Toni McLelland’s Insights as a Critical Friend & Business Mentor
- Toni shares insights into her personal traits and experiences that led her to become a critical friend and business mentor.
- Explores the role of a critical friend in leadership and business development.
Podcast
Overview
Exploring Compassionate Leadership with Toni McLelland
In this insightful episode of The Brand Called You podcast, host Ashutosh Garg converses with Toni McLelland, a seasoned critical friend and business mentor from the UK. Toni shares her journey, expertise, and thoughts on compassionate leadership and how it shapes successful businesses.
00:00:55 Why become a Critical Friend and Business Mentor?
- Toni shares insights into her personal traits and experiences that led her to become a critical friend and business mentor.
- Explores the role of a critical friend in leadership and business development.
- Discusses how being nonjudgmental and supportive helps leaders with self-awareness.
00:02:18 What does compassion mean in a business context?
- Toni explains compassion as a central tenet in business which focuses on people and the planet.
- Emphasizes the importance of being considerate of environmental and social issues to emerge as a market leader.
00:03:56 Challenges faced by C-suite leaders in self-reflection and decision-making
- Discusses the influence of power and ego on leadership.
- Highlights the difficulty in transitioning from operational to strategic roles.
- Addresses the importance of balancing power while being accountable.
00:07:34 How to navigate delicate conversations with leaders?
- Toni views tough discussions as regular conversations that require strong relationships.
- Describes the significance of listening, compassion, and observation in engaging with leaders effectively.
00:09:01 Hallmarks of a strong leader-mentor relationship
- Reliability, credibility, and consistent delivery as trust-building tools.
- Highlights the necessity of a bespoke approach to leadership development.
00:10:28 Helping executives avoid burnout while maintaining accountability
- Advocates delegation and empowerment of team members.
- Introduces her compassionate frameworks like the BLEND model and compassionate C’s to facilitate effective leadership.
00:15:23 Handling crisis and organizational change
- Importance of staying focused and prioritizing amidst crises.
- Encourages engaging teams and stakeholders to own and accelerate change.
00:19:29 Prioritizing people without compromising business performance
- Emphasizes leading agendas like ESG, DEIB, CSR, and SDGs focusing on people.
- Advocates aligning business strategies with these agendas for future-proofing.
00:21:35 Influence of working with vulnerable groups on business strategy
- Discusses how compassion benefits both vulnerable communities and business environments.
- Encourages understanding of the unique importance of individual and organizational needs.
00:24:04 Sprinkling fairy dust in boardrooms
- Toni’s metaphor of ‘fairy dust’ represents the forward-thinking and people-focused strategies for future development.
- Encourages adopting sustainable development frameworks to lead in business.
RESOURCES:
Learn more about Toni McLelland: Linkedin
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- Toni shares insights into her personal traits and experiences that led her to become a critical friend and business mentor.
- Explores the role of a critical friend in leadership and business development.
- Discusses how being nonjudgmental and supportive helps leaders with self-awareness.
