Coaching For Leaders

David Sparks: MacSparky David Sparks speaks and writes about how to use technology to be more productive. David is a past speaker at Macworld / iWorld and a regular faculty member for the American Bar Association’s TechShow. David has published numerous books and videos on how to use technology including the MacSparky Field Guide series that includes videos and books on managing email, going paperless, and how to make a winning presentation. David is also co-host of the popular Mac Power Users, Automators, and Focused podcasts. When not speaking and writing about technology, he’s a business attorney in Orange County, California. David recently released his Paperless Field Guide*. In this conversation, David and I review the key steps to managing a paperless lifestyle including how to capture, process, edit, and share documents. We share useful hacks to find data in documents, track changes, annotate PDFs, and much more. Key Points The goal of the paperless lifestyle is to provide sanity so you’re not spe

Tom Henschel: The Look & Sound of Leadership Tom Henschel of Essential Communications grooms senior leaders and executive teams. An internationally recognized expert in the field of workplace communications and self-presentation, he has helped thousands of leaders achieve excellence through his work as an executive coach and his top-rated podcast, The Look & Sound of Leadership. In this episode Tom and Dave discuss the common challenge of both making sense to others and making sense of what others say to you. Tom invites us to follow a four step approach of sorting and labeling so that it’s easier for listening to follow our thinking. Finally, we explore some of the common missteps in communicating with more clarity. Key Points The why behind making sense: it’s better for both the sender and the receiver. There are four key parts to the structure of making sense to others: Create a headline Sort into folders Label each folder Transition with precision Tom shared an example of two different

Pat Griffin: Dale Carnegie Pat has been actively engaged in helping organizations achieve greater success through the transformation of their people for almost two decades. He is a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer who helps organizations deliver measurable impact on strategic initiatives. Pat has extensive experience with manufacturing and engineering firms due to his previous career in those industries. He helps leaders zero in on process improvement and how the human side of that effort plays a significant role in its success or failure. Today he's Chief Relationship Officer at Dale Carnegie of Western New York. In this conversation, Pat and I discuss how managers can get alignment with employees about the key outcomes of their jobs. Pat invites us to create a Performance Results Description document, align with employees on the results, and then use it for tracking ongoing. Done well, this allows managers to influence better outcomes and provides more clarity for employees on where to place effort for result

Ethan Kross: Chatter Ethan Kross is one of the world’s leading experts on controlling the conscious mind. As an award-winning professor in the University of Michigan’s top-ranked Psychology Department and its Ross School of Business, he studies how the conversations people have with themselves impact their health, performance, decisions, and relationships. His research has been published in Science, The New England Journal of Medicine, and The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. He's been featured by Good Morning America, NPR’s Morning Edition, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, and many other publications. He's the author of Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It*. In this conversation, Ethan and I highlight how introspection can sometimes do more harm than good. Ethan invites us to form a board of advisors that support us with both our emotional and cognitive needs. Plus, he shares the science behind how we can do this effectiv

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni Stachowiak is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, a professor of business and management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, Bonni was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. She is the author of The Productive Online and Offline Professor: A Practical Guide*. Recent Trends Many leaders are seeking advice on how to manage up. We’re noticing that team behavior is a challenge for leaders right now. Listener Question Rudolf asked for recommendations on how to make the most of reading — and how to make time for it. Resources Mentioned Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes* by William Bridges with Susan Bridges Managing Transitions, 25th anniversary edition: Making the Most of Change* by William Bridges with Susan Bridges Readwise Related Episodes How to Create Team Guidelines, with Susan Gerke (episode 192) How to Deal with Opponents and Adversaries

Tim Stringer: Technically Simple Tim Stringer is a coach, consultant, and trainer and the founder of Technically Simple. He provides productivity, technology and workflow coaching, consulting and training to people and organizations, large and small, all over the planet. His technology specializations include Asana, Daylite, OmniFocus, and Trello. He supports many people in productivity though his website LearnOmniFocus.com -- and also through the Holistic Productitvity approach that he developed after coming face-to-face with cancer back in 2008. Tim consults to leaders and organizations on how to use Zoom effectively and recently launched a new course: Leading Effective Zoom Events. In this conversation, Tim and I overview some of the common mistakes of online events, how online can produce even better results than in-person, and ways to engage people quickly. Plus, we review some of the key technology that will support your organization’s outreach efforts. Key Points It’s often a mistake to assume tha

Lisa Feldman Barrett: Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain Lisa Feldman Barrett is among the top one percent most cited scientists in the world for her revolutionary research in psychology and neuroscience. She is a University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University, with appointments at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. She is also Chief Science Officer for the Center for Law, Brain & Behavior at Harvard University. In addition to her bestselling book How Emotions Are Made*, she has published over 240 peer-reviewed, scientific papers appearing in Science, Nature Neuroscience, and other top journals in psychology and cognitive neuroscience. She has also given a popular TED talk with nearly 6 million views and received a Guggenheim Fellowship in neuroscience and an NIH Director's Pioneer Award. In this conversation, Lisa and I discuss the lessons from her newest book, Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain*. We discuss some of the common misperceptions

Tendayi Viki: Pirates in the Navy Tendayi Viki is an author, innovation consultant, and Associate Partner at Strategyzer, helping large organizations innovate for the future while managing their core business. He has been shortlisted for the Thinkers50 Innovation Award and was named on the Thinkers50 Radar List for emerging management thinkers to watch. He's written three books based on his research and consulting experience, Pirates In The Navy*, The Corporate Startup* and The Lean Product Lifecycle*. The Corporate Startup * was awarded the CMI Management Book Of The Year In Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He is also a regular contributing writer for Forbes. In this conversation, Tendayi and I discuss how innovators often take on the role of pirates in the navy. We explore the mindset that innovators inside organizations need to avoid the common mistakes in advancing new ideas. Plus, we discuss why innovators should ignore detractors early on, parter with early adopters, and use early wins to move forward

Dave Crenshaw: The Myth of Multitasking Dave Crenshaw develops productive leaders in Fortune 500 companies, universities, and organizations of every size. He has appeared in Time magazine, USA Today, FastCompany, and the BBC News. His courses on LinkedIn Learning have been viewed tens of millions of times. His five books have been published in eight languages, the most popular of which is The Myth of Multitasking: How “Doing It All” Gets Nothing Done*. In this conversation, Dave and I discuss why multitasking is a myth and how switchtasking stops us from being efficient. We highlight a few key indicators that will help your determine if you’re switchtasking more that you imagine. Finally, we detail three practical steps you can take to be more present for yourself and others. Key Points 40% of knowledge workers never get more than thirty minutes straight of focused time. True multi-tasking is a myth. Most people are switchtasking — and losing time when they do it. An indicator that you might not be pr

Therese Huston: Let’s Talk Therese Huston is a cognitive scientist and the founding director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Seattle University. She has written for The New York Times and the Harvard Business Review and has previously given talks at Microsoft, Amazon, TEDxStLouis, and Harvard Business School. Her prior books are titled Teaching What You Don't Know* and How Women Decide*. She's the author of the book Let's Talk: Make Effective Feedback Your Superpower*. In this conversation, Therese and I discuss how we can reduce bias that may unintentionally show up in our feedback. We examine several of the key feedback challenges for managers, including telling women they need to speak up, that they are too aggressive, or concerned they will “take it the wrong way.” We also highlight key language that can help leaders make these conversations more productive and transparent. Key Points Managers tend to sugarcoat feedback, but especially when feedback is being given to women.

Tammy Bjelland: Workplaceless Tammy Bjelland is the Founder and CEO of Workplaceless, a training company that teaches remote workers, leaders, and companies how to work, lead, grow, and thrive in distributed environments. Workplaceless is a fully distributed company supporting enterprise, remote, and government clients such as Toyota, GitLab, and the US Department of Commerce. In this conversation, Tammy and I discuss how leaders can successful establish a mindset that helps them lead remote teams more successfully. We discuss how to take on a placeless mindset, explore the importance of shifting from how to why, and the best starting points for a communication charter. Key Points Five key principles of a Placeless mindset: Embrace location independence over physical presence. Empower autonomous work with flexible schedules. Impact productivity with asynchronous communication and collaboration. Be open and transparent. Trust your colleague and employees. Fear of losing control tends to keep or

Stefanie Johnson: Inclusify Stefanie Johnson is an author, professor, and keynote speaker who studies the intersection of leadership and diversity, focusing on how unconscious bias affects the evaluation of leaders and strategies that leaders can use to mitigate bias. Stefanie is an associate professor at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business, teaching courses on leadership and inclusion. She is also a member of the Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coaches program and was selected for the 2020 Thinkers50 Radar List. She is a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review and many other publications. In this conversation, Stefanie and I discuss her book Inclusify: The Power of Uniqueness and Belonging to Build Innovative Teams*. We look at how optimism may get in the way of building an inclusive workforce. Plus, Stefanie invites leaders to make public commitments and begin using metrics to track performance. Key Points Our two most basic human desires are to be unique and to belong. Leade

BJ Fogg: Tiny Habits BJ Fogg is a behavior scientist, with deep experience in innovation and teaching. He's directed a research lab at Stanford University for over 20 years. He trains innovators to create solutions that influence behavior for good in the areas of health, sustainability, financial wellbeing, learning, productivity, and more. He is an expert in behavior change, from habit formation to company culture change. Fortune Magazine named him a "New Guru You Should Know" for his insights about mobile and social networks. His is the author of the New York Times bestseller Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything*. In this conversation, BJ and I discuss why new information alone doesn’t tend to lead to the behavior change most of us want. Instead, we explore BJ’s research and a key, 3-step process that will help all of us to create habits that stick. Plus, he points out that habits are even more about emotion than they are about repetition. Key Points Information does not lead to action

Minda Harts: The Memo Minda Harts is the founder and CEO of The Memo and an advocate for women of color in the workplace. She is a sought-after speaker and thought-leader, frequently speaking on topics of advancing women of color, leadership, diversity, and entrepreneurship. In 2018, Minda was named as one of 25 Emerging Innovators by American Express. Minda has been a featured speaker at TEDx Harlem, Nike, Levi's, Twitch, Bloomberg, Google, LinkedIn, SXSW, and many other places. She is an adjunct assistant professor of public service at NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. She also hosts Secure the Seat, a weekly career podcast for women of color. She's the author of the bestselling book The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table*. In this conversation, Minda and I discuss the motivation for her work and the reality that recent events have been for women of color in the workplace. Minda shares some of the common obstacles that, good intentions aside, keep

Patrick Lencioni: The Motive Pat is one of the founders of The Table Group and is the pioneer of the organizational health movement. He is the author of 11 books, which have sold over 6 million copies and been translated into more than 30 languages. As President of the Table Group, Pat spends his time speaking and writing about leadership, teamwork, and organizational health and consulting with executives and their teams. He is the author of The Motive: Why So Many Leaders Abdicate Their Most Important Responsibilities*. In this conversation, Pat and I discuss the distinction between reward-centered leaders and service-orientated leaders. We explore the five omissions that reward-centered leaders tend to make and how to avoid these omissions. Plus, Pat introduces his Working Genius model. Key Points When leaders are motivated by personal reward, they will avoid the unpleasant situations and activities that leadership requires. -Patrick Lencioni 5 Omissions of Reward-Centered Leaders: Developing the leade

Julia Taylor Kennedy: Coqual Julia Taylor Kennedy is an Executive Vice President at Coqual, driving cutting-edge research into the issues impacting today's professional workforce. She led The Sponsor Dividend research and co-authored Disabilities and Inclusion, Mission Critical: Unlocking the Value of Veterans in the Workforce, and The Power of the Purse: Engaging Women for Healthy Outcomes. She has spoken at the United Nations, the Carnegie Council for Ethics and International Affairs, the Conference Board — and many other places — and she’s been featured in The Washington Post, CBS News, Forbes, Time, and Harvard Business Review. Coqual recently released a new report, titled, The Power of Belonging: What It Is and Why It Matters in Today’s Workplace. Key Points A slight uptick in belonging leads to a sizable increase in engagement/loyalty. White men and women have the highest belonging scores. Black and Asian women have the lowest. Organizations can move beyond espousing support by setting clear met

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni Stachowiak is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, a professor of business and management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, Bonni was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. She is the author of The Productive Online and Offline Professor: A Practical Guide*. Listener Questions Joyce asked our advice on organizational culture assessments. Nina wondered how to create a cohesive culture which allows for unique cultures in each workforce segment. Bonni and Dave shared some recent technology they are playing with, including 1Password and Readwise. Resources Mentioned Human Synergistics 1Password Readwise Related Episodes The Four Critical Stories Leaders Need For Influence, with David Hutchens (episode 148) How to Create an Unstoppable Culture, with Ginger Hardage (episode 350) The Path of Humble Leadership, with Edgar Schein and Peter Schein (episode 36

Chris Hogan: Everyday Millionaires Chris Hogan is a best-selling author, a personal finance expert, and America’s leading voice on retirement, investing, and building wealth. His goal is to help as many people as possible avoid financial traps and set their families up for the future. His book Retire Inspired: It’s Not an Age; It’s a Financial Number* is a number one national best seller, and The Chris Hogan Show has millions of downloads. He is also the author of Everyday Millionaires: How Ordinary People Built Extraordinary Wealth―and How You Can Too*. In this conversation, Chris and I discuss the national study that his organization conducted on everyday millionaires. We address some of the common misconceptions about millionaires. Plus, we detail both the mindset and behaviors that millionaires have that support the creation of wealth. Key Points The top three occupations for millionaires are engineer, accountant, and teacher. Millionaires steer clear of debt. Millionaires have a mentality of abu

Andrea Wanerstrand: Microsoft & International Coach Federation Andrea Wanerstrand is a leadership coach and head of Microsoft Worldwide Learning Coaching Programs. Andrea has 15+ years of international experience in organizations ranging from 50 to over 150,000+ employees. She has a multi-industry background including technology solutions and services, business management consulting, and telecommunications. Andrea’s expertise is in leading the development and management of large-scale global coaching & leadership development programs specializing in customer centric organizations. In addition to leading the global coaching programs at Microsoft, she is an International Coaching Federation (ICF) PCC certified leadership coach, serves as a current Board Member on the ICF Global Board of Directors, and is a Fellow at the Institute of Coaching – Harvard McLean. In this conversation, Andrea and I discuss how the conversation about coaching culture started at Microsoft and how they began to bring this intention i

Oscar Trimboli: Deep Listening Oscar is a mentor, coach, speaker, and author. He was a director at Microsoft for over a decade and headed up the MS Office division in Australia. Today, Oscar works with leadership teams and their organizations on the importance of clarity to create change, how to embrace the digital economy, and the role values play in the achievement of your purpose. He is the author of Deep Listening: Impact Beyond Words*. In this conversation, Oscar details the four habits that tend to derail our listening. We explore the patterns and behaviors of each habit, and how we can work to do better. Plus, Oscar invites us to notice feelings instead of words — as well as HOW people are saying things, not just WHAT they are saying. Key Points Four habits that derail listening: Dramatic Listener They get engrossed in the emotion and want to become an actor in it. Dramatic listeners tend to get caught up in the problem so much so that they don’t hear the idea or the solution. They may come away fr