FountainBlue's January 13 Front Line Managers Online program on the topic of 'Adopting a People-First Mindset'. Please join me in thanking our panelists.

as a People Leader - Roxanne Dos Santos, Samsung Research America
as an Operations Leader - Nancy Mason, NVIDIA
as a Product and Program Leader - Sam Gupta, Pure Storage

I was inspired and motivated by our range of panelists this afternoon, as they spoke so eloquently and passionately about the business case for adopting a people first mindset and provided practical suggestions on how to think, speak and act with that mindset. Below is a compilation on their best practices.

People Are Your Secret Sauce, so act accordingly.

Lead and manage in a way which inspires others to perform and realize potential for themselves, their teams and the organization.

Be resilient, intentional and purposeful as individuals and as a team.

Nobody can claim perfection, and difficult journeys will have roadblocks, but we are more likely to succeed if we work together and keep learning and growing as a team.

Leverage diverse perspectives for business benefit while also building a culture where people stay engaged and empowered.

Make the business case on how having that people-first mindset enhances innovation, decision-making, problem-solving, and collaboration while also attracting and retaining top talent.

Challenges will arise, but we can all learn from our challenges and realize the opportunities behind those challenges.

Embrace failures as opportunities for learning for individuals and for the full team.

The future is unclear, but the journey is better with engaged and empowered people at your side.

We have amazingly navigated some unprecedented times through the pandemic and have succeeded in many ways despite the challenges. Although we cannot see the future, it's clear that our people, our fortitude, our industry, our drive will continue to help us all navigate through what's next.

Below is a collection of suggestions and best practices for adopting a people-first mindset:

Ask more questions, and be a more reflective and open-minded listener.
The work/life balance has shifted to more of a life/work balance, so consider with grace how 'life' issues might impact 'work' progress.
Build deep relationships of trust through transparent, authentic communication.
Encourage growth and movement for your team, even if it means that you help someone move to another role within, or even outside the organization.
Leverage the technology to connect people and communities, to facilitate collaboration, to communicate progress and impact.
Model the communication, management and leadership traits you'd like to see in others around you.
Think not just about how to build deep knowledge and connections, but also about how to build broader networks as well as more lasting impact.

Our panelists asked a poignant question: 'Consider the implications if a team/organization doesn't adopt a people-first mindset… Will the team be as intact, as empowered, as engaged, as productive, as innovative?'

The bottom line is that good leaders, good companies play the long game, and consistently nurture a people-first mindset with their thinking words and actions.

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