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 341: Work with Passion in Midlife and Beyond with Nancy Anderson

Nancy AndersonAuthor Nancy Anderson is probably the best career coach that I have every interviewed.  She not only seems to have a special intuition about what one’s career path should be, she has an amazing wise insight into our current career marketplace.  What I love about her book ” Work with Passion in Midlife and Beyond” is that it is easy to read and more importantly full of great advice and guidance.

What she conveys in our interview together is that when one reaches midlife the desire to have a vocation that is meaningful and on purpose is heightened.  As she states we have gone through our years of  raising kids, growing our bank accounts and now we want to focus on a vocation that will make a difference.

I would concur with her, for me personally this happened when I turned age 50.  I also have spoken with many of my friends and their seems to be a stirring and uncomfortable feeling that we don’t have much time and we need to change career course with more meaningful work.

Nancy states that change for the better takes place in three (3) stages.  The first stage is when you admit that what your’re doing is not working, and you ask for help if you need it.  Then comes the second and most difficult state, stopping what your’re doing that is not working.  If you persist in your efforts, you reach the third and final state, making choices that work for your.  Now this may all sound simple, but when you are in the middle of a career and considering a choice this can be scary.

Nancy says that identifying and facing our fears is the crucial step in the first stage of change.  She states that in the book “Think and Grow Rich” Napoleon Hill discribes six basic fears that keep you stuck in the past. These fears are as follows: 1) the fear of poverty 2) the fear of criticism, 3) the fear of loss of love 4) the fear of illness 5) the fear of old age 6) the fear of death.  I would say that about covers them all.

Nancy also recommends that when we are ready to take the next step that we rewrite our life story.  Now this is probably the best advice for anyone wanting to explore their authentic self and the core of their personality.  Going through this exercise is very revealing, and can be life altering–I know for I have completed this exercise and it is extremely empowering.  You see that once you do this exercise this much if revealed from your past, and frequently we are carrying emotional baggage forward into our life today and it is not serving us.

So, if you want to work with passion and live the life you want I think that Nancy Anderson book “Work with Passion in Midlife and Beyond” is the perfect reference.  She also is the author of “Work with Passion” which is also a great book on career coaching.  If you want to learn more about Nancy and how she can help you specifically please click here to be directed to her website.

 

I hope you enjoy my interview with this wonderfully insightful career and life coach–Nancy Anderson.  You can also watch a wonderful video at YouTube by clicking here.

Podcast 340: Patience: The Art of Peaceful Living with Allan Lokos

Allan LokosIn a recent interview with author Allan Lokos we discussed his new book entitled ” Patience: The Art of Peaceful Living“.

Allan’s book was born one summer evening when a dear friend made a comment “Just about every mistake I have every made and every unkind word I have ever spoken might have been avoided if I had been more patient.”  Allan thought that this was a stunning statement revealing remarkable insight, and it was the birth of this book.

The development of genuine, open-minded patience may very well lead one to also examine one’s experience of anger and its root causes.  Although impatience and anger are not the same, they live in the same neighborhood states Allan.  In fact, it is as if they live in the same house with barely a flimsy curtain between them, anger ready to join in when impatience shows the slightest interest in emerging from its thin-shelled cocoon.  Not coincidentally, the journey that develops patience is traveled along a path similar to that which undermines the deceiving appeal of anger and what at times can appear to be anger’s uncontrollable nature.

The development of patience requires an understanding of the  root causes of our stress, anxiety, and frustration.  Then we must be willing to relinquish the type of thinking that leads to the loss of patience.  Although anger and patience are not opposites, they can be thought of as two side of the same coin.  When one side is visible the other is hard to see.  When one side is active the other is unlikely to emerge.

Allan is a teacher of Buddhist practices and his approach is not to get attached to the emotions that anger and frustration stur up within one.  To become more mindful from moment to moment which includes being nonjudgmental.  Because of anger’s enormous potential for danger, it would be an exaggeration to say we call on patience to come to the rescue, to save the day, perhaps even to save a life.  The courageous act of starting to address one’s anger and develop greater patience is, to me , a sacred act.  The simple act of pausing invites the mind and body to stop, to allow fiery thoughts to cool and subside before giving them expression.

 

If you want to cultivate more patience and reduce the dangers of anger and frustration, then you ought to read and take in the very important message of “Patience: The Art of Peaceful Living“.  This is a book worth the read, and especially in the complex world we are living in today that frequently tests our patience.

If you would like more information about Allan Lokos and his new book please click here to be directed to his YouTube video.

Podcast 338: Tapping the Source with Bill Gladstone

Bill GladstoneOver the last several months I have grown to know author and literacy agent Bill Gladstone.   Bill a fascinating man, and  has a true passion for helping and serving people through great books, and connecting people for the greater good.  I recently interviewed Bill about one of his many co-authored book entitled ” Tapping the Source”

This book was written and co-authored with John Selby, Richard Greninger and Bill Gladstone and brings to light the works of Charles Haanel’s Master Key System combining short-form meditation techniques with new psychological insights assisting one in tapping their personal potential.

Charles Haanel never claimed to have invented the process of manifestation that he taught. In fact he often refers to classic sources in the Judeo-Christian heritage and Greek and Eastern traditions to highlight the ancient wisdom he’s drawing from and expanding upon.  But beyond classic parallels, his personal vision appears to be uniquely inspired with new psychological insights and remarkably clear elucidations of the core principles that drive our everyday lives:  ” What you and I desire, what everyone is seeking, is happiness and harmony.  If we can be truly happy, we shall have everything the workd can give. If we are happy ourselves, we can make others happy.”

The primary difference in the qualities of Haanel’s vision is that he’s not fixed on material possessions or giant bank accounts or a fleet of fancy cars in the garage.  Yes, he does fully support abundance, but he bases his teaching on the fact that what we really want deep down is to feel genuinely happy and in ongoing harmony with ourselves and the world.  He says “Harmony and happiness are states of consciousness, and do not depend upon possession of things.”

Haannel stated that ” creative power does not originate in the individual, but in the Universal, which is the source and foundation of all energy and substance; the individual is simply the channel for the distribution of this energy.” Haanel was not only a wise man, but very spiritually connected soul bringing awareness and light to the world.

If you want to learn more about Charles Haanel and Tapping the Source, please visit the Tapping the Source website by clicking here.  There is also a full featured DVD that is excellent and will provide you with insights from some of the greatest minds in the personal growth, spirituality and mastery  today.

 

Enjoy my interview with Bill Gladstone a wonderful author and compassionate man on a mission.  To learn more about Bill Gladstone please click here to be directed to his website.

Podcast 336: Just One Thing-Developing A Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time with Rick Hanson Ph.D.

Rick Hanson Ph.D.Author Rick Hanson is one of my favorite authors, and he has created a great new little book entitled “Just One Thing, Developing a Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time”.  Rick is right on when he speaks about practicing. In my estimation it is the operative word,  one must start the practice, because practice is the only thing that will continue our ability to improve and reach heightened states of consciousness.

In my interview with Rick we discuss the daily practices that Rick has articulated in his book.  These practices are mainly inside your mind and are designed to support and increase your sense of security and worth, resilience, effectiveness, well-being, insight, and inner peace.  Some of the practices include taking in the good, protecting your brain, feeling safer, relaxing anxiety about imperfection, not knowing, enjoying your hands, taking refuge, and filling the hole in your heart.

Rick states that it’s a two-way street: as your brain changes, your mind changes; and as your mind changes, your brain changes.  This means–remarkably–that what you pay attention to, what you think and feel and want and how you work with your reactions to things all sculpt your brain in multiple ways.  The details are complex, bu the key point is simple: how you use your mind changes your brain–for better or worse.  There’s a traditional saying that the mind takes the shape it rests upon; the modern update is that the brain takes the shape the mind rests upon.

For instance, you regularly rest your mind upon worries, self-criticism, and anger, then your brain will gradually tak the shape–will develop neural structures and dynamics–of anxiety, low sense of worth, and prickly reactivity to others.  On the other hand, if you regularly rest your mind upon, for example, noticing your’re all right right now, seeing the good in yourself, and letting go–three of the practices in this book–then your brain will gradually take the shape of calm strength, self-confidence and inner peace.

It is the beginning of a New Year, and we can all use great ideas to help us establish better patterns and habits that help and serve us.  I hope that you will read Rick’s new book “Just One Thing” because he provides the reader with 52 new practices to help you become more mindful, centered and develop peace and bliss in your life.  What a wonderful thing!!!

 

If you would like more information on Rick Hanson, please click here to be directed to his website or click here to go to his Facebook page.  He also has some great videos at Youtube.

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 334: Why Can’t I Get Rid Of This Clutter with Sallie Felton

Sallie FeltonIt is the beginning of a New Year for everyone, and if you are like me it is time to do some house cleaning.  I have known Sallie Felton author of “Why Can’t I Get Rid of this Clutter” for sometime, what I did not know that she is known at the clutter coach.

In my interview with Sallie  about her new book “Why Can’t I Get Rid of This Clutter” she provides sound practical advice for anyone looking to find the top of their desk, to cleaning out all of that stuff that has been hanging around collecting dust and zapping our psychic energy.  As Sallie states in her book clutter show up in our lives in three ways–mentally, physically and emotionally. Each area plays an important role in our well-being and none of them stand alone.

Mental clutter show us and is a recipe for an over-stressed, over scheduled, and over exhausted and over stimulated self. Throw all of these request, demands and obligation into the blender, puree at hight speed and whats’ the result? Dis-ease. Mental, physical and emotional stress have to go somewhere and if we don’t find outlets for them, we’ll direct them inward.

Physical clutter is the one we think of when we hear the word.  It is all that VISIBLE stuff that piles up around us and take over our work and living space.  Physical clutter affects different people in different ways.  Spend a few moments thinking about how you react to it.  What happens when you take a good look at all the stuff?  Do you feel a pit from in your stomach?  Does it grate on your nerves.  No matter how you feel inside, the physical stuff interferes with our productivity, clarity of mind and focus.

Emotional clutter comes straight from the heart.  It includes the feelings surrounding past and present issues we haven’t yet processed, worked through, nurtured or release. Emotional clutter is judgment, expectation, unresolved conflicts and self-defeating behaviors, like perfectionism.

If you are starting your New Year off with physical, emotional, or mental clutter then you owe it to yourself to listen to this podcast with Sallie Felton.  I highly recommend her book as well you can get lots of tips from her website by clicking here.

You can see Sallie Felton in action at YouTube by clicking here or  Enjoy this great interview with a woman who can really help us all get our acts together.

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