(2019 - 5 of 10) Reshaping the Leadership Model - How Introverts Are Redefining What it Means to Lead

Calibrate 2019 (5 of 10) - https://www.calibratesf.com/

“Reshaping the Leadership Model - How Introverts Are Redefining What it Means to Lead“ - Billie Sue Chafins, Hulu, Head of Hulu Seattle, VP Software Development

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QM43OdM0yhA&list=PL8iMj9kx_ykQP637PoLaHAqm8mGYf4yE1&index=5

There’s an age-old assumption that the most charismatic, extroverted people are natural-born leaders, but that’s not always true. If you are a quiet person, you don’t have to change who you are to find success. Introverts can have a high impact in the workplace, but may have to battle the narrative that they’re not as ambitious or not meant to lead. In this talk, introverted leader Billie Sue Chafins outlines the strategies introverts can leverage to rise through the ranks to successfully lead teams. She’ll also discuss how all leaders can nurture and guide introverts to ensure they’re having a significant impact.

About Billie Sue:

Billie Sue Chafins has spent 18+ years shipping world-class consumer and enterprise software for large consumer technology companies, with over 12 years of experience managing teams. She is currently VP of Software Development at Hulu, where she leads all client development across mobile, web, and living room devices (like Xbox One, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Amazon FireTV). In this role, she manages a team of 130+ developers, technical program managers, and QA team members, responsible for delivering the best experience for our viewers across all devices. Billie Sue is also the Head of Hulu’s Seattle Office, where she is responsible the decision-making and operations of the company’s office in Seattle. Prior to Hulu, Billie Sue spent 14 years at Microsoft, leading several teams responsible for products like Windows UX and Office. She holds a BS and MS from the University of Kentucky in Computer Science.

About Calibrate:

Calibrate was a conference for new engineering leaders hosted by seasoned engineering leaders. Organized and hosted by Sharethrough, it was conducted yearly in September, from 2015-2019 in San Francisco, California.

Transcript

1. RESHAPING THE LEADERSHIP MODEL How Introverts are Redefining What it Means to Lead BILLIE SUE CHAFINS VP, SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT, HULU
3. Billie Sue Chafins VP, Software Development, Hulu
4. Leaders must learn to give actionable feedback and nurture introverts + Introverts need to understand how to dig into feedback to ensure it’s helpful.
 ACTIONABLE FEEDBACK Introverts must learn to convey ideas in an influential manner.
 CONVEY IDEAS All leaders must learn to nurture introverts and create an environment for them to thrive. THRIVING ENVIRONMENT BUSINESSES MUST TAP INTO INTROVERTS TO SUCCEED
5. “You’ve shown again and again that you have the skills necessary to do great feature work and coordinate well with other teams. However, in order to get to the next level, you need to emerge as a vocal leader of the team.” “You need to become recognized as a thought leader which means aggressively contributing and becoming an outspoken advocate for your areas of work in larger forums. In other words, you need to find your voice.” “Congratulations on all the great work you’ve done this year, but you really need to work on your visibility.”
6. SITUATION BEHAVIOR IMPACT
7. Can you give me an example (S-B-I feedback)?
 I don’t understand the action expected - 
 what does this look like to you?
 Can you help me brainstorm ways to do X? 1 2 3 QUESTIONS TO ASK TO 
 BETTER UNDERSTAND FEEDBACK
8. “You’ve shown again and again that you have the skills necessary to do great feature work and coordinate well with other teams. However, in order to get to the next level, you need to emerge as a vocal leader of the team.” “You need to become recognized as a thought leader which means aggressively contributing and becoming an outspoken advocate for your areas of work in larger forums. In other words, you need to find your voice.” “Congratulations on all the great work you’ve done this year, but you really need to work on your visibility.”
9. “Your ideas are great and you are very influential within your immediately team. As you grow to the next level, let’s find ways for you to increase your sphere of influence.” “You need to become recognized as a thought leader. There are many ways to accomplish this such as blogging, hosting brown bags, establishing virtual groups across teams, etc. Leverage these influence strategies to demonstrate the thought leadership you bring to the product.” “Congratulations on all the great work you’ve done this year. Your insights could also benefit the larger team. Find ways to share those insights so you are influencing other teams’ architectural designs as well.”
10. COLLECT YOUR THOUGHTS KNOW HOW YOU COMMUNICATE BEST KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
14. •Always consider how you’re giving feedback and ensure it’s descriptive and actionable.
 •Consider ways to create work environments or opportunities for input that ensures introverts can communicate and thrive.
 •If you receive unactionable feedback, dig in, ask questions, and understand why.
 •Consider your thoughts and audience and prep so you can communicate and get your ideas across more effectively.
 •And be conscious of how you’re scheduling your time. LEADERS INTROVERTS ADVICE FOR ADVICE FOR