Mylena Sutton & The Leadership Drives

24/10/2024

Today's goals: leave these books all over , have great conversations with strangers, walk a lot, head home.

Breakfast at Ellie's!

19/10/2024

Attended the 's inaugural conference last week.... and did what I always do when I sleep away from home: I left a couple of books behind!

- reloading for 2025!!

07/08/2024

I'm digging in the crates and listening to old podcast episodes. This episode was my very first podcast interview!!!! Whew!!!!

Although I talked a mile a minute, my guests, Michelle and Kenya, were great! I liked these parts most:

17:08 - What is success?
21:45 - What is self-care?
25:40 - How does conflict look for yall?

If you have only a few minutes, listen to the conflict segment! There are a couple of things that really struck me.

First, Kenya knows Michelle well enough to know when "she'll be in her crazy", AND SHE ANTICIPATES SUPPORTING HER WITHOUT BEING ASKED. What an awesome gift to a relationship to anticipate meeting one another's needs with actions???!!!

Second, they shared how they no longer make their individual emotional well-being their partner's responsibility. Just wow!!! Do you know how many ppl get together with the expectation that their partner will make them alright or whole?

How much longer will you walk down the path that isn't making you happy before you decide to do something different and take control of your life? Michelle and Kenya give us a taste of the labor and emotional work it takes to reorient their lives so that they can spend more and more of their time on...

19/06/2024

If you've ever wondered what the people who report to you really think of you, ask them..........AFTER YOU QUIT! This is precisely what Matthew Ebert of Ebert Consulting did. In the first interview of a three-part series, he shared his perspectives on his leadership style and how he has grown while Charisse and Grace shared what it was like to work with him.

Matt hired Grace and Charisse while he was principal at a public charter school in Baltimore, where he stayed for 10 years. Charisse was part of the administrative team and Grace is part of the faculty.

As you listen to the interview, I encourage you to think about how you lead and how your staff perceives you. People don't interact with us based on what we want them to think of us. Rather, they interact with us based on how they consistently experience us: how is your team experiencing you? Do you think anybody is brave enough or willing to tell you?

05/06/2024

You want to know me. I’m good people, a tremendous professional, a woman of integrity, and I’m not gonna standby and watch you lose. We win together.

04/06/2024

Yall already know that I'm great at my work. It's easy when you do what you love; however, marketing is something I'm being forced to learn.

I'm creating a webinar for marketing purposes and needed to reach out to previous clients for testimonials ----- because I don't ask for them....like ever. I just don't. I think they'll think it's a chore. Welp, I've started asking, and I'm having a whole "girl" moment over here as they come in.

The thing that has been so touching and affirming has been the answers to this question: You have a myriad of coaching options: why did you trust Mylena to help you? Over and over again, the answer has been some version of, "She just gets me".

I know my target customer. I know her b/c I see her, I've been her...and in some ways, I'm still her. Never stop evolving.

- All leadership is personal. We just happen to do it in professional settings sometimes.

29/05/2024

Reviewing a podcast episode to prep it for editing and publication. I asked the guest, bowen, to share her greatest achievement, whether personal or professional. She said, "Navigating motherhood. Not crashing and burning. I don't know why the hospital doesn't do warranties or receipts, just in case you need to give it back."

The humanity of that statement struck me. I can't imagine having my first baby and being in a city without family for support.

Overall, it was a gift and a pleasure to speak with a young-ish professional. She was transparent about her journey, and I could tell, simply by the tone of her voice where she feels strongest.

Stay tuned for her episode!

24/05/2024

1 - Which one of these conflict styles is yours?
2 - Do you handle conflict differently at home versus at work?

One of my favorite things to do with clients is to help them figure out what to do about conflict.

Often, I learn they hate to manage conflict period, and struggle to manage it whether it shows up in their personal or professional life.

Here's something else that clients tell me: "My conflict style is different at home than at work!" I totally and completely disagree!

I believe your conflict style is consistent, but your reaction to it changes based on your perception of the consequences of your behavior.

Sidebar: if you'd like to know more about the conflict styles in the image, let me know. It comes from the Thomas Kilman Conflict assessment tool. It's one of my personal favorites for teams AND INDIVDUALS. I use for executive and life coaching. Yes, in my life coaching work, I use this tool. Life coaching clients need it just as much.

So, back to the questions:
1 - Which one of these conflict styles is yours?
2 - Do you handle conflict differently at home versus at work?



. We just happen to do it in professional settings sometimes.

18/05/2024

I miss giving away books!

During my travels for podcast, I give away books. I write notes in the front flap, including my social media handles. Then, I casually leave the books in various locations, like restaurants, park benches, etc.

I like the excitement of trying to get away before someone chases me to give it back (this has happened!).

Tomorrow, I'm going to leave these someone in Philly or maybe on the train. 




The lessons I've learned, the impact on my perspective, and the people I've met are an education unto themselves.

10/05/2024

Would you sign a pre-nup for your goals?
As I reflect on what I've learned from my podcast guests and travels and overall interactions with leaders I am convinced that the stronger the alignment between a person's values and the goal that their working on, whether professional or personal, the more likely they are to tolerate controversy, conflict, and very slow progress.
Often, they've invested so much of themselves into a particular goal that they will not abandon it until and unless it becomes too painful to continue. While commitment is commendable, is it always wise?
In the vein of contemplating changing course, I often think about the criteria that should be put in place and when that criteria should be developed.
I lean toward setting a goal pre-nup! Set the criteria, whatever it is, BEFORE getting started on a thing because it's hard to pull back on something you want to work - even when it isn't working.
In the comments, I added an article from Fast Company on this topic, just to provide some food for thought. The article brings up a good point in terms of evaluating opportunity cost: what are you giving up to continue focusing on a particular goal?
Again, I ask, what signs do you look for to help you figure out when it's time to move on from a goal?

08/05/2024

There reason I often say, "All leadership is personal; we just happen to do it in professional settings sometimes," is simple. I actually believe it!

Roxane Gay's memoir, Hunger, proves me right! She shares how an experience she had at 12 years old has colored her entire life! She shares how this experience affects her personally and professionally to this very day. To say that she has and is living the spillover effect is an understatement.

Perhaps it's because of life experiences such as Ms. Gay's that self-awareness and self-regulation are the cornerstones of leadership. If you can't master these two elements, you won't be successful in the others.

30/04/2024

On a beautiful winter afternoon in March, I drove to Baltimore, Maryland, to interview Traci Mathena, Principal of Creative City Public Charter School. I was excited to hear the story of what drove her to education. More accurately, I wanted to know why she left the classroom for a leadership role in a public charter school.

On the other hand, I am fiercely committed to early childhood education and I never regret time spent with educators! I became champion of of early childhood education, especially K - 3, as I read Beverly Tatum's Book, WHY ARE ALL THE BLACK KIDS SITTING TOGETHER IN THE CAFETERIA? Although I'd heard of the "school-to-prison pipeline" before, her book was the first I'd read that clearly explained it. Simply and sadly, kids who don't read on grade level by the end of third grade are more likely to wind up in prison. This happens because their earning potential is limited and they're usually from under resourced communities, which undermines access to opportunities.

To continue, check the comments for the links to the episode...

18/04/2024

I didn't plan it, but it worked out! As I was editing these interviews, I saw a common cord among them: they were deeply concerned about black families.

Gwen is fixated on the financial success of black families and works on it through several vehicles, from estate planning to life insurance to financial literacy training. She hates how so many ppl's choices are dictated by how much money they don't have. Gwen Woods Life and Annuities Retirement Specialist

Akil is interested in the same thing as Gwen, but he goes about it differently: he wants black kids to excel at math so that they have more career options. There's nothing wrong with a sociology degree, but how many ppl do you know who changed their majors to avoid math classes? He won't let you become locked out of an engineering career because you're afraid of numbers. allthismath

Lovely's commitment to black men, equity, and excellence within black communities and institutions is palpable. She is all about making us acknowledge classism and other ways we exclude people while also being committed to excellence with respect to how the institution operates. Morehouse College

Roy has spent his life serving and educating black people and he is singularly focused on legacy building for himself, his grandson, black families, and the black community at large (he and his wife are co-founders of the Copeland African American Museum). He is spending his time illuminating the strengths of the black community because he believes that we, black people, are and have the solutions to our problems. Valdosta State University Copeland African American Museum

The links to their episodes are in the comments! Be sure to like, subscribe and rate!!!!

07/04/2024

My conversation with "Bubba" was impromptu! I was exploring Clarksdale on foot and stopped by the tourism office, where he works. We chatted right up until I needed to head to Cleveland, Mississippi for interviews with Dr. Rolanda Herts and Dr. Pam Chatman. Bubba's love and commitment to Clarksdale was palpable. I loved how he made no attempts to gloss over the economic challenges of the region and works to identify the what's unique and sacred about the Delta in order to translate that into economic activity. On the other hand, when he talked about people, he chose to focus on love and didn't want to rehearse the injuries of the past. Interestingly, many people of color view being solely future-focused is an attempt to dodge the difficult topic of race in America. Ironically, during my conversation with Rebekah and Ben of the Griot Arts program, they talked about important it is to deal with race and the transgressions of the past. In particular, they talked a visioning exercise they did with the community to generate ideas about how to best utilize an older the theater that had been donated to their organization. They shared that a white gentleman participated in that exercise and suggested that they focus on love and moving forward. As I spoke with Bubba, I wondered if he was that guy.

See the link in the comments to find my conversation with Rebekah and Ben and Bubba!