Weekly Wisdom Interview with Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace
In today's episode of the Innovating Together Podcast, Bridget Burns and Doug Lederman have a conversation with Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace, a trustee at Stanford who recently served as the CIO and Secretary of Administration for the state of Kansas. Dr. Burns-Wallace shares her leadership insights gathered from her extensive higher education and government background.
After four years of hard work, Dr. Burns-Wallace is taking an intentional pause, and she shares the importance of taking an intentional pause from work to avoid burnout and stay motivated. The need for renewal is more than just taking a break. It’s about taking the time to reflect on our goals and our motivations, and to remember why we do what we do. It’s about taking the time to assess our progress and to make sure we are still on the right track and reconnecting with our passions and finding new ways to make an impact.
Dr. Burns-Wallace is a great example of someone who invested in her team members. She met with them on a regular basis, pouring her time, talents, and experience into them. She empowered them and provided them with the resources they needed to do their jobs. This investment in her team members paid off tremendously.
Dr. Burns-Wallace has learned many things throughout her career, and two of the leaders she admires most are Secretary Colin Powell and Ambassador Ruth Davis. Secretary Colin Powell taught her about the importance of humility and kindness in leadership. He taught her how to be genuinely interested in people and how to use that to impact the work that she was doing. “Ambassador Ruth Davis taught me the importance of being prepared and ready for any opportunity. She instilled in me the importance of doing the work and being ready for opportunities when they present themselves.”
Dr. Burns-Wallace said, “at the end of the day, it is important for leaders to remember the concept of ‘leave it better than you found it.’ This concept is more than just leaving a place in better condition than when you arrived. It is about taking the time to think about the legacy you are leaving behind. It is about taking the time to think about the impact that you are having on the people and the places you are working with. It is about understanding the needs of the people you are working with and creating solutions that can help create a better future for our communities. With the right attitude and mindset, we can create a better future for our communities.” - Dr. Burns-Wallace
What you will learn -
Intentional pause VS. taking a break
Invest in team and staff
Be prepared and ready
Leave it better than you found it
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