Dr Lucille Maddalena Of MTMCoach: 5 Things You Should Do To Become a Thought Leader In Your Industry

An Interview With Abe Alon

Know your audience. Research the knowledge base of your audience and ask what they need from you. Example: providing information without knowing who you are talking to and how that information will be applied.

As a part of our series about how to become known as a thought leader in your industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Lucille Maddalena.

Lucille is a Master Coach with an interdisciplinary doctorate in Labor Education and Human Communication. As an Executive Coach, she supports leaders in change to transition to the next step in their careers. Author of MOVING ON BY! her popular book has won acclaim for inspiring leaders through case studies and sled dog metaphors to win!

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?

The first woman accepted into the Rutgers University doctoral program in Labor Studies, she added Human Communications as a second major. While a doctoral candidate she created a workshop preparing professionals for managerial roles; pioneering its acceptance enabled her to establish her company, Morris Business Group, Inc. This initiative quickly gained traction at US corporations, making her the inaugural woman to lead management seminars at major pharmaceutical and manufacturing entities. Her TRANSITION TO LEADERSHIP seminars evolved into a global program conducted in multiple languages, empowering over 6,000 new leaders.

Moving with her client base, Dr. Maddalena became certified, dba as MTMCoach , continuing to guide successful leaders through career transitions to positions of authority. She balanced her career with an unexpected passion — six years of pre-dawn and weekend dog sledding. This unique hobby, alongside evolving client needs, prepared her for the transformative experience of motherhood. The dogs retired from the trail to become pets and guardians of her three sons.

These adventures on the trail with her canine companions provided a revelation about forms of leadership and teamwork, inspiring Dr. Maddalena to write her third book: MOVING ON BY! Harnessing my sled dog team’s instinct to win! Challenging the reader to go “ON BY!” obstacles, the book presents “tales from the trail” utilizing dog sledding metaphors to introduce leadership Case Studies followed by an analysis of teamwork and challenging the reader to seek their personal trail markers such as identifying where you would run on a dog sled team.

Today, as an Executive Coach operating under MTMCoach, Dr. Maddalena holds the distinction of being the first woman coach at six multinational corporations spanning the pharma, biotech, construction, and manufacturing industries. She values the opportunity to guide leaders in demanding occupations, helping them navigate organizational nuances and develop robust networks in new or enhanced roles. Committed to fostering coaching cultures, she has assembled a global network of Leadership Coaches aligning development with corporate visions and missions.

With 40 years of marriage and the joys of grandchildren, Dr. Maddalena and her husband share a mutual respect for each other’s careers and a deep devotion to family. Contact Dr. Maddalena for coaching engagements and workshops, and leave the call with ideas and reference material to support your future endeavors.

Can you briefly share with our readers why you are an authority about the topic of thought leadership?

Dr. Maddalena follows her beliefs and seeks to constantly question, explore, and challenge accepted norms. From her history of breaking barriers that formerly excluded women, to doubling her graduate studies by taking a second academic major, she is fascinated by why we work and what value we can gain beyond monetary security.

For example, Dr. Maddalena’s coaching clients are carefully selected before an engagement is secured. The relationship between a coach and coachee is critical to the success of their work together. Dr. Maddalena and a potential coachee will interview each other to be certain their values align. Life experiences aside, Dr. Maddalena strives to connect to the heart of the individual, appreciating their commitment to accept risk and to pursue their goals — to seek to win.

In her book MOVING ON BY! she shares case studies as well as dog sledding events that tell true stories of striving, overcoming barriers, and connecting with others. She can share her experiences, bringing the reader or listener along with her and her team as her sled glides along a snow-covered trail or she walks down a corporate corridor.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

I have numerous tales from the trail and from the office. Here is one from the team:

OFFICE: My talented client enjoyed his work, and he was good at it. However, he was bored and isolated; he had not received a promotion or recognition for four years since joining. His employers were concerned he would leave the firm, as he had no friends and very few connections at the company. As a senior member of the company, he had his own office. Each day he walked through the corridors greeting everyone by name before closing himself into his office to work. When he attended office events, he typically sat uncomfortably in a corner, offering brief comments as his colleagues walked past or sat nearby. Following the coaching process, he learned new ways to approach others, to share his story, to connect. Employing positive communication, we talked about his interests and his environment. He decided to bring some personality to his office. During the redecoration, he purchased a beautiful quality rug with a long history. He invited his colleagues to stop in the office to see the rug, which they did. His new hobby gave him something to talk about and put him in a position of knowledge and thus security. Eventually, he was asked for advice when a colleague wanted to obtain a rug for her office, or someone from a different division, learning of his expertise, asked for assistance in purchasing a rug for their home. He became the go-to person, trusted, and respected, for who he was. This confidence opened doors to form personal as well as professional relationships that soon contributed to his ongoing success.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

TRAIL: On my first sled dog race, my dogs were performing wonderfully, happy, tails and ears up. As we passed under a canopy of trees into the bright reflecting sunlight, their pace picked up and ears turned to the same direction, alerting me that something new was happening. As I began to see more clearly I was pleasantly surprised to see a team ahead of us — we had caught up to the team that left the chute before us! We had made up the 3-minute head start. My job now was to call ‘ON BY’, directing the lead dog to lead the team off the packed trail, to pass and regain the trail. Sadly, my mind must have wandered back to a corporate office as I called out “May I pass you”. Mid-stride, for just a moment my beautiful lead dog turned her head to me, and we had the briefest of eye contact that spoke volumes; she turned back to the trail, stretched her legs, and lowered her hunches as she increased her speed. It connected: I recalled my role as driver and issued the ON BY command. We safely passed the other team without one dog glancing at the team we passed. I learned that to be part of the team, you have to stay with the team. I was working as hard as they were, my mind was not on the task, not with the team, until my little bitch brought me back to the moment.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the main focus of our interview. In a nutshell, how would you define what a ‘Thought Leader’ is? How is a thought leader different from a typical leader? How is a thought leader different from an influencer?

We all have opinions, form conclusions, and accept another’s perspective. To truly evaluate a concept or an idea requires consideration and ongoing reflection. Evaluating the wisdom of those who have studied the situation and can offer comparisons to past practice provides a thought leader with insight to deeply understand the situation in context.

As a thought leader, you may form an understanding of a topic that cannot be applied at the time or under specific circumstances. Because leaders often require immediate knowledge to take action, timing may not allow the full application of a creative process: a leader does not always have the liberty to wait until all events that influence the situation are addressed.

An influencer, on the other hand, is not concerned with timeliness in the application of the concept and has no interest in studying the concept to gain a full understanding of the genesis of the idea. The task of the influencer is to engage an audience and present the merits of a concept from their perspective.

Can you talk to our readers a bit about the benefits of becoming a thought leader? Why do you think it is worthwhile to invest resources and energy into this?

Providing a new perspective and deeper understanding of an issue as well as recognizing the possible long-term effects of a solution makes a thought leader an important and respected resource. Leaders who must act need guidance, and trust that those they turn to for information have taken the time to thoroughly understand the situation and its ramifications. If you have the desire and ability to become a thought leader, you will become a vital resource to decision-makers, ensuring the best possible outcome for any endeavor.

Let’s talk about business opportunities specifically. Can you share a few examples of how thought leadership can help a business grow or create lucrative opportunities?

One of my clients accepted a new job, entering a new firm along with six other potential leaders. Over a year, several of the recruits were terminated or chose to leave. The biggest complaint and reason for their perceived low performance was that when an issue arose, they went to their manager with a description of the problem as well as a solution. In so doing, the recruits followed the process taught to them in their MBA programs, and they failed their employer.

The problem was that they corrected the problem before celebrating it, before realizing what they now viewed could have larger implications and costs if they did not fully understand the issue. Providing an immediate solution without understanding all the influences on the problem allows potential interference to reoccur. Successful leaders know how to invest the time and resources to fully explore and uncover a problem by researching why the problem occurred and then taking the steps necessary to prevent it from happening again.

Ok. Now that we have that behind us, we’d love to hear your thoughts about how to eventually become a thought leader. Can you share 5 strategies that a person should implement to become known as a thought leader in their industry?

1. Have a knowledge base. You are not an expert in everything. Example: an engineer recognizing that an assistant was not able to explain processes to recruits. The engineer’s abilities were acceptable, not high level, resulting in inadequate mentoring of the future leader, possibly creating bad habits that increased the probability of long-term ineffectiveness.
2. Learn how to listen. You may know what you are talking about, but until you understand what the other person is saying you are not connecting with them. Example: proselytizing by assuming the position of expert and sharing information without allowing interaction with those needing support. It is easy to provide data, but difficult to provide relevant information to help define and then solve a problem.
3. Speak to your audience. Do not abuse the use of abbreviations, complex terms, or jargon that requires an explanation. Example: using a document or chart from a program that requires specific knowledge of terms and parameters to fully understand.
4. Know your audience. Research the knowledge base of your audience and ask what they need from you. Example: providing information without knowing who you are talking to and how that information will be applied.
5. Be prepared to tell a story. People learn when they can follow a trail. Stories show how the speaker experienced obstacles and continued to move in increments to achieve a desired conclusion. Example: the stories requested by the publisher of this article tell the reader more about the speaker than the speaker’s self-definition.

In your opinion, who is an example of someone who has done a fantastic job as a thought leader? Which specific things have impressed you about that person? What lessons can we learn from this person’s approach?

Michael Stallard on the topic of human connections. This is a difficult topic to make appealing to the average reader. Michael’s books are filled with examples exploring all aspects of building rapport and establishing effective connections with individuals on all levels. The takeaway from his work is the importance of bringing heart and values to any discussion: make it real and make it important to the individual’s personal as well as career success.

I have seen some discussion that the term “thought leader” is trite, overused, and should be avoided. What is your feeling about this?

Certainly, some will find any term that has been around for a while both abused or inappropriate. As an academician, I prefer ‘researcher’, a bit less assuming. Some suggest ‘subject matter expert’. I see no real value in making any of the suggested changes. In some concepts such as ‘work/life balance,’ there is a need to recognize how the message represents a cultural advancement from pursuing the myth of attaining ‘balance’. The term no longer offers hope; it calls up images of failure, of trying too hard, of burn-out; it is ineffective at this point in our cultural development. Identifying the need to reconcile work and home life requires a replacement term, such as integration or harmony, for realistic attainable goals of inspiration and positive growth.

What advice would you give to other leaders to thrive and avoid burnout?

Nothing is forever; if you fear change and burnout, make a change now. Seek a new challenge, a field that allows you to maintain the status and security you desire while opening new doors and challenges. Thought leaders are assigned that description because they are committed, motivated, and incentivized. When those elements do not exist, take a different trail, explore what you did not see before, and invest your energy and talents in continued growth.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Work/life harmony. I mentioned work/life balance as a myth because I have seen people who end up living to work rather than working to live. We need to find joy in everything, from boring routine tasks to exciting, even dangerous sports. The joy comes from the connection to others to our environment, to our personal growth and achievement.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Kahil Gibran; work is love made visible.

We are blessed that very prominent leaders in business and entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world with whom you would like to have lunch or breakfast? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-) This is a long list.

I just discovered Herminia Ibarra and her work in transitions, a field of interest.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

See my website www.mtmcoach.com and the articles available for free download.

Thank you so much for your insights. This was very insightful and meaningful.