I recently conducted an interview with author Chris Barez Brown about his book entitled ” Wake-Up“–Podcast # 645.  I had such a great experience and interview with Chris that I invited him back to speak about his new book entitled “Shine, How To Survive And Thrive At Work“.

We all spend a lot of time at our work, so having fun and enjoying our work is so important to remain engaged.  In my interview with Chris, we discuss the many great ideas about how to keep our work fun and stay engaged.

Just one of the ideas includes a concept he calls “Who’s Elvis Around Here?” This is really a great idea, and is the person who stands out in your business, the one that breaks the rules, and makes things happen within the organization.  Is that you our are you just standing by waiting, or afraid to speak up?  Don’t stand on the sidelines waiting, get engaged and speak up with your good ideas to propel the business forward.

Chris states that our minds are highly efficient killing machines.  They are trained from an early age to destroy anything that doesn’t fit our model of the world. This means that analytical, logical minds dominate our working lives–what are you doing to get off or autopilot and tap into your abundant thinking brain which breaks the cycle of helping us to consider futures that are not based on past experience?

Shine, How to Survive and Thrive at Work is a book loaded with great ideas to help you thrive in the workplace.  It is an easy read and should be the companion to anyone wanting to make a difference at work.

If you want more information about author Chris Barez-Brown please click here to be taken to his website.  Our your can click here to be directed to Chris’s Facebook page.  I hope you enjoy this great interview with someone who has transformed how organizations look at their employees.

 

 

In all my years of conducting interviews with authors, I have probably never come across one like Dr. Larry Brilliant.  He is literally brilliant, authentic and someone who played a major role in eradicating a disease that was killing thousands of people.

In his new book “Sometime Brilliant-The Impossible Adventure of a Spiritual Seeker and Visionary Physician Who Helped Conquer the Worst Disease in History” he tell his story with flair and humor.

In my interview with Larry we get to explore his history as a visionary physician and spiritual seeker.  Larry ended up in India under the guidance of guru named Neem Karoli Baba.  Neem Karoli Baba informed Larry that he would be involved in the work to help eradicate smallpox.  At the time over 43,000 people were affected by this horrible disease, and through Larry’s diligence, persistence and fortitude to bring the doctors and World Health Organization together they accomplished the goal and vision that his guru has envisioned.

Through “Sometimes Brilliant” you are on a journey with Larry and the cast of characters, which include Steve Jobs, Ram Dass, Dalai Lama and many others.  You learn about a man and a life well lived, and a contribution to the world that saved and has saved thousands of lives from the smallpox disease.

I hope you enjoy this great interview with a wonderful humanitarian and physician.  If you want to learn more about Dr. Larry Brilliant please click here to be directed to his website, or click here to be taken to his Facebook page.

 

I really love business books that provide value to the reader, and this book “Rocket Fuel” is an easy to read book that is chalk full of value.

In my interview with author Mark C. Winter we explore one of the most important realizations by successful entrepreneurs and that if you want to develop a business it takes someone in the passenger seat, and that person is called an Integrator.  An “Integrator” compliments a “Visionary” and the right combination of these two people is imperative for the success of any business.

What you will learn by reading “Rocket Fuel” is that “Visionaries” have certain characteristics as do “Integrators”. When each person knows and plays their role in the organization you obtain “Rocket Fuel” as the book suggests.

Mark also discusses with me something he refers to as the “Accountability Chart”.  This is not just a normal organizational chart, the “Accountability Chart” helps you define the functions of the organization but to compliment that is defines the five (5) major roles of each of the people in the organization.  When you accomplish this task, it make everything much clearer and allows for leadership team to function with clear lines of communication.

What I appreciate most about “Rocket Fuel” and Mark C. Winters is the fact that all the techniques and tools outlined in the the book are tried and true tools.  Mark’s co-author Gino Wickman is the founder of EOS (Entrepreneur Operating System) out of Detroit Michigan.  EOS Worldwide provides the reader with amazing free resources as well as an opportunity to hire a business coach called an Implementer.

If you want to learn more about Rocket Fuel please click here to be directed to the book website, if you want to learn more about EOS Worldwide please click here to be directed to their website.  

I particularly enjoyed this animated YouTube Video titled “Why Entrepreneurial Companies Need a Visionary and an Integrator.”  I hope you enjoy my interview with Mark C. Winters.

 

I don’t think that there is an entrepreneur on the face of the planet that doesn’t understand the challenges of starting-up a new company. Most startups are faced with a myriad of issues, not to mention one of the biggest issues of finding capital to drive the new venture forward.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Hap Klopp the founder of North Face, about his new book entitled “Almost-12 Electric Months Chasing A Silicon Valley Dream“. Our interview is a must listen too for those who are in business, and especially if you might be seeking funding for your new venture. His book tells the story about the issues that a company by the name of “Ardica” in the Silicon Valley had in finding funds, and the dynamics of the personalities working in the business. Hap, was the marketing director and was on the board of directors of Ardica. It is a wonderfully told story about a group of very bright engineers attempting to revolutionize the energy business, and in the process finding obstacles at almost every intersection partially due to the disfunction of the organization and the other as a result of a cash burn rate that was exceeding income.

I hope you will take the time to listen to this great interview with Hap Klopp about his new book “Almost-12 Electric Months Chasing A Silicon Valley Dream.” If you want more information about Hap please click here to be linked to a great article from the Stanford Business School.  You can also learn more about Ardica by clicking here to visit their website.

 

There is lots of talk today about the power of authenticity, and rightfully so.  We see the topic being discussed throughout the political campaigning that we are experiencing, and unfortunately we don’t see our current top running candidates for the presidential election showing high levels of authenticity.   As sad as that might seem, “authenticity” seems to be conspicuously absent from this presidential campaign.

In my recent interview with author Karissa Thacker about her book “The Art of Authenticity” we discuss the four components that form the basis of authenticity as a leader.

First, is self-awareness-motivation and values are individual and distinctive.  This level of authenticity requires that one really wants, what is important and why.  The second is “balanced processing–this is a skill of blending thought process with the thought processes of others without a bias one’s own view. ( I really believe this is missing with that unnamed candidate for president.)  Third, is relational transparency–when it comes to building a genuine relationship with people, transparency is critical.  Authentic leaders allow themselves to evolve, grow, and experiment regarding their personal transparency.  Lastly, is internal moral perspective–authentic leaders are students of human nature in general and experts on the peculiarities of their own particular more nature. The keep their own unique internal GPS system activated as they deal with day-to-day pressures.

If you are a leader in your organization and wanting to learn more about the keys to being more authentic then I would highly recommend that you read Karissa Thacker new book “The Art of Authenticity“.  You can learn more by visiting her website by clicking here, or you can go to the book Facebook page by clicking here.

I hope you enjoy this lively interview with Karissa Thacker about “The Art of Authenticity“.

 

How many of you have ever experimented with mind mapping?  If you haven’t explored mind mapping, then you are in for a real treat in listening to this interview with Chris Griffiths the author of “GRASP the Solution“.

Chris is a thought leader and the person who alongside  Tony Buzan has accelerated the use of mind mapping into the business world, and continues to be a pioneer.  OpenGenius his organization based in England are the software developers of two amazing pieces of software called iMindMap 9 and Drop Task along with numerous training courses.

In my interview with Chris about his book “GRASP the Solution” we discuss what gets in the way of people tapping their creative genius.  Chris states that creativity can be learned, and it is not something that is foster in the business world, even though businesses always say they are looking for more creative and innovative people.  As a matter of fact it’s the people that are putting out the fires and jumping from one task to another that get the most attention, while the people that are thinkers, and are tapping their creative genius are frequently overlooked.

The acronym GRASP stand for the four types of thinking that are the foundation to how one approaches a particular task.  “Generative Thinking-is how we generate thoughts and ideas, Reactive Thinking-is how we react to existing influences and ideas, Analytical Thinking-is how we analyze ideas to reach a solution, Selective Thinking-is how we validate and implement a potential solution, Proactive Thinking-is the strategy of thinking that utilizes all of the previous types of thinking.

Mind Mapping is the technique invented by Tony Buzan for optimizing how we use our brains.  It is a visual format that is not linear that supports the creative problem solving skills, making is more intuitive and easy to capture our thoughts while mapping them visually.  This process can be completed on a big sheet of paper, or can be captured through software such as iMindMap 9 and or Drop Task.  Below is an image showing you an example of the iMind Map 9 and Drop Task screenshots.

imindmap_computer_screens

 

I hope you enjoy this wonderful interview with author and thought leader Chris Griffiths.  If you want to find more about OpenGenius and the software and trainings that are offered please click here to be directed to the website.  If you want to join the Facebook group for OpenGenius please click here.

 

Calling all leaders–your current leadership impact is a result of many factors.  Author Simon Tyler in his new book entitled ” Impact Code 50 Way to Enhance Your Presence and Impact at Work“, states that there are five (5) fundamental aspects of leadership.

1) Your Visual Impact, no this is not about the great clothes you wear it is about your visual messaging, and how people around you perceive your message.  2) Presence, this is that special something that you possess that draws people to you.  They want to hear what you have to say, and they are willing to follow you.  3) Connection, this is the factor relating to how well you connect with others, how they respond and if they are motivated by you written and spoken word.  4) Verbal Impact, how you make people feel when you give them a task to do.  Do they feel valued and empowered.  5) Your Leadership Footprint, do you leave others with a call-to-action or a high degree of interest and motivation.

Author Simon Tyler provides the reader with 50 short and well articulated lessons on how to make a greater impact in the workplace.  I highly recommend anyone in management read Simon’s book “Impact Code” to better understand what will make you a better leader in your organization.

If you want more information about Simon please visit his website by clicking here.

I hope you enjoy this interview with author Simon Tyler.

This interview is with the remarkable Diana Rivenburgh on here most recent book “The New Corporate Facts of Life.”  In this book, Diana can show business leaders how to seize and profit from the opportunities born every day in this new era of catalytic change.  This book will arm readers with practical models and tools in order to rid your business of outdated and useless practices and to bring it up to speed with modern influences.

Diana Rivenburgh has 25+ years  experience with organizational and leadership development, change, consulting and strategy creation.  She has her M.S. in Positive Organizational Development and Change from Case Western Reserve University and her B.S. in Business Administration from New York Institute of Technology.

Learn more about Diana Rivenburgh at strategic-imperatives.com.  You can also purchase “The New Corporate Facts of Life” here.

 

Inside Personal Growth with Greg Voisen · Podcast 539: The Fear-Free Organization with Joan Kingsley Every organization today is attempting to get the greatest engagement