Lead the People

Paul is the Founder and CEO of Reciprocity ROI, Inc., a technology management consulting firm. He’s a thought leader, an investor, and a futurist. Like me, Paul is a former Marine. Unlike me, Paul is an expert in all things heavy tech including Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Virtual and Augmented Reality, and other technologies that are changing our world for the better—usually. I sat down with Paul to learn about how we can see into the future despite being hyper-present in our business and our leadership.Top 3 TakeawaysEntrepreneurship and leadership are at their best when they improve people’s lives—whether developing a new technology to cure a disease or investing in someone’s potential.Embrace reinvention or perish—prior success can hold you back if you let it; always be on the lookout for the next big thing and your next opportunity to stretch and grow.Fail your way into the future—let go of your ego and prepare for the inevitable setbacks that will inch you closer to a big return on your investment.Connect with PaulLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/businessmanathletemarineWebsite: http://www.reciprocityroi.comWebsite: https://bambusinesses.com/

Colin McIntosh, founder & CEO of Sheets & Giggles, a fast-growing bedding and sustainability company based in Denver, Colorado. Sheets & Giggles’ eucalyptus lyocell sheets recently won Good Housekeeping Magazine’s “Overall Best Sheets” award. Colin & his well-rested team are all about sustainability, reforestation, philanthropy, and building his cheeky brand. I reached out to Colin after I received a strong, passionate response to a LinkedIn post I wrote about sleep.Top 3 TakeawaysPrioritize sleep—the work will always be there, so give yourself the chance to rest and rejuvenate. You’ll improve your performance, and you can pick up where you left off.Aim for uninterrupted sleep—the quality of your sleep matters as much as the quantity.Change your sleep, change your life—you may have to make lifestyle changes to things like your exercise and diet, but when you improve your sleep you’ll improve your results.From the Source“I can tell you right now that when five, six o'clock comes around,  I will have another hundred hours of work that I could do that I could just keep doing—because my to-do list is always doing this.”“The way that I always advise people to sleep is … your Non-REM cycles hit at different times. And so you really want to wake up either at four hours, six hours, seven and a half or nine. And you'll feel much well rested if you wake up at those times. So I actually don't have a set time on my alarm clock.”“Every everything from bodybuilding to herniated disks to chronic pain—more sleep is the answer. It's when your body heals itself.““It's not just about the amount of sleep, it's about uninterrupted sleep. And so that's the thing that I think is really screwing people over is they might get eight hours, but if they're waking up an hour or two, they miss their first non REM cycle. If they're waking up at hour five, they miss their second. And if they're waking up an hour seven, they miss their third.““You've got to make other changes in your life if you're actually gonna wind up changing the way that you get your sleep. And changing the way that you get your sleep can be completely life-changing for someone.“Connect with ColinWebsite: www.sheetsgiggles.comTwitter: @SheetsGigglesBuy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/sheetsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colindmcintosh/

Dr. Greg Barnett is the Chief People Scientist at Energage, the provider of a leading employee engagement platform. Greg is an Industrial Organizational Psychologist who’s done stints at Hogan Assessments and IBM Kenexa. More recently, Greg and I worked together at The Predictive Index. He’s as entertaining as he is knowledgeable, and as soon as I launched my new podcast, I couldn’t wait to get Greg onto the show. Top 3 Takeaways:Pay attention to feedback when it’s given to you, but don’t be overly self-critical—make progress, don’t chase perfection.Recognize that self awareness is a journey and that your developmental efforts should evolve over time—work to be well rounded earlier in your career while doubling down on strengths later on.Use your self awareness as a type of North Star and always remain true to yourself so that you don’t convince yourself that a situation or a decision is a fit when it actually isn’t.

Thad Peterson is the Director of Product Marketing, Core Platform at Zoominfo. Thad and I worked together at The Predictive Index, and he has always struck me as one of the most authentic people I’ve ever met. When I decided to delve into the topic of leadership authenticity, I knew I had to get Thad onto my show. Top 3 Takeaways:Pay attention to how other leaders make you feel when you feel at your best, and try replicate those specific behaviors in your own leadership.Show interest in other people as people and you’ll have a strong relationship foundation for those times when you have to deliver constructive criticism or ask for a better effort.Conceding a point when you’re wrong or in favor of a better approach doesn’t weaken your authority but instead creates trust and respect on the part of your followers.

In this inaugural episode, I share a series of origin stories.MY STORY [1:29]I provide a detailed walkthrough of my story arc to help you get to know me better and understand my leadership perspective.THE STORY OF THIS PODCAST [14:09]I relate how I decided to start a podcast centered on leadership development.YOUR STORY [16:28]I share what you might be experiencing when you want to double down on your leadership development.I also summarize the episode with my Top Three Takeaways [18:15].You can follow me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattpoepsel/If you'd like to grab my free Leadership Values exercise to discover your superpower, you can get yours at http://mattpoepsel.com/values/