How can today’s leaders best empower the new generation?
Melissa Smith is a Leadership and Innovation Consultant for a boutique firm in Michigan called Innovatrium, and she joins us today to share her career journey, and key insights she has learned along the way. Join us as Melissa unpacks the four personality categories that guide her as she builds international teams.
We discuss the five things that an idea needs to succeed, which include a birthday, and Melissa shares what she loves most about the new generation and how we can best support them to harness their enthusiasm most effectively. Melissa gives us a glimpse into her interior world with the quotes she lives by, why she would like to be remembered as a try-hard, and more.
Tune in today to hear all this and more.
Key Points From This Episode:.
• The four personality categories that she builds her teams around.
• How her work is structured through the framework, experimentation, and a final step forward.
• The five things that an idea needs to succeed.
• What Melissa believes the next generation needs from us as leaders.
Quotes:
“We create teams around these four different personalities to bring about innovation and new ideas.” — Melissa Smith
“You have to overcome the inertia that is the status quo, and that’s the hardest part.” — Melissa Smith
“What we can give [the next generation] is our ears, to listen to the challenges they have [through] a lens of wisdom and lived experiences, but to have them keep [their] enthusiasm.” — Melissa Smith
“To go at all things with enthusiasm and to put your whole self behind them I think is where I’m at.” — Melissa Smith
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
What is Leadership Blueprints?
Leadership Blueprints is the podcast where leaders in the built environment learn to disrupt the status quo, improve their project teams, and steward public and private investments more effectively. Your host is BJ Kraemer. As the President and CEO of MCFA, BJ has navigated the complexities of the architecture, engineering, construction, and development industry. With a blend of interviews with national industry leaders and solo episodes filled with stories, tips, and lessons, Leadership Blueprints is your weekly source of inspiration and practical advice. By tuning in, you will learn how to challenge conventional processes, enhance team performance, and manage projects more effectively, paving the way for innovation and success in the built environment. Join BJ each week for a deep dive into the strategies and mindsets that drive real change and lead to real results.