FULL TRANSCRIPT

00:00 – Show Opening

If you are a leader who is looking to get inspired, then stick around for today’s episode of the Meeting Leadership Podcast because we’ve got Belinda Panganiban from MacEwan University and she’s going to tell you about how she gets inspired by simply helping others.

Are you a professional who wants to become a more effective leader? Then get ready for daily tips from the coach with the experience and inspiration to help you succeed in any leadership situation. You’re listening to the Meeting Leadership Podcast with Gordon Sheppard.

00:42 – Podcast content starts here!

Gordon Sheppard: Welcome to another episode of the Meeting Leadership Podcast. My name is Gordon Sheppard. I want to say thank you so much for being here. Thank you for coming here and knowing that meetings and leadership, they go hand in hand, right? You can’t have a great meeting without being a great meeting leader. And you really can’t be a great leader without knowing how to lead a great meeting. And the people that are coming to this show, just like you, you’re coming here because you know you’re going to pick up a practical tip, maybe a strategy, and maybe, like today, an inspiration that you can take forward to your next meeting to make it significantly better. Well, it is really good to have you here.

01:18 – Welcome back, Belinda Panganiban! – MLP 114 – MLP 121

Gordon Sheppard: And today on the show, we’ve got another installment in our inspiring leadership stories, and that’s with Belinda Panganiban from MacEwan University. Now, for regular listeners, you’ll remember that Belinda was back on the podcast on episode 114. It was called How To Get Buy-In From Employees. And then on episode 121, she talked about Why Leaders Should Be Open-Minded. Those episodes are really worthwhile and you can get them by going to meetingleadershipinc.com/114 or meetingleadershipinc.com/121. And I say worthwhile because of this, Belinda’s attitude shines through every moment she’s there on the mic, every chance that she gets to be influencing her students, in the way that she goes about her teaching, and also in the way that she carries herself as a leader into the work environments that she’s in as well. I mean, it’s just absolutely inspiring to speak to her anytime. And today we’re lucky enough to hear what inspires her. And I’m not going to hold you back any longer. Here’s the great inspiring story from Belinda.

02:20 – Interview start 

Gordon Sheppard: Belinda, welcome back to the show.

B. Panganiban: Hello.

Gordon Sheppard: For people who are lucky enough, they’ve already taken you in, in episode 114 and episode 121 on the Meeting Leadership Podcast. Like I’ve said before, they’re going to get so much out of the practical things that you say, but they’re going to get more out of the measured and really experienced tone that you’re bringing to the wisdom on there. I’ll go on and make sure that people have the links to those episodes before we get out of here. But here’s the thing, some people are listening to this for the first time and they don’t know you, so how would you introduce yourself?

02:52 – Belinda’s self-introduction

B. Panganiban: You know what, I’m a person that is vibrant in the sense that I have an open personality. I tell it as it is. I will meet you and I will have no problems talking to anybody, actually. And I really just like to network and see where people are going and what they’re doing, and to get to know them.

03:34 – What inspires Belinda Panganiban?

Gordon Sheppard: And a straight shooter. I completely agree, for the time that we’ve spent together, I reinforce that fully on, through and through. And today, it’s a chance to dip back into our inspiring leadership stories. We’ve got you here on the hot seat. It starts off with a very simple question and we see where it goes. So Belinda, what inspires you?

B. Panganiban: I get inspired when I help someone and I see where their growth takes them. I believe that everybody needs a little help. And if somebody could do a little something for someone, then they pay it forward, and then our world gets a little bit better. I know that our world has gotten complicated over the years, but I always remember that movie, that Pay It Forward movie, and that’s always what I’ve practiced, even before I saw it.

04:16 – Question from Gord: How has someone helped you at some point in your life?

Gordon Sheppard: This sounds like it’s informed by maybe something that happened for you in the past. How did someone sort of help you and sort of give you a hand up at some point in your life?

B. Panganiban: So I had a chair that had mentored me since 2002, and she and I would have what we call “discussions.” So we may not always agree, but we always agreed to discuss, and we always agreed that sometimes we will disagree. But the next day, we came back to the table and there were no hard feelings. And she showed me a lot of things. She showed me how to lead, not by the rod and by the hand, and etc, but to lead with wisdom and guidance. And she helped me move on in my career. And so, with that, I always found that without her mentorship, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today.

Gordon Sheppard: Well, not everyone has that kind of really positive influence in their life. What a really wonderful story. I can get a good feel for whatever cups of tea or coffee that you guys must’ve gone through. It must’ve been quite something. I love this idea of, “I want to agree to discuss,” and that sets up such a parameter of trust. And I know from the other interviews that we’ve done, this is now something that I can hear your influence, but you’re doing this in spades for every student that walks into your class. Is that fair?

B. Panganiban: That is true. Actually, the other day I got an email from a student, and it just kind of said, “Hi, I’m just wondering if I could meet with you.” And I’m like, “Oh, okay. She’s not in any one of my classes. I don’t recognize the name.” She just said, “I wonder if you could just give me some guidance.” And I said, “Okay.” So met with her, and I really don’t know anything about her, and I said, “So how did you end up finding me?” And she said that she was in the program advisor’s office asking for some guidance on what she could do with her career. She is in the marketing program, but what her take is, she wanted to work in the healthcare field of some sort, but didn’t quite know what that looked like. And I do have some background in healthcare. I’ve had over 30 years in the healthcare system.

05:06 – Agree to discuss

B. Panganiban: And so, what was interesting in that, I said, “So how did you end up [inaudible] me?” And she said, “Well, this is kind of funny, I was talking to the girl at the front, and this student, out of nowhere, came to me and said, ‘You need to talk to Belinda. This is who she is. She is my instructor, and you know what? She’s got a fountain of information, and she can guide you where you need to go.'” So the student overheard her, my previous student overheard her, gave her my name. And why? Because when that student was with me during the time that she was going to classes with me, she, too, was experiencing some issues, and she came to me. And she was in my class, and she said, “I wish more people would take interest in exactly what we need to do as students in order to get out of this school institution with something that’s valuable.” And so, I saw the Pay It Forward right in that timeframe. That was really cool for me. And it just happened in the last couple of months where this girl just did this.

05:39 – Paying it forward makes a difference

Gordon Sheppard: I wish you could see the smile on my face right now from hearing that story. You cannot get a better testimonial. You didn’t have to solicit that. That’s something that occurred. But that occurs from the day-in and day-out work that you started with at the beginning of this episode, which is to say you’re inspired by helping people. You’re actually getting it done to the point where your influence is actually reaching out in that way. That takes a long time to build up. So it sounds like your inspiration is something you’re actually able to pull off every day.

B. Panganiban: Yeah, I do see it. I see the joy in the students and what they see. And I’m not probably your typical instructor that goes into a room and just sits there and pops the PowerPoint out and just talks and lectures. I like to be interactive. I like to present to remember. I like for them to participate because that’s how they retain material. That’s how they understand memories that are made. Reading out of a book or watching a PowerPoint in class has no impact whatsoever. And so for me, to be able to touch these students in a way where they are compelled to do it for others, that means my job was done.

08:59 – Get in touch with Belinda Panganiban – panganibanb@macewan.ca

Gordon Sheppard: Well, I can tell you sleep well at night with that kind of attitude every day. Belinda, if people need to get in touch with you to learn some more, what’s the best way to do that?

B. Panganiban: Probably my email. It’s Belinda … Sorry, it’s panganibanb@macewan.ca. That’s P-A-N-G-A-N-I-B-A-N-B@macewan, M-A-C-E-W-A-N.ca.

Gordon Sheppard: Well, what a great, inspiring attitude. What a great, inspiring story. Thank you so much for being on the show again.

B. Panganiban: Thank you.

Gordon Sheppard: Isn’t it wonderful to know that there is another teacher in this world, someone who is influencing young leaders who are developing, who’s not just going to walk into that classroom and throw up a PowerPoint, but they’re going to go above and beyond, and in fact, do it year in, year out, and build a reputation that spreads around, that she doesn’t even know how many people she’s influenced, so that they’re actually referring people back to her? I just really, honestly, appreciated that Belinda came on, shared her inspiration. And I really hope that it inspired you as well.

09:53 – MLP 114: How To Get Buy-in From Employees with Belinda Panganiban – https://meetingleadershipinc.com/114

Gordon Sheppard: And if you’d like to hear even more from Belinda, then check out episode 114 on the Meeting Leadership Podcast. It’s called How To Get Buy-In From Employees, and you can get that episode by going to meetingleadershipinc.com/114. 

10:08 – MLP 121: Why Leaders Should Be Open-Minded with Belinda Panganiban – https://meetingleadershipinc.com/121

Gordon Sheppard: And then on episode 121, it’s called Why Leaders Should Be Open-Minded. And I think there, you’re going to get away from sort of black-and-white thinking as a leader, and really understand why being adaptable is so critical. And that’s the big lesson in that one. And I hope you listen to that one by going to meetingleadershipinc.com/121.

10:30 – Meeting Leadership Academy – https://meetingleadershipinc.com/academy

Gordon Sheppard: And I also want to let you know that this episode of the Meeting Leadership Podcast is brought to you by the Meeting Leadership Academy. Now, I am so proud of all the work that’s getting done there. And I know that the live training that we’re doing for engineers, for doctors, for professionals, for bureaucrats, folks who are reaching out because they know that their meetings need to be better, and they know they can get the solutions by going to meetingleadershipinc.com/academy.

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11:15 – Podcast Outro

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