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March 15, 2024

Cultivating Top Down Leadership & Culture Excellence: A Deep Dive with Lyndsay Dowd

Cultivating Top Down Leadership & Culture Excellence: A Deep Dive with Lyndsay Dowd

My guest on episode 315 of 3thePOZcast is Lyndsay Dowd, a seasoned business coach with a remarkable 25-year career in sales and leadership at IBM, who has garnered recognition as a Top 10 Coach by Apple News. Her passion for reshaping leadership and fostering positive cultures has earned her the 2023 Award for Innovation and Excellence, where she was named Business Coach of the Year.

Lyndsay's legacy as an industry leader is underscored by her book, "Top Down Culture: Revolutionizing Leadership to Drive Results," solidifying her as a thought leader in leadership development and corporate culture transformation.

Summary:
Lindsay Dowd, a seasoned business coach with a 25-year career at IBM, discusses the importance of networking, the decline of family culture in companies, and her journey as an entrepreneur. She emphasizes the need for leaders to lead with heart and create a positive culture that values and supports employees. Lindsay also highlights the challenges of being an entrepreneur and the importance of being open and networking. She addresses the pitfalls of diversity programs and emphasizes the need for companies to provide support and clear career paths for employees. 

In this conversation, Lindsay Dowd, Chief Heartbeat Officer, discusses the importance of recognition and purpose in the workplace. She emphasizes that success is not only measured financially but also by feeling recognized, seen, valued, and having a sense of purpose. Lindsay shares her experience of building a culture of advocacy at IBM, where employees had the opportunity to do executive interviews with senior leaders. 

She also talks about writing her book, Top Down Culture, and the process of transcribing her podcast episodes for the book. Lindsay explains that the book is for aspiring leaders and provides stories and examples of good and bad leadership. She discusses her future plans of speaking and coaching, as well as her podcast, The Heartbeat for Hire. Lindsay encourages taking risks and embracing discomfort for personal growth and transformation. She shares her North Star, which is to transform leadership and leave the world a better place.

For more on Lyndsay, please visit:
Podcast: https://heartbeatforhire.com/podcast/https://www.topdownculture.com/

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Takeaways

  • Networking is about adding value and building genuine connections.
  • Creating a positive culture starts with leaders who lead with heart and genuinely care about their employees.
  • Being open and receptive to others' stories and experiences can lead to meaningful connections and opportunities.
  • Diversity programs should focus on providing support and clear career paths for employees, rather than just meeting quotas. Recognition and purpose are important factors in employee satisfaction and retention.
  • Building a culture of advocacy can help employees feel valued and provide opportunities for growth.
  • Writing a book can be a vulnerable experience, but it allows for sharing knowledge and making a positive impact.
  • The book, Top Down Culture, is for aspiring leaders and provides stories and examples of good and bad leadership.
  • Lindsay Dowd's future plans include speaking, coaching, and continuing her podcast, The Heartbeat for Hire.
  • Taking risks and embracing discomfort can lead to personal growth and transformation.
  • Lindsay's North Star is to transform leadership and leave the world a better place.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background
01:20 The Importance of Networking
04:00 Family Influence and IBM Culture
09:18 The Decline of Family Culture in Companies
13:09 Leaving IBM and Starting a New Journey
18:19 The Challenges of Being an Entrepreneur
23:08 The Importance of Being Open and Networking
28:19 The Pitfalls of Diversity Programs
30:20 Building a Supportive Culture and Measuring Success
31:19 The Importance of Recognition and Purpose
32:24 Building a Culture of Advocacy
33:55 Writing the Book: Top Down Culture
36:06 Who Should Read the Book
37:25 Future Plans: Speaking and Coaching
38:48 The Heartbeat for Hire Podcast
40:28 The Power of Taking Risks and Embracing Discomfort
42:32 Transforming Leadership and Leaving a Legacy
43:36 Where to Connect with Lindsay Dowd