Episode 3: Our Leadership Skills

Ella Bates

Welcome to episode three of Leadership Vibes, a Centennial podcast that's all about student leadership. This third episode in the season is about our leadership skills, what they are, and how we can develop them. And our guests today will share about their experiences that helped them grow their skills and identify what they needed to develop. So let me to introduce you now to our three guests today. Our first guest is Darryl Chiu, a recent graduate of the Global Business Management Program. He's a former student mentor at the college and an aspiring professional, really driving his passion in marketing and communications. And in his spare time, he loves to read true crime and escape into the mysterious problem solving world that he gets to put into reality into his future career in business. So welcome, Darryl. Hello.

Darryl Chiu

Hi, Ella, it's nice to be here.

Ella Bates

We're so happy to have you. And then of course, alongside Darryl we have Jimmy Nyende who is completing Biomedical Engineering Technology. He's a former Secondary School Teacher of both mathematics and physics. He's a father of four and very passionate about giving and teaching in the community. And if that's not enough, he was also the former president of Speak Up Centennial. Welcome, Jimmy,

Jimmy Nyende

Thank you so much. It is a great privilege and pleasure to be with you.

Ella Bates

Our pleasure, Jimmy, very excited to hear both your stories. And then our final guest is Jake Pickering, who uses he/they pronouns. He is a recent graduate of the social service worker program and a proud former president of Centennial College's 2SLGBTQQIA+ Social Club, inclusion and diversity are key to his/their leadership style, and personally loves the comedy scene, to bring that relief to this crazy and beautiful world that we live in. Jake, so happy to have you join us.

Jacob Pickering

Thank you for having me. I'm excited for the conversation.

Ella Bates

My pleasure. So let's get right in there. I'm going to pose this question. First of all to Jimmy, I would love to know, in your own words to simplify it. What is leadership? What does it mean to you?

Jimmy Nyende

Thank you so much, Ella. Leadership to me means two important things. The first one is, leadership is a journey. It is a journey from the known to the unknown. It is a journey from the comfortable to the uncomfortable. It is a journey from good to best. That's my first aspect of leadership. Now in order to undertake this journey, the second aspect is learning. You are learning from the people you lead, you are learning on your own, you are learning from people who have been in this journey before you. So for me, that's all leadership, what it means - it is a journey and a learning experience.

Ella Bates

Beautiful. Thank you, Jimmy. And now I'm going to pass it over to Darryl, being the keen reader that you are. Jimmy beautifully mentioned that leadership is a journey and so much of our, the fictional reading that we're doing is all about the hero's journey. Is that something that you agree with? Is that also your philosophy of leadership? Tell us what do you think?

Darryl Chiu

I think definitely being on the hero's journey is part of what I believe is leadership. Because during your journey, you're able to experience and learn from others, and from your environment. And I think that is an important part of leadership as well, not only influencing others and leading them, but also being willing and being able to take the contributions of others, the experiences of others, and adjust and update your leadership skills as well.

Ella Bates

Such a hot topic, the real skills that make a leader, we're gonna get on to that in a second. So hold that thought down because I know that you got some awesome things to say. Jake, leadership to you, you're in volunteer positions, you're in the social world, how are things different from your perspective?

Jacob Pickering

I definitely agree with leadership being about a learning journey. For me and my perspective, learning, being a leader is being open and honest and collaborating more than just being like the top dog. It's more about everyone's equal. And we all learn from each other. And inclusion and diversity is like extremely important to me when it comes to leadership,

Ella Bates

As it should be with absolutely everybody, Jake, and I'm sure you're going to talk more about that. And thank you and especially from the standpoint of volunteer positions, and what you've been learning in the college and your own experiences. And all of you there as you're talking I'm writing down some of these really great characteristics that you've mentioned, you've already mentioned being willing, being able to help others being guided by others receiving it and giving it as you said that Jimmy on both sides, like we talked on another podcast about, it's about showing a mirror to other people and showing capabilities and letting them be a mirror to you and showcasing that being open and honest, collaborative, inclusive, and bringing in diversity there, that, you know, we could write this beautiful list of critical skills that leaders need. But I'd love to know what your top two are. If you think of the leader that you guys want to be personally, what do you believe the top two skills that, you know, that you must have as a leader to go from being an OK, leader to really impactful leader? And that's kind of a hot question. So I invite you to just take a minute and think about that. And Jimmy's giggling. So I think that Jimmy knows exactly the answer there. So I'm going to hand the baton to you here, Jimmy,

Jimmy Nyende

Thank you so much. The two top skills I believe are important for leaders, are number one, thinking, and number two, communication, and I will explain why. Thinking is about asking the difficult questions, the most difficult questions concerning a problem. I've been listening to politicians currently, trying to get what they're thinking about the problems we are facing in Canada. So a leader must ask the difficult questions, a leader must think for the answers that are sustainable, the leader must look for solutions that will take us from the known to the unknown, but with no fear, no risk. So such those are the work of a leader. And then after thinking, the leader must have the ability to communicate to share their vision, what they have seen in their mind with those they are leading. And the communication is a broad topic also. The leader must communicate effectively, he must tap into the emotions of those they are leading. But the reader must also be enthusiastic about what they are talking about. In other words, they should be able to make us excited, make us feel the energy that they are feeling because of the thoughts that have come into their mind. So to me, those are the two most important skills a leader must have, the ability to think, and the ability to communicate their thoughts.

Ella Bates

Beautiful. And I love that you brought the communication into the vision, because everything is about guiding people to where they want to be, where they deserve, where they desire to be, and taking them to wherever that is, guiding them, giving them the right tools, just beautifully articulated. Thank you, Jimmy. Jake, in your work in the field that you're working in and your volunteer positions and your experiences in life, let's take communication because Jimmy's right, it's a big, big topic, there's so many different parts of it. What parts of communication do you think as a leader are the most critical parts to focus on and develop?

Jacob Pickering

In regards to communication? I think inclusion is really important, because having everybody communicate is inclusion, really. So hearing what everybody has to say, anybody's input is like the biggest part for me in particular when it comes to communication, to make sure everybody is included, and everyone's heard, and that we all delegate and understand each other, even if we don't come from the same place in our lives.

Ella Bates

And how would you start the journey of developing inclusion as we are divided yet so together at the same time, right now, what would be your number one tip for anyone who knows that's an area of development for them. For our listeners, also here on the podcast, if we want to develop that inclusive communication, how would you guide us with that?

Jacob Pickering

I would start off by saying that self-reflection is the most important thing to start with to go within. So really realize your self concepts, the way that you think and how they can be harmful to other people and just kind of like think about how you could do things differently, like adding spice to what you have originally I think is the best way to start. Like just go within yourself kind of feel yourself and then be open to what other people's experiences are.

Ella Bates

Beautifully said, Jay, thank you for sharing that. And you're right, self-reflection, reflection as a whole, as we know is very impactful to lead others. Would you agree, Jake, that self-leadership should come first before we go on to guide others?

Jacob Pickering

Yes, absolutely. I don't think that it's plausible to lead others if we can't really delegate ourselves. So yeah, I would say that's definitely 100% I agree.

Ella Bates

Yeah. Great. Thank you. Thank you. Darryl, what a minefield. Leadership skills. Where do you start? What are your number two, your top two leadership skills that you think takes a leader from being a good leader to a great leader?

Darryl Chiu

I guess for me, the first skill that a leader should have is flexibility. When it comes to being flexible, you should be able to be adaptable to our words, what other people are giving to you, we've gone through a lot of these, you know, leadership styles, and leadership series. But if we just, you know, just use one leadership style, then it's not really a style that would work well in a different situation. So being flexible, being adaptable to the situation, I think it's very important. You need to be able to read the room, and adapt. And that's what Jimmy and Jake were speaking about earlier. But being able to listen, being inclusive. So I believe that that is an important way to show leadership, is to show that you are able to adapt well to the needs of others.

Ella Bates

I love that, and I'd like to add, correct me if I'm wrong here. Also, I think just to merge what Jake said in there as well. And also Jimmy with the communication, is it's that diversity of thought, be flexible and open, to invite in all diversity of thought as well as people, but that real thought, be open to those other possibilities. Those are the solutions that, those are the mindset, those are those perspectives, that there's others experiences, and oh my goodness, I could sit here and go on and on about all the diversity. But that's what makes this beautiful mixing pot of sharing as a leader, to your point, there, Darryl. Yeah, beautiful. flexibility, adaptability, thinking, communication, inclusivity. Like, these are just beautiful skills. So here's a bigger question. And one that I didn't prepare you guys for. So I hope you're ready for this. Take your time on it. What are you currently developing as a skill for leadership? And how are you doing that?

Jacob Pickering

I'll go first. So, perfect timing, I just kind of started a new role as a youth worker and, fear. For me fear has been a huge blockade for me. So like being scared of like, the unknown, or what's going to happen, has been kind of trumping me from being my best possible self as a leader. So that's what I've been trying to convert my fear into excitement, because that's pretty much what it is. Some of the time is being excited. I'm really excited. But somehow, my body and my mind, twist that into like, anxiety, and like, oh, I can't do this. So basically, self-defeating flaws are what I'm working on a lot to be like the best leader I can be.

Ella Bates

Thank you for sharing that, Jake. And I'm sure there are many of us, myself included, on the podcast and listening right now who saw like, oh, yeah, I've been there. Or I'm assessing it right now. And, Jake, I love the fact that you are saying that. Fear and excitement actually showcase the same physiological things happen in your body, and we do confuse them. So can you give us a tip on how you use that, the feeling, the physical feeling like you say it manifests in ways that don't feel like serves us? How do we use that fear to drive us out of the, the disempowering emotions and into those really great ones? What are you doing to develop that? And what tips do you have for those in that arena?

Jacob Pickering

They might sound cliche, but it's really mostly changing your thoughts when it comes. So like when I get that overwhelming fire fear in my chest, I'm like, this is exactly what I've been waiting for, I worked really hard to be in this position. I've wanted to do this for so long. And the like, the only tip I would give someone is like change your patterns. Like it's not going to be something that happens overnight. But it's something that if you commit to it, it will change your life entirely. And it will, it will just be the best thing that you could have done when it comes to being scared or having anxiety about certain things.

Ella Bates

That's beautiful. And that, I'm going to add to your cliche there, Jake, feel the fear and do it anyway. It's one of the best quotes I've ever heard, just, just go all in, jump in. Because you don't know how great it's going to be until you actually get into it. That's really amazing. What a, what a wonderful part of, of authentic life it is to embrace that, and use it as a driver into the new and the unknown. You know, as Darrell, with your reading, when you were into the mysteries, the new and unknown, how could they possibly solve this? Right? And as leaders, we are problem solvers. We are strategic thinkers, and all these other beautiful things that, let's go to Jimmy. Jimmy, what are you working on right now? How are you working on it? And what tips can you share with our listeners, and those here on the podcast.

Jimmy Nyende

Yes, I'm working on communication. And the kinds of communication I'm working on is motivation. I want to be able to give a motivational speech in under five minutes. I come from Uganda, and in Uganda, I used to give motivational speeches that were about 60 to 90 minutes long. And when I came to Canada, I realize Canadians don't have that long time. So how can I create a motivational speech that is two minutes? That's an elevator speech. That's the skill I'm working on.

Ella Bates

But Jamie, I can only tell you, you and I have spoken in the past. And we've had very quick conversations that have been just as motivating as the long conversations. And even already here, you know, the quotes that we're sharing and, and we have to remember, too, Jimmy, I think you and I have spoke about this previously, and the listeners out there, if you have been on the leadership passport, you'll know that two-millimeter shift, that small change can have a massive, massive impact. We don't need to make massive changes to make a huge impact and be motivating is a beautiful part of being a leader. But the bigger question to you is, Jimmy, how do you do that? How do you motivate someone? What um, what do you do to develop that motivational skill? What do you need to do as a leader?

Jimmy Nyende

One of the things that I am, I carry on from my previous experience as a teacher is quickly spotting a person who is likely having a challenge in their life. I have developed a skill of asking questions that make a person speak out. So when they speak out and hit on a problem, that's why I grab that opportunity and say something to motivate there. So it is a skill that I'm carrying from my teaching, and which I want to apply now to other persons, especially here in Canada.

Ella Bates

That's amazing. And, you know, all three of you have already spoke about that, really listening. And when you listen, and you take in the right information is when you can ask those really powerful questions. I'm sure we all thought for a minute in those listening to that there was a teacher out there, there was a coach out there, there was a leader out there a book that you've read, the simply had that one sentence that made you go, wow, and it that light bulb went off and it changed so many things for the better, or made you answer like you never imagined an answer can before, and that's, that's motivation, isn't it? And knowing those right questions to ask, wow, what a powerful tool, really powerful. Darryl, you gotta beat this. Can you beat fear and motivation in these hero's journeys that you work through and in business. Darryl, tell us what are you focusing on? And how you developing that?

Darryl Chiu

I can be very indecisive when it comes to making decisions. It sometimes takes me a long time to make decisions on what, especially now, what kind of field I want to go to, what kind of job should I go for? Even down to like, the everyday things on where should I eat for lunch, I can be very indecisive, or that I can keep going back and forth between two different restaurants trying to decide, oh, maybe I'll have this, oh, no, wait, that, that other restaurant sounds better, maybe I should go there. So that's something that I really do need to fix is to be much more decisive, at a much faster pace.

Ella Bates

So Darryl, I'm gonna invite you to look at a different perspective on this. So I also, I am very decisive. In fact, sometimes I'm just far too fast at making decisions. And we need people in the world who are that little bit more careful than the me's of the world when making the decisions. So now let's make a pass on working that together. Because it's finding that harmony of how fast needs to be fast, because we also don't want over-analyst paralysis. If you've heard of that. We all know it, we've been students, we know we can look at that assignment again and again, and get and get really critical with ourselves and overlook it. And then you miss things to the point of being the other extreme, where we miss really important things, because we've been to faster things. And I think it's knowing where is that sweet spot? So Darryl, how will you know when you've got to the sweet spots?

Darryl Chiu

I guess, when you make a decision that you're 100% comfortable with? Because, you know, when making decisions, we never have the full information, or the full prediction that what our decision is, would be the correct one or would be the best for us. We're making decisions based on what information we have available and the environment around us. And things could change in the blink of an eye. So I guess it's important to know even if I'm saying I'm indecisive, it's still important to take a step back and think about things not to the point of paralysis, as you mentioned earlier, but take a step back and make the best decisions for you based on what you have and to also be ready for everything that could potentially come your way. When you make that decision is also important.

Ella Bates

I think that's really important. We've said that, Darryl, if I was to summarize that, I would say you know, you're being heart-led. Am I 100% in my heart with this decision making the right choice with the resources I have at hand? Yes, I am. Let's go feel the fear and do it anyways, Jake does jump right in, you know? Jamie will motivate us all, we will get there. I love that. I love that. Thank you, Darryl. Let's keep each other accountable with that like that. Right? If you're listening out there, too. And you're thinking, Yeah, I need to do a bit more of that, contact us, be part of the accountability gang. I'm going to have last question, probably one of the most important that I'm going to ask on this podcast is, there are listeners out there, and also you're on the podcast, who are thinking about how we can develop ourselves. What one thing, just one thing would you recommend our listeners do to become better at leading other people? So I'm gonna skip that question to Jimmy to start off with.

Jimmy Nyende

My one is communication. Communication. And I want to be very passionate here. I have three other children. And in the past week, we had some serious interpersonal challenges. But the problem was communication. Communication. If you can learn how to communicate with yourself, with your family members, and with people around, you will be an effective leader. If you don't learn how to communicate, life becomes difficult. And by communication, one aspect that I want to point out is tapping into the emotions of the other person, letting the other person feel valued, feel respected, feel loved. It is extremely important in communication. So that's one skill I would recommend

Ella Bates

And a beautiful skill at that. And to add on to that, Jake, maybe you can tell us a bit more. That, that's communicating with others. But what about communicating with yourself? Jake already mentioned that a little bit earlier about mindset. Would you say that having a conversation with yourself, and the words that you use is just as equally as powerful?

Jacob Pickering

Absolutely, I think maybe even more powerful, because if we can't understand ourselves, we can't understand anybody else.

Ella Bates

Darryl, what's your number one tip?

Darryl Chiu

I think the most important thing is to, like volunteer for something, like when I went into Centennial, in my second semester, I saw this advertisement for the peer mentoring program that was being launched, and it was being launched because at the start of the pandemic, there wasn't really a way for students to meet each other in person because the college was closed. So this peer mentoring program was established to provide that link between students who have already been in school to the new students incoming and I thought that, wow, that's something that I never would have thought of volunteering for. But when I saw that advertisement, you know, I thought like it, it's a sign, you know, go for it.

Ella Bates

You saw an opportunity. It was right there at your feet. You just had to grab it and help others and that's, that's what leadership is, helping getting others to greatness, isn't it, if you really have to kind of summarize what we've talked about, leading from the heart and knowing in your heart and making right decisions and communicating in beautiful ways and being visionary and to summarize that up, Darryl, givers gain, we reap the rewards from giving to the people feels intrinsically inside as it feels great. And it's the law of reciprocity. It comes back to us in in just droves. Isn't it? So amazing. Thank you guys, I can't thank you enough for your insights, your perspectives, your inclusivity and all our perspectives. Beautifully communicated so many different skills that we can all take a look at and learn from. I want to thank our guests, Darryl. Jimmy. Jake, thank you so much for joining us today. It's been my absolute pleasure. And thank you all for listening. And thank you for joining us for episode three of Leadership Vibes. In the next episode, we'll discuss our leadership styles, because all leaders have a style and need to be conscious of it to be super effective. We're going to talk to student leaders who have reflected on their particular leadership style, and they're going to share how they made the most of it, so make sure to subscribe to the Centennial College podcast on SoundCloud, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts and Spotify. That's all for now.