BRAC Director of Talent Development Julie Laperouse on Where She Looks for Leadership Advice
In our Leadership Journeys series, we’re profiling Baton Rouge-area leaders. We’re sharing where local leaders find inspiration and what decisions they’ve made on their leadership journey.Julie Laperouse is the director of talent development at the Baton Rouge Area Chamber of Commerce. In that role, she helps area businesses recruit and retain top talent. She also has a motivational speaking business called Screaming Peacock. A Louisiana native and LSU grad, she lived in multiple cities in the Southeast before moving back to Baton Rouge with her husband, Paul, and family in 2011.I talked with her recently about her approach to leadership and the importance of having mentors who share your values.
Talk about a time when you faced a leadership challenge. What was happening? How did you manage it, and what lessons did you learn from it?
I'm in a bit of a leadership predicament right now. We just had our fourth child in January, and all of our children are under 5 years old. I have a full-time position with BRAC and maintain several regular clients in my speaking and training. I also enjoy being involved in the community and spending down time with my friends. I have reached a point where I cannot continue to be effective in all of these areas at my previous levels.I have realized that my leadership needs to be focused at my house right now, which means cutting out several community organizations and cutting back slightly at work. This was a very difficult decision for me, but my mentors helped me realize that right now I am most needed at home. Later in life, that won't be the case, and I can resume my level of leadership in other areas. It really helped me to hear the stories of women on the other side of the intense child-rearing phase.
Who have your mentors been? Who do you look up to?
I have a few mentors, but I don't think they actually know they are my mentors. They are business associates who have become friends who I respect tremendously. These women are who I go to for career advice, suggestions about my community involvement and glasses of wine with a side of how-am-I-going-to-do-this?Personally, I need mentors who are career-driven, but also cherish family and a personal life. All three of those things are important to me and I find it hard to receive leadership advice from people with different values than mine.
What are some traits of effective leaders?
The leaders who have made the biggest impact on me have all been people who were hard workers. I’m energized by working for someone who is excellent at their job, gives it their all and takes time to help others be excellent, as well. It makes me want to work harder for them.I also need a leader to be able to have fun. I am not an "all work" kind of gal, and I personally get more out of a relationship with leaders who I know outside of the office. I know that's not the case for everyone, but leadership is so subjective. I don't think you can put finite categories on what makes a good leader in every situation.
How do you continue to foster your leadership skills?
I learn best by doing and by purposefully getting involved with people I respect in any given specialization. My current leader at BRAC is an amazing writer, so I engage her in my written communication. A former manager has a special talent for brainstorming and project development, so I remain in touch with him to refine my skills in that area.I also ask a lot of questions. I learn more every day about how much I don't know. When you're starting your career, you can sometimes think that asking questions translates into people thinking you don't know what you're doing. As I get older, it's easier to acknowledge that asking questions translates into learning and growing.
What are some barriers to effective leadership, and what’s at stake if leaders don’t continue to grow?
Micromanagement and stubbornness. If you surround yourself with talented people, then don't allow them to use their talents, you'll lose them. The most effective leaders I've worked with know going into a project that there's a possibility that they don't have all the answers. They engage the people around them and are serious about considering alternative paths to a goal -- or a different goal altogether.
What did you want to be when you grew up? How does it mesh with what you do now?
I wanted to be a teacher, like my mom. She was always looking for better and more engaging ways to help people learn. Although I never became a school teacher, I have employed an element of this in every job I've ever had.In my work at BRAC, I pull out all the stops to help people love the Baton Rouge area and want to stay. I play trivia games on my tours and regularly introduce new residents to people I think they might enjoy befriending. In my training and speaking, I am very interactive and even joke with my participants about being the trainer who won't let them sit down. It's very important that people who engage with me through any of my professional efforts depart having enjoyed their time.Looking for ways to build leaders at your organization? We can help!Success Labs is a leadership development and management consulting firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For more than 25 years, our expert team of consultants has worked with hundreds of companies to explore their business potential and improve their company and cultural performance. Contact us to get proactive about your people strategy.
