She Did What?! Conquering Monkey Mind
This is a platform to share the radical pivots, risks and self evaluations and reflections of people I admire. We dig into the moments that led the people in their lives to go, “She Did What?!” and ultimately, to their personal or professional metamorphosis.
Six Emmy awards. Three Edward R. Murrow awards, Two Walter Cronkite awards for political reporting. A Peabody. These are just a few of the awards Kathy O’Hearn has earned throughout her career as a talented television producer, events manager, and nonprofit executive who is currently the Executive Producer of Washington Post Live. She’s charted her way in new industries at the highest levels, and today she’s sharing her approach to navigating it all.
On her approach to her career, Kathy says:
When studying meditation and Buddhism as a young woman, I remember reading about the importance of taming the “monkey mind” – that willful mind that lurches in more than one direction at a time, swinging from one branch of thought to another branch of thought without direction. What caught my attention early on was the guidance that if the monkey mind is tamed and focused, it has great energy and power. Being able to look out and strategically assess the tree you want to climb, determine which branch to grab onto next and then gauge which branch after that – to climb and swing and maneuver to the top. I knew then that surveying the landscape before me, letting it inform me, continually moving and learning to dance with it was a powerful way to interact with life and find success.
I find myself really responding to this idea of the monkey mind — that you don’t have to follow a linear career path but instead can maneuver in the way that makes sense for you.
In TV news I went from studio tech to network camerawoman to assignment desk editor to bureau chief. When I saw that it was the producers who created the content and won the awards, I then became more intentional; I knew that I wanted to be a show producer. But again, I swung for the available branch – senior producer on a Sunday show – then on to the best branch after that – executive producer of World News Tonight on the weekends.
I went on to create and launch a talk show with the brilliant Tina Brown, successfully revamp a Sunday talk show with George Stephanopoulos, launch an international show with the passionate Christiane Amanpour and create a cable show and the millennial brand of the extremely talented Ronan Farrow. Reflecting back over my career, some of my best years were with Tina Brown scaling up her landmark live Women in the World Summits in New York. All of these experiences taught me new things, introduced me to new challenges and each ultimately led me to the next opportunity.
While some career paths might seem more straightforward we have all likely had to navigate through transitions and new challenges much the same way as Kathy: assessing the situation, learning from it, identifying the next move and then taking the bold leap to find our way from there.
Many of these changes were active decisions, but some were navigating a changing media landscape or pivoting after a show cancellation. In the past, I made very concrete lists of where I wanted to go, what goals I wanted to achieve. This has been critical for me: Writing it down. It works. I firmly believe that you must be able to imagine the world you desire, feel the emotion of it, and want to create something new. Once you’ve committed to your goals, as the saying goes, all manner of things come up to help you. The key is to pay attention, commit, give your full focus to where you are at any given moment, but remain nimble and open to every change.
Yes! I often speak about the power of writing down your goals and your thoughts. Like Kathy, I truly believe that when you write down your goals and commit to them, change happens. It might not happen all at once, but it happens, even if it doesn’t always happen in the way we thought it would.
I used to think that I needed all the answers. I learned from Tina Brown to develop a brain trust, to cultivate smart friends and contacts, and never hesitate to reach out. It always elevates your game. Now I feel that I learn as much from my team as they learn from me.
I judge every day if I am happy and engaged – knowing that if I am, it will always manifest next steps. I have learned there is a powerful strength in humility – it offers a competitive advantage. The relaxed stance of being humble and empowering opens so many doors and lifts all boats. The strongest leaders are self-aware and humble, enhancing and empowering their teams.
I couldn’t agree more. What do you think makes the strongest leaders? Tell us in the comments!
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