Hello, and welcome to the Leadership Done Right Podcast, Episode 33: Be Decisive, Take Calculated Risks, and Try New Things with Cynthia Bazin.
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Get to Know Cynthia
Our guest today is the president of SmartChic. She provides keynote speaking and premier mentoring for men and women in the areas of Personal Development, Branding, and Business Strategy. Her passion is to get people laser-focused, providing them with extraordinary motivation and smart strategies so they achieve their goals and dreams.
A Diverse Career and Leadership Background
She achieved high level positions in the Connecticut prison system, became a private investigator in Las Vegas, NV, ran Security and Corporate Investigation units in the Hotel/Casino/Resort Industry, and is now a successful entrepreneur running her motivational speaking and mentoring company ‘SmartChic’.
Education and Accomplishments
Our guest has a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice and Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology. She is in 5 books, co-authoring 4 books and was honored to be 1 of 100 women from around the world interviewed for the now international best seller ‘Common Threads – Empowerment’. Our guest is passionate about live streaming and broadcasts on Periscope at least twice per day. She is also a regular contributor to Good Day Sacramento.
Her Life’s Motto
She believes you have to go for it in life and do it in a smart way by surrounding yourself with the best people. Anything is possible when the right people work together!
Our Connection
We connected about four years ago through a common group. Since that time, I have been learning from her experience, knowledge, and wisdom. I can say that she does great work and is really passionate about helping others. Our guest today is Cynthia Bazin. Cynthia, welcome to the show!
Be Decisive, Take Calculated Risks, and Try New Things
As a leader, you often have to make difficult or challenging decisions. When you make the right decision, it can catapult your life, leadership and career into a whole new direction.
I worked with the Connecticut Department of Corrections for about a decade and during that time, there were some really awesome opportunities in the private industry for investigations and security. I had a couple of friends that lived out west and I had always wanted to move to a warmer climate. So I flew out a few times and was kind of tinking around to see what kinds of opportunities were out there.
An awesome opportunity came up initially with Sprint where I had to make a decision. As a leader, the thought was, “What are you gonna do? Are you going to stay, try something different, or up-level?”
I decided to take the leap and move out west to a warmer climate to try something different which ended up being a catalyst for many other positions in growth. It was probably one of the best decisions I ever made.
Always keep your mind open and try new things. You just never know how much growth you can have and how much happier you can become. If you are just willing to take a leap, a risk, and try something new, you can achieve great happiness.
Leadership is Not Easy
As we grow in our leadership, we learn that leadership isn’t all peaches and roses and when times are good. Leadership is when you have to do some of the most difficult things. You make a decision how you going are to do it in the most respectful way and how you’re going to step up to a challenge.
Leadership is not just when everything is going right, it’s when there’s something like a crisis, or something that’s really difficult, how are you going to handle it? That’s when true leadership comes out in somebody.
Get Back To Your Values
When you go through leadership challenges, it’s a good time to reflect on the type of leader you want to be. Cynthia explained that through her leadership challenges, she went back to her values.
“I got reflective, and I really just said, ‘This isn’t personal. This is business and you are going to do it in the most respectful kind of way.’ As a leader, it’s not going to get easier sometimes. It may get more challenging as you go up the chain of command or you get into other growth positions.”
“There is such an opportunity in these opportunities. It doesn’t matter what situation, crisis, or challenge you’re faced with, be true to your values, and treat people with respect. As you communicate with people well and do these other things, you are going to make it through anything.”
Leadership is Influence and Impact on Others
Leadership is much more than leadership titles. It is the impact and influence that you have on others. “Leadership is about the impact that you can make on people’s lives. That has to do with guiding people, supporting people, and inspiring people.”
The Speed Round
- Who is the one leader you look up to most and why? My cross-country coach, because he is consistent, makes the effort to stay connected, communicates, always lifts me up, and gives reciprocal support.
- What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Life is urgent, meaning that life can shift in a second for all of us. There is more to life than career. Make sure that you have fun, friends, and take care of yourself. There’s never a balance, but make a harmonious life between work, play, relationships, and all other aspects of life.
- What’s a personal habit that contributes to your success? Fitness and taking care of myself. Start your day with some sort of exercise. It reduces stress and is therapeutic.
- If you could recommend one book to our listeners, what would it be and why? Take Time for Your Life by Cheryl Richardson because it goes through several aspects of taking care of you and your life. It helps you focus on your priorities and what’s important to you.
- On a light-hearted note, what is your favorite hobby? Exercise and anything outdoors, I love it.
Connect With Cynthia Bazin
What’s the best way to connect with Cynthia?
- Website: SmartChic.me
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/thesmartchic
One Final Question
If you could go back in time and give yourself advice when you first started your leadership journey, what would it be and why? Take opportunities earlier. There’s a lot with reducing the noise around you. If there is something that you really want to do, then just go for it! Don’t listen to the world. You always want to get the right mentoring and coaching, but don’t wait! Write it down, get a plan together, and then go for it! You’ve got one life and it’s most important that you do what makes you happy.
Wrap-up
Thank you for listening to this episode of the Leadership Done Right Podcast. If you would like to listen to the next episode of this podcast, please subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, or whatever other podcast platform you use. You can also check out the full list of episodes and platforms with this podcast at LeadershipDoneRight.com/LDRPodcast.
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Thanks again for listening! My goal is to help you become a great leader, now go be the best leader you can be!
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