Peak Performance Leadership

The workplace of the future — the officeverse — will disrupt many of today’s organizational models. The future officeverse will be the anytime/anyplace world of where we will work, when we will work, and how we will work. It will consist of a network of networks, with tools that will shape us in surprising ways over the next decade and beyond. The officeverse will provide a more equitable, accessible, purposeful, climate-positive future for knowledge work. While it will bring many challenges, including new concepts of sharing and managing boundaries, in the officeverse organizations will require flexibility and empowerment rather than command and control.  To prepare for the potential opportunities of the wider officeverse, every office worker, organization and policy maker should imagine how the world of work will look 10 years into the future. Such “futureback” thinking — opposed to present-forward — helps us to work backward from the future and make better decisions in the present. Questions to ask, starting with, “What’s the purpose of your office and officing?” and “What are the desired outcomes you aim to achieve with your office and by your office activities?” prompt answers along a spectrum for each of seven key areas.  Bob Johansen began working with IFTF in 1973 and has worked as a professional futurist for nearly 50 years. The author or co-author of 12 books and a frequent keynote speaker, he recently completed a trilogy of that details the types of leadership that will thrive in the next decade. The New Leadership Literacies focuses on essential practices of leadership, picking up where Leaders Make the Future, its more skills-oriented precursor, left off; in 2020, he published Full-Spectrum Thinking, which focuses on the need for a futureback mindset. For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://leaddontboss.com/260

On this episode of Peak Performance Leadership, I am doing a live Q&A in a Facebook group and answering questions about effective leadership. I tackle the challenge of showing appreciation to remote workers, motivating employees to care about their job, and improving punctuality. In addition, they explore whether discipline is effective in the workplace. I talk about how the three domains of leadership: Leading Yourself, Leading Your Team, and Leading Your Organization, and how excelling in all three can make a leader successful in their role.  For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://leaddontboss.com/259

On this episode of Peak Performance Leadership, we discuss the importance of effective planning practices and leadership strategies to improve productivity within a business or team. We explore how to effectively incorporate AI into processes, address employee concerns and trust, and build relationships among team members in both in-person and virtual settings. Our guest speaker shares the ten core areas of waste that hinder success and introduces his lean strategic planning technique as a simplified approach to planning that can be tailored to any team or company. Tune in for tips on streamlining processes, improving productivity, and seizing opportunities as a leader. All of this with the new hybrid workplace in mind. Crista Grasso is an international lean and agile business consultant to Fortune 50 multi-billion dollar businesses, strategic advisor to 6 - 8 figure small businesses and entrepreneurs, and creator of the Lean Out Method®, 90-Day Lean Out Planner, and the Lean Business Scaling SystemTM. She is also the host of the Lean Out Your Business Podcast where she shares her top strategies to simplify and scale a business. Crista has been helping businesses achieve accelerated and sustainable results and increased profitability for more than two decades. Known as the "Business Optimizer", Crista has the ability to quickly cut through the noise and focus on optimizing the core things that will make the biggest impact to grow and scale a business. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and holds several lean, agile, change management, and program management certifications.  For the complete description be sure to check out our website: https://leaddontboss.com/258

Naval fighter pilots are known for their unwavering commitment to excellence, exceptional decision-making skills, and expertise. These top performers offer valuable insights that can be applied in the business world. With decades of experience in stressful situations, they have mastered ten key leadership skills: staying calm under pressure, setting expectations, delegating tasks, building trust, giving feedback, evaluating risk, adapting to change, embracing failure, encouraging innovation, and inspiring others. Despite operating in dangerous and uncertain conditions, Naval fighter pilots consistently perform at the highest level, confidently making life-altering decisions with their expertise.  A former “Top Gun” fighter pilot (call sign “Nasty”), Retired Admiral Mike Manazir’s distinguished U.S. Navy career spanned 36 years and included multiple commands: VF-31 ‘Tomcatters’ F-14D squadron, USS Sacramento, USS Nimitz, and Carrier Strike Group Eight in the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. His new and best-selling, “Learn How to Lead to Win,” features 33 powerful stories and leadership lessons based on real life events in the chaotic and risky business of operating off the decks of U.S. aircraft carriers. At its core, the book reflects Manazir’s selfless passion for developing people. Timestamped overview [00:00:46] Call signs used in fighter aviation are for communication brevity to easily identify individuals and aircraft. Call signs typically come from something an individual is known for or a play on their name. The origin of the speaker's call sign is explained in a book. [00:02:54] Speaker discusses the three major themes in their book "Learn How to Lead to Win": having a vision, dealing with failure, and being resilient. They share their own experience of having a vision to join the Naval Academy, failure in their career, and finding a new path. They encourage listeners to have a North Star and keep going towards it, even if the path is not straight or as expected. [00:09:40] Having a clear goal or "North Star" is the key to resilience and success, even when faced with setbacks like injury or failure. It's important to keep pushing forward towards that goal and not give up, even if the timeline or path changes. This mindset helped many people and companies stay afloat and thrive during the COVID pandemic. Ultimately, success is made through perseverance and determination. [00:13:58] Seize opportunities with a clear plan and team perspective. [00:14:51] Leading a high-performing team requires leading from the heart, getting to know team members, valuing their input, and establishing trust through human connection. It's important to not lead with a title and to be willing to fail and learn from it. [00:20:02] Learning from failure is necessary for high performance, but repeating failures can have serious consequences. Hard discussions and debriefs can help prevent repetition of failures. [00:22:30] Communication is key in leadership, regardless of team size and location. Effective communication involves connecting with every team member, enabling dialogue and feedback, and being present in their environment. Leaders must also seek feedback on their communication effectiveness and adjust accordingly. [00:27:46] Effective leadership requires connecting with your team as equals, rather than relying solely on your job title to motivate and inspire them. For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://leaddontboss.com/257

Marc Lesser is a speaker, facilitator, workshop leader, and executive coach. He is known for his engaging, experiential presentations that integrate mindfulness and emotional intelligence practices and training. He is the author of 4 books, including Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader: Lessons from Google and a Zen Monastery Kitchen, and CEO of ZBA Associates, an executive development and leadership consulting company. His podcast Zen Bones: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times features cutting-edge interviews, supportive tools for creating more meaningful work, and potent mindfulness practices to develop yourself, influence your organization, and change the world. ​ Marc helped develop the world-renowned Search Inside Yourself (SIY) program within Google – a mindfulness-based emotional intelligence training for leaders which teaches the art of integrating mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and business savvy for creating great corporate cultures and a better world. He founded and was CEO of 3 companies, and has an MBA degree from New York University. Marc was a resident of the San Francisco Zen Center for 10 years, and director of Tassajara, Zen Mountain Center, the first Zen monastery in the western world. He leads Mill Valley Zen, a weekly meditation group. Timestamped overview [00:00:37] Accountability is about aligning values, aspirations, success, leadership, and trust with compassion.[00:04:14] Building great cultures by creating purpose and meaning, utilizing trust, and building character and well-being.[00:08:53] Businesses provide goods/services to serve people, allowing them to live.[00:09:59] "Asking "How are we doing?" to create healthy workplaces and effective, difficult conversations requires self-awareness and a contemplative practice to avoid blame and defense."[00:15:50] Tendency to blame when threatened; reflex to blame without conscious thought; story of accidental email; skillful creating of safe space to remove blame; blame prevents connection and solutions.[00:19:42] Teaching Google engineers self awareness through mindfulness and feedback to control emotions during times of tension.[00:25:18] Ask teammates how to make team/relationship more effective and listen.[00:27:48] Team building through conversation and improv activities.[00:31:57] Listening and self-awareness are essential leadership skills. For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://leaddontboss.com/256

Leadership is not just about commanding people and getting results. It’s also about the subtle nuances of influencing and manipulating one’s followers in order to achieve desired outcomes. The ability to effectively tap into the “psychological strings” of individuals, while at the same time establishing mutual trust and respect, can vastly increase a leader’s capabilities. However, it’s important to note that such strategies must be used carefully as any misuse could lead to fallouts or even backfires. In this article, we will discuss some common methods for influence and manipulation among leaders and explore how their nuances have a significant impact on their success. On this episode of Peak Performance Leadership, we talk about the differences between influence and manipulation, inspired by a discussion in the Leader Growth Mastermind. Topics During this solo episode I touch on the following topics: Discussion on the differences between influence and manipulation Key distinctions between the two, and the impact they can have on others The importance of positive influence and how it can inspire people to be their best selves Examples of negative influence and manipulation, including personal gain and coercive tactics For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://leaddontboss.com/255

Accountability was once a concept associated primarily with punishment and failure. However, today it has become much more than that—it's seen as an essential part of any successful business. When practiced correctly, accountability has the power to create well-motivated teams who are actively engaged in their work and committed to success. It encourages individuals to take responsibility for their actions and practice good communication and collaboration skills. By creating an environment where everyone is held equally accountable, organizations can foster a culture of mutual respect and trust that encourages employees to thrive. "In fact, research suggests that when organisations get accountability wrong: 75% of team members see solving problems as ‘someone else’s job’,65% don’t see due dates as real commitments,80% don’t seek and offer feedback often,82% try but fail to hold others accountable (or avoid it altogether), and85% are unsure what the organisation is trying to achieve." - Dr. Paige Williams, "Own it" Dr Paige Williams is an author, researcher and PhD in Organizational Behaviour. A trusted advisor and mentor to senior leaders, she uses a potent blend of neuroscience, psychology and her own twenty-plus years of international business leadership experience to help leaders surface uncomfortable truths, see the rules they need to break in order to breakthrough and lead themselves, their teams, and their organizations to thrive. Her latest book is Own It! Honouring and Amplifying Accountability. Topics During this interview Paige and I discuss the following topics: How accountability has gotten so bad in organizations How to have the conversation about positive accountability Why language is so important in accountability How to shift the power dynamic of accountability How to empower your team to hold itself accountable How to run an accountability coaching session For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://leaddontboss.com/254

Gallup recently reported that only 15% of employees in the U.S. are truly engaged in their workplace. Yet nearly 70% of employees say they would work harder if they felt more appreciated. Over 90% of employees surveyed believed their leadership “lacked communication skills to lead.” The gloomy stories behind sobering statistics reveal employees’ disappointment with current leadership approaches. Leaders can do better. DeKoch, with over 40 years of diverse executive leadership experience, which included 20 years leading The Boldt Company, a $1 billion construction services and real estate development company, has developed novel insights into leadership thinking and practice. Clampitt, an endowed, award-winning communication and information science professor at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, has over 40 years of experience in university teaching, ground-breaking research, and business consulting.  Topics During this interview Bob, Phil, and I discuss the following topics: How we got to the point where we are currently in terms of leadership Where they got the inspiration for their book came from How beliefs are important to being a caring leader The values which a caring leader holds Why companies don’t follow their values How middle leaders can follow their company’s values How to communicate effectively as a leader who cares

It's no secret that companies today are struggling to secure top-tier talent. With the current labor shortage, competition for high-caliber candidates is at an all-time high, leaving recruiters looking for new ways to attract and retain the best of the best. However, finding and hiring 5 star candidates isn't as difficult as it may seem. With the right strategy and determination, recruiters can still identify, engage with, and hire outstanding talent — even in a competitive hiring market. By knowing exactly what kind of qualities you're looking for in a candidate and leveraging the right recruitment strategies, you can discover the stars of tomorrow and secure the perfect hire. Heenle Turner is the Vice President of Content and Consulting at the ALL IN Company, and a certified HR Professional passionate about finding creative solutions to help businesses succeed. She has provided consulting services to more than 200 businesses of varying sizes and industries. This extensive experience in sales, customer service, and people management uniquely positions her to collaborate with entrepreneurs when it comes to recruiting, hiring, and retaining 5-Star Employees: committed candidates who share the company’s values and go above and beyond to achieve results. Topics During this interview Heenle and I discuss the following topics: Why hiring vacancies are still a problem within the workplaceWhat a 5 star hiring process looks likeWhere to go to make sure we are advertising to the right peopleThe makeup of a 5 star candidateThe 11 universal qualities of a 5 star CandidateHow to properly interview a candidate For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://leadddontboss.com/252

In today's work culture, it can often be difficult to maintain a balance between managing the demands of our workload and building close relationships with our team members. While strong teamwork is essential for the overall success of a business or project, personal boundaries need to be established in order to ensure goals are met in a timely and efficient manner. The following quote is from Facebook Group Member Valarie and her question revolving around just this challenge: Knowing your direct reports well without overextending yourself. Patrick Lencioni talks about anonymity leading to job misery and I agree with this. I know my large team fairly well. Recently implemented middle managers as team leads due to there not being enough of me to go around. I want to continue to foster relationships with the new employees so that I will have the same level of relational vibe that I have with most of my team. I am struggling with ways to do this as it takes a lot of time. I know it doesn’t have to; however, I am finding that once I open the door to getting to know them more, they want more and more time with me and so I am wondering about ways to provide better communication and clarity in those earlier meetings as I think I may be unintentionally creating the impression that I am available to them more often than my time allows or that I was initially available and now I’m not as available and that can be confusing and send a message I am not intending to send. For context, I’m in my 4th year of leadership and I have a team of about 20. They all reported directly to me until January so I am wondering if some of this is just the shifting that’s occurring. Thanks in advance!! Question from Valarie So lets dive into how I believe that its best for leaders to tackle this challenge with a number of tactical pieces of advice for her. For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://leaddontboss.com/251