Lessons from Leaders: Featured Guest Michele Laird, Senior VP for Programs at Pact

”If people aren’t failing, then I think that possibly they are actually not pushing beyond the envelope. They are not innovating, or not going for that hard thing and stretching. That's why it is important to recognize and celebrate failure.” Michele Laird

This week I sat down with Michele Laird, the Senior VP for Programs at Pact. I love Michele’s take on failure and the importance to try and be willing to fail, even sharing that when her family is sitting around the table for dinner she asks them, "What did you fail at today?"

Michele talks about normalizing failure and encouraging looking at what may not have gone "correctly" and learn from what happened.

She also shared a blurb from Janet Finch, the author of White Oleander, who says, “The Phoenix must burn to emerge.” Michele says that a big ‘burning failure' may not be the goal, but that the lessons learned from failure are ones she encourages all entrepreneurs, CEO's, and leaders, to use to further evolve.

Evolution, innovation, reflection, and impact are all words Michele used to define values in her organization. Also discussing leading from love, Michele notes how leading from love can be a calming force to reaction in the face of mistakes, unexpected turmoil, or failures.

"Having conversations from your heart is really important and people will feel that, hear that, and understand they are safe. They will understand they can try new things and if it doesn't go as planned, that's okay.... it helps us to react and lead better."

Michele wisdom on her core values and principles in this episode is palpable. 

Thank you to Pact for sharing another organization member with us this week, we are so grateful!

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To connect with Michele Laird on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelelaird/?viewAsMember=true