Guy FinleyI always have a great time interviewing Guy Finley.  He is one of my favorite authors with a heart of gold, and a love for humanity.

I had the pleasure of actually being involved in the making of “Being Extraordinary-The New Model for Success“.  This new book is what is referred to as an enhanced book for the Apple iPad.  I am a partner in an organization called Wiseologie Media Group, and we develop enhanced books for authors and publish them in the various forms of digital media for tablets such as the iPad, Nook, Amazon Kindle Fire etc.

Guy’s new book ” Being Extraordinary” is  a question and answer format allowing the reader to easily extract the words of wisdom from Guy Finley without having to read every page of the book–although you should its a wonderful book.  I personally interviewed Guy for over five hours, and our interviews are the foundational material included in “Being Extraordinary”  For Guy Finley this book is a leap into addressing many issues facing business leaders from a spiritual perspective.

A very important topic that is covered is the shift that Guy would like to see business leaders make, from one of “what can I take” to “what can I give or contribute to the world“.  This concept might seem simple, but imagine a world where our business leaders make a shift in their thinking from “taking” to “giving”.  Not only would our business world be transformed, all businesses and the stakeholders–employees, vendors, stockholders would become part of a global transformation in the exchange of good and services benefiting humanity–social responsibility would be the focus.

Guy says that the ordinary is created to serve the extraordinary, and that we realize this relationship within ourselves by learning what it means to come “awake” and be “present” to ourselves at all times.  In becoming extraordinary, one of the most valuable lessons is to awaken to our own personal relationship with our “higher-self” the self that transcends aspects of our self that are not awake to what and who we are becoming in each and every moment.  At this point we experience our own personal revelation, we realize that their are not failures only learning lessons and opportunities to progress in our own awakening to who and what we are becoming.

Guy states that the “I” must be willing to die for the “We” if we are to become fearless.  In “Being Extraordinary” the reader will learn that to transcend the ego’s dominion and realize our connection to the “One”.  You learn that you are  not separate, you are One with the Source and Being Extraordinary is part of our divine right.

If you want to learn more about “Being Extraordinary” please click here to be directed to the iTunes store where you can download the first two chapters for review on your iPad.  You can also learn more by clicking here to be directed to a You Tube video with an introduction to the book.  I hope you enjoy this wonderful interview with author Guy Finley about “Being Extraordinary“.

Ron McMillanIf you are like most people in life, we have all attempted to change a habit or behavior.  Some of us have succeeded and others have not succeeded nor have we been able to sustain the new habit or behavior we are attempted to supplant the old one with.

I can personally tell you that you have hit pay dirt with the ” Change Anything” .  In my interview with social scientist Ron McMillan we speak about the new and exciting research that his company Vital Smarts did around this very subject in the new book entitled ” Change Anything-The New Science of Personal Success“.  In my estimation the finding in the research conducted on nearly 5,000 people is truly breakthrough.

I have been studying personal growth and mastery for over 20 years, and the research finding revealed in ” Change Anything” will have a positive impact on anyone attempting to create positive change in their lives.  In the Change Anything Labs the people who applied the science of personal success are more than 1,000 percent more successful at producing change that those who tried other means.

So what is the secret–the truth is that willpower is not our problem.  As a matter of fact the scientists at the Change Anything Labs found out that our ability it change and maintain change is not a matter of willpower.   The fact is that we are blind and outnumbered by the outside factors that are effecting our ability to change and sustain our change.

What was found is that there are six sources of influence that effected our ability to change. 1) Personal Motivation 2) Personal Ability 3) Social Motivation 4) Social Ability 5) Structural Motivation 6) Structural Ability.

To learn more about these factors I encourage you to click here to be directed to a video experiment that the scientists did at the Change Anything Labs( click on the blind and outnumbered video).  This will provide you with a short explanation of the factors effecting our abilities to change any thing.

The bottom line is that willpower is not the answer.  The key to change is in understanding all of the subtle put powerful influences that shape your choices. Once you have an understanding of how you are being influenced you will no longer be outnumbered and blinded to these factors, thus making change easier and hopefully more sustainable.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is attempting to change .  It does not matter if it is a weight problem or your trying to get your debt under control. This book and the strategies outlined can be followed by anyone and most importantly successfully and they can be sustained.

 

If you want more information about Change Anything, please click here to be directed to the Change Anything website. Or  click here to be directed to a YouTube Video. You can also learn more by going to the Change Anything Book page.

I hope you enjoy my interview with Ron McMillan one of the founder of Vital Smarts.  This truly is enlightening and will shift how you look at change forever.

Roger ConnorsI recently interviewed author Roger Conners, and was so intrigued with the message that I invited him back to discuss another one of his other successful books entitled ” The Oz Principle“.

Many of us who are involved in the personal growth and human potential fields know that one of the first things we learn is personal responsibility.  This concept is at the cornerstone of being in integrety, and living a life of authenticy.  In my interview with Roger we discuss the “Oz Principle”  which by the way is borrowed from the characters in the Wizard of Oz.   I know everyone remembers the journey of Dorothy and her cast, the Tin Man, The Scarecrow, and the Lion.  And if you remember all of them were seeking something to make them whole, and they all were victims.

One of the most challenging situations for individuals and organizations is when they get into the cycle of being a victim as Roger explains it.   In this book Roger explains how the attitude of victimization has captured businesses everywhere in a chocking stranglehold.   In the book Roger explains why people in organizations must avoid the debilitating effects of the victim cycle in order to achieve results.  Also revealed are the “Steps to Accountability” as the key to obtaining what you desire, or yourself, your team and your organization.

If you are at all interested in creating personal accountability in conjunction with organizational accountability, then I highly recommend that you obtain a copy of “The Oz Principle“.  It is a must read for any person in management seeking to improve the performance of their organization, and create a happier, healthier and more creative organizational culture.  If you would like more information about the “The Oz Principle” please click here to be directed to the Partners In Leadership website.
I hope you enjoy this interview with a very knowledgeable change agent Roger Conners.

Roger ConnorsI recently did an interview with Roger Conner the author of “Change the Culture, Change the Game“.  In our dialogue together we discuss the importance of having a organizational culture of accountability.   As Roger states in the book, either you will manage your culture, or it will manage you.   Organizational culture is nothing more that the way people think and act.  Every organization has a culture, and they either work for you or against you.

Roger and I discuss what he refers to at the Results Pyramid, which is the tool that his organization uses to help create accountability within organizations.  At the core of the Results Pyramid are the experiences, beliefs, actions and ultimately the results that are created.   So the leaders of the organization must create the needed culture, the culture produces the results, the most effective culture is a culture of accountability then this helps transition the organization into one with a competitive advantage.  Sounds simple doesn’t it.  Well hold on just a minute—this only happens when the people in every corner of the organization make the personal choice to take the Steps to Accountability–and each step builds on the previous one.

So what are these steps of accountability that are require to produce results.  1) See it– means moving Above the Line or staying there whenever a new challenge arises.  2) Own it-means being personally invested, learning from both successes and failures, aligning your work with desired company results and acting on the feedback you receive. 3) Solve it-requires persistent effort as you encounter obstacles that stand in the way of achieving results.  When you take this step, you constantly ask the question “What else can I do?’  4) Do it– the final step in the process, represents the natural culmination of the first three steps–it means doing what you say you will do.

If you think that this stuff is just for business people, think again.  The basic principles that Roger speaks about in this book are so important to your own personal growth and development.  If you follow the sound advice in the book about being personally accountable, not only to yourself but to those you work with you will find a wonderful transformation in your personal life.  You can only imagine the amazing results that occur when you can get a whole organization where personal accountability is the guiding light for the employees.  This is a company that you will want to do business with.

I highly recommend that you obtain a copy of “Change the Culture, Change the Game“.  It will give you the guidance both personally and professionally in creating cultures of accountability, once you know the forumla for creating accountable people,  positive organizational transformation is bound to occur.
If you would like to learn more about Roger Conner’s and Partners In Leadership  please click here, and enjoy my interview with Roger.

Dee Edington, Ph.D.If you are interested at all about the future of wellness and healthcare, then you need go no further than our guest for this podcast Dee Edington Ph.D.  Dee is the author of over 500 articles on the subject, and his new book entitled “Zero Trends: Health as a Serious Economic Strategy” certainly is a must read for anyone involved in the delivery of wellness and healthcare solution.

In my interview with Dee we discuss the two major problems that need to be solved: the rising cost of healthcare in America, which is eroding profits at an accelerating rate and leading toward disaster for businesses.  As well as the do-nothing approach which is not a solution at all.

Dee suggest that we need to move from a sickness orientated culture to a culture of health, a culture in which we not only care for the sick but also enable the healthy to stay healthy.   This is an approach that lowers healthcare costs and as the same time increases productivity and human satisfaction.

Edington quotes  Albert Einstein “the world we have made as a result of the level of thinking we have done thus far creates problems we cannot solve at the same level of thinking at which we created them.”    It is clear that after all of these years of the same medical approaches to managing health, more doctors, nurses, hospitals, procedures and devices will not solve the problems.  Edington disagrees with those in the medical profession and some of the health economists and politicians who argue that prevention and healthy lifestyles will not lower the total costs of sickness or lead to a better way of life for individuals and businesses.  The information and data presented in “Zero Trends”  will support the argument that improved health status will not only reduce healthcare costs for companies but also increase performance and productivity in the workplace.

The bottom line is that we need to focus on bringing back vitality to our businesses and the people that work in them. The new model for healthcare in America redefines healthcare as a combination of illness and wellness strategies.  It is designed to help employers enable employees to become self-leaders in maintaining their energy, vitality and overall performance.
If you are interested in learning more about “Zero Trends” then I highly recommend that you visit the Health Management Research Center at the University of Michigan by clicking here.  You can also purchase Dee’s book at this website by clicking this link to take you directly to the book’s landing page.

I hope you enjoy this wonderful interview with a man who has dedicated his career to helping us better understand the challenges we are facing in healthcare.

Nick McCormickI recently interviewed author and consultant, Nick McCormick, who’s new book entitled “Acting Up Brings Everyone Down” is a great read for anybody managing employees.  In our interview together we discuss the reprocutions of childish behavior in the workplace and the effects is has on productivity.

We have all known someone at one time or another that just loves to fuss about whats going on in the office.  Nothing is ever right, and they have a tendency to place blame for what is not right outside themselves.  This example is common, and as Nick explains, it is the  job of the manager to help the employee to understand that they need to start taking responsibility for their actions.  Many of the stories that Nick uses in the book to get his point across are one we can all relate to as children.   Nick develops a wonderful correlation between the behaviors we expressed as children to similar behaviors that get acted out in the workplace.

Acting up Brings Everyone Down” also has wonderful “do’s” and don’t” at the end of each chapter, these summary “do’s” and “don’t”  give a summary of the actions that managers can implement within their organization to overcome the childish behavior and have the employees start taking responsibility for their actions.   This is a wonderful book and a very quick read, which is what every manager in the workplace needs.  I would encourage anyone who deals with people in a work environment to read this book, and most importantly implement Nick’s recommendations.
If you would like more information about Nick’s new book, please visit his website by clicking here.  I hope you enjoy this interview with author Nick McCormick about the challenges all managers are faced with in managing employees.