LaTonya Wilkins, CEO and Founder of The Change Coaches and author of Leading Below the Surface

THEMES 

• Psychological safety is an essential component of leadership and culture. 
• Empathy, and belonging are important for below the surface leaders, but they are just as important to building client relationships. 
• Connecting with people who are different from you and having openness and curiosity toward them will help move change forward. 

KEY MOMENTS 

[5:18] LaTonya shares part of her Grandma Ruthie’s story and the lessons she learned from her 

[8:46] The beginning of LaTonya’s leadership journey: “How do some people build real relationships with people who are different from them and others really struggle with it?” 

[11:28] Navigating loss through life 

[13:30] “For all of you that are going through loss, I hear you, I see you. I think we’re misunderstood a lot. All of us are going to go through it”

[14:36] What does it mean to be a “below the surface leader”?

[15:15] The loss of LaTonya’s sister clarified some things for her about leadership and her workplace 

[17:10] What is surface leadership? 

[19:09] What does it mean to be a below the surface leader? 

[20:34] What does it feel like to be in a below the surface environment?

[23:29] How to get below the surface with your clients? 

[24:30] The number 1 way to sell 

[26:00] Ways to create psychologically safe spaces 

[29:54] What is a KPE–maybe Trish’s favorite acronym now! 

[39:00] How you go about bringing different KPEs to your own leadership

[40:40] As a leader and entrepreneur, what do you do to create a healthy life? 

RESOURCES Leading Below the Surface by LaTonya Wilkins