Navigating high stakes leadership

The Maverick Paradox Podcast

In this episode Judith Germain speaks to Patrick Nelson about navigating high stakes leadership. Patrick shared details about his challenging childhood, including growing up in a single-parent home, witnessing drug use, and nearly committing suicide as a teenager. Despite these difficulties, he was able to graduate high school and eventually join the Army after 9/11, which he credits as one of the best decisions he ever made.

Key Takeaways

• Patrick shared his powerful story of a leadership decision that cost a soldier's life, forever altering his perspective on leadership
• He discussed navigating "high-stakes" leadership moments when the pressure is on to perform and keep people safe
• Patrick shares the importance of managing emotional reactions and using thoughtful responses instead
• He provided the helpful "wind the clock" technique to pause before reacting

In this conversation Patrick shared a powerful technique he learned from a former Air Force colleague - the practice of "winding the clock" to pause and respond thoughtfully rather than react emotionally in high-pressure situations. He emphasised the importance of managing one's emotional responses and using more deliberate, considered actions as a key to effective leadership.

Patrick Nelson is an experienced leader that spent nearly 7 years in the US Army as a paratrooper and completed 3 combat deployments leading soldiers. His military awards include the Bronze Star and Purple Heart Medals.

You can find out more about our guest and today's episode in this Maverick Paradox Magazine article here.

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Maverick leadership is all about thinking outside the box and challenging the status quo. It's about having the courage to take risks and the confidence to lead in a way that is authentic and genuine.

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Catalysing Transformation - 1 min video

Judith's book: The Maverick Paradox: The Secret Power Behind Successful Leaders.

Judith's websites:

• Judith Germain (mentoring, Speaker, author) - judithgermain.com
• The Maverick Paradox Magazine - themaverickparadox.com
• The Maverick Paradox Website - maverickparadox.co.uk

Judith's LinkedIn profile is here, her Twitter profile (MaverickMastery) is here, Facebook here and Instagram here.