We were excited to have Lauren Sergy speak about the secrets of communication and leadership in a workshop on November 2, 2019. Lauren has written a book, The Handy Communication Answer Book, and helps people transform their communication. We spoke with her about her leadership and communication insights.
How would you describe your leadership style?
I typically lead as an outside expert, which gives me a different sort of authority structure to work with and lead individuals and teams. I would consider my overall leadership style to be inclusive and warm, but decisive.
If you were to design a curriculum for schoolgirls, or college girls, what would it be like?
Strongly experiential, with a combination of theoretical learning and immediate practical application of theory. Principles taught need to be quickly applied in real-world situations (or as close to as possible) for them to stick. Considering my expertise and focus on face to face communication, there would be a great deal of emphasis placed on giving talks and presentations, and on strategic, planned, thoughtful communication.
What motivates you to keep fighting for the issues you care about?
Watching people grow in confidence and get their message out into the world is incredibly gratifying. And when you empower one person to speak up, they will empower others. It's a chain reaction, and even small gestures can help create those reactions.
During many of our events, we see that one of the biggest worries for women, no matter their background, is a lack of self-confidence. Where did you find your own self-confidence? Do you now have it, or do you have to keep working at it?
Self-confidence requires lifelong development. It will be defined and redefined as we grow and change. The things in my life that most drastically affected my confidence growth were martial arts, dance, and public speaking (both the act of public speaking and honing my expertise in that particular communication field). While I would say that I'm overall a fairly confident person, I experience my moments of doubts, just like anyone else. The difference now is that I don't let lack of confidence silence me, like I did when I was younger.
How has the women in leadership roles changed in the past five years? What do you predict will happen in the next 10-20 years?
Women are becoming more prominent in senior management positions, though still vastly outnumbered at the top ranks in large multinationals. What I find exciting is the number of women founding different types of business, from small service based solopreneurships to larger more innovative companies. Progress is still slow, but I think it will continue steadily. Over the next 10 - 20 years, we'll see the number of top ranked women rise, perhaps not quite to parity but to the point where it's no longer remarkable for senior positions in large competitive companies to be held by women.
What is the most interesting trend for 2019?
Calling out the lack of diversity of voices at professional functions, such as conferences. Seeing people of note and rank - men and women alike - refuse to participate in "manels" (panels where only men, usually white men, are represented) is heartening.
Describe your journey - career and personal? How did you get to where you are today?
I began my professional life as a librarian. I was a terrible librarian but a very good presenter, and people both within and outside the library community started asking me to give presentations about how to give presentations, and asking for coaching. The lightbulb finally went off after one of my bosses openly wondered at my ability to get people to listen to me and speak with me. At that point, I started paying more attention to the skills I possessed and that came naturally (public speaking, communication, and so on) rather than trying to fit in and do work that wasn't suited to me (pursuing a career in library management). I started my business while still employed full-time and kept my 9-to-5 until relatively recently. That whole time, I focused on slow but sustainable growth, developing a body of high-quality work that would form a strong foundation for my business.
Do you remember a specific experience of where you wished that you had done something differently? If you were to do it over, what would you change?
I can't really think of a specific thing that I would have done differently - certainly, I've had the small slip-ups and mistakes that others have had, but no huge flashpoint incident. One thing I do wish I started doing earlier was outsourcing many of my business tasks instead of trying to do it all myself.
What are common misconceptions people have when it comes to women in leadership roles? How can we combat these misconceptions and communicate more effectively?
I don't believe that we should need to or be expected to sacrifice our femininity in order to be leaders. We aren't men in heels and lipstick. At the same time, I think that we need to perceive certain leadership traits as being gender neutral and necessary if we're to lead effectively. Speaking decisively isn't a necessary skill because of the patriarchy, it's a necessary skill because people don't feel comfortable following indecisive leaders. The best way of balancing out gender misconceptions in leadership is to stop using gender to describe leadership traits and to figure out how to incorporate our personal communication style with the sort of communication practices demanded of leaders at different times and among different people.
What’s the question you are most tired of hearing on this subject, and what would you like to say about it so you never have to answer it again?
"What's your number one quick tip for giving a great talk?" Here's the answer: stop wasting time on shortcuts and hacks. They're nothing more than excuses for doing the real work.
What is one piece of practical advice you would give to someone starting out?
Be clear on the problems that are important to the people you're seeking to serve. Very often we focus on what's important to us instead of what's important to our clients or audiences. They're the ones buying your thing or using your service, so make sure their needs and context are always in your sight.
Tell us more about your book..what made you publish this book? What message you want to send out there?
This book was a very unusual first book to write - I was approached by a publisher who wanted me to write a reference book on communication. Based on my body of work and referrals by other people, they offered me a book contract with relative ease. The book's Q&A format was already determined by the publisher, so I aimed in creating a book that could be someone's communication coach on their desktop - an at-your-fingertips reference that could help you whenever you needed it. I wanted to give people the knowledge, encouragement, and practical information they needed to make steady improvement in their communication in many different ways. My message is pretty straightforward: with planning, thoughtfulness, and consideration of the other person's needs, you can communicate better and more productively.
