Aim Higher: The podcast with purpose

Patty McCord: Creating a great culture

In this episode of Aim Higher, Skip interviews Patty McCord, former Chief Talent Officer at Netflix. While there, she created and continuously updated what has become a famous presentation about Netflix culture called “Freedom and Responsibility.” She wrote a book about that experience, “Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility,” and discusses with Skip some of the most important lessons she learned at Netflix, and in the seven years since she left. Many of which can be summed up in her algorithm for success: “Is what you love to do—that you’re extraordinarily good at doing—something this company needs someone to be great at?” She and Skip touch on some tough subjects, including how to approach radical honesty with grace, incorporate listening into leadership and how doing hard things is often more important than being happy at work.

Wednesday Wisdom: Scott McKain

We’re looking to Scott McKain, a personal friend of mine and wonderful author, for today’s “Wednesday Wisdom.” Scott says, “Make the customer the star of the show,” and I think that’s a fantastic way to focus your energy. Who’s the star of *your* show? Your showroom? Your product? You? Maybe shift that thinking. People love to talk about themselves… Give them the chance, and they’ll remember the conversation much more positively!

The 9 traits of servant leaders: #8 Servant leaders think long term

In this episode of Aim Higher, Skip and his panel discuss the benefits of long-term thinking, the 8^th of 9 traits of servant leaders. While any leader must acknowledge the importance of short-term goals, Skip emphasizes that you can’t simply forget about long-term thinking if you want to be a great leader. If you do? You’ll find yourself spinning out-of-control, following yearly, quarterly and even daily routines with no way to tell if you’re making any true progress. Worse, the people you’re trying to lead won’t have a firm grasp of your organization’s direction. This powerful mindset has implications for hiring, investment, training and other aspects of leadership, and Skip’s guests take us through some great ideas of how to apply long-term thinking to your leadership journey.

Wednesday Wisdom: Max DePree

Today’s “Wednesday Wisdom” comes from Max DePree, who said, “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the two, the leader must become a servant.” Leaders, I’ve found are often good at the first and last. Having a vision is often what inspires us to become leaders. After we achieve our goals? If we’re any kind of a decent person, we will take time for gratitude. But as I speak and write about all the time, it’s that in-between time that really makes great leaders. The servant leader’s reality is defined every day, and that leads to multiple rewards.

Paul Smith: Great leaders tell great stories

In this episode of Aim Higher, Skip interviews Paul Smith, one of the world’s leading experts in business storytelling. Paul was one of “Inc. Magazine’s” Top 100 Leadership Speakers of 2018. He’s a storytelling coach, and he shares with Skip some of the secrets from his new book, “The 10 Stories Great Leaders Tell.” Paul explains that we don’t make most of our decisions entirely logically; we make them in our subconscious and then we rationalize them. To influence people, we need to reach them at both levels, and good storytelling does that. He and Skip talk through several of the most important stories that great leaders should master, including “Where We Came From” (A Founding Story), “Why We Can’t Stay Here” (A Case-for-Change) and “Why You Should Want to Work Here” (A Recruiting Story). In the end, Skip and Paul agree… storytelling is a critical skill for leaders, and if you want to be good at it you can’t just “wing it.” You need to learn from an expert, and masters of the art – like Paul and Skip – can help.

Wednesday Wisdom: John Patrick

This week’s “Wednesday Wisdom” quote comes from John Patrick, an early internet pioneer, a former IBM executive, and a friend and colleague of Skip’s. John is the author of a series of “Attitude” books, the latest of which is, “Robot Attitude.” John says, “Think big, act bold, start simple.” Skip walks through this great quote and reflects on some personal stories that speak to these simple, yet important ideals.

The 9 traits of servant leaders: #7 A servant leader thinks “you, not me.”

In this episode of “Aim Higher,” Skip and his panel discuss how servant leaders think: “you, not me.” This is the 7^th of 9 traits of servant leaders, and it helps bring about a culture of empowerment. This week, Skip is joined by his regular contributors Drew Bordas and Tammi Spayde, and first time panelist Rebekah Kilzer, a leader in information technology and learning. While it may seem obvious that a servant leader “puts others first,” Skip and his guests put that assumption to the test. They discuss how true servant leaders influence through service rather than position, while still maintaining a balance of self-care and planning.

Wednesday Wisdom: Erin Hanson

In today’s “Wednesday Wisdom” Skip quotes the Australian poet Erin Hanson, who wrote, when quiet young, “What if I fall? Oh but my darling, what if you fly?” Skip reminds us that all growth takes place outside of our comfort zone. Watching birds, we know this. They move out of the nest—sometimes with a push from mama bird!—and learn that by flapping hard, they cushion a fall. And then, they learn to fly. Our best success, likewise, often requires that we conquer our fears and take a leap today.

The 9 traits of servant leaders: #6 Servant leaders “sell” rather than “tell”

Over the past few decades, “authoritarian” style leadership – boss commands, workers obey – has, thankfully, been going out of style. Remnants of that behavior, though, still remain in many companies and for many leaders, especially in times of stress and for many people new to their leadership roles. In this episode of “Aim Higher,” Skip and his panel discuss how servant leaders get more from their teams by “selling the why” behind ideas, rather than just “telling people what” to do.

Wednesday Wisdom: Bruce Lee

Today’s “Wednesday Wisdom” comes from Bruce Lee: “The successful warrior is the average man with a laser-like focus.” How do we go from average or mediocre to successful? Skip says that daily discipline can make all the difference. Have a picture of what success looks like for you, and make small steps, every day, towards that goal. That kind of laser-like focus on your dream is what it takes.