“No matter how technical or how extremely complex a role or an organization might be, it just never seems to fail that such a huge fraction of your day and your career in leadership is about people.”

In this episode, you’re in for a treat as I talk to Blake Bullock, Vice President at Northrop Grumman in the company’s space sector. Blake has held leadership roles leading key projects, including NASA’s James Webb telescope project, for over 15 years.

Blake’s brilliant astrophysicist and astronomer brain coupled with her extensive leadership experience both in the government and industry have led to truly valuable lessons and insights about leadership that she shares with us today.

In this episode:

  • Empathy and human connection are big needle movers in organizations
  • Understanding that learning a new role takes time and hard work
  • Blake’s unique and insightful point of view on the impostor syndrome
  • Her perspective on what it really means to be a leader
  • The importance of making mistakes and the ability to hear hard feedback
  • What differentiates the kind of leader we’re going to need in the future
  • And more!

Power Presence Academy: Practical Wisdom for Leaders is the go-to podcast for anyone who leads. Your host is Janet Ioli, leadership and human development expert, sought-after coach and advisor to global executives, and former executive with experience in four Fortune 100 companies. She helps leaders ground themselves with confidence, connection, and purpose and learn to lead with Less Ego, More Soul.

 

Noteworthy Quotes from This Episode

“It’s such a  big needle mover, the way people work and how they engage when they feel heard, when they feel respected, when they feel motivated. “

“What I did eventually come to appreciate was just how big of a needle mover it was to be able to harness people’s enthusiasm, energy, [and] people’s hearts.”

“Validation may never be coming. And that might be what it means to be a leader– to be able to operate and make decisions and push forward a vision that isn’t popular at any given moment, that does go against the grain.”

“It’s table stakes that we have all these skills, all this experience, all these, in the case of my field, technical abilities that we bring to the table and being able to use the tools in the tool belt and speak the language we need to speak. But if you skip the part about human empathy and connection, you really won’t be able to put those tools to work in the most optimal way.”

“So much of it is about finding that common path and motivating and tapping into what matters to get people moving in the right direction, that’s what leadership is.”

 

Resource Links:

If you want to become more grounded, confident, and aligned with your deeper values in just 21 days. Check out my book Less Ego, More Soul: A Modern Reinvention Guide for Women.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review on Apple PodcastsSelect “Listen in Apple Podcasts,” then choose the “Ratings & Reviews” tab to share what you think.  

 

Connect with today’s guest on LinkedIn:  Blake Bullock

 

Connect with Janet Ioli:

Linkedin: Janet Ioli

Instagram: @janetioli

Website: janetioli.com

Janet is the founder of Power Presence Academy.  She helps leaders ground themselves with confidence, connection, and purpose and lead with Less Ego, More Soul.