73. How to show up, speak up and inspire action

Have you ever been in a meeting and not spoken up because you thought your idea wasn’t good enough? Maybe you wanted to share something with a family member, friend, or partner and didn’t? You’ve MUTED yourself.

Today’s guest is Heather Hansen – author, TedX speaker, coach, and multi-cultural expert – Heather helps top global professionals show up, speak up, and inspire action in a changing world. She is on a mission to empower global voices to contribute to conversations that matter in business, politics, and life. 

You live your values through your big life choices. Think back to the major crossroads in your life– deciding what school to attend, moving to a new country, or even getting divorced – the choices you made at those times were when you were truly “living your values.”

I talk with Heather (for an extensive interview) about that and more in today’s episode. From the high achieving culture of “you can be anything!” in the US, to Jante Law in Danish culture, to the cringe-worthy reverence for white westerners in Singapore’s residual colonialism, we’ll dig into Heather’s journey, and find out about her fascinating new book “Unmuted.” Can the world afford NOT to hear YOUR voice?

Discussion Points

• Where did your passion for communication come from?
• The book “Unmuted” came about during the pandemic
• The Venn diagram – Conscious/Connected/Confident
• Some of Heather’s personal cultural challenges – Danish Jante Law, Singapore’s colonialism
• Heather and her Danish husband’s personal cultural challenges
• Is there a way to determine “what I stand for” with some actionable steps?
• In the Venn diagram– which is most important?
• The confidence area encompasses skills confidence and speaking confidence
• What about the differences in male vs. female confidence?
• The Innovisor method of surveying for a company’s influencers
• 3% of the most trusted employees influence 90% of other employees, and they’re not top management
• What has had the greatest impact on your leadership journey?
• Three key takeaways: 
  • Leaders are conscious communicators
  • Leaders are confident communicators
  • Leaders are connected communicators

Resources:

Global Speech Academy Website 

Heather Hansen website 

Book: Unmuted: How to Show Up, Speak Up and Inspire Action (Amazon)

Heather Hansen LinkedIn

Heather Hansen Twitter

Heather Hansen YouTube

Peter Hansen on LinkedIn

Jante Law in Nordic Countries

Book: The Confident Speaker

Innovisor– Mapping Company Influencers

Brendan Rogers Website

Brendan Rogers LinkedIn

The Culture of Leadership Podcast Website

The Culture of Leadership LinkedIn

The Culture of Leadership Facebook Page

The Culture of Leadership YouTube Channel

The Culture of Leadership Instagram 

If you have any questions for Brendan around this episode or generally around culture, leadership, or teamwork, feel free to contact him here.