(upbeat music) - Recently on our series, Lessons in Leadership, my colleague Mary Gamba and I talked to two of our newer, they're not so new anymore, they've been with us for a while.

Delaney McGowan and Chloe Swift, they are the team.

Delaney is the senior producer of "One-on-One."

Chloe works with her as an associate producer.

We talked about what it's like to join a team remotely.

What does leadership really mean in media, especially when things are difficult and time sensitive?

Chloe and Delaney talk about these issues with Mary and I and they're not the only ones who joined a team after COVID, world of remote work and trying to all make it work together.

Check it out.

- Delaney, what has it been like forming a team, a partnership, a collaboration, particularly with Chloe, when you've only seen each other a couple of times in person, mostly remote, please?

- It was definitely different to join a team remotely, and especially in production because, you know, there are a lot of businesses that operate, you know, remotely.

But production is very much a business of people and collaboration, and it's so interesting to see this big shift in media specifically.

And it's honestly kind of amazing and the way that this production is run specifically.

Because, I mean, Steve, you're at your house, right?

And while I'm in Connecticut, Chloe's in- - Nobody's supposed to know that.

What is wrong with you, Delaney?

(women laughing) - He's kidding.

Go ahead.

Chloe's in Philly.

- Chloe's in Philly.

- I'm in an undisclosed location.

Okay, hold on.

You're in Connecticut?

- I'm in Connecticut.

- I am in an undisclosed location in Northern New Jersey.

- You're in an undisclosed location.

You're right, I apologize.

- I'm in Westfield, New Jersey.

- Mary's in Westfield, New Jersey.

I mean, so we- - Chloe's where?

- Chloe's in Pennsylvania, Philly.

- Don't tell me she's a Phillies fan?

- Steve.

(laughs) - How many times have we, oh, I actually, I know this is not relevant to this conversation, but the last time you showed your, but mine have plants in them.

- What it?

- Oh.

- Is that, oh.

- That's genius.

Steve, you should put plants in your little hats.

- No, 'cause I still put ice cream in this.

That's what I got at the stadium.

So hold on, finish your point before I go to Chloe.

Delaney.

- I was, yes?

- Has it worked?

- Yes, it has.

But that's what I was trying to say.

I was saying that I think it's very, I don't know if that would work with everyone, but I think we have a very special thing going on.

And I think that because of our small team, we do wear many hats, right?

And, you know, that's kind of the beauty of it.

And that we are very connected because we, not only because we have to be, but because of the way that, you know, we conduct the production.

- All right, Chloe, how connected do you really feel to a team that 98% of the time we look like this?

- I think I've said this to you before, which is that the work is phenomenal.

The work is 100% percent.

It's the same quality that you would have in person.

I think the only times where you're missing on remote work is that water cooler talk.

I mean, you used to work in an office in Montclair and you'd have lunch every day at 12 o'clock and you'd probably sit around a table most of the time and everyone would kind of- - Well, they never invited me, but go ahead.

Even though you're alone, do you proactively make it your business to connect with other team members?

- Yeah, depending on the day.

I mean, I think that's the beauty is that I don't have to or I can.

And if I'm not feeling up to it, I can do my work and everyone trusts me to do my work.

No one's knocking on my door, and that is really helpful sometimes.

- Yeah, what about that trust thing, Delaney?

And Delaney, another part of this, and Mary jump in here.

I don't wanna disclose too much but Delaney is also a hardworking professional mom.

The juggling, you're in Connecticut.

If we said you had to come into the office, you could not be our producer.

You just couldn't be, right?

The logistics wouldn't work from Connecticut to Northern New Jersey.

How important is the flexibility for you?

- Yeah, I mean, I think this is something that the pandemic really brought out.

You know, I mean obviously it was really an isolating time, but it also brought out, there was the whole issue, right, with moms having to leave their jobs during the pandemic because they didn't have childcare.

- Or dads, or dads, correct.

- Or dads, parents, right?

The whole struggle.

- Mostly moms.

- Mostly moms.

But, you know, I think what's come out of it now is that there is this, and while, you know, just fully disclosing, I do have childcare because you still, it's still a necessity.

You can't, I mean, look, I don't think, I don't believe that you can fully do both jobs at the same time.

But I will say it allows you to be there for certain things that you might not have been able to be there for prior to working remotely.

You know, if there's a doctor's appointment that you need to go to, or if you know your kid's sick and you need to go pick them up.

Those are things that you can now do and you have the flexibility to do it.

- Chloe, you think you're a natural born leader?

- Yes.

- Make the case.

- I think I just did everything first.

In my life, it's always been about how can I be better than the person next to me, and not in a way that's competitive but in a way that how can I strengthen my own abilities to stand out in a crowd?

And that has just stuck with me for a long time.

And so here I am.

I'm very successful 21-year-old speaking to you today.

- And very confident.

Delaney, natural born leader?

Look at you.

(everyone laughing) - How am I supposed to follow up with that?

- No, no, I know, she's a character.

- Yes.

- Okay, so when you're 15, you go, "I'm a leader.

- Me?

- Yes.

- When I'm 15?

- When you're 14, 15, 16.

I'm just asking, I'm curious about this.

Did you say, "I know I was born to be a leader"?

- No, but I don't think that that's bad.

I don't think there's anything wrong.

- I don't think it's bad at all.

- I think for me it was a slower, I'm still learning and I'm still developing, and I think there's nothing wrong with that.

You know, I was also the youngest and, oh, I don't know Chloe, where you sit, but I was the youngest, I was the baby in the family.

And, you know, I kind of was treated like the baby for, I still am.

But I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

I think there's a lot to be said with, you know, letting yourself develop and grow and not always being, I don't think it's always about being so self-assured but it's also about those humble moments too.

And, you know, and allowing that growth to happen and develop.

I mean, I applied originally for the associate producer role, Steve.

Do you remember this?

And then Jackie and Jacqui and I don't know who.

- Or two executive producers.

- Right.

And then they, you know, said, "Hey, we have the senior producer.

Would you be interested?"

- The higher level.

- Right, higher level.

And, you know, I've always wanted to make that jump.

And I think it takes, you know, in this role specifically, I think, you know, during the process, I was showing myself as a leader and moving up even though I didn't so recognize it maybe at the time.

But I think now that I'm in it.

- Look at you.

- I love it.

- I'm making those steps and I'm getting there, and I think that's also part of being a leader too.

It's not always about the confidence, but it's about the, like I said, honoring the journey.

- The journey.

- Wow, look at her going deep on this.

- I love it.

- Mary, before I let these two go, our two terrific leaders who collaborate together with the rest of the team.

Mary, 30 seconds, the importance of giving honest, direct, hard-to -hear feedback to both of them and how it's impacted their growth.

- Oh, absolutely.

And we've had offline conversations over the past few months and I'll be like, "Hey, when you talk to Steve, try this instead, or in that situation, here is what we recommend that you could do differently."

And what you may not know, Jackie and Jacqui give me that same feedback as does Steve.

So we're all transparent, we're all giving that feedback.

Why?

Because we are a small team and we wanna make sure that we're constantly learning and growing.

- To Delaney and Chloe, we wanna thank you for being part of our team.

- That was Lessons in Leadership.

Delaney and Chloe talking to Mary and I about important issues of joining a team during challenging times, remote, and otherwise.

On behalf of everyone at our team, remote and then in person, I'm Steve Adubato.

We'll see you next time.

- [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato is a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

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