't know what we don't know. And I was like, well, that seems interesting.

Layci: So, you know, I'll go do that after graduating, went into the workforce, started office and engineer, and then over a period of time, moved into leadership, moved into tech leadership specifically. And so I spent the majority of my corporate career in technology leadership. Of course, it's also a very male dominated field.

Layci: [00:04:00] There's a lot of different dynamics that go on in that space. So I had to figure that out. Not only am I learning how to engage in that environment and learning how to be successful, but it was also a very painful journey of trying to understand how do I find my space in that place? Because I was wired a certain way.

Layci: And then in the corporate world, as we all know, a lot of times, it's not always the case, but a lot of times extroversion is very much celebrated and focused on and things like that. So I would get a lot of feedback saying. You're doing great. You do a great job, but you just need to be more visible. You need to be more vocal.

Layci: And I hear this from my clients all the time too, right? You need to have more for presence or whatever the case may be. Right. And so as I went through that journey towards the end of that corporate journey, I started to get really burnt out. So there were certain things that I loved about my job. I love leadership.

Layci: I love being able to support my teams The other thing that I loved is the innovative part of my job, being in that technology space, that was really fun for me. But towards the end of my career, I started to get burnt out. I was working long hours. There was a lot of demands on me as far as like from a career perspective.

Layci: And that was great. That was kind of like a reward, [00:05:00] right? For the work that I was doing. I was like, okay, I'm doing great work, but now I'm just stretched way, way, way too thin now that I look back at it. So grateful for that because it gave me a moment to pause and go, wow. Okay. There's so many things that are not working.

Layci: I was a single mom at the time. So trying to juggle all of those responsibilities and work and all of that just was completely wiping me out. My journey is very much a faith journey. So I had to come to the end of myself at that point. And I was like, okay, God, I cannot figure this out on my own. Like, there's no way I see this working.

Layci: I look to the future. I look to the next level of leadership and where I'm hitting. I don't see myself there. I can't do this anymore. And so through praying and just saying, okay, I'm going to surrender this and whatever you have for me, please just reveal it. And around that time, I started getting familiar with coaching and.

Layci: At that particular point in time, I didn't have any concept of what this idea of coaching was. All I knew of coaching was on the sports field. And I'm like, okay, I don't really understand. Right. It's not the same. Oh, no. I mean, there's some similarities, but definitely not the same thing. Yeah. Funny story is.

Layci: How I found my first coach was through Groupon [00:06:00] of all things. Like, Oh my gosh, I was a single mom scrolling through Groupon trying to say, yeah, I saw this ad for a career coach and he asked all the right questions. He was like, do you feel stuck in your career? Are you not sure where you should go from here?

Layci: Have you spent all this time in a certain area and now you feel like that's all there is and all of these things. And I was like, Oh my goodness. How are you in my head? Yes, yes. Yes. And I need your help. So I reached out and that's where I got my first taste of what coaching was and that whole coaching experience.

Layci: And then I started to realize something that I wasn't doing that I really needed to do to kind of figure out where to go from here. And that is starting with myself starting to understand who I am, how am I wired? What are my passions? What are my interests? What are the. Things that God has already put inside of me, right?

Layci: Yeah. The things that, that I should be focusing on, rather than trying to push a boulder up a hill and trying to put like a square peg in a Yes, yes, yes. Through all of that, I got so passionate about coaching and I was like, okay, I'm a learner by nature. So I'm like, if I'm going to do this, I need to know everything there [00:07:00] is to know about coaching.

Layci: I need to get certified, I need to do all the things. When I enrolled in coaching school, the very first weekend I was there, I was like, Oh my gosh, this is it. I have found my people. I have found what I want to do. I love working. The best feeling, right? Yes. Yes. And I was well into my thirties at that point and made a complete career pivot into my business.

Layci: And so I transitioned into starting my business. This was now more than a decade ago, which is crazy. Yeah. But through that journey, I just learned so much about myself. And then from that place, it was able to get a lot more clarity on what might be the right fit for me. Through that, I started off in the career space because I could identify so much with people that were struggling in their career.

Layci: And so I started doing career coaching from there transitioned into leadership coaching because I have such a passion for helping leaders. And it's not just leaders with the title. We all have the ability to lead, right? And so this area of leadership really got my attention because, of course, as leaders, we have the opportunity to impact everyone around us, not just in our professional lives, but in our personal lives.

Layci: And it has a ripple effect. So I started focusing on leadership. Then I transitioned more into introverted [00:08:00] servant leadership because I started to really attract a lot of introverts and they were like, how did you do this? How did you navigate this? And so that's where I am right now. And so that's the focus of my business I mainly focus on serving and supporting introverted servant leaders and servant leaders Because these are people that really have a heart to help others.

Layci: They don't want the spotlight. They were like, I don't need the pat on the back. I don't need the limelight. I just want to help. I want to be of service. I want to help others. But of course, these things to consider, right? So when you have that mindset, you don't want to drain yourself either. You need to make sure you're taking care of yourself and you are focusing on the areas of what's important to you and how you're wired so you can function at your highest ability in order to help and serve.

Layci: And so that's how I ended up serving introverted servant leaders. And I've got, oh my goodness, such a passion for helping. Cause I think that's an area that thankfully now has a little bit more of a focus. I really just want to step into that space and tell all the introverts out there. There's absolutely hope for you to reach the highest level, to do whatever it is that you feel called to do.

Layci: Functioning in line with the way you are created to be. You don't need to be somebody else. You don't need to [00:09:00] compare yourself. Yes. I'm married to an introverted servant leader, so I have a front row seat all the time. And so much of what you're saying is resonating. I want to ask, what are the themes that you see come up for servant leaders that are introverted?

Layci: Your clients, what are the themes for your clients that are beliefs that they have to basically realize aren't truths? That they have about themselves as potential leaders or leaders. What are some of those things that you have to help them rewire as foundational beliefs? One of the things that comes up quite a bit in one way or another is that comparison trap, right?

Layci: It's very easy for introverts to compare, especially because what introversion versus extroversion is, a lot of times our extroverted leaders, who we love as introverts, we love extroverts, right? Because they balance us out and all of that. But when we look at. People that are standing up there and seem to have all of this confidence and they're so [00:10:00] articulate and they just are able to speak on the spot and do all of these things.

Layci: Those are very much traits of extroverts for the most part. And so when we fall into that trap of comparing ourselves to others, it's very easy to, to think less of ourselves and think because I'm not as vocal, because I'm not as front and center, I'm perceived as not having as much value as I do. I hear this from my introverts all the time.

Layci: I'm not like that. I don't function like that. So even though I feel like I'm doing a good job and I'm doing what I need to do, that feels uncomfortable to me. That doesn't feel like something that I want to do. And so some of them get into the space of. I'm okay being in the background. I don't need to advocate for myself.

Layci: I don't need to be visible. I don't need to do the things and that's okay, too, if they choose to do that. However, there's a way to do it that feels more comfortable and it's more in line with the way introverts are right that still give you a level of visibility that still give you the level of impact and influence that you want to have.

Layci: You don't need to try to be an extrovert in order to do that. So I would say the comparison trap is definitely one of those things. The second thing is engaging with extroverts. Thanks. Because a lot of times introverts will take a backseat. They don't want to be the ones to step [00:11:00] in and take the space or dominate a conversation and things like that.

Layci: Oftentimes we'll get into a situation where it's like, Oh, I had some ideas or I had a clarifying question or something like that, that I wanted to share, but. I didn't have the opportunity to actually do that. So that's another thing we work on during the coaching is how do you do that? How do you create the space for yourself so that you have the opportunity to share?

Layci: And it can be, it doesn't have to be in that moment, right? It can be after the fact or before, whatever it is, but just how do you create the space so that you still feel like you can be heard, but you don't necessarily have to feel like you have to talk over someone or, you know, do that in the moment.

Layci: Cause they're not gonna. Yeah, they're not me. They're not going to do it. Yes, but there's other ways to do it that will get you to the end result. It's also being very clear being very clear on what it is that you're trying to achieve and that's another area that I feel like if we don't get clarity going into our workplace going into our year our days, whatever it is We need to get really clear on I believe it's Stephen Covey that says, start with the end in mind.

Layci: What are we trying to achieve? Whether that's in a meeting, in a conversation, what is the end goal? Because chances are, there's lots of different ways to get [00:12:00] there. There's an extroverted way of getting there. There's an introverted way of getting to the same destination. So just being really clear and not feeling like I have to compete because that competitive energy, everyone loses in that situation.

Layci: And when you're trying to fight against other people or trying to compete for space or whatever it is, there's a way to do that that creates that synergy and More of a collaborative environment rather than, okay, I've got to fight for my space yet because nobody is listening. So it doesn't have to be that kind of image or that kind of situation.

Layci: Such powerful insight and advice for our introverts listening for our extroverts listening. What do we need to know? I'm clearly extroverted, maybe not clearly, but definitely an extrovert. What do we, what do we need to know as extroverts to be? Really good leaders and coworkers. Also, if we're on a leadership team with other people who are lateral and are introverts, what do we do to not miss out on the genius that's sitting there that we can just, if we're not [00:13:00] aware, just rough shot right over the top of.

Layci: and miss out on so much that they have to offer and bring to the table. What tips do you have for the extroverted people to create an environment where introverts can really shine and bring their gifts that's going to be beneficial for them and for all of us, really? Thank you for asking the question.

Layci: I love it when our extroverts are like, how can we help? What do we need to do? What do we need to do now? Because actually, as part of my coaching practice, that's actually one of the things that I help my introverts with is how to engage really effectively, how to understand from an extrovert perspective and how to engage effectively.

Layci: So I love that you're asking the question from an extroverted standpoint.

Layci: I think it's helpful to understand . Generally speaking, your introverts are Going to have a high level of empathy. So when they go into any situation or conversation, they're oftentimes taking in a lot of information, whether that's verbal or nonverbal, and they're oftentimes going to be able to really connect with the person that there's be, at least that's the intention, right?

Layci: They want to really connect, understand where the person is coming from, have that [00:14:00] level of empathy. And the second thing is they're pretty good at listening. The natural tendency is going to want to hear and take an information before they connect the dots in their mind before they. The response or a decision or whatever it is that they're going to do.

Layci: So they're listening, they're paying attention, they're taking things in, they're absorbing things. And then they're also very reflective. So they, they need time. And this is something I always tell my extroverts as well, just bear in mind that your introverts are going to need time. They're gonna need time to get that information in to process before they're in a position to actually engage effectively in any kind of conversation, decision making, whatever that is.

Layci: Because they, they do a lot of introspection where extroverts tend to verbally process. Your introverts are going to internally process, which means there needs to be space for that. And then that one on one interaction introverts definitely, you know, tend to prefer the one on one that's small groups because it is a lot coming at them at the same time when they're internalizing and trying to take in all of these inputs, they prefer those small interactions so they can really connect and engage on that level.

Layci: So your one on one meetings with your introverts, they tend to be more open in that situation because they have [00:15:00] that ability to connect a little bit better when it's one on one versus in a group setting where they feel like, okay, now I've got to engage with several people at the same time. And it can be overwhelming.

Layci: Also, they have a focus on service because they're so good at empathy, connection, all of those things. It's like, okay, how can we help? What is my place? How can I add value? Those are just the characteristics. Now going back to your question about how extroverts can help and support them to really rise up and.

Layci: To really just have their value being recognized in the workplace on a practical level. Right? So when it comes to say, if you're an extrovert and you're putting together a meeting or you're running a meeting for your team or a group of people recognize that your introverts really appreciate knowing ahead of time what's going to be discussed.

Layci: So there's a couple of things to keep in mind if you're running that meeting or you have the ability to let people know ahead of time what the agenda is, for your introverts specifically, if you can let them know. If it's not already clear, what is their role or responsibility?

Layci: What is the expectation of them in that meeting? That's also very, very helpful. I always tell my introverts to advocate for themselves in those situations where they're like, okay, these meetings pop up on my calendar, but I don't know what's being discussed. So even if I do, I'm not really sure. Am I just listening?

Layci: Am I supposed to [00:16:00] engage? What is the intention of the meeting? I always say, if you can clarify what is the role of each person in that meeting, that's great. Sometimes it's. Assumed and everyone's on the same page and that's fine, but sometimes it's not. And then the last thing is going back to what I was saying earlier about the objective.

Layci: So starting with the end in mind, be very clear about like, what is the intended outcome of that engagement? Whether it's a one on one meeting, whether it's a group meeting, be really clear. And introverts typically like to think and plan ahead of time. It makes them feel more confident in the moment. So if you can provide whatever information you can, in addition to those three things for the meeting itself.

Layci: Whatever information that they can look at ahead of time so that they feel like when they come into the meeting, they're more prepared or they have an opportunity to go through material to whatever it is that needs to be discussed, just help them to feel like they have what they need. Whatever you can provide as an extrovert, if you're that extroverted leader, you can provide that ahead of time and give them a heads up of what's expected, I think that's really going to help.

Layci: The other thing is, it's also after the meeting as well, because introverts are probably going to need more time to process than you're extroverts in that setting. Within the timeframe of the meeting, make sure that you're creating space for your introverts to engage [00:17:00] in the conversation.

Layci: So let them know ahead of time. Okay, this is going to be more of an interactive type of meeting. I'm going to look for feedback from each of you. I want to know your thoughts, ask questions, that kind of thing, so that you introverts know, okay, I can be prepared to start thinking about if there's any questions, if there's anything I want to share.

Layci: And then of course, give them the space. Say, okay, we're going to go around the room and just check in and see, okay, where's everyone? Does anyone have any questions, any thoughts? Give them the space to do that so that they don't feel like they have to try to find their space and try to find a way to engage in the conversation and then also give them time to process afterwards for introverts.

Layci: Typically speaking, it's not going to be best for them to make a decision on the spot in that meeting when they're taking in information and then they have to like quickly make a decision. Give them time to process and recognize that a lot of that is going to actually happen after the meeting. Once they have time to take everything in to make sense of it then they're going to be in In a better position to be able to give you feedback to be able to say, okay, based on the meeting.

Layci: Here's what I'm thinking. Here's some of my thoughts. So give them the space before, during and after to be able to do that and provide the information that they need so that they can feel like they are as prepared as possible.

Layci: Those are great. That's so helpful. And [00:18:00] it's so important as leaders that are extroverted leaders. Our tendency is to move too fast in my experience. And having someone, lots of someone's on your team that forced the slow, if you're going to be a good leader, it feels slow, it feels slow for us, but it's so valuable because I can't tell you how many times in that created space.

Layci: I've had the introverts on the team stopped me from making really what in hindsight, I was like, Oh God, how did I miss that? Thank you for not letting me move too fast through this. Because I missed this or I didn't consider this aspect and I'm a verbal processor and I am Extremely action oriented. My default is not moving too slow.

Layci: It's moving too fast and then breaking things but not in the good way

Layci: Having those people on the team are a gift. They really are a gift for introverts listening

Layci: What do you recommend to them? If they have a leader that's [00:19:00] extroverted, but maybe not aware they're dealing with a extroverted leader who's not self aware, who hasn't at least done the digging to figure out how do I best support this person? How do they upwardly manage that relationship? Yes, I love this.

Layci: In that situation, I would tell all the introverts out there. Know what I call your leadership zone of genius. And what I mean by that is you need to understand yourself first. What's the best way for you to communicate? What are your strengths? How do you play to those trends when you communicate with your leadership, when you communicate just across the board in general?

Layci: So when I talk about your leadership sort of genius, this is the time that we use a lot in my coaching practice. And what that means is really doing the work to understand how you're wired. What are your interests? What are your passions? What are your purposes? What is your strength? What are some of the experiences?

Layci: That come into that belief system that you have around how you show up and how you engage with people. So it's all of that. So once you have a clear understanding of who you are and you're really confident from that place of this is who I am, this is how I work best. This is how I engage best with other people.

Layci: Then you can go into, okay, now how do I go into these [00:20:00] conversations so that I can communicate the most effectively, whether it's to my leadership or to others. I would say start in that place, right? And if you need help with that, definitely reach out to a coach or someone that knows how to walk you through that process so that you can feel grounded and Secure and confident in who you are.

Layci: So when you're having those conversations, it's coming from that place and not from a place of, Oh, I don't know how to address this. I'm not sure. You know, that kind of stuff. And then the other thing is do not be afraid to advocate for yourself. It is absolutely possible as an introvert to do this in a way that doesn't feel icky, right?

Layci: It doesn't feel like you're begging somebody for something, or you're trying to convince somebody of something. I always talk about this convincing versus influencing energy. That's a whole other topic, but you don't want to get into a space where. You're putting yourself at the mercy of like, okay, I'm feeling this energy that doesn't feel good, but now I'm getting into a conversation with somebody and now it's going to be part of the conversation.

Layci: So be really clear on what it is that you need and how you're going to advocate for that or how you're going to communicate that to your leader. And always think about what's in it to them. Always think about that win win, right? What's the benefit to them. When they help you, and it might seem obvious to you, but you also want to spell that out.

Layci: You want to make sure that when you have a [00:21:00] conversation with someone, you're looking at it from both sides. You're saying, okay, this is what I need, but also here's the benefit that's going to be realized, not just for your relationship with your manager necessarily, but also for how the rest of the team engages.

Layci: So maybe there's something valuable that comes out of that that can be applied in different scenarios. So think about it, bigger picture, not just what do I need for me. How is this really going to impact everyone? Because sometimes we hold ourselves back from having those conversations because it feels selfish.

Layci: It feels like, oh, I'm just asking for what I want. But really, that impacts everybody when you function at your highest level, it's not just helping you. It's helping every single person around you. When you're advocating from that standpoint, it feels a lot better than you coming in and saying, this is what I need.

Layci: It's more about this is actually how it's gonna help. Not just me, but it's gonna help me add more value. It's gonna help me be more effective, and therefore it's gonna help in my leadership, help with the team, that kind of stuff. So I would say those two things know your leadership zone of genius and know how to communicate effectively from that place.

Layci: So that you can advocate for yourself in a way that feels good. I love that. So powerful. I've got so many people. I'm going to be pointing your [00:22:00] direction for some really great advice, insights, but you didn't gain all of this knowledge without making some mistakes. I'm fairly certain. So I am inviting you for that question.

Layci: We ask every single guest to share. What was one of your biggest missteps in your leadership journey? And the juicier the details, the better. Of course, you can change the names to protect the guilty. So Okay. Will do. I'm going to take you way back in time because as soon as you said that I thought of a particular situation that I was in that caused me an incredible amount of stress and it wasn't because of somebody else.

Layci: It was because of how I was processing what was going on. I want to start off from that perspective because I will completely take this on. This was how I was interpreting the situation. So at that particular point in time, one thing that comes to mind as far as what the mistake was or the way that I handle it, that maybe wasn't the best was I took a lot of things personally.

Layci: I had a manager, a female manager, we'll call her Anne, and of course that's not her real [00:23:00] name. Right, right. Way back when in my career, the way she engaged with the team and with myself,

Layci: the team just wasn't happy. They felt like she didn't take a lot of what they were saying into consideration. She just had her way of doing things Her approach to leadership wasn't the best. To me, every time I engaged with her and she had that certain approach, it would rub me the wrong way and I would take it personally.

Layci: I'd be like, why would she do this? Not going to protect the team from her and all of these different things. What ended up happening with through that time, it kind of goes back to my faith journey. I was praying through that. I'm like, Lord, this is miserable. Please just get me out of here or help me figure this out.

Layci: And the one thing that I learned through that experience is just to look at people through a different lens. So it's really coming back to empathy and trying to understand where she's coming from. Also just being able to connect with her on a different level. So rather than looking at her through the lens of all the things that are so annoying about what she did back in the time.

Layci: But looking and saying, okay, let me be curious about this, What could have contributed to this? Or where is this coming from? What is my intention? Because I didn't think she had bad intentions necessarily, but the way she went about doing it,

Layci: it made people feel a certain way. And it wasn't very pleasant. So what I [00:24:00] ended up doing is I started to just be curious. And every day when I walked into the office, I would pray over and I was like, okay, well, how can I bless her today? What can I do to make her job a little bit easier? And I started that process.

Layci: And then soon after that, I ended up going on a business trip and we spent quite a bit of time just having dinner together and things like that. And at first I was dreading it. I was like, Oh, I really don't want to do this. What is happening? But I started to get to know a little bit more. She shared a little bit more about her background and her story and things like that.

Layci: And I was like, Oh my goodness. Now I understand. It makes sense to me why there's certain things that she would do. Again, it goes leaning back into empathy and understanding and curiosity. One of the biggest lessons I took out of that was to give people the benefit of the doubt, lean in with curiosity and understanding before you make a judgment about them.

Layci: But also, even when it's hardest, in fact, especially when it's hard to even like them in those moments, ask yourself, how can I be that servant leader? How can I make their lives a little bit easier? Because that changes you. It changes the way you feel, it changes the way you act, and it changes the way you engage with not just that person, but with others.

Layci: And that is. Felt and people see that. So you're leading by example. And [00:25:00] so even though it's hard, I would say that that's the biggest lesson that I kind of learned from that whole thing. The other thing I would say as a caveat to that is you don't want to constantly put yourself in a situation where there's behavior that you shouldn't be tolerating.

Layci: Just be careful of that. So that's a whole other scenario. Generally speaking, I would say always try to lean in with curiosity and understanding, cause that's going to help you to emotionally regulate a little bit better, right? So you're not getting frustrated in the moment and also take care of yourself.

Layci: Make sure that you are getting your wrist. You're doing the things that are going to fill your tank so that when you get into these situations that are challenging and tricky, you have the capacity to be able to handle it in the best possible way so that you can lean into empathy, curiosity, understanding.

Layci: That's actually a benefit that introverts have is because they do take in things and then they have the ability to kind of pause and process through it. They can create that gap or that space to be able to then make a more conscious decision in those moments. It's a training, right? It's a journey. I say this from my own personal experience?

Layci: Trust me. That's not the last time that I, that I took things personally. That's not where you started. Oh my goodness. I've fallen into that trap of taking things personally several times since then. But it's a journey. You have to be gentle on [00:26:00] yourself and have grace.

Layci: Once you understand that, and once you can create the space to make the conscious decisions, it makes all the difference. Oh, that is powerful. And I can speak from experience on the other side of the fence as with extroverts When we have the privilege of someone on our team who's introverted and is doing the work and you as an extrovert are doing the work, the dynamic team you can become.

Layci: Because you are so powerful when you're working collaboratively and putting all that energy collectively towards solving the problem and innovation and respecting and admiring the different things that you each bring to the table to work through those possible ways to approach something, that's where the magic happens is when you can get to that point.

Layci: When you're willing to do that. Very well said. Yes. Thank you so much for this amazing conversation. I could keep you on here all day, but I know you are a woman with many commitments and things you have going [00:27:00] on. Sure. So where can our listeners find you? Because you know, you have a new loyal follower and fangirl will be tuning into your work.

Layci: Thank you. You're very welcome. Where can they find you? Where's the best place to connect? First of all, I love the work that you're doing. So keep doing it and you have a thank you for sure I also have a podcast. It's called the introverted servant leader. You can find that wherever you find podcasts But there's also a page on my website.

Layci: So if you go to Leadership mastery alliance dot com. There's a podcast page on there. There's also my Ted talk on the pursuit of happiness in the workplace and a, like a little cheat sheet for that. So that's there. That's my website. So it's leadership mastery alliance. com. And if anyone has any questions based on our conversation today, or they're just curious about what it might look like to work together, feel free to email me at info that's I N F O at leadership mastery alliance.

Layci: com. Fantastic. We will drop all of that in the links listeners. and I would encourage if you are introverted, obviously. If you're extroverted, go follow, pay attention, learn how to be a better [00:28:00] leader to people that aren't wired like you. All of us can benefit from the genius and the compassion and the insight that you bring.

Layci: Thank you, Sharissa, so much for being on our show today. I would love to have more conversations in the future. This has just been wonderful. Thank you so much for being here. You're very welcome. Thank you, Layci. You are welcome. And until next time, my friends, go manage like a leader.

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