Season 2; Episode 9: Get the Ball Down the Field with Gina L. Osborn

Gina L. Osborn is an Army Veteran, a retired Cyber FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge and is now a Keynote Speaker, Leadership Consultant and the host of the podcast Lead Like a Lady featuring remarkable women who have risen to the top in male dominated industries. 

Key Takeaways from this Episode:

Leading as a Woman

· Sometimes men felt uncomfortable around me as the only woman, but you just ignore it and press on and do your job.

· There are a lot of reasons why people can treat you in a particular way, but if you think every time, it's because of me, I'm bad, I'm not good enough then you're never going to be successful, because you're always going to have a reason not to be.

· The amount of energy that goes into taking things personally can be exhausting. Instead, focus on getting the ball down the field, you don't have time for all the other nonsense.

· If someone says something that offends you, ask them, what did you mean by that? It's as simple as that. Either they’re going to explain it or they will say I'm sorry I didn't mean it that way. Then you can go about your business and get the ball down the field instead wasting your energy.

· Remember that everybody doesn't have to like you and you don't like everybody. It's called self-preservation. 

· Like my mom used to tell me, it's none of your business what other people think about you. 
That takes a lot of pressure off, especially for women. 

Leading Authentically

· Modified Albert Einstein: “She who attempts the absurd can achieve the impossible”; if you're not attempting the absurd, you are missing out because the impossible is pretty fantastic.

· Try things and don’t let obstacles stand in your way. If it's never been done before, then you can be the first one to do it.

· What percentage of your day is getting the ball down the field? What percentage of my day is criticizing yourself or wishing you had more confidence, or tolerating things that you shouldn't? 

· Remember as a leader people are watching you; how you handle things, how you address people, how you nip things in the bud, how much effort and time you're putting into things.

· You’ll shine as an authentic leader when you are honing into your natural talent and skills sets.

· You learn by making mistakes, that's how they become a better leader.

· Don't take things so seriously; have more fun. You don't have to be perfect. 

· Imperfections are what make you extraordinary. Take risks so you can grow from your mistakes.

Leading a Team

· My leadership challenge as an executive for the FBI was keeping my agents alive and making sure they go home to their families every night. 

· You must know when to take risks and when you shouldn't.

· Develop a muscle memory to make critical decisions quickly. Don’t get stuck being afraid to fail or it's going to be the wrong decision. 

· Micromanaging comes from leaders being afraid to make mistakes or fear of failure. But there's a lot of smart people out there that can come up with really good ideas if we let them do it.

· If you have a good team surrounding you, you are going to be successful no matter what.

· Develop the leaders that come behind you. 

· Don’t be intimidated by people who are smarter than you. You don't have to be smarter than your team when you're the leader. You don't have to be the smartest person in the room.

· It’s important to make sure your people have ownership and investment in the mission of your company.

Resources

· Open Architecture: Guy Geier at TEDxTimesSquare

· Eero Saarinen, a Finnish-American architect and industrial designer

To learn more about my work in executive coaching, leadership development and team effectiveness check out my website, connect with me on LinkedIn or email me at winnie@winnifred.org.  

Reach out and tell me what was helpful about today’s episode or any suggestions you have for my show.

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I look forward to sharing another transformative conversation with you next week!

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