Leigh Espie, a project-management coach and author of Bad Meetings Happen to Good People, shares how a solo trip to India after college taught her that fear is manageable and growth comes from facing it. She argues leadership skills matter in any role, priorities must stay front-and-center, and self-doubt shouldn't pull you out of the game.
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All right, welcome back everybody to the Business Blast podcast. This is your host Tyler Wagner. I'm here today with Leigh Espie. She's the author of Bad Meetings Happen to Good People: How to Run Meetings That Are Effective, Focused, and Produce Results, which is available on Amazon and Kindle. And she's also a project management coach and consultant with 15 years experience in IT project management. So we'll get started right away. And the first question for you, Leigh, is what's the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message.
Hey, okay, so when I was pretty fresh out of college, I took my dream trip to India, and I went alone, and I was really scared, but I thought if I don't do it now, I'll never do it. And so I just jumped in and faced my fear and bought a plane ticket and went, and it was fantastic. I trekked to the Himalayas, met Mother Teresa, and did so many amazing things and learned from that. This is This is carried forward. I know that I just can face my fears. The worst that could happen is usually not really that bad. And so face your fears, jump in, do things that scare you. Don't let that hold you back.
And what's the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
Leadership skills are really important no matter what level of formal management or leadership you're in. They transfer across domains and industries, and whether you're a new employee or a higher level, leadership skills are visible and important.
And what's your best piece of overall business advice?
Actually, it's going to be keep your priorities top of mind, and that carries forward no matter what you're doing. If you are sitting and working, don't get distracted with petty little things. Make sure you prioritize the most important thing you need to do, and sometimes Sometimes the most important thing is stepping away from work.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Don't take yourself out of the game due to self-doubt.
And in your opinion, what's the key to happiness?
Gratitude.
What's the best book you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from it?
The Obstacle Is the Way is amazing. It's Ryan Holiday's book. He takes the work of the Stoics and translates puts them into very accessible language with lessons of challenging and facing adversity and growing through it.
And what's your favorite quote and why?
If you were the best at the world— let me see, I'm gonna shred this Marie Forleo quote. How would you behave if you were the best in the world at what you do?
And where can people find you online? We got 10 seconds.
Okay. ProjectBliss.net is my blog. LeeSB.com also is my website, Twitter, LinkedIn, and of course my book on Amazon.
Awesome. Thanks for coming on, Lee.
Thank you, Tyler Wagner. The podcast you just heard was made using Anchor. Ever thought about making your own podcast? Anchor makes it really easy for anyone to get started. It's a one-stop shop for recording, hosting, and distributing podcasts. Best of all, it's 100% free. Sign up now at anchor.fm/new. That's anchor.fm/new to get started.
