WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.080 Welcome to Milestone Moments, the show where 00:00:03.080 --> 00:00:05.960 we explore the journeys that lead to success. 00:00:06.599 --> 00:00:10.220 I'm Sheila Slick, your host and founder of Five 00:00:10.220 --> 00:00:13.859 Milestones. In every episode, we will bring you 00:00:13.859 --> 00:00:17.100 insights from the minds of entrepreneurs, leaders 00:00:17.100 --> 00:00:20.820 and experts who will share not just their expertise, 00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:24.120 but the milestone moments that have reshaped 00:00:24.120 --> 00:00:27.059 their journeys and led to significant achievements. 00:00:27.960 --> 00:00:30.359 So if you're looking for motivation, you're in 00:00:30.359 --> 00:00:33.560 the right place. Subscribe now and discover the 00:00:33.560 --> 00:00:40.340 milestones that mark the path to success. Welcome 00:00:40.340 --> 00:00:43.859 to another episode of Milestone Moments in Business 00:00:43.859 --> 00:00:46.899 and Leadership. I'm your host, Sheila Slick, 00:00:46.899 --> 00:00:50.340 and today... My special guest is Cynthia Rodriguez. 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:55.119 Cynthia has spent over 18 years leading teams, 00:00:55.460 --> 00:00:58.539 strengthening culture and managing organizational 00:00:58.539 --> 00:01:02.539 growth. As head of school at a Montessori program 00:01:02.539 --> 00:01:06.579 in Miami Beach, she oversees strategy, operations 00:01:06.579 --> 00:01:09.680 and staff development with a focus on building 00:01:09.680 --> 00:01:12.980 strong, resilient teams. Her background in life 00:01:12.980 --> 00:01:16.750 coaching. emotional intelligence, and human resource 00:01:16.750 --> 00:01:19.849 development shapes her people -centered approach. 00:01:20.390 --> 00:01:23.430 She's passionate about helping adults navigate 00:01:23.430 --> 00:01:27.189 change, reduce burnout, and lead with clarity 00:01:27.189 --> 00:01:31.489 and purpose. Welcome to the show, Cynthia. Thank 00:01:31.489 --> 00:01:34.129 you, Sheila. I'm really excited to be here and 00:01:34.129 --> 00:01:37.430 ready to dig into this conversation. I am too. 00:01:37.489 --> 00:01:39.730 I absolutely love the work that you're doing 00:01:39.730 --> 00:01:43.739 between organizational leadership personal leadership, 00:01:44.019 --> 00:01:47.519 I actually have a little diagram in front of 00:01:47.519 --> 00:01:51.400 me today so that we can perhaps start by talking 00:01:51.400 --> 00:01:54.340 about all of the different leadership styles 00:01:54.340 --> 00:01:57.659 and then perhaps discuss which one best fits 00:01:57.659 --> 00:02:01.560 you. So the first one says autocratic, and this 00:02:01.560 --> 00:02:04.480 is somebody who leads when they're driving results 00:02:04.480 --> 00:02:08.340 through clarity, authority, and precision. And 00:02:08.340 --> 00:02:10.740 they normally use this type of leadership style 00:02:10.740 --> 00:02:14.419 when they act fast or they lead under pressure 00:02:14.419 --> 00:02:18.599 and they need more control. Number two would 00:02:18.599 --> 00:02:22.620 be a visionary leadership style. Someone that 00:02:22.620 --> 00:02:25.960 paints a bold picture of the future and inspires 00:02:25.960 --> 00:02:30.060 pursuit. And they normally use this kind of leadership 00:02:30.060 --> 00:02:33.159 when you're trying to introduce innovation or 00:02:33.159 --> 00:02:35.280 when you're trying to lead people beyond their 00:02:35.280 --> 00:02:38.520 limits. Then we have the democratic leadership 00:02:38.520 --> 00:02:42.139 style that unites people through inclusion and 00:02:42.139 --> 00:02:46.379 shared decisions. And when someone leads in this 00:02:46.379 --> 00:02:50.139 way, they're building trust, openness, and a 00:02:50.139 --> 00:02:53.039 shared purpose. Now, that's a bit different than 00:02:53.039 --> 00:02:55.520 servant leadership, which leads with empathy 00:02:55.520 --> 00:02:59.159 and puts other first. And that's great when you're 00:02:59.159 --> 00:03:01.819 building loyalty, compassion, and deep connection 00:03:01.819 --> 00:03:06.039 with others. We also have delegative. Delegative 00:03:06.039 --> 00:03:09.400 empowers skilled people with trust and autonomy. 00:03:09.879 --> 00:03:13.460 And it's used when you want to lead capable people 00:03:13.460 --> 00:03:16.819 and you believe in freedom. So I guess that one 00:03:16.819 --> 00:03:20.500 gives them the most control. The sixth type of 00:03:20.500 --> 00:03:23.520 leadership is coaching. When you guide others 00:03:23.520 --> 00:03:27.400 with feedback, with support, with care. And that's 00:03:27.400 --> 00:03:30.479 used when you want to grow others or mentor teams 00:03:30.479 --> 00:03:34.770 and unlock their potential. We also have a laissez 00:03:34.770 --> 00:03:38.009 -faire style leadership, which encourages freedom, 00:03:38.349 --> 00:03:43.349 creativity, and exploration. We have a charismatic 00:03:43.349 --> 00:03:47.169 type of leadership when you inspire others and 00:03:47.169 --> 00:03:50.349 you inspire them to take action through energy, 00:03:50.550 --> 00:03:54.430 confidence, passion. And it's best used when 00:03:54.430 --> 00:03:57.250 you motivate others and you lead through emotion. 00:03:58.379 --> 00:04:01.819 And the last is transformational, which combines 00:04:01.819 --> 00:04:05.479 vision and empathy to drive progress. And it's 00:04:05.479 --> 00:04:08.060 best used when you're guiding change and you 00:04:08.060 --> 00:04:11.180 elevate people through purpose. So what do you 00:04:11.180 --> 00:04:13.500 think of this diagram and the different leadership 00:04:13.500 --> 00:04:16.259 styles and which one best resonates with you? 00:04:16.519 --> 00:04:19.500 To be a good leader, you know, you need a little 00:04:19.500 --> 00:04:23.040 bit of each of the nine that you mentioned. OK, 00:04:23.220 --> 00:04:25.480 I'm more of a leader that leads through empathy 00:04:25.480 --> 00:04:28.649 and care. You know, I like to lift up my team. 00:04:28.730 --> 00:04:31.910 I like to give them buy -in, you know, so what 00:04:31.910 --> 00:04:34.689 they're working for is going to help them progress 00:04:34.689 --> 00:04:38.629 and be the best they can be, you know, but I 00:04:38.629 --> 00:04:41.490 also like to give that freedom, that creativity, 00:04:41.589 --> 00:04:45.420 but not everybody puts. that freedom and creativity 00:04:45.420 --> 00:04:48.459 forward. They kind of hold on to that. And that's 00:04:48.459 --> 00:04:52.199 where I kind of feel that with guidance and feedback 00:04:52.199 --> 00:04:55.560 and mentorship, they could actually express themselves 00:04:55.560 --> 00:04:59.879 better. So I would say I have a little bit of 00:04:59.879 --> 00:05:02.019 everything. I like to build trust with my teams. 00:05:02.180 --> 00:05:06.430 I like to have them. use their creativity and 00:05:06.430 --> 00:05:08.649 problem solving I even do that with students 00:05:08.649 --> 00:05:11.569 you know you have to teach a student to problem 00:05:11.569 --> 00:05:14.790 solve and be the best version of themselves in 00:05:14.790 --> 00:05:17.670 order for them to succeed can't just always be 00:05:17.670 --> 00:05:20.509 handed to them so I try to do the same with my 00:05:20.509 --> 00:05:24.550 staff when I'm leading them so honestly a little 00:05:24.550 --> 00:05:28.290 bit of everything kind of falls into that Now, 00:05:28.310 --> 00:05:32.149 you told me a beautiful story of how your father 00:05:32.149 --> 00:05:35.670 lived. He was an entrepreneur for many, many, 00:05:35.689 --> 00:05:39.389 many years and very well -respected in the community. 00:05:39.629 --> 00:05:42.970 Tell the audience a little bit about how he lived. 00:05:43.290 --> 00:05:46.970 So my father was the type of leader that treated 00:05:46.970 --> 00:05:50.410 the CEO of a company the same as he would treat 00:05:50.410 --> 00:05:53.850 his janitors in his own company. You know, very 00:05:53.850 --> 00:05:58.730 charismatic. not with authority and not as a 00:05:58.730 --> 00:06:02.610 friend either, but more like lifting spirits, 00:06:02.910 --> 00:06:05.730 you know, and that's how I grew up watching him 00:06:05.730 --> 00:06:09.470 interact with different people. You know, when 00:06:09.470 --> 00:06:12.899 my dad started his business, he started. cleaning 00:06:12.899 --> 00:06:15.779 floors, like I had told you before, in a huge 00:06:15.779 --> 00:06:18.519 print shop. And he worked his way up. He got 00:06:18.519 --> 00:06:22.240 to meet the CEO. And the CEO kind of took him 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:25.019 under his wing and mentored him. So that is the 00:06:25.019 --> 00:06:28.180 way he leads. And that's the way he led his company. 00:06:28.379 --> 00:06:32.040 And so many people knew him. You know, he could 00:06:32.040 --> 00:06:36.459 travel anywhere. He had accounts all over South 00:06:36.459 --> 00:06:39.579 America, Central America, Puerto Rico, and the 00:06:39.579 --> 00:06:42.579 Dominican Republic. And just... meeting with 00:06:42.579 --> 00:06:46.339 these country officials that knew him, it was 00:06:46.339 --> 00:06:49.120 just spectacular to see. And that's what I learned. 00:06:49.319 --> 00:06:52.660 He taught me how to be the type of leader that 00:06:52.660 --> 00:06:56.680 I didn't have to be so authoritative. I could 00:06:56.680 --> 00:07:00.379 be myself. I could be empathetic. I could be, 00:07:00.379 --> 00:07:03.360 you know, the type of leader that mentored people 00:07:03.360 --> 00:07:06.019 and coached people to raise them up in order 00:07:06.019 --> 00:07:10.199 for them to be successful as he did. And I think 00:07:10.199 --> 00:07:14.160 I absolutely love that story because I think 00:07:14.160 --> 00:07:16.939 that when organizations... You know, they start 00:07:16.939 --> 00:07:18.839 to delegate and you have all these, you know, 00:07:18.839 --> 00:07:21.600 hierarchies and these titles and these positions. 00:07:21.899 --> 00:07:25.120 We often put importance or priority based on 00:07:25.120 --> 00:07:27.500 the higher positions. And I'm a firm believer 00:07:27.500 --> 00:07:30.800 that the feedback should start from that first 00:07:30.800 --> 00:07:33.279 line. That's the most important because they're 00:07:33.279 --> 00:07:36.500 the ones facing, you know, the client or the 00:07:36.500 --> 00:07:39.240 suppliers firsthand. And they probably have more 00:07:39.240 --> 00:07:42.379 insights. people perhaps may overlook or may 00:07:42.379 --> 00:07:45.360 not ask. And so I absolutely loved your story 00:07:45.360 --> 00:07:47.879 because, you know, it doesn't matter where you're 00:07:47.879 --> 00:07:51.199 at or what your title or position is. When you're 00:07:51.199 --> 00:07:54.160 an inclusive, a great leader, you can do a lot 00:07:54.160 --> 00:07:57.120 more than help that organization. You can lift, 00:07:57.160 --> 00:08:00.120 inspire, and have a case as wonderful as the 00:08:00.120 --> 00:08:04.199 one that you just shared. Exactly. You're passionate 00:08:04.199 --> 00:08:07.839 about helping others navigate change. What are 00:08:07.839 --> 00:08:10.860 some of the challenges, whether they're executives 00:08:10.860 --> 00:08:15.100 or adults? You know, when you're navigating change, 00:08:15.420 --> 00:08:18.639 change is difficult for anybody because we are 00:08:18.639 --> 00:08:22.660 creatures of habit. And sometimes people see 00:08:22.660 --> 00:08:25.379 change as a negative, you know, when actually 00:08:25.379 --> 00:08:29.339 change could be a positive. One example, let 00:08:29.339 --> 00:08:32.440 me just use education and technology. You know, 00:08:32.460 --> 00:08:35.539 technology is forever changing and education 00:08:35.539 --> 00:08:38.500 is constantly trying to catch up to technology. 00:08:39.019 --> 00:08:43.460 And if education does not move forward with tech, 00:08:43.659 --> 00:08:46.720 then it's going to fall behind and be outdated. 00:08:46.919 --> 00:08:50.720 So that is one thing that we're navigating in 00:08:50.720 --> 00:08:52.960 schools right now. You know, we're navigating 00:08:52.960 --> 00:08:56.960 how educators, education, schools are... Hatching 00:08:56.960 --> 00:08:59.779 off with technology. You know, technology is 00:08:59.779 --> 00:09:03.059 scary, especially for the older generation educators. 00:09:03.379 --> 00:09:06.080 You know, you have older teachers that are not 00:09:06.080 --> 00:09:08.519 computer savvy, that are not tech savvy. They 00:09:08.519 --> 00:09:11.220 don't know how to use technology to their advantage. 00:09:11.259 --> 00:09:14.320 To where you have the new teachers that are coming 00:09:14.320 --> 00:09:17.879 in full of technology, full of, you know, new 00:09:17.879 --> 00:09:21.360 ideas. And they are the ones moving forward. 00:09:21.539 --> 00:09:24.669 Now, the challenge we're facing is that. Teachers 00:09:24.669 --> 00:09:27.009 don't want to teach. Schools are having a hard 00:09:27.009 --> 00:09:29.570 time finding staff, finding teachers, because 00:09:29.570 --> 00:09:32.070 some schools are stuck, you know, not wanting 00:09:32.070 --> 00:09:34.649 to move forward. I think that's one of the biggest 00:09:34.649 --> 00:09:41.600 challenges we're facing now with change. It's 00:09:41.600 --> 00:09:44.399 inevitable. I sometimes describe it. I'm scared 00:09:44.399 --> 00:09:47.419 of AI too, yet I was able to use my imagination 00:09:47.419 --> 00:09:50.200 and build a tool I couldn't imagine having built 00:09:50.200 --> 00:09:53.379 10 years ago. It took just a change in mindset 00:09:53.379 --> 00:09:56.200 to be able to feel comfortable and step out of 00:09:56.200 --> 00:09:58.799 that comfort zone because it can be extremely 00:09:58.799 --> 00:10:01.659 overwhelming. And I keep interviewing a lot of 00:10:01.659 --> 00:10:03.860 experts that just keep saying, take that one 00:10:03.860 --> 00:10:07.820 small step toward that change. Go beyond the 00:10:07.820 --> 00:10:12.580 prompt. So what is one piece of advice you can 00:10:12.580 --> 00:10:14.600 leave in someone listening, tuning in today, 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:16.879 whether or not they're a teacher, they could 00:10:16.879 --> 00:10:19.980 be a parent or an executive or even an entrepreneur, 00:10:20.259 --> 00:10:22.820 prevent burnout? Well, to prevent the burnout, 00:10:22.840 --> 00:10:27.179 mindfulness, breathing techniques, kind of go 00:10:27.179 --> 00:10:31.919 into your core and see how you were talking about 00:10:31.919 --> 00:10:34.809 time management. You know, you have to be able 00:10:34.809 --> 00:10:38.529 to set aside family time, which is super important. 00:10:38.629 --> 00:10:42.850 And a job should not take over your family. And 00:10:42.850 --> 00:10:45.629 that, you know, is the key. And when I talk to 00:10:45.629 --> 00:10:49.769 my teachers, you know, we do yoga here. They 00:10:49.769 --> 00:10:52.490 have a room where they can go and decompress. 00:10:52.490 --> 00:10:54.470 You know, sometimes you just want to go outside 00:10:54.470 --> 00:10:57.409 and scream. As a parent, and it's not only teachers, 00:10:57.629 --> 00:10:59.950 as a parent, sometimes you get that frustration. 00:11:00.269 --> 00:11:03.759 They have to be able to disconnect. There's a 00:11:03.759 --> 00:11:06.600 room here, you know, that we built for them in 00:11:06.600 --> 00:11:10.480 school that helps them use coping mechanisms, 00:11:10.580 --> 00:11:16.519 breathing, stretching, meditation, stress relievers, 00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:21.120 tea. You know, they have to be able to use time 00:11:21.120 --> 00:11:23.779 management throughout their day. And that helps 00:11:23.779 --> 00:11:26.980 them with, you know, keeping a subtle mind and 00:11:26.980 --> 00:11:29.720 helping them be really involved in the classroom. 00:11:30.360 --> 00:11:32.600 I absolutely love that space while you were talking. 00:11:32.779 --> 00:11:35.419 It was creating awareness that I have it today, 00:11:35.659 --> 00:11:38.940 this morning. Yeah. Even taking the time to just 00:11:38.940 --> 00:11:43.080 breathe, take those five minutes to relax and 00:11:43.080 --> 00:11:47.429 let the thoughts out of my head. We need to start 00:11:47.429 --> 00:11:49.970 every morning with stretching and breathing. 00:11:50.250 --> 00:11:52.850 That's so important. There's something we can 00:11:52.850 --> 00:11:56.710 do together. Yes. Anyone listening that thinks 00:11:56.710 --> 00:11:59.190 that could be a good idea, right? The five minute 00:11:59.190 --> 00:12:01.289 check -in. Yes, definitely. Something like that. 00:12:01.330 --> 00:12:03.769 Just a five minute where we walk through and 00:12:03.769 --> 00:12:06.730 make sure that we do that either together or 00:12:06.730 --> 00:12:09.470 at your own pace. Just five minutes makes a huge 00:12:09.470 --> 00:12:12.570 difference. Five minutes sounds like a tiny amount 00:12:12.570 --> 00:12:15.759 of time, but in reality, five minutes is... I 00:12:15.759 --> 00:12:19.500 think, sufficient to be able to... A reset. There 00:12:19.500 --> 00:12:22.480 you go. That's a reset. The five -minute daily 00:12:22.480 --> 00:12:25.179 reset. We're going to start that. You're going 00:12:25.179 --> 00:12:28.600 to be my coach. As an entrepreneur, I need that 00:12:28.600 --> 00:12:31.860 accountability and that companionship reset every 00:12:31.860 --> 00:12:36.000 morning. Or it could be mid -morning as well. 00:12:36.750 --> 00:12:39.909 Yeah. We'll have to talk after the episode, but 00:12:39.909 --> 00:12:43.230 I'm liking the idea a lot. Yes. That would be 00:12:43.230 --> 00:12:45.690 the key takeaway today. So I'm going to let you 00:12:45.690 --> 00:12:47.830 repeat what you think we should all do today. 00:12:48.389 --> 00:12:52.429 That five minute reset. Definitely. Deep breathing, 00:12:52.769 --> 00:12:57.590 stretching, a nice meditation. And it just really 00:12:57.590 --> 00:13:00.370 takes five minutes. If you incorporate those 00:13:00.370 --> 00:13:03.429 five minutes every day, you could really reset 00:13:03.429 --> 00:13:08.029 and come back relaxed, stronger, and ready to 00:13:08.029 --> 00:13:10.889 tackle your day or the rest of your day or your 00:13:10.889 --> 00:13:14.049 morning, however you see it. All of those changes, 00:13:14.129 --> 00:13:16.210 it can help you navigate those changes, get a 00:13:16.210 --> 00:13:19.289 clearer mind after the reset. Yes, definitely. 00:13:20.750 --> 00:13:23.610 So before we wrap up, do you remember like watching 00:13:23.610 --> 00:13:27.679 Grease? It's a movie that was, yeah. I love Grease. 00:13:28.679 --> 00:13:32.639 I think all Gen X loves Grease. I think I watched 00:13:32.639 --> 00:13:35.440 it many times. But in schools, they normally 00:13:35.440 --> 00:13:37.860 either have a little room or a little microphone, 00:13:38.059 --> 00:13:40.820 kind of like this podcast setup where the principal 00:13:40.820 --> 00:13:43.179 says the morning announcement. Announcement, 00:13:43.340 --> 00:13:46.220 yeah. That's what the five -minute reset's going 00:13:46.220 --> 00:13:48.259 to be. We're going to see at what time the principal 00:13:48.259 --> 00:13:51.820 wants to schedule us every day. Perfect. The 00:13:51.820 --> 00:13:55.039 announcement will be the daily reset. Bring it 00:13:55.039 --> 00:13:57.740 on. I love it. Well, thank you so much, Cynthia, 00:13:57.940 --> 00:14:00.960 for joining me today. Thank you. I had a great 00:14:00.960 --> 00:14:04.179 time. And thank you all for tuning in to another 00:14:04.179 --> 00:14:06.940 episode of Milestone Moments in Business and 00:14:06.940 --> 00:14:08.940 Leadership. Until your next reset.