S10-Ep34: They're Always Watching You: A White House Advisor's Lessons for Every Leader

Innovating Leadership: Co-Creating Our Future

Guest: Betsy Myers, Former White House Advisor, Author, & Leadership Consultant

The concept of the ideal leader changed dramatically over the last few decades, and Warren Bennis was one of the first researchers to analyze modern leadership. Our guest Betsy Myers shares the traits he found, then merges that with her own extensive experience in leadership – which reaches right up to the President of the United States – to look at the continuing gender divide in corporate and political leadership.

The gender gap remains, and who perpetuates it may surprise you!

Here's what Betsy and Maureen cover:

1. The key leadership traits that make a great leader, according to Bennis’ findings;
2. Why leading is just like being a parent: what you do is more important than what you say; and
3. The role of Tall Poppy Syndrome in keeping women out of the C-suite.

Produced in association with the International Leadership Association: https://ilaglobalnetwork.org/

Other episodes you'll enjoy:

• Top Leadership Lessons for Women from a Senior White House Advisor with Betsy Myers
• Epic! The Women’s Power Playbook with Carolyn Buck Luce
• The Bonobo Sisterhood: Ape Society’s Lessons for Leadership with Diane Rosenfeld

For daily wisdom from our guests, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn. We’re onTikTok, Threads, and Twitter, too!

RESOURCES:

Betsy’s book, Take the Lead, is available in paperback at https://amzn.to/3lbMWv6. The Kindle version is at https://amzn.to/3YEb1Za. Her website is betsymyers.com.

Our host Maureen Metcalf posts a newsletter every week on LinkedIn. You can subscribe here.

Maureen’s latest book is Innovative Leadership & Followership in the Age of AI. You’ll find details about it at https://bit.ly/LeaderInAI, or check out the Kindle version at https://amzn.to/44buVz8. The audiobook version is now available at https://amzn.to/4dTCleZ.

Her other 10 books are available on Amazon here.

Books we’re reading for fun or personal development right now include:

• Take Back Your Power: 10 New Rules for Women at Work by Ancestry CEO Deb Liu, on how to overcome the obstacles women still face in the workplace – especially in tech. It’s in hardback at https://amzn.to/47OUO9E, and audio at https://amzn.to/3Y6EmOQ.
• Covert Cows and Chick-fil-A by Steve Robinson; it’s available in hardback at https://amzn.to/460LnmQ, on Kindle at https://amzn.to/3RVXhZs, and as an audiobook at https://amzn.to/3xPjBgn.
• The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Paperback = https://amzn.to/3VEl7cU, Kindle = https://amzn.to/45JGm1L, and audiobook = https://amzn.to/3RPhC2y
• Everyday Ubuntu: Living Better Together, the African Way by Mungi Ngomane. Hardback (https://amzn.to/48Doh6j) and audiobook (https://amzn.to/48YCRF4)

NOTE: As an Amazon partner, we may make a small commission from books you buy through these links.

-----------------------

OUR PODCAST TEAM:

Host & Executive Producer: Maureen Metcalf

Editor & Executive Producer: Dan Mushalko

Video & Graphics Editor: Devon Mushalko

Generally Awesme in Every Regard: Jenna Reik

CONNECT WITH US:

YouTube: @InnovatingLeadership

Threads: @innovativeleaders

X/Twitter/Whatever New Name It Has This Week: @IL_Institute

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ILI-LinkedIn2

TikTok: @innovativeleadership

Website: InnovativeLeadershipInstitute.com

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating!

-----------------------

About Our Guest:

Betsy Myers is on a mission to improve leadership by developing leaders and teams who infuse passion and purpose into their organizations by leading from both the head and the heart. Betsy's insightful keynotes and workshops have inspired executives and managers worldwide to level up their leadership. Her practical guidance helps attract and retain top talent, build an inspirational culture, and achieve impactful results in the rapidly changing workplace.

Betsy is a renowned expert on emerging leadership trends and women’s leadership and is the author of Take the Lead: Motivate, Inspire, and Bring Out the Best in Yourself and Everyone Around You. She is currently a senior advisor at the Warren Bennis Leadership Institute at the University of Cincinnati. She also serves on the Council on Advancing Women in Business for the US Export-Import Bank and the Board of the International Leadership Association. She has extensive experience in the corporate world, government settings, and in higher education. 

Previously, she was the founding director of the Center for Women and Business at Bentley University and the executive director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard's Kennedy School. A senior adviser to two U.S. presidents, Betsy served as President Clinton's White House Advisor on Women's Issues and was the Chief Operating Officer and Chair of Women for Obama during President Obama's historic 2008 national campaign. Her extensive leadership background also includes roles at the U.S. Small Business Administration, including heading the Office of Women's Business Ownership.