Gaia van der Esch was nominated for the Forbes 30 under 30 a few years ago and is currently the Managing Director of 3ZERO, an organization working to make the world three zero: zero exclusion, zero carbon, and zero poverty. Gaia is the author of the soon-to-be-released “Leading Our Way: How Women Are Re-Defining Leadership.”
Gaia discusses the moment she knew she was a natural-born leader, how her desire to make a difference guides her career decisions, her evolving perspective on leadership, and her three pieces of advice for leading visionaries.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
[00:56] - Dino introduces his guest, Gaia van der Esch of 3ZERO.
[03:07] - Gaia shares her background growing up in Italy, her humanitarian work, and her rapid rise to leadership positions.
[08:18] - How a focus on gender equality led her to write a book on leadership (releasing soon).
[09:44] - Gaia shares her current role 3ZERO, what the organization stands for, and her vision for a better world.
[10:43] - A natural leader.
[13:04] - Gaia shares a story about the logical thing she did that led to a promotion for her and helped form her opinion of what leadership is about.
[15:59] - The gradual realization of her dual motivations: Gaia shares the importance of comprehending global issues and creating a positive impact and how her desire to make a difference guides her career decisions.
[17:30] - Building her self-confidence while recognizing her leadership traits.
[20:13] - It's not about me and my profile: How people with values and skills can engage in meaningful roles that transcend profit-focused motives or self-centered interests.
[20:38] - Mission-driven and not afraid to speak up from an early age.
[23:02] - Gaia shares her innate drive for impact built from an unchanging core motivation and
[24:27] - Gaia's evolving vision of leadership.
[25:47] - From task-driven efficiency to a facilitative role, Gaia shares how her leadership role has grown to encompass emotional authenticity, team empowerment, and fostering an ecosystem for collective success.
[28:13] - Dino shares the common challenge high-performing individuals have when they are thrust into a role with different cultures and working methods.
[29:50] - Recognizing her role as a change-maker.
[32:30] - Facing the challenges of being a leader and a visionary while steering your organization toward a unifying vision.
[33:45] - Dino asks Gaia to share her advice for leading visionaries.
[34:02] - The one question Gaia asks herself to stay aligned with her vision.
[35:24] - Recognizing when to shift your efforts elsewhere.
[36:53] - How to adopt a strategic approach to the broader organizational dynamics to be a more effective change-maker.
[37:49] - Gaia shares the behind-the-scenes of her upcoming book, set to release in a few months, and focuses on how women are reshaping the definition and practice of leadership.
[38:43] - Changing the rules of the game: Gaia encourages listeners to consider updating the rules of leadership.
[40:08] - "Leadership isn't confined to job titles but is an attitude that can be exhibited at any...
