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Every system we move through runs on norms: rules and agreements that are both explicit and implicit. And nowhere are they more powerful–or more invisible–than in how we lead and how we build our businesses. In fact, sociologists have consistently found that norms don't announce themselves. They travel through families, schools, workplaces, and entire cultures through repetition and imitation, often persisting long after the conditions that created them have changed. We absorb them before we can name them. And once they are inside us, they feel like “just the way things are.”In leadership development the norms run so deep we have mistaken them for truth. As a result, the model leader–despite decades of language to the contrary–still looks and sounds like a very particular kind of person.My guest today offers that leadership development has been trying to make better leaders for a broken system, rather than questioning whether the system itself needs to change. Nilofer Merchant has spent her career making the invisible visible–naming the norms, the systems, the daily routines that keep us collectively stuck. In this conversation, we go deep on the difference between caring and caretaking, what it means to trust yourself when the ground keeps disappearing, and what it actually takes to stop trying to fix what is not working and become someone who builds what is needed, right where you are.Nilofer Merchant is the co-founder of Intangible Labs. She spent over 25 years leading technology companies (Apple, Autodesk, GoLive/Adobe) and personally launched over 100 products and services, netting $18 billion in revenues. She is ranked among the top 50 influential management thinkers in the world (one of her TED Talks has been referenced 300 million times). Our Best Work is her 4th book.Listen to the full episode to hear:Why accepting our current norms won't get leaders where they want to goHow what we call personal agency is in reality socially constructed and drivenWhy we need more real care and less caretaking in our relationships at work and in lifeHow teams can shift towards situational leadership and recentering how we think about the unique value and capabilities individuals bringHow ownership, shared purpose, and co-creation help us build new systems, unstuck from the status quoNilofer's lessons about self-trust, taking risks, and approaching the future of work with hopeLearn more about Nilofer Merchant:WebsiteThe Intangible LabsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nilofer/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nilofer.merchantConnect on LinkedInOur Best Work: Break Free from the 24 Invisible Norms That Limit UsLearn more about Rebecca:rebeccaching.comWork With RebeccaThe Unburdened Leader on SubstackSign up for the weekly Unburdened Leader EmailResources:The Power of Onlyness: Make Your Wild Ideas Mighty Enough to Dent the WorldMary Parker FollettMother Mary Comes to Me, Arundhati RoyThe God of Small Things, Arundhati RoyPrizefighter - Mumford & SonsLaw & OrderDire Straits - Money For NothingDuran Duran - Hungry like the WolfThe Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam GrantChapters:(00:07) - Introduction (12:12) - Why Norms Persist (15:17) - Making the Hard Changes (16:42) - Personal Agency is Not Persona (19:31) - Servant to Situational Leadership (23:44) - Care vs Caretaking (32:37) - Making it Practical: Power of Onlines (39:38) - Uncertainty and Control (43:20) - AI, Layoffs, and Control (46:33) - Build The New Village (48:29) - Ownership Over Accountability (53:03) - Trusting Your Instinct (57:29) - Walking Toward Yourself (01:01:06) - Hope As Liberation (01:04:06) - Quickfire Questions (01:10:44) - How To Connect (01:11:33) - Closing Thoughts
Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. Today we're joined by Hal Mayer, a coach and consultant who works with pastors and business leaders to help them grow healthy teams without burning out. With decades of ministry experience and a background in coaching, Hal brings actionable insights into one of the most common leadership challenges: how to move a team from passive compliance to active engagement. Are you carrying too much of the leadership load yourself? Feeling like you're the only one coming up with ideas or pushing things forward? In this conversation, Hal shares a simple but effective framework to help leaders shift from telling to asking—and unlock the potential of their teams. Why teams become disengaged. // One of the most common frustrations leaders express is that their team feels stagnant or unmotivated. Hal suggests this is often not a team problem but a leadership problem. When leaders consistently provide the answers, shut down ideas, or unintentionally reward passivity, team members learn that their input isn't needed. Over time, they stop contributing and simply comply. What appears as laziness is often the result of a system that has trained people not to engage. From answer-giver to question-asker. // Many leaders are promoted because they have strong ideas and can solve problems quickly. However, if they continue operating as the “answer person,” they eventually limit both their own capacity and the development of their team. Hal emphasizes that asking better questions is the key to unlocking engagement. Questions reveal what team members understand, help them think critically, and shift ownership of solutions back to them. When people help create the solution, their investment in execution increases dramatically. The Smart Ask framework. // Hal introduces a practical coaching framework called Smart Ask, designed to guide conversations that lead to action. The process begins broadly by asking, “What issues are you facing?” This allows team members to surface their own challenges and become more self-aware. From there, the leader helps narrow the focus by identifying one clear goal for the conversation—something the person can act on immediately. Next comes a pivotal question: “If you could try anything, what would you do?” This opens up creativity and removes internal barriers that might limit thinking. From there, the conversation moves toward selecting one idea, identifying potential roadblocks, and outlining specific next steps. By the end, the team member leaves with a clear, self-generated action plan. Why buy-in matters more than the idea. // Even a great idea will underperform if the person responsible for executing it isn't fully invested. Conversely, a slightly weaker idea can produce better results if the team member has full ownership and enthusiasm. Engagement drives execution. When leaders consistently choose their own ideas over their team's, they unintentionally lower buy-in and limit results. Coaching toward self-leadership. // Over time, consistently using questions develops leaders who can think and solve problems independently. Hal describes the ultimate goal as “self-coaching” where team members begin asking themselves the same questions and generating solutions without needing constant input. This not only reduces the leader's workload but also builds a stronger, more capable team. Balancing development and delegation. // Hal cautions that delegation is not the first step. Rather, it's the result of development. Leaders must invest time in coaching and guiding their team before handing off responsibility. Skipping this process leads to frustration and failure. However, when leaders take the time to develop people through intentional questions and feedback, they create a foundation for effective delegation and long-term growth. Recognizing true engagement. // Leaders can spot engagement by watching for energy, initiative, and ownership. Engaged team members proactively solve problems, follow through on ideas, and bring solutions rather than just concerns. In contrast, disengagement shows up as slow execution, repeated questions, or a lack of enthusiasm. These are signals that more coaching, and better questions, are needed. Leading with humility and transparency. // For leaders who recognize they've been over-directing, Hal encourages a simple starting point: acknowledge it. Telling your team, “I've been giving too many answers, and I want to change that,” creates trust and opens the door for a new dynamic. This kind of vulnerability invites feedback and helps reset expectations for how the team will function moving forward. To learn more about Hal Mayer and his resources—including Smart Ask and The Coaching Playbook—visit halmayer.com or find his books on Amazon. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: TouchPoint As your church reaches more people, one of the biggest challenges is making sure no one slips through the cracks along the way.TouchPoint Church Management Software is an all-in-one ecosystem built for churches that want to elevate discipleship by providing clear data, strong engagement tools, and dependable workflows that scale as you grow. TouchPoint is trusted by some of the fastest-growing and largest churches in the country because it helps teams stay aligned, understand who they're reaching, and make confident ministry decisions week after week. If you've been wondering whether your current system can carry your next season of growth, it may be time to explore what TouchPoint can do for you. You can evaluate TouchPoint during a free, no-pressure one-hour demo at TouchPointSoftware.com/demo. Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. So glad that you are tuned in to today’s episode. Man, we’ve got something super helpful for us. It’s one of these areas that many of us spend lots of time doing, but we maybe haven’t taken a step back and think thought about what do we do in coaching relationships? We all are involved in coaching staff and people on our teams. And today we want to help you with some practical steps to make that even better. Rich Birch — Excited to have Hal Mayer with us. He’s a coach and consultant for both businesses and business leaders and pastors who want to grow but don’t want to burn out. He’s authored a few books, including “Smart Ask”, “The Coaching Playbook”, and excited to have Hal on the episode today. Welcome. So glad you’re here.Hal Mayer — It’s good to be here, Rich. I’ve been a fan on the sidelines for years, and unSeminary was so good because I did the seminary thing, and I did all the stuff, and you’re right. There’s so many things we didn’t talk about there that you help us prepare for, so thank you for what you’re doing.Rich Birch — Oh, that’s super exciting. That’s kind of you to say, but I'm I’m really looking forward to today’s conversation. It’s been a while coming and so excited. We bumped into each other at the Exponential conference this year.Hal Mayer — Yeah.Rich Birch — Shout out to Exponential. I was like, we got to get you on. So excited that you’re here today. Well, why don’t we kind of start. Give us kind of the Hal background. Tell us for folks that don’t know, you know, you give us the kind of the 90 second, this is who Hal is conversation.Hal Mayer — Yeah, I, ah goodness, was born up north, came to faith in Georgia in high school. We moved down there, played basketball in college, and then coached for about five years. Married Sandy, moved off to seminary, finished that up, and I’ve been in Florida since ’84, serving in churches from the size of 200 to 12,000. Rich Birch — Love it. Hal Mayer — So all over the yard, and also do some business coaching in the middle of that.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s so good. Yeah. And I’m, I really, that’s really what I want to tap in today. You spend your days coaching both pastors and businesses leaders, like we talked about that. Rich Birch — When, when someone first sits down with you, I want to kind of use the fact that you have a lot of these conversations today to help our listeners kind of take advantage of you. When someone first sits down with you, what’s like a common version of stuck that you hear, whether it’s a pastor or maybe a business leader, like do you hear common themes with folks.Hal Mayer — Yeah, you know, probably the most common thing I hear is our team’s stuck, our team’s stagnant. And I’ll say, what do you mean by that? And they’ll often say something that relates to this of, I have to come up with all the ideas. It seems like I’m the only one pushing the team to get going. I’m the only one with the ideas. They just seem often lazy, or they’re not doing it. What do I do to engage them?Rich Birch — Right. Love that. Well, man, I wish I hadn’t thought that. I haven’t thought that as a leader over the years. What what, so then take us the next step from there. What what, as you’re kind of coaching someone, I’m assuming as a leader, you know, I, or one of my convictions is our teams are a by-product of our leadership… Hal Mayer — Yeah. Rich Birch — …and we’re leading in a way that’s leading them to act that way. So what what leads our people to be like that?Hal Mayer — Yeah, I think it’s the leader. And that’s the fun thing to do. As a parent, I loved watching my kids do something that was dumb, but they repeated it, and it’s because it was rewarded.Hal Mayer — So I watch team members disengage because they come up with an idea and it gets shot down. Or they ask everybody in the room the idea and it’s only the leader’s idea they go with. And when that happens, they they kind of go, well, I guess we’re just here to hear his ideas. And they start pulling back and not engaging and just being compliant.Rich Birch — Interesting. I remember years ago we had a coach in who said who said to us, this is when I was on the senior leadership team of a fairly large church, fast growing. We were like four or 5,000 people at the time. And he spent a bunch of time with our ah you know with our team, with us.Rich Birch — And ah he looked at us and he said, listen, you guys answer way too many questions. You need to be asking more questions than answering questions.Rich Birch — And that was a pivotal you know changing moment for me as a leader. I was like, oh, Oh my word, that is so true. Talk us through that dynamic of, you know, asking the right questions versus always being the answer man or the answer person.Hal Mayer — You know, we usually get promoted because we did the job well or we have the answers. If we continue in that framework, one day we will run out of the answers, but let’s say we’re in that framework. I’m not developing anybody if it’s only my ideas we’re using. And if we’re only using my ideas, they’ve got ideas, but they’re dying. So what I encourage and push guys to do is exactly what you said, ask questions. Hal Mayer — I mean, questions will do a couple things. One, it will tell me what they understand. I mean, do they really understand the problem? I say, tell me what’s going on. Okay. What do you see here? And all that. It tells me, do they understand the problem? And I may have to probe some more, but I want them solving things that I find out about later. And to do that, I’ve got to lead different. Hal Mayer — For me, we were in a fast growing church in South Florida. And I was the answer man. And what I realized was I’m working harder and harder and I’m not developing people. So I started stepping back and then learning this principle and started asking questions, looking for their engagement. Here’s what I found. When they had the answer or they got to do what they wanted to do, their engagement went way up.Hal Mayer — So for me, not only did it go up, they began to develop. And I’ve had somebody say, well, I don’t have time to develop people. He said, in fact, if I develop them, they’ll just leave me. I say, yeah, yeah you know, it’s worse is if you don’t develop them, they stay, right? Right.Rich Birch — Right. Exactly.Hal Mayer — So I found this to be a tool for development: asking questions.Rich Birch — Okay, that’s cool. I, like talk to me more about engagement. What would be some telltale signs for you of like someone who’s really engaged, fully engaged versus, you know, when your team isn’t as engaged? Because maybe we’re having a hard time even discerning what that looks like.Hal Mayer — Yeah, I I mean, if they’re slow walking the solve that we came up with, if there’s no passion around it, if there’s no energy going in it, and I find myself even answering the same question over and over, I’m realizing more and more, I don’t have engagement. I’ve got compliance. And I really want them engaged and dialing in to what we’re doing. And to get that, I’m going to have to get them on the same page.Rich Birch — Well, and then obviously questions are at at a core of this. And a part of what I love about your resource, “The Smart Ask” or just “Smart Ask” is this framework, it’s it’s, you know, it’s simple… Hal Mayer — Yes. Rich Birch — …but powerful. So why don’t you kind of talk us through the Smart Ask framework? What’s kind of the basic arc that you try to walk someone through?Hal Mayer — Very good.Rich Birch — Coach us through that. Talk us through what that looks like.Hal Mayer — I start very broad and I’ll say, and by the way, I take notes, but at the end I give them the notes and I’ll explain that in a minute. Rich Birch — Okay.Hal Mayer — So I'll I’ll ask permission, can I take some notes? And they’ll say, sure. And I say, I’m going to give them to you. But our first question is, what are the issues you’re facing right now? And let them just elevate them out. Let them say everything they want to say, every problem they’ve got.Hal Mayer — And then I’d say looking at these problems, is what’s one goal that we could have for our time today? Now, what that does is it focuses it on a goal and what they’re going to do, not on me. It can’t be, how could you find me 10 more leaders? That’s not something we can do in that meeting.Rich Birch — Right.Hal Mayer — So I want a goal from them, something they can do when they leave the meeting. And so they say, you know what? I want to face this volunteer engagement. In fact, I use the illustration from the book about a preschool lady who said, I need 30 more volunteers to serve in preschool. And I said, well, I can’t get that for you now. So her goal was come up with an idea that I could engage 30 more people. And then I’d go with this.Hal Mayer — Okay. If you could do anything, what would you try? Yeah. And of course, the first, she says, anything? She said, yeah. She said, I’ll pay them $1,000 a piece. I said, okay.Rich Birch — Right.Hal Mayer — And I just write it down to go ahead and get that out and get them moving on to the next thing. Rich Birch — Right. Hal Mayer — And they run through things. And I listen, I’ve got to be careful not to go, oh, that’s a really good one. But let them talk about it. And as they get through, if I’ve got something at the end, I mean, as they’re going, I’ll go, anything else you could try? Anything else you could try? And you feel like you’re asking that too much, but what you’re doing is just unpacking all of it. If I’ve got an idea, I can add that in, but I don’t give any passion to it because I don’t want to control.Hal Mayer — Then I’ll say, now look at these. Which one of these ideas would you like to explore further? And they’ll look, and this lady said, I want to explore the one about a lemonade stand in the lobby, which I thought was a dumb idea. I didn’t tell her that, but I thought, aaaah.Rich Birch — Right.Hal Mayer — So then I said, okay, what potential roadblocks? Well, I’ve got to talk to leadership. Okay, what else? And they talk about that. And any detours?Hal Mayer — Well, if this happens, we’re walking through solving the problem before it approaches, right? And then the last thing I said, okay, if you’re going to do this, what will it look like? And we list out six or eight things. And I say, okay, let me know like it goes. And hand her the paper. In this case, I said, hey, listen, let me know on Instagram how it went. Rich Birch — Oh, nice.Hal Mayer — So the next week she picked up 40 new workers. And this was a very large church. Rich Birch — Wow.Hal Mayer — She picked up 40 workers with this idea, because it was hers. And to me, it was crazy. It worked. Hal Mayer — But so the the framework is you’re starting broad and you’re narrowing down. And I’m actually getting a set of to-dos and objectives. One, two, three, four, five. Then I hand them that. They’ve got their plan. All going to do is execute it. And they develop it when I’m asking them questions. Rich Birch — Yeah, I love that. Hal Mayer — Now, let me tell one of the advantages of that too.Rich Birch — Yeah.Hal Mayer — If I use that enough with them, there’s going to be a time when they come to me and say, and want to talk to me and I’m not available. They’ll say, well all he was going to do is ask questions. Rich Birch — Right.Hal Mayer — And they start going through the questions and they start self-coaching is what they do. And that’s the end game. That’s what I want. And by the way, when I use questions with people, I explain to them what I just did. So they can then take it and use it somewhere else.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s cool. I’d love to start right back at the beginning. Hal Mayer — Sure.Rich Birch — I love this idea of really starting at a wide open. Hey, what challenges are you facing today? I think too often if we’re, I’m thinking in kind of the one-on-one situation, maybe I’m an executive pastor at a church of 1,500. One of my people comes to me and I go to that conversation, and I’ve got five things I want to talk to them about. Hal Mayer — Right. Rich Birch — But I love, you know, starting with what challenges are you facing? What happens if we skip that with people? If we if we don’t start there, I’m sure we get, you know, we end up in all kinds of bad places. Talk us through why you encourage people to start with that question.Hal Mayer — Especially early on when you’re coaching folks, because as they go later, they’ll kind of work through that, no, that’s the framework I’m going to work with. And they’ll come up with their biggest issue. But the reason I do that, I want to show this value to everything they’re facing. And I want them to elevate it, not me tell them what they’re doing, so they become more self-aware.Hal Mayer — Now, if they don’t list one of the things I see as an issue, I may say, and what about this? Is this an issue for you? Oh, yeah, that too. I just don’t want to put a lot of passion on it because then they’ll do what I want. And I want them to do something they’re passionate about because the framework just means I’m going to get more from it.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s cool. That that’s a key lesson. I think particularly for first-time managers or people who haven’t managed a lot of people before, we don’t realize the weight of our voice, right? Hal Mayer — Right.Rich Birch — If we, you know, even by saying like, oh yeah, you’re right. That’s a good idea. Then all of a sudden they’re running with that idea just because you indicated it. That’s an interesting thing. That’s interesting. Rich Birch — Now one of the, I mean, you kind of pulled it apart, but I would love to double click on it there. To me, as I go through your framework, I can imagine, that, hey, “what if you could try anything” is a is a pivotal moment, is kind of a turning point, it is an important question. Why is that and so important? Maybe give us another example. I love the idea when you talked through with the lemonade stand, but talk us through why that’s so important and what does that unlock as we’re interacting with our teams and people?Hal Mayer — That’s a great question because what will happen there is if we don’t ask that question, ah it’s “what if you could try anything”, they may be in the back of their mind have something they go I can’t try that. So they keep trying to think somewhere else. Just get it out on paper.Hal Mayer — It’s like when I feel stressed or something, I just list everything that I’m dealing with and then I can focus on one thing.Hal Mayer — But I allow them to get it all out at that point of trying this and trying that. And usually what will happen is they’ll come up with six or seven ideas. And I say, “and what else” a lot? And it seems like I’m saying a lot, but is when they’re in the zone, they’re answering, well, could try this. Well, could try that. I could try this. And then I find which one they have the most energy around because that’s what they want to do.Rich Birch — Yeah. And obviously you would, you observe that, that energy and you’re like, Hey, it seems like this one, tell me more about that.Hal Mayer — No, no I don’t I don’t do that.Rich Birch — Oh okay. Okay. Talk to me about that.Hal Mayer — What I do is I say, okay, which one of these seven things would you like to try?Rich Birch — Okay.Hal Mayer — Once they identify it, then I say, okay, tell me more about that. What would that look… Why do you want to try? And and then we dive into that.Rich Birch — Okay. One of the things that this strikes me, and this, when I read, again, friends, you should pick up a copy of of this book and there’s a playbook as well I want to talk about. But but I think this could be ah a huge gift for…Just this week, two days ago, I was talking to somebody who, they asked me, they said, hey, what should I be doing in my one-on-ones? I’ve got these staff, what should I be doing with them? And I thought of this framework. Rich Birch — So I think the part of what I love that you’re driving towards is is buy-in. At least my, my my impression as an outsider looking in is that this would really increase the buy-in of my staff. Talk me through, you know, the connection there between buy-in and moving the organization forward and that sort of thing. What, how does that help us think through those issues? Hal Mayer — Yeah. I’m going to bring up the equation I use in the book, the buy-in equation, or the engagement question, whatever that is. I was a math teacher in a former life. So PBI, possible value of an idea, times BI, the buy-in, equals their ROI.Hal Mayer — Now, let’s say, you know, we’ve we’re we’ve got, you’re my boss and I’m doing student ministry and you have an idea because you did student ministry and all that. Your idea out of one 10, it’s going to at least be a nine. I mean, you’re Rich Birch. I mean, you have all the answers.Hal Mayer — Now me doing it, I don’t get any input on it. So I will comply. I will do it, but my buy-in is probably going to be about a three. I’ll do what you ask, but there’s not going be a passion with it. So 3 times your 9 idea is a 27. Hal Mayer — However, let’s say I come up with an idea and it’s not going as good as yours. In fact, it’s a only two thirds as good as yours. It’s a 6, but what’s my buying going to be if it’s my idea? It’s a 10.Rich Birch — A lot higher. Yeah.Hal Mayer — That’s a 60. So there’s a 60 ROI to my buy-in because of my buy-in as opposed to a 27. Now you had the better idea, but buy-in is what gets it done. We’ve seen that over and over again. When people are bought in on something, they often they’ll make a bad idea work. We’ve seen that.Hal Mayer — So for me, that’s what I want. I want full engagement. And when they know that they get to do their ideas, people are much more engaged than they’re running around doing mine. Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s so true. As a coach, somebody who obviously I coach people full time now and and that is you’ve you’ve named something there that I think is critically important and that oftentimes like I can’t coach people who don’t want to be coached.Hal Mayer — Right.Rich Birch — Right? Like if they’re not bought in, if they don’t think this will help. And, you know, I’ve said in other contexts, I’ve been like, man, the the leaders who who apply the frameworks we’re talking about are seeing great results. And those that are applying, the majority of them are seeing, but a lot of it is just their own buy-in on these issues. Hal Mayer — Right.Rich Birch — There might be a leader that’s listening in today that’s like, okay, this all sounds good, but like, what if my people just have bad ideas? Like, and if, if it’s going to push us in the wrong direction, like it’s one thing to be like, tell me seven ideas. All seven of those are crappy and they’re going to, we’re going to end up somewhere where I don’t want us to end up as it. How do I steer somebody back towards better direction?Hal Mayer — Yeah. One the things before I give people full leash or full run on something is I want to check out their readiness for it. For example, if I want to do brain surgery, I may be excited. I may have done AI search on it and Claude said, do it this way and all that. But I’m not ready for that. It wouldn’t take but a second to find that out. I found that out in high school. I went, so I worked at a gas station where they actually worked on cars too. And I saw a guy fixing the valve. So I went home and took my 1960s Comet and tightened the valves down and ended up having to get a valve job. Hal Mayer — I was excited. I was passionate, but I wasn’t ready. So if you don’t have people who are ready, you cannot hand it off to them. They must be developed some. They’ve got to have some experience. To hire somebody in fresh who’s never done it before and start leading with questions is like leading me with questions in how to operate. I wouldn’t have a clue. I’d be most excited about cutting. No, stop.Hal Mayer — However, questions also help draw focus. And sometimes the reason they don’t have ideas, is we haven’t focused them.Hal Mayer — I learned this with a physical metaphor. Somebody told me it would work. My son, pretty good basketball player. I had him out driveway. I said, son, see how many shots you can make out of 10? And so what that basically did was put a little pressure on, right? And he’s a good, so he shot four out of 10 from the three point line.Hal Mayer — I said, okay, let’s forget about how many you’re making and just shoot and answer my questions. I said, okay, what do you notice? All right, what do you notice about the ball? What do you notice about the ball? He hit 10 in a row. And what I discovered was, you know, you college athletes who will shoot seven out of 10 in a game, but in practice hit 20 in a row. It’s the fog of war or whatever.Hal Mayer — And so with employees, sometimes we haven’t asked enough questions. to get through that. However, we could also have some people who aren’t ready to lead. It’s not fair to expect them to come up with good ideas. They haven’t done anything. So both edges on that. Hal Mayer — And at the end of the day, all of the employees I have are my fault. And if I haven’t developed them, that’s on me, right?Rich Birch — Right. Yeah, that’s good. Talk to me about, so I feel like there are, lead there’s leaders on our teams or there’s people that are listening in today that think they’ve got buy-in, but they really actually don’t. They think their teams are really with them, but they don’t. How, what advice could you give us to try to spot the difference around buy-in that’s not actually there? Like I keep kind of bumping into this wall. How can, how can we spot that?Hal Mayer — You know I look for people who are solving problems. Are they solving them and telling me about it later? Are they coming to me with every problem? Because that means I’m still solving. Buy-in has to do with the passion and the ability to finish something. It doesn’t mean you work until 9 o’clock every night, but it does mean you manage to get the ball across the line.Hal Mayer — So when I watch a lack of energy around an idea or somebody slow walking it. Or maybe somebody asking questions that really aren’t, that are just curmudgeon questions. They’re asking questions just to find every hole that’s wrong. I mean, everything that you can find, well, suppose that doesn’t work. Suppose… That’s not buy-in because for me, my challenge is always, don’t tell me what won’t work or tell me what’s not working. Give me an idea of what we might try. At least then we’re thinking in solutions and not just problems.Rich Birch — That’s good. That’s really good. So a big part of scaling any organization, a growing church, a growing business is delegation, is leaders figuring out how to give away things they’re doing. I’ve said this in so many contexts, you know, roll this clock forward. The majority of what you’re doing, we need to figure out how to give to someone else… Hal Mayer — Right. Rich Birch — …how to empower a volunteer or another staff member to pick that up. How does asking better questions change the way we hand off responsibility to other people? How how does it help in that transaction?Hal Mayer — You know, I'm a big fan of Ken Blanchard and the book “Situational Leadership”.Hal Mayer — And I used to train that with a corporation. And one of the things I watch is people like to start people and like to delegate. But when they leave off the coaching in between, it’s not delegation, it’s abdication. And people fail. Hal Mayer — I go, what’s wrong? They said they understood. Well, you stay engaged. I mean, you give them a task. You stay engaged. You’re asking questions. Soon, you’re no longer asking questions to to help them figure out what to do. You’re just asking questions to draw focus. And then you know they’re ready. You can hand it off to them. Hal Mayer — But you’re right. If we’re not finding a way to delegate, but delegation is not the first step nor the second. It’s more like the fourth, right? You watch me. We do it together. I watch you. You’re doing it. However you want to call that. But it takes more engagement. Hal Mayer — People say, well I don’t have time for that. Well, here’s the deal. You can pay me now or you’ll pay me later. But you’re going to pay me. If you’re if you’re not developing people, you’re going to run into a system where you’ve got a bunch of people who don’t know how to think and do. And that’s on you.Rich Birch — True. Yeah, that’s so true. And if we don’t start that process, hey, you watch me, we do together. And if we don’t start that process today, we’ll never get there. And so it takes time. But we’ve got to, you know, that’s, that’s what it we just constantly have to repeat that over and over and over in our areas. I love that. So let’s talk more specifically about the books specifically. So it’s “Smart Ask: Questions that lead your team to win.” Where can we pick up copies of this? If people are looking, because I think this is not a huge book. It’s, you know, if you’re watching on video, it’s just a little thin one, but it’s got, it’s one of these ones. It’s a quick read. You could literally give it to a team member and say, hey, let’s read through this. And then we’re going to talk about it next week. I’d love to get your thoughts on it. But talk to us kind of, when why did you put this together in a book form?Hal Mayer — Well, I was training it and people kept asking me questions. And the only reason I write books is to stop answering all the questions I get asked, right? Is to put it out there. I mean, Seth Godin’s idea of a long tail, right? I want it to last when when I put a book out there.Hal Mayer — So “Smart Ask” is on Amazon, but it was created for the purpose to to help people, after I’ve used it in coaching, to be able to take it then and train their teams. Because it dives in also to the why it works and and such as that. But you’re right, intentionally a short book because I like short books and there you go.Rich Birch — Well, and we all, you know, I can say this as an author, that we’re tempted when we write to be like, well, I’m just going to stuff a bunch of other stuff in there.Rich Birch — But this is, it’s to the point, it’s it’s focused, it’s a great training material, I think, like you say, for you know for our entire team.Hal Mayer — Right.Rich Birch — But then you also put together a playbook. Talk us through how this is different than just the standard book.Hal Mayer — Well, my daughter-in-law, Chrissy, Chrissy Mayer, married to my son. She’s a pastor over to church in Tampa, Grace Family Church. And she said, why don’t you create a handbook for it? And you know what I said? Why don’t you do that?Rich Birch — That sounds like a great idea for you.Hal Mayer — So I said, that sounds like great idea. Once you create the framework, I’ll get it published on. So she did the work and we got together and we put it there. And the reason for it is you can take your coaching conversation, it has all the questions in it. It’s got lines you can write answers. And it gives you a chance to keep up. And I would probably take a picture and send the person they’re the the answers they gave to the questions or whatever like that. It just helps you stay on track. So you’ve got all the questions right there.Rich Birch — And yeah, talk us through the the handing off of the notes back to someone. I think that’s a great move. Hal Mayer — Yeah.Rich Birch — Talk us through why that’s important. Why is that such a critical piece of the puzzle?Hal Mayer — Well people are so used to us building files on them. And you’re going to put that in my file to show that I didn’t know what to do? And so I asked for permission on the front end to take notes. Now, if I’m the boss, I’ll do take notes if I want to. But I I won’t and I won’t if they say no, though. So I’m I’m really giving it to them. And I tell them, I’m going to give you these at the end because I don’t want them taking notes. I want them talking. I want their full engagement with me. And you can’t get that while they’re writing.Rich Birch — That’s good.Hal Mayer — So I said, you just pay attention to me. I’ll take the notes and I’ll give you them at the end. Then you hand them at the end and they’ve got their execution plan.Hal Mayer — So my meeting with them, usually it’s a 30-minute meeting and land with an execution plan that gets handed to them and they go back and do the work. So it pulls them into full engagement. They’re not getting distracted by trying to write down everything or slow play that way. So I’m taking notes again, putting value to them. Hal Mayer — When when they’re the hero, right, and I’m the guide, what I’m doing is is setting them up. And when you take notes on somebody, that means something to them. Rich Birch — Right, right. Hal Mayer — So that’s where I am. Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s cool. Now, what about, so one of the tensions I have found in my one-on-ones is wanna make sure that I’m doing all the other stuff: caring for them, you know releasing, you know I guess, finding barriers that that I can pull apart for them and say like, hey, here’s some stuff. Yeah, I’m gonna take some to…Hal Mayer — Right.Rich Birch — And I’ve said to my team in the past, hey, I’m hoping that you don’t walk away from this with a bunch of to-dos. That’s not the the goal of today. I want to help you. And I know you got a lot going on. I don’t want to just dump on you today. And so how do you avoid that in this framework that we don’t end up with? Okay. Every time they meet with Hal, now I’ve just ended up with a plan that I just, gosh, I just gave myself more work to do. How do you, how do you, do you understand that tension?Hal Mayer — Yeah, I don’t do this every meeting with them.Rich Birch — Okay.Hal Mayer — The meetings on there. And I, you know, I’ll check in. How are you doing? One the things I i really want to pay attention to is the emotional, soul, health of the individual.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good.Hal Mayer — Because we’ve got people facing burnout today. So I’ll ask them, you know, tell me on a scale of one to 10, what are you feeling? You feel like you want a 1 being I want to go home and go to bed, a 10 being let’s charge hell with water pistols. Right, that gives me a framework. The number doesn’t really matter. I just compare it each time to see if they’re tanking.Hal Mayer — The second thing I’ll ask for is give me a win in your private life, in your home.Rich Birch — That’s good.Hal Mayer — Give me a win in your ah ah ministry side because I want to get them on the positive run. And then I’ll say, anything you need from me. And this may be 15-minute meeting. But what it is is I’m checking in on them. If I have something I need them to do, sure, I can tell them. But I’m checking in on them, and ah that gives them value, right?Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. Yeah, that’s really good. That’s good. I love there’s, friends, as you’re listening and you can tell Hal’s done this a few times. And so, you know, it’s been such a great conversation for you. So if if I’m a church leader listening in today and I feel like, man, I’m doing way too much telling and not enough asking, where would I, and and maybe even my team has told me this.Hal Mayer — Yeah.Rich Birch — Where do I start? How do I start to shift that dynamic with my people? Because because you you you kind of set this up at the beginning of like the teams that are passively disengaged, they’re just waiting for for you to give the list of, okay, go do these 12 things and then come back. How do I shift that dynamic? Where do I start? If i if my analysis is, I think that I’ve actually done that to my team, ah where would we start?Hal Mayer — If I’m convinced of that, I start at this place and I’ve done this before. Guys, you know what? I’ve been running our meetings and coming up with the answers and that’s not fair. So what I want to do is pull back more and get your engagement. So I’m going to be asking questions. I need your engagement in this meeting and your ideas coming. And in fact, if you see me over talking, catch me one-on-one afterwards and give me some feedback because I’m open up the feedback loop then, right?Hal Mayer — But I will do some self-disclosure and just own it because here’s what I do know. If you don’t own it, they won’t recognize the difference later. For example, if I tell somebody, you know what, I’m going to work on asking more questions. Six months they go, wow, you’re asking more questions. If I don’t tell them, they’ll never at they’ll never notice. Sometimes you have to highlight it. Hey, I’m going to stop being the guy trying to be the smartest man in the room, and I’m going to do this.Rich Birch — Yeah. Yeah.Hal Mayer — People get, vulnerability from a leader is a great thing, right? Own their stuff, but come up with some resources ah to help them, so so you’re asking more questions.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. I like that. I like i think that’s a keen insight, that not just like shifting the behavior, but actually pointing to it like, hey, as a person, I’m changing. And the implicit, the great kind of ninja move you’re doing there is like, and therefore I need you to change because, you know, what?Hal Mayer — Right. Right.Rich Birch — I’m changing because I don’t think this is working. Implicit in that is I don’t think our relationship is structured correctly and we need to figure out a different way to do that. You don’t even need to necessarily say that. But but flagging that, hey, I need to change my approach, I think is a really smart move for sure. That’s you know that’s fantastic. Rich Birch — Well, as we’re coming down to land today’s episode, any kind of final words around this idea of asking, leading with questions rather than being the answer person all the time?Hal Mayer — Yeah, this model doesn’t mean you don’t ask offer suggestions. This model doesn’t mean you couldn’t collaborate to build it. It just means you can’t be the person always having the answer.Hal Mayer — And it’s engaging other people. And the thing you will find for me that I have found, when I truly am asking them for their ideas and we execute on their ideas, they’ll come back later and say, you know, I thought that was one of those conferences you went to that said ask questions.Hal Mayer — But you actually did execute on what we talked about. Then they’re more engaged because everybody wants has ideas and wants to be heard and wants to be a part. I think people are motivated. They’re just not motivated when we take over a meeting and and run everything, right? There’s an intrinsic motivation. There’s there’s something they want to do. They’re in ministry, not because they’re just wanting to plow through. They want to see a difference. Well, they’re in the business cycle.Rich Birch — Yeah. Yeah, that’s very true. And I think that’s a good reminder for us. I think sometimes we can get caught in the weeds of running Church World and we forget that like all these people have chosen to be here. They could be doing something else. Hal Mayer — Right.Rich Birch — And how do we bring the best out of them? And how do we, you’ve encouraged me to thinking about long term the long-term win, that really engagement, even if we have to walk through a couple of things that maybe are not the best, because… But if I can get engagement up with my team, man, that’s way better place than like, sure, we have the, it’s the, you know, it’s that perfect plan that’s poorly executed. We want to avoid that, you know, even an imperfect plan. But if it’s got tons of engagement behind it, man, there’s some gold there that we need to think more clearly about. That’s good. Love it. Hal Mayer — Yep.Rich Birch — Well, I want to send people to Amazon to pick up both of these. I think it’d be great. I really do think this could be the kind of book you could build a staff training around it, friends, really easily. You’ve got 15 staff. You could buy 15 copies of this and say, hey, you’re going to read this. And then we’re going to come to our you know team meeting in two months or whatever in a month. And we’re going to work through how do we ask better questions in our our training. That’s how it sticks out to me. Anywhere else we want to send people online to connect with you or to pick up copies of the book?Hal Mayer — You can catch my web website at halmayer.com. They can email me at hal@halmayer.com or I’m on the socials just as Hal Mayer. I, my son is Hal Mayer also, but I beat him to all of them. So I’m Hal Mayer on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn. It’s just /halmayer. So I win there.Rich Birch — Nice. Really appreciate you, Hal. You’re a good friend of leaders and I appreciate you being on today. Thanks for being here.Hal Mayer — Thanks, man. It’s been an honor.
Carrie Fabris is the founder of CareerFrame, a Dallas-based leadership development and executive coaching firm dedicated to transforming leaders, teams, and organizational culture. She partners with high-performance organizations, including Axios Media, Mouser Electronics, Appfolio, Boingo Wireless, and Expedia, to elevate senior leaders, strengthen leadership teams, and cultivate accountable, thriving workplace cultures.With over 20 years of corporate experience and 15+ years in leadership roles at Google, Travelocity, Sabre, and Travel Leaders Corporate, Carrie combines real-world business insight with her expertise in CliftonStrengths®, EQ-i 2.0, and Situational Leadership®. Through her signature FRAMEit Method, she delivers high-energy, actionable coaching and workshops that help leaders bridge the gap between achievement and legacy, while maintaining balance, purpose, and impact in their professional and personal lives.Carrie is also the author of ALL IN: The Working Mom's Unapologetic Quest for a Juicy Life, sharing her personal journey of navigating corporate ambition, entrepreneurship, and motherhood without compromise. She holds a degree from UT Austin and resides in Dallas with her husband and two children.Visit Carrie Fabris' LinksInstagram: @cdfabris Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cfabris-reframe-coaching-training/ Website: www.carriefabris.comFreebie: carriefabris.myflodesk.com/theframeitmethodquiz Buy Carrie's Book, ALL IN: https://a.co/d/coENdEP
Who are the most influential business leaders? Discover how controversial figures can teach timeless leadership lessons, the importance of adaptability, delegation, and leading from the front, regardless of their notoriety. Steve Williams shares insights from his book 'Notorious Leadership Lessons from History's Most Notorious Leaders.' 00:00 Introduction00:33 Lessons from Controversial Leaders02:50 The Impact of Personal Experience on Leadership05:33 Ethics and Leadership Styles08:13 Situational Leadership and Adaptability11:08 Delegation and Empowerment in Leadership13:48 Contemporary Examples of Leadership16:01 Leadership Accountability and Delegation19:15 Building a Strong Leadership Team23:58 The Importance of Succession Planning26:37 Practical Leadership Lessons30:43 Gender Differences in Leadership Styles35:00 Learning from Notorious Leadersvisit: https://stevewilliamsauthor.com/visit: https://www.TheRawVibe.com/
I want to hear your thoughts about the show and this episode. Text us here...Leadership development, emotional intelligence, feedback culture, and small business leadership — this episode of Casa De Confidence dives deep into what it truly means to lead in today's evolving workplace.Julie DeLucca-Collins sits down with leadership strategist and fractional HR partner Lindsay White to unpack how vulnerability, authenticity, and emotional intelligence shape effective leadership — whether you're a corporate executive, a first-time supervisor, or a small business owner building your team.If you've ever struggled with:Asking for feedbackManaging your inner critic or saboteurLeading new or high-performing team membersCreating culture intentionallyScaling your business without losing your humanityThis conversation will challenge and equip you.Lindsay shares:The essential traits of a great leader (not a perfect one)Why feedback is the fastest path to growthHow situational leadership changes everythingHow to manage your internal saboteurWhy leadership is a daily practice, not a titleYou'll also hear powerful insights about emotional intelligence, Brené Brown's research on vulnerability, Simon Sinek's purpose-driven leadership philosophy, and how small habits create leadership momentum.This episode is for entrepreneurs, executives, founders, HR professionals, and emerging leaders who want to lead with clarity, courage, and culture.
Mom Who Works: Redefining what it means to be a working mom (in a world without working dads...)
This episode with Carrie Fabris had me in tears during the episode, the kind of tears that are quiet and calm and feel like relief because Carrie just gets it. She understands what it means to feel the deep need to make what she calls a "passion pivot" and she did it. This episode is going to inspire you, I just know it!Carrie shares more about her journey of making major career changes and choosing what's best for her. She talks about "burning the boat back" and I know one of you (probably more!) need to hear this affirmation to go all in and leave it all out there. You can literally feel Carrie's calm confidence in this episode and it feels like she's talking to the listener directly. I am beyond grateful to start our year with this interview. Listen in!Carrie Fabris is the founder of CareerFrame, a Dallas-based leadership development and executive coaching firm dedicated to transforming leaders, teams, and organizational culture. She partners with high-performance organizations, including Axios Media, Mouser Electronics, Appfolio, Boingo Wireless, and Expedia, to elevate senior leaders, strengthen leadership teams, and cultivate accountable, thriving workplace cultures.With over 20 years of corporate experience and 15+ years in leadership roles at Google, Travelocity, Sabre, and Travel Leaders Corporate, Carrie combines real-world business insight with her expertise in CliftonStrengths®, EQ-i 2.0, and Situational Leadership®. Through her signature FRAMEit Method, she delivers high-energy, actionable coaching and workshops that help leaders bridge the gap between achievement and legacy, while maintaining balance, purpose, and impact in their professional and personal lives.Carrie is also the author of ALL IN: The Working Mom's Unapologetic Quest for a Juicy Life, sharing her personal journey of navigating corporate ambition, entrepreneurship, and motherhood without compromise. She holds a degree from UT Austin and resides in Dallas with her husband and two children.Instagram: @cdfabrisLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cfabris-reframe-coaching-training/ Website: https://www.carriefabris.com/Buy Carrie's Book, ALL IN: https://a.co/d/coENdEP
In episode 239, Coffey talks with Carrie Fabris about why organizations seem to revisit the same issues repeatedly and how leaders can solve them for good through better communication, alignment, and accountability. They discuss ineffective workplace communication and recurring problems; intuitive leadership versus inclusive decision-making; defining root causes instead of treating symptoms; creating buy-in through clarity, trust, and shared language; productive conflict and psychological safety on teams; accountability, execution, and avoiding chaos in organizations; leadership energy, burnout prevention, and sustainable performance. For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we've created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP239 Carrie's book “ALL IN: A Working Mom's Unapologetic Quest for a Juicy Life” can be found here https://www.carriefabris.com/bookstore Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com. If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com. About our Guest: Carrie Fabris is the founder and CEO of CareerFrame, a leadership development and executive coaching firm that helps high-performing leaders become energized, aligned, and execution-focused. Known for her fast trust and bold clarity, Carrie works with VPs and executive teams navigating growth, succession, and culture shifts. She brings 20+ years of corporate experience with companies like Google, Travelocity, and Sabre—and for the past 10 years, coaches and advises leaders using her signature FRAMEit Method™, which blends CliftonStrengths®, EQ-i®, Situational Leadership and real-world leadership systems that emphasize a whole-human leadership approach to bring balance for busy people leaders. Carrie is especially passionate about helping leaders have hard conversations, build trust fast, communicate effectively and create accountability that actually energizes. She graduated from UT Austin and resides in Dallas, TX. Carrie Fabris can be reached at https://www.careerframe.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/cfabris-reframe-coaching-training https://www.carriefabris.com/bookstore https://www.instagram.com/cdfabris https://www.facebook.com/chiefreframer https://x.com/yourcareerframe hello@carriefabris.com About Mike Coffey: Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business. Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business' small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association. Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community. Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year. Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas' 31 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee. Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week. Mike and his very patient wife of 28 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth. Learning Objectives: Identify why unresolved communication leads to recurring organizational problems. Apply practical leadership behaviors that create alignment, buy-in, and accountability. Use frameworks and assessments to improve problem solving, execution, and team trust.
In this episode, Bernhard Kerres shares insights from an unexpected meeting with 30-40 banking executives who just completed an orchestra leadership workshop. Their biggest takeaway? Even world-class musicians practice daily—but leaders rarely rehearse difficult conversations. Plus: Why the PR2 Framework matters, what to do when your opera co-star doesn't sing her lines, and why AI can't replace consultants in high-stakes meetings (yet).Bernhard's leadership framework is based on his opera background:Prepare - Understanding the wider ecosystem, project context, and company environmentRehearse - Working efficiently with your team within strict time limits (like 3-hour orchestra rehearsals with one 20-minute break)Perform - Authoritative leadership when it counts (example: when the house is on fire, you can't discuss feelings)Reflect - The hardest part as you move up in hierarchy; requires people who give you well-founded feedback, not just praiseLINKS:RolePlays.AI - www.roleplays.ai (free feedback scenario available)Onlettvint - www.onlettvint.com (Feedback framework partner)If you run leadership workshops or training programs:Orchestra leadership workshops available (contact Bernhard)RolePlays.AI scenarios can be customized for your organizationFree feedback scenario available for trialReach out: www.bernhardkerres.comThis Week's Challenge:Before your next difficult conversation (feedback, performance review, objective setting):Identify what makes it difficultActually practice it once (even just talking through it)Notice the differenceTry It:Visit www.roleplays.aiTry the free feedback scenarioPractice a conversation you've been avoidingBernhard Kerres is an executive coach, founder of RolePlays.AI, and the first opera singer to become a C-level executive of multi-million Euro tech companies. He was the only artistic director of a world-leading concert house to bring his startup to Silicon Valley. Based in Vienna, Austria, he coaches executives at firms like Henkel, PwC, and Strategy&, and teaches at London Business School.More at: www.bernhardkerres.comLinkedIn: Connect with Bernhard KerresHashtags: #CoffeeAndCoaching #Leadership #Practice #RolePlaysAI #DifficultConversationsLeadership, Executive Coaching, Difficult Conversations, Practice, Feedback, Performance Reviews, Orchestra Leadership, PR2 Framework, AI in Consulting, Banking Leadership, Situational Leadership, RolePlays.AIKey Takeaway: Even world-class performers practice daily. When's the last time you rehearsed a difficult conversation?
" A setback is that reinforcement that this is your opportunity to be the best of yourself. That's really exciting. It's the next step, the next day, the next week, the next season." This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features Rupert Guinness, author and ultra-endurance cyclist. His full episode is titled Choosing growth and opportunity and discovering untapped physical and mental capacity through extreme adversity. You can find the full audio and show notes here:
In this empowering episode, Carrie Fabris, Founder of CareerFrame, shares how to elevate manager engagement for lasting profitability and legacy. If you struggle with a weak leadership bench eroding your gains, you won't want to miss itYou will discover:- How to use Frame It for frequent, accountable leadership growth- Why high engagement boosts profitability by 21% in top quartiles- What ongoing practice turns insights into real behavioral changeThis episode is ideal for for Founders, Owners, and CEOs in stage 5 of The Founder's Evolution. Not sure which stage you're in? Find out for free in less than 10 minutes at https://www.scalearchitects.com/founders/quizWith over 20 years of corporate experience and 15+ years in leadership roles at Google, Travelocity, Sabre, and Travel Leaders Corporate, Carrie combines real-world business insight with her expertise in CliftonStrengths®, EQ-i 2.0, and Situational Leadership®. Through her signature FRAMEit Method, she delivers high-energy, actionable coaching and workshops that help leaders bridge the gap between achievement and legacy, while maintaining balance, purpose, and impact in their professional and personal lives. Carrie is also the author of ALL IN: The Working Mom's Unapologetic Quest for a Juicy Life, sharing her personal journey of navigating corporate ambition, entrepreneurship, and motherhood without compromise.Want to learn more about Carrie Fabris's work at CareerFrame? Check out her website at https://www.carriefabris.com/Get a copy of her book All In: A Working Mom's Unapologetic Quest for a Juicy Life at https://www.amazon.com/All-Working-Unapologetic-Quest-Juicy/dp/1945587776Check her The FRAMEit™ Method Flyer at https://www.scalearchitects.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/FrameIt_Flyer_Final.pdf Mentioned in this episode:Take the Founder's Evolution Quiz TodayIf you're a Founder, business owner, or CEO who feels overworked by the business you lead and underwhelmed by the results, you're doing it wrong. Succeeding as a founder all comes down to doing the right one or two things right now. Take the quiz today at foundersquiz.com, and in just ten questions, you can figure out what stage you are in, so you can focus on what is going to work and say goodbye to everything else.Founder's QuizTake the Founder's Evolution Quiz TodayIf you're a Founder, business owner, or CEO who feels overworked by the business you lead and underwhelmed by the results, you're doing it wrong. Succeeding as a founder all comes down to doing the right one or two things right now. Take the quiz today at foundersquiz.com, and in just ten questions, you can figure out what stage you are in, so you can focus on what is going to work and say goodbye to everything else.Founder's Quiz
As we approach the New Year, it's almost inevitable that we'll find ourselves taking stock of all that came and went in the year prior. For most of us, this happens because we are trying to pinpoint those things we hope to improve on over the next 12 months. But as my guest and I discuss in today's episode, when it comes to leadership, these sorts of ‘self-audits' tend to focus inward, when sometimes we need to take stock of the people and peers we choose to surround ourselves with.Joining me this week is John R. Miles, CEO and founder of Passion Struck, an organization focused on impacting real change by educating people on how to live intentionally. A former U.S. Navy officer, Fortune 50 executive, and global thought leader, John's core philosophy is that when people matter, they thrive. When organizations make people matter, everything else follows.John is now the executive producer and host of the Passion Struck podcast, ranked in the top 0.01% of all podcasts globally, and his latest book, "Passion Struck: Twelve Powerful Principles to Unlock Your Purpose and Ignite Your Most Intentional Life." was named a Next Big Idea Club Must-Read. As a man of many talents, John shares the leadership lessons he's seen that transcend any one institution, how situational leadership is about adjusting style, not principles, and the dangers of defining ourselves solely on the circumstances we find ourselves in. Enjoy the show!
"As human beings we have a lot more physically and mentally than we give ourselves credit for. When we think we're done, I don't think we're near." In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Rupert Guinness, legendary sports writer and ultra-endurance cyclist, on choosing growth and opportunity at every turn, and discovering untapped physical and mental capacity through extreme adversity.
This week I was so lucky to sit down with Rob Sender, Trinity University alumnus '99, for the Living Leadership Interview segment. After leaving Trinity he earned a Master's degree in Sports Sales from Baylor University which segued into a first job in Minor League Baseball. Following many years on the agency side, Rob has found a home as the Senior Brand and Marketing Director with the Dallas Cowboys. The conversation weaves from managing one of the most iconic brands in the world, his time and Trinity, and his thoughts on the Situational Leadership model, his leadership philosophy, and principles. He describes the impact of mentors he had at Trinity and those in his professional life since. Rob indicates that one can become a great leader through being exposed to lots of different leadership styles and leader personalities and at the end of the day curiosity should be the "coin of the realm." I truly appreciate how he describes the need to tinker, the need to "test and learn" and why all of us should manage our networks. The episode concludes with my lecture on chapter 5 of the 10th edition of Peter G. Northouse's "Leadership: Theory and Practice." During the segment, I provide an overview of Hersey and Blanchard's Situational Leadership Model, discuss details about the connection between a leader's style and the follower's developmental level, and why it's essential that leaders engage in conversations with their team members. Let me know your reactions to my chat with Rob. Reach out to both of us on LinkedIn and let's keep the conversation going.
This biography offers a fascinating look at Ken Blanchard's journey and how his groundbreaking concepts like "Catching People Doing Things Right" transformed the world of leadership. Lawrence, who has worked closely with Ken Blanchard for over two decades and served as an executive editor at Blanchard, provides a unique insider's perspective on his life and impact.This insightful biography explores the origins and evolution of "Situational Leadership" and the impactful concept of "Catching People Doing Things Right," tracing the life of its pioneer, bestselling author of One Minute Manager, and leadership expert, Ken Blanchard. From his beginnings as a self-proclaimed "mediocre student" to becoming a global icon in management thought, the book delves into how Blanchard revolutionized leadership worldwide. He is the co-founder of management and leadership training company, BlanchardBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-like-it-s-live--4113802/support.
This biography offers a fascinating look at Ken Blanchard's journey and how his groundbreaking concepts like "Catching People Doing Things Right" transformed the world of leadership. Lawrence, who has worked closely with Ken Blanchard for over two decades and served as an executive editor at Blanchard, provides a unique insider's perspective on his life and impact.This insightful biography explores the origins and evolution of "Situational Leadership" and the impactful concept of "Catching People Doing Things Right," tracing the life of its pioneer, bestselling author of One Minute Manager, and leadership expert, Ken Blanchard. From his beginnings as a self-proclaimed "mediocre student" to becoming a global icon in management thought, the book delves into how Blanchard revolutionized leadership worldwide. He is the co-founder of management and leadership training company, BlanchardBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-unplugged-totally-uncut--994165/support.
Anh Vu: Situational Leadership for Scrum Masters - Knowing When to Step Back Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Anh defines success for Scrum Masters through a simple but powerful test: when you take vacation and return to find the team working exceptionally well without you. This ultimate measure of success focuses on building self-organization and enabling true team autonomy. He emphasizes that Scrum adoption should serve as a metaphor for autonomy and self-organization, with the Scrum Master's stance evolving alongside the team's growth. Drawing from Situational Leadership principles, Anh points out that a team can only become as autonomous as the Scrum Master can envision and facilitate. The key is recognizing when to step back and allow the team to demonstrate their independence while ensuring they have the foundation and confidence to succeed. Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Free Form Retrospective Anh advocates for the free form retrospective format, which requires only a whiteboard, table, and people gathering for open reflection based on the previous sprint's goals. Rather than following structured formats, he invites team members to share their insights freely, considering the retrospective successful as long as the team leaves with 1-3 actionable insights. This approach works particularly well with teams he knows well, where trust and communication patterns have been established. He builds on this by incorporating silent thinking time to start conversations, a habit developed over time that makes teams more comfortable sharing in the free form format. Anh also recommends conducting retrospectives during in-office days when the team can eat together, investing heavily in these face-to-face interactions to strengthen team bonds. Self-reflection Question: What would happen if you took a week off from your current role - would your team continue to thrive, or would they struggle without your direct involvement? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
My guest for Episode #318 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Matthew Neal Davis, an attorney, entrepreneur, and author of the provocative book The Art of Preventing Stupid. Episode page with video and more Matthew is the founder and managing partner of Davis Business Law, which has grown more than 1,000% in six years, earning a spot on the Inc. 5000 list. In addition to running a multi-office law firm across several states, he's also the frontman of a heavy metal band called Geriatric Steel. In this episode, Matthew shares how not fully recognizing the leadership lessons from his Eagle Scout experience early in his legal career became a favorite mistake—and how it shaped the way he leads his firm today. Matthew reflects on the hiring and leadership missteps that stemmed from overlooking those early lessons—particularly how applying Ken Blanchard's Situational Leadership framework helped him better support team members through growth phases. He explains how understanding where someone is on the spectrum from “excited beginner” to “self-reliant high achiever” has transformed how he mentors attorneys and minimizes costly turnover. These insights, combined with structured systems and data dashboards, now fuel a high-performance culture rooted in learning and ownership. ...we have rituals around this. Every Wednesday is WINSday—we celebrate successes. Every Friday, we have a firm huddle where we talk about what kicked our butts that week. We put it all on the table. That's how we learn. That's how we build trust and improvement into the culture. We also talk about the core idea behind Matthew's book: that most business problems come from one of three vulnerabilities—catastrophes, ignorance, or ill-discipline—and how leaders can build a "business immune system" to prevent them. From mismanaged Google Ads campaigns to ill-advised partnerships, Matthew brings humor and clarity to how we can all learn faster, prepare better, and focus on growth. His story is a compelling reminder that being proactive beats being reactive—and that embracing mistakes is the best way to strengthen your systems and your culture. Questions and Topics: What's your favorite mistake? What did you overlook from your Eagle Scout experience that later became valuable in business? What specific mistakes did you make in those early years of running the firm? How do you apply situational leadership in your law firm? Can you share an example of helping someone move through that “frustrated learner” phase? What lessons from Scouting translate to business leadership? Did you ever think growing the firm beyond a solo practice was a mistake? What do you mean by “preventing stupid”? Can you explain your framework for categorizing business vulnerabilities? How do you distinguish ignorance from stupidity in business? What are examples of ill-discipline you've seen in your firm? Have you created checklists to avoid repeating mistakes? What is the Strong Protected Business System? How does your business immune system tool work? What do you mean by circular systems in business? How do you think about culture as your firm grows? Have you managed to avoid hiring narcissistic or toxic attorneys? How often do you get to play with your band, Geriatric Steel? Are your original songs available on Spotify or anywhere online?
What can the TV show House teach us about centralisation? In this episode of Troubleshooting Agile, Squirrel and Jeffrey talk about centralised communication, how it contributed to them first meeting and what to do when there's an imbalance of expertise in the room. SHOW LINKS: - Peer Review article: https://defenderofthebasic.substack.com/p/we-know-how-to-fix-peer-review-part - CITCON: https://citconf.com/london2025/ - Cynefin: https://thecynefin.co/about-us/about-cynefin-framework/ - Situational Leadership: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situational_leadership_theory -------------------------------------------------- You'll find free videos and practice material, plus our book Agile Conversations, at agileconversations.com And we'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show: email us at info@agileconversations.com -------------------------------------------------- About Your Hosts Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick joined forces at TIM Group in 2013, where they studied and practised the art of management through difficult conversations. Over a decade later, they remain united in their passion for growing profitable organisations through better communication. Squirrel is an advisor, author, keynote speaker, coach, and consultant, and he's helped over 300 companies of all sizes make huge, profitable improvements in their culture, skills, and processes. You can find out more about his work here: douglassquirrel.com/index.html Jeffrey is Vice President of Engineering at ION Analytics, Organiser at CITCON, the Continuous Integration and Testing Conference, and is an accomplished author and speaker. You can connect with him here: www.linkedin.com/in/jfredrick/
Do you hesitate to step into a leadership role, even when you know you have something valuable to contribute? You're not alone! Many people hold back, think it's not their job, or believe they lack the authority. But leadership isn't just for the top of the pyramid. In this episode, Shannon Waller discusses what “situational leadership” is and how you can make a real impact in your organization, no matter your title. Imagine being the go-to person in your area of expertise, confidently guiding your team through uncertainty and change. Listen now for the five mindsets in team members from Liz Wiseman's book Impact Players that are keys to developing situational leadership. Download Episode Transcript Show Notes: Strategic Coach® defines leadership as: Providing direction Maximizing opportunities Providing strategies and solutions Everyone has an area of expertise, or Unique Ability®, where we can contribute, create value, and provide leadership. The executive assistant in charge of an entrepreneur's schedule is in charge of their entrepreneur's daily activities and can provide leadership on managing time and relationships. Five key points from Impact Players by Liz Wiseman: Do the job that's needed, not what's assigned. Step up and take ownership. Adapt and stay flexible. Make work easier for others. Deliver with a finish line mentality Casting Not Hiring's 4 x 4 Casting Tool™ measures four quadrants of success: Performance: being alert, curious, responsive, and resourceful Results: what is faster, easier, cheaper, or has a bigger impact Being A Hero: four projects to focus on next quarter What Drives You/Others Crazy: behaviors you want to avoid Permission to speak up and make suggestions is not saying, “My way is the right way.” Resources: Unique Ability) PRINT®: Take the PRINT survey). Abundance 360, by Peter Diamandis Superpowered: The Secret That Helps Every Entrepreneur Eliminate the Suck, 10X Their Impact, and Have More Fun in Work and Life by Shannon Waller, Ryan Cassin, and Steven Neuner Impact Players: How to Take the Lead, Play Bigger, and Multiply Your Impact by Liz Wiseman
What's it like to manage—or be—the loudest voice in the room?In this episode, Christine sits down with Greg Shamie to explore the expressive social style: the high-energy, idea-sparking, people-centered leaders who light up meetings, connect quickly, and often get mislabeled as “too much.”Together, they unpack the strengths and growing edges of expressives, how they show up in teams, and why structure and preparation are just as important as spontaneity.Whether you're an expressive leader yourself or managing one on your team, this episode will help you understand what drives them, what drains them, and how to bring out their best—without dimming their light.
In this episode of the Retail Crime Intelligence Podcast, Cassandra Brown, Group Director of Enterprise Security - Transformation & Support at Walmart, sits down with Bobby Haskins, Auror SVP of Customer and former AP/LP manager at Target, to talk about leadership development in loss prevention.Cassandra shares how her approach to leadership has evolved — both in shaping her own career and in mentoring the next generation of LP professionals. She and Bobby explore the mindset shifts happening in the industry, from prioritizing personal success to focusing on team growth. They also discuss the challenges of developing strong leadership in a field where adaptability, trust, and communication are just as important as security strategy.In this episode, you'll learn about:The power of surrounding yourself with people who challenge and push you to growHow to embrace feedback as a tool for growth, even when it's uncomfortableHow proactive communication with key stakeholders leads to better buy-in and stronger resultsJump into the conversation:(00:00) Introducing Cassandra Brown(02:19) Work-life balance and leadership as a “boy mom”(06:45) From part-time job to 15 years at Walmart(09:21) Why strong mentors shape career decisions(12:04) Leadership principles that drive career growth(17:35) How to adjust leadership styles for different teams(24:28) Building trust: the key to high-performing teams(28:30) The role of feedback in leadership development(34:39) The mindset shift from self-betterment to team empowerment(42:41) The power of proactive communication in loss preventionResources:Cassandra's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassandra-brown-724b8a233//Walmart's website: https://www.walmart.com/Situational Leadership course: https://www.udemy.com/course/situational-leadership-basic/
In this episode of Stepping Into Your Leadership, host Christine Courtney and producer Tatiana Dominguez take a deep dive into Situational Leadership—one of the most powerful leadership models for managers and rising leaders.Leadership isn't one-size-fits-all. The Situational Leadership Model helps leaders adapt their style based on their team's competence and commitment levels. But how do you actually put it into practice?
Send us a textHave you ever discovered leadership lessons from seemingly ordinary, day-to-day experiences? In this episode, I'm sharing three surprising insights that shaped my journey toward self-mastery and authentic leadership. We'll dig into why healing from unmet expectations can help you lead with more empathy, how winning hearts with integrity builds lasting influence, and why you likely know more than you think. If you're a woman in leadership ready to blend emotional intelligence, resilience, and genuine personal development into your leadership style, this conversation is your roadmap to transformation. Join me for a candid exploration that could change the way you view your legacy and the powerful core values you bring to every room you enter.Resources mentioned in the show:Let's work together request an Authentic Chat with me about my Signature Leadership Accelerators: https://calendly.com/kemerlinrrich/30min?month=2024-04For more about me, resources, and shownotes, please visit:https://kemerlinrich.com/podcast
Switching Shop Management Systems isn't as hard as you think! Give Shop Controller a try HEREIf your DVI isn't certified, you're losing customers! Get a FREE certification when you touch HERE!In this episode, Braxton talks leadership with Josh Parnell. They discuss the top challenges shop owners face when transitioning from technician to owner and why so many struggle with communication. Josh says if shop owners don't learn how to properly communicate, they'll struggle financially. 00:00 Automotive Coaching, People Focused05:38 Service Management Challenges & Solutions07:39 Communication Misunderstandings and Voids10:01 Effective People Management Styles13:07 Automotive Repair Leadership Tips17:07 Decade in Automotive Training Leadership19:56 "Prioritizing Employee Engagement"
Welcome back to "Stepping into your Leadership" with your host, Christine Courtney! In this insightful episode, Christine is joined by returning guests Tom Armstrong and Tatiana Dominguez, two seasoned managers, as they tackle a challenging case study sent in by a listener.A team manager is grappling with a new team member, Sam, who struggles with self-direction and critical thinking, impacting team productivity. How can the manager foster independence and help Sam develop these essential skills?Tatiana suggests exploring situational leadership to understand Sam's development phase—whether he's an enthusiastic beginner or a disillusioned learner. She also touches on the tough choice of potentially parting ways if progress isn't forthcoming. Tom expands on this by emphasizing the importance of constructing a clear action plan or Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). He highlights the need for establishing clear deliverables, deadlines, and quality expectations to foster both accountability and growth.Christine adds a critical point: before jumping into action plans, consider having a direct conversation with Sam about his hesitations and the importance of taking initiative. She advocates for creating a safe space for risk-taking and learning from mistakes as a part of the growth process.As the conversation wraps up, the team reflects on the importance of gratitude in leadership. Listen in as they share heartfelt stories of mentors who shaped their early careers, revealing the power of kindness and candid feedback in developing future leaders.Tips from this Episode:Situational Leadership: Identify and understand the developmental stage of your team members.Clear Action Plans: Create specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals.Direct Communication: Have open and honest conversations to address issues directly.Safe Environment for Risk-Taking: Encourage your team to make decisions and learn from their mistakes.Gratitude and Mentorship: Recognize the importance of gratitude and learn from positive leadership examples.Join us for an engaging discussion that will equip you with practical strategies to elevate your leadership game and manage challenging team dynamics effectively. Happy Holidays from the "Stepping into your Leadership" team!Listen now on your favorite streaming platform!Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review if you enjoyed this episode. Your feedback helps us bring more insightful content your way! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
BONUS: Marshall Goldsmith on Leadership, AI, and Coaching for the Future In this BONUS episode, Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, the world-renowned leadership coach and bestselling author, shares transformative insights into leadership, coaching, and how AI is reshaping the future of these fields. With over 3 million books sold and recognition as the #1 leadership thinker globally, Marshall takes us on a journey through his career, his new AI project, and practical lessons for leaders at all levels. From Situational Leadership to Coaching Titans Marshall shares the pivotal moments that launched his career in leadership coaching. From collaborating with Paul Hersey on Situational Leadership to developing his revolutionary coaching model, Marshall shares how aligning his methods with results-driven outcomes has shaped his approach. “I always get paid after the results. This keeps the focus where it belongs—on the client's success, not mine.” Counterintuitive Lessons in Leadership Winning too much, overcompetitiveness, and making coaching about the leader instead of the team—Marshall uncovers the surprising obstacles that hold even top leaders back. He highlights the importance of working with great people and the discipline to focus on their growth over personal validation. And Marshall shares an insight that is critical for Scrum Masters: “Leadership isn't about proving yourself; it's about helping others succeed.” Coaching Global Leaders: The Process Having coached CEOs of companies like Pfizer, Ford, and Walmart, as well as global influencers, Marshall dives into his coaching process. He explains the importance of courage, humility, and discipline and introduces how his new AI bot enhances his coaching framework with over 3 million words of distilled leadership wisdom. “Great coaching starts with great clients. My process is about helping them achieve their potential, not mine.” The Birth of MarshallGoldsmith.AI Marshall's desire to give back led to the creation of MarshallGoldsmith.AI, a free tool designed to democratize access to leadership wisdom. We explore how the bot leverages AI for knowledge-sharing, its inherent biases, and how it's being used in real coaching scenarios. “My goal is simple: help as many people as possible by sharing everything I've learned.” How AI Will Revolutionize Leadership Looking forward, Marshall shares his vision for how AI will reshape learning and coaching. He believes AI will accelerate knowledge sharing, making insights immediately accessible and creating new opportunities for thought leaders to amplify their impact. “The future of coaching lies in immediate access to transformative ideas—AI makes this possible.” Lessons for Scrum Masters MarshallGoldsmith.AI even has advice for Agile practitioners! When asked about lessons for Scrum Masters, the bot highlighted three key principles: focus on collaboration, prioritize feedback without judgment, and build team resilience. “Listen, thank people, don't judge, and focus on actionable steps forward.” Parting Words of Advice Marshall leaves us with a timeless reflection: “Imagine you're near the end of your life and can offer one piece of advice to your younger self. What would it be? Live that advice today.” About Dr. Marshall Goldsmith Dr. Marshall Goldsmith is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, whose books have sold over 3 million copies worldwide. Ranked as the #1 leadership thinker by Thinkers50 and the #1 executive coach in the world for over a decade, Marshall has coached top leaders, including CEOs of global corporations, world leaders, and visionary thinkers. In addition to his coaching work, Marshall is pioneering the integration of AI in leadership with MarshallGoldsmith.AI, a free tool to democratize access to his decades of expertise. You can link with Dr. Marshall Goldsmith on LinkedIn and connect with him on Twitter.
In this special episode from the American Marketing Association conference, Carrie sits down with Claire Skelton, Assistant Director of Content Marketing at Southeast Missouri State University, and Nikki Peters, Design Manager at the same institution. They discuss the impact of leadership lessons, the value of continuous learning, and the excitement of their first AMA conference. If you're a higher education marketing professional or someone stepping into leadership roles, their experiences will resonate deeply.Key TakeawaysContinuous Learning Fuels Leadership Growth: Claire and Nikki emphasize that leadership is an ongoing journey, not a destination.Collaborative Development Strengthens Teams: Completing leadership courses together allowed them to reflect, share insights, and grow as leaders.Flexibility in Leadership Matters: Tailoring leadership styles to individual team members is a game-changer.Networking and Shared Experiences Are Priceless: The conference provides a unique opportunity to connect with peers facing similar challenges and to explore innovative solutions.First-Time Attendees Should Take the Leap: The advice is simple—if you're debating attending next year, go.The Power of Shared Leadership Development Claire and Nikki shared how the Lessons in Leadership course shaped their approach to managing teams and fostering collaboration. By taking the course together, they identified each other's strengths and weaknesses, creating a space for vulnerability and growth. Weekly meetings became a cornerstone of their development, offering a chance to reflect on insights, identify areas for improvement, and brainstorm how to adapt their leadership styles to meet the needs of their diverse teams.This collaborative approach highlights an essential takeaway: leadership growth is amplified when it's shared. Leaders who hold themselves and others accountable can create meaningful change for their teams and organizations.Situational Leadership and Self-Awareness A key insight from the course that resonated with Nikki and Claire was the importance of situational leadership. Nikki explained how tailoring her approach based on the unique needs of her team members and projects allowed her to adapt more effectively. Flexibility, she noted, is a critical skill for navigating the fast-paced challenges of higher education marketing.Claire highlighted the importance of self-awareness, particularly around communication. Recognizing tendencies, such as unintentionally interrupting others, and making a conscious effort to listen more effectively, helped her grow as a leader. Both agreed that leadership is as much about personal reflection as it is about team management.First-Time Conference Experiences and Advice Both Claire and Nikki expressed excitement about their first AMA conference and the wealth of knowledge it offers. With sessions on branding, leadership, CRM strategies, and social media tactics, they are eager to return to their teams with actionable insights. For Nikki, rebranding at their institution provided a timely opportunity to absorb fresh perspectives on guiding her team through significant changes.The networking opportunities were another highlight. Meeting peers at the welcome reception and engaging with vendors gave them a sense of belonging in a larger professional community. Their advice to first-time attendees: “Go for it.” The energy, shared challenges, and inspiring ideas make it an invaluable experience. - - - -Connect With Our Co-Hosts:Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/https://twitter.com/mallorywillseaSeth Odell https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethodell/https://twitter.com/sethodellAbout The Enrollify Podcast Network:The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you'll like other Enrollify shows too! Some of our favorites include Generation AI and Confessions of a Higher Education Social Media Manager.Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.Attend the 2025 Engage Summit! The Engage Summit is the premier conference for forward-thinking leaders and practitioners dedicated to exploring the transformative power of AI in education. Explore the strategies and tools to step into the next generation of student engagement, supercharged by AI. You'll leave ready to deliver the most personalized digital engagement experience every step of the way.Register now to secure your spot in Charlotte, NC, on June 24-25, 2025! Early bird registration ends February 1st -- https://engage.element451.com/register
This week I was so lucky to sit down with Scott Williams, Trinity alumnus '89, for the Living Leadership Interview segment. Scott and I met when I was 19 and was one of my early mentors at Trinity. Since that time, we've maintained a close relationship, which was heightened during his time serving on the Trinity University Alumni Association Board. Scott and I discuss the Situational Leadership model and his leadership philosophy and principles. He details important in and out-of-class mentors he had at Trinity and the value of meeting others where they are and seeing them for who they are. Scott describes why leaders must connect with individuals and why it would actually be unfair to treat everyone the same. He says that if you treat everyone with respect and build a foundation of trust, you can meet people where they are and bring out the best in them. This conversation about focusing equity, rather than equality, is important for us all to hear. Four years ago, Scott and I appeared on the Trinity University Podcast Network for a discussion on race, education, mentors, and modern-day athlete activism. I encourage you to give that conversation a listen as it is really different from this episode, but can provide you important context for what makes Scott tick. Reflections on Life, Trinity, and the American Dream (https://soundcloud.com/user-936731397/reflections-on-life-trinity-and-the-american-dream) The episode concludes with my lecture on chapter 5 of the 9th edition of Peter G. Northouse's "Leadership: Theory and Practice." During the segment, I provide an overview of Hersey and Blanchard's Situational Leadership Model, discuss details about the connection between a leader's style and the follower's developmental level, and why it's essential that leaders engage in conversations with their team members. Let me know your reactions to my chat with Scott. Reach out to both of us on Twitter (@TingleJK and @scottwilli75or LinkedIn and let's keep the conversation going
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This Podcast Is Episode 599, And It's About Mastering Leadership In Construction: From Passive To Assertive Effective leadership is crucial for project success in the dynamically challenging construction environment. A Project Manager (PM) oversees operations, guides teams through day-to-day tasks, ensures effective communication, and maintains stakeholder alignment. As many of you, our readers and clients, are both wearing two hats - PM and Owner; it's essential to understand the advantages and disadvantages of taking on both roles. As a Project Manager and a Business Owner, you deeply understand the entire process, from planning to execution. This holistic view allows for better decision-making. You have the authority to implement your vision and strategies, ensuring that quality and efficiency align with your goals. You can build long-term relationships with clients, subcontractors, and suppliers, enhancing trust and collaboration. As the owner, you can choose the projects you want to take and the direction of your business, allowing for personal and professional growth. However, balancing the responsibilities of both roles can lead to very long hours and difficulty maintaining a work-life balance. As both a PM and business owner, the weight of decisions falls on your shoulders, which can be stressful. Ownership also involves financial investment and risks, mainly if projects do not go as planned—this could include juggling resources, including labor, materials, and budgets, which can be challenging and may lead to conflicts. You may often face unexpected challenges that require immediate attention, leading to a high-pressure environment. As a business owner, you might find it hard to delegate tasks, feeling the need to oversee everything, which can lead to burnout. The key to balancing these roles is knowing your strengths and limitations. First, it is important to recognize that various leadership styles can empower PMs and Owners to adapt their approach for optimal results. Here are several essential styles of leadership to consider in Construction Project Management. 1. Autocratic Leadership Autocratic leaders make decisions independently, with little input from team members. This can benefit construction projects when quick decisions are required, such as during critical program changes or when addressing safety issues. However, while it can expedite decision-making, this style may suppress team creativity and engagement. 2. Transformational Leadership Transformational leaders inspire and motivate their teams by promoting a shared vision. In construction, where project goals often evolve, this style can be particularly effective in driving change. By empowering team members and fostering innovation, transformational leaders can cultivate a proactive environment that aligns with the project's objectives. 3. Servant Leadership This style focuses on team members' growth and well-being. Servant leaders prioritize collaboration and support to meet their team's needs. In construction, this approach enhances morale and encourages open communication, vital for troubleshooting issues and delivering projects on time. 4. Democratic Leadership Democratic leaders solicit input and collaborate with their teams on decision-making. This leadership style can enhance team cohesion and ensure all voices are heard. Engaging team members in planning and problem-solving in construction projects can lead to more innovative solutions and a stronger sense of ownership among the workforce. 5. Transactional Leadership Transactional leaders focus on clear structures and defined tasks, rewarding compliance and performance. This can be vital for maintaining schedules, budgets, and compliance with safety regulations in a construction setting. While this style ensures accountability, it may not foster creativity or long-term commitment among team members. 6. Laissez-Faire Leadership Laissez-faire leaders offer minimal direction and allow team members to make decisions. This approach can be effective in construction when managing highly skilled professionals who thrive in autonomous environments. However, clear guidelines may lead to a lack of coordination and inefficiency. 7. Situational Leadership Situational leadership requires adaptability, allowing the PM to adjust their style based on the project and team's needs. This flexibility is particularly beneficial in construction, where unforeseen challenges often arise. By assessing situational variables—such as team dynamics or project complexity—a PM can choose the most effective leadership style at any given time. Leadership styles significantly impact team dynamics, productivity, and overall business success. While you may think adapting to the situation is the best option, you need to consider this: Yes, a passive leadership style may seem non-confrontational and agreeable, but it often leads to unresolved issues, a lack of direction, and decreased morale. Transforming from a passive to an assertive leadership style can be a game-changer for your business. Understanding Passive vs. Assertive Leadership Passive leaders usually: Avoid conflict at all costs Hesitate to express opinions or make decisions Allow others to dictate terms Fail to set clear expectations and boundaries Assertive leaders usually: Communicate openly and honestly Make decisions confidently Set and enforce clear expectations Respect both your rights and those of others The Challenges of Passive Leadership Passive leaders often struggle to articulate their needs and expectations, leading to team confusion, frustration, and inefficiency. For instance, a passive leader might avoid addressing a team member's repeated tardiness, resulting in resentment among other employees who adhere to punctuality. The Benefits of Becoming Assertive Transforming into an assertive leader brings numerous advantages: Improved Communication: Clear, direct communication reduces misunderstandings and fosters transparency. Enhanced Team Morale: Employees value fair and consistent leaders, leading to higher job satisfaction. Better Decision-Making: Assertive leaders make timely and informed decisions, driving the business forward. Increased Respect: Teams respect leaders who stand by their principles and address issues promptly. Practical Tips for Making the Shift 1. Start Small: Begin by asserting yourself in low-stakes situations. Practice expressing your opinions in meetings or setting minor boundaries. 2. Use "I" Statements: Frame your thoughts using "I" statements to take ownership of your feelings. For example, say, "I feel concerned when deadlines are missed," instead of "You always miss deadlines." 3. Try Active Listening: Listen attentively to show that you value others' input. This fosters mutual respect and opens the door for more assertive interactions. 4. Set Clear Expectations: Clearly define your team's roles, responsibilities, and expectations. This will help prevent ambiguity and ensure everyone knows what is required. 5. Seek Feedback: Ask trusted colleagues or mentors about your leadership style. Use this input to adjust and improve your assertiveness. 6. Stay Calm and Composed: Try to maintain a calm attitude, even in challenging situations. This helps keep discussions constructive and focused on solutions. 7. Learn to Say No: Say no when necessary. Respectfully declining requests that don't align with your goals ensures your resources are used effectively. Final thoughts Choosing the right leadership style as a Project Manager or a Business Owner (or both) in construction is crucial to navigating the complexities of each project. Influential leaders recognize the value of blending different styles and adapting their approach to changing circumstances. By leveraging these various leadership styles, PMs can foster a productive work environment, drive team performance, and ultimately enhance project success. The ability to inspire, engage, and direct team efforts will not only lead to the completion of projects on time and within budget but can also pave the way for sustained growth and improvement within the organization. Transitioning from a passive to an assertive leadership style is a transformative journey that requires practice and commitment. The benefits—improved communication, better decision-making, increased respect, and enhanced team morale—are worth the effort. By embracing assertiveness, you can lead your team more effectively and drive your business toward tremendous success. Do you need further guidance on developing your assertiveness? Perhaps you would like to focus more on your business and leadership journey. We are here to support you, whether you need a little or a lot of help. Contact me today. About The Author: Sharie DeHart, QPA, is the co-founder of Business Consulting And Accounting in Lynnwood, Washington. She is the leading expert in managing outsourced construction bookkeeping and accounting services companies and cash management accounting for small construction companies across the USA. She encourages Contractors and Construction Company Owners to stay current on their tax obligations and offers insights on managing the remaining cash flow to operate and grow their construction company sales and profits so they can put more money in the bank. Call 1-800-361-1770 or sharie@fasteasyaccounting.com
In this enlightening episode of "Stepping into Your Leadership," host Christine Courtney and special guest Greg Shamie dive into the world of social styles and versatility in the workplace. They explore the crucial role of social intelligence in understanding and managing one's emotions and interactions with others.Discover the origins of social style assessments from the ancient teachings of Socrates to the groundbreaking work by David Merrill in the 1950s. Uncover the four social style quadrants—Driver, Expressive, Amiable, and Analytical—and learn how they are defined by assertiveness and responsiveness.Christine and Greg provide actionable tips tailored to each social style to enhance workplace interactions:DriversFocus on respecting their time, sticking to facts, and following through on commitments.ExpressivesBalance spontaneity with detailed planning, and ensure inclusivity while moderating energy levels.AmiablesApproach conflict carefully, initiate actions without needing full consensus, and handle issues privately with courtesy.AnalyticalsCommunicate clearly and precisely, give them time and space, and don't rush them into decisions.Tune in to gain insights on recognizing and adapting to different social styles by observing cues like dressing style and workspace organization. Additionally, delve into the concept of "backup behavior" under stress and the importance of developing emotional intelligence.Whether you're a seasoned leader or climbing the career ladder, this episode is packed with practical wisdom to help you navigate and thrive in diverse workplace dynamics. Listen now to "Situational Leadership" and step confidently into your leadership journey!#Leadership #SocialStyles #EmotionalIntelligence #WorkplaceSuccess #Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Excellent Executive Coaching: Bringing Your Coaching One Step Closer to Excelling
Dominik Szot discusses the importance of AI for leaders, emphasizing its role as a database for leaders to ask powerful questions and simplify their jobs. What is the most important thing for leadership these days, with so much talk about AI? You mentioned Clean Coaching, Marshall Goldsmith's Stakeholder Centered Coaching and Solution Focused Coaching, Positive Psychology, and Nonviolent Communication. Define the different approaches you use and how do you bring these approaches to your coaching? Given your extensive knowledge of the different approaches and models, how do you help leaders? What attracted you to write for Forbes council and now you are the leader a group called Culture Architects? Dominik Szot Dominik Szot discusses the importance of AI for leaders, emphasizing its role as a database for leaders to ask powerful questions and simplify their jobs. Dominik highlights his coaching methods, including solution-focused coaching, stakeholder-centered coaching, clean coaching, positive psychology, and non-violent communication. Szot stresses the need for leaders to understand and address emotions like shame and guilt to build trust and psychological safety. He also underscores the generational differences in leadership, advocating for curiosity and openness towards younger generations. Szot's involvement with the Forbes Council aims to foster a community of leaders to create a stronger, more inclusive work environment. Excellent Executive Coaching Podcast If you have enjoyed this episode, subscribe to our podcast on iTunes. We would love for you to leave a review. The EEC podcasts are sponsored by MKB Excellent Executive Coaching that helps you get from where you are to where you want to be with customized leadership and coaching development programs. MKB Excellent Executive Coaching offers leadership development programs to generate action, learning, and change that is aligned with your authentic self and values. Transform your dreams into reality and invest in yourself by scheduling a discovery session with Dr. Katrina Burrus, MCC to reach your goals. Your host is Dr. Katrina Burrus, MCC, founder and general manager of Excellent Executive Coaching a company specialized in leadership development.
In this engaging episode of the Intentional Agribusiness Leader podcast, host Mark welcomes Rebecca Helget, VP of Sales and Business Development at Integrated Ag Solutions. The episode delves into the significance of intentionality in life and business, focusing on Rebecca's career journey, leadership experiences, and her current role in agribusiness. Rebecca shares her thoughts on hiring the right talent, understanding individual motivations, and the importance of situational leadership.Throughout the conversation, they explore strategies for cultivating a robust company culture, addressing talent retention, and leveraging cross-functional teams for enhanced productivity. Rebecca emphasizes the value of honesty in job roles, aligning individual and organizational goals, and continuously working on personal development. The episode is rich with actionable insights, particularly for those interested in agribusiness, leadership, and personal growth.Key Takeaways:Intentional Leadership: Rebecca defines intentionality as being deliberate and purposeful in actions, emphasizing its importance in achieving meaningful outcomes.Talent Acquisition and Retention: Hiring the right people and understanding their motivations are crucial for long-term retention and success.Situational Leadership: Adapting leadership styles to meet individual needs and team dynamics is essential, particularly in diverse and cross-functional environments.Personal Development: Continuous self-improvement and reflection are key to effective leadership and achieving personal and professional goals.Importance of Sleep and Exercise: Prioritizing sleep and maintaining physical health are vital for sustaining energy and productivity.Notable Quotes:"Being intentional really is just being deliberate on purpose." - Rebecca Helget"I just feel like we shouldn't be selling people jobs." - Rebecca Helget"The more you understand what everybody fits together, the more you've got a close-knit culture." - Rebecca Helget"If I can do these things, anybody can do these things, it's just being intentional." - Rebecca Helget"Prioritizing your sleep and maintaining physical health are vital for sustaining energy and productivity." - Rebecca HelgetMake sure to tune in to the full episode for more in-depth insights and strategies from Rebecca Helget. Stay updated with the Intentional Agribusiness Leader podcast for more enlightening conversations and expert advice in the field of agribusiness.
Mit über 800 Mitarbeitern, über 15 Mio Listings und einer Marktkapitalisierung von über 240 Mio EUR gehört HomeToGo zu den größten Marketplace-Startups Deutschlands. Neben dem Betrieb verschiedener B2C-Buchungsplattformen bietet HomeToGo mit HomeToGo Pro unterschiedliche B2B-Softwarelösungen für Eigentümer und Verwalter von Ferienimmobilien.Wir sprechen über die Entwicklungsphasen von der Metasuche über den Marktplatz zum Software-Unternehmen sowie Patrick Andrae's Transformation vom Gründer zum CEO. Zudem gibt Patrick Einblick in sein Verständnis von Situational Leadership und die Kommunikations- und Planungsprozesse zu verschiedenen Stages des Unternehmensaufbaus. Was du lernst:Wie Patrick Andrae über Company Building eines Marketplace Startups nachdenkt.Strategien zur effektiven Führung und Strukturierung einer wachsenden Organisation.Data-driven vs. Data-informed: Die Bedeutung von datengestützter Entscheidungsfindung und iterativer Produktentwicklung.Situational Leadership: Wie man den richtigen Rahmen für Mitarbeiter und Themen setzt.Einblicke in HomeToGos Kommunikations- und Planungsprozesse.ALLES ZU UNICORN BAKERY:https://zez.am/unicornbakery Mehr zu Patrick:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickandrae/ HomeToGo: https://www.hometogo.de/ Join our Founder Tactics Newsletter:2x die Woche bekommst du die Taktiken der besten Gründer der Welt direkt ins Postfach:https://newsletter.unicornbakery.deMarker:(00:00:00) Vom Jurist zum Gründer(00:11:17) Marketplace-Skalierung und Product-Strategy(00:27:35) Marketplace Challenges(00:29:12) Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC) & Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)(00:35:37) Alignment verschiedener Departments(00:40:19) Data-Driven vs. Data-Informed(00:43:37) Strategieentwicklung und Planung (00:52:31) Transformation vom Gründer zum CEO(01:01:14) HomeToGo's Meetingstruktur(01:06:45) Warum Chaos nicht problematisch ist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A refresh of Ken Blanchard's Situational Leadership
In this episode of the LEITWOLF® podcast, Stefan talks about the importance and application of situational leadership. Inspired by conversations with the CEO and CHRO of a DAX company as well as Peter Zehnder, Stefan explains how outstanding leaders adapt their leadership style to the situation at hand, be it during a turnaround, in crises or during growth phases. You will learn about the four leadership styles and how you can choose the right style depending on the situation in order to lead effectively in every situation. ––– Click here for the interview with Peter Zehnder: https://audio.podigee-cdn.net/1513232-m-4b4baa95c140c334f25159c2ed925841.mp3?source=feed Do you like the LEITWOLF® Leadership podcast? Then please rate it with a star rating and review it on iTunes or/and Spotify. This will help us to further improve this LEITWOLF® podcast and make it more visible. ––– Book your access to the LEITWOLF® Academy NOW: https://stefan-homeister-leadership.com/link/leitwolf-academy-en Would you like solid tips or support on how to implement good leadership in your company? Then please get in touch with Stefan via mail: homeister@stefan-homeister-leadership.com Or arrange a free phone call here: https://stefan-homeister-leadership.com/link/calendly-en // LINKEDIN: https://stefan-homeister-leadership.com/link/linkedin // WEBSITE: https://stefan-homeister-leadership.com ® 2017 STEFAN HOMEISTER LEITWOLF® ALL RIGHTS RESERVE ___ LEITWOLF Podcast, Leadership, Management, Stefan Homeister, Podcast, Business Leadership, Successful Leadership, Organizational Management, Leadership Skills, Leadership Development, Team Management, Self-leadership, Leadership Coaching, Leadership Training, Career Development, Leadership Personality, Success Strategies, Organizational Culture, Motivation and Leadership, Leadership Tips, Leadership Insights, Change Management, Visionary Leadership, Leadership Interviews, Successful Managers, Entrepreneurial Tips, Leadership Best Practices, Leadership Perspectives, Business Coaching
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast: Lead Like Never Before
Legendary leadership expert Ken Blanchard and Randy Conley talk about the backstory of the One Minute Manager. They also discuss seagull management, the power of simplicity and brevity, and how to stay fit, engaged, and contributing at age 85. Show Notes The Art of Leadership Live On The Rise Newsletter Preaching Cheat Sheet Watch on YouTube Follow @careynieuwhof Follow @theartofleadershipnetwork This episode is sponsored by: COMPASSION As a pastor, I knew child sponsorship was an opportunity for my church to make an impact worldwide and I trusted Compassion International to make that happen. Learn more about hosting your own Compassion Sunday at http://compassion.com/carey GLOO Take the pain out of communicating with your people, get free texting with our friends at Gloo. Check out http://gloo.us/freetexting TIMESTAMPS: Co-authorship and Writing Process (00:07:40) The One Minute Manager (00:18:28) Spiritual Foundation of Leadership (00:24:23) Simplicity in Leadership (00:26:30) Development of Situational Leadership (00:29:10) Focus on Middle Management (00:35:32) Influencing Top Managers (00:37:19) Seagull Management (00:37:54) Creating Memorable Metaphors (00:39:21) Ego's Anonymous (00:41:27) Servant Leadership (00:48:44) Refiring at 85 (00:50:52) Longevity in an Organization (00:55:07) The One Minute Reprimand to Redirect (00:59:45) Fear and Trust (01:00:55) Unequal Treatment and Fairness (01:03:38) Leadership in Absence (01:05:53) Collaboration and Leadership (01:10:01) Brought to you by The Art of Leadership Network
In this bonus Q&A with Mitchell, he shares:His proudest moment and biggest failure in his career so farA trend that he is following in Talent Development right nowThe biggest challenge he sees in Talent Development todayBooks that have made a big impact on his lifeOne piece of career advice he has for youMitchell Kenyon Davis, M.S. & M.A. is a culture transformation and DEI executive coach & strategic partner. He leads global culture & DEI programs in house at Autodesk and consults with other organizations in the tech, finance, automotive, hospitality and public sectors.His master's degrees focused on International Development & Healthcare, and Emotional Intelligence, Coaching & Leadership Development. He's a certified coach by the International Coaching Federation with over 400 hours of executive coaching experience. He's also certified in the Intercultural Development Index, design thinking, Prosci Change Management, Birkman Coaching, Harvard Management and Mentorship, Situational Leadership, and Speaking with Impact.With 11 years additional experience leading international teams in sales, corporate social responsibility, and entrepreneurial operations, he brings unique business insights to the work he does now. He lives between Barcelona and Berlin and has nationalities from the United States and Spain, although he likes to call himself a citizen of the world. Mitchell is a proud gay man and leverages his own personal journey to empathetically build bridges across differences. His passion and talent for breaking down barriers to new learning opportunities creates conscious human connection.Connect with Andy Storch:WebsiteLinkedInJoin us in the Talent Development Think Tank Community!Join us at the Talent Development Think Tank ConferenceConnect with Mitchell Kenyon Davis:LinkedIn
In this episode, Mitchell shares powerful insights on fostering psychological safety for LGBTQ individuals within organizations, advocating for universal benefits that support the entire LGBTQ community, and the vital role of empathy in DEI efforts. We'll explore Mitchell's personal journey, from growing up in a conservative town in Missouri to becoming a leading DEI voice, and how living authentically in Barcelona has shaped his perspective on equity and inclusion.Join us as Mitchell discusses:The current state of DEIThe importance of a global approach to diversity Challenges of integrating DEI into talent development. The impact of leadership ego on organizational changeThe concept of confident humilityThe significance of creating inclusive learning programs. Mitchell Kenyon Davis, M.S. & M.A. is a culture transformation and DEI executive coach & strategic partner. He leads global culture & DEI programs in house at Autodesk and consults with other organizations in the tech, finance, automotive, hospitality and public sectors.His master's degrees focused on International Development & Healthcare, and Emotional Intelligence, Coaching & Leadership Development. He's a certified coach by the International Coaching Federation with over 400 hours of executive coaching experience. He's also certified in the Intercultural Development Index, design thinking, Prosci Change Management, Birkman Coaching, Harvard Management and Mentorship, Situational Leadership, and Speaking with Impact.With 11 years additional experience leading international teams in sales, corporate social responsibility, and entrepreneurial operations, he brings unique business insights to the work he does now. He lives between Barcelona and Berlin and has nationalities from the United States and Spain, although he likes to call himself a citizen of the world. Mitchell is a proud gay man and leverages his own personal journey to empathetically build bridges across differences. His passion and talent for breaking down barriers to new learning opportunities creates conscious human connection.Connect with Andy Storch:WebsiteLinkedInJoin us in the Talent Development Think Tank Community!Join us at the Talent Development Think Tank ConferenceConnect with Mitchell Kenyon Davis:LinkedIn
As we develop in our roles we need our leaders in different ways. Today's episode is a dive into what is called situational leadership. Situational Leadership is the understanding that each person on your team is at a different level of skill and motivation and therefore needs lead differently. I review the four stages of career development; beginner, novice, apprentice and mastery, as well as how you need to lead at each of these stages. A great follow up assignment to this episode is assess your team. Who falls into what category and how can you help them advance to the next level. Did you like today's episode? If so, be sure to subscribe so you don't miss future episodes. Share with a friend and follow along on social media too! FOLLOW ON LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbycornelius/ FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/abbycorneliuscoaching/ VISIT WEBSITE: www.abbycornelius.com
During my time of introspection, I was thinking about leadership and the inspiring leaders I have worked with. I share my experience of how I lead not just my team but also myself and grow. ------------------------------------------------------------- YouTube: https://YouTube.com/@EnterpriseArchitectureRadio LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nilotpaldas/ Twitter: @EntArchRadio Email: nilotpaldas@hotmail.com Telegram Group: https://t.me/EnterpriseArchitectureRadio Music: Music by tobylane from Pixabay
In this thought-provoking episode of "Stepping into Your Leadership," host Christine Courtney is joined by leadership expert Greg Shamie for a deep dive into the dynamic world of Situational Leadership. Based on the transformative model developed by Paul Hershey and Ken Blanchard in 1969, this discussion explores how leaders can keenly observe and adeptly adjust their management styles to effectively meet the evolving needs of their teams.Christine and Greg discuss the crucial elements of competence and commitment, essential for navigating the four developmental stages of team members—from the enthusiastic beginner to the self-reliant achiever. They offer a tennis analogy to illustrate how these principles operate beyond the business world, emphasizing practical applications in everyday scenarios.Listeners will gain insights into the importance of providing specific feedback, the art of delegation, and strategies to enhance team productivity and foster professional growth. Whether you're transitioning someone into a management role or striving to empower a disillusioned learner, this episode is packed with actionable tips to help you cultivate a thriving, supportive work environment.Tune in to enrich your leadership approach with the timeless wisdom of situational leadership, empowering you to not only respond to your team's needs but also to anticipate them, ensuring you and your team achieve your full potential. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Galen Hair talks with Jeff Barnes, a business consultant, who shares his strategies for successful succession planning in a business. He emphasizes on adopting a system-focused approach, outsourcing tasks, and continual team training. He discusses the role of AI in enhancing business operations, but clarifies that it won't fully replace human labor. Tech-enhanced businesses, according to Barnes, are more alluring to investors due to their operational ease and profitability. Highlights Jeff Barnes's previous jobs in the Navy and how it led him to dive into the business world. How he transitioned from inspecting different business establishments to wanting to make businesses run more effectively and efficiently The process of outsourcing business roles to make it more effective and to replace yourself in every area in the business to make it scalable Why training never ends The concept of Situational Leadership in businesses Sticking to the training process regardless of how long it could take Why most valuable businesses are those that can operate without the owner Role of AI in changing business operations Importance of businesses having a tech-enabled status before looking to get sold Episode Resources Connect with Galen M. Hair https://insuranceclaimhq.com hair@hairshunnarah.com https://levelupclaim.com/ Connect with Jeff Barnes LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffpbarnes/ Website: https://www.angelinvestorsnetwork.com
Ready for a real hands-on and problem solving session with Jon Kuttin on situational leadership? Join us for this week's podcast with Jon and a hands on training with the KWM team as Jon goes deep into understanding how to effectively leverage the situational leadership model to lead down, across and up across your organization. The post Situational Leadership Masterclass with Jon Kuttin appeared first on Kuttin Consulting Group.
THE KELLY CARDENAS PODCAST PRESENTS SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP
"Leadership is an influence relationship among leaders and followers who achieve real change." - Vicki Halsey Vicki Halsey is a renowned leadership expert and VP of applied learning for Blanchard. She shares valuable insights into the complexities of leadership and delves into the SLII situational leadership model. Vicki's approach encourages leaders to empower their employees by recognizing their contributions and fostering a workplace where everyone feels appreciated and valued. Throughout the conversation with Gretchen Schott, Vicki describes how leaders can adapt their styles to the development levels of their team members, stating that it's vital to be "consistently inconsistent" based on the goal or task and the individual involved. Listen to this episode to discover actionable tips on leadership and hear Vicki's reasoning on why positive work environments extend their influence beyond the office walls. In this episode, you'll learn: How personalized recognition affects the workplace compared to generic praise and the importance of understanding individual preferences for appreciation. How to apply the concepts of the ENGAGE model to energize and engage employees in meetings and training through facilitating dialogue and interactive learning. Why you should implement an adaptable leadership style to meet team members' varying needs and developmental levels. Connect with Guest: Vicki Halsey Check out the website: http://www.vickihalsey.com/ Check out Blanchard:https://www.blanchard.com/ Get in touch with Gretchen, and let her know which impactful leaders you'd like to hear from: Connect on LinkedIn or Subscribe to our newsletter. Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: Strong leaders at all organizational levels are a requisite for business success. The GrowU Leadership Pathways, developed by Gretchen Schott, keeps a leadership ‘pipeline' flowing to ensure skilled and competent leaders are present throughout every brand in the Threefold Portfolio. This episode of Made for Impact delves into the second of six core competencies in this leadership journey - Adaptive Leadership. Jump into the conversation: [00:44] Introduction to Vicki [05:26] What many misunderstand about a leader's role [08:10] How to answer requests for help [09:45] Defining SLII development levels [15:51] Why leaders should capture best practices [18:30] Understanding when to empower instead of solving problems [24:12] A distinction around delegating tasks [27:46] Why you should be ‘consistently inconsistent' in leadership [34:19] The importance of telling your people why their work matters [39:11] The development of the ENGAGE model [42:39] How to get in touch with Vicki [44:19] Wrapping up
Presented by Fellow.app. Streamline your meetings and make them more efficient and meaningful. Get Fellow for you and your team today. Head to https://fellow.app/coo/ to get started and start having better meetings. (00:12) Advice for CEOs and COOs This chapter welcomes Cameron Harold, the founder of COO Alliance and author of "The Second In Command," as we celebrate the release of his new book and examine its content, which serves as a guide for both CEOs and COOs. We explore Cameron's transition from COO to CEO, the mindset shifts that accompanied this change, and his insights into the balance between work and life. Cameron shares his experiences and lessons learned from running a business at a young age, including the importance of delegating, saying no, and focusing on the most critical tasks. The discussion also touches on how the book has already impacted the COO Alliance and the value it provides in understanding the CEO-COO dynamic. (12:37) Promoting From Within vs. Hiring Externally This chapter we explore the importance of creating a culture of continuous improvement within companies, akin to the mindset of elite athletes or performers. I share an anecdote about Patrick Roy to illustrate the resilience and determination that we aim to instill in our teams. We discuss strategies for fostering a safe environment where feedback is welcomed and viewed as a tool for growth, emphasizing that it's the systems, not individuals, that often need adjustment. We also touch on the sentimental value of sports heroes, as I recount a personal encounter with my childhood idol, Ken Dryden. Finally, I address the considerations involved in deciding whether to promote from within or hire externally for leadership roles, factoring in the individual's ability to complement the CEO's skills, their leadership qualities, and the strategic implications of such decisions, especially in companies with specialized knowledge or intellectual property. (17:24) Flexibility in Organizational Structure With AI This chapter examines the importance of flexibility in business operations and leadership. We explore the concept of a "bobbin' weave culture" where being too rigid can be detrimental, and the benefits of flowing like water, taking the path of least resistance towards the company's vivid vision. I discuss the necessity for leaders to align with core values and purposes, akin to a bobsled track, to guide the organization's journey. Additionally, we look at the challenges of introducing flexibility into rigid structures, using the example of Gerber Auto Collision's approach to acquisitions and the philosophy of "selling, not telling" to integrate new teams. The chapter also highlights the power of positive reinforcement and personal praise in leadership, drawing lessons from Howard Behar's practice of handwritten thank you notes at Starbucks, emphasizing the value of gratitude and recognition in driving employee success and satisfaction. (24:55) Exploring AI Tools and Admired COOs This chapter, we explore the significance of AI in the modern workplace, highlighting how our employees and CO Alliance members are encouraged to experiment with AI tools for one to two hours each week. We discuss the vast array of available AI applications, far beyond the widely mentioned ChatGPT, and the benefits of sharing experiences with these tools among teams to build momentum and enhance productivity. Examples include the transformative effects of AI on podcast production, such as using Descript to edit speech or Podium Stage for content creation. Additionally, we touch upon the importance of adaptability, illustrated by historical shifts in technology within NASA, and wrap up with admiration for influential COOs like Cheryl Sandberg and Matt Rawlings, noting how they exemplify effective leadership and innovation. (30:39) Leadership Lessons and Insights This chapter explores the contrasting leadership styles and trajectories of two COOs of 1-800-Got-Junk, with a focus on the impact of Eric Church's internal-facing, process- and people-centered approach as he grew the company from $70 million to $450 million, in stark contrast to my own media-facing, brand-building style during a different company growth phase. We also discuss the critical lesson of listening to team members, exemplified by a near-bankruptcy experience, and share a personal strategy for becoming a better listener by physically sitting on one's hands to encourage attentiveness. Finally, we examine the importance of asking systemic rather than symptomatic questions within leadership, illustrated by an anecdote involving Starbucks and the significance of maintaining operational systems for company-wide consistency. (37:02) Catch Up and Discuss Book Promotion This chapter celebrates the successful collaboration between CEOs and COOs as we unpack the critical dynamics of their partnership. I extend my gratitude to Cameron for sharing his insights and congratulate him on his new book, "Second in Command," a must-read for current and aspiring COOs, as well as CEOs seeking to hire their right-hand executive. We reflect on the nuances of the CEO-COO relationship and the importance of understanding each other's roles to foster a productive working environment. The discussion emphasizes the book's relevance for those looking to enhance their leadership teams and the overall health of their organizations. Thank you, Cameron, for joining me and enriching our listeners with your expertise. Links:Second In Command book - https://www.amazon.com/Second-Command-Unleash-Power-Your/dp/1544537603COO Alliance - https://cooalliance.com/Cameron Herold on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronherold/Unique Ability by Dan Sullivan - https://uniqueability.com/Situational Leadership - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situational_leadership_theoryFellow.app - https://fellow.app/coo/Episode on Between Two COO's - https://betweentwocoos.com/41Michael Koenig on LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/michael-koenig514/
Delegating is the highest stage of sitaional leadership, but certianly is not for everyone all the time. Today we'll learn more about Delegating - what it is, when to use it, and what the cautions are. Join Zack Hudson as he helps you grow your leadership skills weekly. Passing the Baton podcast is hosted by Mike Floyd & Neha Shingane. Visit our website!
In the supporting style of leadership, the dynamic begins to shift funtamentally from leader-led to follower-led. Today we'll learn more about Supporting - what it is, when to use it, and what the cautions are. Join Zack Hudson as he helps you grow your leadership skills weekly. Passing the Baton podcast is hosted by Mike Floyd & Neha Shingane. Visit our website!
People love a good coach and leaders will often desricbe themselves as coaches when asked about thier leadership style, but coaching is always the best route to take with people. Today we'll learn more about Coaching - what it is, when to use it, and what the cautions are. Join Zack Hudson as he helps you grow your leadership skills weekly. Passing the Baton podcast is hosted by Mike Floyd & Neha Shingane. Visit our website!
Our new series kicks off with a deep dive into situational leadership, starting with Directing. A great style for new associates or those learning a new skill, but likely not meaningful for tenured associates. Today we'll learn more about Directing - what it is, when to use it, and what the cautions are. Join Zack Hudson as he helps you grow your leadership skills weekly. Passing the Baton podcast is hosted by Mike Floyd & Neha Shingane. Visit our website!