In this special episode, host Sharon Richmond is joined by Lisa Bloom, host of Mirasee FM’s Once Upon a Business. They discuss a story from Lisa’s show, in which monkeys mistakenly try to rescue the moon, which is a metaphor for the danger of not checking assumptions and ignoring quieter voices in the organization. 

In addition, Sharon and Lisa talk about the value of intentional leadership and how creating a culture where followers feel empowered to question and challenge decisions leads to better outcomes. They also delve into how ageism can affect perspectives on success and failure, drawing parallels between classic fables and modern-day leadership challenges. 

This is To Lead Is Human — listen to learn how you can uplevel your leadership and shape cultures of accountability, respect, and candor. 

“A leader is made a leader by the people who follow them. And so you can’t decide you’re a leader. You have to have people who follow you who call you a leader.”

— Lisa Bloom

Following a successful corporate career, Lisa Bloom became an entrepreneur, author, speaker and coach. She built a global business — Story Coach — supporting corporates, entrepreneurs, and coaches with speaking mastery, leadership capability, and marketing impact. Lisa is also the author of The Story Advantage and Cinderella and the Coach, as well as the host of Mirasee FM’s podcast Once Upon A Business. 

In addition to leading her own business, Lisa is the Director of Mirasee’s ACES Business Acceleration Program, helping entrepreneurs to achieve outstanding results in the growth of their businesses. There’s nothing Lisa loves more than to spend time with her partner and their four sons, walk her dog, travel, read, and share stories. 

For more than 30 years, Sharon Richmond has partnered with C-level executives from mid-size and small, fast-growing companies who want to up-level their leadership and build companies they are proud of. Clients accelerate their leadership by embracing mindset and behavior changes, building self-awareness and self-management skills, and focusing on the three things all leaders must ensure: focus, energy, and delivery. 

Sharon’s purpose as an executive coach is to help leaders 10X their impact by leveraging the power afforded by their roles to build organizations that are forces for good, both economically and socially. She also advises CEOs on shaping organization culture and leading change. 

Sharon has taught leadership at Stanford GSB, where she now helps leaders increase influence, manage conflict, and prepare to build high-performing teams. 

To see a list of Sharon’s clients, please visit LeadingLarge.com. 

Resources or websites mentioned in this episode: 
Mirasee
Sharon’s website: LeadingLarge.com
Lisa’s website: Story-Coach.com
Lisa’s podcast: Once Upon A Business
The Friction Project (book): Goodreads.com/en/book/show/105735152
Amy C. Edmondson’s work on psychological safety

Credits: 
Host: Sharon Richmond 
Producer: Cynthia Lamb 
Assembled by: Andrew Chapman 
Audio Editor: Marvin del Rosario 
Executive Producer: Danny Iny 
Music Soundscape: Chad Michael Snavely
Making our hosts sound great: Home Brew Audio

Music credits: 
Track Title: Escaping Light 
Artist: Aaron Sprinkle 
Writer: Aaron Sprinkle 
Publisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION

Track Title: Bright Future 
Artist: Be Still The Earth 
Writer: Marshall Usinger 
Publisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION

Special effects credits: 

24990513_birds-chirping_by_promission used with permission of the author and under license by AudioJungle/Envato Market. 

To catch the great episodes coming up on To Lead Is Human, please follow us on Mirasee FM’s YouTube channel or your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It’s the best way to help us get these ideas to more people. 

Episode transcript: Storytelling Stokes Business (Lisa Bloom).