The Remarkable Leadership Podcast

We are in the middle of a series of episodes about collections. And if you haven't noticed yet, some of these collections are of "things" that you might not have thought of collecting. In fact, most of them aren't anything that you can put on a shelf or in a room of your house. Today's episode is no different as I'm revealing the value in collecting questions as well as an easy process and tips for helping you to collect them.

There are more new managers in the workplace than veterans. You must start somewhere. Julie Zhuo is the VP of Product Design at Facebook and the author of THE MAKING OF A MANAGER: What To Do When Everyone Looks to You. Julie found herself as a new manager years ago and after the celebration ended, she realized she wasn't 100% sure what she was doing. She joins Kevin to discuss the transition to new leadership. There are opportunities to coach your new leader and opportunities for you to grow if you find yourself in that position. It starts with conversations and willingness to build relationships, even if it is uncomfortable. In this episode, Julie talks about 1. Coaching for new leaders. 2. Advice for better one-on-ones. 3. Managing yourself. Additional Leadership Resources Book Recommendations: The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy Learn more about Julie Zhuo. Buy Julie's book, The Making of a Manager. Sign up for our free video training series, 13 Days to Remarkable Leadership. Get your free copy of my inspiring e-book, 101 Ways to Unleash Your Potential.

This is the third episode in a series on "collections". Now to the casual observer, a series on collections might seem an odd choice for a leadership blog. But trust me, it's not. Because we aren't talking about things that take up space on a shelf or that you put in a display case. We are talking about collections that will change your leadership life. And in this episode, we're collecting IDEAS.

Many organizations are not thinking of how their culture can move them forward. Not only do you need to think about how to create your culture, but you also need to own it. Eric Stutzman is a co-author of The Culture Question: How to Create a Workplace Where People Like to Work. The book includes survey feedback from over 2,400 leaders and employees. Kevin and Eric talk about some of these findings, such as there is a direct correlation between leaders communicating with purpose AND in meaningful ways and people feeling like they have a great workplace. In order to create meaningful work, there need to be intentional conversations about progress. Further, how and when a leader should respond to conflict.

Today I'm talking again about collections but this collection won't take up a single inch of space in your house or office and yet could be one of the most "valuable" things you can collect.

Hospitable leadership is about creating an environment where you lead more effectively because you are leading with authenticity. Terry A. Smith has served as lead pastor of The Life Christian Church (TLCC) for twenty-seven years. He is also the author of The Hospitable Leader. Terry is passionate about challenging, developing, and encouraging leaders, whether they know they are leaders or not. Kevin and Terry discuss the idea of being welcoming and how our communication becomes more effective when we find commonality and listen before moving straight to the message.

Hospitable leadership is about creating an environment where you lead more effectively because you are leading with authenticity. Terry A. Smith has served as lead pastor of The Life Christian Church (TLCC) for twenty-seven years. He is also the author of The Hospitable Leader. Terry is passionate about challenging, developing, and encouraging leaders, whether they know they are leaders or not. Kevin and Terry discuss the idea of being welcoming and how our communication becomes more effective when we find commonality and listen before moving straight to the message.

You may or may not know, but I am a collector of antique tractors – yes, the real, life-sized tractors that you'd find on a farm. And while this is a fun fact, I mention it today for more reasons than that. I am talking today about collectors because I have some observations on collectors and why it matters to you as a leader.

The operating system that worked on the factory floors 100 years ago does not work today, yet we still try to manage from that perspective. Aaron Dignan is looking at the way we work and turning it on its head to do better. Aaron is the founder of The Ready and author of his latest book, Brave New Work: Are You Ready to Reinvent your Organization? Aaron and Kevin discuss building teams that learn and recognizing the complexity of human nature. We need our folks to be making more decisions and they need to do that with a purpose. Once we can start with how we are connected and can truly answer what is holding us back. In this episode, Aaron talks about 1. The Future of Work. 2. Fractal purpose. 3. SLAM Teams. Additional Resources Team Human by Douglas Rushkoff https://bravenewwork.com/ https://theready.com/

Most of us look in a mirror every day – and sometimes more than once! But I'm not talking about looking in a mirror in this regard. In this episode, I am advocating for a mirror as it relates to our leadership and I'm asking a few questions to help you understand what you'll see when you look in this mirror and what you can do with what you'll see.

Leaders at all levels in an organization manage most business risks daily. Steve Trautman joins Kevin to talk about how you can manage talent risk, which is critical in today's employment environment. Steve is the author of Do You Have WHO It Takes: Managing Talent Risk in a High Stakes Technical Workforce. He and Kevin talk about ideas for every level of an organization (including the corporate board) to manage talent risk with hard data. He debunks some common talent myths and feedback to encourage the right types of learning in the workplace. In this episode, Steve 1. Defines talent risk. 2. Shares common talent myths. 3. Discussed the cost of not managing talent risk. Additional Resources: Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande Learn more about Steve Trautman

It seems only appropriate that today, at the start of a new year, I talk about habits. And I'm starting with a question for you to think about to help you ensure that your habits are serving you as best as they can.

Hunter Harrison was a four-time CEO in the railroad business, turning around each organization he ran. During his tenure with multiple companies, he wanted his employees to think like a leader and owner. Kevin sits down with Howard Green, author of Railroader: The Unfiltered Genius and Controversy of Four-Time CEO Hunter Harris. Howard is a former broadcast journalist with more than 14,000 interviews and wrote Hunter's personal biography based on conversations with Harrison over several years. He shares insights into Hunter's leadership style and the moments that set him apart as CEO. Additional Links: http://www.howardgreen.com/ https://twitter.com/howardgreennews https://www.linkedin.com/in/hgreen1/?originalSubdomain=ca Amazon bookpage: https://www.amazon.com/Railroader-Unfiltered-Controversy-Four-Time-Harrison/dp/1989025048/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

I've gone to a lot of "life events" and experiences and there's one thing that I see people doing over and over again that not only makes me sad, but also gets in the way of making memories. I'll give you several tips to help you lock in and make memories that last for years to come.

Have you ever hoped for a root canal appointment (insert another unpleasant task) to get you out of a meeting? Elise Keith is the founder and Meeting Maven for Lucid Meetings. In short, she is looking for the best ways to make it easy for people to enjoy meetings that get work done. She joins Kevin to discuss her book, Where the Action Is: The Meetings That Make or Break Your Organization. She believes that when you change the meeting, you change everything else. Elise emphasizes that the whole point of a meeting is to gather people for a purpose and shares different meeting types to help us get to the why. In this episode, Elise touches on 1. Successful meetings. 2. Agendas and desired outcomes. 3. Meeting operating systems. When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel H. Pink https://amzn.to/2RkAtAX https://www.lucidmeetings.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisekeith/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lucidmeetings

We all make lots of mistakes in communication. But there is one in particular that has the biggest negative impact on our communication success. I'm sharing four simple questions that you can ask to help avoid this most common communication mistake in the episode today. Learn more and sign up for our FREE video leadership program, 13 Days to Remarkable Leadership, here.

Competence is a valued professional trait. But it's not enough to be competent, you must share your competence, so your words do make a difference. They can help you steer perception, as we form impressions with little actual knowledge. Dr. Jack Nasher is a business psychologist, negotiator and author of Convinced!: How to Prove Your Competence & Win People Over. As a side, he also performs as a mentalist at the world-renowned Magic Castle in Hollywood. He joins Kevin to discuss expectation management and competence framing, among other things to help shape how others see you. In this episode, Jack talks about 1. Real and perceived competence. 2. The role of Status. 2. Likeability and leadership. The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker https://amzn.to/2P7MB6v https://jacknasher.com/en/home-2/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacknasher/?originalSubdomain=de

This episode is in response to your direct feedback when I asked viewers in a previous episode to send in requests for topics that they wanted me to discuss. So today, I'm sharing how you can share meaningful and positive reinforcement, including WHY you should provide this to your team.

Fred Halstead is an executive coach and author of Leadership Skills that Inspire Incredible Results. He sits down with Kevin to talk about the little things, like listening and asking questions, you can do to be a more effective leader. Although he mentions these are little things, this does not mean they are easy, and you must be intentional. Fred discusses that interrupting, with a purpose, invites the other purpose to explore their thinking. The more you can listen and ask questions, the more they are going to trust and respect you. In this episode, Fred shares 1. Inhibitors to thinking. 2. The power of questions. 3. The importance of acknowledgment. Additional Resources: Unshakable Hope: Building Our Lives on the Promises of God by Max Lucado - https://amzn.to/2U1Jbpt

Last week was our 250th episode of Remarkable TV and while I was filming that episode, I got to thinking about the power of small steps. In today's episode, I am going to share my observations in what I've learned about this very powerful idea.

The best organizations are not just employing players, they are building something bigger. Their leaders are intentionally creating a culture and continuing to drive and maintain that culture. Kevin sits down with Michael Lombardi, most recently on the coaching staff for Bill Belichick in the New England Patriots' front office, after thirty years working for the San Francisco 49ers, the Oakland Raiders, and the Cleveland Browns (where he was general manager for two years). He shares his thoughts about what makes football organizations tick at the championship level in his book, Gridiron Genius. Although the book focuses on the business of the NFL, Kevin and Michael discuss leadership principles, applicable everywhere. As a leader, you need to understand why you are in that position and help your people visualize success. In this episode, Michael discusses 1. False duality. 2. Qualities of great coaches. Robert A. Caro's The Years of Lyndon Johnson Set: The Path to Power; Means of Ascent; Master of the Senate; The Passage of Power https://amzn.to/2zisu0s When Pride Still Mattered : A Life Of Vince Lombardi by David Maraniss https://amzn.to/2R0wPw8 prh.com/gridirongenius twitter: @mlombardiNFL

This is the 250th episode of Remarkable TV so it only seems appropriate that we use our journey in getting here to talk about the power of process improvement. In this episode, I'll share one of the biggest reasons for our success in launching this video series as well as three simple ideas you can use to help process improvement in your life and in your organization.

Asking questions does more for us than just getting an "answer". Questions can help our decision-making, creativity and innovation and build relationships. Kevin sits down with Warren Berger, author of The Book of Beautiful Questions. Warren is a questionologist and encourages leaders to value the question and take ownership of our questions. Further, you cannot stop with just the "why" The cycle of questions moves you to the "what if" and "how". They need to ambitious and actionable.

There are more than a few reasons for additional stress during the holiday season… Family, giving gifts, finances, over-commitment…the list goes on… So today, I'm giving two simple stress relievers to help you de-stress and relax as we head into the busy holiday season.

Tom Murry spent 17 years as the CEO of Calvin Klein and facilitated the brand's growth from 2.8 billion to $8 billion. Tom joins Kevin to talk about teamwork. Tom believes his success came from surrounding himself with talented folks. Further, he knows to be effective you need to enjoy your work and enjoy your team.

Today's episode is the fourth in my series based on a talk that I gave to a group of sixth, seventh and eighth graders. During the talk, we discussed several of the ideas in the new culture that they are creating at the school. They call it GRIT. And this week, I am focusing on the final letter, T, which stands for Trust.

As we kick off 2019, Kevin steps back and reflects on 2018. His guests included a billionaire, Super Bowl winner, NFL Cheerleader, multiple best-selling authors including Seth Godin, Jeffrey Gittomer and Tom Peters who measure in millions of book sales. He shares some general observations from the interviews, as well as those "nuggets" he has applied in both his personal and professional life. Let us know what you have learned. What is your "Now What"? Here is a list of the episodes Kevin mentioned. The Power of Vulnerability with Jeff Manchester Is it Marketing or Leadership? with Seth Godin Building a Peak Performance Organization with Chris McGoff It All Matters with Paul Cummings How to Be Great at Work with Morten Hansen What Leaders Must Know About Positioning with Andy Cunningham Winning! With Gary Brackett Leader Types in the White House with Cash Keahey How to Be a Talen Magnet with Mark Miller Managing Up with Mary Abbajay Creating a Culture of Hospitality with Cameron Mitchell

Today's episode is the third in my series based on a talk that I gave to a group of sixth, seventh and eighth graders. During the talk, we discussed several of the ideas in the new culture that they are creating at the school. They call it GRIT. And this week, I am focusing on the third letter, I, which stands for Intellectual Curiosity.

Kevin sits down and recaps the 10 most downloaded podcasts of 2018 (as of 10 December). He not only provides background about the episode, he shares what you can expect to learn.

Today's episode is the second in a series that is based on a recent talk that I gave to a group of sixth, seventh and eighth graders. During the talk, we discussed several of the ideas in the new culture that they are creating at the school. They call it GRIT. And this week, I am focusing on the second letter, R, which stands for Resilient.

Dr. James Kelley believes there are defining events that cause a fundamental shift in the way leaders (and all of us) do things. This is a crucible moment. James is the author of Crucible's Gift: 5 Lessons from Authentic Leaders Who Thrive in Adversity. For the book, he interviewed over 140 executives from around the world to learn how leaders transform their leadership style after moments of difficulty. James and Kevin dig deeper into adversity, learning, and how these moments cause us to be a better version of ourselves.

I recently spoke to a group of sixth, seventh and eighth graders on their first day of school about the ideas in the new culture that they are creating at the school. They call it GRIT. And this week, I am focusing on the first letter, G, which stands for Gratitude. And in today's episode, I'm sharing the benefits for gratitude and some easy tips to help you show more gratitude.

What difference does JOY make in the workplace and how can you find JOY in leading others? Richard Sheridan joins Kevin to discuss how a joyful culture can bring about business results. He is the CEO and co-founder of Menlo Innovations and author of Joy, Inc.: How We Built a Workplace People Love and his latest book, Chief Joy Officer: How Great Leaders Elevate Human Energy and Eliminate Fear. Richard recognizes that leadership occurs at every level within an organization and challenges us to become a better version each day. Further, the people we are leading need to know we are real and we support their growth through our vulnerability. Richard also says that if you are in the Ann Arbor area and want a tour, just reach out.

I often find myself talking about decision-making in my conversations in training workshops and this question usually comes up: What's the best way to make decisions in a group, and specifically, what should my role as a leader be? And to answer this question, I'm going to describe a decision making trade-off that must be considered and weighed before doing anything else.

Sixty-two percent of CEO's are worried that their employees do not have the skills they need for the company to be successful moving forward. Learning is no a longer a nice to have, it builds a competitive advantage. So how do we have the conversations about skills needed and empower employees to build these skills? Kevin is joined by Kelly Palmer the Chief Learning and Talent Officer at Degreed and co-author of The Expertise Economy. They discuss the rapid changes within workplaces and the paradigm shift needed to make learning proactive to re-skill and upskill the workforce. In this episode, Kelly:1. Defines an expertise economy. 2. Shares case studies of organizations closing the learning gap. 3. Outlines the idea of skills quotient. Resources: The End of Average by Todd Rose https://amzn.to/2OG4hH9 The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity by Lynda Gratton, Andrew Scott https://amzn.to/2DiKQCT https://www.expertiseeconomy.com/ https://www.degreed.com

Have you ever had an experience where once you've shared an idea that was in your head with another person or group of people and as soon as this idea "out in the open", there are way more questions than you ever anticipated and suddenly your once-very-clear idea is a bit fuzzier than before? Yeah, me too. That's why in today's episode, I'm going to talk about the power in WRITING IT DOWN. And yes, I mean with an actual pen or pencil and paper.

Leadership is all about the Golden Rule. Treat others as you would want to be treated. Cameron Mitchell started his career washing dishes for beer money. He had an epiphany one crazy night and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America when he was 22 years old and has developed 18 different restaurant concepts, including Mitchell's Fish Market. Today Cameron Mitchell Restaurants remains independent and privately held recognizing over $300 million in combined annual revenue from its food service operations consisting of 60 restaurants. Cameron and Kevin discuss his new book, Yes the Answer! What is the Question?: How Faith In People and a Culture Of Hospitality Built A Modern American Restaurant Company. They delve into whether the customer is always right and how your culture and values are what hold folks accountable.

In this episode, I'm talking about a pervasive "B" word in our society that is getting in the way of our success and our results. And I'm building a case against this word and giving you five reasons why we need to banish it from our vocabulary.

One face to face conversation is more successful than 34 back and forth e-mails, yet we constantly on our "devices". Dan Scawbel is a New York Times bestselling author, partner, and research director at Future Workplace, and the and the founder of both Millennial Branding and WorkplaceTrends.com. His latest book is Back to Human: How Great Leaders Create Connection in the Age of Isolation. Dan and Kevin talk about how we need to use technology as a bridge to human interaction, not a barrier. People want to bring their full selves to the workplace and Dan explains how a more socially connected workforce saves money long-term.

Seth Godin wants to be ahead of the curve. He believes his role is to notice things and share so individuals can change the culture. Seth is a best-selling author, entrepreneur, blogger, and in the Marketing Hall of Fame. He joins Kevin to discuss marketing, leadership, and thoughts from his most recent book This is Marketing. He believes this is all about doing work that matters for people who care. We need the guts to state our goal and the generosity to share it. Regardless of where we are, we can speak up and make change happen.

Most organizations are trying to grow and change, yet don't build their leadership to grow and change. You need to know what you need to do to make your team successful and that might not be what you did yesterday. Dr. John Hillen is a leadership and strategy professor in the School of Business at George Mason University and the co-author of What Happens Now? Reinvent Yourself as a Leader Before Your Business Outruns You. John and Kevin talk about the importance of not letting the growth of an organization outgrow your leadership skills. Leaders will stall, and the failure is not recognizing that you need to reinvent yourself and reinvest in new skills, behaviors, and mindsets for a changed organization and higher level of performance.

I recently recorded a podcast with Seth Godin, a really smart and prolific blogger, and in our conversation, I asked him about the discipline it takes him to write a blog post every single day. Before answering my question, he re-framed it for me, saying that he didn't like to think of it in terms of discipline but rather intention. His words have had me thinking ever since. Intention versus Discipline – this is such an important distinction. So important that in today's episode, I am taking a deeper dive into this idea and giving you some quick tips and ideas to help you re-frame how you're distinguishing between the two and how you can decide to be more intentional.

A recent study showed that 2/3 of US workers are disengaged and that number is close to 80% worldwide. This may be, in part, because we are living in a ½ virtual and a ½ face-to-face world. Nick Morgan is a communication coach and author. Nick and Kevin talk about his most recent book, Can You Hear Me? How to connect with people in a virtual world. Body language is important for communication, so what happens when you are working with folks around the globe? Nick explains that communication is an emotional exchange and delves into why online connections are fragile.

Jeffrey Gitomer is the King of Sales and New York Times bestselling author. In his latest book, Truthful Living, Jeffrey compiled, edited and annotated the lectures of Napoleon Hill. He joins Kevin to talk about his access to original course notes and why he thinks Hill's lessons are more bankable today than they were 100 years ago. He shares Hill's foundational wisdom and challenges us to think about what we aren't doing.

In this episode, I am really practicing what I preach by being personally vulnerable and sharing some valuable lessons that leaders can learn when they open themselves up to others and are truly vulnerable.

Legendary service drives business. Legendary service is CONSISTENTLY delivering so your customers come back; both internal and external. Kevin sits down with Vicki Halsey, co- author of Legendary Service Legendary Service: The Key Is to Care, with Ken Blanchard and Kathy Cuff, to discuss connecting with each other to do our best possible work. She challenges us to listen to understand and ask ourselves what a 9 or 10 rating looks like for our customer. You have the power to serve at the highest level.

Despite all our "friends", "followers" and "users", we are feeling more isolated than ever. Radha Agrawal calls this "community confusion," Radha is the author of BELONG: Find Your People, Create Community, and Live a More Connected Life. She chats with Kevin about leadership, gentle self-awareness and community. She believes leaders need to cultivate their personal communities beyond business. When leaders find support, they create connections (both personal and within their teams), which studies show are our key to happiness, fulfillment, and success.

When most people think about "balance", they think about it in relation to work and life: work/life balance. And while I am going to discuss this in this episode, it's not where I am going to start. Instead, I'm starting with a bicycle analogy.

Less than ½ of organizations say they have a consistent understanding of what strategy is and have a common language for it. Today Kevin and bestselling author on strategy Rich Horwath, most recently of STRATEGYMAN VS. THE ANTI-STRATEGY SQUAD, chat about how leaders can build their team's strategic capabilities. He believes that many managers are not maximizing the potential in their organization because they are not looking at insights. Everyone can think strategically, and we need to use this power to impact the bottom line.

Understanding your point of view is a launching point to becoming more emotionally intelligent, thereby building better relationships. Guy Harris is part of the Kevin Eikenberry team as a coach and master trainer and co-author of From Bud to Boss. Prior to becoming a trainer and coach, Guy served as a Nuclear Engineering Officer in the U.S. Navy Submarine Force. What he came to discover was that all his technical training did not prepare him to deal with humans. People were more complex than submarines AND if he wanted to make a greater impact he needed to work with others. He joins Kevin, in part, to discuss team building, relationships, and personality testing. Tests, such as DISC, should be used as a tool to build self-awareness, which is a stepping stone to becoming a better leader.