leadership confidential podcast Trailer (S01)

We're told that to become a leader, you need to be born with it, or at least have that special 'leadership material.' You have to be an extrovert, bold, and always have everything figured out. Success means leaving your emotions behind and being tough enough to handle the pressure. But what if that's just not who you are?

Subscribe now, the first episode launches soon.

Transcript

[Lena Reinhard speaking]

How do you become a leader?

Be a born leader, or at least be “leadership material”, or an extrovert?
Do you get a title, and that makes you a leader?
And then, you need to take charge, be a visionary, have it all figured out, please leave your feelings at the door, and be able to handle the heat, or get out of the kitchen?

But:

What if that’s not you? Can you still be a leader if you’re shy, a humble introvert, don’t have it all figured out, and have a feeling, occasionally?
What does it mean to be technically a leader?
nd what does it take to be successful as one?

I’ve often asked myself these questions - and I still hear them a lot.

Hi, I’m Lena Reinhard.

I’ve been in leadership roles myself for almost 15 years now- I’ve been a VP Engineering, co-founder, CEO in various startups. Now I coach & mentor executives, technical leaders and people managers.

I believe that leadership is in skills and actions, not titles. And that leadership can be learned

And I know: Leadership is such fun work, it’s complex and intriguing and always changing and fascinating - and at the same time, it can also be disorienting, hard, and even lonely, without much support - while feeling a huge sense of responsibility.

But we don’t talk about these hard parts as much in the open. After all, leaders are supposed to be in charge, on top of things - and feel like there’s no room for failure. Every day, I speak to dozens of leaders in startups, scaleups, corporations in the technology space about the hard stuff.

And I believe we need to talk more about the hard things -

And that’s why I’m now inviting you into these conversations: In my new podcast.

In each episode, I speak with one leader - some with their names, many not, because these are topics that are difficult to talk about. Together, we grapple with a critical leadership skill, a tough situation, or a difficult question. We talk about successes, failures and regrets, what’s worked and what hasn’t, and all the uncertainty along the way.

You'll hear vulnerability, lessons learned, and the kind of 'whew, I thought I was the only one' relief. And you’ll hear practical tips to help you if you’re in a similar situation.

Every single conversation I got to have to so far has left me in awe: With their openness, courage, and their willingness to branch out into the unknown.

I can’t wait to share them with you.

No matter where you're at in your leadership journey, whether you're just starting out or you've got years under your belt, this is for you.

I’m still finalising the title - but I do know what it will be:

Real talk on hard things in technology, finding community, and becoming the engineering leader you can be - with me, Lena Reinhard.

Subscribe now wherever you get your podcasts - the first episodes are coming soon.

And, by the way: If you have a leadership challenge, burning, question, or need some real talk:
Reach out and be my guest through bit.ly/leadershipconfidential.