Podcast 342: Smart Trust with Greg Link

Greg LinkI recently interviewed my good friend and co-author of “Smart Trust“, Greg Link.  Yet another great book from the Covey Link team.

Many of you may remember a book entitled ” The Speed of Trust” which sold more than 1 million copies in 2006  in which Stephen M.R. Covey wrote about the importance of preserving and restoring trust was one of the most important elements in business today..

In “Smart Trust” Greg and Stephen provide a lens to see how trust issues impact every situation, and how you can cut through traditional either/or thinking to extend what they call Smart Trust, enabling you to operate with hight trust in a low trust world.

Greg speaks with me during this interview about how high trust organization time and time again outperform low-trust organizations by nearly three times.  Moving from a low-trust organization has hugh implications and opportunity abounds.   Organization that can embrace “Smart Trust” have the benefit of having employees, customers and communities that support their organizations thus , employee engagement, profitability and innovation are just a few of the benefits of operating with “Smart Trust“.

Greg and I discuss what they refer to in the book at the “ 5 Actions of Smart Trust“, and how Smart Trust Leaders consistently take these actions.  1) Choose to Believe in Trust–this creates the foundational paradigm out of which all other trust-building behaviors flow. 2) Start with Self–focus first on developing the character and competence that enables them to trust themselves and to also give others a person–or a team, organization or country–they can trust 3) Declare their intent…and assume positive intent in others–they signal goals and intended actions—both what and why–clearly in advance, and generally assume that others also have good intent and want to be worthy of trust. 4) Do what they say they’re going to do–they follow through and act to carry out their declared intent; walk their talk. 5) Lead out in extended trust to others–they are the first to extend trust an initiate the upward virtuos cycle that leads to prosperity, energy and joy.

One thing that I know for certain is that “trust” and “fear” can not co-exist.  If we can move our people, businesses and planet to to understanding the importance of embracing “Smart Trust” we will certainly move toward more equanimity. We would have a world where we work in cooperation with one another without the conflict that fear creates.  Competition would be replaced with collaboration and wonderful synergies would emerge  benefiting humanity as a whole.

 

If you would like to learn more about Greg Link and Stephen Covey please click here to be directed to their website.

You can also check out this YouTube Video about the 13 behaviors of high trust people. I hope you enjoy this wonderful interview with Greg Link from the Covey Link Team.

Podcast 335: The One Minute To-Do List with Michael Linenberger

Michael LinenbergerIn the New Year I wanted to treat my listeners and supporters to better ways to manage their time and life.  This is my second interview with author Michael Linenberger, about this new book entitled ” The One Minute To-Do List“.

When Michael states that he can help you quickly get your chaos completely under control he is absolutely correct.  In my interview with Michael we discuss how he recommends his clients approach their to-do lists into urgency zones.  The first zone is referred to as the “Critical Now“.  These are items that you know are absolutely due today.  What is making you nervous and needs to get completed.

The next zone is what Michael refers to as the “Opportunity Now“.  You  list in this section of the worksheet those tasks that though not urgently due now, you would work on now if you had the opportunity.  Included things that may be due tomorrow, or later this week, even as far out as ten (10) days.

Now for the last segment of the list entitled ” Over-the-Horizon List“. On this list you will write down anything that is on your mind that can wait ten (10) days or more for you to get to it.   These are items that are obviously your slow-burn items.  These things are not troubling you right now as being at all urgent.

Michael states that we tend to overload our lists.  The first rule deals with how many tasks, and the maximum you should have in each section. The number one cause of a failed to-do list, particularly those that are automated, is that the list gets to big and overwhelming.  Michael suggest that we keep the “Critical Now” list to five (5) or fewer items, the “Opportunity Now” list should be fewer than 20 items.

If you are into automated systems Michael recommends a great program that is cloud based called “ToodleDo“.  I have provided the link to their website.  I started using is right after our interview and I have found it to be quite useful.  It is also simple, so give it a try you have nothing to lose.

 

I hope you enjoy my interview with Michael Linenberger about his new book ” The One Minute To-Do List”.  Michael website is loaded with resources and forms you can download, so click here to be directed to his website.  If you would like to see Michael in action, then click here to watch a great YouTube video.

Podcast 332: The Radical Leap Re-Energized with Steve Farber

Steve FarberI have known author Steve Farber for several years now, and this is my second podcast  with him. His new book entitled “The Radical Leap Re-Energized” is the subject of this interview The Radical Leap Re-Engerized is designed for those readers and leaders who do what they do because they love it,  and and they are in service to others.

Steve is extremely passionate about his work, and in this new book which is part non-fiction and part fiction Steve guides the reader to renew their excitement for what they do and encourage others to lead with passion.  What Steve refers to as the Radical Leap is associated with 1) cultivating love 2) generating energy 3) inspiring audacity and 4) providing proof.

Love is the ultimate motivation of the Extreme Leader: love of something or someone, love of a cause, love of a principle, love of the people you work with and the customers you serve, love of the future you and yours can create together, love of the business you conduct together ever day.  Without the calling and commitment of your heart, there’s no good reason for you to take a stand, to take a risk, or to do what it takes to change your world for the better.

Generate energy-the Extreme Leader is a generator, a powerful force for action, for progress, and an enthusiastic believer in people and in their capacity to do the awesome.    Steve asks ” what gets you out of bed and brings you to work?” If you are to be the generator, where does you juice come from?  In what well do you dip your cup to get the nourishment you need to meet the obstacles and challenges that you and your face every day.   So what generates energy–Love, Great Ideas, Noble Principles, Leaping Goals, Interesting Work, Exciting Challenges and a Compelling Vision.

Inspire Audacity– for the Extreme Leader, audacity is the bold and blatant disregard for normal constraints in order to change the world for the better.  Love-inspired audacity is courageous and fille with valor.  The Extreme Leader is audacious not to serve his or her own ego, but to serve the common good.  And to do so boldly and blatantly and let the naysayers be damned.

If you are a leader, and I am not just don’t referring to  someone in business.  Leaders are all around us, Mom’s, Dad’s, Sisters, Brothers we are all leaders.  Steve’s book will provide you the inspiration to lead with principle and integrity and to take the leap forward into a new way of perceiving your role as a leader.

 

I hope you enjoy my interview with author Steve Farber and for more information please visit his website by clicking here or you can watch some great video’s of him on YouTube by clicking here.

Podcast 314: I Come First with Mark Nicholas

Mark NicholasI really enjoyed my interview with author Mark Nicholas about his new book entitled ” I Come First-How the Individual Ego Rules Every Business Decision“.   Mark points out that in business we encounter a world very much out of our control.  We find mangers and colleagues of all types, each with individual aspirations, issues and priorities.  Same are very smart and competent; others, difficult, bossy and incompetent.  Mark says that no matter how hard we work, or how powerful we become, the business world is as it always has been: a bit unpredictable, subject to strong personalities and aspiring politicians, and more than a little personal.

Business is the adult version of the neighborhood playground and Mark’s book at its core is a discussion about how we interact in the business sandbox with all of these colorful characters.  You see…the playground is as it always has been, undeniably and overwhelmingly human–and none of us can change the underlying nature of human beings.

First, Mark’s book strives to help you play in the sandbox, and offers formulas for success. Second, he offers short courses in negotiating, and discusses perception issues and political tactics used every day and in a practically every workplace interaction. Third, this book hopes to convey information not from a psychological or therapeutic viewpoint but from the point of view of people who live in the trenches: aspiring, hiring, firing, scrapping, fighting, negotiating and maneuvering every day in some very complex environments.  Fourth, unlike books that direct their attention to people aspiring to the highest levels of the business world, this book is designed for the daily battles in the trenches.  Fifth, you will not be asked to change the nearly unchangeable fabric that defines who you are, but hopefully you will find that you might improve in our ability to see your world more objectively and understand those various tools available to you.

Mark lends some wonderful advice for all of us working in the business world–” The solution to surviving and succeeding within business lies in knowing how to see, understand, and take advantage of the behavior that surrounds you, all the while knowing how to utilize the best and most effective characteristics of your own humanity, along with your talents, skills, and resources in a manner that allows you to get where you want to go. ”
If you are working in business and want a book that will help you navigate the land minds in which we are working, then I highly recommend that you read Mark’s book “ I Come First“.  You can learn more about Mark and his book by clicking here to be directed to his website.

Podcast 306: The Executive and The Elephant with Richard Daft

Richard DaftI thoroughly enjoyed my interview with author Richard Daft about his new book entitled ” The Executive and the Elephant-A Leaders Guide to Building Inner Excellence“.  I have interviewed 100’s of authors in the personal growth industry, but none  have as good of perspective  as author Richard Daft with the challenges we face in applying and sustaining change in conjunction to our beliefs,  behaviors and associated actions.

In my interview with Richard Daft we discuss what is referred to as the knowing and doing gap.  As Richard states ” Kings, heads of government, and corporate executives have control over thousands of people and endless resources, but often do not have mastery over themselves. From a distance larger-than-life leaders may look firmly in control of their businesses and their personal behavior.  What about up close?  Personal mastery is a difficult thing.”   The book is truly about helping leaders to recognize the two parts of themselves and to learn how to calm down, train and guide their inner elephant toward the desired success.

Richard gives an assignment to his MBA class at the beginning of the school year. He asks them to find one thing that they would like to change about themselves over a period of three weeks such as an improved exercise plan, diet, better nutrition etc. What he finds after checking in with the students is that the things they wanted to change about themselves were short lived and unsustainable over a long period of time.  He quotes from Dr. Jim Loehr ” Everyone has the same amount of self-discipline, almost none.  People mistakenly think they can change their lives if they just try harder and summon enough willpower.  It seldom happens.”
Richard says that a human beings seems composed of two selves-one it habit bound, impulsive, and emotion driven, and the other more thoughtful, circumspect, and rational. The idea of the two selves has a long tradition in Western culture; they are represented in the battle between reason and emotion, superego and id, angel and devil, the light side and the dark side, good and evil, and the spirit and the flesh.   This all adds up to as having two parts, or two selves, so to speak that sometimes are in conflict.  The bigger part is unconscious and forceful, and manages most of our behavior,  the other, smaller part is conscious and makes deliberate choices, and seems to play a subsidiary role, being used only on occasion when needed.

I sincerely appreciate how the author explains these aspects of our personality, and how they interfere with us reaching personal mastery or our highest potential.  I highly recommend this book, for its simplicity ease of reading as well as overall wisdom on the topic of personal mastery.

If you would like to learn more about the author Richard Daft please click here to be directed to his website. Enjoy this wonderful interview with a great author.

Podcast 295: True Blue Leadership with Tracey Jones

Tracey JonesWhat a great little book about lessons of leadership taught from the perspective of the authors dog “Mr Blue”.  Tracey Jones the author of this wonderful book is the daughter of Charlie Tremendous Jones and current CEO of “Tremendous Life Books“.  Tracey took over the business after his fathers death, and has been doing a wonderful job running the publishing business. Her new book ” True Blue Leadership” is as much about her love for her dog “Mr. Blue” as it is about the lessons she is conveying that she has learned from her beloved dog “Mr. Blue”.

You see ” Mr. Blue” is an Australia Shepard and if you know anything about this bread they love to work.  Mr. Blue states to be a True Blue Leader you must embrace each task with freshness and enthusiasm. You must work with all your soul and be loyal to the task as you are to your pack.  What a wonderful lesson, hopefully we can all live our lives with this work ethic and enjoy the tasks before us–it certainly makes life more fun.

Mr. Blue also states that we should greet everyone with ‘enthusiasm” just like her grandfather “Charlie Tremendous Jones” did.  If  you remember Charlie he was filled with enthusiasm and he always would say “life is tremendous”.  I don’ t think you will every find a time when Mr. Blue is not greeting you with enthusiasm.  If we would all endeavor to greet and meet people with enthusiasm imagine the wonderful feelings we would transfer to other as well as receive.  As you probably know the word “enthos” means seeing the God within.

Tracey likes to point out the most important decisions in life from her fathers best selling motivational classic ” Life is Tremendous”.  Who are you going to life your life with? What are you going to life your life in? What are you going to life your life for? She believes if we would spend sometime contemplating these very important questions that our lives would be more fulfilled and we would approach any challenges we face with faith and belief that we can overcome the challenges.
If you want a fun quick read on lesson in leadership told from the perspective of “Mr. Blue” then I highly recommend this inspirational read by author Tracey Jones.  If you would like more information about Tracey Jones and the “Tremendous Life Books” publishing organization please click here to be directed to their website.

Enjoy this wonderful interview with a lovely lady and heart centered leader herself Tracey Jones.

Podcast 280: The Art of Making Things Happen In Your Life with Dean Drawbaugh

Dean DrawbaughI recently had the privileged of interviewing author Dean Drawbaugh.  Dean has a great new easy to read book entitled “The Art of Making Things Happen In Your Life“.   The essence of this book is to provide the reader with self-assessment and reflections on ways to manifest their desired outcomes and goals.   At the end of each chapter Dean provides thought provoking questions and short assessment as a tool to assist the reader in determining where they are now,  and what they can do to change the current situation for a more positive outcome .

I love the story that Dean tells in the book and in our interview about the two wolves that live inside of us.   One evening a warrior in a remote village began to prepare his son to face life as an adult with the inevitable afflictions and adversities he would face.  The warrior told his son that all challenges ultimately are fought first between the two wolves inside him.  One is the wolf of fear which takes control of emotions and masquerades as lies, regret, feelings of inferiority, self-pity, envy and anger.  The other wolf is faith, consisting of trust, hope, joy, peace, humility, power and love.  The son thought about the scenario for a few minutes–of the two wolves battling against each other in his mind.  He asked, “Which one wins, Dad?” The wise father simply said, “The one you feed.”
How true this story is, and what a great way to illustrate a point.  We are what we think about, and if we can change our thinking we can change what we become.  Dean’s book “The Art of Making Things Happen In Your Life” is truly about observing what is happening now, and with some shifts in our thinking and our actions creating a better life.

I highly recommend this great little book, packed with practical advice on how to make things happen in your life.  If you would like to learn more about Dean Drawbaugh you can click here to be directed to his website.

I hope you enjoy this interview with author Dean Drawbaugh.

Podcast 275: The Power of Personal Accountability with Mark Samuel

Mark SamuelI was introduced to author Mark Samuel by my good friend and author Jonathan Ellerby.  His book entitled ” The Power of Personal Accountability” is really a wonderful read for anyone who is interested in taking action with relation to your desired outcomes.

During our dialogue in this interview we discuss Mark’s “Personal Accountability Model” which has two loops.  The first loop is that of being a victim, and the second loop is that of being accountable.  What I find interesting is that accountability is all about a choice.  If a situation arrises and we set our intention to become accountable, then we own the outcome and it is so much more empowering.  On the other hand if we choose to be the victim, them we frequently go into the blame game and rationalize our actions.

Mark has identified “forgiveness” as one of the legs on his accountability loop.  As Mark states ” forgiving others–and one’s self–is like hitting the “un-scribe” button in response to those annoying e-mails you get, which you never asked for.  That unsolicited spam is just there, taking up space in your e-mail box, taking time in your day. They don’t add anything; they’re just a nuisance. The same holds true for those judgments: they take the place of creative thoughts, of loving thoughts.

If you are at all interested in learning how accountability to yourself and other can empower you, and propel you into understanding the power of your stated actions and desired results then you need to listen to this interview with author Mark Samuel.  Mark has been teaching classes and conducting seminars for years empowering people about accountability.  Through self-examination you learn the most important thing, to have control over yourself.
If you would like to learn more about Mark Samuel then I would recommend that you visit his website by clicking here.  Enjoy this wonderful interview with a master in accountability, Mark Samuel.

Podcast 269: The Oz Principle with Roger Connors

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.