06: Building High Performing Teams with Laura Spining

In this episode of Her Leading Story, I interview my cousin, Laura Spining, about her career that starts in the office of then Senator Al Gore and includes working on the 1992 Presidential campaign, at a telecommunications trade association, and in the private sector.  After taking a couple years  off when her kids were little, she joined the Department of Commerce and is now the Deputy Associate Administrator of the National Telecommunications Information Agency.

What we talk about…..

• Laura’s commitment to service and the responsibility she feels as a steward of taxpayer money.
• Her experience in developing a high performing team, especially how it’s different to do so in a federal agency as compared to the private sector
• Laura’s favorite book, that she reads every year, is How Will You Measure Your Life?  by Clayton Christensen.
• The challenges of hybrid work schedules.
• The importance of kindness (versus nice-ness) in the workplace and how that’s related to having difficult conversations with colleagues.
• What Laura learned from different mentors throughout her career.
• Our grandparents and what we learned from them about life and leadership.

About Laura

Laura Spining serves as the Deputy Associate Administrator for Broadband programs at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Spining leads efforts to engage Tribal leaders, federal agencies, state leaders, non-profits, and other organizations committed to high-speed, affordable, and reliable Internet service for all Americans. Prior to joining NTIA, Ms. Spining served as the Executive Director for the Internet Innovation Alliance, a non-profit promoting digital equity. Ms. Spining has extensive industry experience working at Level 3 Communications for 10 years in network deployment and business development. She is a committed public servant who hopes to change public perception of civil service employees.

You can find Laura on LinkedIn

Free resources!

Yep, free. Julie’s created a couple of free tools to help as you navigate your own leading role. Click the links below.

Quiz: Is it time to make a career change?

Feedback Scripts for Team Leaders - Five scripts that will help you deliver feedback that is supportive, motivating, AND will improve the performance and productivity of your team members.

Julie’s Links:

Julie’s instagram

Julie’s LinkedIn

Feedback or questions? I’d love to hear from you!

Email: julie@julieartiscoaching.com