Tag Archives: business

Tips For Developing Your Ethical & Moral Courage

Podcast, , , , , , , , , ,

In this episode of the Ultimate Leadership Chris is joined by the shows “resident expert” on  ethical leadership Charles “Chad” Weinstein. Chad shares his knowledge and expertise on developing the moral courage and gives us these three tips.

  1. Know Yourself and What Scares You
  2. Recognize your points of inflection and how to change directions
  3. Reflect on a daily basis

Chad then discusses how to practice ethical leadership while working in the virtual world during the pandemic, and the importance of developing mentorship to assist with cultivating moral courage.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

The Coach & the Monk: Take Two

Podcast, , , , , , , , , ,

I’m so excited to have Danny Creed and Craig Marshall back on the show. Join us for a fascinating conversation about how to achieve success without sacrificing your personal wellbeing.

On today’s podcast:

  • Ditch time management, it’s all about priority management now
  • Happiness vs joy
  • Allowing our higher selves to guide us more
  • Taking baby steps

Links:

Ditch time management, it’s all about priority management now

One of the things Danny and Craig are on a mission to do is to show people how to be successful, and at the same how to nurture their souls.

Everyone is looking for the right work-life balance. We have to learn how to mix business and life together so that we can achieve the best results.

You shouldn’t be looking into time management, it’s all about priority management. We have to understand what has the highest priority for us based on the consequences.

Happiness vs joy

German writer Goethe once said, “Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least.” When you can control what you’re doing, your stress level also goes down.

There is no happy ending to an unhappy journey. Many people feel like they need to struggle and climb ladders. There is no need to suffer.

There is a distinction between the words “happiness” and “joy”. Happiness has a cause. It’s based upon some sort of external condition of achievement. Joy is very different. It’s a perky, fun state of consciousness. Joy is about enjoying every step in your journey.

Allowing our higher selves to guide us more

Craig realized that he is the one creating his own reality. He decided to take total personal responsibility.

As a monk, he also learned that he has a higher and a lower self. The higher self is intuitive, creative, joyous. The lower self, the little ego, is fearful, it sometimes shuts down, and has a lot of old school beliefs.

The third thing he learned is that whatever he chooses to put his attention on to, it’s going to increase. If he puts his mind on success and the specifics of achieving it, that’s going to grow.

The fourth thing he has learned is that mindfulness practices are actually tools to tap into his inner guidance from his higher self.

Taking baby steps

If we can improve the quality and the clarity of our thinking by one-tenth of one percent a day, in time we will experience massive personal growth.

Success happens by getting small wins, by changing small habits.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

How to Be a Balanced Leader

Podcast, , , , , , , , ,

One of the most important skills we need to learn as leaders is how to balance things effectively. This week I have the perfect guest to help us with that: keynote speaker and author Rocky Romanella.

On today’s podcast:

  • We’re all leaders
  • What is balanced leadership?
  • What are you trying to accomplish?
  • We need to think about our legacy

Links:

We’re all leaders

Rocky believes that we’re all leaders. Sometimes we can get caught up in titles, but at the end of the day we’re all leaders at one time or another.

For him, leadership is leaving things a little better than you’ve found them. Are people better after they’ve interacted with you? Then you’re a leader.

What is balanced leadership?

Rocky noticed that great leaders always keep things in balance. Extremes are generally no good on either side. So how do you find this balance?

When you swing one way too far as a company or a leader, you get out of balance. Rocky began to develop the concept of balanced leadership.

Every time you need to make a decision, challenge yourself with three questions:

  • Am I thinking like a customer?
  • Will my people understand the role that they play and why we’re doing what we’re doing?
  • Am I acting like an owner?

What are you trying to accomplish?

Ask yourself “What is it that I’m trying to accomplish? What are the things that are important to me?”

Each one of us show take inventory of three key things:

  • Who am I?
  • What do I stand for?
  • What won’t I compromise?

Great leaders understand how to accept and handle bad news, they know when to apologize and when to move forward.

We need to think about our legacy

As a leader, you have to believe in your people many times until they’re ready to believe in themselves.

For Rocky, leadership is ultimately about legacy. Things are better because of you and people will remember you for the good things you’ve left behind.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

How to Master the Skill of Active Listening

Podcast, , , , , , , , , ,

My guest today is author and coach Denise Dudley, here to share with us her expertise on the art of active listening. It’s important that we all become aware of the fact that by fully listening to what someone has to say we honor that person. Active listening sounds like a tough job, but once we commit to it, we will almost instantly improve our relationships on a noticeable scale.

On today’s podcast:

  • Always watch for cues to make sure your listeners are still there
  • Commit to actively listen
  • Listen without formulating a response in your head
  • Paraphrase more

Links:

Always watch for cues to make sure your listeners are still there

Listening seems to us like a very passive activity. Research has shown that when you’re truly listening, many parts of your brain lighten up. There is a lot going on, but physically it feels like we’re just sitting there.

Part of your job as a speaker is to always be listening and watching for feedback in your listener(s). Watch for cues to make sure your listeners are still with you and they haven’t become bored.

Sometimes it’s important to sit still when we’re listening so that we can send the message of “I’m with you, I’m not thinking about anything else.”

Commit to actively listen

If you are going to really listen to someone, go to a quieter, neutral room. Make sure you also avoid distractions.

We try to have our most important conversations in person, because we get to have these visual cues.

The first step in any journey towards becoming better at whatever it is you’re interested in is to actually make a commitment.

Listen without formulating a response in your head

Sometimes people may have different views. It’s hard to suspend your immediate judgment, but it’s really important to do it if you really want to listen to what that person is saying.

Suspending your immediate judgment has to do with listening without formulating a response just yet and staying open enough.

It’s important to make a commitment not to interrupt. Wait because people need to feel that they are heard. Only interrupt someone if they’re being offensive or abusive.

Paraphrase more

Paraphrasing is really the best first thing that you can say once you’ve been listening to a segment of someone’s story.

When you hit it right, you see the other person lighten up. If you hit it wrong, you get a red light.

It’s also important to “listen” to nonverbal communication.

Brains don’t really love to multitask. Many people actually resist multitasking. You are multitasking if you’re listening and considering what you’re going to say next. Wait until the person is finished and then formulate your response.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

How to Create More Success by Changing Our Relationship with Failure

Podcast, , , , , , , , , ,

One of the most important things we can do as leaders is to create a safe environment where our team members know that they can make mistakes. My guest today is executive coach Christine Springer, here to share with us her expertise on how to build resilience and self-compassion.

On today’s podcast:

  • Using setbacks to come back stronger
  • Feeling safe when making mistakes
  • The two biggest myths about resilience
  • Having a fixed vs a growth mindset
  • The first step to take in order to build resilience

Links:

Using setbacks to come back stronger

Being resilient is having the ability to handle change and setbacks. You use those setbacks and failure to actually come back stronger.

Why does adversity keep us from moving forward? What are we afraid of? The number one reason why people struggle to be resilient is that we judge ourselves. We take it personally.

We sometimes mix up taking responsibility with beating ourselves up.

Feeling safe when making mistakes

When we are young, we figure out the best way to survive in our environment. Many of us grew up with teachers or parents judging us.

One of the most important things we do as adults is learning how to shift the survival strategies we adopted as kids to strategies that can actually make us thrive.

The way we can help kids and team members is to make them feel safe when they make mistakes.

The two biggest myths about resilience

The first biggest myth about resilience is that if you are resilient, you’re going to be immune to feeling disappointment about the setback or the failure. When we feel disappointed about that, you start beating yourself up about feeling disappointed.

The second biggest myth about resilience is the belief that you either are resilient, or you are not. Also, that if you are not resilient, that you cannot develop it. That’s not true.

You need to have the desire to build resilience and to keep practicing.

Having a fixed vs a growth mindset

It’s important to allow yourself to feel whatever you’re feeling whether it’s disappointment or frustration. You have to actually feel it. Your body will store any emotion that you don’t allow yourself to feel fully and let go of.

You need to be able to develop a personal relationship with each of your team members. Develop a plan together of what success looks like.

People with a fixed mindset tend to be less resilient because they take failure very personally. People with a growth mindset are almost kind of curious about failure. They are energized by the idea of solving a puzzle.

The first step to take in order to build resilience

The first step to take in order to build resilience is to recognize the three habits that make us not resilient: perfectionism, personalizing feedback, and persevering on mistakes.

When we’re mindful of these tendencies, we can catch ourselves before they sabotage us later on in the game.

Shift from the three Ps to the three Cs: compassion, curiosity, and confidence.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

Developing a Culture of Learning Within Our Organizations

Podcast, , , , , , , , , , ,

One of the most important topics that we often don’t consider is investing in our everyday learning. My guest today, leadership consultant Liz Czepiel, is the perfect person to guide us when it comes to this vital component of every organization.

On today’s podcast:

  • Creating a culture of learning is vital to our organizational success
  • Avoiding the easy approach and going for the bigger picture
  • Being very specific and strategic
  • Knowing your expectations

Links:

Creating a culture of learning is vital to our organizational success

People are an organization’s most valuable asset. How can we get the most out of them? We have to figure out what drives and motivates them.

When we step into leadership roles, part of our responsibility is to develop our teams. A big component of that is helping our teams learn about themselves and the business.

Learning within an organization correlates with innovation. We need to challenge our employees to think bigger and broader, to be better than the competition.

Avoiding the easy approach and going for the bigger picture

When organizations take the easy approach, they invest in the wrong solutions. They should be factoring in what will support organizational goals.

When it comes to learning, we want it to be extremely practical to our employees.

When organizations think about their learning approach holistically, it’s a complete game changer.

Being very specific and strategic

It’s important to expand learning opportunities behind the classroom. Most people learn by doing. Some of the most powerful learning experiences involve practical applications of learning principles.

You also need to be very specific about the people that you are bringing on board. Make sure to bring people who want to innovate.

An organization shouldn’t look to invest in the biggest e-learning system to just check the box for their employees. You need to be really specific and strategic. More isn’t always better.

Knowing your expectations

Learning and development shouldn’t stop once you’re a director. One of the most beneficial that organizations can do is to continuously invest in their leadership.

You need to be super clear on what your expectations are when it comes to learning. Think about how you are going to incorporate them into things like your performance reviews.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

How to Fast-Track Your Success

Podcast, , , , , , , , , ,

Do you want to fast-track your success and achieve great results? My guest this week, international speaker Camilita Nuttall, is here to tell you what works from her own personal experience. Tune in to find out the 12 steps to grow your business exponentially.

On today’s podcast:

  • Focus+Work*Belief-Fear=Results
  • Don’t be afraid to lose
  • Be steadfast in your efforts
  • Focus on income-generating work and have a clear customer plan
  • Always seek knowledge
  • Always reinvent yourself and find the people at the top

Links:

Focus+Work*Belief-Fear=Results

In How to Fast-Track Your Success in 12 Simple Steps, Camilita writes that Focus+Work*Belief-Fear=Results.

Focus means forgetting everything else. Focus has to do with commitment, and commitment means the death of all other options.

First you need to focus, then you need to do the work. When everything is going wrong, that’s the time you have to believe. We all want to quit sometimes, but when we push through the fear of our own selves, that’s when we get the results.

Don’t be afraid to lose

It’s important to set goals of precision. Focus on every little detail. Also, don’t be afraid to quit. You will feel like quitting every single day.

Don’t be afraid to lose, because you will lose and that’s normal. Be willing to do extraordinary things.

Have a bulletproof mindset. That’s where you win or lose, in your own mind. Have a positive mental attitude.

Be steadfast in your efforts

Create something from nothing. If you want to grow your business, find something that everyone else is looking for, create it, and then find multiple ways to make money from it.

Be a giver, not a taker.

Be steadfast in your efforts. Keep going because life happens. You are bigger and better than that.

Focus on income-generating work and have a clear customer plan

Only focus on income-generating work. The reason why most businesses struggle or fail in the first five years is that their focus is not on income-generating work.

The size and quality of your network determine your net worth.

Learn the difference between having a clear customer plan vs a business plan. Very few people today have a customer plan. Ask yourself:

  • What is your customer looking for?
  • What do they want?
  • Is your business customer-led or business plan-led?

Always seek knowledge

Utilize the most important tip for massive growth and success: ASK (Always Seek Knowledge).

We have not because we ask not.

If you need something in business, there is someone who has the key to your next success. The more you ask, the quicker you will grow. What do you have to lose?

Always reinvent yourself and find the people at the top

Find new ways to market your brand, product, or service online or offline. When was the last time you had a launch or a relaunch? Keep people in the loop. Always reinvent yourself.

Go from the top down, not the bottom up. Always go to the decision-makers, not to the gatekeepers. Find the people at the top and ask them.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

From Being an Expert to Becoming an Authority

Podcast, , , , , , , , , ,

We are all stuck with each other on this planet, so we might as well learn from each other and be willing to share our expertise. A firm believer in the power of mentorship is my guest and good friend, Simone Vincenzi. Join us as we explore the unlimited possibilities of what a good coach has to offer.

On today’s podcast:

  • Focusing on a good work-life balance
  • The difference between “rubber” and “glass” activities
  • The best ideas come to you in the most unexpected moments
  • Differences between American and European leadership development styles
  • Simone’s principles
  • Simone’s podcast and classes

Links:

Focusing on a good work-life balance

Simone is motivated by serving his clients. He is helping experts become authorities in their fields, and this is what makes him happy.

He doesn’t want to work all the time. His solution to a good work-life balance is focusing on work when he is working, and focusing on relaxing when he is on holidays. Simone also makes sure he carves out pockets of time for his wife.

The difference between “rubber” and “glass” activities

After reading “The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results”, Simone understood the importance of scheduling and prioritizing.

The book talks about different ways of scheduling your time and finding out what’s really important to you. It classifies activities as being “rubber” or “glass”.

Rubber activities can be postponed, they are not made of glass. Glass activities can break, and relationships and family belong to this category.

The best ideas come to you in the most unexpected moments

Entrepreneurs often feel that they never have enough success. Simone has also fought with this feeling for a long time, and he needs to constantly remind himself that he has enough success.

When you’re very passionate about what you do, opportunities open up everywhere. You feel like you don’t want to miss out on anything.

Sometimes you just have to stop for a moment and feel good about your work. We come up with the best ideas when we don’t actively think about solutions.

Differences between American and European leadership development styles

Simone noticed massive differences in leadership development between the US and Europe. In the US, people tend to be go-getters. In Europe, they are more relaxed, sometimes too relaxed.

He moved from Italy to London, because he finds London much more similar in terms of mentality to the US. In Italy, people love complaining, without really seeking a solution to their problems.

In the US, there is an active approach when it comes to leadership development. In Europe, the approach is more reactive. However, the trend seems to be changing nowadays.

Simone’s principles

Simone believes in a few fundamental principles:

  • If you don’t grow, you die.
  • We are in this together. Unfortunately nowadays we are getting more and more isolated. With technology, we have the false feeling that we are more connected, while in reality we are more and more disconnected. Together we can achieve greater things.

Simone’s podcast and classes

On his podcast, Explode Your Expert Biz Show, he interviews leaders and experts and asks them for tips and strategies on how to grow a business, particularly one based on personal brand. The show is full of practical, implementable steps.

If you want to learn more, you can also take one of Simone’s courses. You can find the list here

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More