Two Are Gathered Leadership Podcast

If you examine the backstory of any successful leader, you'll discover they have their own list of "Most Valuable People" of sorts, and that's influencers in their lives who were always in their corner, who cared about them, and invested in their future. We call those people mentors. They often are in the background, and unknown to many, but they are essential to the development and success of leaders. This is why it's so important to surround yourself by the right influences as you grow in your role.  But, how do you go about choosing an excellent mentor? How do you go about selecting someone who you can mentor? Join Michael and Jim as they explore the extraordinary value and pathway of being mentored, and being a mentor.

One of the greatest traits a leader can have is their ability...just like a prize fighter...to take a hit. Because if you're going to take a leadership role, you're getting into the ring...and your opponents aren't going to be taking it easy on you. When it comes to launching or managing an organization, there is no sugarcoating this...it won't be simple. In fact, it will probably be the hardest thing you'll ever do in your lifetime. We wish this wasn't an exaggeration. You will encounter unimaginable adversity along the way. Disappointments. Unexpected obstacles. A lot of injustice. Yet, successful leaders are able to survive by leaning on the strong belief that when seemingly insurmountable difficulties arrive, they'll be able to confidently say, "This too shall pass." Join Michael and Jim as they explore this critical topic. 

As leaders and entrepreneurs...we are all about growth. In fact, some would say we are obsessed with growing. We like to captain our ways to new revenue records and to reach new levels of profitability. That's natural for entrepreneurs, and in some ways it's the drive that is needed to actually keep us in business. Yet, there are those times when you look out at sea and in the future you see darkening skies and you go, "Oh my!" It's times like these when you need to batten down the hatches.  Join Michael and Jim as they share how to respond when the business climate gets tumulteous. 

"I've got a strange feeling something bad is about to happen." Have you said to this yourself before? If you've been in leadership for any length of time, you've probably experienced this feeling many times throughout the course of your career.  This feeling is actually something valuable to you in your leadership role. It is a sixth sense of a sort. The ability to discern what will happen before it eventually does. The challenge is to not become paranoid while still maintaining an acute sense of awareness of anything and everything that could go wrong in the organization you are leading.  Join Michael and Jim as they explore how to balance a high level of leadership awareness without overreacting and causing more harm than good.

There are so many different essential traits of a gifted leader. Few are more important than planning. No one wants to get lost in their business or with their careers. Everyone in the building is going to be judging the leader by the quality of their planning ability. In most organizations, the difference between a business having to shutter its doors...or being highly profitable is the quality of the leadership's planning. Join Michael and Jim as they take a deep dive into all aspects of what it takes to be a well-planned leader.

When it comes to being successful in business and life, it's all about relationships.  Most elite leaders will tell you that developing a circle of trusted friends, colleagues, and partners is as important as any other task before them.  However, building business relationships does not come easy for many entrepreneurs and leaders. Isolation and loneliness is all too prevalent in entrepreneurship. Often there can be sadness behind that beaming, business-facing smile.  Building business relationships isn't something that is really taught in business school. But it's taught in this podcast! Join Michael and Jim as they delve into this most important topic and as they explain the differences and similarities between business relationships and personal friendships.  If you're a leader, don't miss this extraordinarily valuable episode. 

Have you ever started off a day or week by saying to yourself, "There is no way we're going to get everything done that we need to do?" If you're like most business owners, this experience occurs with too much frequency, and over time can cause great harm to your health and well being. It brings this crushing feeling where the walls are coming closer and closer to you on all sides. When you're a leader or entrepreneur, this is exasperated further as your panicked face starts to spread to everyone in your organization. The worst part? You're probably the root cause of why this is happening. The good news is it's totally fixable. Join Michael and Jim as they discuss this important topic and provide you with the most calming remedy. 

 Can you imagine what it would be like if you had no competition in your business? None at all. Theoretically, our company's offerings would be in high demand and we could negotiate in our favor with all of the leverage. The phones would be ringing...the cash registers would be singing...at least for a while. That's because competition is actually a leadership friend. One that makes us stronger. As leaders, competition is good for us. It's good for our teams. It's good for our customers. And competition isn't just about competitors. It's so much more! Join Michael & Jim as they delve into a critical strategy for winning in business, leadership and life.

Many people decide to start a business with the idea that it's going to change their lives in so many marvelous ways. It will change your life alright. They got that part spot on. The truth is this is a high risk journey...being a business owner. That pathway can lead to financial ruin, a loss of friends and a break-up of a family. You need to know this heading down this road. Which is why being a successful business owner entails so much more than merely growing your revenues.  Join Michael and Jim as they discuss how to win in all aspects of the game of entrepreneurship. 

In this special episode of the Two Are Gathered Leadership podcast we hear from Co-Host Jim Johnson only six weeks after his recent open heart surgery.  After more than 50 years of being a hard charger in the business world he shares what his most intimate thoughts were about leadership, success and life as he was being wheeled into the surgery room for what might have been his last moments here on earth.   What really matters when it comes to building a company? How do you truly measure success? How do you know if you're an excellent leader? This is the episode every entrepreneur should listen to and should freely share with all of their business friends.  Join Michael and Jim for an unforgettable leadership discussion of a lifetime.

There are few things leaders and entrepreneurs enjoy more than being in control. The truth is we never really are in control. It's one of the great leadership delusions. There are so many things well, well beyond our scope of control...such as rain falling, earth shaking, waves crashing and most of the world's geopolitics that affect even the smallest of businesses. Then there are health crises.  All out of our control! If we accept the true reality that ultimately we are not in control then as leaders it now becomes our responsibility to learn how to lead when things are out of our control.  Can we even do this? Join Michael and Jim as they explain how.

If we're in leadership. If we're entrepreneurs. There is an excellent chance we're heard this phrase throughout our lifetimes: You are SO stubborn. What's interesting about the word stubbornness is that it's used both positively and pejoratively. That is...it's both a complement and a criticism. The reason is...there really is a LIGHT SIDE, and a DARK SIDE to stubbornness. The goal in leadership is to tap into all of the qualities of stubbornness without slipping over into the edge of stubbornness despair. Join Michael and Jim as they shine the light on stubbornness.

One thing virtually every leader and entrepreneur wants to do...is to grow. They want to experience interpersonal growth...intellectual growth...they want to grow their skillsets and those of their teams...they want to grow their network, their net worth...their revenues...their bottom line...their vision. Growth is exciting. Which is probably why so many leaders can be reluctant to do the exact opposite.  That is to exercise the discipline of pruning. Yet, that's the exact critical practice that often can result in the best kind of growth possible.  Join Michael and Jim as they discuss the power of pruning in leadership and life.

How future proof is your business? How well prepared are you for all of the things that could go wrong? This is one of the least enjoyable parts of being an entrepreneur. Going through all of the "What if's?" and having a strong response in place for as many of these challenges as you can. It's not as exhilirating as charting out plans for new product and service lauches and dreaming up ways for more growth. But future-proofing your business will be one of the most important exercises you conduct as a leader. Join Michael and Jim as they discuss many of the most essential parts of this planning. 

When you get into a leadership role one of the first great challenges you'll have to face is realizing that things are much different than they are advertised. Yes...those dreams of leadership and entrepreneurship. That you'll be the captain of your own ship...that you'll be able to create a schedule and a lifestyle well beyond anything you could have imagined. These may be true in part or in whole. But they also arrive with the tremendous burden of responsibility. These responsibilities weigh down on us and if we're not careful can take us to a very unhealthy place.  How is your overall health as a leader? Join Michael and Jim and they'll walk through a leadership health check.

What is one of the most common questions a young entrepreneur will ask a much more experienced business owner? It's this: "When does all of this get easier? When does running a business get easy?" In many ways business does get easier when compared to those early frantic times of daily struggles. You build more systems. You gain efficiency. You can even work at making your job more enjoyable for you. But...there will always be some less glamorous elements of owning a business...of being in charge. That "grind" never goes away. Join Michael and Jim as they share some of the largest frustrations experienced by entrepreneurs and how best to deal with all of them.

One thing about leaders and visionaries...we love to see what's far ahead and plan for the brightest of futures. It's about planning. It's about growth. It's about vision. Unfortunately, there are those times in the leader's voyage when things get hazy...they get foggy...and uncertain. Forget about planning for next year or even the next six months...you've got to get through the next few days. Join Michael and Jim as they share how best to drive through a leadership fog.

You have your favorite restaurant. One you've enjoyed for years. But...then something has changed. It's just not as good as it used to be. It happens with vendors we work with. You engage with them because of their amazing service and fair prices...and over time, they lose their luster. They lose their value to you. But, the worst case is when this is what they are saying about YOUR business. It's just not as good as it used to be.  If they are saying this about your company, the end is near. In this competitive environment you can't afford to let things go downhill for too long.  Join Michael and Jim as they share key tips regarding keeping your good business from going bad. 

As leaders, in order for us to be successful, we must be excellent communicators. This is something we need to grow in each and every day. And interestingly enough...as we develop our capabilities as a communicator...one of the things we need to master is not just what we say...but what we shouldn't say. We can destroy our business more rapidly with the words we SAY than the words we DON'T say. Figuring out what NOT to say, is one of the important leadership tactics...and one of the most difficult disciplines. Join Michael and Jim as they speak on this most important topic.

When you hear the word "networking" it conjures up an image of a toothy salesperson in a suit, walking through a large gathering of prospects, reaching out a well groomed hand to offer a shake....while the other hand is slipping people business cards. The truth of the matter is...at the entrepreneur level...you really don't have time to be attending all of these multiple events...passing out business cards like frisbees. Your more successful business owners don't. They rely on a networking strategy that is infinitely more effective. Join Michael and Jim as they share advanced networking techniques that will grow your business in powerful ways.

How many times have we heard this phrase: Patience is a virtue? Often it seems like we hear this every day. But, what does this phrase...this colloquialism...really mean when it comes to business? On one hand, you're hearing that in order to succeed you've got to hustle...hustle...hustle. And, on the other hand...you're taught that you need to be patient, calculating and thoughtful. So which is it? Join Michael and Jim as they provide definitive answers regarding the virtues of patience in business.

There is a big difference between winning the lottery and winning in business. Yet, many entrepreneurs sometimes get these confused. So many want to hit the big time with their business, but many times in this pursuit they themselves get hit...big time. It's the age old pursuit. Captain Ahab in Moby Dick with the Great White Whale. Or Hemingway's Santiago...in The Old Man and the Sea. They had to learn the hard way...sometimes you get the fish...and sometimes the fish gets you. Join Michael and Jim as they share the untold story about landing the bigger fish.

One of the dark secrets of entrepreneurism is that it's not all that it's made out to be. You're told that if you quit your job and start your own business, that you'll be able to choose your hours, be your own boss and the money will flow in like Niagra Falls. Instead...you lose sleep, hair, money...and sadly, some of the relationships around you, and you ask yourself, "I did this for what reason?" This can bring on a bad case of the Business Owner Blues.  How do keep from getting depressed? Join Michael and Jim for answers. 

Who goes into business wanting to be a so-so leader? No...as leaders and entrepreneurs...we want to be high performance! We want to go absolutely pedal to the metal, accelerating through the curves...the wind blowing through our hair and with large audiences cheering us on. That is, until we crash. You work so hard to be at the top of your game and then suddenly you realize there is a thin line between high performance and being overwhelmed. Join Michael and Jim as they share how to win without being overwhelmed.

As leaders of organizations, as entrepreneurs, as wild-eyed inventors...we as a people...love getting things started. The start of a new project. Winning a new client. Making new goals. We love great beginnings. This is exciting.  Sadly...there is another critical aspect of business that typically is less enjoyable. Because in the ebb and flow of life as an entrepreneur, there are beginnings...and there are endings. You've got to be great at both. Join Michael and Jim as they explain that when it comes to business...all's well that ends well. 

We all need friends. We all need friendships with others. The question is...do we need business friendships? Or should business be all about business? If you consider that as an entrepreneur, you'll spend somewhere in the range of 50-70% of your productive waking hours...doing business...then that's a long time of your life to be friendless. Of course there is value to business friendships. Yet, it's important to know that business friendships are...well...complicated. Join Michael and Jim as they delve into the do's and don'ts of business friendships. 

Is your project or business running out of money? You're not alone. This is an ongoing challenge for entrepreneurs. So many start off with a fabulous concept. Then, against the odds, they develop it out to its full fruition. Now, they are excited to get it off of the ground and to share their vision with the world. Their big problem? They are out of cash.  There is nothing left for marketing and without the ability to get the message out this great idea is going to wither on the vine.  This is not the place you want to be, but there are some options. And, your next step will be critically important.  Join Michael and Jim as they share from their own hard learned experiences on what to do when your project is out of money. 

We're the leader. The entrepreneur. We're the boss. We can choose our own path. Don't we have a right to be...irresponsible at times? Yes. But, if we actually want to design a pathway leading to success...we will want it paved with responsibility. There is no more instantaneous opportunity to increase your revenues, your profits...your customer retention...your employee satisfaction...than becoming more responsible.  Literally, you can grow in all of these areas of improvement overnight.  Join Michael and Jim as they share key insights into leadership responsibility.

Most of our listeners are entrepreneurs, are working with entrepreneurs or are thinking someday about possibly being entrepreneurs. Here is what you need to know. It's hard. Really hard being an entrepreneur! Why do so many become entrepreneurs despite this being the case? Because it's well worth the challenges you'll face. Yet, being aware of the most difficult aspects of being a business owner allow you to be prepared, and you'll have strategies in place to respond. Join Michael and Jim as they share the hardest part about being an entrepreneur. 

As entrepreneurs we are uniquely designed to go against the grain, to stop listening to how everyone says things should be done...and to go out and do it our own way. This is both our blessing and our curse. It's one of the great challenges of being business owner. You want to be unique...creating a new voice that no one else has heard...while at the same time, LISTENING better than anyone else. This is no easy task! Join Michael and Jim and they go deep on the subject of learning to listen.

One of the most treasured elements of leadership is also one of the most elusive. Just when you think you've got it...it starts slipping away. It's traction. That wonderful feeling of, "Hey, this plan might actually work!" It's the exhilaration that sets in when the tires are firmly gripping the road, and you feel the adrenaline rise as everything accelerates. Your strategy is working! Until, you hit that patch of black ice, and your tires start sliding off of your path. Join Michael and Jim as they explain how to regain your traction when you're starting to slip.

One of the greatest joys of being a leader is when you get to assemble talent around you. Then again...it's one thing to assemble the talent. It's quite another to get them all to play their best music...and to be in tune and timing with one another. It's either a symphony...or a clattering of instruments. So as wonderful it is to have all of that talent around you...and the hope for symphonic music abounding...there also is another sound...the sound of money and resources draining out of the building. You have to get this right as people are expensive. Join Michael and Jim as they help you get tuned up in the art of maximizing your talent.

If you were to take all of the leadership books ever written on the topic of running an organization or a business, you could sum them up into one simple question.  That question? "Are you going to do this the EASY WAY...or the HARD WAY?" In this day of hacks, shortcuts, and claims of "Three Easy Steps to Super Success" the answer can be more elusive than first thought. Is there an easy road? Where do I find it? Is this pathway the one that is best to choose? Join Michael and Jim as they journey along a series of stories that collectively provide a succinct answer.

How do leaders and entrepreneurs keep their heads up when their world is crumbling around them? Simply, by counting their blessings. Of course, this is hardly a simple task. After all, being an entrepreneur can be a tremendous challenge. It can be one of the toughest jobs that exists. Much of this is because many of the difficulties business owners face are ones they take on alone. This why leaders can be among the loneliness people around. So, when the high winds are whipping around you, how in the world do you count your blessings? Join Michael and Jim as they provide an encouraging and impactful answer. 

The pursuit of leadership glory comes with many twists and bends in the road. Sadly, so many arrive at the destination and say, "Is this it?" Much of this disappointment is due to the fact they realize they were seeking out the wrong treasure. Then, as if it's dust in the wind, the fool's gold blows away, leaving them emotionally broke and terribly unfulfilled.  The true key to success as an entrepreneur is to dig in the right place to find the gold. In fact, even more important is to know what's the right gold to pursue in the first place. Join Michael and Jim as they dig up the hidden treasure of leadership and life.

There are those challenging times as an entrepreneur when you wake up knowing there is only one way you're going to get through your day without it ending up a total disaster. It's going to take a miracle. Yet, as crazy as it may seem, there is strategy, technique and experience involved when it comes to pulling off a miracle.  These are skills which the most effective and battle tested leaders know well. Join Michael and Jim as they explore this topic and provide some...miraculous insights.

So often, you hear entrepreneurs saying they are waiting for their "big break" or they are hoping for their "ship to come in".  Sadly. That could be a very long wait. In fact, there is a good chance that ship might never make it to shore to pick you up. Being a business owner is more about learning how to row a boat than waiting for a luxury liner to arrive. Still, there are doors of opportunity that are opening and closing all around you. Which ones should you choose to walk through? This answer and many more will be revealed in this fascinating episode with Michael and Jim.

Leaders and entrepreneurs are among the busiest, most stressed out and exhausted people there are. So should we excuse you when you decide not to show up to an event you were expected to attend? Not if we're going to hold you up to the highest standards of excellence! The impact of "just showing up" cannot be overvalued when it comes to being successful. Even during those times when it's the last thing you feel like doing. Join Michael and Jim in their 125th episode of the Two Are Gathered Leadership podcast. Here, they share how a poem inscribed on the Statue of Liberty encourages leaders to "just show up" through all great challenges. 

Entrepreneurs often start off their journeys with unrealistic expectations. They want to leave their job, launch a new business and start their new life...without any risk of failure. Many new business owners are oftentimes hoping for the impossible. They want to be able to jump into the pool, without getting wet. Yet, instead of making a splash, many of them quickly discover they aren't any good at swimming. There is good news, however. You can jump into the deep end of the pool, and still find the waters warm and inviting. Join Michael and Jim as they explain how.

Many leaders and business owners as they are getting started...or even midway through their company's development...experience what's known as Imposter Syndrome. Even the most seasoned entrepreneurs will admit they still suffer from bouts of Imposter Syndrome where they feel completely over their heads, underqualified and totally overwhelmed. What are you supposed to do when you encounter this common affliction of entrepreneurs? Many will say, "Fake it until you make it." What do Michael and Jim say about this? Well...quite a bit in this fascinating exploration of the cure for Impostor Syndrome.

If your business is struggling...99% of the time it will come down to this...you've got a people problem. DISCONNECTED. OUT OF TOUCH. You started a business to fill your needs...rather than the needs of the people you're supposed to be serving. Relationships are the single most important aspect of launching, growing and sustaining a business. Don't believe this? Then you really need to listen to this episode. Join Michael and Jim for this extensive exploration of the role relationships play in business success.

Plausible denialability? What's that? Well...it's a who new entrepreneurial term created and explained here in the Two Are Gathered Leadership Podcast.  What does it mean? First...to be a successful entrepreneur you need to be able to function while often firmly being in a state of "denial". Because, there are too many times when things seem impossible, and you're the only one to carry the vision forward. Yet, there also needs to be a level of "plausibility" to these dreams, or you'll take it all over the cliff. Join Michael and Jim in this fascinating journey through the concept of "Plausible Denialability". 

The experience of being an entrepreneur who created something out of nothing and then ultimately climbed the highest mountain of their dreams...it's such a great feeling. But...it's also...SO FRUSTRATING. And, having to manage all of this frustration? It just makes you all the more frustrated.  It's just something they don't teach you in business school. It's even left out of the fine print of those franchise agreements. Owning a business is so frustrating! But, here's the good news. This frustration can be converted into a true, competitive advantage. Join Michael and Jim as they share the secret to dealing with frustration as a leader.

Whether you're a jazz musician, a ballet dancer or even a comedian...you've got to have to perfect timing. The same is true with leadership. The most skilled leaders have perfect timing. This is not a topic you hear discussed in too many business circles, but it may be one of the most important leadership skills to master. Everyday...without fail, you should be asking, "Is this the right time to have THAT discussion with my employee?" or "Is this the right moment to ask for the order?" or "Is this the right time to change our strategy?" Getting those answers correct on a daily basis will often make the difference between leadership success...or failure. Join Michael and Jim in this perfectly timed discussion for your organization.

Most leaders lie on occasion. Some tell little lies. Some tell medium lies. And, then there are those who frequently tell Big Whoppers. Those are usually who you would refer to as failing leaders...maybe even former leaders...because in leadership, your lying always catches up with you. For some, there is a belief you should have lying as one of your advanced leadership skill sets. Let’s call it Strategic Deception. However; there is a vastly superior skill in the leadership toolkit. It's the one that will guide you to telling the truth...every time. Join Michael and Jim as they share some important truth...with love.

There is one principle in business that always rings true...and it rings like a gong. That is, you're always going to have competition. And, in business there is a competitor we all share in common...and it's a fierce opponent. In just about all cases it's our most challenging foe. It never sleeps, it's unrelenting, it's unforgiving. It's time. Time is our greatest opponent. As a leader, you either beat the clock or the clock will beat you. Join Michael and Jim as they share keen insights into winning the war against time. 

One of the most important traits required to being a successful and transformational leader is often the least discussed. And, that's having an attitude of gratitude. In exploring the key characteristics of a skilled leader, there are many strengths that come easily to mind...ones like vision, fortitude, perseverance and communication.  Yet, employee survey after employee survey affirm that having a culture of gratitude is what is most important to our teams. Join Michael and Jim in this deep and fascinating discussion of the critical skills and mindset involved in being a grateful leader. 

Everybody knew being an entrepreneur wasn't going to be easy...but who knew it would be this tough? Just when you think you're out of the stressful elements of your operation...they pull you back in again! Yet, we're doing this crazy business owning thing because somewhere deep down...really deep down on some days...we love what we do. Why is it that we can so enjoy chasing the dream...but this pursuit can also create such high levels of stress that it's literally unhealthy? Join Michael and Jim for answers as well as a most enjoyable entrepreneurial spa treatment in this episode.

Here is the truth when it comes to being an entrepreneur or an organizational founder. Capital matters. But there is something that matters even more. Yes...if you've got the money to invest in your dreams...you'll have a shorter path and easier ride to where you're heading. But, there is something that your money can't buy you as a leader. And, that's the trust of your people.  In fact, no matter how well funded you are...you won't be able to function as a leader in your business if you aren't a person of trust. Yet, many leaders go about earning the trust of their people in all the wrong ways.  Join Michael and Jim as they dispel the myths and reveal the true magic behind earning leadership trust.