Staying Steady in Times of Transition with Dr. Mary Anne Moser

As the current President & CEO of TELUS Spark Science Center, Dr. Mary Anne Moser is an award-winning designer and communications director. Mary Anne brings more than 25 years of experience in entrepreneurial roles where science meets society. Twelve years ago, Mary Anne co-founded Beakerhead, an international first that brings people together at the crossroads of art, science and engineering, and was their full-time CEO for 6 years. Mary Anne has worked across a variety of not-for-profits from the Banff Centre to the University of Calgary to innovative organizations created by the government. Being a working mother of triplets has made Mary Anne a coveted leader to work for, as she understands the individual needs of her team members and is a major advocate for flexibility. This episode is brought to you by Peninsula, which offers 24/7 HR, health & safety, and employment support to Canada’s small and medium businesses. For the white-glove treatment and an initial consultation just for CultureING Podcast listeners, head to this link and enter the code "CULTURE". In this episode, you will learn: Having a moonshot vision for your team is incredibly motivating and definitely ties to increased employee engagement If you want collaboration, you need to build a coaching culture where performance isn't measured by how well someone does their job, but how much they collaborate and learn together. The moonshot vision you set actually attracts the type of people you want. If you declare that you're going to play in an international league, you will attract ambitious people that aren't interested in a slow-paced environment. Don't be surprised when the right people come to your door when you set an aspirational goal and make it public. Setting up cross-functional teams can help leaders get to know their employees much better and reduce silos in a significant way. "Separate ideas from their owners. It's not personal." When you surround yourself with a strong safety net to funnel ideas through, then about 1 every 9 idea will likely be great and they'll affirm and encourage you. Your crew also needs to be there to help you understand. Steady not flashy is a great way to live to find a steady-state, recognizing it's not supposed to be easy all the time and still being resilient in that place. When going through leadership transition, taking a genuine look at what you've got and being honest about it is crucial. Whatever change mandate that is required, which often is what prompts a transition, lean into that, "set an aspiration together and then see who wants to opt in, and who who might want to opt out." Sign up for our email list at cultureing.com!