Above The Business

How is your strategy serving you?In today’s podcast episode, Jim Huling and Bradley discuss execution of strategy.  You’ll learn The 4 Disciplines of Execution, why strategy doesn’t work on its own, and how to turn strategy into action.  Jim’s 4 Disciplines of Execution include…Focus - the “what”Act on the lead measure - the “how”Engagement - the “why”Accountability - a 20 min weekly meeting with each team member committing to what they’ll do the next weekBradley shares how these strategies have transformed his team’s workflow and accomplishments.  He also shared some of the pitfalls he found along the way, and what he did about them.Jim Huling is the author of the #1 Worldwide Best-Selling Book, The 4 Disciplines of Execution, now in its 2nd Edition and translated into sixteen languages. Jim has also been the 4DX Global Managing Consultant for FranklinCovey for more than 13 years. Ready to execute your strategy?Find The Four Disciplines of Execution here: (https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-4-Disciplines-of-Execution-Revised-and-Updated/Chris-McChesney/9781982156978)

Do you work just to live or do you feel connected to your purpose as you work?Ken Coleman is the nationally syndicated host of The Ken Coleman Show & author of From Paycheck to Purpose.  He wants people to feel a real connection to what they were created to do because someone out there needs them to do it. Ken shares how to find your dream job through clarity. He explains that your passion, talent, and mission intersect to make up your personal mission statement.  This then answers the question: What should I do with my life?Ken and Bradley discuss how to become qualified for the job change or career pivot you desire.  They also discuss the differences between networking and connecting.  Ken wrote The Proximity Principle to help you improve your connections.  You need to consider who you know, and write down those people.  Then, consider who you can ask for help.  The key here is asking about something rather than asking for something.  Most people love to give advice!If your dream job is tied to a promotion, Ken also has some advice to ensure you’re positioning yourself to receive that promotion. Finally, they talk about the challenges of knowing what to do, but struggling to get started.  Ken identifies the three main villains standing in the way of everyone’s success: Pride, Doubt, and Fear.  He breaks down how to deal with these thoughts and diffuse them to move forward.If you’re ready to step into purpose and pursue your dream role, listen to this podcast!Visit www.kencoleman.com to learn more about Ken Coleman and his new book, From Paycheck To Purpose.

Ready to unlock your motivation and dig into the work you love?On this episode, Todd Henry and Bradley discuss how to do this and more. Positioning himself as an “arms dealer for the creative revolution,” Todd Henry teaches leaders and organizations how to establish practices that lead to everyday brilliance. He is the author of five books (The Accidental Creative, Die Empty, Louder Than Words, Herding Tigers, The Motivation Code).His latest book, The Motivation Code, is about the hidden forces that drive deep engagement and brilliant work.  Henry shows that there are twenty-seven “motivational themes”, each with its own unique DNA.  The Motivation Code teaches us to decode our Core Motivation so that we can have conversations, make decisions, and even choose career paths that lead us to experience engagement and fulfillment. Once we know how to activate our inner drivers, we can transform the work we do into work we love.Todd’s podcast, The Accidental Creative, offers weekly tips for how to stay prolific, brilliant, and healthy. Visit www.toddhenry.com to learn more!

Dean Mannix is a life and personal coach who became passionate about life insurance after losing a few people close to him.  He firmly believes that the epitome of your mess becomes your message.  His latest book, “Protect and Provide” delves deeper into this story, and his passion for serving his clients through insurance sales.Key to Dean’s philosophy is the power of proven practice as opposed to best practice.  Owners should go with what works in their offices, rather than “best” practices determined by others. In today’s podcast, he shares powerful sales and training tips, including:Why winning the morning is so important, and how to ensure you canHow to shift your mindset towards service to gain more clientsWhy many sales training processes stall at 25-50% of the way through, what to do about itThe difference between sales today vs. what it used to beDean’s motivation in business has always been to help his customers.  In “Protect and Provide,” he describes heroes in the insurance industry.  He wrote the book for insurance agents who believe in protecting their customers while also educating them.  Dean believes that this book is your guide to personal and financial success in the insurance industry. You can find it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Protect-Provide-Customer-Centric-Compliant-Insurance/dp/0648060608 Learn more about Dean's sales training at www.deanmannix.comListen to unpack these principles, and then begin to implement proven practices in your business!Learn more about how you can work with Club Capital for agency book keeping services at www.club.capital. Special thanks to our sponsors, Direct Clicks (https://tools.directclicksinc.com/marketing-roi-tool), Coach P Consulting (https://www.coachpconsulting.com/), and Relevant Advantage (https://www.relevantadvantage.com/ or www.sfagentpromos.com).

Do you struggle with making progress or being ambitious when you’re overwhelmed?  Tired of getting in your own way?  Today on the Club Capital Leadership Podcast, Melody Wilding joins us to share powerful tools from her new book, “Trust Yourself.”Melody is a therapist turned executive & leadership coach to Sensitive Strivers.  This term applies to top performers who also think and feel everything more deeply.She was named one of Business Insider's "Most Innovative Coaches."  Her workplace advice has been featured in The New York Times, Oprah Magazine, NBC News, and more. I'm a professor of Human Behavior and a contributor to Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Forbes, and Business Insider.Her new book covers topics such as overthinking, people pleasing, trusting your gut, boundaries, overwhelm, and imposter syndrome.In the podcast, she shares more about types of overthinking, rumination, obsession over future, and analysis paralysis.  Melody employs a technique to avoid overthinking that uses constraints.  For example, when planning a wedding, cap yourself to getting quotes from five planners.  This will keep you from getting lost in too many options and variables.She also provides some techniques on making decisions when overwhelmed with emotions.  The first step is to not make it emotion-based.  Instead, start with calming your body through a breathing exercise.  Then, make sure you give yourself physical space.  This could look like sleeping on it, taking the weekend, before making the decision, etc.Finally, she discussed how to have boundaries with your team.  The biggest way to see where you may need different boundaries is to assess where you may feel resentment toward your team or clients.  Once you identify that, begin considering how you can establish different boundaries.You can learn more about Melody Wilding when you visit her website,  https://melodywilding.com.  You can also find her new book, “Trust Yourself,” at https://melodywilding.com/book.

Retired four-star general Stanley A. McChrystal has lived a life associated with the deadly risks of combat. He was once called “one of America’s greatest warriors” by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.From his first day at West Point, to his years in Afghanistan, to his efforts helping business leaders navigate a global pandemic, McChrystal has seen how individuals and organizations fail to mitigate risk. Why? Because they focus on the probability of something happening instead of the interface by which it can be managed.He is a transformational leader with a remarkable record of achievement. General McChrystal is widely praised for launching a revolution in warfare by leading a comprehensive counter-terrorism organization that fused intelligence and operations, redefining the way military and government agencies interact.In this episode, General McChrystal shares lessons learned over the course of his extensive career and shares leadership nuggets of wisdom.  He is the author of the bestselling leadership books, My Share of the Task, Team of Teams, Leaders, and his latest book Risk: A User’s Guide which we dive into today.In Risk: A User’s Guide, General McChrystal offers a battle-tested system for detecting and responding to risk. Instead of defining risk as a force to predict, McChrystal and coauthor Anna Butrico show that there are in fact ten dimensions of control we can adjust at any given time. By closely monitoring these controls, we can maintain a healthy Risk Immune System that allows us to effectively anticipate, identify, analyze, and act upon the ever-present possibility that things will not go as planned.Be sure to listen to this powerful episode, and grab your copy of his latest book off of Amazon!Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Risk-Users-Guide-Stanley-McChrystal/dp/0593192206

Bradley talks with Vlad Cherchenko about his insurance career, his powerful sales referral process, and his consulting agency.Vlad shared how his sales referral process helped him write 152 policies in his 9th month as an insurance producer, and how he continued to write 150+ policies after that.  You can get his free sales script on his website, linked below.  While that script is focused on insurance agencies, anyone who runs a business that needs referrals will benefit from it!He launched his consulting business in 2016 after a ton of agents reached out asking him to work with their staff.  He now trains insurance agents and their staff across the nation on his unique sales & referral process.To learn more about Vlad’s sales process, his masterclass, and more, you can text COMP to 503-864-6974 or visit www.insurancesaleslab.com.

Bradley and Jake discuss the role of grit in entrepreneurship, and how to play to win.  Jake shares how your heart and head work together to propel you towards results - positive or negative.They also talk about standards of excellence in business, why you need accountability, and the principle of win or leave - there is no lose.Finally, learn Jake's concept of "persuade and get paid," and why it matters for youJake Thompson is a keynote speaker and Chief Encouragement Officer at Compete Every Day, a brand he started in 2011 by first selling t-shirts out of the trunk of his car.Jake works with organizations and individuals around the country, teaching how they can develop accountability, mental resilience, and leadership skills in order to achieve more in their careers and in their life.It’s through his entrepreneurial sales experience and research that he’s discovered how people who harness a competitive mindset against their own previous best can reach their goals, commit to action over motivation, and create the influence as the leader they were created to be.

Wondering how to recruit “first round draft picks” for your team?  What about using the "Stairs and Buckets" principle in your business?Today on the podcast, Randy Thompson shares how to find, train, and compensate the best people for your team.  He also shares the three intrinsic qualities he looks for in prospective team members.  These include honesty, a kind heart, and a strong work ethic.Randy and Bradley also discuss how to sell to your clients, ways to meet their needs while increasing business income, and more.  If you’re an insurance agent, he shares quite a few nuggets of wisdom specific for your business!Randy has traveled the country speaking to agents and team members on how to develop and train a high performing team.  His experience as a teacher and high school wrestling coach prior to his career as an Agent has been priceless at helping  develop consistent systems that produce results and strong team members that govern themselves.

Many business owners are frustrated because they feel invisible in a crowded marketplace. They know they are better than their competitors, but when they focus on that fact, they get little in return. That's because, to customers, better is not actually better. Different is better. And those who market differently, win.Mike and Bradley discuss the following key issues business owners face, including:Why marketplace plans seems to fail.Why copying your competition will almost always cause you to go unnoticed.The DAD framework, and why you need it.How your prospective clients consume marketing in milliseconds.Mike also shares from his new marketing book, offering In his new marketing book. "GET DIFFERENT" offers a proven, no-nonsense method to position your business, service, or brand to get noticed, attract the best prospects, and convert those opportunities into sales. You can check his book, Get Different, on Amazon or his website: https://mikemichalowicz.com/