Aim Higher: The podcast with purpose

Mark Eaton: Commit to a winning team

This week on “Aim Higher,” I share my conversation with NBA All-Star Mark Eaton about what makes a winning team. After a 12-year basketball career filled with awards and records, Mark pivoted to share the lessons he’s learned through motivational speaking and his book, “The Four Commitments of a Winning Team.” The book is so packed with great advice that I actually read it twice, and I was intrigued by his personal story as much as his principles for teambuilding. During our talk, Mark shares the path he took from auto mechanic to professional basketball player, his struggle with fitting in due to his height, and the life-changing advice he got from Wilt Chamberlin. And we discuss ways that you can learn from his life experience to lead your own winning teams.

Dr. Max McKeown: Practical strategy

This week on “Aim Higher,” I got the chance to sit down and talk with Dr. Max McKeown, author of “The Strategy Book.” Dr. Max, as he’s sometimes called, is also a researcher on culture and behavioral science, and he’s written several other books including “NOW: The Life Changing Psychology of Always Moving Forward,” “The Innovation Book,” and “Adaptability: The Art of Winning.” Max and I spoke primarily about what distinguishes his book – and my ideas about practical strategy – from a lot of writing and teaching about strategy from a kind of “theoretical, MBA” kind of standpoint. We agree that strategic leadership needs to make things happen, and it needs to engage with as many people on your team and in your organization as possible. As Max says, “Strategy is not a solo sport.” He’s got a lot of specific, actionable ideas in his book, and in our talk, for you to take back for your own leadership notes on building successful strategies.

Tips for leading remotely

This week on “Aim Higher,” Skip and his panel take on the topic of leading remotely, which many managers and executives are dealing with for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. What steps can you take to be more effective as a remote leader? Skip, Tammi and Drew have some good, solid advice and, as always, some personal anecdotes to share as well.

Lessons from COVID-19

In this episode of “Aim Higher,” Skip and his panel of experts discuss some of what they’ve learned during the first two months of providing leadership during the time of COVID-19. While they agree that “everything has changed,” they also agree that some core principles of leadership remain more important than ever. Tune in to hear their thoughts and see if you agree.

Shep Hyken: Creating amazing customer experiences

This week on “Aim Higher,” I had the chance to sit down with longtime friend Shep Hyken, a man who is a legend in the field of customer service research and training. Shep is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and has also been inducted into the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame. We talked about his book, “The Cult of the Customer,” and how it fits in with his overall work on creating amazing experiences for customers. Shep has a great passion for keeping the customer at the center of every business discussion, and that holds true for leaders looking to improve their performance, of course. He shared some great, practical suggestions that you can use every day, and I think you’ll really enjoy what he has to say.

Rory Vaden: Build a powerful personal brand

On a recent trip to Nashville, I got a chance to sit down for a great talk with my friend Rory Vaden. He invited me into his home for our discussion, which is a great metaphor for something he and I both believe and teach—that people inherently want to do business with people, not companies. We want real, personal relationships not just business contacts. He’s a living example of that ideal, and it was great to catch up with him and get his thoughts on personal branding, which he summarizes as “the digitization of reputation.” Along with his wife, AJ Vaden, Rory is co-founder of Brand Builders Group, a leader in the study of reputation management. Rory’s team works with entertainers, influencers and entrepreneurs to find their true voices, and become the kind of people that, as he says, “everyone wants to do business with.” If you’re looking to improve your personal brand, you couldn’t spend a better 30 minutes than listening in.

James Altucher: The wall between comfort and success

Talk about a jack-of-all-trades. This week on “Aim Higher,” I sat down with James Altucher. James is a stock trader, investor, writer, and entrepreneur. He’s worked for Showtime and HBO and newspapers. He owns a comedy club and he’s been a stand-up comedian himself. He’s a chess master. What’s the one thing that ties it all together? James says, “I focus on what I love doing, and make sure the idea is sustainable.” That’s it. And to do that, he told me that he takes many small, survivable risks. He describes risks as “the wall between the comfort zone and success.” Risk feels uncomfortable, he told me, because we can sense that there are failures on the other side of that wall. But that’s why success is there, too—because it’s not a crowded place. I’m grateful for having had such a wide-ranging conversation with James. In fact, we discussed gratitude and how we need to set ourselves “difficult gratitude problems” in order to build a capacity for more gratitude. James has a unique, powerful and always helpful view on leadership and life. Listen in. You won’t be disappointed.

Resilient leadership

This week on “Aim Higher,” my panel and I discuss the importance of resilience, both as a personal quality and for leaders. Personally, of course, we all need to be able to bounce back from life’s hardships. For leaders, though, it’s especially important to be able to find a balance between minimizing losses– sugarcoating a bad situation, as we say—and allowing a setback to turn into a disaster. Establishing a “resilience equilibrium” is a major factor for successful leaders, and my guests have some great thoughts on how you can find yours.

Leadership during a time of crisis

In this week’s episode of “Aim Higher,” I sit down with my panel of experts and we tackle the tough issue of leadership during a time of crisis. It’s not a topic that anyone really wants to talk about ahead-of-time. But if you leave it until the crisis hits? It’s too late. As we all deal with the many serious implications of the COVID-19 crisis, leaders in particular are looking for ways to help guide their organizations through this time of uncertainty and rapid change. My guests, as usual, have some helpful, practical advice for you to take back to your team.

Mailbag: Being a team player, new mom work worries, and a scary promotion

On this week’s episode of “Aim Higher,” my panel of experts answers three “mail bag” questions from our listeners. We tackle the issue of a self-described “non team player” who tries to sharpen those skills but hits a roadblock. We hear from a new mom who is challenged by a boss who expects more late-night work than fits into a reasonable schedule. And, last, we take a look at the really interesting situation of someone who gets their dream promotion… only to find it may be a nightmare. As always, Tammi Spayde, Drew Bordas and Rebekah Kilzer provide great insight from a variety of perspectives. Have a listen.