Siobhan Calderbank - How leaders lead & influence
Siobhan Calderbank - How leaders lead & influence
Siobhan Calderbank - How leaders lead & influence
#BOSSLADY DETAILS
Strengths: Speaker, Author, Leadership & Change Management Expert
Industry: Technology
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Company Name: Intelex Technologies
Favorite Quote:
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” Maya Angelou
Website: www.siobhancalderbank.com
Email: siobhan.calderbank@gmail.com
1. Who is Siobhan Calderbank?
Siobhan Calderbank is a dynamic speaker, an award-winning published author, and an expert in change management and leadership. She has spoken to diverse groups at conferences, events, seminars, and planning sessions to motivate individuals to work more collaboratively.
Siobhan began her career delivering key programs to audiences in large organizations. She then transitioned into a consulting role where she was integral in assisting senior management teams to identify performance gaps, develop key leadership competencies, initiate culture change and improve overall employee engagement.
Siobhan’s many years of experience enabled her to fuse together her love of teaching and her passion for change management to become a sought-after speaker that inspires professionals to improve performance outcomes. At Intelex, Siobhan is the Director of Learning and Development and focuses on developing leaders and staff, change management, and project management.
Siobhan realized early in her career that change doesn’t have to be painful. When leaders don’t consider the impacts of change on employees, it can create reduced morale, decreased productivity, resentment and more resistance to Change. The most successful leaders recognize through simple changes to their approach, they can engage employees to thrive and reach their full potential, thus cultivating an environment in which the organization can succeed. Siobhan then created a unique proprietary 4-step approach to leading change that bridges the generational differences in change and leadership. She has aided teams to develop innovative solutions to achieve their strategic objectives, grow their organization’s market share, improve efficiency, increase profitability and enhance culture through engagement.
In her personal life, she overcame adversity of being divorced and a single mother of two small children. These challenges sparked her interest and commitment to personal leadership, resiliency and helping other women who have encountered similar experiences. She has volunteered to speak at women’s groups such as Women in Aerospace, Avanti Women, and Intelex’s Women’s network to help expand women’s opportunities for leadership, professional development and leading change. In addition, Siobhan is a volunteer mentor and provides guidance to women that are trying to progress in their careers and overcoming tough changes in their lives. She also serves on the Advisory Board for Intelex One to promote diversity, inclusiveness and belonging while working closely with Executive Sponsors for Women, LGBTQ+, Visible Minorities, Persons with Disabilities, and Allies Enterprise Resource Groups.
In addition, Siobhan is a new wife, mother of three children, a comic-book super hero nerd, an axe thrower, loves archery, and a candy-holic. She likes going to the movies, theatre and is learning how to play golf.
Siobhan has also been nominated as one of the Canadian Business Chicks’ 2019 Women of Inspiration.
2. You are an authority in leadership, what are 5 basic changes entrepreneurs can make to become a better leader in their company or industry?
1. Communicate effectively, clearly and often. Share your vision in way that is compelling and inspires individuals to want to take action. This requires you to know your audience and tailor your message. Explain to people why you want them to change to reduce resistance. Let them know what the benefit to changing is to them and if there is no benefit, then be honest about what the impact will be.
2. Engage people in the process. The only way to progress in your company and industry is to change. Ask for and act on employee and customer input. Once changes have been identified, you need to do something about it. If you are unable to take action on a suggestion, make sure to provide a reason to the individual that gave you the feedback.
3. Recognize and reward people’s achievements. People want to feel valued. Praise them for doing a good job and they will likely give you more discretionary output because they know you value their contributions.
4. Promote relationships and focus on individual needs. Employee and customer engagement is optimized through the promotion of genuine relationships. Take the time to know the people that you work with and the customers you serve. Give and be open to receive continuous feedback. More importantly, take the time to listen so that you can tailor your responses appropriately to meet the specific needs of the individual.
5. Delegate effectively. It’s impossible for you to do everything, so know when to delegate. However, this doesn’t mean giving people boring and mundane takes to work on. People want to develop themselves through meaningful and challenging work. By giving others assignments that match their talents, you will create a culture of learning and continuous improvement.
3. From your many achievements, what is your biggest achievement and why?
My biggest achievement would be completing my Master’s degree in leadership. Soon after my daughter was born, I decided to go back to school and was accepted into the Master’s in Leadership program at Royal Roads University. I believed my education would lead to greater financial freedom and more opportunities. However, paying for my education was not easy, as I had to borrow money and made a payment plan with the school to pay for my fees.
I was a single mom, worked full time, cooked and cleaned, spent time with my children and then stayed up late (often to 3 AM!) after the kids were asleep to work on my assignments and finish my readings. My mom would help me watch the kids when I was working on deadlines and even made me meals. Many nights I was up late feeding my baby with one hand, while typing on the keyboard with my other free hand to finish my assignments.
I mentored a few women and provided guidance to help them progress in their careers and get new jobs, as well as entrepreneurs that were starting small businesses. I also delivered keynotes on change management and leadership at speaking events. These topics resonated with me since, I too, was going through a lot of change and trying to redefine my leadership. I shared my story and inspired other women to make changes in their lives. Seeing their confidence build and supporting their successes has been inspiring to me.
People called me crazy for taking on so much, but I remained positive and successfully graduated with a 4.0 GPA and master’s degree focused on leadership, organizational change, and generational diversity. It was important to me to show my kids that you can do anything, if you have the drive and remain positive.
4. What inspires and motivates you? Basically, why do you wake up every morning, get the work done and do it all over again the next day?
It is my passion for continuous learning and helping others learn in fun and creative ways that gets me up and going every day. I know it sounds cliché, but it’s true. Many times, I sit and think about how I can design programs better so that they will resonate with my audience and involve them in the process.
I want them to experience change in such a way that makes them feel exited to try something new. I want to see them succeed, but to do that, I have to truly connect with my learners first.
It’s one thing to know your content; It’s an entirely different experience for the participants to see a speaker exude passion for the topic and engage them. When I see the “lightbulb” go on for a learner, mentee, or business professional and they get excited about the possibilities of transferring their new knowledge or skill to their life, I know I have made a difference.
It is my sincere hope that I can help people see the positive side of change so that they too, will help improve the lives of others when encountering change, through their leadership and vision.
5. How do you juggle all the many different hats that are expected from you? Mom, wife & entrepreneur?
I am asked this question quite often. One of the hardest things to do is to not succumb to “Wonder-Woman-Wear-Out”. Many times, I have been guilty of this. As women, we must let go of the notion that we have to be all things to everyone. It’s just not possible! Sometimes you just have to let things drop. This is not easy when there are pressures from media (and sometimes work) to be a master juggler – and look good while doing it all too.
Having a good support system is key. I am fortunate enough to have an awesome husband, friends and family members that are understanding and willing to help. If I am feeling overwhelmed, I can talk to them. But I also have to have the courage to ask for help when I need it. This means knowing when to say no. I find this particularly difficult since I always want to say yes. Delegating or eliminating activities that are distractions or not beneficial to your goals, is also a good practice.
I try to exercise good time management daily. I plan my week by prioritising the most important things first and scheduling time to spend with my partner, family and friends. The rest of my time will inevitably be filled up with work, day-to-day activities and other urgent matters. Sometimes I won’t do the dishes or clean up when I get home. That’s ok. There is always tomorrow for that. What really matters is making time to take care of yourself so that you can be your best at whatever you need to do and live a balanced life.
6. You came out of a divorce with children, what advice can you give to other women that are currently going through the same thing?
Often when you go through a divorce, your confidence is reduced, and you may feel damaged. Remember that you are still worthy and have a lot of value. If you crumple a $100 bill, it is still worth $100. It is not less valuable, and neither are you.
Take time for yourself to heal, grow and love yourself. Get clear on what you want and what you won’t compromise on. If you have children, know that they still need you and will be looking to you for guidance and support. Spend time with them and create new memories. Most importantly be easy on yourself. You will make mistakes, but you will grow to be a stronger and more courageous woman and leader in the end.
7. What does starting over mean to you and what advice can you give to others if they are at that point in their life?
Starting over means to make a conscious decision to commit to change. To be successful, you need to know why you want to change in the first place. Let others know your intention to change so that they can hold you accountable and support you. Make a plan and use available resources for help. You don’t have to start all over alone. It’s also not necessary to make a massive change all at once.
This can feel very overwhelming for many people and often deters individuals from following through on their commitments. Instead, set realistic goals and perhaps consider implementing small changes on a consistent basis. Cumulatively, this can have a massive impact that may be far greater than any single, major change.
8. You are an incredible speaker, what advice can you give to people to become more comfortable in public speaking?
Firstly, know your content. Practice, practice, and practice some more. Once you know your material and become comfortable with your content, you will feel more confident to answer questions and deliver your presentation.
The key to presenting well, is to not get stuck in your head about what you are going to say, but rather connect with your audience and show them how passionate you are about the topic.
The best way to do that is to speak to your audience as you would to your best friend. When you talk to your best friend, you speak conversationally. You are comfortable because you don’t fear that you are being judged. You are just being your authentic self. Being your amazing self is what will resonate with others, since you are what people want to see.
GET IN TOUCH WITH SIOBHAN CALDERBANK
Website: www.siobhancalderbank.com
Email: siobhan.calderbank@gmail.com