Season 6, Ep. 4: Building Networks and Power Through Connection and Authenticity, with Kathy Grillo and Kelley Kurtzman

Lifting Up: Lessons from Verizon Women Leaders

Ask people across Verizon who inspires them, leads authentically, and/or has given their career a boost, and you’ll likely hear the names Kelley Kurtzman and Kathy Grillo. These two legendary leaders unite in this episode, and share how connection and seizing the narrative has powered their success and impact - and how the ability to connect and tell your story has never been more important.

• On cross-organization connections: “I think when you have someone that's in a very different part of the business, you learn so much from them”
• On authenticity: “Being authentic, being open, being grateful for the work that other people do is so important”
• On leadership: “I've always felt like if you treat people right, they're gonna treat you right. And if you show up as a real authentic person, then they're going to feel more comfortable being authentic.”
• On organizations: “Not just people - organizations have their own dynamic as well”
• On broad horizons: “That external connection, I think is so important. Making sure you're connecting outside of Verizon in different ways will help you be a better leader will help you be a better person, we'll help you feel like your heart is full, because you've done volunteer work, or you've been able to bring an idea from another company into your business.”
• On self-knowledge: “I feel like the real path to leading people well is to know yourself very well, first.”

LINKS

• Kathy Grillo, S1 E1 - Apple Podcasts | Spotify
• Donna Epps, S1 E2 (as mentioned by Kathy) - Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Kathy Grillo

• Instagram: @kathy.grillo
• LinkedIn: .linkedin.com/in/kathleengrillo/

Kelley Kurtzman

• Instagram: @kellyakurtzman
• LinkedIn: .linkedin.com/in/kelleykurtzman/