Redefinitions and Insights from Evy

I found a new podcast that I will be listening to now. The Diary Of A CEO by Steven Barlett. I have only listened to one episode, but I am already sold on the content there. It was an interesting listen, and there are a few things I pondered over introspectively.

I share some of the podcasts I listen to with people—or publicly at least—and so it felt encouraging to see people consider some of them, give them a listen, and perhaps even become regular listeners as well. And so my brother shared an episode from a podcast that I never knew about, being aware of what I listen to, and that it was a package of profound insights that I was delighted to listen to at the gym.

It was the first time listening to a podcast while I was working out at the gym, by the way, and it felt a little better than listening to songs instead, so I may be doing it a lot more.

A few things that stuck with me listening to the podcast are the different versions of ourselves we create, what leadership truly is (from the perspective of US presidents), how emotions should go out the window to make rational decisions, and what a contribution score is and how it affects how people receive the next contribution you make based on it.

Something I heard that moved me was how we actually kind of allow people to behave the way that they do to us, which we'd term disrespectful. And then, Evy Poumpouras, the guest speaker in the podcast, addressed how it must be assessed if it's actually your ego or if your boundaries have truly been broken.

What standards have I set up, or what have I done to let people think that they can do things to me? The things we do and the behaviours we display all give people a manual on how to behave around us. If I show up late to a meeting, I'm giving people one reason to disrespect me in that regard. If I'm lousy and perhaps superfluous in my words and demeanour, that's another.

The environments we create define what people can and cannot do to or around you, to a reasonable extent. You set the tone. And that links up with the contribution score she talked about later on in the podcast.

You see, people generally respond to what you have to say in a group conversation or meeting based on how you have performed with your contributions in the past. Contribution score. There are people that garner a lot of attention, and others take them seriously when they speak or even when they're about to. And there are those people who are just immediately dismissed. It all depends on their level of contribution in the past.

In essence, I was reminded about speaking when I really have something well thought out to say and not just for the sake of wanting to say something. It affects my contribution score, and that often goes a long way.

I am not sure who makes great decisions when they are angry. I know I don't. And the same applies to other kinds of emotions—they can affect how we think, react, and decide on things. And so, according to Evy, who is actually a former secret service agent who worked with US presidents, leaders have to be stoic and not allow emotions to influence their decisions, especially with critical positions like being president of the most powerful nation in the world.

There's a lot more in the podcast episode. It's two hours long. And there are interesting stories Evy shared from her experiences working in the US secret service. You can find the episode here on Spotify.