The Leadership Experiment with Royce and Mia

Squirrel alert! Royce and Mia catch up after being knee deep in travel. They share a recent experience in their first-time conference emceeing gig, observation of talent, diversity and how it impacts cultural fit in the Great Resignation.

The Great Resignation has been splashed across headlines for months. One of The Leadership Experiment's listeners writes in and asks if he should join in. Royce and Mia discuss it along with some practical advice when leaving the current job.

Royce and Mia tackle two questions in this episode where they clearly need a better producer. In the day and age where remote work is becoming the norm, what should an employee do when they think their job can be remote, but the boss says no? What should the employee consider and how can they make a case? Mia also brings up the topic of gift giving in the workplace. The holidays may have passed, but there are many opportunities during the year to give gifts. What about gifting to the boss? Is this ever appropriate?

We've all been in a situation where we felt the boss was wrong. Do you just submit and support? Or, do you attempt to let them know? Is one option better than the other? Royce and Mia debate this topic. If you want to skip the love-fest reunion of the two hosts after a brief hiatus, jump ahead a few minutes.

With recent headlines debating the sustainability of the hybrid or remote office, Royce and Mia continue the conversation about returning to work in this sort-of-Part-2. Somehow Royce works in Mrs. Doubtfire and Naked and Afraid to support his hypothesis. 

One of them was anti-remote work. One supported it even before pandemic life. One of them thinks remote working is a luxury. One doesn't. Listen in as Royce and Mia talk about what leaders should be considering as they approach their return to work strategy.

Royce and Mia tackle two listeners' questions about the challenges of leading a team post-COVID and dealing with a new player in the sandbox.

Mia has listener questions queued up, but Royce calls an audible. Rather than host the traditional Friday Happy Hour, Royce flips the script and interviews Mia about her recent trip to Belize and connects facing fears to leadership, learning through pain, and manages to throw in a lesson on the importance of the mental game - thanks to last week's MotoGP race.

Royce and Mia debate impromptu topics from "delegation or ownership" to "formal education or the school of hard knocks." (And, Royce schools us all on the origination of the term 'blitz'.)

My colleagues and I agree that the organization has a cultural problem. But how do I impact change without being a senior leader? Should I leave now for something better? 

Royce uses his favorite Marvel movies and philosophy to unpack the morality of leadership. Mia catches up...eventually.

A listener wants to know how to handle a budget cut. Royce and Mia discuss that while you can't prevent what is often the inevitable, you can take strategic and proactive steps to position your work as an investment and not an expense.

What are some of the best and worst leadership traits? Mia argues that the definition of leadership is elusive while Royce takes us on a Biblical excursion to highlight some of the best and worst leadership examples.

Whether your boss is THE boss, a VP, or a first line supervisor, what do you do when you sense a disturbance in the force? Royce and Mia debate what to do when the writing seems to be on the wall.

What do you do for teambuilding and does it really work to build the team? Our second listener wants to know why their discipline doesn't get as much respect as accounting or operations. Royce says it's self-inflicted. Do you agree?

How tired are you? The pandemic life is impacting our employees' bandwidth - especially creative types. Royce and Mia chat about how to motivate teams during this unprecedented time. And, Royce has more Cheshire Cat quotes...

Royce and Mia tackle a question from a listener who writes in about a new job opening at their company, but doesn't think they should have to apply for a role they deserve. Or do they? (Mia almost loses it.) And, when do you intervene as a leader when your team is at a crossroad?

Mia and Royce chat about three topics leaders can expect to see in 2021.

Sometimes we're afraid to do the hard work because it's not comfortable. But that's what it takes to get the grit. Susan Toalson sits down with Royce and Mia to discuss the power of being "member obsessed" and some of our biggest observations in leadership.

Royce and Mia talk about meta stereotypes and cultural experiences that impact these perceived differences and how we might not be that different after all. And, can we please stop saying Millennials are lazy? Yeah. Let's just stop.

A CEO is wondering why both long-term and short-term employees keep leaving. Maybe they found a better opportunity, but maybe it's you.

The world is a very small place. Amidst a global pandemic, Chris Armstrong creative genius and founder of NIICE, a UK-based creative firm, spends time with Royce and Mia describing the value of employee trust, the battle of isolation, and how the creative landscape has changed in 2020. Although halfway around the world in Ireland, Chris describes his approach to some of the very same challenges we all face in this remote working environment stateside. And, Royce is dying to ask his one serious question....about Irish potatoes.

Mia and Royce tackle two questions during this Happy Hour segment. They address the secret to getting promoted and how to prepare yourself for becoming the CEO. Royce cracks some Star Wars jokes that Mia clearly doesn't get.

Dress code in the workplace is often a challenge - even more so in a COVID-comfy world. Have the days of professional attire gone by the wayside? Royce and Mia discuss office attire, what it says about you, and the impact working from home might have on our approach to dress. Prepare yourself: Royce gives us all a history lesson in some of today's popular fashion.

The debate continues. Mia and Royce continue their conversation about goal relevance. Mia says goals add clarity and lines of sight to the overall strategic mission. Royce says goals or not, just move the needle. Who's right?

Should a team or an organization have goals? Mia and Royce debate goal relevance. Mia says goals add clarity and lines of sight to the overall strategic mission. Royce says goals or not, just move the needle. Who's right? It's long y'all...so it's two parts so you can grab a cocktail in-between.

During this Happy Hour segment, Royce and Mia answer two listener questions that have to do with bad bossing.

A great employee doesn't always make a great manager. Why? Royce and Mia discuss why this is and the importance of recognizing your skill gaps.

What is executive polish or executive presence? What does acting and looking like a leader mean? Royce and Mia discuss this listener's question on this episode of the Leadership Experiment Happy Hour.

We've all been there: a deadline is looming and the creative block is swinging it's legs on your brain. Royce and Mia talk about techniques to overcome this common challenge along with some convo about what separates a winner from the almost-winner, cocktails, and why personal development is just that..."personal".

Do you dread the performance evaluation? Listen in as one of our listeners asks how to handle a boss that refuses to give excellent ratings on their annual review.

It's episode one! Learn about Royce and Mia, how they met, and what they'll share in this intro segment of the Leadership Experiment.