Episodes
Monday Apr 10, 2023
Mailbag: tech, teams, and transformation
Monday Apr 10, 2023
Monday Apr 10, 2023
It’s “mailbag” time again! I love these episodes, as they give us a chance to hear about what’s top-of-mind for our listeners. This week, my panel of experts addresses a variety of questions, including how to keep up with the amazing pace of change in technology, managing remote teams, and how to quantify a vague “transformation” project assignment. I’m sure that at least one of these will resonate with you, and I hope you’ll give us a listen.
Monday Apr 03, 2023
Tips for Leaving a Job Successfully
Monday Apr 03, 2023
Monday Apr 03, 2023
There are books and articles galore about how to start a new position successfully. What to do in your first days, weeks, and months to establish your expertise and make a great initial impression. Less discussed—but no less important—is how to leave a job successfully. We’re somewhat indoctrinated into thinking of departures as failures. Yet we know that sometimes we need to leave one situation to take our next logical steps. My expert panel for this episode—Cathy King, Bart Murphy, and Tammi Spayde—has some great advice on how you can make this uncomfortable situation much more proactive, painless, and productive. Remember: you also only have one chance to make a last impression.
Monday Mar 27, 2023
Becoming a Superhero with Ford Saeks
Monday Mar 27, 2023
Monday Mar 27, 2023
My guest for this episode of “Aim Higher” is research-based thought leader, Ford Saeks. Ford is known for his marketing prowess and for helping businesses grow and succeed. His book, “Superpower: A Superhero’s Guide to Leadership, Business and Life” is a must-read if you're looking to make a positive change in any area of your life. Don’t worry, though—you don’t need to leap tall buildings in a single bound to make dramatic improvements. As Ford says, "A superpower is the ability to expand your critical thinking skills, take action, and produce the results you desire in your life.” I completely agree. And I believe that you can be the superhero of your own story. Listen in for some good ideas on how to get started.
Monday Mar 13, 2023
Channeling Ambition
Monday Mar 13, 2023
Monday Mar 13, 2023
Previously, we looked at the “death of ambition,” and why so many people seem to be less interested in pushing for high achievement. In this episode, my expert panel and I tackle the topic of ambition from a positive standpoint. What does “good ambition” look like? How can you distinguish it from things like greed or pushiness? How can you help identify and encourage appropriate ambition in your staff? And what can you do when they try to move too far, too fast? It’s a fascinating discussion, and my guests have some great advice that will help you harness your ambition more successfully.
Monday Mar 06, 2023
Trust Is A Must
Monday Mar 06, 2023
Monday Mar 06, 2023
A recent survey indicated that around one-third of people do not trust their employers. Now, that might mean “in general,” without applying to a specific manager or leader. But it’s an extraordinary statistic, nonetheless. As Drew Bordas, one of my panelists this week, puts it, “A lack of trust drags down our ability to get the job done.” He’s right! Trust isn’t just “a feeling.” A lack of trust hampers creativity, kills honest feedback, discourages respectful dialogue, and can negatively impact commitment and teamwork—an entire suite of qualities that are essential to success. Listen in as my expert guests and I discuss what builds trust, what erodes it, and how you can get it back.
Monday Feb 27, 2023
Thinking Creatively About Creativity
Monday Feb 27, 2023
Monday Feb 27, 2023
I’ve been having conversations about creativity and writing with my next guest for almost ten years. Now you get to listen in as we discuss the topic more fully. Andy Havens is a content marketing expert, an adjunct professor of marketing and advertising at the Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD), and the author of, “The Side Ways,” an urban-fantasy trilogy I very much enjoyed reading. We discuss some of the myths surrounding creativity, definitions and descriptions, and how you can be more creative in any endeavor. If you’ve ever wanted to be more creative or foster it in others, this discussion is a great place to start.
Monday Feb 20, 2023
Quiet Quitting for Leaders
Monday Feb 20, 2023
Monday Feb 20, 2023
In our last episode, we talked about the concepts of “quiet quitting,” the “death of ambition,” and how they relate to our post-pandemic working world. In this week’s roundtable discussion, my panel of leadership experts and I take it up a level and ask: what can leaders do about quiet quitting? How can you prevent it? How do you recognize the signs? And how do you help restore a team member’s enthusiasm and motivation? As always, we share some thoughts about the broader trend, but then get into specific, actionable ideas that you can bring back to your team.
Monday Feb 13, 2023
The Death of Ambition
Monday Feb 13, 2023
Monday Feb 13, 2023
The term “quiet quitting” has been all over the news. It’s generally used to describe workers who have decided to do the minimum required at their jobs. No “going the extra mile,” no overtime, no volunteering for stretch assignments. In short: no ambition. What are the causes of this trend? Is it really something new, or are we just re-labelling a phenomenon that once might have been called “retiring in place?” Are there generational or geographic differences within the "quiet quitting" cohort? My panel of business experts and I discuss the trend in this episode of “Aim Higher.” We put it into context, talk about causes, and suggest some ways to move forward.
Monday Feb 06, 2023
The Power of Focus
Monday Feb 06, 2023
Monday Feb 06, 2023
Our world is filled with all kinds of distractions. And we carry the source of many around with us—our smartphones—because they are also necessary for work and great productivity tools. But we also know how important it is to put those distractions aside and focus on what’s important. As Steven Covey said, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” How can we do a better job at that? Join me and my panel of business experts as we talk about how to overcome distraction, find better focus, and even support that value within the teams we lead.
Monday Jan 30, 2023
Taking Leadership Coaching Further
Monday Jan 30, 2023
Monday Jan 30, 2023
In this, the second of a two-part panel on leadership coaching, we continue with Tammi Spayde, Drew Bordas and Janet Walls, President of Delta Blvd. In the first half of our discussion, we covered some basics: who should get leadership training, what it can do for you, when you need a coach as opposed to a mentor. Now we get into some more advanced topics, including the idea of getting a coach for your entire leadership team. That can be a very different situation and call for a very different dynamic. In addition, we talk a bit about when—or if—it might be time to move on from one coach to another. It’s a great session, and vitally important for anyone who wants to continue improving their leadership skills.