Lift As You Rise: Purpose-Driven Approach to Leadership with Ellyn Shook

Ellyn Shook (0:00)

Leadership is contextual, and I think leadership has to change as the context changes. But I have certain beliefs that leaders have to continue to learn. And I do believe that leaders have to be able to advocate an inspiring vision to move people and the world forward.

Michael Gervais (0:21)

Welcome back, or welcome to the Finding Mastery podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Michael Gervais, by trade and training a high-performance psychologist. This is a series of conversations we've been having with global leaders and human resources. They are at the forefront of helping define modern leadership, and what it takes to attract and retain and build the next generation of leaders. From the shift to and from hybrid work, to the integration of emerging technologies like AI, these conversations highlight the leadership capabilities that will help teams thrive in the modern workplace. Today, as part of our Modern Leadership Series, I'm really excited to sit down with Ellyn Shook, the former Chief Leadership and Human Resources Officer at Accenture, to explore the evolving landscape of leadership and workplace culture. Ellyn is at the forefront of shaping environments where people do more than simply work. They grow, they connect, they thrive.

Ellyn Shook (1:19)

So we just started saying progress is greater than perfection, so that the expectation is we're going to keep moving.

Michael Gervais (1:26)

She's been instrumental in driving Accenture's People First approach, people becoming their very best, and the power of human connection in high-performing organizations.

Ellyn Shook (1:37)

We engage the most influential people, and it's not like the people up here that are the most influential, it's the most influential people. Who has influence? That's how you make things work.

Michael Gervais (1:51)

Ellyn's insights are not just for business leaders, they're for anyone looking to lead with purpose and empathy and impact. So with that, let's dive into this week's conversation with the powerhouse, Ellyn Shook. Ellyn, I'm so excited to have this conversation with you. I've been wanting to do this for a really long time. And so thank you for spending the time to be able to do this together.

Ellyn Shook (2:18)

Thank you for having me. I'm really excited to do it with you.

Michael Gervais (2:23)

Awesome. Okay, so let's just start at the beginning.

Ellyn Shook (2:26)

Okay.

Michael Gervais (2:27)

What is important about your journey for me to best understand who you are and how you've arrived here?

Ellyn Shook (2:34)

It really started when I was in second grade, which is really odd. But when I was in second grade, my dad was superintendent of schools and he signed the integration orders on the school district I went to school in.

What does that really mean? Might not even mean anything to people who are listening to this thing. What it meant was before that happened, where I lived, which was 60 miles outside of New York City, white children went to one school and black children went to a different school. And my dad signed the integration orders at the request of the commissioner of education. And it meant that we were going to have black children and white children go to school together. And not only did he sign the orders, but he made sure that the orders were executed. And that was super hard for him. And it was super hard for our family. The white families were not happy and neither were the black families. And when I look back on my own journey, that probably was something that did really shape me. But I never really fully understood it in that way. But it did shape me because I looked at my dad as a role model throughout my whole life, professionally and personally. And, you know, I talk a lot about compassion being the combination of empathy and action. And my dad believed, believed in his head and in his heart that education was the great equalizer. And by doing what he did, he was able to make a difference. And to me, that was really the beginning of my journey.

Michael Gervais (4:29)

Okay, so let's open that up just a bit here. And we'll work backwards. That you've got a really clear definition of compassion, empathy and action.

Ellyn Shook (4:37)

Yep.

Michael Gervais (4:38)

And it sounds like your dad embodied those.

Ellyn Shook (4:41)

Yeah.

Michael Gervais (4:41)

And you tied it to the story about him making a decision and then being responsible to put that decision in action.

Ellyn Shook (4:49)

Yeah.

Michael Gervais (4:49)

And I do remember like not as a kid, not understanding it, not like it's fine, you know. But I didn't understand like how I couldn't, why I didn't get to go to school with kids in my neighborhood. But it was, that was kind of the, the only issue. I like playing soccer with these kids. How come I don't get to play with them at school? And I remember learning about it later, like the grand idea is that we're just going to all be one larger melting pot. And we're going to know people from our neighbor, our sister neighborhoods. And you're suggesting that there was more tension than maybe I was aware of at the time. But more importantly, your father led with empathy and action.