Podcast 206: Managing The Millennials with Mick Ukleja

mick ukleja headshotI met author and thought leader Mick Ukleja at the Innovation and Humanities Summit that was held on the campus of Chapman University in Orange, CA.  I was certainly fascinated by his topic about “Managing the Millennials” also the title of his new book.

If you have not been following the generational differences, the millennials are the generation born between 1987 and 1996.  The curiosity for Mick’s work began a few  years ago when his consulting firm began to notice the frustration among manager and business leaders with integrating younger workers into their organizations. Activities that in the past had been relatively straightforward–like recruiting, retaining, and rewarding–now seemed more challenging than ever.  60 Minutes, the CBS television journal, even did a report about the millennial phenomena where stories portrayed reactions that ranged from amazement to incredulity to outrage.

Mick’s firm GeNext Consulting decided to so some research with both the managers who were having challenges, and those where were effective in their management of the millennials. They analyzed thousands of statements collected during interviews with both managers and Millennial employees and found a pattern of responses that they referred to as perceived orientations.  As many of us know perceptions are not necessarily reality, but perceptions acted on or unchecked often become reality and contributed to the tension between the managers and the millennials.

It is my perception after having personally worked with many people from this generation that they are one of the brightest generations to have graced our planet.  Their focus is work-life balance, reward, self-expression, attention, achievement, informality, simplicity, multitasking, and meaning.

The bottom line is that if managers want to learn how to ease the conflict and tension, which frequently are based on the biases and perceptions which as mentioned are often not reality, then they would best treat the millennials by including them, engaging their opinion and disarming them by treating them as equals.  Millennials will react much more favorably, and many of the differences will vanish.

As Mick points out there seem to be two camps with respect to perspectives about Millennials. One camp believes that Millennials are victims of ‘trend inflation”, meaning that the media has created how they are perceived and consultants are creating a niche industry as a result.  Millennials are bright, motivated and great to have around.  The other camp see millennials as free agents lacking loyalty or commitment to their organizations.  However you want to view millennials they are here to stay, and it would be best to learn how to work with them in harmony.

Mick’s new book certainly provides the reader with the knowledge and insight into how to best lead and work with the Millennials.  Please go to his website by clicking here to get more information on working with Millennials, and enjoy this great interview with Mick Ukleja.

Podcast 190: Does Your Bag Have Holes? with Cameron C. Taylor

Cameron C. TaylorThis is my second interview with Cameron Taylor and this time we are featuring his book entitled, “Does Your Bag Have Holes?.”  It might seem obvious as to the nature of the book, but don’t let the cover deceive you.

While the book is as much about money and how we manage it, the underlying message is about moral and ethical principles that allow one to  acquire and sustain abundance and prosperity in their life.  We are all well aware of the most recent examples of greed that have been the downfall of not only many individual personal wealth, but the demise of large corporations in the US and abroad.

Cameron does a great job of outlining the principles to live by as well as provide a prosperity model that is as sound a model as any that I have ever seen.  As Cameron says ” Many of us have been given bad directions to the destination of prosperity. If you desire to achieve prosperity, an accurate map of how to do so is essential.”

“Does Your Bag Have Holes?, addresses the 24 myths that prevent prosperity. These myths are organized in relation to Cameron’s “Prosperity Model”.  Cameron also discusses the 6 Choices Model in which he outlines for the reader the negative choices as well as the alternative positive choices that will lead to a life of prosperity.

In the whirlpool of finance today it is always good to have a sound reference point to redirect and help us make better choices.  Cameron book “Does Your Bag Have Holes” does just that.  It is like the manual of right thinking as it relates to both our ethics and moral compass as well as sound advice on just how to manage our finances.
If you are interested in learning more I would recommend that you visit Cameron’s website which is loaded with great information about workshops and other publications.

Please click here to be directed to his website.  Enjoy this great interview with a wonderfully heart centered man, Cameron Taylor.

 

Podcast 188: The Sheep Thief with Al Walker

Al WalkerI was introduced to Al Walker the author of, “The Sheep Thief,” through Tracey Jones the daughter of Charlie “Tremendous” Jones who published Al’s book and is now running the publishing company since her fathers death.

If you are into parables then you are in luck, because Al’s book is a parable with a wonderful story and message.  It is about two young men in Italy who were caught stealing sheep.  They were immediately taken to trial before the town judge, found guilty and in front of their fellow villagers, were given their sentence.  It was a cruel, harsh and painful sentence that would mark them for life. I will not ruin the story for you but the message is in what the men do with their lives after they are sentenced as thief’s.   Much of Al’s book deals with the lessons learned in life, and how we use adversity in life to make us stronger or for many it is a sentence in which we give up.

Al articulates 10 steps that I believe are so important in life, and really determine our character as individuals. The 10 steps are:

  • You become what you value-I constantly seek to clarify my values.  I know what values are important to me.  I know what I stand for, what I believe in and what I will not compromise.
  • You become what you say-I know and believe that the words I repeatedly use have an impact on who I am.  I will use only words that are helpful, positive encouraging and tasteful.
  • Build on Strengths– I will pursue greater knowledge of my strengths for the rest of my life.  I will maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses in myself and everyone that I meet.
  • Attempt the Difficult-I will continue to challenge myself to try new things in order to grow.  I will relish living in the arena, not in the grandstand.  I will fail forward.
  • Work Conscientiously and Productively-I am committed to the belief that working diligently pays off.  I will do as Aristotle suggested when he said, “Lose yourself in productive work in a way of excellence.”
  • Laugh Often-I will find something to laugh about every day of my life.  I will share this gift generously and often. I will start each day with a smile in my heart, knowing that the rest of my body will follow.
  • Self Discipline-I am on the right track and am putting forth the time, energy and effort to learn and develop what I need to in order to become the person I am capable of becoming and accomplish life’s most important objectives.
  • Be A Self Starter-I will honor my possibilities by truly being a self-starter.  I will not wait on anyone else to “start” me. I START myself.  My positive self-talk will help me be a self-starter.
  • Obey The Laws of Man-I abide by and live, work and play within the laws of the land.  I realize the traffic, civil and all other laws exist for a reason.  I realize the laws and rules establish boundaries for an orderly way of life.
  • Obey The Laws of Nature-I will not let my need for excitement overrule my good judgment.  I will be careful and take the necessary precautions in any activity, whether it is bungee jumping, sky diving, para-sailing etc.

Al’s book is a very easy read, and is loaded with practical advice.  Much of the lessons taught by Al Walker he has experienced himself and you will be able to listen to part of his personal story in our interview together.  You can visit his website by clicking here.

Podcast 184: Super Coach with Michael Neill

Michael NeillI recently had the pleasure of interviewing Michael Neill the author of a new book entitled, ” SUPERCOACH: 10 Secrets to Transform Anyone’s Life.”

Michael says change the way you think and you will change the way you experience life.  For more than 20 years Michael has been helping clients fulfill their dreams–whether they want to make more money, build their businesses, improve their relationships or find greater contentment in their day-to-day lives.

Each secret, which is illustrated with case studies and anecdotes, is designed to be a catalyst–something that will spark the reader’s insights about how he or she thinks, lives, and works.  Supercoach also includes specific actions that people can take to actually experience change and incorporate it into their lives.

Michael and I speak about transformation from the inside out.  He states, “when you learn to live your life from the inside out, stress disappears and worry becomes almost non-existent.  You realize that you were born happy and the worst thing that can ever happen to you is a thought–a thought about whatever you think is the worst thing that could ever happen to you”.

Many of Michael’s coaching secrets are counter-intuitive.  Take goal setting for instance.  He explains, “Obsessing about goals is like playing a game of fetch with yourself, using your happiness and self-worth as the bone.  Even when you do reach your goals, you only allow yourself a fleeting moment of satisfaction before throwing your happiness even further away into the future than before.”

If you want to learn more about the 10 Secrets that can transform your life, I recommend that you visit Michael’s website.  He has lots of useful information and videos providing you with these transformative secrets.  To access Michael’s website please click here.

Podcast 176: The Most Successful Small Business In The World: The Ten Principles with Michael E. Gerber

Michael E. Gerber I believe most people in small business know author Michael E. Gerber.  Michael has written a new book entitled, “The Most Successful Small Business in the World: The Ten Principles“.  Michael is a fascinating and dynamic man, not to mention a prolific writer.

In his 70’s Michael still travels the world speaking his message with great passion and zest for life.  In my interview we explore one of his new ventures entitled “Origination‘”.  I would highly recommend that you click on the link and watch his compelling video.  I am not someone to watch a 20 minute video on the Internet, but this video was quite compelling and intrigued me enough to learn more about what Michael is up too.

Michael reveals in “The Most Successful Small Business in the World: The Ten Principles” is a must read for any person in business.  Gerber’s ten principles will help you to break out of the vicious cycle before it starts in your new business. He’ll help you to embrace the energy of exploration with a road map for taking your vision beyond the obvious.  Only then can you build a company that provides continuous fulfillment and personal growth, and can expand the income, services and positive contribution to your employees and community.

Gerber’s ten principles will help you to: 1) identify your company’s essential “system”–its highly differentiated way of doing business that will be the cornerstone of your success.  2) Build a business of great imagination;a self-reliant “reach” that will create economic certainty in any climate. 3) Create a center of growth and learning for your employees, that will in turn develop you business beyond any standard that formerly existed. 4) Instill a higher purpose that can move yourself, your business, and your customers to greater levels of fulfillment and growth.

If you are looking for a truly different business book with wisdom, guidance and simple formulas for success—then you have landed on the right book.  Please visit Micheal’s website by clicking here for more video, audio, radio shows and more.

The website is beautiful and loaded with great free content. Enjoy this lively interview with a true master at small business,  Michael E. Gerber.

Podcast 175: The Leader Who Had No Title with Robin Sharma

Robin Sharma What a wonderful interview with a fascinating man and prolific author.  Robin Sharma has just released his new book entitled, “The Leader Who Had No Title”.

This is a fable in which Robin eloquently weaves into the storyline the advice of a character by the name of Tommy Flinn to our main character Blake Davis about important lessons in life and leadership.  Robin’s message of “The Leader Who Had No Title” is very timely considering the major challenges our world is facing, and many examples we can pluck out of the news about leaders who have fallen from their so called thrones due to indiscretions or lack of integrity.

Robins main message revolves around the fact that everyone is a leader, we all have roles of leadership at work, home and or community.   We need not play down our roles as leaders but embrace the good that we do as a result of our leadership roles.  Robin tells that that we have just entered what he calls, “The Decade of Leadership”.  Leadership has become democratized, we don’t have to be executives to be leaders.

Robin articulates what he refers to as nine smart moves you can make today to start changing the game and create exceptional results:

1)    Remember You Don’t Need a Title to Be a Leader

2)    Shift form Victimhood to Leadership

3)    Innovate or Stagnate

4)    Become a Value Creator Versus a Clock Watcher

5)    Put People First

6)    Remember that Tough Times Build Strong Leaders

7)    Go to Your Limits

8)    Leader Yourself First

9)    Give Back a Legacy.

I highly recommend this great fable with a wonderful message about how we are all leaders, and we are now living in a age where we all need to step up and become leaders in our own right.  This book is loaded with wonderful advice and practical actions we can take to become the best leaders we are capable of.

Please go to Robin’s website which has loads of video and reference material by clicking here.  Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Robin’s new book by clicking on any of the links in this blog entry.

Enjoy this wonderful interview.

Podcast 162: The Career Within You with Elizabeth Wagele

Elizabeth WageleMy interview with Elizabeth Wagele the author of, “The Career Within You“, focuses on a tool called the Enneagram designed to assist the you in finding the correct career path .

Elizabeth states that more than ever people are considering new careers-but deciding on a new career path can be daunting.  How does one determine what the correct path to fit their personality type?

This practical yet-fun career guide employs the Enneagram Personality Assessment System to help you find a career specifically tailored to your specific type by offering a quiz designed to identify your type, and thus, the best career path for you.

If you are not aware of the Enneagram Personality Assessment Tool, it segments individuals into the following types: perfectionist, helper, achiever, romantic, observer, questioner, adventurer, asserter and peace seeker.

The book provides a easy to take quiz that will assist you in identifying your career type.  Once you have completed this quiz you can reference your specific personality type to learn more about career matches that fit for you.

So if you are on a new career path, and are interested in learning about a fascinating and accurate tool to assist you in determining what might just be the correct career path for you, then read ” The Career Within You“.  This book is for anyone who is questioning their existing career and looking to find more meaningful work, or the new college graduate who is seeking his or her first job.  I know you will find the information to be quite useful as well as easy to follow and read.   Elizabeth also has a website that has many resources for the reader.

If you are interested in learning more or taking the free career within you quiz then click here .  Enjoy my interview with Elizabeth Wagele, and I hope you understand more about your personality after listening to this very knowledgeable author on the subject of the Enneagram Personality Assessment System.

Podcast 158 : Capture Your Flag with Erik Michielsen

Erik MichielsenI was in my office one day, and got a surprise call from Erik Michielsen.   He was referred to me by author Simon Sinek who has appeared on his video blog entitled “Capture Your Flag” and was also a guest on Inside Personal Growth.

The further I dialogued with Erik about his website, I began to realize what an amazing resource he has created for people searching for more fulfillment in their careers.  Erik engages in wonderfully authentic dialogues with the men and women on the street about their feeling, emotions and motivations around their careers.

His online interview show and career planning resource, Capture Your Flag, showcases common character building themes empowering rising leaders’ personal and professional development.  Its purpose is to disarm fears you have and open future planning possibilities.

Interviewees represent an approachable peer group who continue to work through these same challenges in their respective journeys.  Interview segments are categorized by “Fulfillment Flag” to highlight common elements informing interviewee decisions and career progression.

I encourage anyone who is currently questioning their career path, or who is new to the job market to check out Erik’s website.  It is a great resource and will most likely provide the viewer with useful knowledge about his or her next steps in career planning.  You can visit Erik’s website “Capture Your Flag” by clicking here.

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