In a recent interview, John Golden talked with Valerie Sandjivy. She is a leadership coach with over 20 years of business experience. Valerie helps people become better leaders. She believes good leadership starts with knowing yourself. She also talks about emotional control and taking care of yourself.
This post simply shares her best tips.
Valerie’s Leadership Story
Valerie started in engineering. She later earned a business degree. Over time, she worked in big roles, including as a business unit leader in Detroit. Her jobs often involved starting something new or entering new markets.
What We Learn from Valerie’s Story:
- She has a strong background in both tech and business.
- She learned to lead through change and new ideas.
- She says leadership starts with leading yourself.
Valerie’s 4 Pillars of Leadership
Valerie uses four main ideas to teach leadership:
- Lead Yourself
- Lead Others
- Control Emotions
- Practice Self-Care
Let’s look at each one.
1. Lead Yourself
Before leading others, lead yourself first. This means knowing your goals and actions.
Tips:
- Ask yourself questions like, “Do I have a clear goal?” or “Am I showing good habits?”
- Act the way you want your team to act. Be on time. Be honest. Be focused.
- Show others the right way by doing it yourself.
2. Lead Others
Once you can lead yourself, help others grow too.
Tips:
- Give people power to make decisions. Let them take ownership of their work.
- Build trust. Let people be creative and take smart risks.
- Place people in roles that fit their strengths—even if it means moving them around.
3. Control Emotions
Tips:
- Notice when a talk gets too emotional. Take a break if needed.
- Don’t hide your feelings. Learn how to handle them in a healthy way.
- Try tools like exercise, meditation, or deep breathing.
4. Practice Self-Care
Leaders need to care for themselves too. You can’t lead well if you feel tired or burned out.
Tips:
- Balance work and personal life. It doesn’t have to be 50/50—just what works for you.
- Find joy in your work, but also outside of it.
- Take breaks. Turn off work when you can. Recharge your energy.
Why Self-Care Matters
Valerie and John shared what helps them relax. Valerie likes yoga, meditation, and walking on a treadmill. John practices martial arts. These habits help them feel better and do better work.
Key Ideas:
- Do something each day to manage stress.
- Step away from busy life to rest and think.
- Tell your family and coworkers what you need to stay healthy and focused.
Final Thoughts
Valerie Sandjivy’s advice is simple and clear: Great leaders know themselves, support others, manage emotions, and take care of their minds and bodies.
Her four pillars—leading yourself, leading others, controlling emotions, and self-care—can help anyone become a stronger leader.
Want more tips? Listen to the full interview and follow Valerie’s work as a leadership mentor and coach.
Our Host
John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist, he has conducted over 1500 video interviews of thought leaders for Sales POP! online sales magazine & YouTube Channel and for audio podcast channels where Sales POP! is rated in the top 2% of most popular shows out of 3,320,580 podcasts globally, ranked by Listen Score. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.
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