Peak Performance Leadership

200 Episodes! I can't believe I've gotten this far in my podcasting journey. Especially since most people "pod-fade" (i.e. stop producing) after 3 months or about 10 episodes. To reach 200 is definitely an accomplishment which I am proud of and plan doing more. Topics In this solo episode I talk about the three main lessons which podcasting has taught me in leadership: Never be complacentTrust but verify alwaysCommunicate how they need to hear For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/200

2021 is all but in the books! It's time to reflect on the past year and check out the top 15 episodes according to you the listeners! Mentioned Episodes Here they are in order of appearance: 150 - Jason Redman153 - Michael Hamilton 155 - Matt Comand158 - Cathy Bush & Tara Peters160 - Dan Pontefract163 - Heather Younger164 - Tim Ringo165 - Mike Sarraille & George Randle170 - Susan Fenneman173 - Andrew Freedman176 - David Horsager182 - Likky Lavji185 - Peter Economy189 - Marc Polymeropoulos 193 - Bob Nelson & Mario Tamayo For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/199

Sarah Wirth has over 20 years of experience in employee assessment, leadership development, sales executive coaching, and customer service. She began her career as a talent analyst for an international human resource firm, where she coached leaders in organizations ranging from small not-for-profits to Fortune 500 companies. When named chair of leadership consulting and a member of the senior operations team, she helped lead the organization to a 65% increase in revenues. In 2009, she joined a publicly-traded organization as the vice president of client service, increasing client contract retention by 36%. In 2011 Sarah came on board with the EcSell team as Vice President of Member Services, where she oversees member retention and all aspects of sales coaching, leadership and management research. Under Sarah’s leadership, EcSell Institute’s member retention has grown to over 94%. Sarah has a passion for leadership and its impact on the performance of teams. She takes an analytical approach to understanding the skills and talents of high-performing sales leaders and is constantly providing EcSell members with new methods for leading and coaching. Sarah has presented to executives from across the globe with organizations such as Mercedes Benz, Estee Lauder, Ritz Carlton, Cheesecake Factory and many more. Her expertise in coaching and leadership, combined with her fact based, common sense approach to their application make her a sought after presenter at any event.  Topics During this interview Sarah and I discuss the following topics: What makes an effective coachHow to ensure you communicate effectively as a leaderThe 4 Growth Rings of personal and organizational developmentHow to coach someone out of their comfort zoneHow to coach an individual to slow downHow to prepare for a one-on-one conversationHow to coach a team as a group Common mistakes leaders make in coaching their members For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/198

The pandemic altered not only the way in which we work, but also the relationships we have with coworkers. Now more than ever, both leaders and their teams crave deeper connection and more authentic relationships. But how can organizations accomplish this lofty goal — particularly knowing that it will require a reset of how leaders and teams interact? Leaders and team members must embrace a new mindset. They need to acknowledge that the leader-team relationship is more than a one-way service-oriented arrangement. Both sides need support equally if the relationship and what they do together is to be successful. Creating a new paradigm of partnership is possible through the development of a workplace covenant — consisting of vital behavioral and attitudinal promises that both partners agree to hold themselves to as a matter of personal and professional integrity. This process enables essential dialogue and engagement, which in turn helps create and continuously improve empathy, respect, trust, alignment, and — ultimately — partnership.   Since 1998, Dr. Silver has been the principal of Silver Consulting, Inc., an independent consulting practice, where he has worked with such diverse clients as: Alcoa, Alfred State College, Alstom, American Red Cross, Bausch & Lomb, Bosch Security Systems, Canada Employment and Immigration Union (CEIU), Cannon Industries, Canterbury Woods Senior Living, Cape Cod Healthcare, Charter One Bank, Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, Genesee Regional Bank, Government of Jamaica, Harris RF Communications, Jewish Senior Life Nursing Home, Klein Steel, Manulife Financial, Ontario County Government, Pactiv Manufacturing, Rochester Catholic Diocese, Toshiba Business Solutions, Ultralife Batteries, University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), University of Rochester Medical Center, and Xerox Corporation, to name a few. His work has included consulting to senior management on such topics as cultural change, employee engagement, and customer loyalty; working with leadership teams to increase effectiveness and performance; providing clients such services as executive coaching, strategic planning, and organizational diagnosis; and teaching employees professional skills and strategies for workplace success.   Topics During this interview Seth and I discuss the following topics: Why meaningful partnership is important in the first placeHow leaders can have the difficult conversation of figuring out how to establish a two-way communication streamHow leaders can use the ERTAP model to level up their relationshipsThe impacts of  poor alignment on the organization as a wholeHow organizations who value meaningful partnerships are able to weather crises better For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/197

While leadership can develop to an extent through common sense and good judgement, there are a multitude of skills that must be learned and practiced for one to truly become a competent, exceptional leader. In its earliest stages, it is easy for the aspiring leader or executive coach to create an agenda that builds leadership skills: Take the lead, collaborate, chart a course, follow up, and revise. Be confident but not aggressive. After the leader masters the basics, the agenda gradually becomes murky and hard to detect.   For more than twenty-five years, Rick Tirrell, Ph.D., has helped leaders and mentors build their skills in publicly traded companies, privately held firms, nonprofits, and government organizations. His mastery of the art and science of leadership gives the aspiring leader an actionable toolbox for developing effective leadership skills. His seminars convert leadership theory into useful and achievable steps that every leader and mentor can take. His experience comes from working with frontline supervisors as well as the corner office. In his own leadership, he has founded and led two companies himself. His Ph.D. is in Psychology, and he is the author of the groundbreaking 2009 book, “The Wisdom of Resilience Builders.”  Topics During this interview Rick and I discuss the following topics: The inspiration behind his bookThe different rites of passage a leader will travel throughWhat it means to be “all in” as a leaderHow to create followers as a leaderHow to keep up with the changing needs of your employeesHow to become a leader of leaders For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/196

Crafting a clear agenda and attending to people’s states of mind can lead to far more effective meetings and build a sense of resilience and trust.Most team members aren’t fully present at meetings — they’re still processing thoughts and feelings from the meetings before. Creating an agenda that gives employees room to reflect and close is a powerful way to ensure employees are more present.  Lisa J. Koss is the co-founder and a partner at Ontos Global. She has 25 years’ experience in global leadership, team development, talent management, executive coaching and design and organizational change initiatives. Her proprietary coaching model has been taught in 9 different languages across the globe. Her clients include Kaiser Permanente, ITT, Xylem, British Petroleum, Honeywell, Hewlett Packard, General Electric, Ernst & Young, and many more.   Topics During this interview Lisa and I discuss the following topics: How she got into developmental coachingHow to start becoming a manager-coachThe difference between mentoring and coachingHow to be a more empathetic leaderHow to get your subordinates more interested in being coached For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/195

Communication is the skill which many leaders and even organizations struggle with. Communication is what makes or breaks teams in terms of achieving peak performance or not. Despite a complex issue, there are three different common mistakes which leaders make when it comes to communicating with their teams. Topics In this episode I discuss the following topics: Why communication is so importantThree different common break-downsHow to fix these problems and stop doing them now For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/194

As bleary-eyed workers return to “normal life” back at the office, many are questioning what their new work life will look like. Leaders now face a dilemma: How do we keep our people—and attract new talent? The answer, according to two acclaimed human resources and performance experts, is deceptively simple. Have more fun. Work” and “fun” have historically been considered polar opposites of each other. But a quick look under the hood of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work for in America list reveals an undeniable fact: 81% of surveyed employees say the best companies are all fun places to work. Deloitte has gone so far as to label the 2020s as “The Era of Workplace Fun.”  BOB NELSON, PH.D., president of Nelson Motivation Inc., is the world’s leading authority on employee recognition and engagement. He’s worked with 80% of Fortune 500 companies, is a Senior Fellow for the Conference Board, a top thought leader for the Best Practice Institute, and was named a top-five management guru by Global Gurus. Fondly known as “Dr. Bob,” he has authored over 30 books on employee motivation and engagement, which have collectively sold over 5 million copies and been translated into more than 30 languages.   MARIO TAMAYO is a principal with Tamayo Group Inc., a no-nonsense consulting firm specializing in leadership and organizational performance. He has more than 30 years of experience in maximizing human performance, working with organizations such as Genentech, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Petco, General Dynamics, and the U.S. Men’s Olympic Volleyball team.   Topics During this interview Bob, Mario, and I discuss the following topics: How work become boring in the first placeThe benefits of bringing more fun into the workplaceHow to incorporate fun into the culture of your companyHow the daily work can be more fun for your companyHow to celebrate success in a fun mannerThe difference between reinforcing performance and presenceHow to make your own work more fun For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/193

If you’re in a leadership role today, you surely didn’t get there by accident. You have vision. You’re confident. And you’re at the ready to offer support and lightning-quick responses. But if you don’t effectively communicate these qualities to your people, how will they know you embody them? Frankly, they won’t. Despite leaders giving themselves gold stars in communication, only 13% of U.S. employees say their leaders communicate well, according to Gallup research. And that’s a colossal problem: 93% of workers surveyed by the Brunswick Group report that “leadership that communicates directly and transparently” is what keeps them on the job, bested only by pay and the ability to move up. The most powerful tool you have as a leader—to inform, engage, and inspire—is your voice, says veteran leadership communications coach Joel Schwartzberg. Yet all too often, our words fall flat; we get caught in our head, fail to truly understand our audience, or simply flub the landing. But it’s our words and awareness of their impact that make the difference between simply managing teams and inspiring them to do their best work.   Joel Schwartzberg is a leadership communications coach whose clients include American Express, Blue Cross Blue Shield, State Farm Insurance, the Brennan Center for Justice, and Comedy Central. He is the senior director of strategic and executive communications for a major national nonprofit and previously held senior-level communication and editorial positions with Time Inc., PBS, and Nickelodeon. Schwartzberg’s articles on effective communication have appeared in Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, and Toastmaster magazine, and he’s a sought-after business and communications podcast guest and conference speaker. He is the author of Get to the Point! Sharpen Your Message and Make Your Words Matter, which Seth Godin calls “a manifesto for giving talks that make a difference,” and The Language of Leadership: How to Engage and Inspire Your Team (Berrett-Koehler Publishers; July 13, 2021), which Kevin Eikenberry says “will make your communication more purposeful, meaningful, and inspirational.” Topics During this interview Joel and I discuss the following topics: Why communicating clearly and effectively is so importantWhere leaders make mistakes with their communication skillsHow to change your approach based on your audienceHow to appear more empathetic and authentic How to effectively communicate in the virtual environmentAdvice on communicating in various situations For the complete show notes, be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/192

The burden of command can place a huge kink in your leadership journey. It will affect every aspect of your life and not just your team. Furthermore, this is not just a military phenomenon but rather one for all leaders everywhere. Therefore, it's critical for all leaders to understand the burden of command and know how to overcome it. Topics During this episode I discuss: What the burden of command isThe affects it has on leadersHow to overcome the burden of command for all leaders For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/191