Olivia Brooks Allan: Generating Business Results by Leading with the Head and the Heart

2023-11-15

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In today’s episode, Apollo engages in a conversation with Olivia Brooks Allan, Executive Vice President at Landmark Ventures. The discussion revolves around important topics such as leadership, team building, and the significance of embracing one's authentic self in the professional realm. Olivia emphasizes the value of recognizing and harnessing the unique superpowers of each of her team members, fostering a safe environment for open communication, and delivering feedback with empathy to promote growth and d...

Olivia also shares insights on the role of caregiving in shaping her leadership style and the importance of balancing head and heart in decision-making and prioritization. Emphasizing the importance of reflecting on accomplishments and celebrating them, Olivia stresses the value of data-driven decision-making in strategic planning and goal setting.

Overall, the interview showcases Olivia Brooks Allan's perspective on effective leadership, team dynamics, and the blending of personal and professional aspects of life. Her insights offer valuable lessons for aspiring leaders seeking to build strong teams, support individual growth, and navigate the complexities of modern professional environments.

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Guest Bio

Olivia Brooks Allan is the Executive Vice President at Landmark Ventures, a leading strategic and financial advisory firm offering a unique combination of venture development and global investment banking services. She is responsible for the success of all aspects of Landmark’s events business including leading an experienced group of event directors and production staff, thereby shaping the vision for all elements of year-round events including partnerships, production, marketing, communications, programming, operations, logistics, growth, and ongoing innovations.

Previously, Olivia has been a successful leader within corporations with recognizable brands including American Express, Gartner, Four Seasons, The Peninsula, and Taj Hotels, and more recently with Mastercard. Throughout the past 19 years, she has focused on business development, management, marketing, and public relations. As an independent consultant to the events industry, Olivia developed and executed high-end event projects for corporations and individuals.

Olivia is recognized as a leader who creates long-term and mutually beneficial relationships between clients and service providers. Her signature management style is delivering impactful results by energetically guiding her team in an environment where they flourish professionally. Olivia was the recipient of The President’s Club Award of Achievement twice during her tenure at American Express.

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Guest PLE Score

Prioritize - 60%
Leverage - 32%
Execute - 8%

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Guest Quote

“I think we have a responsibility as leaders to understand: ‘What are the superpowers I need? Do I have too many of one? Do I have too little of another?’ And then really watching your team to see if they're moving into a different space of their career and helping them to figure out where they can use their superpowers best.” - Olivia Brooks Allan

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Time Stamps

*(3:05) Olivia's Achievement Index

*(4:28) What's on Olivia's mind

*(9:07) Looking just over the horizon when identifying business goals

*(11:43) When the world pivoted in 2020

*(15:06) How Olivia's team maintained all their clients during the pandemic

*(18:44) Everyone has their own superpower

*(21:50) Lessons from being a caregiver

*(26:41) Why you need to set aside your ego

*(32:46) Delivering effective feedback with empathy

*(37:09) Matters of the head vs matters of the heart