#78: Getting Unstuck with Erica Anderson Rooney

Lead the People

Erica is an author, speaker, gender equality crusader, and a C-level leader. With over 15 years of experience in Human Resources, Erica's mission is to bring more women into positions of power and KEEP them there. She is a wife, a mom to two small kids, and a fitness fanatic! She’s also the host of the Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors podcast and author of a forthcoming book with the same amazing name.

Top 3 Takeaways

1. Embrace the stuck. We all find ourselves mired in a less-than-ideal state from time to time. The first step to break free is recognizing when we’re stuck.
2. Start small. You don’t have to completely overhaul your life in order to make a change. Even small improvements will add up over time.
3. Create the culture. Organizational and individual values are more important than ever. Make it a point to design these intentionally to help clarify the collective win.

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From the Source

“Staying in toxic relationships, maybe drinking too much wine on a Wednesday, maybe scrolling endlessly through TikTok … all of those things, seemingly innocent sometimes, can really keep you stuck.”

“I choose to face my sticky floors, to clean up my sticky floors, so that I can bust through the glass ceilings.”

“It's all about taking that sticky floor, recognizing it for what it is, digging deep into that unconscious mind to figure out why do we do the things we do and then pivot that thought.”

“The reason I struggled with perfectionism was because I cared so much about what people thought. Why did I care so much about what those people thought? It was because I worried that if they didn't like me, I wasn't worthy.”

“We don't have to go from being in this negative space to all rainbows and butterflies and unicorns. You can take a baby step.”

"We get caught up in this Instagramable worthy life that everybody who's a leader knows exactly how to be a leader and they make no mistakes.”

“We have to get outside of these zones of comfort that we are so used to to truly create those pockets in those environments where people feel comfortable, they feel safe, but they also feel like it's an even playing field.”

“What I love about today's workforce being as diverse and complex as it is, is that it is challenging us to really get creative, because we are having to satisfy the boomers and the Gen Zers and the Gen Xers and everyone else in between. It's causing us to really kind of come together as that melting pot that we really are.”

“You need to pull all of the leaders together—like the executive team, the senior leadership team, whatever it is—and you need to get them in a room and you need for them to settle in on some core values.”

“It's important if you are at the top of the ladder that you lead by example. You don't try to put up a little green screen and be fancy to hide it. Show your real authentic self so that people across the company can do the same.’’

Connect with Erica

Website: http://www.ericaandersonrooney.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericarooney

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericaandersonrooney

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/glass-ceilings-and-sticky-floors-shatter-limiting/id1619692554