What makes a leader truly impactful? Is it their strategy, their experience, or the way they connect with people? In a recent episode of The Accel Advantage podcast, host Corey Rekers sat down with Kara Roeder, Director of Benefits Operations at The Accel Group, to explore leadership from the inside out.
Over time, Kara has developed a leadership style rooted in empathy, transparency, and growth. In this conversation, she shared insights from her personal leadership journey, and her takeaways are both practical and inspiring for anyone seeking professional growth and leadership development.
Looking in the Mirror: The Foundation of Impactful Leadership
In one of her courses to obtain her Master’s in Leadership, Kara learned about the concept of leading from within and developing yourself as a whole person. She quickly realized that effective leadership begins with self-reflection. Abraham Lincoln once said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” She explains that true leaders must first sharpen their own mindset, habits, and clarity before they can effectively lead others.
One of Kara’s key breakthroughs was shifting from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.
- Fixed mindset: Believing that abilities and traits are static, avoiding challenges, resisting feedback, and feeling threatened by others’ success.
- Growth mindset: Believing talents can be developed through effort, embracing feedback, learning from mistakes, and celebrating others’ wins.
This mindset shift allowed Kara not only to lead herself more effectively but also to create a culture of accountability, safety, collaboration, and growth within her team.
Leading Your Mind, Body, and Spirit
Leadership isn’t just about strategy or decision-making; it’s about how you show up every day. This also applies to all areas of life, such as parenting, relationships, and friendships; it doesn’t only have to apply to how you show up at work. It affects everyone you influence.
Leading the Mind
A growth mindset empowers leaders to view challenges as opportunities. By embracing feedback and focusing on learning rather than proving themselves, leaders foster innovation and resilience within their teams.
Leading the Body
Body language in leadership is powerful. Within seconds of meeting someone, your posture, expressions, and eye contact communicate volumes. Leaders who smile, lean in, and maintain open body language build trust and inclusion.
Leading the Spirit
Faith and purpose also guide Kara’s leadership. She shared how writing a personal purpose statement and code of ethics helped her align her actions with her morals and values. By holding herself accountable to integrity, respect, and service, she models behavior for her team and is in alignment with what is truly important to her.
Actionable Takeaways for Leaders
Kara left listeners with several practical steps to sharpen their leadership.
- Schedule reflection time each week to consider how you think. Do you have a fixed or growth mindset?
- Seek feedback from your community and trusted peers about your mindset and blind spots.
- Write down your values and purpose to align decisions with your leadership philosophy.
- Model accountability. You will attract the right people, and your team will follow your example.
As Kara paraphrased Brené Brown, “Leadership is not about titles, status, or personal accolades. It’s about the ability to take responsibility for your impact.”
Listen to the Full Conversation
This conversation with Kara is packed with wisdom on leadership, personal development, and professional growth. To hear the whole discussion, tune in to the latest episode of The Accel Advantage wherever you get your podcasts.
- Apple
- Spotify
- YouTube
- Other platforms (iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, and more)
Read the accessible transcript (text version). We provide transcripts to ensure accessibility and a better user experience for all visitors.