Transforming Leadership: Insights from Morag Barrett

Jaclyn Strominger: 00:00:56

Well, hello everybody and welcome to another episode of the Unstoppable Leadership Spotlight podcast. I am your host, Jaclyn Strominger, and we hear from amazing leaders and their game changing insights to help make you a better leader.

And today I have the absolute pleasure of welcoming on Mona Bavar was like messing up your last name, but she's awesome. So Morag Barrett has been an amazing and is an amazing leader.

She has partnered also with over 15,000 leaders and teams from more than 20 countries, empowering them to develop the skills they need to build trust, foster collaboration and achieve outstanding results. We all want better results.

And as the CEO of the sky team and the author of three award winning books, her mission is to help executives and teams create cultures of connections that break through the barriers and hold that break through the barriers and hold them back. Welcome to the show.

This is a topic so leaders, listeners, you are going to know right now how to create not just a badass team, but a badass team that is going to help you have greater revenue. So welcome.

Morag Barrett: 00:02:22

Welcome. Let's do this. It sounds so exciting.

Jaclyn Strominger: 00:02:26

So being a leader, particularly today, is very different than it was yesterday.

And I feel like I'm thinking about, you're gonna think I just looked at a post from somebody and it was like Skippy Peanut Butter back in the 60s and 70s to Skippy peanut Butter now. Same peanut butter, but different guts on the inside, actually. So I'd love to hear because you have had great experience.

How are you seeing leadership today versus yesterday?

Morag Barrett: 00:03:05

Well, that's a great question. And as I think about it, actually, I think the good news is that leadership in of itself hasn't changed.

I mean, if you think about each of us, think about why we do what we do. We do it and we go to work. Yes. To pay bills. Okay, that's table stakes. We'll take that off the equation.

But there are really three things that drive me. I guess drive you, Jaclyn, and drive the people who are watching and listening to this episode. One is we want to do a good job.

We want to feel like we're being set up for success and that we have the tools and equipment needed to do a good job. Nobody gets up in the morning going, can I really mess up today?

So we want to do our best, but we also want to feel like our opinion, our voice matters, that we're not just another cog in the machine, that somebody sees us and cares about us and our success, which then leads to that third element. Oh, we get balloons. Third element. You see, it's Worth celebrating if you're gonna do it. Well, if you're listening, what you couldn't see was on zoom.

We just got balloons. So it's do a good job to feel like our. That we matter, that our voice is heard, and there go the balloons again. And then third is that we belong.

s or here we are today in: 2025

Now, what has shifted, though, is the context in which we are leading and participating in the teams that we're working with because we now have so much more technology at our fingertips. We're working in different ways, we're working in different locations, we're working across time and geography.

And that, I think, is where the friction and the rub arises.

Jaclyn Strominger: 00:05:25

You know, I. I think I love what you just said, and it's true.

I think, you know, because there is so much technology and there is so much that's being thrown at us that in some ways, you know, there.

There is that greater friction, that some way we're all supposed to be working smarter, not harder, with all the technology, but actuality, it not always the case.

or the CEO of: 5000

Like, how do you think a leader can help somebody today? Like, make that happen, like, really get to know. Because there is so much being thrown at us and so much technology and so many things to learn.

What's a leader to do to help channel it in the right direction so we're not all feeling right.

Morag Barrett: 00:06:42

So many threads I want to unpick with that.

So the thing that we talk about here at Sky Team, and we share in both of our books, cultivate the power of winning relationships and you, me, we, why we All Need a Friend at Work and how to show up as one, is that technology gives us the illusion of connection. Illusion of connection.

Because, let's face it, we are all tethered to the endless stream on our smartphones, our computers, to the Google Hangout Zoom Meet meetings, or the Slack Messages or the WhatsApp messages that we cannot get away from it.

And I'm sure that everybody listening to this conversation can recognize that they have sat through one of those Zoom Google Hangout Meet meetings like I have and fake perky their way through it. We've put on the smile, we've nodded and gone, yes, Jaclyn, that's what we're going to do next. Yep, I know what I'm going to do.

We hang up and we go, I have no idea. That is the stupidest idea ever. And you may never know. So what can we do? As leaders, we need to slow down in order to go fast.

And it sounds cliched, but I love that. Oh, you do? Oh, see, like, we're. We're like twins. Here's what happens. This is what I've seen and I've caught myself doing. This is on Zoom.

You get onto a call, and you might be three seconds late, and first out of our mouths is, I'm sorry I'm late, Jaclyn. Sorry I'm late. Now, remember, back into B.C.

before COVID when we worked in the same location, you might roll into a meeting room five or 10 minutes late because you stopped at the restroom. Heaven forbid you have a restroom break at.

But you stop at the restroom, you grab a cup of coffee, somebody in the corridor goes, oh, do you have a minute? And you'll say, yeah, I'm on my way into that meeting. But of course.

And then we start the meeting, and nobody really ever mentioned, hey, you're five minutes late. There was an acceptable passing time and technology. I think what happens is the Zoom Room opens and we're straight down to, so, what are you doing?

Where are you? On the project? And slowing down is to allow space for the. How are you doing? What's happened since I last saw you?

Here's what's happening in the world. Did you see the news? Or here's what's happening elsewhere in the team. Okay, now let's talk about the project and our reason for getting together.

So technology is both the boon and the bane of leaders and leadership and team. And team ship. And unless we're being thoughtful and deliberate, I think we're not using it to its best advantage.

Jaclyn Strominger: 00:09:35

So there's a. I love what you just said, and there's a couple things that have just come to my mind. So, first of all, obviously, as I shared, I. I say that a lot.

Like, we do need to slow down to go faster because we have to put in some of those systems. And there's also something to be said about walking into or getting. When I say walking in, like getting onto a call.

And if the first thing out of your mouth is sorry, it changes the dynamic of how people look and listen to you. The person who's just said sorry. So I actually am a big proponent and I try to tell my kids this all the time.

Take the word sorry out of your vocabulary, because a lot of we don't use it properly. Like if I walk into the room, if I get to. Into Zoom late and I'm three minutes late, sorry, I haven't hurt you. I haven't done anything.

So is it the right word? Right. So that's sort of like one thing, I guess. Like, I was like, let's all take the word sorry and only use it for what we are truly sorry for.

Morag Barrett: 00:10:46

Right.

Jaclyn Strominger: 00:10:47

Like if I've hurt somebody's feelings. Right. But what you also said about coming on, like, right before we got on, we were talking ahead of time. Right.

And then both, you know, before I start, you know, anything, we have that, for lack of better word, the mission statement of the podcast. And I.

And I would say one of the things that, that as a leader, what I, I would love to see, and I love your take on this is what if every person before whoever is running the meeting started it with something a little slower. That also was like the mission of the company, the mission of the team. The like, it's almost like the.

The rallying cry and call to bring people together.

Morag Barrett: 00:11:36

The why we are here. Yeah. And what brings us together. I love that.

I mean, if you think back to the three things I shared earlier on, the fact that we all want to do a good job and feel like we're contributing to something bigger than ourselves, that we are, that we matter, and that we belong, that all comes to that human experience. It's not just widget in, widget out. It is how we go about delivering those results together that leaves the legacy.

Because I'm sure if I asked you or anybody on the call, both two versions of the same question, who would you jump at the chance to work with again? Or where? And what was your best job ever? My guess is that the answer to both of those questions are not necessarily rooted in the metrics.

The, oh, well, that job where I flipped a thousand pizzas, or you don't flip pizzas, but you can tell I didn't do that. I was a waitress, but I didn't flip Pizzas, even when I was carrying them, would be the good thing.

But we're not really measuring and remembering the metrics, what we remember and the thousands of leaders who I've asked that question, who would you jump at the chance to work with? Again, their memories are all about how the work or especially how did that person make me feel? Did they inspire me to go the extra mile?

Did they take a chance on me and see potential before I saw it in myself? Maybe they gave me the tough feedback that stung in the moment but helped me to be a better leader for the future going forward. So think about that.

We are hardwired as humans to feel first, which is why your suggestion of reconnecting with the why, the purpose, the meaning in the work that we do can be a powerful way to remind people why we chose to join this organization, join this team, join this project, and then we can focus on and so what do we need to do to continue to move that forward?

Jaclyn Strominger: 00:13:39

Yeah, and I listeners, I want you to. When I started this episode, I shared that you will learn something that will help you create an amazing culture that will create greater profits.

And what Morag just said is so important. Am I pointing my finger like my pencil? Because people remember how they feel.

They remember the leader that helped them be heard and listened to and also saw the greatness like within the other person and helped them, you know, build that up.

When we have leaders who can, who can take somebody and where you can look at the people that are in your fold and on your team and bring out the best of them, be both positive about where they are, what they're doing and where they are going, it's going to pay back.

Morag Barrett: 00:14:39

Oh, yes, exponential. I was working with an executive team of eight recently and it was apparently a relatively new team. They'd had some changes in leadership, etc.

But it was eight individuals. Individuals and any of us with basic math know that eight times one equals eight. And that's fine.

Maybe you're going to meet your quotas if you just do your bit and sit back and allow others to do their bit.

But as I pointed out to them, if they can accelerate that journey to high trust, understanding where the friction is and removing it, having the right conversations at the right time, being able to be truth seekers and truth speakers, you know, this is where I get really excited then you don't just unlock 8 to the power of or 1. You don't just unlock 8 very smart individual leaders. You get 8 to the power of 8, which is 64 and think about what we could do.

When you talk about creativity and innovation and speed to market, and let's just face it, having a whole lot of fun, raising the bar and learning together, that's when the magic happens.

And of course, you can go bigger than that because you've got eight to the power of eight, which is the leadership team in their own little ivory tower doing their thing. But once you then factor in the teams reporting to them, now you're getting that exponential catalyst. And how do you do that?

You do it by creating cultures of connection, by creating that human link. And that happens right back to our very first point when we slow down.

It happens in the work, but it also happens in the moments between the work, in the conversations that we have. Whether it's, hey, Jaclyn, you don't see myself today. Are you okay?

Or hey, Jaclyn, I just want to let you know I saw what you and your team did last week. Amazing. Keep doing that. Or just stopping and saying, hey, Jaclyn, what do you need from me today in order to help you and your team to succeed?

When we show curiosity, when we focus on the human element, anything and everything is possible. And I've seen it happen and I've lived it.

Jaclyn Strominger: 00:16:49

Yeah, it's, you know, it's so true. I'm getting goosebumps.

Morag Barrett: 00:16:53

Goosebumps.

Jaclyn Strominger: 00:16:54

Because it's, it's what makes, it makes, it's what makes great companies great and great leaders great or great teams great. Because they bring that, bring that out. And, and again, if.

If there's one thing that you take from this, find how you can personally connect with the people on your team to help them see the best in themselves and make people feel heard and create the power of people working together and not this fighting. It's not about. And I love the title of your book, you, Me, we, because it is so true. It's not about you, it's about the team.

It's about the we and how we can work together. It is so, so important and that.

Morag Barrett: 00:17:48

The premise of that book is so powerful because as we know, Gallup has been researching engagement and high performing teams, et cetera, for decades. And they ask consistently, do I have a best friend at work? As one of the 12 questions around engagement.

And it is an important question because the data speaks clearly shows that if you can answer yes to that question, you are more likely to have a highly engaged team and to deliver those exceptional results.

The challenge that we had when we wrote you, me, we though, is that it is passive, it is a reactive question because it allows me to say, do I have a friend at work? No, I don't, because Jaclyn got the promotion I should have got, or Jaclyn's team always gets the glossy projects. I don't.

No, I don't have a friend at work. And so we chose to reframe it, which is why the title of the book continues.

It's you, Me, we, why We All Need a Friend at Work and How to show up as one. Because it's less about do I have a friend at work?

It's more about, am I being a friend at work to others but not in a doormat, just say yes to anything that Jaclyn wants sort of way. Being a friend at work means I can actually say no to you and set boundaries and hold each other accountable. But it's also being a friend to myself.

Am I meeting my own needs? Am I reaching my own career dreams? Am I putting in, you know, extra hours and at risk of burnout?

How do I put my hand up and say, I need a break or I need something to shift? And so that friendship is both outward facing and inward facing.

So if you're listening to this and you're not having fun at work right now, it's a sign that you need to be a friend to yourself and start shifting the balance.

Jaclyn Strominger: 00:19:36

Oh, yeah, you know, that's beautiful. And I think, you know, I. I think you know, too. You know how important that is. Because it's not just in business.

It's like in life, if you can put your, you know, if, you know, I think about this, like, in terms of even, like, networking, when you're going out there and you're.

You're making friends outside, it's not, yes, you have to be a friend with yourself first and good to yourself, but creating friendships, like, how can you think about the other person? You know, cheer them on.

So, like, as you said, you shared, okay, so maybe my team got the glossy, but if I did, how can I then say, ooh, how can I help the other team?

Morag Barrett: 00:20:29

And it's, we win together, right? And then think about a company.

You can have the best HR team ever, but if your sales team aren't able to sell you, sell your product or service, you're not going to be successful in the whole time.

You can have your best HR team recruiting talent, developing talent, your best sales team who are able to get the new orders, but if your operations team aren't able to service and build and provide that service, you're going to struggle. And so this is why it's about the way and not just about me. Well, I'm doing okay. And finger pointing and blame that we see elsewhere.

And so in our work with leaders around the world, this whole concept of having and being an ally of having and being a friend at work, whatever language you want to use is so important. And it starts one conversation and one relationship at a time. It starts with the relationship we have with ourselves.

What's the energy I'm bringing into this conversation, the energy I'm bringing to this project, and how is that making others feel and therefore an intentional choice at this point? Because leadership is a choice. A choice to where do I need to turn the dial up or down to ensure that we can be mutually successful?

Jaclyn Strominger: 00:21:42

Yeah, I, I love it. And mutually successful and where to turn it up. So important. And it's. It. It just makes me just think about how, you know, this.

The importance of creating that team environment so that everybody, no matter where they are within the company, feels that what they do matters and that they are part of a team to do X, Y or Z. And I, and I, I feel like we cannot stress that enough to get buy in, you need.

You have to get buy in for people wanting to work on something or to be part of something. And if somebody doesn't have is. Is that outlier, who's not being or buying into it? Maybe they're not the right fit.

Maybe they're meant to be in a different team, but you need. Or maybe that's somebody that needs to be weeded out, but you need to create that team where it's the we, not the. Not the you or me. It's the we.

Morag Barrett: 00:22:46

It's we together.

And less experienced leaders might say to me, well, I can't possibly be friends with my colleagues because we're in competition with each other for the next promotion. I'll call BS on that. Or I can't be friends with my direct reports because I might have to reprimand them one day.

And I'll call BS on that too, because the advantage of having the human connection means that we are more likely to show that compassion when we do have to have the tough conversations. Because let's face it, being a leader, being a team member is easy, easy peasy lemon squeezy when things are going well.

The true test of leadership is what happens when the pro project's going off the rails or where your budget gets slashed or somebody goes sick and we have to, you know, carry that load until they come back. How do we navigate those tough days? And that's when we'd better know who we can turn to versus finding ourselves isolated and alone.

And that's why this is so important, right?

Jaclyn Strominger: 00:23:48

Yes. Right.

And I love that because that basically allows the leader to be able to say, okay, you know, we have somebody on our team who is having X, Y or Z or there's something going on. We all need to band together to fill in.

Morag Barrett: 00:24:02

Yes. Because next week it might be me having the thing and then you can cover for me. So it's the give and take.

Now, if somebody is taking advantage, then that's a different leadership skill of you're holding them accountable to the results that are expected. So being an ally, being a friend at work doesn't mean we go soft. It doesn't mean we lower the standards.

It doesn't mean that we start seeing sandbagging ourselves or others. In fact, it allows us to raise the standards because everybody's on the same page and there is transparency and clarity around those expectations.

Jaclyn Strominger: 00:24:36

Yeah, I love that. I absolutely love it.

So if you've been listening to this and which I hope you have been listeners, I really want you to understand that being able to create and foster the amazing culture, to create the we, it's, you know, grab the books, take a listen and be a great leader who creates a team environment where we're supporting everybody and they're being heard. And yes, get to know the people in your tribe.

I'm not asking, we're not asking you to, you know, sleep with them, but we are asking you to be friends with them.

Morag Barrett: 00:25:21

Yeah. Let's be clear. You don't have to take me home to meet your mother. This is in an HR appropriate way.

But get to know the journey, the life journey, the lived experience behind the job title. And I'll use myself as an example. You've all now been introduced to me.

Morag Barrett, CEO of Sky Team, author of three books and a leadership development keynote speaker. All right, now, if you leave it at that, you're going to miss the richness that comes from 15 years in commercial finance.

The fact that I am originally from the uk, Maybe you've heard that in the accent. But now living in America, I have worked with leaders from 20 countries. I'm the mother of three six foot boys.

There is so much that goes behind the snapshot that you may be seeing today.

Think about the richness that you could uncover, but also the richness that you could share from your own journey that brings those connections and those points of intersection closer together with the people who work with and around you.

Jaclyn Strominger: 00:26:18

Right. I love that. So how can people find you and connect with you on, you know, how do they do that?

Morag Barrett: 00:26:26

How do they do that? Well, the advantage of a slightly unusual name, it's a Scottish name, is that you Google me, Morag Barrett, and you will find me.

But please do connect with me on LinkedIn.

You can check out our work at SkyTeam.com and I invite you all to take your own complimentary Ally mindset profile and you will find that at skyteam. S K Y E team dot cloud. You, me, we.

Jaclyn Strominger: 00:27:00

Awesome. Okay, so listeners, please connect. Go. Go to the website. Go to the Sky Team website. Look for all the links, make the connections, go onto LinkedIn.

And I just want to thank everybody for listening. This is the Unstoppable Leadership Spotlight podcast. I am your host, Jaclyn Strominger, and I want to thank you again all for listening.

If you have found goodness and great insights in this episode, number one, hit subscribe. Number two, share this with another leader. Because if we can create great leaders, we will have the most amazing and unstoppable people out there.

Again, thank you for listening and have an amazing day.