We recently connected with Molly Mackey and have shared our conversation below.
Molly, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?
I live in a small town in the Midwest. There is a post office, one bar and stoplight that isn’t really a real stoplight (it’s) the crosswalk stoplight by the high school. The whole town is less than a mile in diameter. Many of the clients in healthcare and human services that I work with are also in rural areas.
This summer I drove to a remote part of South Dakota to a town of around 500 people. They assured me there was a place to stay in town. When I got there the motel looked like something straight out of a horror movie. It hadn’t been updated since at least the 1970s. It reminded me of the movie the Shining! While the check-in lady was quite friendly I still didn’t feel all that safe.
I locked the door, texted my husband where to find our life insurance information in case anything happened and put my suitcase in front of the door.
Luckily, I woke up the next morning alive. You just never know what you are going to get traveling to remote places!
Molly, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
The LEAdRNship Institute believes that Better Leaders = Better Lives.
Our mission is to make the world a better place through learning, one leader at a time.
Our vision is to create a world where every leader creates an environment where people enjoy their work and thrive.
Molly J. Mackey is an author, speaker and trainer of leaders. She believes that by intentionally intersecting the ongoing journeys of leadership and learning we can create better leaders and Better Leaders = Better Lives ™
Molly has over 19 years of business and speaking experience. She has a passion for business, strategy, leadership and learning.
Molly is the founder and chief learning officer of the LEAdeRNship Institute. She holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Iowa and a Certified Professional of Talent Development (CPTD) from the Association of Talent Development. In late 2023 and early 2024 Molly gained Artificial Intelligence (AI) certifications from LinkedIn Learning and IBM.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Stories are great to use in training – as long as you use the right ones. I was on the fence about using a personal rather than a professional story during a conflict training webinar. I used the personal one. As soon as I was done with the story a participant typed in the chat “you need more professional stories!!!”
Always run your stories by someone before testing them on a live audience.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I originally wanted to be a corporate lawyer with an MBA and JD. My LSAT score was so low not even North Dakota would take me as a student (they take anyone who breathes). I ended up still completing my MBA in 2 years while working full time. It’s been a great investment. It’s allowed me to teach at various community colleges and universities.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.leadernship.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-j-mackey-mba-cptd-89a0456/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@leadernshipinstitute
Image Credits
I took the photos with my camara