Transform: Monthly News from GMN

Summer is Finally Here! Take Advantage of the Quieter Months to Grow Your Leadership Skills

The summer months often offer a slightly slower pace, giving us time to step back, reflect, and grow in an effort to plan for what’s next. With July just around the corner, here are a few tips for growing your leadership skills this summer (and some stories from our mentors who’ve done it):

• Build Your Communication Skills: You could have the clearest of visions for where you’re taking your team, but if you can’t communicate it, you (and your team) are bound to spin your wheels and end up frustrated. Use the next few months to sharpen your communication skills and set yourself up to steer the ship for the rest of the year. Check out our Communication library for tips from our mentors to get a head start.
• Get Some Honest Feedback (and Practice Giving It As Well): Giving and receiving feedback is one of the hardest leadership skills to master, but it’s the single best way to grow as a leader and encourage growth in your team. Capitalize on the slower pace of summer to make space to ask for feedback from your peers –?with a little less on your plate in the summer months, it’s a great time to practice receiving criticism constructively. If you need some examples, visit our Feedback & Coaching library.
• Put Your Mask on First: You can’t be a great leader if you’re burnt out. The summer months offer the opportunity to take some time for yourself, affording you the rest you need to stay energized and find purpose in your role as a leader. And, taking time to recharge can set a great example for the rest of your team, reinforcing your organization’s value for the people who work there and validating their lives outside of work. Start with our Values & Purpose library to hear how other leaders make time for rest.

And, In Case You Missed It:

• Happy #Pride! GMN Mentor and Founder of Out Leadership Todd Sears shared his experience bringing LGBTQ focus and equality to the American workplace, starting at Merrill Lynch.
• The Leader’s Playbook podcast released episodes 4 and 5 – listen and subscribe to get access to the leadership advice and growth stories from our incredible guests. Get details on our most recent episodes below.
• We’re on Instagram! Follow @globalmentornet for an up-close-and-personal look at what we’re up to.

For the most up-to-date news and resources, join us on LinkedIn where you’ll never miss an update. We hope to see you there soon!

A huge welcome to the newest mentors added to Global Mentor Network!

Rodrigo Liang | Co-founder & CEO, SambaNova Systems

Rodrigo Liang is one of the few Brazilian immigrants to raise over $1 billion dollars in venture capital funding. As the leader of SambaNova Systems (a decacorn startup), he shares with us his take on leadership and leading with intention. Learn more about Rodrigo in his mentor profile.

Jan Kang | COO & General Counsel, Stairwell Inc.?

Described as 'WD40,' Jan connects people, processes and platforms to keep things running smoothly at Stairwell. Formerly serving as General Counsel at X Project, the moonshot factory (part of Alphabet), Jan also is the founder of the Women's General Counsel Network, bringing more than 1,100 leaders together to provide support, education, and an outlet to share ideas. Learn more about Jan in her mentor profile.

VMware: Community, People, Environment: At the Forefront of Workplace Culture

Featured Guest: Betsy Sutter, Chief People Officer at VMware | Hosted by CEO of GMN, Thuy Vu

From the “Take 3” program, which encourages employees to work in a completely different department for three months, to “epic shutdown days” where the entire company ceases operations to give everyone a break, Betsy Sutter is constantly inventing ways to keep more than 20,000 global employees engaged. Hear how these programs came to be and get tips for sparking innovation and engagement in a #hybridworkforce. Listen on Spotify.

Improving Workplace Engagement, DEI, and Social Capital at Rent the Runway

Featured Guest: Andrea Alexander, Chief People Officer, Rent the Runway | Hosted by leadership development expert Dr. Diane Hamilton

Andrea Alexander, Chief People Officer at Rent The Runway, shared her take on social capital and why we need to reinvent how we think about productivity at work. Listen to learn how social capital can impact productivity, employee engagement, and DEI initiatives. Listen on Spotify.