Poor leadership skills can ruin team morale. As a manager, you hold more power than you might think. Obviously, you can hire and fire your subordinates. You can also promote them… or not promote them. You may also have the ability to approve a raise. If not, you at least have the ability to conduct the annual review.In essence, your leadership skills and moral compass have a direct impact on their career. Even if you treat everyone fairly, your impact on their lives is unmistakable. This is why having a great boss is the number one wish of most employees. They often rank this above more vacation time and a bigger paycheck.However, some managers can inadvertently destroy the confidence of their employees. When this happens, it can permanently damage morale. Low morale then creates poor employee retention.Even the best executives avoid committing these bad leadership behaviors.Full Shoe Notes: 5 Ways that Poor Leadership Skills Can Harm Morale (and How to Fix Them)

Make Yourself Indispensable as a Leader in a CrisisKnowledge is vital to getting ahead, but it’s just the ticket to get into the game.  What you DO WITH the knowledge is much more important to your success.  The most highly sought after skill in business is not accounting, or engineering, or computer skills – it’s public speaking.   Folks who reach the highest level of every institution typically know less about the day-to-day operations than the newest employee. However, they tend to excel at leading and motivating people.  The very best leaders in any organization are not the people who grow their own stature.  They are the people who grow other leaders.Once I figured this out, I realized that just about everything that I was doing to get ahead was absolutely wrong.To Be a Great Leader, Teach the People Around You Secrets to Success.For instance, I used to work from early morning into late in the night to make my productivity high for the company.  I was working really hard, but I never got promoted.  The reason why was that I was so productive, that the manager couldn’t afford to promote me.  If he did, he’d have to hire two people to replace me.  Don’t get me wrong, though.  I’m not saying sluff off and you’ll get promoted.  Instead, I started to teach the people around me how to do what I was doing to increase their own productivity.  Many hands make light work. When the next promotion came around, I was the obvious choice.  In my early days, I always wanted to make myself look good and make my “competition”, my coworkers, look bad.  I figured that was an effective way to get ahead. Instead, that just made my coworkers mistrust me, and when I needed their help, it was very challenging to get it.  After the leadership course, I realized that people who build up their coworkers are seen as “natural” leaders. So I took a different approach with remarkable results.Show Notes: Leaders Have Senority When Times Get Tough.

“What is effective communication?”If you’ve ever worked on a team that had a crazy amount of chemistry, you already know the answer. Everything they touched was gold, they produced more than any other team combined, and they had fun doing it.Unfortunately, you know that that is not the norm. Most teams have people you don’t like, that one person that doesn’t do anything, one person who shows up always talking about their personal life, one person who thinks they’re better than everyone else, and you have to try and make it work.So, what’s the difference between those two teams?I would say it all comes down to how they communicate!Good communication skills are at the heart of successful team building. A survey conducted by the Project Management Institute (PMI) reported that one out of five projects are unsuccessful due to ineffective communication. This underlines how essential communication is within a team, where each member must understand not only their role but also the roles of their team members, the team’s objectives, and how their collective efforts contribute to these goals.Effective workplace communication goes beyond merely exchanging information – it’s about understanding emotions and intentions behind the information. Two studies by Watson Wyatt Worldwide were performed in 2003 and 2005 to identify which communication practices deliver the best return.The studies confirmed what we’ve all suspected: good internal communication correlates to higher levels of employee engagement and lower turnover rates. This statistic underscores the importance of addressing poor communication issues if the common goal is team cohesion and enhancing overall team performance.Show Notes: 5 Key Elements of Effective Communication

Last week, I covered a few meeting tips to help you run more efficient and effective meetings. So on this episode, I'm going cover a very cool group problem-solving technique that will help you and your team solve really challenging problems very quickly and with a consensus from the group. What we've found using this process over the years is that once the group comes up with a perfect solution to the problem at hand, the solution is obvious. There is no need to persuade part of your team to want to implement the solution.This simple process is responsible for more of the big technological breakthroughs over the years than any other. I think you'll really like the process and get phenomenal value out of it.Show Notes: Group Problem-Solving Techniques for Meetings

For the next couple of weeks, I will cover a few meeting tips. This week, I'm going to start with a few tips that will make your meetings more interesting (basically less boring,) help you and your team be more productive in your team meetings, and how to make the whole process more efficient.Next week, I will give you a few tips on how to run problem-solving meetings. That specific type of meeting has the highest potential for things to go off the rails. So, make sure to come back next week, where I'll give you a very simple process that will help you solve any challenge as a group, get the group to have a consensus on the solution, and help you implement a series of breakthrough ideas in your industry. The process is very powerful!Tips for Leading More Efficient and Effective Meetings.The tips in this episode are strategies I have collected over the years from class members who swear by their effectiveness. I hope they work for you as well.Show Notes: Tips for Effective Team Meetings

If you are like most people, you probably believe you are a great listener. The problem is that everyone else that you have to deal with needs to improve their listening skills, right? The truth is that this often-used term has two parts — “Listening” and “Skills.” We often overlook the second part. Skills are those strengths that we develop through consistent focus over time.When I was a kid, our little town had a community center with a basketball gym. I wasn’t a member, by my best friend was. He went there three to four times a week to play ball with other kids. One weekend, I spent the night at his house, and he invited me to go to the gym with him. I spent 10 minutes or so practicing a few shots. Some other kids arrived, and we were divided into teams. Within the first couple of trips up and down the court, I realized that I had the least skill on the court. (Just as an FYI, I never did develop this skill.)My point is that the other kids were much better than me at basketball because they practiced. I didn’t.People who are effective listeners are effective listeners because they practice. You can be a good listener as well with just a little practice, yourself. In fact, listening is one of the most important skills in leadership development. If you want to be a great leader, the first step is to develop good communication skills. And the easiest way to do that is to develop active listening skills.Show Notes: How to Improve Listening Skills in the Workplace

In this week's episode, I'm going to re-cover a topic that has become the second most downloaded episode we've ever released. The topic was on impromptu speaking or speaking off the cuff. And this episode has two parts, although I think I'll be able to cover the entire content in one episode. So, for the first half, I'm going to give a few of my best tips on how to reduce nervousness and panic when someone asks you to speak out of the blue. And then, in the latter half, I'll give a simple three-step process to help you design an entire persuasive presentation off the cuff in just a matter of seconds. It is one of those closely held secrets of great presenters. And folks who can do this are highly esteemed by their audiences.Enjoy the episode on how to improve your impromptu speaking skills.Show Notes: How to Improve Impromptu Speaking Skills

In this week's episode, I interview Amy Maybury, who is a senior instructor for The Leaders Institute. She has been doing a lot of custom workshops about how to empower your team and keep from falling into the trap where we try to micromanage.So if you manage people or want to someday manage a team of people, she has four really simple steps that will help you help your team to grow. The steps also help you keep morale higher and to implement new ideas in the marketplace more efficiently.Amy began her career in retail. Her first job out of school was as a manager in a department store. Then, she progressed into senior management for that company, first as a regional manager and then by owning and managing her own stores. Now, she travels around the country, teaching leaders how to manage their teams more effectively. Show Notes: Empower Your Team without Micromanaging (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/empower-without-micromanaging-4-steps-to-empower-your-team/)

Small business lead generation can be tough, time-consuming, and expensive. But it doesn’t have to be. Once you identify who your top target audience is and what problems they have, you can get potential clients to contact you when they need help.Every small business is the proverbial “Needle in the Haystack,” so small business lead generation is critical to an entrepreneur’s survival. And the better your sales team gets at lead generation, the faster your small business will grow into a big business. You need to create a strategy for finding new leads that become new customers.Remember, it is a lot easier to turn a prospect or lead into a customer if the lead calls you versus when you call them. It cracks me up when I hear titles of articles, seminars, or books about how to “Make Effective Cold Calls” or how to “Warm Up Cold Calls.” Below are a few best practices that each is a great way of generating leads without an email list, a newsletter, or really, without ever having to make a cold call.However, just like we covered in How to Network at Business Networking Events, business-to-consumer sales and business-to-business sales are totally different. So, developing qualified leads for consumers is totally different than generating qualified leads that are other businesses. So, as we go through the process, I’ll give examples of each type of lead generation strategy.Here is an easy-to-follow, step-by-step process for Small Business Lead Generation:Before You Spend Time or Money on Small Business Lead Generation, Identify Who Your Target Market Is and What Problems They Have.Create Brand Awareness by Posting Your Solutions to These Problems in Blog Posts and on Social Media Platforms.Catalog Your Small Business Success with Case Studies and Sharing Customer Successes.The Generate New Customers for Small Businesses, Focus on Referrals and Repeat Business.If You Have to Cold Call in the Digital Age, Call to a Targeted List Who Already Knows You.

On this week's episode, I interview Joe Rare, who is the CEO of Level 9 Virtual. Joe is a fascinating guy who created multiple multimillion-dollar companies during the pandemic. And the focus of the interview is on how business owners need to focus only on the parts of their companies that generate revenue. And they should outsource everything else. Joe tells about how he created his first company before most young people finish getting a degree. Then, how a few years later, he invested everything in real estate prior to the big market crash and lost everything. So, a lot of his wisdom comes from his experience, and he is a great storyteller who makes the learning very fun.If you are building a company or want to build your own company someday, make sure to bookmark this episode!To connect with Joe or find out more about Level 9 Virtual, visit his website. (https://www.level9virtual.com/discovery-call-calendar)

This week is part 2 of the two-part series on how to find new customers at business networking events. Word-of-mouth advertising is one of the best ways to build customers. And, if nothing else, it is, by far, the cheapest way to find new customers.Last week, I covered a few networking skills to show you how to increase your sphere of influence. We talked about how networking is NOT selling. Instead, it is helping the people you interact with solve problems. And since most of the people you meet at business networking functions are there to promote themselves or their companies, if you help them do that, you become more influential within that group. People will want to interact with you.This week, I cover how to pick the right business networking events to attend in order to find your best potential customers. In the first part of today's session, I explain the three types of people who attend the networking events. Those three types are (1) companies that sell to consumers in a regional area, (2) companies that sell to small businesses, and the last are (3) companies that sell to other companies. People who work for each of these types of companies will want to attend totally different types of business networking events. Otherwise, you'll likely just be wasting your time.Show Notes: How to Find Customers at Business Networking Events (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/increase-your-sphere-of-influence-how-to-network/)

This week I start a new series on how to find new customers at business networking events. Word-of-mouth advertising is one of the best ways to build customers. And, if nothing else, it is, by far, the cheapest way to find new customers.So in this series, I start with how to network to increase your sphere of influence. I give you a very simple process that works every single time. Then in the next couple of episodes, I'll show you how to find the best places to network to find new business.If you want to get new customers from business networking events, you might want to adjust your strategy just a little. If you do, like most small businesses, and try to force a “networking opportunity,” you might just be shooting yourself in the foot. However, a networking group or local chamber of commerce can be a great place to find your next big potential client. But only if you (1) spend time building relationships and (2) network with the right people.We are taught to create this word-of-mouth advertising by “going out and networking” within the business community. So we go to business network happy hours or professional networking events. Of course, the unstated goal when we attend these meetings is to meet new people and make new connections so that these people and connections will buy from us. If you think about it, though, why is everyone else attending?Yup, that is correct. They are all their to try to sell or promote themselves to you as well. So a majority of the people in the room came primarily to sell to other people in the room.See the problem?For instance, very few chamber members go to Chamber of Commerce meetings to buy things. The odds seem to be stacked against the attendees from the beginning. So, it is no wonder why most of most leave these networking functions thinking that we just wasted their time.It doesn’t have to be that way, though. By making just a few simple changes to your approach, you can become a center of influence in any room. You can generate new opportunities for business growth by making valuable connections with other top professionals. In effect, we can use these meetings as a way to generate significant word-of-mouth advertising.Show Notes: Get Customers from Business Networking Events (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/increase-your-sphere-of-influence-how-to-network/)

Last week, I started a two-part series on Owning Your Job. And as I mentioned last week, the phrase, Own Your Job, describes making yourself more valuable to either your company or clients so that you improve job security.Last week I covered what Owning Your Job means and started the five things that you can do to advance your career, increase your income, and have more fun at work. The first two ways were taking the initiative and being a problem solver. This week, I cover the remaining three ways to Own Your Job.Five Ways to Own Your Job, Build Long-Term Success, and Make You Indispensable to Your Employer.Taking Initiative in Your Job Will Increase Productivity and Create Opportunities for Career Advancement.Anticipating Problems Before They Arise Can Help You Proactively Support Your Team and the Organization.Establishing Clear Goals for Yourself and Regularly Assessing Your Progress Improves Performance in Less Time.Communicate Effectively to Improve Collaboration and Teamwork.Taking Advantage of Training and Development Programs Will Help You Grow In Your Role.Show Notes: Own Your Job (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/own-your-job-take-responsibility-and-be-more-accountable-in-your-job/)

This week, I'm going to cover a topic in which I'm ashamed to say that I almost missed the boat. One of our clients asked us to create a breakout session about "Owning Your Job." And I was a little taken aback because I wasn't sure exactly what he was looking for.After about 10 minutes of research, though, I realized that this term or phrase is an easy way to describe many of the tips I covered a few weeks ago in the How to Build Wealth three-part series.The phrase describes making yourself more valuable to either your company or clients so that you improve job security.So today and continuing on next week's episode, I'm going to cover what Owning Your Job means and five things that you can do to advance your career, increase your income, and have more fun at work.An employee who wants to keep their job shows up to work, but one that excels takes ownership of their work.What does it really mean to take ownership, though? For starters, it’s about doing more than your job description. Developing your ownership mindset will help you reach your career goals and even excel beyond them.The good news is that we’ve compiled five ways to develop your sense of ownership of your job:Taking Initiative in Your Job Will Increase Productivity and Create Opportunities for Career Advancement.Anticipating Problems Before They Arise Can Help You Proactively Support Your Team and the Organization.Establishing Clear Goals for Yourself and Regularly Assessing Your Progress Improves Performance in Less Time.Communicate Effectively to Improve Collaboration and Teamwork.Taking Advantage of Training and Development Programs Will Help You Grow In Your Role.Keep listening to learn more about how taking ownership for your job will create your best work!Show Notes: Own Your Job to Get Ahead and Increase Your Income (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/own-your-job-take-responsibility-and-be-more-accountable-in-your-job/)

This week, I interview Kelsey Greenwood who is an expert on teamwork and team building. She just published a paper on how to effectively deal with team conflict as a leader.So, I wanted to have her come in and let us know what she discovered. She basically outlines a very simple four-step process to help make team conflicts more beneficial to the team. We often talk about wanting to avoid or resolve conflicts. But Kelsey shows us that conflicts are actually very helpful if the team leader is using effective team conflict techniques.On this episode, Kelsey shares four practical steps to handle team conflict in a way that is considerate, respectful, and empowering for all involved parties. Use these steps to navigate future conflicts with more confidence and ease.Deal with Team Conflict in Four Simple Steps.Ask Yourself, Where Can I Take Responsibility for this Team Conflict?Try To Understand The Other Person’s Perspective Before Making Your Point.Be Empathetic, But Direct In Your Team Communication.During the Team Conflict, Invite the Other Person into the Conversation by Asking Questions.By the way, if you are enjoying the podcast, I'd like to ask a favor of you. Would you mind leaving me a review on your podcast app? The podcast content is absolutely free, and positive reviews on Apple Podcast and Spotify help us keep the show free. It only takes a couple of seconds, and I appreciate the feedback so much.So, enjoy the interview with Kelsey Greenwood.Show Notes: 4 Steps To Effectively Handle Team Conflict As a Team Leader (https://team-building.org/4-steps-to-effectively-handle-team-conflict-as-a-team-leader/)

This week is part 3 of a three-part series on how to build wealth. For the last couple of weeks, I have mentioned in the intro that recessions make more millionaires than economic booms. If you play your cards right in the next year or so, you can build a tremendous amount of wealth.So, on this three-part series, I'm giving you a step-by-step approach to building wealth. In week one, I explained the difference between income and wealth. And I also covered step one in the process which is to create a wealth mindset. If you want to be wealthy, you have to think differently than broke people. Last week was step 2 which was how to increase your income and household profit. By the way, if your company is downsizing, make sure to listen to last week's episode. When companies begin to lay people off, it may be a golden opportunity to be able to increase your income.This week, we cover the final step which is to get your money to work for you. You can't do this if you have maxed out your credit cards or if you are living beyond your means. However, when you understand this concept, you can generate wealth very, very quickly.By the way, if you are enjoying the podcast, I'd like to ask a favor of you. Would you mind leaving me a review on your podcast app? The podcast content is absolutely free, and positive reviews on Apple Podcast and Spotify help us keep the show free. It only takes a couple of seconds, and I appreciate the feedback so much.Show Notes: Doug Staneart Explains Wealth Strategies for Any Age (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/how-to-build-wealth-in-three-simples-steps-wealth-strategies-for-any-age/)

This week is part two of a three-part series on how to build wealth. Just look at the news, and you will hear over and over about the coming recession and the coming downturn in the economy.What most people don't know, though, is that recessions make more millionaires than economic booms. If you play your cards right in the next year or so, you can build a tremendous amount of wealth.So, on this three-part series, I'll give you a step-by-step approach to building wealth. Last week, I explained the difference between income and wealth. And I also covered step one in the process, which is to create a wealth mindset. If you want to be wealthy, you have to think differently than broke people. This week is step two, which is how to increase your income and household profit. Earlier, I mentioned that employers pay most people exactly what they are worth. When I say this, sometimes people will argue with me. “My boss doesn’t pay me enough!” or “I deserve way more salary than what I’m being paid.” My answer is always the same. If your services were worth more to the marketplace, you’d automatically be making more money. The good news is that you can immediately increase your income just by making your value to the marketplace higher.In this episode, I show you the easiest ways to add additional income to your household and create good financial habits to increase wealth.Show Notes:  How to Build Wealth (by Doug Staneart) (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/how-to-build-wealth-in-three-simples-steps-wealth-strategies-for-any-age/)

This week, I start a three-part series on how to build wealth. Just look at the news and you will hear over and over about the coming recession and the coming downturn in the economy.What most people don't know, though, is that recessions make more millionaires than economic booms. If you play your cards right in the next year or so, you can build a tremendous amount of wealth.So, in this three-part series, I'll give you a step-by-step approach to building wealth. In this episode, I explain the difference between income and wealth. And I also cover step one in the process, which is to create a wealth mindset. If you want to be wealthy, you have to think differently than broke people. By the way, if you are enjoying the podcast, I'd like to ask you a favor. Would you mind leaving me a review on your podcast app? The podcast content is absolutely free, and positive reviews on Apple Podcast and Spotify help us keep the show free. It only takes a couple of seconds, and I appreciate the feedback so much.Show Notes: How to Build Wealth (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/how-to-build-wealth-in-three-simples-steps-wealth-strategies-for-any-age/)

This week, I'm going to give an overview of the four generations in the workplace. We often hear terms like Millenials, Gen X (Generation X), Gen Z (Generation Z,) and Babyboomers. But what exactly do these terms mean? How do the different generations like to communicate? And how do we as leaders create more of a team culture when different generations like to communicate differently?In this episode, I break down the four generations -- Babyboomers, Generation X, Millenials, and Gen-Z. I'll tell you who these different people are, what they like, and how to better communicate with each of them.We also cover a few different ways for each generation to better communicate with and use the strengths of each generation to create better teamwork.Show Notes: How to Communicate with Different Generations in the Workplace (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/differences-between-generations-and-style-of-communication/)

This is part six of a six-part series on how to build highly effective teams. Last week, we covered step four which was seven ways to build synergy and cooperation from your team. And the week before last, I gave you seven ways to reduce conflict. And the week before that, we gave you seven ways to build trust. Each week, I've given you seven principles so that you focus on just a single one each day each week. This is designed to help you create new habits in the way that we build highly effective teams.This week, we will focus on the final step, which is building highly effective leaders within your team. Keep in mind that these skills are a building process. If your team trusts you and trusts each other, there will be fewer conflicts. If your team is not in conflict with each other, then it is easier to get them to cooperate and collaborate. So, focus on the early steps in the process first, and the later steps will be much easier. Show Notes: Highly Effective Teams Have Great Leaders at All Levels (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/building-leaders-from-within-the-7-best-ways-to-build-your-next-leaders/)

The fourth stage of team development is to build team cooperation and team collaboration. This is part five of a six-part series on how to develop highly effective teams. Just like previous stages of developing teamwork, this stage of leadership development is progressive. So, you will get the best results if you have already spent some time on steps one and two.As a review, the first phase was to focus on your organization’s goals to create a shared vision for your team. When your team focuses on a common goal and sees the big picture, a collaborative environment will begin to form. The second step is to establish trust and effective communication within your team. Next, we showed you how to reduce conflicts among team members.You will have a difficult time motivating your team if they don’t trust you or each other. In addition, you will also have a difficult time getting others to cooperate if there is a conflict. So first, make sure to spend some time building more of a team culture using the tips from the other two posts.To Gain Team Cooperation, You First Have to Know Motivates Each Member of the Team.If you have never read about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, it is a fascinating study in psychology. Dr. Maslow theorized that we have five levels of needs. The needs range from physical needs like food and water to more altruistic needs. In this theory, we all are most concerned about the lowest level of needs until those needs are satisfied. For example, if a person is thirsty and dehydrated, he or she won’t have much concern for anything else.Over the years, psychologists have argued about the levels in the hierarchy. The actual levels and order of each level aren’t as important to this discussion as the agreement that we have a hierarchy, though. As leaders, we have to know the hierarchy of our team members and what level they are currently at. For instance, one team member may have been entirely motivated by recognition and appreciation. However, if this person’s child gets sick, the priorities change in an instant.The point is that the tips below are time-tested ways to build a cooperative team. If the trust is high and conflicts are low, these tips should work very effectively. So, if you find some members of your team to not be as cooperative, it might be that something has happened to move them to a lower level in Maslow’s Hierarchy.Your goal as the leader of your group of employees is to build a cooperative workplace where staff members are consistently at the highest level of this hierarchy.Show Notes: Highly Effective Teams Are Collaborative  (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/7-valuable-ways-to-build-a-cooperative-and-effective-team/)

This is part four of a six-part series on how to build highly effective teams. Last week, we covered step two which was to get build solid trust among your team members. This is the foundation of a fantastic team culture. If you implement last week's ideas, the remaining steps get much easier. This week, we cover step three, which is to reduce conflict within your team. Actually, that is a little misleading because conflict can be good for a team. We will really be covering ways to reduce negative conflict and help you use positive conflict to grow. Conflict resolution in the workplace can be challenging if the trust level is low or your team is under stress. In this episode, we cover seven turnkey strategies that you can use for conflict resolution in your workplace.Resolve Conflicts and Create an Environment Where Disagreements Do Not Cause Personal Conflicts.Conflicts are inevitable. However, the more we know about human nature, the better we will be at conflict management. In addition, when we understand human nature, we have a better chance of achieving a positive outcome for both parties. We know that different people have different priorities and different communication styles when dealing with others. In general, though, human beings have certain characteristics that are very similar. These similarities are true across gender, racial, and socio-economic lines as well. For instance, in general, the following statements are almost always true:People love to be agreed with.People hate to be disagreed with.We like other people who agree with them.We dislike other people who disagree with them.People who are good at resolving conflicts look for some point of agreement. Then, they use good people skills to get the other side to see a different point of view.Understanding Human Nature Allows Us to Resolve Conflicts More Positively.These statements are true among the entire human race. So, when we disagree with people, we are likely to raise resentment. As a result, it might be a good idea to strengthen our soft skills – what psychologists call emotional intelligence – when dealing with conflicts. Poor communication often leads to conflict. For instance, if we find ourselves in a tense situation, and we naturally want to raise our voice. The other party is likely to respond in kind. This will usually escalate the conflict quickly.In situations where we have to interject disciplinary action, the first step is understanding human nature. We may think we are just having a constructive conversation. However, the person we are coaching will feel like the conversation is a personal attack. So, these strategies can help keep difficult conversations from developing into an interpersonal conflict.Show Notes: Highly Effective Teams Deal with Conflict in a Positive Way Part 4 of 6(https://www.leadersinstitute.com/7-turnkey-conflict-resolution-strategies-for-your-office-team/)

Team Trust is the most important step in building a highly effective team. Below, we cover 7 expert ways to build trust in your team. This is part three of a six-part series on the Five Characteristics of High-Performing Teams. In each of the sessions, we will cover one of the component steps to creating a team culture.In the first part, we gave an overview of each of the five steps to creating a highly effective team. Then, last week, we covered the value of creating a great vision and mission for your company. Here is a review of this employee engagement process.Five-Step Process to Build a Culture of Teamwork in Your Organization and Improve Team Success.The five-step leadership development process is as follows.Highly Effective Teams are Mission-Oriented.Build Trust and Rapport with the People that You Want to Lead.Resolve Conflicts and Create an Environment Where Disagreements Do Not Cause Personal Conflicts.Gain Enthusiastic Cooperation from Your Team (Even When You Are Not Looking).Build Confident Leadership Teams Around You.Each of these steps is progressive. For instance, if we have a lack of trust within a group of individuals, we will likely have more conflicts. If we are in conflict with our team members, it will be difficult to gain cooperation. The point is that the better we do in the early stages, the easier it is to have success in the latter stages. In this session, we will focus on Step #2: The Seven Best Ways to Build Team Trust.How to Build a Culture of Trust in Your Team. 7 Expert Ways to Build Team Trust.Think about the relationships that you have with others as being a checking account. Each person that you interact with has an entirely different account. When we have positive interactions with a person, we make deposits into that account and improve our level of trust with that person.However, when something negative occurs or there is a conflict, a withdrawal is made. So, if you want to build trust in a team, you as the leader have to make a tremendous number of deposits into the accounts of each team member. However, if you make withdrawals, you and your team are likely to have trust issues.Below are seven key ways to build mutual trust within a team. We suggest that you spend a week focusing on a single principle every day. Don’t go to bed each day before you apply the principle for that day. By the end of the week, you should already begin to see significant changes in the rapport that you have with others.By using these principles consistently, you will create open communication and improve workplace trust.Avoid Criticizing Your Team.Look at Things from the Other Person’s Point of View.Smile More. (It Makes You More Approachable and Friendly.)Make an Effort to Remember Names.Avoid Placing the Burdens of Your Problems onto Your Team’s Shoulders.Take Responsibility for Clear Communication.Practice Good Listening Skills.Show Notes: Highly Effective Teams Have a High Trust Level

Last week, I started a series on a five-step process to help you build highly effective teams. And step one was to get your team to be mission-oriented. So, this week, we will delve deeper into that subject and show you how to begin with the end in mind, so our team gets to the goal faster and easier. This is part two of a six-part series on how to build a more effective team. And on this episode, we cover how to create a vision and mission for your team and hold them accountable for accomplishing that team mission.Great teams tend to be those that get pointed in the right direction early. Even when people are working on different aspects of a project, effective teams understand the end goal. They understand the mission.A company’s mission, vision, and values statements are important to success. In fact, business consultants often start with the mission, vision, and values when working with new clients. They do this for a very simple reason. Creating (or updating) these statements can drive the organization in a new direction. You can use this Mission, Vision, and Values Template to create or update your corporate statements.Many of us use the mission and vision interchangeably. However, the two statements are distinctly different. The Mission Statement focuses on where the organization is right now. In contrast, the Vision Statement creates a picture of the organization’s future.The values of your organization, though, are probably more important than even the vision and mission. These values are the criteria that you use to make decisions within your organization.If you wanted to take a trip in a car, the vision would be the destination. The mission would be the vehicle. Finally, the values would be the directions or the road map to get there. So, you can see that each of the three is important to get to the end goal. Without the destination, we have no way of knowing if we are moving toward our goal. In addition, without the right vehicle, the journey will be more challenging. Then, of course, without a map, your journey can have a lot of wasted effort.Show Notes: Highly Effective Teams are Mission-Oriented (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/mission-vision-and-values-template-and-examples/)

This week, I'm going to start a six-part series on the characteristics of highly effective teams. I'll give you an overview of all five steps today. Then, in each of the next five episodes, we'll go into more depth about each of the steps. The goal is to give you practical tips and techniques that you can use each week to help you build a solid team within your organization, family, and community.The power of highly effective teams lies in their capacity to perform at levels that are greater than the sum of their parts. Managers and leaders put a great deal of effort into assembling high-performing teams. These leaders also spend considerable resources to ensure those teams reach their potential.Obviously, managers want to make improvements that lead to positive changes within the team. In fact, many leaders focus just on this part of the leadership process.However, sometimes it is helpful to take a step back in order to recognize when a team is working effectively. Managers often overlook this important part of this process. The workings of a highly effective team are not always obvious or intuitive to everyone. We sometimes don’t recognize our team members when a team is doing well.Show Notes: How to Build Highly Effective Teams in 5 Easy Steps (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/5-characteristics-highly-effective-teams/)

Ever read a leadership or business book that everyone is raving about? The book has the newest, hottest tips for business success. But when you try to implement those new and trendy ideas, the ideas don't really provide the promised results. Well, Don Schmincke knows why.Unlike other business consultants, Schmincke's background is not in being an entrepreneur or Fortune 500 CEO. He was an MIT  physicist and researcher. (Yup, if you ever watched The Big Bang Theory sitcom, he is one of those guys.) As a top researcher, he began to question why the top business strategies have such a high failure rate. In this interview, he tells me some of the secrets to success he discovered by questioning everything in the business world. The interview is fascinating and has a few tips and ideas that you have probably never heard before.Enjoy the interview called "90 percent of Management Strategies Fail" with Don Schmincke.For more information about Don, visit his website at SAGA Leadership. (https://www.sagaleadership.com/)

This is episode number three of a three-part series called How to Keep People from Manipulating You.In the last couple of weeks, I covered the first two stages of a manipulation. In week one, we talked about the emotional appeal and how when we get angry (or some other highly emotional state,) we stop thinking logically. So, manipulators often start with getting the victim agitated. Last week, we talked about step two, which was creating a fake villain. When someone is manipulating us, they are the villain. As a result, they have to project their actions onto another entity and create a fake villain. When we finished last week, we explained how many of these villains are nebulous over generalities or vague descriptions -- not actual people. The mob, the deep state, or systemic racism is the cause of all your problems. But when you dig deeper, you can never uncover who the enemy really is. What person or people are the leaders of the mob? Who in the beauacracy are the people that are described as the deep state. What system is racist? Is it the mayor? The police chief? The people on the city council? This week, we are going to talk about the narrative. This is the story that is told to manipulate the victim. And typically, the narrative has some truth so that the listener can verify some of the story, but a lot of deception -- which will be harder to uncover.We also finish with the seven signs of a con artist. If you see any of these signs, you want to be careful because someone is probably trying to manipulate you.Show Notes: How to Keep People from Manipulating You (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/how-to-manipulate-people-7-signs-of-a-con-artist-you-need-to-know-to-avoid-being-a-victim/)

This is episode number two of a three-part series called How to Manipulate People. Last week, I covered the difference between manipulation and persuasion and what manipulators do to make the manipulation easier. I also gave you some examples from politicians trying to get your vote. This week, I'm going to take you through the second step of the manipulation. In this step, the manipulator tries to create a fake villain or, in some cases, tries to make the victim the villain.  These are things to look out for if you are worried about being manipulated. For those of you who don't want to manipulate others and who aren't concerned about others manipulating you, pay close attention to what I cover in this episode. Because there is a fine line between being persuasive and being manipulative. If you want to have high intgrity, it is easier if you understand what we cover today.Show notes: How to Know When Someone Is Manipulating You. Part Two: The Fake Villain (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/how-to-manipulate-people-7-signs-of-a-con-artist-you-need-to-know-to-avoid-being-a-victim/)

The major difference between persuading someone or manipulating them tends to rely on who benefits from the action. For instance, manipulation occurs if I get you to do something that benefits me but harms you. The person who is manipulating often uses deception in the process. On the other hand, if the manipulated person benefits from the action, the term persuasion is often used.Western law is based on Judeo-Christian principles of right and wrong. So, if you adhere to these principles, the difference between persuasion and manipulation seems obvious. However, if your morality or belief system is based elsewhere, the difference is a huge gray area.I once hired an account manager who was incredibly charismatic and likable. In fact, she was one of my best salespeople for quite a while. After a while, though, I started noticing odd things happening with her clients. It started small. For instance, on occasion, she would “accidentally” charge the client a discounted price to close the sale. In others, she might charge the customer an inflated price to increase her commission. I remember having a few discussions with her about ethics and morality.Eventually, I had to let her go. I found out later that she had previously co-owned a competitive company. From what I could determine, her partners had somehow cheated her out of her equity in the company. It is possible that each of the partners was somewhat shady. It is also possible that the first experience jaded her. Her mentality shifted to “cheat others before they cheat you.”I tend to find that people who manipulate others have a seared conscience. They see others as being cheaters, so they see nothing wrong with cheating them first.How to Know When Someone Is Manipulating You. Part One: The Emotional Appeal.“At their root, magic tricks and confidence games share the same fundamental principle: a manipulation of our beliefs.” – Maria Konnikova, Author of Confidence Game.Con artists realize that the beliefs of people are more malleable in a heightened state of emotion. If you think about it, when we get really angry, we don’t think very rationally. I have, on very rare occasions, seen my sweet, amiable wife get so angry that she does something extremely out of character. (Forget that it is often me who caused this anger to be there in the first place. That is beside the point.)Since people do act out-of-character when in a highly emotional state, con artists often use emotion to manipulate.Show Notes: How to Know When Someone Is Manipulating You

This week, I interview leadership expert Amy Maybury about how to update your resume and LinkedIn profile in 2023. If you are one of the many people who have recently been downsized and are looking for a way to market yourself better, Amy's advice can be very helpful.Want to show the world your expertise? In this session, Amy Maybury shows you how to update your resume. We also cover how to update your LinkedIn profile to show future employers that you are an expert in your field. Before we get to the technical stuff, though, Amy will show you how to avoid falling into the most dangerous resume trap out there. (Here is a little hint… Your resume should never be about YOU.)Instead, you want to focus on the problems that you have helped employers solve. If these prospective employers know that when they hire you, they will have fewer challenges to deal with, you will put yourself at the top of the hiring list.Show Notes: Update Your Resume and LinkedIn Profile for 2023 (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/how-to-update-your-resume-linkedin-profile-to-set-yourself-apart-from-the-crowd/)

In this episode, I interview Chuck Knabusch, author of the book Hope Is Not a Business Strategy. Chuck is an expert on management skills, and he helps small businesses create processes to grow into big businesses. Chuck's background was as an executive in a huge company. He spent his entire adult life in “operations,” managing everything from supply chains to production floors to systems integrations. His 30+ year career has ultimately revolved around taking charge, fixing systemic problems, and delivering lasting results for business owners.Chuck has distilled all his expertise into a few simple ideas designed for leaders of small- and medium-sized businesses. In the interview, he gives advice on organizing time better, dealing with too many emails, how to deal with not having enough budget for a job, and much more.For details about Chuck's book, go to Hope Is Not a Business Strategy. 

This week, I interview Brandon Woodside of The Leaders Institute to discuss how to delegate effectively in 2023. The more virtual our world gets, the more difficult it is to delegate tasks to team members. Brandon has done a ton of research and has years of practical experience managing team members to increase efficiency and help entrepreneurs and business leaders gain back time.Great leaders know how to delegate effectively and who to assign tasks to. But how did they learn how to do this? Is there a step-by-step way to delegate tasks so you can free up your time and empower your team? Well… Yes, but first, we have to change the way that we think.In this episode, we cover a step-by-step guide on how to delegate effectively and gain back upwards of 20 hours of your week.Enjoy the interview with Brandon Woodside.Show Notes: How to Delegate Effectively to Empower Your Team & Free Up Time (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/how-to-delegate-effectively-to-empower-your-team-free-up-time/)

This is part 2 of a 2 part series on some of the best ways to build a team culture in the 2023 post-pandemic world -- especially since many economists feel like we are headed toward a big recession in 2023 and 2024. Those outside influences can affect your team and the culture of your organization pretty dramatically. Last week I covered a few reasons why doing some type of team activity (especially one that benefits your community) would be important in 2023. This week, I'm going to give you my best team building tips for 2023.Show Notes: Best Charity Team Building Ideas 2023 (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/best-charity-team-building-ideas-2022-fun-philanthropic-corporate-activities/)

The best charity team-building ideas for 2023 may surprise you. As teams continue to return to the office, we are experiencing never-before-seen team challenges.For instance, let’s say you started a new career during the pandemic. It took a while to get into the swing of things. You were working from home for the first year. But now, you understand your job role. You know some of your coworkers fairly well. You also know who you report to, who is responsible for what, and what you need to do to advance.In 2022, things started to change, though. The boss threw you a curveball. For the first time, you had to come into the office (at least some days every week.) So, for the last year, we’ve all been rebuilding our team cultures.Now, the specter of “recession” is on the horizon.So, this episode has two parts. This week, we cover a few reasons WHY you need to build your team culture. Next week, we'll give you a few tips to help you do it.Show Notes: Best Team Building Ideas 2023 [Especially If We Enter a Recession] (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/best-charity-team-building-ideas-2022-fun-philanthropic-corporate-activities/)

Since the new year is coming up in a couple of weeks, I'm going to spend this week helping you create an effective Personal Vision statement. Now before you tune out, let me explain. This short 15-minute exercise is one of the most powerful ways to increase your income, improve your success, lower your stress, and just be happier in life. When you go through this little exercise, it will help you reduce fear when you make big decisions in your life. In fact, it can help you keep from making big mistakes in your life and push you to keep moving in the right direction -- Because you will know what direction to go. It is like using the map app on your phone to get to a destination. Except, the destination, in this case, is a higher level of success in your personal and professional life.Your company probably has a company mission statement. Executives create mission and vision statements to give direction and move the company toward long-term goals. Why not create the same type of direction in your own personal life? You can easily create your own personal vision statement as well.In this session, I’m going to give you step-by-step instructions on how to create a long-term vision for yourself. Successful people know that good vision statements can create positive changes in both their personal and professional life. Hard work will help you increase your success. However, an ideal vision statement can help you create a roadmap to accomplish your career goals more efficiently.Basically, spending a little time clearly identifying your life goals will keep you moving on the right path. You’ll create a simple action plan for yourself. In my experience, having a good life vision is the most powerful tool in your toolbelt to lead to professional success.The good news is that the process doesn’t take much time. It is fairly quick and easy. But it is also powerful. As you go through the process, I’ll give you Personal Vision Statement examples to make the process even easier!Show Notes: Create a Personal Vision Statement for the New Year (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/personal-vision-statement-personal-vision-statement-generator/)

What is the best way to keep morale high among team members in between big meetings?We are big believers in fun team outings — especially for smaller teams. The good news is that these team-building activities are fairly easy to organize. They are also fairly inexpensive. In fact, you can receive a fantastic return on your investment by building team spirit and communication skills.Surveys show that the main reason for employee dissatisfaction is the employee’s personal relationship with his or her immediate manager. So, these simple, spontaneous acts of teamwork can increase job satisfaction significantly. (Team work leads to teamwork!)Below are a few ideas that we have found work really well to build teamwork. Psst! These work best when you offer them as a bonus activity versus a requirement. “If you and your family are available, the company is going to pick up the tab for…” works much better than “Everyone is required to attend…” Many of these team outings are great for their flexibility. You’ll find that employee engagement increases when a team-building event is offered or voluntary rather than required. Attendance can be the entire team (in large groups) or departmentalized (in small groups).Show Notes: Fun Team Outings that Build Morale (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/meetings-try-fun-team-outings/)

Happy Thanksgiving week, everyone. I hope you had a fantastic time with your family, and overeating, and watching a lot of football. If you are outside of the United States, welcome, and I hope you had a relaxing regular week. Since we are in the holiday spirit, I wanted to focus this week on a few ways to build morale in the workplace during the holidays. Companies, big and small, will often schedule Christmas parties or annual meetings in December. Others will want to kick off the new year with new goals and strategies. So, on this episode, I'm going to share with you some of the best ways that I have come across to do something fun and rewarding for your team during the holidays. I've broken the tips into three sections. First, I'll give my best strategies for small groups (25 people or fewer.) Next, I'll give you tips for bigger groups. Then, finally, I'll give you some of the best strategies for virtual end-of-year meetings and parties.Show Notes: Christmas Team Building Activities to Build Morale in the Workplace (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/christmas-team-building-activities-to-build-morale-and-fun-at-work/)

Happy Thanksgiving. And for those of you outside of the United States, happy third week of November.I wanted to take a break from the normal public speaking tips and share with you this week one of Abraham Lincoln's least quoted speeches but the one that has a significant impact on US citizens every November, his Thanksgiving proclamation that created the holiday.Where did the Thanksgiving Holiday come from? Yes, the pilgrim created the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth. And yes, President George Washington made the first Thanksgiving proclamation in 1789. But it was actually Abe Lincoln who created the national holiday. Ole’ Abe reinstituted the holiday that Washington created during his presidency.This episode covers the words of the Thanksgiving proclamation. I also add a little commentary to show you how you can incorporate some of Lincoln’s techniques into your own speeches as well!Show Notes: Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation(https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/president-abraham-lincolns-thanksgiving-proclamation-oct-3-1863-with-commentary/)

Strategic thinking skills are one of the most sought-after skills in the business world.According to Harvard Business Review, “[Because] organizations face unprecedented challenges, fostering the creativity necessary to develop truly breakthrough ideas has become more important than ever.”Anyone can follow a pre-established recipe. It takes expert strategic thinkers, though, to know when that recipe is no longer working. In this post, we are going to cover how great strategic thinkers give companies a competitive advantage in the marketplace. If you develop this critical skill, you will create new opportunities for yourself and be elevated to higher-level positions in your organization.What Is Strategic Thinking and How Does It Help You Become a Better Leader?In order to understand the importance of this skill, let’s start at the beginning. What exactly is strategic thinking? And why are strategic thinking skills so important to business success?Definition of Strategic Thinking.Strategic Thinking (Critical Thinking) is a process of identifying ways to move a person, team, or organization toward a long-term goal. When you think strategically, you have to anticipate setbacks and challenges and have a plan to deal with them. You also have to measure your progress toward the goal.A good way to explain this is to think about playing Chess. A good strategy will anticipate how your opponent will move and plan your own moves well in advance. So, strategic thinking is planning combined with adapting to changes in order to reach the ultimate goal.Personally, I believe that the absolute most-effective strategic thinkers are those who are also adjusting the long-term goal consistently as well. At times, you may find that your goal isn’t big enough. In those cases, you want to increase the goal. In others, the marketplace may change, or we may uncover competitive intelligence where we change the goal altogether.Going back to the Chess example, in some cases, a good leader may realize, “Whoa, we aren’t playing Chess at all. This is a brand new game.”How Does Thinking this Way Help You Be a Better Leader?My team went through this with the Covid-19 pandemic. At the very start of the spread, our strategy was to reschedule meetings postponed due to meeting restrictions. Next, we had to adapt when the restrictions increased and the weeks of delay turned into months.Eventually, we realized that our customers were being forced to transform their in-person meetings into virtual ones. Many of these customers had little or no experience organizing big virtual meetings. Since we had that expertise, we were able to adapt quickly to the new needs of the market. Good leaders are able to do this.Poor leaders tend to be more reactionary. When challenges develop, the poor leader is always playing catch-up. This type of leadership is like playing baseball and just watching the ball go by you. The more times that you do this, the more strikes are against you. Eventually, you have to swing out of desperation. A better strategy is to study the pitcher. If he throws his fastball high in the strike zone 80% of the time on the first pitch, I can anticipate that. When I see that action, I can capitalize on it. If he doesn’t, I make an adjustment on the second pitch.Show Notes: Make Strategic Thinking Part of Your Team Culture (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/strategic-thinking-make-strategic-thinking-part-of-your-team-culture/)

In this episode, I'm going to cover a few to improve your listening skills and, specifically, a few ways to help improve the listening and communication among your team members. If you stick around until the end, I will give you a fun way to get your team laughing and thinking more seriously about how they communicate and how they listen.How to Improve Listening Skills in the WorkplaceIf you are like most people, you probably believe you are a great listener. The problem is that everyone else that you have to deal with needs to improve their listening skills, right? The truth is that this often-used term has two parts — “Listening” and “Skills.” We often overlook the second part. Skills are those strengths that we develop through consistent focus over time.When I was a kid, our little town had a community center with a basketball gym. I wasn’t a member, by my best friend was. He went there three to four times a week to play ball with other kids. One weekend, I spent the night at his house, and he invited me to go to the gym with him. I spent 10 minutes or so practicing a few shots. Some other kids arrived, and we divided into teams. Within the first couple of trips up and down the court, I realized that I had the least skill on the court. (Just as an FYI, I never did develop this skill.)My point is that the other kids were much better than me at basketball because they practiced. I didn’t.People who are effective listeners are effective listeners because they practice. You can be a good listener as well with just a little practice, yourself. In fact, listening is one of the most important skills in leadership development. If you want to be a great leader, the first step is to develop good communication skills. And the easiest way to do that is to develop active listening skills.Improve Listening Skills at Work — The Four Levels of ListeningIn order to become a better listener, step one is to determine what good listening skills are. In our leadership classes, we introduce four levels of listening. The levels are listed below from the worst listening skills to the best.Level One: Ignore the Other Person Completely. This level isn’t really listening, but we tend to do it a lot.Level Two: Just Pretend to Listen to the Other Person. We do this when we are trying to be courteous, but we really aren’t interested.Level Three: Selectively Listen to Your Coworkers. This is the level at which we spend the most time at work. Oddly enough, we tend to do this to save time.Level Four: Attentively Listen to Your Team. This is the highest level of listening. The more we focus on this level, the better listeners we will be.Critical listening around the office isn’t difficult. You can encourage your team to take small steps and teach them the art of listening. That is if you have taken the time to practice good listening skills yourself.One of the best ways to set a good example is to practice empathetic listening in one-on-one conversations with your team. Use the practical tips above. Successful leaders pay careful attention to details and make great listening a daily routine. You can too!

Need some Team Motivation?Want a few tips about how to build team spirit when you hear words like “slow down,” recession, and uncertainty? You are not alone. Goldman Sachs published a report recently saying that 93% of small business owners fear a recession in the next year.Uncertainty causes fear. Fear can lead to reduced morale and decreased job satisfaction. If you are a team leader and you do nothing to help, you may be inadvertently pouring fuel on the fire. In this post, we will give you a motivation strategy to help you develop happy employees — even during hard times.In fact, if you use just a few of these new ideas, you can improve employee engagement. You can help your team feel that they are a part of a unique team culture and build loyalty and… dare I say… more of a family atmosphere.Most Wealth Is Created During Hard Times.Before I get into the tips to motivate your team during a recession, let’s explore the opportunities that a bad economy creates. Recessions (and depressions) often terror in the minds of most people.I’m a history buff. I remember learning about The Great Depression in school, in movies, and from my Granddad. Each of these sources depicted the depression as an awful time when everyone became poorer. However, a few people become unbelievably wealthy during the Great Depression.Show Notes:  How to Motivate Your Team Members in Uncertain Times (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/team-motivation-teams-learn-faster-when-theyre-having-fun/)

Can team-building activities increase productivity in a recession? When the economy slows, company leaders have to be cautious with every expense. They often put off hiring new employees until more certainty develops.When we do this, though, team members end up having to do more to make up for the lack of personnel. Eight-hour days may increase to nine or ten-hour days.Interestingly, these team members will develop natural efficiencies. They will figure out shortcuts. People naturally find ways to do more with less. But, eventually, there just aren’t enough hours in the day.When this happens, how do you keep morale high? How do you help your team members stay positive and forward-looking? As time goes on, morale can drop.At this point, leaders will look for a fun way to build morale. They may investigate organizing a team-building activity. So, in this situation, can team-building activities help increase productivity? Can we avoid the expense of adding new personnel?Also, is this process more difficult in a down economy? The answer to that question is… “Well… It depends…”Don’t Confuse “Morale Building Team Activities” with “Productivity Building Activities.”Team Building is almost a generic term for both “morale building” and “productivity building” activities. But confusing the two can be a costly mistake.Let’s first cover how these two types of activities differ.By the way, each has a purpose. Each of these types of events should be used. The problem occurs when leaders want to improve productivity but schedule a morale-building activity.Although people will often call both of these types of activities “Team Building,” the activities themselves get totally different results. Both are needed to create a team culture. But quite often, leaders will schedule one type of activity, hoping to get the needed result from the other. They will often be sorely disappointed.Show Notes: Can Team-Building Increase Productivity in a Recession? Well, It Depends (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/can-team-building-increase-productivity-in-a-recession/)

In this episode, I'm going to cover how you can make you and your company very unique in the marketplace. We will go through a very simple process that... once you do it, will have customers flocking to you. The process starts with identifying what your unique selling point or unique selling proposition is. Then, you want to build your marketing around that one main point.Want potential customers to flock to you? Create a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) that customers can’t get anywhere else. You should have one single unique selling point that sets you apart from your direct competitors. Then, design marketing messages that outline this specific benefit to your ideal customer. When you do this, you with create a significant competitive advantage in the marketplace.In fact, if you do this really well, your customer base will actively promote you to new customers!If you want to create a successful company, creating a fantastic USP is the starting point. An effective USP will help you develop a more effective marketing strategy. It will help your sales team close more deals and increase revenue. You’ll also improve your market share without incurring additional costs.This simple first step is, by far, the best way to create a competitive edge over every other competitor in your industry.Show Notes: Create a Unique Selling Proposition (USP), and Customers with Flock to You (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/leadership-comes-from-your-unique-selling-proposition/)

Do Managers Need to Develop Good Coaching Skills? And If So, Why Do Managers Need Coaching Skills?Keep in mind that to be a success in business, consistent performance improvement is critical. You may be good at one or more of the key skills we outline below. but these ideas are ones that you have to improve on a regular basis. Think about improving your team performance, like becoming a world-class athlete. You can take a class once and improve your skill in a sport dramatically. However, if you never practice that skill, you will never become a world-class athlete.The same is true with your coaching approach. You can attend management training courses. Each will help you improve your communication skills and grow in emotional intelligence. But good coaching occurs when managers develop skill improvement over time. You can’t be a great coach by giving positive feedback one time. So, set goals to develop a habit of continuous learning.Good coaches will spend a day or a week focusing on each of the ideas below. Then, once they create new behaviors in each area, they go back and focus on each area again and again. The more you study these ideas, the more times you will develop an entirely new approach in each area.Show Notes: The Five C’s of Management-Do Managers Need to Develop Good Coaching Skills? (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/five-cs-management/)

The pandemic that started in 2020 was devastating to team morale and miscommunication. Team members had a lot of fear. Everyone was unsure about what was happening and what the future would bring. What made it worse, though, was that since everyone was remote, the number of silos increased. (They increased dramatically!)The Pandemic of 2020 Caused a Huge Number of Communication Silos to Develop.For instance, let’s say that a company only had 20 employees in 2020. This company had an administrative team with a handful of people. It also had a sales team with about the same number of team members. The remaining employees were in service and marketing.Prior to the pandemic, the group was already seeing miscommunication between their four silos. Marketing and sales might create a promotion that increases service calls. However, they would often forget to tell the service manager. So, even with just four silos, challenges occurred.Then, in 2020, the company had the entire team work remotely. Now, instead of four silos, the company had 20. Over time, the company replaced some team members and add new ones. The new team may have never even met their coworkers face-to-face.So, fear is at an all-time high. And at the same time, trust is at an all-time low. People that were hired during the pandemic have no sense of teamwork with their coworkers. They have been in their silo for a year or two.To break these silos and get your team back to a cohesive group, you want to do three things.First, You Have to Rebuild the Trust of Your Team (Both with Each Other and with You.)Second, Your Team Has to See the Value that Being a Part of that Team Provides.Finally, Make Your Office a Fun Place that Team Members Want to Come to.This process has a specific order, by the way. If you just add a pool table to your office, but the trust level is low, it is a waste of money. Work to develop the trust first. Then, create the collaborative environment. And only then do you focus on the fun part. (It will be even more fun when you get to it.)Show Notes: Team Building Ideas to Tear Down Communication Silos (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/effective-team-building-event-ideas-will-tear-down-communication-silos/)

As every company grows, unintended “silos” will be created. This starts when an entrepreneur hires his or her first employee. Then, the “Silo Effect” gets even more intense when a growing company adds departments or additional offices. Basically, a “communication silo” is a section of a company that has become compartmentalized.For example, an entrepreneur may hire an administrative assistant or a salesperson. Up to this point, the business owner has been involved in ALL customer communication. But the moment a new team member is hired, the owner loses some of that communication. He or she is no longer involved in every conversation. This is good because the company adds productivity. However, this growth may cause miscommunication along the way.In a bigger company, perhaps sales and marketing are divided into two separate departments. Each of these new departments has goals that may differ and will be managed by different executives. The managers become captains of their new ships. They may even feel like they have to compete with the other “captains” for resources or personnel.Of course, in huge multinational companies, communication silos can be a big problem. Different regions, divisions, departments, markets, and even countries and languages, create multiple silos.So, eventually, these silos or walls may lead to mistrust or miscommunication. Companies that minimize the challenges created by these silos have an advantage. These leaders may then look for strong team-building event ideas that “will tear down the walls.”So, in this episode, we are going to cover a few ways to tear down these communication silo walls.Show Notes: Team Building Ideas to Tear Down Communication Silos (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/effective-team-building-event-ideas-will-tear-down-communication-silos/)

In this episode, I’m interviewing Weldon Long, who is an inspirational entrepreneur who started his first company in his 30s and generated 2.5 million dollars in revenue in his first year in an industry in which he had less than six months of experience. If you want a few secrets to improve your lot in life, pay close attention to the strategies that Weldon gives us. By the way, when he mentions his background and how he became a quote-unquote overnight success, he will take away all your excuses for not accomplishing more.I have to say that I have interviewed hundreds of successful people in the last five years, and this is one that covers some of the most valuable content that I think I have ever heard in less than 30 minutes. So listen closely, take good notes, and if this interview hits home, make sure to leave a great comment and rate the podcast wherever you download the show.Enjoy learning more about Weldon and how you, too, can increase your success by making just a couple of minor changes. By the way, you can find Weldon's book, The Power of Consistency, on Amazon by clicking this link. (https://amzn.to/3SfSZd6) You can also get access to his free video series by texting WELDON to 72000.

In this episode, I’m going to continue in my list of the top 10 mistakes that small businesses make when trying to find new customers. In addition, I’m going to give you a couple of simple solutions to each. Just follow this guide, and customers will actually come to you!Solve Just a Few Small Business Lead Generation Mistakes, and Increase Sales Quickly.If you solve just some of these challenges that many small businesses face, you’ll increase your income potential. Your company growth rate will also improve very quickly. The main thing to consider, though, is to become a problem-solver for your customers. If you can identify challenges and offer solutions for these challenges, you will generate a ton of new customers!Don’t sell. Instead, be a respected consultant for your clients and customers. They will love you and refer you to new business.Show Notes: Small Business Lead Generation Mistakes (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/top-ten-small-business-lead-generation-mistakes/)

Small Businesses are always looking for new lead generation ideas. But many of the things that entrepreneurs do before they even make their first cold call or before they attend their first business card exchange practically ensure that they actually fail in the Lead Generation department.In this episode, I’m going to give you my top 10 mistakes that small businesses make when trying to find new customers. In addition, I’m going to give you a couple of simple solutions to each. Just follow this guide, and customers will actually come to you!The internet is a great equalizer for small businesses. However, you have to make it easy for people who are looking for your products or services to find you on the internet. Search engine optimization (SEO) should be your top priority as a small business owner. You have to make it easy for people to find your website when they search Google. All it takes is a bit of research and learning.The keywords and phrases you use on your website are vital. When you design your content, you have to focus on what your customer wants. For instance, instead of writing content about being the best endodontist, write about straightening teenage teeth. If you create informative content, Google will send people to your website.Google picks top websites based on the frequency of people clicking on and staying on certain sites. It’s almost like a beauty pageant judge. Your pages are ranked based on how often they are picked to determine your rank. That rank determines your “findability.”One of the easiest ways to rank better is by starting to post your knowledge. Share with the world what makes you an expert! Write some blog posts. Spread free knowledge. If it’s worth buying or saves people time, they’ll investigate your company further. The more you share, the more people see you on social media platforms and learn about you. The more they learn, the more they’re likely to become qualified leads and soon-to-be customers. If your content is worthwhile, your customer base will seek out more. Give them a web form to offer their contact information. *DING!* Built-in leads!Show Notes: Top Ten Small Business Lead Generation Mistakes that Entrepreneurs Make (and How to Avoid Them)(https://www.leadersinstitute.com/top-ten-small-business-lead-generation-mistakes/)

In this episode, we are going to talk about a trending phrase on Tik Tok and a few other social media platforms. The phrase is Quiet Quitting. It is where employees do just the bare minimum to keep from getting fired. We are going to cover the pros and cons from both an employee standpoint and if you are an employer and you are seeing this behavior.Quiet Quitting: Its Impact on Employees and the WorkplaceThe newest trend floating around on social media is called “Quiet Quitting.” In this episode, we’ll both explain what this trend means and dig into it from both the employee and leadership viewpoints. It’s important to set healthy limits in order to do your best work, but it’s a two-way street in how those limits are handled.Quiet quitting is a new wave of employees setting personal boundaries at work by sticking to the specific tasks written in their job description. Rather than leaving their position, people instead are no longer doing the “extracurricular” tasks. In doing so, they are prioritizing their time outside of work in order to move toward a healthy work-life balance. People during lockdown really took notice of the amount of work they were doing in a trade-off for their hobbies and family time.So in response, they are setting clear boundaries by quitting their above and beyond efforts. Staff personnel jumping on this trend are subtly sending a message to leadership. That’s not to say the administration can’t have a rebuttal reaction.Show Notes: Quiet Quitting: Its Impact on Employees and the Workplace (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/quiet-quitting-at-work/)

In this episode, I'm going to give you a very simple 5 step problem-solving process that can help you create breakthrough solutions to even the toughest problems.When I first came across this process, I was intrigued but skeptical. At the time, I was a sales consultant for a big company, and I noticed that the training and processes that we taught had a higher return on investment when our clients trained groups of people together than when they trained single individuals. However, most of our customers worldwide sent just a single person to training. We tried everything to get customers to send bigger groups with little success.Then, I came across this problem-solving process. I used it to try to solve this frustrating challenge. Within a couple of months, the size of the groups being sent for the training doubled. Then, it doubled again. Then, it doubled again. In fact, I look back on that challenge today, and the solution was so simple, but it had eluded us for a very long time. We came up with this simple solution in less than 15 minutes using this process.You are going to love this tip, and you should see fantastic results from it very quickly.Show notes: The 5-Step Group Problem-Solving Process (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/group-problem-solving/)

On this episode, I'm going to cover a few very simple skills that will open up opportunities for success like no other. I'll give you a hint as to what they are... Almost everything you've ever been taught about how to improve your success is wrong. As we grow up, our teachers tell us to go to school, get a degree, and if we really want to be successful, get a master's or PhD. However, your education doesn't guarantee success. In fact, a person's success in the business world is almost always dependent on the ideas I will share with you in this episode.By the way, this episode is brought to you by leadersinstitute.com. For details about leadership development and how to create a team culture, visit www.leadersinstitute.com. And if you have questions for me or comments, you can Tweet me @dougstaneart or contact me via my website at leadersinstitute.com. Also, we have had a few hundred people in the last couple of weeks find our YouTube channel and subscribe. Our video team often takes excepts (the most important nuggets from each podcast and makes short video tips each week. So, if you get a chance, go to https://www.youtube.com/leadersinstitute and hit the subscribe and bell buttons to get access to all the new tips we release each week. Show Notes: 4 (and a half) Reasons Why Interpersonal Skills Matter in the Workplace (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/why-social-skills-are-important-in-the-workplace/)

In this episode, I'm going to give you 3 Ways to Encourage a Diverse Team to Work Together as One cohesive unit. A few of the ideas may contradict some of the wishy-washy tips that educational institutions (universities and colleges) and human resource organizations are putting out. So listen with caution. If you have a thin skin or you think that the world is out to get you, this may not be the episode for you. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to promote true collaboration that’s not inhibited by the differences of a diverse team. Failure to do this may result in a lack of cooperation. You may also experience a drop in productivity and revenue if you aren’t careful.Combatting the intrusion of unconscious bias is vital to a company’s success. In fact, the diversity your team provides can drive this success. Different perspectives and different backgrounds can create new ideas. If you want to get your diverse team to be more collaborative, here are ideas.Inclusive companies meet the needs of their team by providing a common purpose and supporting a diverse environment. So, first, build open lines of communication. Next, celebrate the team’s achievements. Finally, welcome conflict. Use this conflict to generate breakthrough ways of thinking in your industry.For full show notes, visit Three Stereotype Shattering Strategies to Unite a Diverse Teamhttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/three-stereotype-shattering-strategies-to-unite-a-diverse-team/

The word complacent may just be the biggest enemy of success. In fact, I’ve noticed that if you look at history as well as the current business climate, you’ll find that past success almost always limit future success. They invite the status quo to plateau. That is unless you are constantly looking for new ways to improve yourself and your organization. I have to admit, I have been both the beneficiary of capitalizing on others’ complacency as well as being the dupe who became complacent and missed out on opportunities. Perhaps you’ll be able to learn from both my successes and failures so that you can identify the opportunities in your own industry. Maybe even recognize the warning signs and break bad habits.COMPLACENT (definition): marked by self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies (Merriam-Webster).Complacent: 7 Surprising Ways that Your Past Success May Limit Your Future SuccessStagnation in the Marketplace is Often Caused by Complacency.Hunger for Success Causes Us to Look for Opportunities.The Bigger the Ship the More Time It Takes to Steer Away from Danger.The Skills and Knowledge that We Acquire to become Successful Create a Perception of Loss If We Change.The Devil You Know is Better than the Devil You Don’t.The “Avis: We Try Harder” Effect.The Complacency of Others that Allows Us to Succeed Sometimes Envelops Us as Well.Show Notes: 7 Surprising Ways Your Past Successes Limit Future Success

Poor leadership skills can ruin team morale. As a manager, you hold more power than you might think. Obviously, you can hire and fire your subordinates. You can also promote them… or not promote them. You may also have the ability to approve a raise. If not, you at least have the ability to conduct the annual review.In essence, your leadership skills and moral compass have a direct impact on their career. Even if you treat everyone fairly, your impact on their lives is unmistakable. This is why having a great boss is the number one wish of most employees. They often rank this above more vacation time and a bigger paycheck.However, some managers can inadvertently destroy the confidence of their employees. When this happens, it can permanently damage morale. Low morale then creates poor employee retention.Even the best executives avoid committing these bad leadership behaviors.Are You Guilty of These Behaviors?Show Notes:  Five Ways that Poor Leadership Skills Can Ruin Team Moralehttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/four-ways-poor-leadership-skills-can-ruin-team-morale/

We often have our clients ask us about what to do in between annual meetings and retreats to reinforce the team culture that they have created. We are big believers in fun, team outings. The good news is that these are fairly easy to organize, somewhat inexpensive, and will give you a fantastic return on your investment. Surveys show that the main reason for employee dissatisfaction is the employee’s personal relationship with his or her immediate manager. So, these simple, spontaneous teamwork acts can significantly increase job satisfaction.Below are a few ideas that we have found work really well to build teamwork. Psst! These work best when you offer them as a bonus activity versus a requirement. “If you and your family are available, the company will pick up the tab for…” works much better than “Everyone is required to attend…” Many of these outings are great for their flexibility. You’ll find that employee engagement increases when a team-building event is offered or voluntary rather than required. Attendance can be the entire team (in large groups) or departmentalized (small groups).The team outing ideas in this episode can help build more team culture in between your normal team meetings.Show Notes: Try Fun Team Outings to Build Team Culturehttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/meetings-try-fun-team-outings/

This week, I'm going to share with you a few very low-cost ways to build more of a team atmosphere within your company. If you are new to the podcast, one of the things that I specialize in is leading big team-building activities for huge companies. Quite often, though, I have potential clients call in or request information from social media, and they want to do something fun or reward their team but don't have a huge budget. If you are in that boat, then these ideas will really help.The term team-building means a lot of different things to various people. Companies often have our instructors help them with annual conventions and meetings because they are looking for ways to add enthusiasm and energy to their regular meetings. These one-time, or annual, activities are a fantastic way to build camaraderie and teamwork, but what do you do the rest of the year? Below are a few of our favorite team-building ideas that are either free or cost very little to your company.I cover seven easy things that you can do for or with your team to build more of a team atmosphere without incurring a huge cost.Show Notes: Team Building Ideas that Cost Nothinghttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/a-few-team-building-ideas-cost-nothing-little/

Have you ever been in one of those situations where you run into someone you know but can’t remember the person’s name? It can be an awkward situation for everyone involved. Years ago, I came across an astonishingly easy way to remember names that is very helpful. There are just a few vital steps in the process. However, if you follow every step, you can avoid those awkward social situations.In this episode, we cover a simple four-step process to remember names. This technique is incredibly simple, but it does take a little practice.For full details, see the full show notes: How to Remember Names-An Astonishing Way to Place Names with Faceshttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/how-to-remember-names-astonishing-way-place-names-with-faces/

This week, I'm going to cover a leadership topic that can be very confusing because of all the different facets of the topic. We're going to talk about team building. Specifically, I going to go into what exactly do people when they talk about team development or team building activities or exercises. The reason why this topic is so confusing is that the topic is very broad. It can cover everything from building a sports team to company outings and experiences to making corporate meetings more fun and interactive.It is a fascinating study, though. After spending over a decade playing competitive sports and then another decade in the corporate world before starting my own business, I learned a lot about what makes a good team and what causes team challenges. In this episode, I'm going to share a little of that experience with you. So what exactly is team building, anyway?The term “team-building” is thrown around quite often describing any type of activity that is likely to build some type of camaraderie or team environment. However, the specific activities and games that make up a good event can be lumped into a few types of categories. The success of your company depends on its foundation: customers, profit, and company culture. Team building exercises are a great way to connect staff and build a positive culture.The effectiveness of the exercises or events depends on the inclusion of the whole team, in smaller teams, aiming for a shared goal. Some involve a random object, such as tennis balls, while other fun activities could use puzzle pieces with trivia questions.SHOW NOTES: What Is Team Building?https://www.leadersinstitute.com/what-is-team-building/

I hope you have enjoyed and put into practice each of the 28 leadership principles that we have covered in this series. Because you stuck in there, though, I'm going to give you a *Bonus Principle* - Leadership Principle #29 is to Always Give Something Extra.“Under promise; over-deliver.” – Tom PetersThere is a donut store in my neighborhood owned by a little oriental lady who is an expert at maximizing word-of-mouth advertising.The first time I walked through her doors, she greeted me with a warm smile thanked me over and over for coming in, and gave me a fresh, hot donut hole to eat while I waited.She had a whole store full of people but treated each one as if he or she were the only person in the world at that moment.As I left the store with my order, I peeked into the box and found two extra donuts. I assumed that she had made a mistake. However, when I went back a couple of months later, she greeted me saying that I was her good customer and again I got more than I ordered.When it happened the first time, I didn’t tell a lot of people, but when I realized that that was her way of doing business, I told many people.You can do the same in your business. Under promise and over deliver and the customer will always be happy.When I conduct sales training, I promise a 10% increase in sales. When my clients receive a 40%, 50%, or even 60% increase, they are delighted, and they tell more people.If you want to increase word-of-mouth advertising, always give a little extra.Bonus Daily Leadership PrinciplePrinciple #29: Always Give Something Extra.https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-bonus-principle-always-give-something-extra/

Joe Girard is the Guinness World Record holder for selling cars because he constantly goes out of his way for his customers.For instance, if his customers ever need service on their car, Girard personally represents them when they come into the service department, and sometimes, pays for the work himself. Every one of his customers (and there are thousands) receives a special card from him every month. It may be a St. Patrick’s Day card in March or a Thanksgiving card in November, but they hear from him every month. He has hundreds of things that he does in which he goes out of his way to make sure his customers are satisfied, and most are repeat buyers and refer friends to him.LEADERS GO THE EXTRA MILEWhen we go out of our way for someone, when we do something above and beyond the call of duty, we are creating a memorable impression upon that person.Harvey Mackay once had a friend relay a story about a colleague that called him at 2:00 AM desperate because he needed $20,000 or he would lose his business. This friend told Mackay that if his own business had been in trouble, he couldn’t think of more than a couple of people he could call for help.Mackay replied that he could name 50 people that he could call. Mackay has those relationships because he has gone to bat for each of those 50 people when they needed help.By going the extra mile, his network of people who absolutely trust him is huge.If you want relationships like that, go out of your way for people.Week #4: Developing Leaders Around You.Principle #28: Go Out of Your Way for People.https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-28-go-out-of-your-way-for-people/

Parents know that it takes patience, encouragement, and consistent action to teach a baby to walk. The baby takes one step and the parents cheer.She falls down, the parents say, “That’s OK. You can do it!”The baby walks just a few feet, and she’s a champion.Why don’t we use the same encouragement for our employees and coworkers?DON’T LOOK FOR PERFECTION RIGHT AWAY. LOOK FOR IMPROVEMENT.Most managers constantly call attention to the mistakes of their employees. Then they wonder why they must constantly look over the shoulders of their people. The secret to being a good manager is that whatever you call attention to, you get more of.So, instead of pointing out the mistake, point out the improvement in the right direction.If we want to build great leaders, we must help build their confidence as they gain experience. Call attention to their successes no matter how small these successes seem to be. When we do that, we are anchoring the positive behavior that they are exhibiting.Want to change behavior? Try calling attention to someone’s mistake indirectly, and then watch to see how the behavior changes.When you catch that person doing things the right way, praise the improvement. Chances are that you’ll begin to see this behavior more consistently.Praise improvements in the right direction, and you’ll build strong leaders around you.Week #4: Developing Leaders Around You.Principle #27: Praise the Baby Steps.

One of the best coaches that I have ever been associated with was Coach Gary Gaines, who was the linebacker coach at my college. He also had a book and movie made about him called Friday Night Lights.What makes him such a great coach is that he is a very mild-mannered person, but when he caught someone doing the right thing, he enthusiastically called attention to it. I still remember specific plays that I made in college because Coach Gaines would always give an immediate pat on the back. Then later, when we reviewed the film, he would show the great plays over and over again so that everyone saw them.The other strength that Coach Gaines had was the way he made corrections and pointed out mistakes. Rather than saying, “Staneart, you missed two tackles,” he called attention to the mistakes as a team. The TEAM missed six tackles. He let us save face.In the few years that I played for him, he developed three players who played professional football and one who has been an all-pro every year he played.MOST MANAGERS CALL ATTENTION TO MISTAKESMost managers use what Ken Blanchard calls the “Leave Alone, Zap” method of coaching. They leave their direct reports alone until they make a mistake, and then they come by and “Zap” them to make corrective action.This type of management style makes it to where the manager becomes the merchant of death in that the only time the direct reports get coaching is when they get hammered.A better way of managing and coaching people is to look for the things that they are doing right and reinforce those things.Show encouragement and help them strengthen those things that they are already doing well.If we catch people doing things wrong, their focus is on the mistake. If we catch people doing things right, their focus is on their success. We get more of what we focus on most.Week #4: Developing Leaders Around You.Principle #26: Catch People Doing Things Right.https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-26-catch-people-doing-things-right/

Daily Leadership Tip #25 is to Recognize the Potential in Others and Help Them Achieve It. This is Week #4 in our Daily Leadership Tips Series. The focus this week is on building other leaders.For the past 20 years, The Leader’s Institute ® instructors have helped people gain confidence in becoming effective leaders by pointing out strengths in our class members that they may not even recognize in themselves.William James, the father of modern psychology, said that in a person’s entire lifetime, he will only tap into 10% of his potential. Psychologists call this untapped potential our “blind spots.”OUR JOB AS LEADERS IS TO HELP MINIMIZE THE BLIND SPOTS IN OTHERSWhen we recognize potential in others, we need to encourage them to tap into that potential.My files are full of letters from managers who came into their own shortly after getting that first big promotion.OFTEN, BEING RECOGNIZED BY A LEADER IS THE CATALYST FOR NEW LEADERSHIP.All they needed was someone to believe in them. A boss, mentor, or supervisor saw potential in them. Then, the confidence that they had grew even more dramatically when others see this confidence in them as well.Don’t discount people because they have a few rough edges. Instead, look for the strengths that they have and help them grow even more in those areas.People tend to live up to the expectations that others set for them, so set your standards high and encourage others to reach them.Week #4: Developing Leaders Around YouPrinciple #25: Recognize the Potential in Others and Help Them Achieve It.https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-25-recognize-the-potential-in-others-and-help-them-achieve-it/

One common trait of great leaders is that they build other leaders along the way.  Zig Ziglar said for years that if you help enough people become more successful, you can’t help but become successful yourself.This is true in our families, in our work environment, and also in our recreation.For instance, one of the reasons Phil Jackson became one of the most successful basketball coaches of all time is that he was increasingly enthusiastic about the success of his players.  Michael Jordan believed that this was so important, that he refused to play for any other coach.  Jackson has 8 NBA Championship rings as a coach.  And in 1998 after his sixth championship, he told Cigar Aficionado Magazine, "It's normal for people to want more credit for success than is due them, yet the reality is that our championships were won on the court by Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, the other players and the coaching staff.”  Three years later, he had moved to a new team, this time without Jordan and Pippen,Did he take credit this time? Nope. In fact, just the opposite. He told USA Today, "It's incredible to be in this position as a coach," said Jackson. "Everything revolves around the team and the staff… I've been in the right spot and fortunate enough to have players who put me in this position.”   Great players are attracted to Jackson because he builds great leaders, and you can too if you are as enthusiastic about their success as you are your own.Week #4: Developing Leaders Around You.Principle #24: Be Enthusiastic about the Success of Others.https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-24-be-enthusiastic-about-the-success-of-others/

This is Week #4 in our Daily Leadership Tip series. This week we are covering seven ways to build leaders. Principle #23 is to Keep Promises, Even Small Ones.A person who breaks his word on little things is also likely to break his word on bigger things too.Wes Zimmerman, author of Perception of a Difference, put it very clearly when he wrote, "It has been my experience that people possessing high integrity are honest in little things and big ones. They are honest with themselves. They tend to think about what they are going to say before they say it. Above all, they do these things consistently. Their consistency earns my trust."In contrast, when someone breaks a promise, even a little one, it shows their character.  They will tend to shade the truth and quote things out of context.  Once this character flaw is noticed, it is very difficult to gain back that trust that is lost.When promises, even little ones, are kept consistently over time, the leader develops a level of trust with the people that he or she interacts with. Brian Tracy, a famous speaker and trainer says that, “The glue that holds all relationships together -- including the relationship between the leader and the led is trust, and trust is based on integrity.”So, if you want to strengthen your integrity and build solid trust with your team, make sure to keep your promises.Week #4: Developing Leaders Around You.Principle #23: Keep Promises, Even Small Ones.https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-23-keep-promises-even-small-ones/

Continuing in our Daily Leadership Series Challenge, this week we will cover 7 ways to Build Leaders. The principles in the next section can help build the levels of trust and respect from others…Many of this week’s principles will help you gain the trust and respect from people around you. As the levels of trust and respect increase, your influence over others will grow. The trust and respect will result from the “Win/Win” relationships that you have already built by using the earlier principles.Establish solid trust before offering advice.Keep promises… even small ones.Be enthusiastic about the success of others.Recognize the potential in others and help them achieve it.Catch people doing things right.Praise the baby steps.Go out of your way for people.Leadership Principle #22 – Establish Solid Trust Before Offering Advice.“Trust men, and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great.” – Ralph Waldo EmersonThe term “constructive criticism” is an oxymoron.Think about it… When was the last time someone gave you constructive criticism and you responded with the following?“Thank you so much for pointing out that mistake for me! If you hadn’t said something, I would have just continued to screw that up. Thank you so much.”I know, I’m being a bit sarcastic, but it proves a point. Anytime we criticize someone, that person will always hold some resentment against us.Can we point out the mistakes of others without resentment? Yes, but we must have their solid trust, and they must know that our only concern is their welfare.EVERY RELATIONSHIP HAS VALUE.Picture your relationships with others as a check registry. Anytime you have said something positive to or done something positive for the person, add a deposit into the account.Anytime you have said something negative to or done something negative against that person, register a withdrawal.When we use the principles in the book, we build a positive trusting relationship with people, so we have a positive balance in this account. However, if we have violated these principles, then our relationship bank account may be way overdrawn.We’ll probably need to make more deposits before trying to influence these people or change their behavior.Week #4: Developing Leaders Around You.Principle #22: Establish Solid Trust before Offering Advice.https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-22-establish-solid-trust-before-offering-advice/

In our modern society, the art of giving people a sincere compliment has gone the way of the vinyl record or the Model T. You come across them occasionally, but they are few and far between.I have asked hundreds of different audiences across the country why they think that we don’t give as many compliments as we probably should (or receive the number of compliments that we probably deserve.) In response, I have heard every answer under the sun. But what I find most often is that we are mainly too self-centered and too busy to take the time to give a sincere compliment to our fellow human beings.A GOOD COMPLIMENT IS THE OPPOSITE OF FLATTERYThere is also a negative connotation about giving compliments to people. We think of people who give compliments as brown-nosers or kiss-asses. In the modern era, we have confused a sincere compliment with flattery. To most people they are one and the same.In addition, men are also less inclined to give compliments to female coworkers out of fear of being accused of harassment.With all these challenges to overcome, most people just don’t bother to compliment one another now. It’s easier just to keep to ourselves.A GOOD LEADER CAN USE COMPLIMENTS TO SET YOURSELF APART FROM THE CROWDYou can compliment people on what they have. A compliment like this would be something like “Nice tie.”You can compliment people on what they do. “Thanks for turning in the report early,” is an example.However, each of these types of compliments has a chance of being seen as insincere.However, if you give the people around you a compliment based on a strength of character that you notice in them, they will always see the compliment as sincere.Give them a strength-centered compliment and their confidence will grow. You will also be well thought of by that person.Week #3: Gain Enthusiastic Cooperation.Principle #21: Give Strength-Centered Compliments.https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-21-give-strength-centered-compliments/

Continuing in our Daily Leadership Tip Challenge, this is Week #3 - How to Gain Cooperation from Your Team. And today's principle is #20 Show Sincere Gratitude.The Australian Institute of Family Studies recently published a paper called “Reasons for Divorce.” It said that the #1 cause of divorce was communication problems resulting in one or both spouses feeling unappreciated.A company called Bonusly conducted a similar survey of why people leave their jobs. They found that “almost half (46%) of respondents have left a job because they felt unappreciated. Another 65% admitted that they would work harder if they felt like their contributions would be noticed by management.”MOST PEOPLE ARE STARVING FOR APPRECIATION.We wouldn’t dream of letting children (or employees) go for days without food. But we’ll let them go years without something just as important, the feeling of being appreciated.A simple kind word of appreciation is a simple way to build trust, gain cooperation, and anchor positive behavior in others.Week #3: Gain Enthusiastic Cooperation.Principle #20: Show Sincere Gratitude.https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-20-show-sincere-gratitude/

This is day number 19 of our Daily Leadership Tip challenge. This week, we are focusing on ways to gain enthusiastic cooperation from others. Principle #19 is to Ask Questions Instead of Giving Orders.David was a recent graduate of engineering school and was in his first supervisory position on a construction project. Many of the men who worked with and for him had 10, 15, and even 20 years of experience.David’s job was to interpret the designs from the architect and get his crew to implement the designs. So, every morning, he would meet with the superintendents and foremen and tell them what they were to do that day.After a few months, David began to realize that the ideas he brought to the crew typically were either taking a long time to implement or had to be reworked.David’s general contractor realized what was going on and explained to him that the crew resented being ordered around on the job site. He asked David to begin to ask for the advice of his superintendents and foremen rather than dictating to them.The difference was like night and day. David began drawing up alternative plans and bringing them to the crew. He would ask their opinion, and nine times out of ten his original idea was the popular choice. The other 10% of the time, David learned valuable insights about design and construction. Things he could have never learned in school. Rework dropped dramatically.When we order people to do things, they will resent us for telling them what to do. Even if there is a great deal of trust, the person being ordered around will typically follow through out of compliance versus cooperation.However, when we ASK people to do things for us, they will usually respond in a much more positive way. You can have similar results if you ask questions instead of giving orders.Week #3: Gain Enthusiastic CooperationPrinciple #19: Ask Questions Instead of Giving Orders.https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-19-ask-questions-instead-of-giving-orders/

Continuing with our Daily Leadership Tip Series, we are in Week #3 -- Gaining Cooperation from Others. This is principle 18, Ask Other People's Opinions.ASK THE OPINION OF YOUR EXPERTS TO GAIN INSIGHTWhen we are under the gun, most of us want to take control and begin to order people around. Since time is short, we want to quicken the pace by just telling people what to do instead of asking them their opinion. When we do this, though, we are often missing an opportunity to gain great insights from the people who are on the front line.One of the hardest things for young people to realize when they get their first leadership position is that they don’t know everything yet. When we are young, we think that our formal education taught us everything we’d ever need to know.When we get into the real world and realize that we don’t know it all yet, we want to make sure that no one ever finds out.TO BECOME AN EXPERT, ASK FOR HELP FROM OTHER EXPERTSThe best thing to do in this situation is to admit that you need help or more information. Most people around you will respect you more.Captain Christopher J. Courtney in his article called “The Successful Lieutenant” said it well, “It is a cardinal error for a lieutenant to be a ‘know-it-all.’ Nothing turns off the troops faster or brings down morale more than a know-it-all lieutenant… Admitting to your platoon sergeant that you do not know something is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of honesty.”Week #3: Gain Enthusiastic Cooperation.Principle #18: Ask Other People’s Opinions.https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-18-ask-other-peoples-opinions/

Continuing with our Daily Leadership Tip Series, we are in week #3 to Gain Enthusiastic Cooperation from Our Team. Principle #17 is to Encourage and Facilitate Two-Way Conversation.You can have more influence over others if you create two-way communication.One of the most common complaints I hear from front-line employees is that top management does not take their ideas seriously and does not address their concerns. Many companies today have a top-down communication in place that can stifle creativity and build resentment in front-line employees.Many of these employees have ideas that could revolutionize the company, but far too often, the ideas are overlooked because the people at the top are too focused on the status quo.Those dialogues that we create with the people who work for us can provide us with valuable information – both good and bad. This information is critical in helping us make solid decisions in the marketplace.If you want to influence others in a positive way, take a lesson from Oprah and McDonald’s and create dialogues rather than monologues.Week #3: Gain Enthusiastic CooperationPrinciple #17: Encourage and Facilitate Two-Way Communication.https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-17-encourage-and-facilitate-two-way-conversations/

Continuing with our Week #3 Daily Leadership Tips, Principle #16 is to Show Enthusiasm and Energy.Have you ever noticed that the most successful people in just about any industry are the early risers? Ben Franklin called this group of people the “Six O’clock Club.”Franklin spent the first hour of his day planning the events of his day (to do this he invented the Franklin Planner) and reading. He often claimed that the first hour of his day was the most important.How does this relate to raising your own energy level? We have a choice every morning when we wake up. Do I want to hit the snooze bar a few times, or do I want to put some energy and enthusiasm into my day?Frank Bettger, in his book How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling, said that if he had to narrow down to one thing why he has been so successful, it would be enthusiasm.ENTHUSIASM IS A SECRET TO SUCCESS.His enthusiasm was what moved him from a “second rate bush-league making $25 a week” to the starting shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals. His enthusiasm was also what transformed him from a washout in sales to the most successful insurance agent of his time.Where did his enthusiasm come from?He says that he didn’t have any enthusiasm in the beginning, but he faked it. He acted like he was enthusiastic, and behold he was. After a few successes, the enthusiasm came easy.Week #3: Gain Enthusiastic Cooperation.Principle #16: Show Enthusiasm and Energy.https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-16-show-enthusiasm-and-energy/

In our Daily Leadership Series, we are starting Week #3: Gain Enthusiastic Cooperation from Others.Many of this week’s principles will help you gain cooperation from others. The only way to get people to do things for you is to get them to WANT to do things for you.Most people have an eager want to be accepted by others or want to be esteemed by their peers. So, if we can show people how what we want them to do will help them become more of a part of the team, then they will usually enthusiastically do what we ask.These are the 7 things that you can do to gain cooperation from others.Acknowledge the importance of other people.Show enthusiasm and energy.Encourage and facilitate two-way conversations.Ask other people’s opinions.Ask questions instead of giving orders.Show sincere gratitude.Give strength-centered compliments.Leadership Principle #15: Acknowledge the Importance of Other People.“The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.” – William JamesMost people have one defining need that very rarely gets satisfied. Many of us will move Heaven and Earth to satisfy this need. This one attribute is the single most motivating factor that leads to success. It is the need – the want – to feel important.The person who can satisfy this need in others, the person who can sincerely make other people feel important, can be very influential and is typically regarded by others as a good leader.

This principle sounds like common sense, but it’s uncommon in practice. Many relationships have ended with one party feeling slighted by the other, and neither side is big enough to make amends. And the longer we wait, the more the problem festers.Two managers were recently consulted about a very sticky problem that had surfaced. The senior manager offered a suggestion to the boss that sounded reasonable. However, the more junior manager disagreed. Then, in front of other staff members, he told everyone why the idea wouldn’t work.After a few weeks, the junior manager noticed that tasks that had usually been completed in a timely manner by the other manager were taking an unusually long time. He knew why. So, he pulled the other manager aside and offered an apology.The senior manager’s face got very crimson, and he exploded. He cursed. He screamed. The junior manager just let him vent and apologized again. The senior manager stopped, apologized for his outburst, and afterward, things pretty much went back to normal.Realize that if the junior manager had apologized quickly, the outburst probably wouldn’t have occurred. The longer that a problem or argument festers, the more damage will develop in the relationship. So, mend fences with those you have wronged, and do it quickly.Week #2: Conflict ResolutionPrinciple #14: Mend Fences Whenever Possible.https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-14-mend-fences-whenever-possible/

In my early days of selling, my mentor was an award-winning salesperson for one of the top training companies in the world. The first day I met her, she told me that her job was to coach me to be a better salesperson. She said that from time to time she would point out some things to me where I could make improvements and that she was only able to do this because she had already made every mistake imaginable. She knew what didn’t work, so she could help me focus on the areas that did work.She was very consistent. Anytime she saw me doing or saying something that could cost me potential sales, she would matter-of-factly say something like, “I remember back when I…” and she would tell me about a time when she had made a similar mistake.Her indirect coaching allowed me to save face. It also helped my career because I didn’t have to make the same mistakes that she had made.YOUR TEAM CAN LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES – NOT THEIRSDid it work? You bet. Within three years, I was one of the top salespeople in the world for that company and had become a pretty good coach as well.It’s very easy to point out mistakes that others are making in an overt way. Most people do this. However, it takes a skilled mentor to point out mistakes in a way that lets the other person save face.Letting people know how you have made a similar mistake first allows them to be more open-minded about their own mistakes.Week #2: Conflict ResolutionPrinciple #13: Admit One of your Own Poor Decisions before Pointing Out a Similar Mistake by Others.https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-13-admit-one-of-your-own-poor-decisions-before-pointing-out-a-similar-error-by-others/

This is day number 12 in our Daily Leadership Challenge. We are continuing this week with seven ways to reduce conflict. Daily Leadership Tip #12 is that If You Are Wrong, Admit It.Do you realize that if we were right just 51% of the time, we’d all be multi-gazillionaires? The truth is that we are wrong much more often than we are right. When you find yourself on the wrong side of the argument, be the bigger person and admit it.Week #2: Conflict ResolutionPrinciple #12: If You Find That You are in The Wrong, Admit It.https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-12-if-you-find-that-you-are-in-the-wrong-admit-it/

Even if you use every one of the principles in this Daily Leadership Series consistently, the occasional disagreement is inevitable. There are many ways to deal with disagreements but arguing with the other party is one sure way to guarantee that you will not persuade the other person.When we argue, each side will begin to become defensive.A PERSON WHO IS DEFENSIVE WILL VERY RARELY SEE THE LOGIC IN AN ARGUMENTIf the goal is to persuade the other person, then it is a good idea to find some common ground.Ask yourself a few questions.What about the two opinions is similar?What is some point that we can agree upon?What single thing can we both agree on?I am not suggesting that you cave in, by the way – far from it. What I am suggesting is tearing down the defensive walls so that both parties can see a logical conclusion.When we can find common ground, the emotion and defensiveness are somewhat diminished. At this point, if we use some of the other principles from this booklet to allow the other person to save face if he is wrong. This will allow us to come to a satisfactory conclusion.So, when you feel an argument brewing, find some common ground as soon as possible.Week #2: Conflict ResolutionPrinciple #11: Look for Some Type of Common Ground as Soon as Possible.https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-11-look-for-some-type-of-common-ground/

Daily Leadership Tip #10 – Instead of Telling People They Are Wrong, Point Out Mistakes IndirectlyIn Ben Franklin’s autobiography, he wrote about how in his younger years, he made many enemies because he frequently corrected people publicly when they were wrong.What he found was that although he was very convincing and had facts on his side, he rarely persuaded anyone that they were wrong.“A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” – Samuel ButlerTo make things worse, he noticed that many of these men held grudges against him for years.Ben Franklin learned from his mistakes. He developed several skills that we can use as well. When someone stated an opinion that was in error, he began to respond with phrases such as, “In many cases, I would probably feel the same as you about this. However, if the facts of the situation were different…”He also came up with what salespeople now call the “Ben Franklin Close,” in which he drew a line down the middle of a piece of paper. He would then ask the person who differed with him to tell him all the pros of his idea, and he wrote them on one side. He then asked for all the cons and wrote them on the other. The other person usually came to his conclusion by being a little more objective.ASK QUESTIONS TO POINT OUT MISTAKES INDIRECTLYOne of the best ways to point out mistakes indirectly is to ask questions. Let me give you an example.Let’s say that you have a person who works for you who is constantly turning in reports after the requested deadline. You might start by giving clarification to your entire team about the importance of the deadline.Then, if the person continues to turn in the information late, follow up with a question like, “I know that the team is focusing on getting the reports in early. How did you do with your report this week?”Instead of getting angry, the person will typically try to offer some type of excuse.When this happens, just follow up with one more question, “Yeah, I can understand how that would be a problem. What are you going to do this week to make sure that it doesn’t cause a challenge for you again?”If you use this type of questioning, the person is more likely to take responsibility for making sure that the activity gets completed properly. So, let’s take a page from Ben Franklin’s autobiography and never tell someone “you’re wrong.”Week #2: Conflict ResolutionPrinciple #10: Point Out Mistakes Indirectlyhttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-10-instead-of-telling-people-they-are-wrong-point-out-mistakes-indirectly/

Daily Leadership Tip #9-Be Slow to Anger-Especially Over Petty Issues“Anger is always more harmful than the insult that caused it.” – Chinese ProverbWe must remember that when we get angry, we lose control. We may say or do things that we later regret.When things don’t go our way, someone slights us, or circumstances turn against us, the natural human reaction is to get angry. The longer that we let it fester, the angrier we get. After a little bit of time, something that was very small in the beginning becomes huge as we play it over and over in our heads.The worst thing that we can do at this point is to confront the person who has slighted us because people tend to respond in kind to us. If we begin to get angry, the person we are communicating with will probably begin to get angry as well. The argument will quickly escalate.PEOPLE TEND TO RESPOND IN-KINDHowever, when people get angry with us, and we remain calm and collected, one of two things will happen. They may storm off frustrated because we didn’t fight back. Or they will realize how foolish they appear and feel ashamed. Once people have a chance to vent, and the person that they are venting to remains calm and collected, they will typically cool down and begin to communicate more clearly. Remember, people respond in kind to what they see and hear.Either way, we have avoided the negative consequences. So, if you want to keep long-lasting friendships, be slow to anger, especially over petty issues.Week #2: Conflict ResolutionPrinciple #9: Be Slow to Anger Especially Over Petty Issueshttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-9-be-slow-to-anger-especially-over-petty-issues/

Daily Leadership Tips Week #2 – Conflict Resolution Skills.Many of this week’s principles will help you create a more positive outcome from negative situations.These principles are excellent when used to calm an angry person or persuade people to see a different point of view. You may not convince the other person every time, but you should see more positive resolutions.Keep in mind, that if we have not established solid trust by using the principles from last week, resolving conflicts can be much more difficult.Be proactive instead of reactive.Be slow to anger—especially over petty issues.Instead of telling people they are wrong, point out mistakes indirectly.Look for some type of common ground as soon as possible.If you find that you are in the wrong, admit it.Admit one of your own poor decisions before pointing out a similar error by others.Mend fences whenever possible.Leadership Principle #8 – Be Proactive Instead of Reactive.“Good plans shape good decisions. That’s why good planning helps to make elusive dreams come true.” – Lester R. BittelFor full show notes, visit Daily Leadership Tips - Leadership Principle #8 – Be Proactive Instead of Reactive.https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-8-be-proactive-instead-of-reactive/

This is the last of seven principles in week number one of our Daily Leadership Tip Series. This whole week, we have covered six ways to build trust and build a team environment. The last leadership tip this week is number seven, Practice Good Listening Skills.Don’t look for techniques on how to listen better.  The people who are great listeners do so because they want to be great listeners, not because they learned the latest “technique” to trick people into thinking that they are listening when they aren’t. I’ve noticed that there are about four different levels of listening.   THE FOUR LEVELS OF LISTENINGThe lowest level of listening is to completely Ignore the speaker.  We all fall into this trap from time to time, such as when we are in a boring meeting and our mind wanders.   The second level of listening is when we Pretend to listen, but we are really just looking for an opportunity to end the conversation or change the subject.  The third level of listening is when we Selectively listen (mainly out of self-interest.) When we listen at this level, we will practically ignore the other person unless they are talking about something that directly concerns us.  Selective listeners will sometimes listen just enough to form an opinion or a rebuttal.  They tend to interrupt a lot and give advice.  When we move into this level of listening, a lot of times, we do so to speed up the listening process. But for the most part, this type of listening can slow down the communication process giving us a negative result.  The highest level of listener is the Attentive or Focused listener.  This person ignores all distractions and focuses totally on the speaker.  In any given conversation, we will typically slip from one of these types of listening levels to another.  The key is to get our minds off ourselves and onto the other person.  If we are genuinely interested in the other person – if we really care about the other person – we will automatically spend more time in the focused listening level.  Week #1: Build Trust and Rapport QuicklyPrinciple #7: Be a Good Listener.https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-7-practice-good-listening-skills/

This is day number six in our Daily Leadership Tip series. Today, we focus on improving communication. The tip is to Assume Responsibility for Clear Communication.Communication is a two-way street.  For communication to be successful, we must have both a successful speaker and an effective listener.  If either party is not present, miscommunication may occur.  However, there are things we can do to reduce miscommunication.  For instance, if you know you are communicating with a person who is not really detail-oriented, and you give instructions verbally just once, you have a very small chance that the person will follow through on your instructions.  So, for that person, it might be a good idea to follow up with a text, phone call, or email.  Or, you might have to send some written instructions to the person.  Regardless of how you follow up, if you want to ensure that the communication occurs, you must go above and beyond the call of duty.To be a great leader, take responsibility for clear communication.Week #1: Build Trust and Rapport QuicklyPrinciple #6: Assume Responsibility for Clear Communication.https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-6-assume-responsibility-for-clear-communication/

Continuing with our Daily Leadership Tip series, day #5 is to Avoid Placing the Burden of Your Problems onto Other People.Have you ever known someone who, after any setback, had an excuse and typically laid the blame elsewhere?   I’m ashamed to say that at one point in my life, I was one of those people.  Luckily, at one point in my career, I had a good friend that sat me down and said, “You can continue to come up with more excuses, or you can use less energy by just solving the problem.”It hit me like a ton of bricks.  It wasn’t the economy or my manager. It wasn’t my coworker who was causing me to fail.  I realized that every mistake or problem that had ever occurred in my life had one common variable.  -- ME! At that point, I took a good look at myself.  I looked at some of the mistakes I had made and asked myself, how can I avoid making the same mistake again?  I started to use every obstacle as a learning experience.  Don’t get me wrong, I still make excuses on occasion, but they are few and far between, and they no longer define me.  Since I made that conscious decision, my career has really taken off. There are some people out there who make themselves feel better by bringing other people down.  They revel in their ability to know who had a heart attack, who is getting divorced, who is stealing office supplies, and more.  The more they can bring other people down, the better that they feel.Good leaders are the ones who stop this type of behavior in its tracks by just refusing to participate and standing up for coworkers who aren’t there to defend themselves.  If you want to be a great leader, avoid placing the burden of your problems onto other people. Week #1: Build Trust and Rapport QuicklyPrinciple #5: Avoid Placing the Burden of Your Problems onto Other Peoplehttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-5-avoid-placing-the-burden-of-your-problems-onto-other-people/

Continuing with day four of our Daily Leadership Tip Series, today we focus on remembering names.Have you ever been in one of those situations where you run into someone that you have met before and can’t remember that person’s name?  It can be an awkward situation for both you and the other person.   When we remember someone’s name, we’re telling him, “You’re important.”  Therefore, when we forget a person’s name, we may leave the opposite impression. Do you want great service at a restaurant?  Call the waitress by name when you place your order.   Want to be the center of influence at a party?   Introduce people you just met to others at the party.   People love to hear their own name.  In fact, Dale Carnegie said that “a person’s name is to that person, the sweetest most important sound in any language.”If you want to be a good people person, focus on remembering names.  They will feel more important because you remembered, and they will think more of you as well. Week #1: Build Trust and Rapport Quickly Principle #4: Make an Effort to Remember Names.https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-4-make-an-effort-to-remember-names/ 

Many managers and supervisors have an “open-door policy,” but because of the atmosphere that they create, no one ever walks through the open door.When someone has a problem or needs help, they walk up to the door, just about to walk in, and they see the negative countenance.Most people just turn around and decide to come back later.A neutral expression can be just as unconstructive.People don’t like to guess whether someone that they work for or work with is in a good mood or bad mood.  A genuine smile can do a lot for you and for the people around you because it will make you more approachable.Smiles are also contagious.  One well-placed smile can go a long way to improving morale and building rapport.Week #1: Build Trust and Rapport QuicklyPrinciple #3: Smile Morehttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-3-smile-more/

One of the primary desires of human beings is to be understood and esteemed by others.  We want people to see things from our point of view.  Sometimes we want this so badly, that we disagree with and argue with points of view that are also valid.If we want people to like and respect us, do the opposite of what comes naturally. See things from other’s point of view.  When we understand others, we are much more likely to be understood by them.Week #1: Build Trust and Rapport QuicklyPrinciple #2: Look at Things from the Other Person’s Point of View

My college football team had an offensive coordinator who was arguably one of the most brilliant minds in the game.  However, he used fear and criticism to motivate his players.  If someone missed a block, he’d yell and curse. If a player dropped a pass, he’d shout profanities and ridicule the player.   Consequently, the players were focusing on their mistakes rather than their successes.  The coach eventually moved on, and after he left, morale improved dramatically.  The very next year, the team won their first bowl game in years and went on to twelve straight bowl games in the following years.   The practices were the same.  The fan support was the same.  The only thing that changed was the atmosphere on the field during the practices and the games.    WHAT MAKES A GREAT LEADER? Think about someone who you know who you think is a great leader.  Is this the type of person who quibbles and complains about irrelevant issues?  Does the person point out every mistake?  Probably not.  In fact, this person probably does just the opposite.  The person is probably a master at keeping others focused on the relevant and pointing out every improvement.   ANY JERK CAN COMPLAIN Any jerk can complain or criticize – and most do.  But real leaders are the people who build others up, not tear them down. Typically, when we point out mistakes that others are making, we are doing so to create a behavior change in the person.  However, when we point out mistakes that others make, the automatic human reaction is to get defensive or shift blame elsewhere.   People rarely make a change in their behavior based on criticism. In section three, we’ll cover seven ways to create behavior change in others without raising resentment.  Each of these tips will work much better than constructive criticism.  The next time you feel like you need to complain or to criticize someone, think about the outcome you want.  Do you want that person to change his behavior? If so, by criticizing, you will cause the person to want to defend himself.  This booklet is full of principles that you can use to build trust with and ultimately influence others.  The next time you want to criticize or complain, try silence as an option.   Week #1: Build Trust and Rapport QuicklyDaily Leadership Principle #1: Avoid Criticizing and Complaining 

Back when we first started The Leader’s Institute®, we developed processes that help people communicate with, lead, and motivate others more effectively. Since then, we have constantly refined this process. The process covers 28 daily Leadership Principles. When people attend our programs, we encourage them to purposefully apply one principle a day for 28 consecutive days.We created this daily leadership tip series to offer real-life examples of each principle. During the 28-day leadership challenge, we want you to purposefully apply these principles in your life. If you do, I think you will be surprised at the number of people you will influence in a positive way. To get the best results, look for ways to apply one principle per day for 28 consecutive days.We Organized This Daily Leadership Tip Series into Four One-Week Sections.Each week, we cover seven different principles focused on a single topic within leadership development. In Week #1, we cover 7 Ways to Build Trust. Next, in Week #2, we give you 7 Conflict Resolution Leadership Tips. Then, in Week #3, we show you 7 Ways to Gain Cooperation from Your Team. Finally, in Week #4, we cover 7 Ways to Build More Leaders.I know what you are thinking, though… Wait… Doug… There are only five days in a workweek. So, why are there seven leadership tips each week? There are two main reasons for this. First, the goal here is to help you create new habits. We form habits by doing certain behaviors every day. If you take a couple of days off, you will break your momentum. More importantly, though, the relationships we have with friends and family are also important. You also want to use these daily leadership tips with your friends and family!How to Get the Most Out of these Leadership SkillsFirst, go through the entire series in order from start to finish.Next, highlight any important points that could help you personally.Then, re-watch one principle per day for 28 straight days. When you do, look for ways to consciously apply that principle during that day.At the end of 28 days, review any principles that were particularly difficult for you to apply.Finally, begin the entire process again to reinforce each habit.For full show notes, visit Daily Leadership Tip Series on our website.https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-28-ways-influence-people/

This week, I have another high-impact leader coming for a visit. Jamie Wolf is a writer and publisher who specializes in helping industry experts write and publish best-selling books. She and her team interview industry experts and help them create a single chapter of a compilation self-help book. Then, when they create 20 or so chapters from 20 different experts, they publish the book. The beauty of this process is that each of these experts has a following. So when they combine their marketing lists, they sell 20 times the number of books in 1/20th the time of a normal book. It is a brilliant process. By the way, as always, if you like the sessions, don't forget to subscribe to the High Impact Leaders Podcast, and make sure to rate the podcast and leave me a review wherever you download the show.And if you have questions for me or comments, you can Tweet me @dougstaneart or contact me via my website at https://www.leadersinstitute.com.To contact Jamie Wolf, visit her website at https://www.milliondollarstory.co/

This week, I have another high-impact leader coming for a visit. David Oates is a specialist in Crisis PR. In the interview, he covers a number of ideas and solutions that can help you if someone is using social media to harm your brand or your image. He also talks about a few ways to prepare for the inevitable social media dissatisfied person who wants to post negative things about you or your company. Starting as a U.S. Navy Public Affairs Officer and later as a Corporate Chief Marketing Officer and Non-Profit President, David excels in expertly addressing a myriad of crises spanning military, government, corporate, charity, and start-up environments. His Crisis Communications experiences include handling employee and executive misconduct, cybersecurity attacks, product recalls, mass layoffs, large-scale accidents, criminal investigations, and civil litigation matters.For additional information about David, visit PR Security Service Website: www.publicrelationssecurity.comDave Oates’ LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidoates/PR Security Service YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT3YXNK9iwYY_I6X1eeLYVA

This is part four of a four-part series about the 25 absolute best leadership books ever written. This week, I will end with the last three books, two on how to market your ideas better, and the number one business book of all time. Then, I will give a few books that are great books but that you want to be very careful implementing their ideas into your work or your business because you may get unexpected results.Just as a reminder, I listed all of the books along with links to their listings on Amazon in the show notes. So if you want to read any of them, just click the link for that book and you will go right to that book's listing on Amazon.For the full show notes, visit Top 25 Leadership Training Books of All Timehttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/best-books-for-leadership-training-top-25-leadership-books-of-all-time/

This week, I'm continuing to cover a few of my favorite leadership books and business books. If you recall, I mentioned last week that when I first started out in business, I didn't have mentors to guide me, so I relied on books to help me solve problems.Two weeks ago, we covered a few of my favorite leadership skill books. Then, last week, I focused on a few that can help you create a leadership mindset. This week, I'm covering a couple of books about personalities and building a great team.  Then, I cover a number of the best books to help you sell your ideas to others.So this episode covers two of the best books about building a great team and understanding different personalities. It also covers six of the very best sales books or books about persuading other people.Doug Staneart is an author and CEO of The Leaders Institute, LLC.For full show notes, see The Best Books about Leadership Training. https://www.leadersinstitute.com/best-books-for-leadership-training-top-25-leadership-books-of-all-time/

We have had a couple of new leadership consultants start at our company recently. One of them is an avid reader. Prior to coming on board with us, he had read hundreds of the best books for leadership.Interestingly, in his first week, we were in our corporate library at the office. I began to pull a few of my favorite leadership books off the library shelves. “Have you read this one?” I asked. He shook his head no. “This one?” Another no. I found it interesting that he had read hundreds of books but almost none of my absolute favorites.He suggested that I make a list of a few of my very favorite leadership training books along with a quick synopsis of each. I hope you like the list!Start Reading Positive Leadership Development Books Early in Your Career.When I was in college, a business partner of my dad’s recommended that I read How to Win Friends and Influence People (above.) At the time, I hadn’t read an entire book from cover to cover in years. In fact, I kind of hated reading. This businessman, though, was very successful. I figured that if he was recommending it, there was a good reason.I read the book in less than a week, and a whole new world opened up to me. The book was unlike the boring textbooks I had read in college. The tips were practical advice. The stories and case studies in the book were fun and funny. At the time, I got angry. In High School, teachers required me to read books like Wuthering Heights and Of Mice and Men. They were pretty entertaining books, but not very practical. Why on Earth had my teachers not introduced me to books like the ones above?Once I finished the first book, I couldn’t get enough. I began reading EVERYTHING. In many months, I would read three to five books. Then, I found audiobooks, and I was able to increase the number of leadership books read even more. Many of the best business books that I read during this time are listed below. I truly believe that the avid reading that I did early in my career was what allowed me to make my first million dollars in my 30s. Perhaps you will get a similar positive result.FYI… Not all of the books I read were a good influence. I have listed a few BAD leadership books at the bottom of the list. So as you read, make sure to verify the validity of the advice before making big changes. Enjoy!For full show notes, visit The Top 25 Leadership Books of All Timehttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/best-books-for-leadership-training-top-25-leadership-books-of-all-time/

The best team-building ideas for 2022 may surprise you. As teams come back to the office, we are experiencing never-before-seen team challenges.For instance, let’s say that you started a new career during the pandemic. It took a while to get into the swing of things since you were working from home for the first year. But now, you understand your job role. You have also gotten to know some of your coworkers (at least virtually.) You also know who you report to, who is responsible for what, and what you need to do to advance.Things finally seem to be going well. Then, the boss throws you a curveball. The entire corporate team is now scheduled to come back to the office.Over the past two years, more people started working from home than ever before. For some, this was a spontaneous adaptation to the job they already held. Others, though, started new jobs with new companies for the first time, remotely. Going back to the office whether full-time or part-time will now be a major adjustment.This is causing stress and anxiety for those who were starting to get their groove. These feelings may be more common than most realize. Forbes reported on the subject citing a study conducted by The Adeco Group which revealed that “49% of leaders and 42% of non-managers said they have felt, or are feeling, anxiety about returning to the office.”So keep this in mind as you begin to schedule your first meetings with your returning team. In this post, we will give you a few ideas on how to use philanthropic corporate events to relieve some of that stress for both your leaders and your team members!For full show notes, visit Best Charity Team Building Ideas for 2022https://www.leadersinstitute.com/best-charity-team-building-ideas-2022-fun-philanthropic-corporate-activities/

Want to build leaders from within?If you own or run a business you have two choices. You could search for leaders in the marketplace and try to convince them to join your team. Alternatively, you can build leaders from within your organization. When you do the latter, you have the potential to create enthusiasm within your team. You are creating a culture of growth and energy. (It is actually cheaper for your company and more rewarding to you if you do this, by the way.)In this episode, I’m going to cover the seven best ways to build your next generation of leaders. If you are interested in building leaders from within, these tips can really help. This is the final episode of our six-part series on developing highly effective teams. If you create a formal training program for your high-potential employees using these management skills you will create a leadership pipeline in your company.How to Influence People in a Positive Way and Help Your Team Grow.Before I get to the seven best ways to build new leaders within your team, let’s start with why these skills work. Although every human being is different, most of us want specific things from our leaders. For instance…People will do things for and follow people who they know, like, and respect.Every person wants to feel important.Leaders who make those people around them feel important build confidence in those people.Confident people who feel that their job is important will trust and respect those leaders.Many people think that a good leader has to tear people down and build them back up. This is a huge mistake. For some reason, we believe that the way to get people to be productive is to kick them in the pants. Typically, that will get you the opposite effect. Your team may comply out of fear, but they will not grow in confidence. As a result, you will have to order them to do every little thing for it to get done.For full show notes, visit Building Leaders from Withinhttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/building-leaders-from-within-the-7-best-ways-to-build-your-next-leaders/

Team Cooperation-7 Valuable Ways to Build Team Collaboration at WorkThe fourth stage of team development is to build team cooperation and team collaboration. This is part five of a six-part series on how to develop highly effective teams. Just like previous stages of developing teamwork, this stage of leadership development is progressive. So, you will get the best results if you have already spent some time on steps one and two.As a review, the first phase was to focus on your organization’s goals to create a shared vision for your team. When your team focuses on a common goal and sees the big picture, a collaborative environment will begin to form. The second step is to establish trust and effective communication within your team. Next, we showed you how to reduce conflicts among team members.You will have a difficult time motivating your team if they don’t trust you or each other. In addition, you will also have a difficult time getting others to cooperate if there is a conflict. So first, make sure to spend some time building more of a team culture using the tips from the other three episodes.f you have never read about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, it is a fascinating study in psychology. Dr. Maslow theorized that we have five levels of needs. The needs range from physical needs like food and water to more altruistic needs. In this theory, we all are most concerned about the lowest level of needs until those needs are satisfied. For example, if a person is thirsty and dehydrated, he or she won’t have much concern for anything else.Over the years, psychologists have argued about the levels in the hierarchy. The actual levels and order of each level aren’t as important to this discussion as the agreement that we have a hierarchy, though. As leaders, we have to know the hierarchy of our team members and what level they are currently at. For instance, one team member may have been entirely motivated by recognition and appreciation. However, if this person’s child gets sick, the priorities change in an instant.The point is that the tips below are time-tested ways to build a cooperative team. If the trust is high and conflicts are low, these tips should work very effectively. So, if you find some members of your team to not be as cooperative, it might be that something has happened to move them to a lower level in Maslow’s Hierarchy.Your goal as the leader of your group of employees is to build a cooperative workplace where staff members are consistently at the highest level of this hierarchy.For full show notes, visit Team Cooperation-How to Build a Collaborative Team.https://www.leadersinstitute.com/7-valuable-ways-to-build-a-cooperative-and-effective-team/

Conflict resolution in the workplace can be challenging if the trust level is low or your team is under stress. In this episode, we cover seven turnkey strategies that you can use for conflict resolution in your workplace.This is part four of a six-part series Characteristics of Highly Effective Teams. Last week we covered how to build trust and a team culture within your group. The focus of this session is on conflict resolution strategies and dealing with difficult people. Remember that these principles are cumulative. The strategies to resolve conflicts work much better in an environment of teamwork is already present. If you find that your team members are experiencing a high level of conflict, back up and work on building the level of trust.7 Turnkey Conflict Resolution Strategies for Your Office TeamBe proactive instead of reactive.Be slow to anger-especially over petty issues.Instead of telling people they are wrong, point out mistakes indirectly.Look for some type of common ground as soon as possible.If you find that you are in the wrong, admit it.Admit one of your own poor decisions before pointing out a similar error by others.Mend fences whenever possible.The first three principles are ways to avoid conflict before the disagreement even occurs. Numbers four through six help you resolve conflicts. Finally, the last principle is there to help make sure that the conflict doesn’t return. Let’s cover each principle in a little more detail.For full show notes, visit 7 Strategies for Conflict Resolution in the Workplacehttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/7-turnkey-conflict-resolution-strategies-for-your-office-team/

Team Trust is the most important step in building a highly effective team. In this episode, we cover 7 expert ways to build trust in your team. This is part three of a six-part series on the Five Characteristics of High-Performing Teams. In each of the sessions, we will cover one of the component steps to creating a team culture.In the first part, we gave an overview of each of the five steps to create a highly effective team. Then, last week, we covered the value of creating a great vision and mission for your company. Here is a review of this employee engagement process.Five-Step Process to Build a Culture of Teamwork in Your Organization and Improve Team Success.The five-step leadership development process is as follows.Highly Effective Teams are Mission-Oriented.Build Trust and Rapport with the People that You Want to Lead.Resolve Conflicts and Create an Environment Where Disagreements Do Not Cause Personal Conflicts.Gain Enthusiastic Cooperation from Your Team (Even When You Are Not Looking).Build Confident Leadership Teams Around You.Each of these steps is progressive. For instance, if we have a lack of trust within a group of individuals, we will likely have more conflicts. If we are in conflict with our team members, it will be difficult to gain cooperation. The point is that the better we do in the early stages, the easier it is to have success in the latter stages. In this session, we will focus on Step #2: The Seven Best Ways to Build Team Trust.For full show notes, visit 7 Expert Ways to Build Trust in Your Team https://www.leadersinstitute.com/7-expert-ways-to-build-trust-in-a-team-that-you-can-do-today/

This week is part two of a six-part series on how to Create Highly Effective Teams. On this episode, we will go into more detail on the value of vision statements, value statements, and mission statements. Between you and I, this is one of those exercises that when I first started my company, I thought was a complete waste of time. It seem like an academic chore that really had no value. Then,  as I kept beating my head against the wall over and over and making really bad hiring decisions, I realized that all of these challenges were a result of my team not having a roadmap to get to the next level. Once I figured that out, my company (and my team members) grew exponentially in a short period of time. So, if you are an entrepreneur, pay close attention to this episode. And if you are an executive in a big company and the organization's mission and values aren't known by every single person in the organization, this episode can also be very helpful to you as well.By the way, as always, if you like the sessions, don't forget to subscribe to the High Impact Leaders Podcast. Also, make sure to rate the podcast and leave me a review wherever you download the show.For the full show notes, visit Mission, Vision, and Values Statement Templates with Exampleshttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/mission-vision-and-values-template-and-examples/

This week We are starting a six-part series on how to create highly effective teams. This week, I give an overview of the entire process and show, step-by-step how to create the system in your own organization. Then, over the next five weeks, I'll go into each component in a little more detail.The Five steps to creating a Highly Effective TeamHighly Effective Teams are Mission-Oriented.Highly Effective Teams Build Solid Trust.Highly Effective Teams Debate Positively.Highly Effective Teams Cooperate with Each Other and Gain Cooperation from Others.Highly Effective Teams have a Culture of Leadership.For full show notes, visit 5 Characteristics of Highly Effective Teamshttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/5-characteristics-highly-effective-teams/To contact Doug Staneart, dial (800) 872-7830 or Tweet him at @dougstaneart

This week I interview another High Impact Leader. Karen Zaderej who is the CEO and Chair of the Board for Axogen. Her company specializes in helping surgeons complete very advanced high-tech and microscopic surgery. In the interview, she gives us some fascinating creative solutions to how they tackled challenges during the Covid crisis. For instance, part of what they do is train surgeons to be able to use new procedures, and they had to shut down their entire training center during Covid. How her team solved that challenge was revolutionary, to say the least. If you want to be a leader in your industry, listen to some of the fantastic things that she tells us that she did along the way.You can find out more about Karen Zaderej and Axogen at https://www.axogeninc.com/management/karen-zaderej/

Looking for a great way to build the holiday spirit and morale in your workplace? These Christmas team building activities can help. I’ve broken these fun team-building activities into three main categories to make it easy to find the perfect team event for your group.First, we’ll talk about Christmas team building events for small groups. Next, I’ll share some of my favorite activities for larger groups. Finally, we’ll cover a few virtual holiday party ideas. Let’s start with the easiest — the small group activities.For full show notes, visit Christmas Team Building Activities to Build Morale and Fun at Workhttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/christmas-team-building-activities-to-build-morale-and-fun-at-work/

This is the third of three episodes about how to build wealth. This time, we cover how to create multiple streams of income and get your money to work for you. (Even if you don't have any money right now.)Here are a few excerpts from the episode...Broke people work for money. Wealthy people get their money to work for them. The old adage is “You need to have money to make money.” That is misleading. For instance, in the modern world, you can create a business without any real capital investment. For instance, when my daughter was in High School, she created a t-shirt company. She designed the t-shirt styles (images) on Canva. Without ever creating a store (and only adding a website later,) she took orders through social media and Etsy. Her customers paid her upfront for the shirts. When she got enough orders, she’d send the design (Canva image) to a local screen-printer. Only then did she send out shirts to her customers.This company was a stream of income that she created without any money being spent until she had collected revenue from customers. Granted, it took a lot of time and the income wasn’t significant. However, she built up a client list that loved her style and her products. So, anytime she had a new idea, she had a list of potential customers. As time went on, the customer list grew and grew. Each new t-shirt style became more lucrative.In the beginning, she worked very hard to make a single sale. Back then, if she added up her time, she was likely making much less than minimum wage per hour. However, as her client list grew, the number of work hours per sale dropped significantly.Basically, if you have more income than expenses, you can invest that money to generate additional streams of income. If you don’t have more income than expenses, you need to invest some of your time to generate the additional streams of income.Interest that You Pay to Other People Is a Negative Stream of Income.Along those lines, if you spend more money than you make, you will always be poor. However, if you make more money than you spend, you can easily generate wealth from day one. Interest for debtors is your biggest obstacle to wealth. However, interest to creditors is the biggest source of wealth.For the full show notes, visit Step #3 to Build Wealth Is to Create Multiple Streams of Income. (Get Your Money to Work for You.)https://www.leadersinstitute.com/how-to-build-wealth-in-three-simples-steps-wealth-strategies-for-any-age/

In the last episode, I mentioned that employers pay most people exactly what they are worth. When I say this, sometimes people will argue with me. “My boss doesn’t pay me enough!” or “I deserve way more salary than what I’m being paid.” My answer is always the same. If your services were worth more to the marketplace, you’d automatically be making more money. The good news is that you can immediately increase your income just by making your value to the marketplace higher.In this section, I’m going to show you the easiest ways to add additional income to your household and create good financial habits to increase wealth.For full show notes visit How to Build Wealth in Three Simples Stepshttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/how-to-build-wealth-in-three-simples-steps-wealth-strategies-for-any-age/

Generations in the Workplace.A client recently asked me to do some research on the differences between the generations in the workplace. Specifically, she wanted to know about the different styles of communication between different ages. I like to think of myself as a communication expert. Granted, those who work around me will likely argue with that diagnosis. However, I have to admit, some of the things I uncovered while doing this project really surprised me. So, I thought it might be a good idea to publish the results.This session will cover a few key items. First, we will identify the specific generations. We hear people using terms like Baby Boomers and Millennials, but what do those terms really mean? And do entire generations think similarly. Next, I’ll show you the specific communication channels that each generation prefers. Interestingly, the communication channel preferences are pretty obvious when we look at the technology changes that occurred in each generation. Then finally, I’ll point out the pros and cons of each type of communication.You might actually find that the channel preferred by a different generation is more efficient. In this episode, we cover what the four generations in the workplace are -- Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Gen Z. We also cover the technology that was introduced during each generation's formative year that shape the channel of communication that each prefers. I'll give you a hint... Millennials and Gen Z are pretty much polar opposites in how they like to communicate.For full show notes, visit Differences Between Generations and Style of Communicationhttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/differences-between-generations-and-style-of-communication/

These Are Our Best Zoom Games for Remote Teams. (No Cheesy Games Allowed!)Just as a reminder, even great games to play on Zoom that aren’t tied into the purpose of the meeting can fall flat. So, the most important thing to keep in mind when you play a virtual game is to make sure the game has a purpose in the regular meeting. If you just play a fun game, the group may appreciate that you are doing something different. However, many will see it as a waste of time if it isn’t tied to the purpose of the meeting.For instance, if you are doing an onboarding meeting, then a game that gets the group to know each other better (like “Getting to Know You”) can easily be tied into the theme of the meeting.If your meeting is to report sales numbers or project reports and the results are competitive, then a competitive game can be easily inserted. You will find it easy to tie the competitive game to the competitive reports. Regardless, stay away from just inserting random games just to add fun. Most of the time, if the meetings themselves aren’t really fun, the games won’t be either.Getting to Know You.Codenames: A Fun Game to Play on Zoom If You Have a Small Group.Guess Who? Classic Board Games Made for Zoom Meetings.Poseidon’s Plunder Virtual Treasure HuntMy Rich Uncle Virtual Escape RoomThe Charade Zoom Murder Mystery Game.For full show notes visit Fun Games to Play on Zoom with Coworkers to Build Teamwork

We had a slight pause in podcast episodes over the last couple of weeks because your healthy and athletic host (sarcasm) ended up getting Covid-19. So, I start this session by telling you my story and about some of the interesting things that I learned about the virus by going through quarantine. etc.The topic of the episode, though, is fun games to play on Zoom with your coworkers. So, if because of the uptick in Covid cases, your team is doing more Zoom meetings, perhaps some of these tips can help.Show Notes:Looking for some fun games to play on your next Zoom meeting with your coworkers and build more team culture? Look no further. Here are some of the best virtual games (both free and for a fee) that you can play with your virtual group.Zoom is currently claiming to have over 300 million daily users. Google Meet and Microsoft Teams each claim over 100 million daily users. That means that each day, as many as 1/2 a billion people are still meeting virtually. Unfortunately… Most of these virtual meetings are really, really, really boring. We want to change that.Back when Covid first hit in 2020, the virus scared many team members. They were also nervous about their business future. Moral plummeted worldwide. And many teams had to learn on the fly how to do their normal business via Zoom call or video call. Well, I’d like to say that our team was way in front of the crowd at attempting to a “new normal.” I’d like to say that. I mean, we did have a couple of distinct advantages.First, our company was a virtual company before we ever had a corporate office. In fact, in the first 15 years of our existence, we were entirely a virtual office. So, when Covid hit, we already had a lot of structure in place to perform well virtually.The other advantage that we had was that we have a whole team of professional speakers who perform well in virtual meetings. So, again, that was a great advantage.However, the changes that came about with the Covid Pandemic had never been seen before. So even though we had a couple of advantages, we still had a tough time adapting. (Just like everyone else.)For full show notes, visit fun games to play on Zoom with your coworkers.https://www.leadersinstitute.com/fun-games-to-play-on-zoom-with-coworkers-to-build-teamwork/

This week, I'm interviewing another High Impact Leader, Sara Warren (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarawarrensphr/) who is VP of HR for Norwex (https://norwex.biz/) which is a direct sales organization. So, her organization's culture is based on high-touch both for her hundreds of employees and the thousands of independent contractors within her team as well. In this episode, she takes us through the challenges and adaptations that she had to make to keep that team culture as meetings went virtual through Covid. Some of the things that she did during that process were absolutely fascinating, and I think you will really love to hear about how she and her team adapted and became an even stronger team culture through the process. By the way, as always, if you like the sessions, don't forget to subscribe to the High Impact Leaders Podcast, and make sure to rate the podcast and leave me a review wherever you download the show. Enjoy the interview with Sara...For details about the host, visit The Leaders Institute Team Building at https://www.leadersinstitute.com

This week, I'm interviewing another High Impact Leader, Candice Kingston. She is an expert on a topic that, I have to admit, I had never even heard of a year or so ago but comes up very frequently in conversations now -- she specializes in helping people move through imposture syndrome. Basically, this is that situation where you have a success, but then you minimize the success in your mind. We say things like, "Well that success only happened because of luck or because the circumstances were just right. If you want to be a High Impact Leader, you have to be able to identify your successes and build on them.

This week, I'm interviewing another High Impact Leader, Paige Mejia. I don't want to give away too much, but Paige has one of the most fun jobs that I can think of. In the interview, she gives us a lot of great tips on how to network for success and build a family atmosphere within your team environment. We had a blast recording the interview, and I think you guys are going to absolutely love it.

My guest today is Kevin Urrutia with Voy Media and he specializes in helping companies scale by using social media. He also is the host of Digital Marketing Fastlane. podcast. His company Voy has been able to scale during the Covid Pandemic, while moving from an office setting to 100% remote teams. The reason that I have invited Kevin on the show is that Voy has created a really fun and family-style culture within their organization, and Kevin is a big reason why. One the episode, he gives a few tips about how to make remote teams more team-oriented. He also shares some of the trials and tribulations of scaling a business.

In this session, I interview Rebecca Rausch with Neon Lizard Creative (https://www.neonlizardcreative.com/) who is an expert on helping organizations create effective branding based on the core values of the company. In the episode, she gives us a few case studies of some of her clients who have used marketing to increase income during the Covid Pandemic. In fact, one of them started his company in 2020 and built it to over a million dollars in revenue the very first year. She is very fun, and you guys are going to love her. By the way, as always, if you like the sessions, don't forget to subscribe to the High Impact Leaders Podcast, and make sure to rate the podcast and leave me a review wherever you download the show. Also, we are publishing lots of new leadership tip videos every week on our YouTube channel. (https://www.youtube.com/c/leadersinstitute) Make sure to subscribe to that as well. 

Looking for the best way to deliver an effective impromptu speech? You will want to master two components. First, you want to reduce your nervousness so your audience sees your response as credible. Then, you want to deliver a credible response so your audience sees you as the expert.If you are new to public speaking, an impromptu speech is one where you have to speak on short notice. So you won’t have a lot of preparation time. Even seasoned speakers can panic when asked to deliver one of these “spur of the moment” presentations. It makes sense. When we train new speakers, we tell them to organize their thoughts and practice the speech a few times. When someone puts you on the spot and askes you to speak, you can’t do any of these things. There are no note cards. So, impromptu speaking is a solid speaking skill. The better you get at this, the better a speaker your audience will see you as.In the session, we are going to cover two parts of speaking off the cuff. First, we are going to talk about how to reduce nervousness when someone puts you under pressure. Then the second part is a simple structure you can use to design a compelling speech focused on a single main point. This structure will work in almost every impromptu speaking situation. (We will also give you a couple of concrete examples of how to use the structure.)For full show notes, visit How to Improve Impromptu Speaking Skillshttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/how-to-improve-impromptu-speaking-skills-tips-to-deliver-an-improvised-speech/Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/leadersinstitute

Now that you have your hiring criteria, what questions need to be asked at the interview? Well, in addition to determining the skills needed and the personality needed, you also want to discover one additional thing. Does the candidate mesh well with your company culture?Here are a few tips to help you start off on the right track.Ask the same questions to every candidate. This will let you compare each one using the same criteria.In your list of questions, choose some that help you assess the actual skills of the candidate.Add in some questions that help you determine their personality.Finally, add in questions to help you determine if their values mesh with the corporate values.In a moment, I’ll give you a sample list of interview questions. First, though, let’s talk about the values part. This suggestion is one of those tips that has absolutely revolutionized how we hire.Ask Questions to Determine the Values that You Want in a Team Member.Just before Covid hit in 2020, my executives and I set an audacious goal to quadruple the size of the company. (I know. The timing was awful.) We knew that we would need to hire new candidates to help us get to the goal. We also knew that the company revenue had plateaued a few years ago. I realized that to get to the next plateau, we most likely would need to make some changes in personnel.One of our team members had a brilliant idea. We have a list of our corporate core values that we live by. Why not score our team members based on each of these core values. To experiment, I and the other two executives scored each other. Not surprisingly, each of us scored pretty high in each of the areas.Next, we each score every single one of our team members. Interestingly, the team members who scored very high in our values were also the ones who appeared to be the most productive for the company as well. The ones who scored lower were more mediocre by comparison.The technique worked so well for our current team, that we made it a part of the hiring process. So, in addition to asking questions to determine the skills of the candidate, we now ask questions to help us determine their values as well.For instance, core value number one at our company is responsiveness. We send out an email asking candidates to go to our calendar and set up a meeting. We automatically exclude candidates who take more than a day to respond.For full show notes, visit Questions to Ask in a Job Interviewhttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/a-quality-formula-for-interviewing-candidates-questions-to-ask-in-a-job-interview/

Job Interview Tips to Help You Make the Best Hiring DecisionOver the years, I’ve made some stellar hiring decisions. On the other hand, I’ve also made some catastrophic blunders as well. Eventually, I figured out a system that has allowed me to hire excellent candidates with lower turnover. I had to learn these job interview tips through the school of hard knocks. Hopefully, you will be able to learn from my mistakes so you can create a solid team for your organization.I organized this session in three (really four) parts. Part one gives you a few tips to help you identify the perfect candidate when you see him or her. The next part offers questions to ask during the job interview. I also inserted a mini-part on questions to avoid during the job interview — (Again, school of hard knocks.) The last part covers how to use the information collected from the interviews to make a good hiring decision.Let’s start with part one.How to Know If a Candidate Is a Good Fit for the Job and Company.Before you start to interview candidates, start by identifying what a good candidate looks like. There have been times in my company where we were growing so fast, that we made hiring decisions based on if the person had a pulse. Some of these rash hiring decisions turned out well. However, this was based just on dumb luck. Other hiring decisions caused big problems and uncomfortable terminations.Most interviewers scan a candidate’s resume or LinkedIn profile for education, work experience, and references. Obviously, you do want to take these items into consideration. However, none of those things will tell you if the person is a good fit for the position. In addition, none of them will show you if the person is a good fit for your team.So, before you start interviewing, identify the skills needed for the job. Also, identify the values that you want in a candidate.Identify the Skills Needed for the Job Before Interviewing Any Candidates.Identify the Personality Traits Needed for the Job Before Interviewing Any Candidates.Great Teams Contain Individuals Who Complement Each Other’s Strengths and Make-Up for Their Weaknesses.For additional details, visit https://www.leadersinstitute.comFor full show notes, visit Questions to Ask in a Job Interviewhttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/a-quality-formula-for-interviewing-candidates-questions-to-ask-in-a-job-interview/

Small Businesses are always looking for new lead generation ideas, but many of the things that entrepreneurs do before they even make their first cold call or before they attend their first business card exchange practically ensure that they actually fail in the Lead Generation department.  Folks say that “Experience is the best teacher,” but that is really only about half right. In fact, “Someone ELSE’S experience is the best teacher,” because they have already made those mistakes. Learn from their mistakes, and you get to a higher level of success in a much faster time frame.In this episode, we cover The Top Ten Small Business Lead Generation Mistakes that Entrepreneurs Make (and How to Avoid Them).For full show notes, visit Top Ten Small Business Lead Generation Mistakeshttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/top-ten-small-business-lead-generation-mistakes/

In this session, I interview Don Markland who is CEO of Accountability Now. Don't miss a second of this interview, because Don gives a few of his really simple secrets to help you accelerate the growth in your company. Don has a background in sales and marketing, and he has worked with some huge companies like Amazon and AllState growing multinational sales platforms. You are going to absolutely love the discussion that we have.  Growth (personally and professionally) is a mindset. Don gives a few tips to start thinking like the most successful people think so that you can get what most successful people have.For more details about Don, visit https://www.accountabilitynow.net/

Create a Stunning LinkedIn Profile that Proves You Are the Expert.Once a potential employer receives your resume or application, he or she will scan it quickly. Then, the person with Google you. So as important as the resume is to a good first impression, your internet activity is even more vital. For most of us, our LinkedIn profile will rank toward the top of any internet search. So spend some time making your appearance on LinkedIn inviting to a prospective employer. Here are a few simple things you can do in 2021 to improve your profile.For full show notes, go to https://www.leadersinstitute.com/how-to-update-your-resume-linkedin-profile-to-set-yourself-apart-from-the-crowd/

Want to show the world your expertise? In this session, I’m going to show you how to update your resume. We will also cover how to update your LinkedIn profile to show future employers that you are an expert in your field. Before we get to the technical stuff, though, we will show you how to avoid falling into the most dangerous resume trap out there. (Here is a little hint… Your resume should never be about YOU.)Instead, you want to focus on the problems that you have helped employers solve. If these prospective employers know that when they hire you, they will have fewer challenges to deal with, you will put yourself at the top of the hiring list.Host Doug Staneart, CEO of The Leaders Institute. Full show notes at https://www.leadersinstitute.com/how-to-update-your-resume-linkedin-profile-to-set-yourself-apart-from-the-crowd/

Mission vision and value statements are said to be very important to the success of a company. In fact, business consultants often start with the mission, vision, and values when working with new clients. They do this for a very simple reason. Creating (or updating) these statements can drive the organization in a new direction.Many of us use the mission and vision interchangeably. However, the two statements are distinctly different. The Mission Statement focuses on where the organization is right now. In contrast, the Vision Statement creates a picture of the organization’s future.The values of your organization, though, are probably more important than even the vision and mission. These values are the criteria that you use to make decisions within your organization.If you wanted to take a trip in a car, the vision would be the destination. The mission would be the vehicle. Finally, the values would be the directions or the road map to get there. So, you can see that each of the three is important to get to the end goal. Without the destination, we have no way of knowing if we are moving toward our goal. In addition, without the right vehicle, the journey will be more challenging. Then, of course, without a map, your journey can have a lot of wasted effort.For full show notes, visit https://www.leadersinstitute.com/mission-vision-and-values-template-and-examples/

We often have to present to tough audiences. And, more often than not, the purpose of the speech is to persuade. Whether we are trying to sell a product or service, or just a good idea, persuasion is important. In this session, we are going to cover a simple three-step process to help you persuade tough audiences. First, we will talk about human nature and how persuasion works. Then, we will talk about the actual three-step process that works very effectively.Human Incites to Be Aware of Before Trying to Persuade Others.Before we talk about techniques and skills needed to persuade others, let’s start with how human beings are wired. There are a few common traits among all people that are pretty important to remember. Often, when we fail to persuade audiences, it is because we are going against human nature.When I was younger, I lived in Boulder, Colorado for a summer. To stay in shape, I would job up the mountainside. Jogging up a mountain is really challenging. I had to work against gravity. However, what made the process worthwhile is that the way back to my apartment was really easy. What most people do to persuade people is like jogging up the mountain. The process that we will cover later goes with human nature. It is like jogging downhill. That is much easier.People Like Other People Who Agree With Them. They Dislike People Who Disagree With Them.This sounds pretty obvious, but you would be amazed how often people use an argument to try to persuade others. When we start our persuasive message by proving to the audience how correct we are, we can experience unfortunate consequences. You see, when we hear other people talking about how right they are, we automatically assume they are telling us that we are wrong.In the early days of Standard Oil, John D. Rockefeller had great business sense. His partner, Samuel Andrews, knew how to refine crude oil into kerosene. New oil companies popped up every month. Rockefeller knew that all the oil found would need to be refined. Andrews knew how to refine it. Their partnership grew quickly.Eventually, another engineer figured out a better way to refine the crude, though. Andrews felt slighted. He took the change personally. In a heated discussion with Rockefeller, he threatened to leave the company. The next morning, Rockefeller gave him a one-million-dollar check for his 16% of Standard Oil. The new engineer didn’t persuade Andrews. Andrew felt slighted. He left the company in anger and missed out on billions of dollars in the process.For full show notes, visit A Simple 3-Step Process to Help You Persuade the Tough Audiencehttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/a-simple-3-step-process-to-help-you-persuade-the-tough-audience/

Interpersonal Skills (Definition) are the qualities and abilities to work effectively with others. In business, when we talk about interpersonal skills, most often, we are referring to “soft skills.” These include communication skills, the ability to work with others, and conflict resolution skills.By the way, step one to build a team culture is to improve the interpersonal skills between and among team members.Keep in mind that the term “interpersonal skills” can cover a lot of ground. To show the different types of “soft skills”, we have broken these skills into different categories. Interpersonal Skills is just a single category of soft skill. The other categories are Leadership Skills, Management Skills, and Supervisory Skills.Job placement websites or resume websites will sometimes lump these different types of soft skills together. There is nothing wrong with doing this, but it can just become very confusing. For the full show notes, visit Interpersonal Skills-The Last and Most Important of the Soft Skillshttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/interpersonal-skills-definition-and-interpersonal-skills-list/

Tips for New Supervisors, Five Simple First Time Supervisor Tips and SkillsHere are a few tips for new supervisors that can help you motivate your team and increase efficiency. This is a continuation of our “soft skills” series. In the first session, we talked about what soft skills are and why they are important in any role. Then, we divided these skills into four segments — leadership skills, management skills, supervisor skills, and interpersonal skills.In this session, we are going to focus on the list of supervisory skills. As we talked about in the Soft Skills session, supervisor skills are a subset of managerial skills. Recall that leaders create the vision or new path. Then managers make the navigation of that path more efficient. Well, supervisors have the same goal as the manager. However, the supervisor often doesn’t yet have the authority to make changes to processes or personnel.Supervisors are often managers-in-training. They are responsible for the results. However, in many cases, they may not have a lot of authority yet. As a result, people skills will be important to their success.For full show notes, visit Tips for New Supervisorshttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/tips-for-new-supervisors-five-simple-first-time-supervisor-tips-and-skills/

5 Important Management Skills to Make Your Workplace More EfficientThis week, we continue our leadership skills versus management skills series. In this episode, we cover a few key management skills. In fact, any organization will run more efficiently when management practices these skills. Just as a review, in the Soft Skills, What Are They episode, we talked about the three different types of soft skills.First, we covered the Interpersonal Skills. We use interpersonal skills at all levels of business and they help us cooperate with others and build trust and rapport. Last week, we talked about Leadership Skills. A leader is a visionary person who can motivate and inspire the team to follow a new path.This week, we will focus on Management Skills. Managers have a slightly different skill set than leaders. Once the path is already created, the manager makes the movement along that path more efficient and effective. So the leader creates the plan. Then, the manager implements the plan in the most efficient way possible.5 Important Management Skills to Make Your Workplace More EfficientKeep in mind that the manager and the leader can be the same person. However, in my experience, I find that these roles are very distinct. Most often, good leaders hire or partner with a person who is a good manager. When the two work together, they can accomplish fantastic things.Here are the five skills that you want to look for if you hire a manager. Or, if you happen to be a manager, these are the skills that you want to maximize.Goal Setting and AchievementOrganizational SkillsTime Management SkillsDelegation Is One of the Most Important Management Skills.Group Problem Solving. Good Managers Get Their Teams to Solve Challenging Problems.For full show notes, visit 5 Important Management Skills to Make Your Workplace More Efficienthttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/5-important-management-skills-to-make-your-workplace-more-efficient/

When I first started The Leaders Institute ® folks would ask me, “What do you do?” I would answer with “I teach important leadership skills to executives.” Then I would get a blank stare looking back at me. Sometimes, the person would try to clarify and say something like, “oh, so like time management, right?” Of course, that wasn’t exactly what I was doing.What I realized was that different people had dramatically different definitions of what leadership skills actually were. (In fact, for clarification, make sure to look at Soft Skills: What Are They?)So, before I get into the 5 Important Leadership Skills, let me give you my definition of what they are.Leadership skills are the highest level of soft-skill. These skills are used to inspire others, create a vision for a new path, and develop the skills and confidence of people around you. Basically, leaders create paths where no path existed previously.If You Are an Executive, Focus on Building These Important Leadership Skills.To grow as a leader and to build a great team, practice these leadership skills.Innovation: Leaders Create the New Path.Collaboration: Get Cooperation from Your Team Members and Other Leaders.Vision: Have a Clear and Specific Picture of Where You and Your Team Are Going.Motivation: It Will Get Hard, But Keep Moving Forward.Creativity: When Those Obstacles Appear, Look for Ways to Move Around Them (or Through Them.)Inspiration: Lead Your Team to Higher Levels of Creativity as Well.For the full show notes, go to  6 Important Leadership Skills that Every Executive Needs to Develophttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/6-important-leadership-skills-that-every-executive-needs-to-develop/

My guest today is Andrew Wallas who is the author of the book Business Alchemy. However, he has a two-stage background that is very impressive. In the first couple of decades, he built a few HUGE businesses and cashout to the tune of millions of dollars. Then, in the next stage of his life, he began to study psychotherapy to help people overcome challenges and breakthrough to higher levels of success.He is going to share some of his business alchemy with us today, so don't miss a second of the interview!For more details about Andrew, visit https://andrewwallas.org/, or you can purchase his book at Business Alchemy.Link to Book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3atqUff

What are soft skills? Why are soft skills important to a person’s success? If you don’t know the answers to these two questions, you are, quite likely, passing up higher levels of income and freedom. When I first started The Leader’s Institute ®, I used to begin my High Impact Leaders class by giving my definition of soft skills. Basically, I’d explain that “hard skills” are the technical skills within your career or industry. For instance, if you are a doctor or nurse, the “hard skills” are your ability to assess the health of your patients and treat or cure their illnesses. “Soft skills,” however, allow you to effectively use those hard skills to do your job better. These skills include your ability to communicate effectively, manage your time, work with others, and build teamwork.Unfortunately, there are about as many definitions for the different types of soft-skills as there are people in the world. So, in this article series, I’m going to attempt to categorize these abilities into easy-to-follow groups. This will help you focus on the specific skills most important to your career and your industry.In this episode, we make these definitions easier to follow and understand. We also show you how to use these skills to increase your success.For full show notes, got to What Are Soft Skills? Why Are Soft Skills Important?https://www.leadersinstitute.com/soft-skills-what-are-soft-skills-and-why-are-they-important/

Developing leaders is a big goal of all organizations. No matter what size your company is, right now, it is a great time to start planning for the future. In fact, if your organization has a culture for developing leaders from within, you will attract better employees. In this session, we are going to pull back the curtain and show you how to build your own personal leadership. We will also show you how to tap into the untapped potential of your team. Follow this simple process, and you can also increase productivity quickly.The Key to Developing Leaders Is to Start with “Leadership Skills Development.”People are basically trainable in three different areas — Knowledge, Skill, and Attitude. Knowledge is all of the technical skills that we learn in High School, College, and On-the-Job Training. Skills are how we take that Knowledge and put it into practice. And, our Attitude is the confidence that we exhibit when we use that Skill.Here is a simple example. Let’s say that we want to teach a kid to ride a bike. We may start the process with a few little pieces of knowledge. For instance, “The more that you pedal, the easier it is to keep your balance.” That is great knowledge. However, if we just tell the kid that information without any skill development, she will still be nervous. Without the skill development, her attitude about using the skill is low. In contrast, if you hold the back of the seat for her and let her get comfortable, the nervousness will go down. Then, if you run alongside her as she pedals, her attitude will improve more and more.The key to understanding this is to ask yourself a few questions. Did the kid’s attitude improve because of the knowledge that we gave her? Or did she feel more confident because she actually developed a skill? The process is the same when developing leaders from within your ranks.Developing Leaders: Leadership Skills Development Basics.Don’t get me wrong. Knowledge is important. I like to describe knowledge as the ticket to get in the game. Without it, you are on the outside looking in. However, Let’s say that you are interviewing two potential candidates for a new position. Both of these candidates have the same degree from the same university. Also, both candidates have a similar level of experience. If that is the case you will likely make your choice based on their leadership potential.You may look at how each one communicated during the interview process. Or, you might look for things like confidence, decisiveness, creativity, or people skills. These are what most people call leadership skills. The better a candidate scores in these areas, the more leadership potential we believe he or she may have.In fact, in many cases, if one candidate is highly skilled in these leadership areas, he or she may be hired even if the other candidate has a better technical background.For full show notes visit Developing Leaders: The 5-Step Leadership Skills Development Processhttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/developing-leaders-the-5-step-leadership-skills-development-process/

This week, I give a few tips on how to reduce public speaking fear. If you have ever stood up in front of a group and forgot what you were going to say or felt the heart racing, then this episode is for you. These are 10 simple and time-tested ways to reduce stage fright or public speaking fear. Listen fast, I go through each of the 10 public speaking tips very quickly. To view the full show notes, though, make sure to view my public speaking website, at10 Ways to Eliminate Public Speaking Fearhttps://www.fearlesspresentations.com/10-simple-ways-to-get-over-the-fear-of-public-speaking/

Looking for a way to get a group to solve challenging problems without coming to blows? In this session, I’m going to cover a few effective group problem-solving techniques. In fact, the process below is known as the 5-Step Group Problem Solving process, and it is incredibly effective.One of the more challenging leadership skills is getting a group to work together on a common problem. However, a group of individuals can be more creative and productive than any one person alone.The key is to keep the team focused throughout the process. You also want to make sure that the process doesn’t devolve into a popularity contest. For instance, let’s say that one of the team leaders comes up with a great solution. However, this team leader has a rival who leads another team. As a result, the rival team leader offers a different solution.The process can quickly change from determining a solution based on merit to one based on persuasion. Each team leader will try to win the group to his or her side. So, an effective group problem-solving process should be objective. It should also use the strengths of the entire team versus just one or two outspoken leaders.Effective Group Problem Solving Techniques Needs to Utilize the Strengths of the Whole Group.Perception is reality. Our experiences, successes, failures, and beliefs all create filters for our perception. If we perceive that facts are true based on our experience, we tend to hold onto these perceptions even when faced with refutable proof to the contrary.For example, a child, who has no experience with dogs, tries to pet a neighborhood dog at the park. The dog growls, barks, and eventually bites the child. The child’s experience with dogs could create a perception that ALL dogs are mean or temper mental.That single experience creates a filter or paradigm in the mind of the child. This paradigm clouds the person’s perception of reality. To that person, you can try to prove that most dogs are nice and loyal. But the argument may fall on deaf ears.We all have these perceptions. Some work for us in a positive way and some are negative. For instance, when you bite into a piping hot pizza and singe the roof of your mouth, you learn something. You will, most likely, blow on the next bite to cool it before doing it again.The point is that the sum of our experiences make us who we are. My experience is totally different from yours. As a result, my paradigms — my filters — are totally different as well.For full show notes, visit The 5-Step Group Problem-Solving Processhttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/problem-solving-tips/

How would you describe meetings you have attended in the past? Better yet… How would your team describe your meetings? Over the past 20 years, I have asked that question to over 1200 audience. Here are the most popular answers.The Most Popular Responses to “How Would You Describe Your Meetings?“Meetings are looooooooooong,” and“Meetings are BOW-ring (this workshop was actually held in my hometown of Fort Worth, Texas – thus the Texas twang.)”Those two responses almost always come up when I ask the question. Other answers include:Wastes of time.Non-productive.Confrontational.Inefficient.and Repetitive.Every once in a while, I get a response like positive, informative, or necessary. However, usually the other participants gang-up against the person very quickly.When People Are In Meetings, No Work Is Being Produced.Most people believe that business meetings are necessary evils, and in many cases, they are. But one of the most important things we can remember about business meetings is to NOT have one unless it is absolutely necessary. When your employees and coworkers are in staff meetings, they are not producing. Nothing is ever produced until after the meeting is over. My first advice to people who want to make meetings more effective is to have fewer of them.For full show notes go to Developing Efficient Meetingshttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/articles/developing-efficient-meetings/

Strategic Thinking is a process to identify ways to move a person, team, or organization toward a long-term goal. When you think strategically, you have to anticipate setbacks and challenges and have a plan to deal with them. You also have to measure your progress toward the goal.How Does Thinking this Way Help You Be a Better Leader?My team went through this with the Covid-19 pandemic. At the very start of the spread, our strategy was to reschedule meetings postponed due to meeting restrictions. Next, we had to adapt when the restrictions increased and the weeks of delay turned to months.Eventually, we realized that our customers were being forced to transform their in-person meetings to virtual. Many of these customers had little or no experience organizing big virtual meetings. Since we had that expertise, we were able to quickly adapt to the new needs of the market. Good leaders are able to do this.Poor leaders tend to be more reactionary. When challenges develop, the poor leader is always playing catch-up. This type of leadership is like playing baseball and just watching the ball go by you. The more times that you do this, the more strikes are against you. Eventually, you have to swing out of desperation. A better strategy is to study the pitcher. If he throws his fastball high in the strike zone 80% of the time on the first pitch, I can anticipate that. When I see that action, I can capitalize on it. If he doesn’t, I make an adjustment on the second pitch.For additional information about How to Build Strong Leaders within Your Organization, click the link to that article.How to Think Strategically So that Others See You as a Great Leader.Anticipate Challenges that May Develop Before They Appear.Brainstorm Multiple Options/Solutions So You Create Built-In Backup Plans.For additional information about The Five-Step Problem-Solving Process, click the link to that article.Create Milestones (Goals) to Move Toward.Measure Your Progress to Determine If You Are Moving Forward or Backward.Identify Ways to Constantly Improve Personnel and Processes.For Full Show Notes Visit: Strategic Thinking: Make Strategic Thinking Part of Your Team Culturehttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/strategic-thinking-make-strategic-thinking-part-of-your-team-culture/

This is part 2 of a really fun interview with Claire Chandler of Profitable Swagger. She gives us a lot of great tips about how to attract the right kind of talent to your company. She also gives us a number of best practices for keeping that entrepreneurial culture as your business grows.I have to admit, I wish that I had spoken to her before I made so many personnel mistakes in my own company. For more details, you can find her websites at www.ClaireChandler.netProfitable SWAGGER: www.ProfitableSWAGGER.comThe Founders’ Distillery: www.ClaireChandler.net/founders

This is a really fun interview with Claire Chandler of Profitable Swagger. She gives us a lot of great tips about how to attract the right kind of talent to your company. She also gives us a number of best practices for keeping that entrepreneurial culture as your business grows.I have to admit, I wish that I had spoken to her before I made so many personnel mistakes in my own company. For more details, you can find her websites at www.ClaireChandler.netProfitable SWAGGER: www.ProfitableSWAGGER.comThe Founders’ Distillery: www.ClaireChandler.net/founders

This is part three of a three-part series on How to Manipulate People. This episode covers the sign of a con artist. Look for these 7 things to know if someone is trying to manipulate you.Okay, so now we know that people are trying to deceive us and manipulate us. What the heck do we do about it. What are the signs that we should be looking out for?Be On Your Guard When Emotions Are High. When you see charismatic speakers or groups exhibiting high emotions, be skeptical of what they are saying. There is a good chance they are attempting to deceive you.Look for Alterations in the Language. Manipulators use language to deceive. Look for “updated” versions of the same argument. For instance, in the 1980s, there were warnings of “Global Cooling.” In the 1990s it changed to “Global Warming.” Now, advocates fight against “Climate Change.”Identify the Real Villains and Victims. Dig deep into the narrative to figure out who the real villains and victims are. Often, you will find that they are the exact opposite of what the manipulator is telling you. (Remember the minority business owners in Minneapolis whose life savings went up in smoke.)Be On the Lookout for Vague Language or Global Stereotypes. Ask way more questions when people make vague promises. “You have to have a plan. I have a plan!” “…Uuhhh, what exactly is this plan?”Investigate the Sources and Look for the Convincer. When news media reports say, “According to two anonymous sources within [any group,]” no need to read or listen to anything more. Everything related to that story is probably absolutely false. Either the news media or the sources are the Convincer in the con.Manipulators Often Use Permissive Language. A good con artist will give you permission to verify their word. Keep in mind that since they are likely speaking gibberish or vague promises, you won’t be able to verify them. They will say things like, “Feel free to…” or “You’re welcome to…” In addition, they will often tell you that you can trust them. “I’m not lying,” or “This is the truth.” I have always found that people who are telling the truth don’t have to actually tell you that they are telling the truth.Remember that No One Can Manipulate You Unless You Let Them. The major thing to remember out of all of this is that no one can force you to believe something without your permission. Often, the manipulator will offer something that you really want. As a result, you will also want to believe them. Look for the ulterior motive, though, and be on guard for con artists.For full show notes, go to 7 Signs of a Con Artist You Need to Know to Avoid Being a Victimhttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/how-to-manipulate-people-7-signs-of-a-con-artist-you-need-to-know-to-avoid-being-a-victim/

The Second Phase of a Con Is Establishing the “Villan” and the “Victim.”Going back to the scene from The Sting, the (1) narrative that unfolds in front of the (2) “Mark” creates a (3) villain and a (4) victim. A person robs and stabs a man creating a victim. The Mark sympathizes (emotionally connects) with the man who was both robbed and stabbed. The Victim then tells a narrative about how the mob is going to kill him if he doesn’t deliver money to them by 4:00 PM. The Mark now perceives the mob as the villain. The (5) Convincer (Robert Redford) adds to the narrative by pretending to be the moral and righteous third-party.Let’s define each part of the manipulation or con.Narrative – The Narrative is the storyline that is told to facilitate the manipulation. The narrative begins in step one but comes to fruition in phase three.Mark – The person being conned is the Mark.Villain – The Victim and the Convincer create a fictitious Villian. Incidentally, the villain is almost never a person. Vague groups make the best villains.Victim – When the manipulators tell the narrative, they create a victim that elicits anger or sympathy from the mark. In many cases, you can uncover the manipulation by looking more closely at the victim. When the circumstances surrounding the victim begin to not match the narrative, the manipulation is exposed.Convincer – The Convincer verifies the narrative. Most often, the manipulation will depict the convincer with grandiose terms like “Boy Scout” or “Honorable” to add credibility. You can also uncover the manipulation by looking more closely at the Convincer. Once you find misleading or dishonorable statements from this person, the con folds quickly.The Manipulator Creates a Villain to Divert the Emotion (and Investigation) from the Manipulator.The manipulator can’t be seen as the villain. So, he or she must create a villain. In some cases, the manipulator uses “projection” to divert focus from his or her bad actions to a different person.Remember the purpose of the con — “manipulation of our beliefs.” The victim is really the villain. The villain is really the victim. Once the two get intertwined so tightly, the manipulator confuses and frustrates the mark so much that he or she doesn’t know what to believe anymore.For instance, let’s say that a man cheats on his wife. His wife begins to get suspicious. So, at a restaurant, he suddenly says, “I saw the way you looked at the waiter!” Keep in mind that the incident is totally made up. The wife did nothing wrong. However, the cheating husband persists.Eventually, the wife may begin to question whether she did or not. She might think, “The waiter is an attractive man. Maybe I did look at him a little too long.” Whether the wife actually begins to believe the lie is irrelevant, though. The manipulator will bring up the lie as a projection to cover up his own infidelity. When confronted with his cheating, he will respond with, “Well isn’t this rich. I catch you flirting with every waiter that smiles at you and you accuse ME of cheating.”The manipulator has now switched the roles in the narrative. The cheating husband becomes the victim. The suspicious wife now takes on the role of the villain.Full Show Notes: https://www.leadersinstitute.com/how-to-manipulate-people-7-signs-of-a-con-artist-you-need-to-know-to-avoid-being-a-victim/

I know… The title “How to Manipulate People” sounds bad and unethical, but I got you to view the post didn’t I? The question is, did I manipulate you into viewing this post, or did I persuade you? There is a fine line between the two. Since I have written a number of posts over the years about persuasion, I thought it might be fun to explore the darker side. So, below, you will find seven signs of a con artist that you absolutely need to know to avoid being a victim.Since we are in the political season here in the United States, I will use a few of the most successful con artists in the game… Politicians as my examples. If you explore this entire post, you may begin to understand that “politician” is just another word for “con man.”Manipulation, Persuasion, and Influence… What is the Difference Between these Terms?The major difference between persuading someone or manipulating them teds to rely on who benefits from the action. For instance, manipulation occurs if I get you to do something that benefits me but harms you. The person who is manipulating often uses deception in the process. On the other hand, if the manipulated person benefits from the action, the term persuasion is often used.Western law is based on Judeo-Christian principles of right and wrong. So, if you adhere to these principles, the difference between persuasion and manipulation seems obvious. However, if your morality or belief system is based elsewhere, the difference is a huge gray area.I once hired an account manager who was incredibly charismatic and likable. In fact, she was one of my best salespeople for quite a while. After a while, though, I started noticing odd things happening with her clients. It started small. For instance, on occasion, she would “accidentally” charge the client a discounted price to close the sale. In others, she might charge the customer an inflated price to increase her commission. I remember having a few discussions with her about ethics and morality.Eventually, I had to let her go. I found out later that she had previously co-owned a competitive company. From what I could determine, her partners had somehow cheated her out of her equity in the company. It is possible that each of the partners was somewhat shady. It is also possible that the first experience jaded her. Her mentality shifted to “cheat others before they cheat you.”I tend to find that people who manipulate others have a seared conscience. They see others as being cheaters, so they see nothing wrong with cheating them first.If You Decide to Manipulate Others, Beware of Karma.I love magic. In fact, I just purchased a subscription to Master Class because Penn & Teller teach a magic class there. Magic, though, is pure deception. The magician is deceiving you into thinking a certain way so that he can surprise you. So, as a consumer, I welcome this deception. It makes the process more fun.However, if I find that I have been deceived and manipulated in a transaction, I have a very different reaction. I’m sure you do as well. The old Hindu term Karma often comes into play. For every action, there is a cause and effect.For the full show notes and videos, visit How to Manipulate Peoplehttps://www.leadersinstitute.com/how-to-manipulate-people-7-signs-of-a-con-artist-you-need-to-know-to-avoid-being-a-victim/

Is your performance review system for your employees and team members outdated? Are you and your team members still using the same type of annual employee assessment that your parents used? One common complaint that comes up in job satisfaction surveys is, “I never get useful feedback about how I am doing my job.” On the other side, managers will sometimes become frustrated because their team has to constantly be directed. Managers will often say (or at least think,) “Why can’t I find more team members who are like me?”If you are experiencing these symptoms, there is a good chance that your performance review system doesn’t work. In this session, I want to give you a few tips that will help you use these tools better. For instance, I’ll cover a few employee appraisal systems that fail almost every time. In addition, I’ll give you tools that not only help you with these employee reviews but also improve productivity. Finally, I will give you a few examples of performance review phrases that you can use with your team.This episode covers three mistakes that companies and HR departments often make with employee review systems. It also gives a simple three-step process to use to coach team members and conduct employee appraisals more quickly and easily.For full show notes, visit Is Your Performance Review System Outdatedor https://www.leadersinstitute.com/is-your-preformance-review-system-outdated/

One of the Major Leadership Roles is to Build a Team Culture.There are two parts to building a team culture within your organization. First, you have to create an environment that is fun, productive, and fulfilling. Then second, you have to be on the lookout for cancers that eat away at the team culture.Effective Team Leadership Requires Providing Appropriate Resources for Your Team.Nothing can be more frustrating for a team member than to be given responsibility without the appropriate resources. Years ago, I taught a leadership course for a department of the US government. In one of the sessions, we covered group problem-solving techniques. This session is always a real favorite for class members because they typically brainstorm a lot of unique solutions to tough problems.In this session, though, the results were very different. The group came up with a dozen or so potential solutions to the challenge we had identified. Then we got to the part where the team was to choose the best solution and put together an implementation plan. As they went through the list, only a very small percentage of the solutions were actually viable. The others needed… literally… an act of Congress or a policy change initiated by the President.From a teaching perspective, this was very sad. These leaders had been given the responsibility for results but not the resources to get the results. One of the Very Important Leadership Roles is to Praise Every Success.As a recap, effective team leadership includes being visionary, setting goals, and delegating responsibility. If you have these three things in place, then it is much easier to praise the successes. When any member of your team moves the team toward the overall vision, praise them. Or, when a team member accomplishes a goal or exceeds your expectations, take time to praise them. Take note of times that you have delegated responsibility and your team member acted responsibly.Every time we praise a success, we build confidence in that team member. At the same time, we are showing other team members that we value these results. We are showing them that if they move the team toward the vision, accomplish goals, and take on responsibility, they will be rewarded as well.Effective Team Leadership Sometimes Requires Us to Discipline Team Members.No matter how good we are as a leader, ultimately, we will be required to discipline our team members. In fact, this is a very important leadership role. Keep in mind, though, that discipline doesn’t require calling someone out on the carpet. You will get much better results if you coach the team member to fix the challenge himself or herself. Let the person save face.For full show notes visit Leadership Roles Survey (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/leadership-roles-survey-do-you-exhibit-effective-team-leadership-take-the-survey/)

So what exactly does a good team leader do? Strengthen the Leadership Roles Below to Build Effective Leadership in Yourself and Your Team.After studying some of the best leaders in different industries for the past 20 years, we found a few roles that each played very well. If you understand these leadership roles and focus on developing these skills, your peers will see you as a leader as well. At the end of this post, we have included a survey that you can complete to find out how you rank as a leader!The 10 Top Leadership Roles Common in Great Leaders.Create and Communicate an Inspiring Vision of the Future.Identify Team Goals that Are Mile Markers to that Vision.Establish Clear Expectations with Your Team.Help Team Members Create Personal Goals Inline with Team Goals.Coach Your Team Members to Meet.Delegate Responsibilities to Your Team.Build a Team Culture.Provide Appropriate Resources for Your Team.Praise Every Success.Discipline Team Members Who Are Counterproductive to the Team.10 Leadership Roles that Most Great Leaders Score Very High In.Let’s cover each leadership role in more detail to explain the significance.Create and Communicate an Inspiring Vision of the Future.There is a big difference between a leader and a manager. A good manager is skilled and getting team members to move efficiently down an established path. However, a leader is someone who creates an entirely new path.One of my heroes is Milton S. Hershey of the chocolate bar fame. Hershey had to drop out of school in the fourth grade to work on the family farm. After failing in business in New York, he returned home in significant debt. It took him years to get back on his feet. However, within 10 years, he built the million-dollar Lancaster Caramel from scratch in Lancaster, PA.In the late 1800s, he had an idea to create a version of chocolate that everyone could afford — milk chocolate. Hershey sold his successful caramel company to fund the project. He built the new factory in an open field surrounded by milk farmers. Then, he began to build a town for his employees. The town, Hershey, PA, had comfortable family homes, public transportation, and recreation facilities.After failing in New York, the odds that he would succeed in the much smaller town were pretty slim. Then, after building a gigantic company, he sold it to risk everything manufacturing a product that no one had ever heard of. Finally, he built a town for his employees. He was able to see what no one else could. Then create that vision.For Full Show Notes, go to 10 Important Leadership Roles to Maximize for Success (https://www.leadersinstitute.com/leadership-roles-survey-do-you-exhibit-effective-team-leadership-take-the-survey/)

Word-of-mouth advertising is one of the cheapest and most effective types of advertising your company can invest in, but how do we generate this elusive type of advertising? Most experts in the area will say, “Get out and ‘network’.” So we go to a Chamber of Commerce business card exchange or another type of networking event. Of course, their main purpose in coming is to promote their company or service as. So a majority of the people in the room are in the room primarily to sell to other people in the room.See the problem?Very few people come to these business card exchanges to buy things. The odds seem to be stacked against the attendees from the beginning. So, is it any wonder why most of us come back from these networking functions thinking that we just wasted an hour or two?It doesn’t have to be that way. By making just a few simple changes to our approach, we can become a center of influence in any room. In effect, we can use these meetings as a way to generate significant word-of-mouth-advertising.For full show notes, visit Become a Sphere of Influence-How to Network

I took my first leadership training course back almost 20 years ago. It did more for me than all of the education that I worked very hard for in High School and College. This single class was more valuable than all of the seminars that my former employers provided me. In fact, I got more benefit from that course than all of the conventions I went to and all of the books and trade journals that I have read. I have to say that the very first leadership seminar was, by far, the most valuable training I ever received.  We all have those “One moment in time” situations that change the whole direction of our lives.  For me, this was my moment.  Here’s what I learned.  I hope that you get as much value out of it as I did.Life Lessons That I Learned from My First Leadership Course.I grew up in a very poor, rural town in Arkansas.  Even though I was poor, I was taught that education was the key to getting out of poverty. So I worked my way through college and qualified for a couple of scholarships. I also took out massive loans hoping that, someday, my education would make me rich. A couple of years out of school though, I was making a lot less than my friends who started working right out of high school. I had a ton of new expenses like insurance, rent, car payments, and college loans to pay back, too.  I quickly realized that the amount of money that I was pulling in after taxes was less that the minimal expenses that I had. The more I ran the numbers, the more I realized that I was going bankrupt, one paycheck at a time. That’s when I got angry.  I was told that I would be wealthy if I went to school, but I was actually getting poorer every week.  I figured that there must be a better way, though, so I started looking for people who were succeeding. As I found them, I started to try to model what they were doing.Good Training Is an Investment in Your Future.That’s when I invested in my first “leadership course.”  The tuition was $795, which was about half of my monthly salary at the time.  I was terrified to “spend” the money, but the coach who was leading the program guaranteed me that the course was an investment and not an expense.   She was right.  Within six months of taking the class, I had tripled my income.  Within a year, I had doubled it again.  It was slow and steady, but within 10 years (before I was 35) I made my first million dollars.  (By the way, it only took me another six months to make the second million.)Here’s what I figured out and what has helped me and thousands of others get to a higher level of financial success.  Knowledge is vital to getting ahead, but it’s just the ticket to get into the game.  What you DO WITH the knowledge is much more important to your success.  The most highly sought after skill in business is not accounting, or engineering, or computer skills – it’s public speaking.   Folks who reach the highest level of every institution typically know less about the day-to-day operations than the newest employee. However, they tend to excel at leading and motivating people.  The very best leaders in any organization are not the people who grow their own stature.  They are the people who grow other leaders.Once I figured this out, I realized that just about everything that I was doing to get ahead was absolutely wrong.To Be a Great Leader, Teach the People Around You Secrets to Success.For more show notes, visit Make Yourself an Indispincible Leader.

Leadership and management skills are not coded into our DNA. These skills are honed over time through study, research, experimentation, and sometimes… trial and error. One of the things that can be challenging for managers and leaders, even during optimal times, is motivating your team. When a crisis is going on, though, the difficulty of keeping your team motivated increases dramatically.What Actually Motivates Team Members?Ask any manager what motivates workers and he or she will often create a list that is topped by “recognition of good work.”  Sure that makes sense.  We all love praise.  But have you talked to your team about what truly motivates them?  Their answers may be very surprising, and certainly enlightening.A few years back, a couple of writers from Harvard Business Review conducted an extensive study about this subject. The results were revolutionary and changed the way that we see managers and leaders. The researchers had hundreds of employees complete journal entry at the end of each workday. In this entry, they were asked to judge at the end of each day whether it was a “Good Day” at work or a “Bad Day.”The results were quite surprising.Follow These Steps to Motivate Your Team During a Crisis.Talk to Your Team Members One-On-One As Often as Possible.When your team members get discouraged, you as the leader have a powerful role in helping them stay focused. Sometimes it is just a simple positive affirmation like, “I know what you are required to do is hard, but I know you will figure it out.” However, when morale is low and stress is high, every day without a positive interaction with the leader has the potential to lead to a “Bad Workday.”Set Mini-Goal Mile-Markers.Break your big goals and projects into bite-sized pieces. As the team accomplishes these mini-goals, praise them. If a marathon only had a start and a finish, most people would quit very quickly. Mile-markers are important to morale.Make Sure Your Team Has the Resources and Support They Need.I did a virtual meeting for a team a couple of days ago for a client who wanted to improve team communication. One of the team members was using a laptop so old that it didn’t have a camera or an internal microphone. How on Earth can you expect your team to function in a post-Covid world without the proper tools?Try to Minimize the Setbacks as Best You Can.Anticipate how your current plans can run off the rails and have a Plan B or a Plan C. (Heck in 2020, you might want to have a Plan D, E, F, and G as well… Just in case.)Be the Motivating Force in Your Team.Realize that your team will be deflated by things that are outside of your control. You as the leader can motivate your team by showing how even the negative things that happen can be either a learning experience or an opportunity for growth.Now, go motivate your team!For full show notes, visit https://www.leadersinstitute.com/do-you-really-know-how-to-motivate-your-team/

Want to become the “Go-To” expert in your industry? One of the easiest ways to drive prospective clients and customers to your business is to become “the” expert in your field. The term Expert carries credibility and prestige that can open many doors for you. Oddly enough, the term is relatively easy to acquire. This simple three-step process can help you quickly and easily set yourself up as “the go-to” expert in your field.Determine a Specific Niche and Position Yourself as the Expert of that Niche.Write about Your Niche — Your Specific Area of Expertise in Your Industry.Look for Opportunities to Speak about this Niche. The Person Who Presents on a Topis Is Automatically Seen as an Expert.I first realized this about 20 years ago after struggling to build my new company. The reason why we are called “The Leaders Institute” is that, in the beginning, I was trying to teach leadership training to everyone. Since I was really good a promotion and marketing, I was able to generate some customers. However, growth was slow in the early days.Then, by accident really, I built up an expertise in a certain niche. One of my clients was a commercial builder who introduced me to the local Associated General Contractors. After teaching classes for this association for over a year, I became known as the “leadership coach” for the construction industry. The word spread within the industry very quickly, and The Leaders Institute was born.Let’s go into more detail on each of these steps.Step 1: Determine a Specific Niche and Position Yourself as the Expert of that Niche.Instead of trying to be everything to everybody, narrow down your focus to the things that you are really, really good at. A friend of mine set himself up as an expert at leadership training for water treatment facilities. When he told me what he was doing, I asked, “Is there any money in that?” He smiled and said, “Every city’s got one, and I’m the only leadership expert in this field in the country.” He was frequently quoted in trade journals and asked to speak at their conventions.When Covid-19 first hit many cities and companies were shutting down. A law firm that we had previously done a lot of work with wanted us to develop a virtual escape room for them. My team worked for weeks creating a number of options. We delivered the first one a couple of months ago, and it worked so well that we have done dozens of them since then. 90% of all of them that we have done have been for other law firms.Keep in mind that we are not the only company in the world who does virtual team building or virtual escape rooms. However, because we have a lot of success in that industry, we don’t have a lot of competition there.Find your niche, and you’ll eliminate your competition.For more details visit the show notes at Position Yourself as the Expert

The Road to Success Will Not Always Be Smooth.The road to success will not always be smooth. By preparing for potential problems, you will be better prepared to overcome obstacles when they come your way.The Five Ways to Prepare for Potential Problems Are the Following:You need to understand that obstacles are a part of the process. If you know that you will face roadblocks along the way, you won’t be flustered when they occur.If you embrace change, you are better prepared for new challenges.By doing what you love, the obstacles that you face will not be as aggravating to the process.Understanding the difference between the need to change and the desire to change. Some changes are mandatory, others are brought about by choice.Having a Plan B will safeguard your future.For full podcast notes, visit Preparing for Potential Obstacles on our website.

For many in business, it can be hard to get your teams to communicate both their needs and their ideas. With so many rules and regulations, it can be even more challenging to get new ideas accepted and implemented. Often, it’s because of some long-standing “That’s just the way it’s always been done” thinking or perhaps an aversion to taking any sort of risk. Those two attitudes can kill a discussion or idea generation before it’s even begun.Today, we’re going to look at an aid to conversation and culture that will make dailycommunications flow better and show you how a simple team building exercise can generate great camaraderie, too.Introducing one of the strongest, well-known, and revered Improv principles that not only makes magic happen on stage, but that will help you connect with others and get ideas implemented more quickly: “Yes, and…”It’s the basic tenet of Improv AND it can do great things for you in your day-to-day communications. Learning and adopting this attitude can change a person, a team, and a company.The five ways to improve your communications and be more innovative are the following:Start with “Yes, and…” to create agreement, enthusiasm and optionsUnderstand the drawbacks of “no” so you can avoid its pitfallsLearn how “Yes, and…” generates opportunity instead of problemsUsing “Yes, and…” in daily conversations keeps possibility aliveBe aware of this one fatal trap of negativity!For full show notes, visit Improve your Conversation Skills and Become a Creative Problem Solver

If you own or run a business you have two choices. You could search for leaders in the marketplace and try to convince them to join your team. Alternatively, you can build leaders from within your organization. When you do the latter, you have the potential to create enthusiasm within your team. You are creating a culture of growth and energy. (It is actually cheaper for your company and more rewarding to you if you do this, by the way.)In this episode, I’m going to cover the seven best ways to build your next generation of leaders. If you are interested in building leaders from within, these tips can really help.How to Influence People in a Positive Way and Help Your Team Grow.Before I get to the seven best ways to build your team, let’s start with why these skills work. Although every human being is different, most of us want specific things from our leaders. For instance…People will do things for and follow people who they know, like, and respect.Every person wants to feel important.Leaders who make those people around them feel important build confidence in those people.Confident people who feel that their job is important tend to trust and respect those leaders.Many people think that leaders have to tear people down and build them back up. This is a huge mistake. For some reason, we believe that the way to get people to be productive is to kick them in the pants. Typically, that will get you the opposite effect. Your team may comply out of fear, but they will not grow in confidence. As a result, you will have to order them to do every little thing for it to get done.For the full show notes visit: Building Leaders from Within. The 7 Best Ways to Build Your Next Leaders

“Change is the only constant in life.”This quote comes from the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, who lived 500 years before Jesus Christ. Think of the amount of change that has occurred in our world in over 25-hundred years! The earth has changed, wars fought, empires and governments have risen and fallen. In the time of Heraclitus, many people wrote on tablets. That meant carving words and images into stone. Today, writing on, or using a tablet, likely means that you are utilizing the technology of an IPad or other similar device. You may be reading this on a tablet right now.Everything changes, whether it is to our likings or not. Our planet is a living, breathing entity that is in a constant state of transformation.In our American culture, we can look back on our lifetimes and see constant changes. Styles of music and clothing are in a continuous cycle of metamorphosis. You wouldn’t dare walk into your office tomorrow, wearing a polyester jumpsuit from 1977. If you did, your co-workers would think that you are going out to a themed party. So, if you wouldn’t go to work in out-dated bell-bottoms and platform boots, shouldn’t your work attitudes, or more drastically, what you do in your work life, change along with your fashion sense?Where Do You See Yourself in Five or Ten Years?Do you think that your current line of work will still exist? In my family ancestry, I learned that I had a great-grandfather that worked as an Ice-man. That meant that he would deliver large blocks of ice to your home to put in your icebox. The icebox is what a refrigerator was called before the use of electricity to cool your food. As we know, there are no more Ice-man jobs available. Even the way we find and apply for work has changed from just a mere decade ago. Today, it is more likely that you will fill out an online application before ever shaking the hand of a potential employer. So, if your line of work is on the endangered position list, it may be the time for reinvention.*******Candace CoxAuthorCandace Cox has 15 years of on-air radio experience, mostly as a traffic and news reporter. Candace has also worked as an on-camera television host, emcee, actor and voice-over talent. Candace’s on-air experience makes her a favorite of audiences because of her humor and energy, and she has successfully transferred these talents to the business world to train other professionals. We are so happy to have her as one of our team building leaders.

With the Covid-19 crisis of 2020, many companies have had to adjust to managing remote teams on the fly. For the first 15 years that The Leaders Institute ® existed, we operated entirely remotely. In fact, we went through the opposite of what companies in early 2020 went through. We had to adjust our company culture from going from a virtual company to an office environment.Of course, we had a couple of years to master the change. So, when the virus epidemic hit, and we had to start working remotely, we had a distinct advantage over our competitors. Here are a few tips about leading a virtual team that you can use based on our experience. Perhaps you can get a jump on your competition as well!Create a Critical Communication Guide Before Going Remote.Since we started as a virtual team, we never sat down to create a critical communication guide. Instead, we created it as we went along based on the mistakes and challenges that we experienced. (I don’t suggest that you do this, by the way. It is a very costly way to create a virtual team.)The guide doesn’t have to be comprehensive or detailed, but you should put it in writing. This document is basically just a way for you, as the leader, to outline your expectations of how the team will communicate. For instance, we have internal projects that four or five people may be working on. Each of those team members needs to know the protocols for how to let the other team members know when the project is ready for input from another team member.For example, we have recently been working remotely on creating and releasing online mini-courses. The team consists of four people — Me, the videographer, the website person, and the copywriter. The website person can’t really do a lot until the copy is written and the video is completely edited. So, it is important for each of these team members to keep her in the loop on their timetables.Prior to having the guide in place, team members would jump from project to project not realizing that coworkers were waiting for them to complete a task. The more incidents like this occur, the high the frustration level will be.A Few Items Include in Your Communication Guide that Can Help Avoid Miscommunication.Daily Face-to-Face Meetings Via ZoomKeep Your Meetings Short and Have an AgendaUse Slack so Everyone Can be in the LoopPost SummariesFull Podcast Notes are available at Leading a Virtual Team-How to Lead Your Team Remotely

Who said that experience is the best teacher? Well, just about everyone who has ever taken a class on a subject and who later struggled to apply the content. In fact, one of the reasons why we attract so many people to our leadership classes is that we understand that people learn by doing. When a teacher or coach gives us instructions, the words are theoretical. However, when we put those words into practice and experience success, the words become very practical. So, this statement is absolutely true that when you consider that experience builds confidence in a skill.SHOW NOTES: https://www.leadersinstitute.com/experience-is-the-best-teacher-really-maybe-not/

I have to admit that I am uncomfortable when given constructive criticism. You know why? Because I’m human. Guess what… You are too. (You are also human.) So, if most people are uncomfortable receiving constructive criticism, is it really constructive? In addition, is there a real difference between constructive criticism and destructive criticism?Well, the answer is both “yes” and “no.” All criticism can be destructive to a relationship no matter the motives of the giver. In this episode, though, we will cover some things that you can do, other than criticize, to help someone else correct mistakes. Basically, we will cover a number of constructive ways to influence others that don’t raise resentment in the other person.SHOW NOTES: https://www.leadersinstitute.com/the-difference-between-constructive-and-destructive-criticism/

This is part two of a four-part series of leadership principles that can be used in an office environment. Last week we covered how to build trust and a team culture within your group. The focus of this session is on conflict resolution strategies and dealing with difficult people. Remember that these principles are cumulative. The strategies to resolve conflicts work much better in an environment of teamwork that is already present. If you find that your team is experiencing a high level of conflict, back up and work on building the level of trust.SHOW NOTES: https://www.leadersinstitute.com/7-turnkey-conflict-resolution-strategies-for-your-office-team/

If you are like most people, you probably believe you are a great listener. The problem is that everyone else that you have to deal with needs to improve listening skills, right? The truth is that this often-used term has two parts -- "Listening" and "Skills". We often overlook the second part. Skills are those strengths that we develop with consistent focus over time.SHOW NOTES: https://www.leadersinstitute.com/how-to-improve-listening-skills-in-the-workplace/

Have you ever been in one of those situations where you run into someone you know but can’t remember the person’s name? It can be an awkward situation for both you and the other person. Years ago, I came across an astonishingly easy way to remember names that is very helpful. There are just a few vital steps in the process. However, if you follow every step, you can avoid those awkward moments of forgetfulness.SHOW NOTES: https://www.leadersinstitute.com/how-to-remember-names-astonishing-way-place-names-with-faces/

Step one in becoming an effective leader is building trust within your team. Keep in mind, that you can’t really make anyone do anything. However, you can create an atmosphere within your organization where growth and success are normal. In this session, we will cover how to build trust in a team. This is part one of a four-part series on becoming an effective leader. In each of the sessions, we will cover one of the component steps to creating a team culture.SHOW NOTES: https://www.leadersinstitute.com/7-expert-ways-to-build-trust-in-a-team-that-you-can-do-today/

When you are establishing your list of values, we aren’t talking about God, family, or country. Instead, focus on what personal characteristics you want other people to notice in you. Here is a good way to figure out what these characteristics are. Think about someone that you know who you would describe as being “successful” — however you measure success. Next, write down a list of characteristics that describe that person. What are the characteristics that this person possesses that set them apart from people who are less successful?SHOW NOTES: https://www.leadersinstitute.com/personal-vision-statement-personal-vision-statement-generator/

So, now that we understand the value of generating a personal vision statement, exactly how do we do it. We tried to make this entire process turnkey. Theoretically, all you really need to do is answer the questions below. Once you submit the answers, we send you an email with a clear vision statement that you can look at on a daily basis to move toward success.Your personal vision statement can be just a single sentence, or it could be very elaborate. The main thing that you want to use the personal vision statement generator for, though, is to drive your behavior. Use it as a roadmap with milestones. This statement should be a way for you to quickly look at where you are in life and determine if you are moving toward your goal or away from it.SHOW NOTES: https://www.leadersinstitute.com/personal-vision-statement-personal-vision-statement-generator/

Before you create a personal vision statement, it is really important to understand why one is so important.Back when I was in High School, my English teacher assigned us a book report. She gave us 10 or so books to choose from. Since, at the time, I wasn’t a big reader, I chose the shortest book. It was Alice in Wonderland. (Incidentally, since then I’ve read over 1000 books and even written a few.) Alice follows the White Rabbit down the hole and eventually ends up at a crossroads where she meets the Cheshire Cat. Not sure which way to go, she has this exchange with the cat.“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.“I don’t much care where–” said Alice. “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.“–so long as I get SOMEWHERE,” Alice added as an explanation.“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”A paraphrase of this exchange is often attributed to Lewis Carrol (the author).If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there. — Lewis CarrollAlthough these were not the exact words, the paraphrase is often easier to use as an illustration when teaching people about creating a personal vision. Carroll used satire and exaggeration to create an interesting story and to point out human frailties and potential. Most people get to a point in their careers where they just begin to go through the motions. “as long as I do my job, I’m successful.” However, if you aren’t growing, you’re dying.When you generate a personal vision statement for yourself, you create a roadmap to help you grow.SHOW NOTES: https://www.leadersinstitute.com/personal-vision-statement-personal-vision-statement-generator/