Labrador Leadership

Best selling Amazon Author Dr. Gail Summerskill talks about her new book on writing titled Writing with Sofie. The professor and creative professional talks convincingly about the need to support those that are trying to improve their writing in the classroom or at the start of their first personal writing project.

Bob talks about research that shows the Corona Virus shutdown may have months remaining rather than weeks. He also shares a story of a pharmacist who is committed to do his duty

Bob updates a directive from the CDC for protecting infrastructure workers who may not have been able to avoid contact. He also reports on ATI Decorative Laminates President Tara Burgio moving production to serve hospitals and law enforcement.

Bob updates the state of the Eastern U.S and talks about opportunities when using power during COVID-19.

Molly Snider of the Coolest Women in the RVA chats about the expansion and hip factor of Scotts Addition.  She talks about what it takes to manage one of the premier properties in midtown.

A recap of the comments from the Surgeon General and thoughts about people who cannot work from home.

This episode marks the start of a daily series on the role of leadership in the new normal.

Bob kicks off the Coolest Women in the RVA series with a special visit from Suzanne Rosenhammer. They talk leadership and career in the tech world of the RVA.

Matthew Shapiro of 6Wheels Consulting is a leader in the disability community. In this episode he and Bob talk abut his work lobbying from the state legislature to the streets on behalf os the disabled.

Bob talks about the place and importance of critical thinking in the leadership toolbox.

Bob talks about strategies we can take to improve eliminating biases in building and leading our teams.

Bob welcomes Megan Morris to the show! They discuss the concept of humble leadership and how it can trigger behaviors that will improve results for your team.

Bob talks about how leaders of a startup may have a different perspective on what leadership actions are most important.

Bob and Alex talk about a list of the top five companies that are know for leadership development.  GE, no surprise, is at the top of that list.  But there are also important points to consider if you are not in one of these larger corporations, not the least of which is whether or not there are leadership development activities going on there.  Bob contends that one of the most important activities is that of assessment, a data driven review of wheat one's strengths and weaknesses are.  Self awareness is at the top of the list, and that characteristic is at the core of emotional intelligence.

Bob kicks of the second season of the podcast with a welcome and a tribute to the leadership of Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt who passed away this summer. Summit was the winningest coach man or woman at the division one level. She took over the team in 1976 at the age of 22. She went on to win eight national titles, appear in 18 Final Fours, and 1,098 games.

The impact that stress can have on leaders, entrepreneurs, and their teams can be so great that it can let all the air out of the balloon. A recent survey showed that 40% of all workers say that their job is very stressful, 26% say they are very burned out. A quarter of people see their job as the number one stressor in their lives. Has life gotten more stressful? What can this mean for you in all the critical roles of your life?

Bob is proud to welcome Entrepreneur On Fire's John Lee Dumas! John takes time out from his hugely successful Fire Nation to share his thoughts on leadership in the service, in the corporate world, and as an entrepreneur. Are you Labsters ready to ignite?

Bob and Alex talk about engaging your employees. Alex contends that a man's voice can be very soothing, but a woman's voice can be very nurturing. Bob says that the best bosses he has had through his career may have been women. Survey results from Gallup say that women managers are more engaged at work. Female employees prefer female bosses.

Bob and Alex talk about the proposition that being late shouldn't be seen as a fault, but rather as a sign of innate optimism.

Bob talks to Mark Smith of Midas of Richmond.  Here is an entrepreneur that gives back to the RVA in the biggest way through blood drives and food banks.  He will give you a free oil change for a blood donation, a state inspection for a food bank donation, and still have his stores as the top performers nationwide (listen to find out just how much revenue this generates).  His staff have the kind of customer service skills that make you want to just hang out there.

If a leader has to have a conversation that escalates into an argument, they need to know how to make it a productive one. Bob and Alex talk about approaches to be for effective at making that happen.

Leaders need to not only aware of the message they send with their own body language but how to read the body language nuances of others. Bob and Alex start with the often discussed crossed arms and the message that they send.

Bob and Alex celebrate the Fourth of July by talking about the courage it takes to get your team out of the mire and inspire them. Times that are characterized by businesses sacrificing customer service for the sake of reducing costs call for leaders to transform their teams.

Bob and Alex talk about the nature of setting goals at the first of the year when we are also setting New Years resolutions.  At the root of the discussion is SMART Goals.  Smart goals are those which are: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time Bound.  During this chat, they share what they each consider is a special goal to them.

Bob welcomes Michael O'Neal of The Solopreneur Hour to talk about his journey to the levels of success in the online world that we find is much broader than podcasting!  Michael talks about the best boss he worked for before becoming "proudly unemployable" and about why entrepreneurs, particular those in affiliate marketing, need to consider their leadership skills very carefully.

Maren Hogan, CEO of Red Branch Media and publisher of Marenated, the blog at Red Branch, comes to Labrador Leadership to talk with Bob about leadership and her own leadership journey. Her own experiences as a chief marketing officer highlight her emerging leadership skills that have brought her to the top of Red Branch.

Hosts Bob Nolley and Alex Mossa rollout the introductory episode of the Labrador Leadership Podcast.  They discuss the goal of the show is to delivery informative discussions and interviews on simple leadership topics that will help people be the best leader they can be for their businesses, their teams, and for themselves. In today's episode, they discuss the critical skill of managing expectations.  This includes how to commit to doing something, the importance of committing to when it will be done, and how you will let your customer know that it is done.

Bob takes a timeout to talk about how we as leaders can frame our thoughts as they relate to the church shootings in Charleston, SC last week.

Bob and Alex are both snowed in and take the time to chat about assessments. Bob suggests that in the past we probably had a switch on the sides of out heads since we so freely create feedback. Getting better at this can be learned. There are good habits that should be reinforced, the most basic of which is not giving feedback only once a year. There should no surprises in annual performance reviews. As much as some leaders have to learn how to give feedback, a much broader segment including those leaders have to learn how to receive feedback. The use of assessment circles is an opportunity to practice recognizing how you feel and to observe how others react.

Bob opens the box on a leader's perspective on emotional intelligence (EI of EQ). He shares the four components of EI and why it is so important.

Bob and Alex work through a list of suggested leadership tips for young entrepreneurs. There is no surprise that hard work is at the top of the list, but it is the second one that is grist for the mill.

Bob takes the opportunity today to answer questions he has received about the show! And, for the first time, the actual recording of the Labrador Leadership Podcast is being broadcast live on Periscope!

Bob and Alex review some research during which executives are put in front of the choir with a baton and told to lead them. What they learned was that there is often a simultaneous need for leading like an introvert and an extrovert. There is the creation of a kind of ambidextrous leadership.

Bob is pleased to welcome his son Robert to the program! Bob and Robert talk a bit about what it's like for a Millennial to emerge from college and hit the job market today.

Bob sits down with his Dad, Bob Nolley Jr., live from Surf City to talk about the path of his career through the corporate world path and what he learned that he wants to share with those walking the path today.

The discussion of communication continues with the topic of listening in the 21st century. There are tactics we need to consider writing and emailing in the current day. The foremost of these is to seek brevity, but this runs counter to the idea that you would take more time in an effort to be clear.

Dan Rockwell is The Leadership Freak. A fanatic, not a basket case. Dan started in the non-profit world. Leadership has been a part of his life since youth. Are leaders be born or made? Dan refers to John Maxwell saying that leaders can be made. The born part may not be genetic but rather from the development support that you receive in those wonder years. Teachers, neighbors, youth leaders, sports coaches are all important.

Having covered the problems with stress in the office, Bob and Alex talk abut the toxic behavior that some people bring to the workplace. Alex suggests that we need strategies to not let them effect your motivation and to go to work happy.

Alex takes the opportunity to introduce us to her Dad Sylvio Mossa to celebrate Fathers Day! For listeners who want to get to know our cohost a little bit better, listen to Alex and her Dad talk reminisce about life in Greensboro, NC, and what it took to successfully start and build Mossa Construction.

Bob discusses the results of a new study from McKinsey & Company on the behaviors that different the big companies that are successful in the major transformations and those that are not. The details can be over whelming, but they boil down to a few general strategies that we have talked about before.

The establishing of an authentic sense of trust is critical to the success of any leader and entrepreneur. Bob and Alex talk bout why trust is really the secret word. After a sidebar into the history of Groucho Marx explaining the nature of the secret word, Bob says trust is wired into ethics, integrity, and confidence.

A big event in the form of a simulcast with Thom Singer of The Conference Catalyst and Cool Thing Entrepreneurs Do. Bob and Thom met through working in a couple of mastermind groups. Labrador Leadership and Cool Thing Entrepreneurs Do are both broadcasting this episode today.

As the HBO series "Game of Thrones" wraps up its most recent season this past weekend, there is a lot being written about leadership lessons that can be learned from these tales. Bob and Alex raise their eyebrows at that contention but then enjoy a welcome "entertainment break" to talk about just how this popular tale may apply.

Bob talks about the concept of Servant Leadership and what the traits of good servant leaders are. He points out that many of these traits are among those considered important for all types of leaders, and how servant leadership can create the relationships that a great leader needs to foster.

Kate Erickson of Entrepreneur on Fire talks with Bob about her leadership journey from college life to retail banking to running one of the most successful online communities with the Future Nation and Entrepreneur On Fire.

Bob talks with Brad Wachter about the challenges leaders face in the senior living industry. As the population ages and many os us look for the next place for our parents, Brad's perspective on the complexities of good leadership show us just how difficult this can be.

Spring has sprung. Alex, thinking seasonally, sees a lot of people moving into new positions for the next challenges in their lives. As they negotiate new opportunities, Bob and Alex talk about the basis of negotiation.

Bob and Alex review an off-beat list of executives', entrepreneurs', and business leaders' offerings of their most important habits.

Bob and Alex hangout over the weekend with family and friends on an analog basis. Back on the airwaves, they bring up what the top leadership traits might be like in the world of project management. Bob says that it is one of the hottest job skill sets now. He has worked in that role in financial institutions, information technology, and education. The list of traits looks similar to the more general list of desirable leadership traits we have discussed.

One of the most subtle but most important differences that leaders must take into consideration (if they are serious about being the best) is the attention they pay to handling different types of personalities. One dimension of this is the difference between the extroverts and the introverts. Bob and Alex talk about the importance and nuance of this leadership skill.