Name: Laurinda Andujar

Title: Entrepreneur (Author, Certified Grief Recovery Specialist, Certified Transformational Leadership Coach, Speaker)

Organisation: Heal the City Inc, She Blinked LLC

The current generation presents an undeniable need for culture shifters, infused with an innate ability to ameliorate the faulty foundations of times past through the powers of healing, innovative reasoning, and altruism. Embodying these qualities in unyielding measure is the compassionate professional Laurinda Andujar.

Laurinda Andujar is a Best-Selling Author, prolific orator, and certified Grief and Recovery specialist displaying a sincere preeminence for helping leaders and growing professionals acculturate the skillsets, inner resilience, and awareness necessary to attain authentic success. Having spent many years in consulting and coaching, Laurinda helps clients submit to the truths of their current disposition while exercising unconventional strategies to enhance their overall success in life.

Her mantra is simple: Transparency, relatability, and innovative thought processes are the primary ingredients found in veritable leadership development.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

I hope Laurinda's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. What have you found most challenging as a leader?

What I have found most challenging as a leader is quieting the mental noise as I carve the way to being authentic. One must stay relevant in their field. They must be current with market trends and metrics while perfecting their craft.

Learning from the experts without assuming someone's persona would be best.

2. How did you become a leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

. I never wanted to become a "leader." I know that sounds strange and may have you bending a brow, but I only wanted to be accountable for myself. I wanted to go to work, earn an honest wage and go home.

It doesn't always work out that way when it is innate for you to see a problem and want to fix it. If you do that, enough people begin to take notice, and before you know it, you are out there on the front lines, making things happen.

It begins as home. You are given a task and then look for the most efficient and least time-consuming way. You then look for other tasks you can do better and duplicate that in others.

Before you know it, you have developed a routine and started branching out to other things. Branching out leads to networking and self-discovery, and then the magic happens.

More happens. You question why things are the way they are. Is this all there is to life? Finally, you will reach a point and state that there must be more! It doesn't matter if more originates in your personal or professional life; you know that you want it and start seeking the means to obtain it.

For me, more was knowledge. For me, more was experiences. Most importantly, there was more than being in charge but duplicating the things that worked well for me and birthing other leaders around me. I had a knack for bringing out the best in others, especially when I didn't want to.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

. Very carefully. Each day is different, and life will bring a multitude of hiccups your way. I start each day doing something for me. It doesn't always work out that way, but I focus on giving each day purpose.

The first few minutes of my day are dedicated to my spiritual well-being. I read a verse that ignites me. I reflect on the things that I did well and the things that I could do differently to make the most of my day. I also set daily calendars to remind me of the promises I have made to myself and my family, which also brings purpose to each task ahead of me.

I then try to do something for my physical body. This may be exercising, my least favorite, or putting something good inside my body.

I then connect with anyone that will help me stay on track. I revisit the things left over yesterday and tackle those first. I prioritize all the work-related tasks, and as I go through the day, I drop random inspirational quotes to myself and my team.

I must periodically check on people and myself to ensure we have the mental currency to tackle the day. I check emails and communications before taking a break, returning, and leaving, so I do not feel guilty when I turn off my work mind for the day.

After my workday, I work on my projects, like writing a book. I have committed to writing something daily. I post to all my social media accounts, and I begin again.

4. What's a recent leadership lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of?

This is a great question! I have been reminded of late that people lead how they live! You may be asking Laurinda, what do you mean by that? I am glad you asked!

We all know that past relationships, both personal and professional, shape how we respond in stressful times. We also know that not everyone can take the teachable moments presented within those lessons and apply them to relevant future situations.

I have been reminded that regardless of whether those persons have applied those excellent new skills, I must always be a professional and look at the bigger picture.

If someone is known for being overly emotional and childish, I must take the high road, act with integrity, and model the behaviors that I expect to see at that moment. I must always act with integrity and carry myself so that it does not detract from completing the task.

I have learned that ambition is an ugly animal if not tamed. It can jeopardize the project, and it is my responsibility to manage myself as a leader to get the job done. I will always uphold high standards and be accountable for my work. I will always focus on the situation, issues, and behaviors that need to change and never the person. Lastly, as hard as it may be to remember, some people value competition over collaboration and will do whatever they feel necessary to win. However, as a leader, I must stay focused and out of my feelings.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

The book that has had a profound impact on my leadership thus far is "Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life and Maybe The World" by Admiral William H. McRaven.

McRaven reminds us that it is the little things that matter. The little things (the details) are what help us set a routine and the routines provide the daily structure that we need to be successful.

He reminds us that something so simple as making your bed daily can set the tone for a successful day. So, if I have a simple routine in the morning, knowing that I accomplished one thing can lead to another. These steps build your confidence and allow you to do more because you focus more on your goals.

Little wins matter!

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young leader, what would you say to them?

One thing that I always tell leaders, both young and old, is to extend grace to the person who needs it most, themselves. We tend to forget that in a sometimes unforgiving corporate environment or any environment.

We must remind ourselves that we don't know what we don't know until we don't know it and need it. That is a mouthful, but it is an essential reminder that we must pace ourselves to be lifelong pursuers of knowledge.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader, so far?

Having tough conversations and strong currents creates stronger leaders. I remember in my former days losing great talent because I was unable to have the necessary tough conversations that people needed to understand what behaviors were holding them back.

I remember working my first real management gig, and I had an amazingly talent individual with inferior people skills. We sat down to discuss why she was not ready for the next level, even though she was one of the top candidates.

When it came down to having the conversation, I fumbled the ball. All I could do was stutter because I didn't want to offend her. That was the moment that I learned the valuable lesson associated with the high cost of doing nothing and being unable to navigate crucial conversations for the well-being of my team.

After that moment, I vowed to be mindful of managing myself, my team, and my leaders through thoughtful, well-crafted, and heartfelt messages geared towards improving behaviors that would drive overall business success.