S4:E68AI RECAP Live with Lida Citroën

Hi, I'm John Maxwell. When the top companies in the world are looking for trainers, speakers, and coaches, there's one name that stands above the rest, and that's Maxwell Leadership. Our certified team members have gotten proven results for companies all over the globe, and our reputation, I'm proud to say, is second to none. Some of our members have risen to the top of their profession, including the one you're going to meet today. I proudly introduce you to my friend, Bob Fabien Zinga.

Welcome to the Leadership and Success Podcast with your host, Coach BZ. If you need to develop into a better leader, this podcast is for you. If you want to achieve a greater level of success, this podcast is for you. His mentor, Dr. John C. Maxwell, said it best: everything rises and falls on leadership. We hope to inspire you today and provide you with an insight that has the potential to positively impact the trajectory of your life. Welcome to the Leadership and Success Podcast.

A TEDx speaker, instructor on LinkedIn Learning, and well-known presenter, Lida Citroën is an expert in reputation management and personal branding. Featured in international media for her work in reputation management, Lida has authored powerful books and numerous articles on personal branding. Whether in front of a camera or a live audience, Lita's message is relevant, compelling, and delivers tangible results your audience will use today, tomorrow, and into the future.

Focusing on your target audience cuts away a lot of the noise. Who are the people that hold the opportunities you want? No matter where you are in your career or what kind of work you do, if you interact with people you need a compelling personal brand in order to influence, inspire, and impact others. A strong personal brand removes ambiguity. It takes the randomness out of your career and instead purposefully drives value to your patients, clients, investors, and customers. A brand is always about an experience of what could come. A resume is the complete opposite. A resume looks backward and says what you've done in the past. I'm giving you an opportunity now to think about your legacy. What do you want to be remembered for? What difference will you make at the end of your life? Everyone has a personal brand by design or by default. Identifying and actively shaping your personal brand puts you back in control, gives you the intention and the focus to build your reputation the way you design. I am one of those people who loves what she does. To see people come to life in front of me, find their voice, take ownership over their career. It's why I do what I do. Freedom isn't free, and I know that. I know that because my mother taught me that at a young age. You see, she grew up in communist Hungary, and when she came to this country, she saw freedom for the first time, and she was always telling my brother and I, "It came at a cost," and I remember that. I am so honored and grateful that I get to serve our military in this way. They have changed my life, in a way I never could have imagined, and I am so grateful that I got chosen to do that with them. I feel them here with me today. So I ask you, if you feel called to serve, if you feel like you want to figure out the reason why you're here, then ask yourself those same tough questions that I had to ask myself. What are you passionate about? What difference do you want to make? And how will you leave this world a better place by expressing gratitude and generosity for those around you? Thank you.

Yes, yes. Wow, that is, that is a great insight from an expert. I don't think many people thought of it that way. Thank you. And also all of the work you've done with the military, with your advocacy You actually have quite a few books related to military life, like Engaging with Veteran Talent and Our Next Mission, when they transition. What— I guess this is a two-part question. What advice would you give a veteran right now who's still on active duty, who's thinking about transitioning, but also most importantly to companies that would hire a veteran?

It's a tough time right now because, you know, we're not in an active conflict. And so veterans' sentiment is different than it was, let's say, 10 years ago. Right, when we were still somewhat close to 9/11 and all of the patriotism. Um, that being said, it is a great time to come out of the military if somebody is looking to do that. Having a plan in place, knowing what the strategy is for the next chapter is very important. So in my book Success After Service, which is right there on the screen, um, I talk about, you know, if you're 18 months out or 24 months out or 30 days out, what should you be thinking about in order to put the pieces in place so that your transition is a little more smooth. Transition out of the military is not a day. It's not an event when you get, you know, you retirement ceremony. It's a process. And I coach people who've been out of the military for 10 years, and they say, "I still feel like I'm transitioning out of the military." Breaking some of those cultural norms that don't translate are very hard to do. Just like if you came from a different country and you're trying to learn this culture, and some of those norms are getting in the way, in, in a way that you want to move forward. For companies, it's, you know, a smart company hires for character and trains on skills. And if you are—

say that again, please. That's powerful.

Smart companies hire on character and train on skills. That's not to say that the military isn't very highly trained. It is the most trainable and trained workforce that we have. I mean, when you join the military at 18, 19, 20 years old, you don't know how to do the things that you're going to learn how to do. I mean, where would you have learned that? So you learn that in the military, and they're constantly training. So to think that you're talking to someone with a military background who's in their 30s or 40s or 50s They know how to be trained so they can, they can learn Java, they can learn C++.

For the second segment, that's where I'm going to ask you the 7 types of questions I ask everybody who comes on the show to really drill down on leadership. First category would be what is the greatest leadership advice you have ever received?

The greatest leadership advice I ever received and that I give is to be intentional. I think a lot of people think they can just be in the moment. They can wing it. They can just sort of fly by the seat of their pants. And you can still be in the moment and be present, but think about it ahead of time. Think, think through the narrative, think through the message, think through the vision. Don't leave it to chance, because that's where we make mistakes. That's where we say, "Oh, I probably shouldn't have said that." Right? Don't leave things to accident. Be intentional, be forward-leaning. And, and, and just grab those opportunities that are exactly what you've asked for. Yeah, that's what I've done because that's advice that I've followed.

Now, you've had quite an incredible, uh, success story. What, what do you think is the secret of your success? Why are you so successful, you think?

I think it's two things. I think, um, I built a brand for myself, so I had to model what I teach, and I built it for myself that, first of all, is very intentional, but it's very real to who I am. And it's so easy to be me because I built that brand, right? And people hire me because they say, build for me what you built for yourself. So it's like being a website designer and not having a website, right? I model what people look to me for. I think the other thing that has been really important in my success has been prayer. I, you know, there have been many times where my work with the military, it takes a lot of time, and I speak at conferences all over the country. I coach and mentor anyone who reaches out to me that needs help. I have donated my books, and I don't get paid for that work. And there have been times where, you know, I run a for-profit business. I don't want to become a nonprofit, um, and I've had to pray on, you know, if I'm supposed to still serve this community All right everyone, thank you so much for being here with me.

This is Coach Bizzy. Today is Monday, September 8th, and I'm going to be playing some samples, some teasers from the hour-long leadership conversation I had with Leda Citroën. And she also was a friend in the spotlight, and you can read all about on my LinkedIn articles. So today is going to be a wonderful day to really dig in into personal branding, and that has so much to do with leadership and how you show up. But before we do that, let me start our moment of gratitude. This takes less than a minute, and we do it every single time we come live just to be thankful for one thing. What is one thing that you are grateful for today? So if you would close your eyes, if you can put yourself in your happy place, take a deep breath and think about one thing you are grateful for today. What are you grateful for? Today I am grateful for life. I think over and over again, almost every day, I always think about the fact that I am still alive. That really means a lot to me. Even my second daughter, her first name is Zoe, which in Greek it means life. Life really is a miracle. It really is a gift. It doesn't matter where you come from, doesn't matter where you are. But if you are alive today, there is hope for you. Again, that's my middle name, Minu, in Lari, which means hope, faith. As long as I'm alive, as long as I can take a deep breath, I know that my tomorrow can be better than my today. So almost every day I am really, really grateful and thankful for life. I am still here. Whatever came against me yesterday didn't kill me, so it made me stronger. I am still here. I am still alive. Life, and I am grateful and thankful for that.

Wow.

Somebody went to bed last night and they didn't wake up, but I woke up this morning. Somebody else woke up, but they were not in their right mind, and I am in my right mind today. So I am grateful for that. So what are you grateful for? If you type it in the comment, please, and share with the community. Uh, thank you so much. All right, so now, uh, let's go back, um, to the 10-minute, um, Summary that my AI agent did for you. Things that you're gonna learn is how to build an authentic influence, how to manage your reputation with purpose, smart approaches to leadership and hiring, servant leadership for gratitude and generosity. I think those are the superpowers of Leda, right? Gratitude and generosity. And she has a TED Talk about that. She had more than 43 million views. So again, I encourage you guys to watch TED Talk, but you're also going to learn about empowering women and underrepresented voices and resilience, faith, and learning from failure, and also about legacy and the power of your voice. She talks a lot about that. So, uh, with no further ado, I'm now going to play the, um, 10-minute, uh, recap of our hour-long leadership conversation.

Welcome to our podcast session on leadership and influence, where authenticity and gratitude take center stage. Today's content dives into how meaningful leadership isn't about climbing a corporate ladder, but about aligning with your true calling.

Absolutely. It's fascinating how the journey from corporate roles to calling really reshapes what leadership means, right?

Exactly. It's like, um, Lyda Citroën's story always reminds us that, you know, leadership is about being true to who you are. Instead of chasing flashy titles, It's about finding alignment with your core values.

Mm-hmm. And that's such a refreshing perspective in today's world where so many are focused just on the status quo.

Right. And speaking of authenticity, one of her key points is the idea that authentic influence comes from leading with values over the veneer. It's, um, not about faking it anymore because even social media and, uh, AI I make it impossible to hide true intentions.

Yeah, I agree. But I sometimes wonder, don't certain environments force leaders into a bit of a performance art? How do you reconcile that with staying authentically you?

That's a valid challenge. I think what Lida suggests is that when you lead with vulnerability and openness, you neutralize that pressure. You know, you're not merely playing a part. You're actively shaping the narrative by aligning your actions with your core values.

True, and that's something I find really powerful—this idea of reputation management where perception is reality. It's like you have control over your story rather than leaving it up to chance. Yes, exactly.

It's all about being intentional with how you project your leadership. For example, when Lida says, "Our reputation is built by design or by default," It really puts into perspective how vital clarity is in leadership messaging.

Yeah. And speaking of messaging, have you noticed how she integrates coaching prompts throughout? They're like tiny calls to action, asking questions like, where are you chasing titles that don't align with your authentic calling? It's both inspiring and, you know, a little bit of a wake-up call.

Right. It's a way to get leaders to self-reflect. And not just in corporate towers but also in military transitions. The idea that for veterans, it's more about character over credentials really flips the script on standard hiring practices.

Yeah, it does. It makes you think about leadership as an evolution, where even setbacks like failed book promotions or misjudging instincts become investments in wisdom. Absolutely.

And then there's the whole aspect of servant leadership. Gratitude and generosity are highlighted as core superpowers. It's really moving to see how early life experiences, like escaping harsh regimes, shape a leader's philosophy. Mm-hmm.

Yeah, like that quote about freedom isn't free really underlines that leadership is not only about what you achieve but the heart behind your service.

Exactly. It reminds me of an analogy. Um, it's like planting a garden. You nurture it with genuine care and gratitude, and in turn, it grows into something vibrant and robust. Right.

However, there's an interesting tension here, though. Some might argue that too much focus on vulnerability could be seen as, well, a weakness in highly competitive arenas. What do you think about that? That's a good point.

But I think Lida's stance is that true strength is in being open. It builds trust. Sure, vulnerability might seem risky at first, but it creates a culture where loyalty and genuine respect flourish.

I see where you're coming from, yet I wonder if in every context, especially in high-stakes environments like cybersecurity or military command, vulnerability might be misinterpreted. Isn't there a risk of, um, oversharing?

There is, but that's where the balance comes in. Leaders have to be strategic. It's about sharing enough to be relatable and inspiring without compromising the decisiveness needed in crisis situations.

Yeah, makes sense. And it really shows how modern leadership is evolving. It's not a one-size-fits-all model, but rather a tailored approach that values diversity in thought and courage in authenticity.

Right. And speaking of diversity, Laida emphasizes that women and underrepresented leaders shouldn't wait for permission to shine. It's a clear call to action to break outdated executive molds and, uh, celebrate differences as assets, not hindrances.

Mm-hmm. That's such a powerful message. Leading without waiting for validation, instead owning your space and ideas. It's exactly what today's disruptive environments need.

And then there's the component of resilience, where failures are not endpoints but stepping stones toward wisdom. Leda reframes failure as tuition you pay for the investment in wisdom, reminding us that every setback builds the perseverance needed for future challenges.

Right. That perspective totally changes how you approach risk. Instead of fearing failure, you lean into it as a crucial part of growth.

Yes, absolutely. And an interesting point here is how she integrates faith throughout her narrative. It's like a reminder that there's often a higher purpose guiding your journey. You know, God didn't get you this far only to get you this far, which kind of adds a layer of depth to resilience and legacy.

Mm-hmm, it definitely does, giving a sort of moral compass to the whole conversation. And speaking of legacy, her advice to her 17-year-old self to trust your gut and lead with gratitude and generosity is really timeless. Totally.

It's like she's saying, your voice matters and your story is your power. That point resonates not just with aspiring leaders in boardrooms, but also with military officers and tech innovators alike.

Yeah. And, Weaving in those biblical verses throughout really anchors her message in both spiritual and practical dimensions. It's interesting how values, faith, and leadership intersect to create what she calls an authentic leadership journey. Precisely.

It emphasizes that influence isn't about manipulation or conforming to expected norms. It's about showing up as your real self, building trust, and, um, serving others.

You know, that line struck me. Reputation is built by design or by default. It really forces leaders to think strategically. If you're not intentionally managing your story, someone else might be setting it for you.

Yep. It's a call for proactive action. And it's connected, you know, with the idea of legacy. Because ultimately, Your leadership leaves a mark on those you serve and on the organizations you lead. Right.

Speaking of marks, I was intrigued by how Lida transitions into talking about military transitions. Her mantra, "Smart companies hire for character and train for skills," really flips the typical recruiting narrative.

Exactly. It reinforces that attributes like resilience, character, and integrity are far more important than just formal credentials, especially in high-stakes fields like cybersecurity and military service.

And it makes you realize that leadership, at its core, is about developing a personal brand that's anchored by genuine experiences and deeply held values.

Yeah, it's— it's like crafting your own narrative, a story that marries your professional journey with your personal evolution. And by embracing that, you empower others to, you know, do the same.

Right. I also love how the content brings in coaching prompts. They really invite us to reflect. Are we as leaders actively designing our reputation or just leaving it to the defaults of our environment? Absolutely.

Those prompts serve as eye-openers, asking questions like, who can you serve today with generosity? It's about daily intentional actions that build your authentic influence over time.

Yeah, and it seems that whether you're a junior naval officer or a Silicon Valley engineer, the principles remain universal. Lead with gratitude, communicate with authenticity, and let your values shine through in every decision you make. Exactly.

And as we wrap up, the big takeaway is that leadership in today's world is less about fitting into a prescribed mold and more about defying it, by being transparent, resilient, and always ready to learn from both setbacks and successes. Mm-hmm, well said.

This discussion really reminds us that great leadership starts with being true to yourself, and that the power of your story, when shared with genuine gratitude, can truly inspire change.

It's real personal to me that people know that if I can go there, you can go there too. If I can share those not flattering stories, which, you know, I wanted to keep in the back, you know, under a bunch of boxes, then you can too. And there's a way to do it. There is a way to do it.

Wow, that, that is very, very powerful. Thank you so much. So who are some of your thought leaders, some of your mentors, people who have helped shape the way you think and lead?

Well, I certainly love Brené Brown. I have followed her work since that first TED Talk that really kind of catapulted her. You know, Simon Sinek, for some of the thought leadership that he's introduced. Amy Cuddy, because I— oh, you're popping the books up. Sorry.

Yeah, no, it's fine.

Yeah, Amy Cuddy talks about presence and body language, which is part of personal branding. Um, trying to think who else. Chris Voss, like I just mentioned, I'm reading his. And then I read stupid, you know, um, thrillers, which I can't even tell you what they were about when I'm done because it's like brain candy. So wonderful. I always try to mix like the business books, the things that are good for my work and my creativity, with the candy.

Wow, that is, that is beautiful. Okay, let's, let's talk about books that you are going to recommend. I believe You should recommend all of these for sure. Yeah.

All right, those are mine. Um, yeah, so the one that I just finished that I was mentioning is Chris Voss's book Never Split the Difference. That is a fabulous book. I actually did the audiobook. Um, here's a little secret: I listen to audiobooks while I do jigsaw puzzles. How crazy is that, right? I got into jigsaw puzzles during COVID and it's like my zen. It's my, you know, and so I listen to audiobooks. I'm listening to into some Brené Brown, and then I just finished, um, Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss, and it's fascinating. Absolutely.

Don't think for me that I couldn't do for myself, and many of them I don't even know their name, and I never will be able to pay them back. So I am really, really grateful for networking. One of my mentors told me that your network is your net worth, and I believe that is true. Okay, whatever you are grateful for, if you will please type it in the comment section, and thank you so much for that. All right, so I already introduced Lila Fu, the video, but let me see if I can say just a little bit more about her. And by the way, I want to give a shout out to Sabrina Gilg watching from Harmony, Pennsylvania. Welcome to the show, Sabrina, and let us know what you are grateful for today. Thank you. Thank you so much. So Lida really doesn't need any introduction, right? She is an executive coach, global keynote speaker, award-winning author, and passionate advocate for the military community. She has helped thousands of leaders across 30+ countries shape their reputation, build trust, and thrive with authenticity. Her TEDx talk, The Power of Gratitude and Generosity: Serving Those Who Have Served, has reached over 43 million, that's with a capital M, right, viewers worldwide. And now she's joining us to share her wisdom of influence, reputation, and servant leadership. Ladies and gentlemen, without any further ado, let's bring on the Leadership and Success Podcast, Leda Citroën. All right, so we are almost at the end of this podcast. I'm gonna play one more teaser for you. Again, I want to encourage all of you to please watch the episode. That's season 4, episode 68, live with Leda Citroën. This was really a power-packed conversation, about 1 hour, and you are going to learn a lot. Nothing I was gonna say. So tomorrow I'm gonna be here at 6 AM California time, tomorrow Tuesday, so 9 AM Eastern time, and we are going to have the 10-minute recap with Dr. Elisângela Rodrigues. She's originally from Brazil, so she speaks Portuguese. She lives in France, so she speaks French. And then of course we did our recording in English. So we are going to have the English version at 6:00 AM. At 6:30, we're going to do the French version, and French is my native language. And now for the first time in the history of the podcast, this is going to be a very important milestone, right? We have broadcasted in English, of course, in French, my native language, in Spanish, the second most spoken language in the US. But for the very, very first time in our history, tomorrow at, I guess, 7:00 AM, we are going to broadcast in Portuguese. So that's going to be very interesting. And I am so grateful for the power of technology. It is really, truly amazing what artificial intelligence can can do. Actually, let me, let me share my screen. I'm going to show you quickly, uh, something else that we've been able to do here at the Leadership and Success Podcast. Let me share my screen. Okay, here we go. So you should see my Okay, I am still here. Very good. Okay, so if you guys go to my newsletter and you go to the article I wrote about the conversation I had with Leda, Leadership and Influence with Leda Citroën, Gratitude, Authenticity, and the Power of Your Story, if you scroll all the way down, you are going to have link to the full podcast. So if you click on the YouTube video, I want to show you something here. As you can see, okay, she's speaking in English and we did record this in English, but if you click on setting And when you click on audio track, you can listen to her in French. And again, you click on audio track, you can listen to her in Spanish. And you click on audio track, you can listen to her in Portuguese. And you can change the subtitle as well from French to English to Portuguese or whatever. But anyway, I wanted to show that to you because with the power of artificial intelligence now, we can actually broadcast in your native language more than 12 audio tracks, and I believe it's more than 22 subtitles. So you can listen to the original conversation in English, or you can change it to your original language. So that is pretty cool that we are able to do that going forward. All right, so I'm going to play one more teaser from the hour-long conversation I had with Leda Citroën. And I don't see any question on YouTube or LinkedIn. So then, like I said earlier, I'm going to see you back here tomorrow, 6:00 AM. California time for the English 10-minute summary with Dr. Elazangela Rodriguez from Paris. And then at 6:30, we're gonna do the 10-minute summary in Français. And then at 7 AM, we're gonna do the 10-minute summary for the very first time on the Leadership and Success podcast in Portuguese. I'm really excited about that. All right, one more teaser and we're gonna bring this pen home. Also, a lot of the work you've done talking about women in the workforce, you have shaped executive narrative worldwide. And what advice would you give to women aspiring to leadership role in— let's face it, most of our workforce today is still very much male-dominated. So what would you advise to aspiring women leaders listening to you right now?

Definitely get a hold of my book, The New Rules of Influence. I had people say they thought it might have been written for women. And I certainly didn't do that. But I think it speaks to a lot of the challenges that women face, right? We wait often until somebody tells us it's our turn. We wait until we've achieved a status or rank or position in the company before we feel empowered to be able to assert ourselves and have the kind of influence that we want. And We don't have to wait anymore. No one has to wait. People, you know, there are so many underrepresented voices out there that have something amazing to offer. They have an idea or a question or even a challenge that needs to be heard. But we're all waiting. We're sitting in the back of the room. We've got our, you know, our hands under our lap, and we're biting our tongue because no one's called on us, or no one has said, OK, now you have the authority the positional power to go out and say something. And that's got to go away. So what I did in the book, which, which I'm so proud of, is I really kind of broke down the model of executive presence. Because that's what many of us, I know for myself, I had been taught. When you have executive presence, you can have clout, you can have authority, you can have respect. But executive presence didn't look or sound like me. Right? It told us to dress a certain way, speak a certain way, and enter a room with gravitas. What the heck is gravitas, right? Nobody— everybody says it's important, and you see it and you know it, but nobody can teach it. And I'm like, if I can't teach it, why am I going to tell somebody it's important? So what I do in this book is I just say, look, let's put that off to the side because There are some people who are going to hold true to that. But there's all these other ways that we can have influence, even if you don't have the job title, you don't have the positional authority, you don't look and sound like everyone else in the room.

Thank you for listening to the Leadership Success Podcast with your host, Coach BZ. If you like what you heard, please subscribe to our channel and come back for more wisdom nuggets on how you may develop into a better leader and achieve greater levels of success. Leadership is the most critical skill. The world will always need leaders to lead others, deploy the next disruptive technology, or execute a business strategy. You may as well decide on counting yourself among the 21st century leaders. See you right here next time on the Leadership and Success Podcast.