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No Talent Required: Building Culture, Trust, and Courage with Lynne Ghelfi

with Lynne Ghelfi

August 17, 202631 min

About this episode

In this episode of Her Career Unplugged, Joanne and Vimala sit down with Lynne Ghelfi (a marketing director in the automotive industry, John Maxwell certified coach, and author of the upcoming book No Talent Required) to talk about what leadership actually looks like in the trenches. Lynne shares how a family financial crisis pushed her into car sales with zero experience, how selling over 250 cars in her first year (as the only woman on the floor) launched her into leadership, and how leading a team of 13 young women taught her that leadership is as much about life skills as job skills. She breaks down her book's twelve daily leadership practices (attitude, gratitude, courage, empathy, and more) all built on the premise that none of them require natural talent, just intentionality. Along the way, she shares the "face the mirror" exercise for resetting a bad moment, the Maxwell DISC method for reading how people communicate, and the deeply personal story about her mother stepping up as head of household that became the heart of her book's chapter on courage.

LeadershipConfidenceMentorshipWorkplace CultureCareer Advice

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Show notes

  • Lynne's entry into the car business: a family financial crisis and her dad's push to "go get a job" led her into automotive sales with zero experience, leaning on her ability to connect with people instead.
  • Industry stats: only 18% of dealership employees are women, even though women influence roughly 84% of car-buying decisions.
  • Her first year in sales: over 250 cars sold, top three on the team, and the only woman on the sales floor, which led directly to her first promotion into leadership.
  • The climb through sales manager, internet director, BDC director, and marketing director, and how each role reshaped her leadership style.
  • Leading a team of 13 women, most under 30 and in their first job, meant leading in life as much as leading at work: responsibility, reliability, and following through on what you say.
  • Why every leader she worked for taught her something, either what to emulate or exactly what never to do to someone else.
  • The book: No Talent Required: The Twelve Leadership Practices That Drive Culture, Trust, and Productivity, built on the idea that things like attitude, gratitude, courage, and empathy take no natural talent, just consistent, intentional practice.
  • The "Face the Mirror" exercise from the attitude chapter: pause, look in the mirror, focus on what matters, adjust your narrative, and enforce it, shifting from a victim mindset to a problem-solving one.
  • You don't need the title of manager or boss to be a leader; you can lead yourself, your family, or a team from any seat.
  • The Maxwell DISC method: understanding whether someone leads with D (dominant), I (influencer), S (steady), or C (compliant) changes how you communicate and connect with them as a leader.
  • The book's courage chapter: her mother stepping in as head of household in the 1980s after a family financial crisis shook her father's confidence, running deliveries for the family car business, then quietly stepping back once he regained his footing, without ever making him feel at fault.
  • Rapid fire: worst leadership advice was not listening to her team as much as she should; her biggest career risk is writing the book; the leader she admires is John Maxwell, including the story of him remembering her name in a crowd of 2,000; her superpower is listening; and her billboard message to every woman in automotive: "We need you."
  • Her closing advice: go out and be kind, be intentional with everything you do, and stop being busy; start being focused.
  • Where to find her: LinkedIn, and her website, soleilleadership.com.

About the guest

Lynne Ghelfi

Marketing Director & Leadership Coach, Toyota of Tampa Bay

Lynne Ghelfi is a marketing director in the automotive industry and a John Maxwell certified coach with over 14 years leading teams in one of the most fast-paced, male-dominated industries out there. She rose from a first-year car salesperson (top three in sales and the only woman on the floor) through roles as sales manager, internet director, and BDC director before landing in marketing leadership. She is the author of No Talent Required: The Twelve Leadership Practices That Drive Culture, Trust, and Productivity, built around the idea that the fundamentals of good leadership (attitude, gratitude, courage, empathy) take no natural talent, just daily intentionality.

Show full transcript

Vimala Pydi[00:01]
Welcome back to Her Career Unplugged. I'm your host, Vimala Pai. Join by Joanne Skye. Sorry, Skye is right.

Joanne Skiles[00:10]
Kyle.

Vimala Pydi[00:12]
Cut. Do you want to reset?

Joanne Skiles[00:15]
You could go right back. Go ahead. Don't worry.

Vimala Pydi[00:18]
Welcome back to Her Career Unplugged. I am your host, Vimla Paiidi. With me, have Joanne with me, my co-host today. And today we have an incredible guest joining us. It's Lynn Galfie. Lynn is a marketing director in the automotive industry, a John Maxwell certified coach.

Vimala Pydi[00:41]
an author in progress writing a book on positive leadership. We'll get some tidbits on that in today's episode. With over 14 years leading teams in one of the most fast-paced industry out there, Lynn knows what it takes to grow people and profits. And she believes leadership isn't about just a title, it's a mindset. Today we are driving into leadership skills, what they really look like.

Vimala Pydi[01:11]
in the trenches, how to develop them, and why they matter more than ever. Lynn, welcome to the show.

Lynne Ghelfi[01:20]
Thank you so much for having me. I'm really excited to be here with you ladies.

Vimala Pydi[01:24]
Yes, same here, looking for some exacting conversations that could be led by our amazing Joanne today. Joanne, over to you.

Joanne Skiles[01:34]
amazing Joanne. She's leading me up.

Lynne Ghelfi[01:35]
Yeah.

Joanne Skiles[01:36]
so you know, no pressure as always. But yes, thank you so much, Lynn, for joining us. And I love that you're on this journey to be an author. And I think that is something that takes a lot, you know, of belief in yourself. And I love it because one day I will be an author. I swear, one day.

Joanne Skiles[02:00]
But next to all the other hobbies we have. So I'm I'm very

Lynne Ghelfi[02:03]
Okay.

Joanne Skiles[02:03]
I would love to get into that.

Vimala Pydi[02:05]
I

Vimala Pydi[02:05]
didn't know that, Joanne. All right. So we are going to push for it.

Joanne Skiles[02:07]
Yes. Yes. We are going to push for it. I put it

Lynne Ghelfi[02:08]
Yeah, exactly.

Joanne Skiles[02:12]
I'm putting it out in the universe. Now everybody can hold me accountable that's listening. so it will be there. Now that being said, we'll go and talk about you, not me, because you're more important right now. Is you've been in the automotive industry for fourteen years. And I think that is a very male centric industry, if I if I'm not wrong here.

Lynne Ghelfi[02:35]
Yes.

Joanne Skiles[02:36]
so what drew you to the industry? When did you you know, what what drew you to it and what made you realize you were a leader as well?

Lynne Ghelfi[02:45]
well, first let me say yes, it is a male-dominated industry. Only 18% of dealership employees are women, although women make up 84% of the b car buying experiences. So they influence 84% of car buyers. So I actually got into the car business during, you know, one of those winter seasons of my life where everything was really tough. And my husband at the time was out.

Lynne Ghelfi[03:16]
And we were kind of on the verge of losing everything. It was it was a really bad time. And I was talking to some friends, my husband my husband, my dad, and my dad said, you know what? You have to go out and get a job. Like you're gonna have to go figure out what you want to do that's gonna make you the money because I had lots of hobbies. Joanne, you and I would get along. Like I could do the hobbies. I was and I I I had worked and

Lynne Ghelfi[03:43]
But never to the extent when you get in the car business. The car business is like, you know, you go from being a stay-at-home mom of three to working 90 hours a week. And so it's a big jump. But I had a friend that said, go interview. You don't know anything about cars, but you know people, you can build connections. And so that's what I did. I just, I I took a bet of myself and I went in.

Lynne Ghelfi[04:06]
I said, hey, I've never sold cars before, but I'm really hardworking. I'm determined I have to do this. I have to make this work for my family. I got the job. I started in sales in 2011 and sold cars for a year. at the end of the year, I had sold over 250 cars. I was top three in sales and the only female on the the sales floor at the time. so it was a great first year, right?

Lynne Ghelfi[04:35]
I had accomplished what I set out to accomplish. And with that, I was promoted. And at that point I stepped into a leadership role.

Joanne Skiles[04:45]
Wonderful. I I like that. It

Lynne Ghelfi[04:45]
So yeah, yeah.

Vimala Pydi[04:46]
That's a great story

Vimala Pydi[04:48]
and congratulations.

Lynne Ghelfi[04:48]
It let me tell ya, the story

Lynne Ghelfi[04:51]
sounds like happy, but there are a lot of tears in there. There's a lot of tears.

Joanne Skiles[04:55]
Selling, I I I I

Joanne Skiles[04:58]
I I would say like selling is a nightmare to me. Cause I feel that's a lot of rejection as well in the role, right? Yeah, I I don't know if I can handle

Lynne Ghelfi[05:06]
Yes. Yeah. You learn that

Joanne Skiles[05:10]
that.

Lynne Ghelfi[05:11]
you learn that with every no, you're one step closer to a yes. And you also learn that there is gonna be a ton of rejection. You just have to you have to do the best you can. And I I think because I connect so well with people on like a personal level that I really truly wanted to help you.

Lynne Ghelfi[05:29]
I really wanted to get you into a car that you would love to drive, that would get you back and forth to work, keep your kids safe and all of that. So it was perfect for me because I truly love selling cars. I still love everything about selling cars.

Joanne Skiles[05:45]
Awesome. I think that I think that's just one day I guess I'll have to go through some form of that therapy to get over my rejection fear. So I I love that. So I mean, with that, that was your year. You got promoted. But beyond that, you held many roles. You were a sales manager, internet director, BDC director, marketing director. How did each one of those roles like

Joanne Skiles[06:15]
Shape your leadership style.

Lynne Ghelfi[06:17]
Yeah, absolutely. I think the shaping of my leadership started way before that. You know, when you're growing up, you take all of the things that your parents teach you, teachers teach you, even some friends that have that that leadership knack at a young age, and you start leading yourself. And it starts with being kind, speaking your mind, taking risk, betting on yourself, right? Having some confidence. So in sales,

Lynne Ghelfi[06:46]
That really amped up my ability to lead myself. And then came a team. So my first team was a group of young women. It was the BDC department. I had 13 women that were probably all under the age of 30. And so that was a whole new, that was a whole new leadership role for me because for a lot of the the individuals, it was their first job. And so it wasn't just

Lynne Ghelfi[07:14]
leading them within the job. It was leading them in life, right? Teaching them things about responsibility, not letting your team down, being on time, practicing what you say you're gonna do, you know, not just saying it, but doing it. And also leading yourself better, creating better habits. And so I really developed a ton as a person and as a leader in that role. And then it just started stacking.

Lynne Ghelfi[07:41]
Every leader I came into contact with, I took something from. Either I love what you're doing or ooh, I never want to do that. I don't like how that made me feel. I never want to make someone else feel that way.

Vimala Pydi[07:55]
Love it. And having the early career team would have been a different, you might have been a good mentorship role too, to kind of help them understand the job. That's the first thing. And the second thing is just teaching them how the corporate world works, right? Like if it's your first job, they'll be looking up to you. So that's a great experience. Thanks for sharing that.

Lynne Ghelfi[08:20]
Yeah, I'm still close to several of them. One of them, she started with me when she was nineteen as an agent. She now is a marketing director and runs her own BDC department at a huge dealership up north and in Atlanta area. And then another one of my team members works within my organization and runs an internet department. So we've had great success come out of a small group of young ladies that are just super driven and and

Lynne Ghelfi[08:49]
Doing great.

Joanne Skiles[08:52]
amazing. So let's pivot because we're talking about leadership, your beginnings,

Lynne Ghelfi[08:57]
Yeah.

Joanne Skiles[08:58]
and your leadership mindset. And I think this role leads up to the book that you're you know your soon to be authorship, which was No Talent Required. And I really like

Lynne Ghelfi[09:08]
Yes.

Joanne Skiles[09:08]
that title a lot. Okay? I like that title a lot because you know no not because. So I like that title because it's bold. But why that title?

Lynne Ghelfi[09:20]
Okay, so thank you, by the way. I like that title a lot too. At first I was like, I don't want to start a book about positivity with a no. And then I thought, okay, well, it truly is everyone thinks that you can learn some talent skills or leadership skills, but that it takes talent. But it really doesn't. You can learn to be a good leader and not have a talent skill base. You just have to be intentional.

Lynne Ghelfi[09:50]
So the book is No Talent Required, the Twelve Leadership Practices That Drive Culture, Trust, and Productivity. So when we're talking about this, it's the basics, right? Attitude, gratitude, courage, empathy, adaptability, direct communication skills, community outreach. You know, there are there are so many.

Lynne Ghelfi[10:21]
Parts of being a leader, right? But not everyone does them consistently. And when you don't do them consistently, you'll never be the leader that you have within, right? You have to be a consistent leader every single day to be a great leader. And when you practice empathy with every team member, when you practice accountability with everyone, including yourself, when you hold yourself to the highest standard and show that.

Lynne Ghelfi[10:51]
All of that shows and is amplified within your culture. And then your culture starts to shift because it truly does start with you. When you slow down and take the time to show your gratitude, the others will show their gratitude, right? When you pay it to your teammates, your teammates will pay it to each other, but then also to the customer base. And it will show in their performance, which leads to that productivity,

Lynne Ghelfi[11:19]
compon component because happy customers it's proven through stats through all the data and research that happy healthy work environments drive higher productivity and so with that higher productivity you sing see things like higher gross margins net margins more more sales faster turnaround less mistakes less burnout less pto for for illnesses and

Lynne Ghelfi[11:49]
And health events caused by stress and anxiety. So this book truly is for everyone because you are a leader even if you don't think you are. Because you always have to be leading yourself. It starts within and the attitude that you hold. And once you have that mindset that I'm leading myself, I'm leading a small team, I I'm leading my family, then things start to shift and you can become more.

Lynne Ghelfi[12:19]
focused on the intentionality of everyday behavior. That takes no talent. It takes no talent to be a kind person and show gratitude, right? Or to have a good attitude. That those are things that you can just choose. I'm gonna be good have a good attitude today or not.

Joanne Skiles[12:35]
I it a hundred percent. It yes, it yeah, I'm not gonna get cynical. A hundred percent it takes no

Lynne Ghelfi[12:42]
Okay.

Joanne Skiles[12:43]
talent to be a good person. That is true. And and I love that because also the point being is I and I wanna double click on this, is that you do not need the title of manager boss to be a leader. You can be a leader, like you said, to yourself.

Joanne Skiles[13:04]
you can also influence others as as just someone part of the team. So anybody can be a leader and you should mentally think that way instead of I guess getting philosophical for everybody here just thinking you're just a pawn, you know, or a drop in the ocean. Like you can influence things around you. And I think that's wonderful that that you that you said that. so you you've talked about like 12 daily practices and I

Joanne Skiles[13:34]
No one knows about these 12 daily practices except they live in my head right now. So maybe, you know, what are some of them and which one has the biggest impact on you?

Lynne Ghelfi[13:44]
So the chapters are broken up into the 12 daily practices. And they're what I had, you know, just kind of went into a little bit, which is like attitude, gratitude, courage, empathy, empowerment. And so when you break them down, each chapter has doables. So you'll have a story, a real life story about either a leader that I've come in contact with or worked with, or someone that I've interviewed for for the book that has just a great story.

Lynne Ghelfi[14:13]
And then from the story, you'll have doables and lessons. And let's talk about the the attitude chapter. So in attitude, I have something called face, face the mirror. And that's when you have a mirror, you take a minute and you look in that mirror and you focus on what's important, right? And then you adjust what needs to be adjusted. you create the new narrative.

Lynne Ghelfi[14:41]
And then you enforce it. So it's like, okay, I'm having a really bad moment, but that's all it is. So I'm gonna shift my mindset from I'm the victim to how can I solve this problem, and then you do it. And so every single chapter has something that you can take out and teach yourself, teach your team, teach others to to just realign your actions with your intentionality to get back on track because

Lynne Ghelfi[15:10]
If you every day isn't gonna be perfect, right? Every you're gonna walk by someone at work, you're not gonna notice that that person seems really down and maybe they're going through a really hard time. But then the next time you walk by that person, maybe you will realize, wait, something's off about how they're looking right now or their work or something. And then you stop and you engage and you so show some empathy. So every day isn't gonna be perfect, but it gives you the doables to practice to become more consistent.

Joanne Skiles[15:44]
I I I love that a lot because I do think about that as my own leadership journey in itself is I was a ho I'll be honest, I was not the best boss in the very beginning. But I learned from experiences how to be better. And I'm not saying I'm the best boss. We'll just leave that to the side there. But I think I am far better than who I was ten years ago.

Joanne Skiles[16:11]
And and I think that is that's an important thing to we

Lynne Ghelfi[16:12]
Yeah, we all are. We get better.

Joanne Skiles[16:14]
learn and we grow. Yeah. And I like it. So

Vimala Pydi[16:16]
Yeah, yeah, and learning.

Joanne Skiles[16:18]
it's a journey and you kind of learn to work on those muscles and become better. You're not going to be perfect immediately and don't expect that. So I I love that.

Vimala Pydi[16:25]
Yeah,

Vimala Pydi[16:26]
and like the idea of looking into the mirror to see, just reinforcing your intentions, see what you look like and readjusting, right? That's a great idea to always be intentional, know what your inner compass is, of like, direct yourself into that if you see someone else in the mirror. So love that idea. Great one, Lin.

Lynne Ghelfi[16:52]
Thanks. Yeah, I think you know, Joanne

Joanne Skiles[16:52]
Yes. So before before we

Joanne Skiles[16:54]
s hit record in this podcast sorry. What were you gonna say? okay, I'm gonna delete that, don't worry. So before

Lynne Ghelfi[17:01]
No, you're fine. You're fine. I was just gonna say,

Joanne Skiles[17:04]
we before we

Joanne Skiles[17:10]
Go. Go ahead. Say it. Say it.

Lynne Ghelfi[17:15]
I was just gonna say, you know, you said that you weren't a great leader ten years ago. And so yeah, and we've all grown so much as a leader. And when you put in the time to actually work on yourself as a leader, then you can elevate the rest of the team. But it takes that intentionality throughout the years. And I know that I've used that word a lot, but it is critical because growing yourself is the only way to grow your team and to grow those around you.

Lynne Ghelfi[17:44]
And you have to put in the work.

Joanne Skiles[17:50]
Yes. Yes. You have to put in the work. And and that is very important. So I yes, I love it. So we before we ended up hitting record on this podcast, you were you were understanding Vimilim I's personality styles and you use something called the Maxwell disc method. So for someone who's unfamiliar with that, maybe could you explain the Maxwell disc method and then how

Joanne Skiles[18:18]
Understanding your personality style helps you be a better leader.

Lynne Ghelfi[18:24]
Absolutely. So Maxwell Disc is one of my favorite classes to teach because it just makes sense to everyone. So several people have taken the disc profile assessments where it gives you a personality style, such as D is dominant, the I is an influencer, like that person that loves to tell stories and is a little bit is more people-centric than process-centric.

Lynne Ghelfi[18:51]
And then the S is that slow and steady wins the race, that person that is the best friend, the secret keeper, the people pleaser. And then that high C, which that C is compliant, they love a good spreadsheet. They're very data focused. They're very organized. And when you can understand someone's personality style and how they best work and communicate, then you can really bridge the gap between the communication with them and connect with them.

Lynne Ghelfi[19:21]
So when I get on a call with someone or am sitting in front of someone, I pull some cues away, right? So Velma sent this amazing email out that was very detailed and she has details that I would have definitely missed. So immediately I knew that she had some C, probably leads with a C, because in order to function, she really wants things in order and she likes to things to factually make sense. And so when I

Lynne Ghelfi[19:50]
Communicate with her, I'm going to keep that in mind and try and give her fact over feeling and make sure that I answer all of her questions. So the sooner that you can understand your team's personality styles, the better you can connect. And the team can just flourish. They can work better together. They can accomplish more. Their communication is clearer. And then there's more connection between them.

Lynne Ghelfi[20:17]
So it's one of my favorite classes to do and I love doing it for teams that want to grow together because they see the shift after I explain it for two minutes. It's like it just clicks.

Joanne Skiles[20:32]
Lovely.

Vimala Pydi[20:33]
Yeah, totally. I think before we started recording too, we both were like, that makes sense. And we both agreed with you on our styles. So it definitely works.

Joanne Skiles[20:46]
Yes. Yes. I

Lynne Ghelfi[20:49]
Yeah.

Joanne Skiles[20:49]
want to give one more question and then I'm going to hand you over to Rapid Fire. So the last question is honestly a story that you told us. So I want to give that is you talked about courage in leadership and you share a story about your mom in the book. but without giving away too much. That is that is the tricky part there, right? What did that experience teach you about leading through difficult times?

Lynne Ghelfi[21:19]
Yeah, so one of my favorite chapters in the book is courage because it's about my mom. And when when my dad I was young, I was probably in middle school and or I think I was in tenth tent around tenth grade. We lost everything and my mom had to step up as the leader of the household because my dad felt like the decisions he was making just weren't the right decisions. He didn't trust himself anymore.

Lynne Ghelfi[21:48]
And so my mom stepped in. She went from being a housewife in the eighties, right? So she was truly a housewife. She stayed home, she made dinner, she you'd come home, she'd be watching soap operas and folding laundry. And then she stepped in and went back to work. When she went back to work, she went into a very male dominated industry. My dad was in the car business also. He was selling trucks. She started delivering them for him. And in those moments, I learned

Lynne Ghelfi[22:19]
I that's where I truly learned you didn't need a position. You didn't need the title, right? Because she stepped up as the leader of our household, and she stepped up as the leader in her organization. She ran a group of people that helped deliver trucks. And then as my dad's confidence came back, he slowly slid back into the head of the household role. And she quietly went back to being mom. And and it just happened so effortlessly for her.

Lynne Ghelfi[22:50]
And I saw her show grace, courage, leadership, like no one's business, right? She had direct communication with her team. And she also supported my dad in a way that humbled him, but never fade him made him feel like it was his fault, right? They were things that happened, and that's what happens in business when you're taking courageous steps and making decisions. And

Lynne Ghelfi[23:16]
They worked as a team. So it it's truly one of my favorite chapters. You know, my mom's now 84. And when I read her the chapter, she's like, Who's that about?

Joanne Skiles[23:27]
Yeah.

Lynne Ghelfi[23:28]
that's about you, mom. I was like, What do you mean, who's that about?

Vimala Pydi[23:33]
I love it.

Lynne Ghelfi[23:33]
And she's like, That doesn't sound like me. I wasn't a leader. And I was like, You were. You were. And so we w talked about it and she's like, huh, I didn't realize you saw me that way. And so it was kind of cool.

Joanne Skiles[23:48]
I I love it and it is amazing what your mom did and it was a great example and it also shows like you know that you could be a housewife. It doesn't mean you're always a housewife either. Like you have these abilities, you can be a leader no matter what role you are in. well I am gonna hand you over to Vimela for our rapid fire. Take it away.

Vimala Pydi[24:14]
Thank you, Joanne. All right, the next one is we are going to unplug and do a rapid fire. So when it's going to be a few questions, we can do like one, two word answers, or if you feel like you have something valuable to share, can like go into a few sentences as well. So are you ready? Ready for

Lynne Ghelfi[24:34]
I'm ready.

Vimala Pydi[24:35]
the rapid fire? All right, let's get unplugged. The first one, worst leadership advice you have ever received.

Lynne Ghelfi[24:43]
To not listen as much as I do to my teammates.

Vimala Pydi[24:49]
Okay, good one.

Lynne Ghelfi[24:51]
Yeah. Yeah.

Vimala Pydi[24:53]
biggest career risk you have ever taken.

Lynne Ghelfi[24:58]
think writing this book is is my biggest career risk. You know, I know Joanne said she'd love to write a book and I've always wanted to write a book. So this is huge for me and it's it's a huge risk

Vimala Pydi[25:09]
Thank you.

Lynne Ghelfi[25:11]
and I'm putting myself out there but I'm super excited about it.

Vimala Pydi[25:16]
Yeah, we are too. can't wait for the release of the book and get a copy for myself. Yeah,

Lynne Ghelfi[25:23]
Thanks.

Vimala Pydi[25:25]
good luck. Good luck with that. the next one, a leader you admire and why? think, yeah, go ahead. I'm just curious.

Lynne Ghelfi[25:36]
You know, I I admire John Maxwell,

Lynne Ghelfi[25:39]
and I know that sounds kind of he's way up ahead of the above me, right? And I don't know him on a personal level, but I do know what he's created, and in meeting him, he lives every single word he he teaches. You know, I I'm gonna tell a real quick story, and it is a more than two sentences.

Lynne Ghelfi[26:02]
But last

Vimala Pydi[26:02]
Okay.

Lynne Ghelfi[26:02]
year I had an encounter where I was able to ask him a question on stage. And I introduced myself, asked him the question, sat back down. Well, then later in the day, now keep in mind he's 81. I think he's like 81. later in the day, he's walking through the crowd and he always says, Walk slowly through the crowd and pay attention to who you see. It's his line. Walk slowly through the crowd. He paid attention when he was walking through 2,000 people and said, Lynn.

Lynne Ghelfi[26:33]
And I turned around. John

Vimala Pydi[26:33]
Wow.

Lynne Ghelfi[26:35]
Maxwell had remembered my name. And then he didn't say, How are you? He didn't say, How'd I do this morning? He said, Did you have fun this morning with me? And he took my hand and he said, I had so much fun, did you? And I just realized you are a hundred percent who you say you are. And in that moment, I he just became he elevated so high in that moment.

Vimala Pydi[26:58]
That's an amazing story. You're right. Yeah, that is amazing to remember in a crowd and kind of like walk through whatever he's preaching. Thanks for sharing that. The next question. I think this would be worthwhile for our listeners too. So you're stuck in an elevator with a new hire who's terrified of their first day. What do you say to them in the elevator if you have few seconds?

Lynne Ghelfi[27:28]
Well, the first thing I would say is I'm here whatever you need, right? I'm here to serve you. So if you need anything today, you know where my office is and you're welcome. And the first day is always the hardest day. And tomorrow you're gonna be just a same old, same old teammate, right? You're gonna be part of the crew. So get through today and I'm here if you need me.

Vimala Pydi[27:52]
Amazing. First days are always, most of the times they are terrified. Get through the day and you'll be part of crew. That's a good one.

Lynne Ghelfi[28:00]
Yeah, yeah.

Vimala Pydi[28:01]
What's your super power as a leader?

Lynne Ghelfi[28:05]
I'm a really good listener, I would say. I think that listening and and truly connecting with people and empathizing.

Vimala Pydi[28:15]
Yeah, being a listener is one of the strengths. That's a great one too, great skill to have. If you could put one sentence on a billboard for every woman in Automative to see, what would it say?

Lynne Ghelfi[28:32]
We need you.

Vimala Pydi[28:35]
Good one. Good one.

Lynne Ghelfi[28:36]
Ha ha ha.

Vimala Pydi[28:38]
All right, that kind of wraps up our rapid fire. If you want to kind of like give one sentence on what our listeners can do after this episode, please feel free to give like your piece of advice before we wrap it up.

Lynne Ghelfi[28:55]
I would say go out there and be kind. The world needs us all to be kind to each other right now and be extremely intentional with everything that you do. Stop being busy and start being focused.

Joanne Skiles[29:11]
Yes. Yes. Wonderful advice.

Vimala Pydi[29:13]
That's an amazing

Vimala Pydi[29:14]
one. Yeah, that's an amazing one. Thank you so much, Lynn. Thank you so much for being here and giving us like a quick preview of your book as well. Just looking forward. No talent required. What a great title. We'll be looking forward to the release and get our own copy once it's out there. Thank you so much. thank you.

Lynne Ghelfi[29:36]
Thank you.

Vimala Pydi[29:40]
And to our listeners, please subscribe to our channel. We are on YouTube and every other platform like Spotify and Apple, and we're also on LinkedIn. So definitely like this and Lynn, if they want to follow you, which would be like the best way is LinkedIn the one or do you have any?

Lynne Ghelfi[29:59]
I would say LinkedIn

Lynne Ghelfi[30:00]
is a great way to follow me. And then they can visit my website, which is soleadership.com. And I'm sure you can put that somewhere so they can see the spelling. Cool. And you can

Joanne Skiles[30:10]
And that will be in the description on the on

Joanne Skiles[30:14]
yeah, that will be in the description of this episode and also on our website as well. So they'll link out.

Lynne Ghelfi[30:17]
Perfect. Perfect.

Lynne Ghelfi[30:20]
So Soleiladership.com and they can subscribe into the newsletter there.

Vimala Pydi[30:25]
Awesome. Yeah. Thank you so much. And thank you, everyone, for listening. And stay authentic, stay bold, and stay unplugged.

Lynne Ghelfi[30:34]
I love it.