The Remarkable Leadership Podcast

Communication is important and persuasive writing is a skill anyone can possess. Colonel Carla Bass joins Kevin to discuss what good writing does. Good writing helps influence. This includes budget approvals, appropriation of funds, and promotions, to name a few. Carla suggests finding the fun in writing. Everyone is a storyteller; you know the journey for your audience. Key Points Carla Bass discusses influence as the goal of our writing. She shares advice on the "right" length of the message and the importance of outlines. She provides word sculpting tools, like verbs are your friends and don't use the words that hog space. Meet Carla Name: Colonel Carla Bass, USAF (Ret) Her Story: Colonel Carla D. Bass, USAF (Ret), is the author of the multiple award-winning book Write to Influence! now in its second edition. Throughout her 45-year career (30 in the Air Force and 15 with a federal agency), she composed items sent to Congress, the White House, generals, and ambassadors; hundreds of performance reviews; awards nominations; and budget justifications. Carla's assignments included Germany, Bulgaria (as the defense and air attaché), Turkey, Korea, and Washington, D.C. Worth Mentioning: As a squadron commander, Carla transformed her 480-person unit from the most losing in state-wide, professional awards into the one to beat. She developed her writing methodology and taught her troops to write. So successful was her program, she taught thousands of Air Force members for the next 15 years. Her battle cries are twofold: 1) "Powerful writing changes lives" and 2) "Powerful writing is the lifeblood of successful organizations". Book Recommendations Write to Influence!: Personnel Appraisals, Resumes, Awards, Grants, Scholarships, Internships, Reports, Bid Proposals, Web Pages, Marketing, and More by Carla Bass The Heist by Daniel Silva Related Podcast Episodes Influence Redefined with Stacey Hanke. You Have More Influence Than You Think with Vanessa Bohns.

Change is hard. It doesn't usually come naturally. And at the end of the day, when we change we have made a choice. And as leaders, when we are trying to lead change at work, we are asking our team to be "all in" – to make a choice to change. Unfortunately, most change leadership communication is about the change itself. This is important of course, but we're missing three key components when we're communicating about change. Check out the video below to see what you might be missing in your change leadership. In this episode: Subscribe to the Future of Work Newsletter.

Are you successful? Do you know that success can lead to complacency? Complacency can decrease productivity, create mistakes, and impact the bottom line – it costs money. Len Herstein sits down with Kevin to discuss the dangers of complacency and why vigilance enables us to remain successful. Self-awareness is a start. When we become predictable, either personally or in our organizations, it becomes easier for a competitor to take over. We need to be strategically unpredictable and develop habits that minimize overconfidence. Key Points Len Herstein discusses complacency vs. vigilance and how we notice if we are becoming overconfident. He shares the OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act). He talks about metrics and unintended consequences. Meet Len Name: Len Herstein His Story: Len is the author of Be Vigilant! Strategies to Stop Complacency, Improve Performance, and Safeguard Success. He is on a mission to empower organizations and individuals to protect the success they've worked so hard to achieve. Len has a 30+ year history in business, marketing, and entrepreneurism–working in brand marketing for Coca-Cola, The Campbell Soup Company, and Nabisco before founding Manage Camp (a business conference producer). Worth Mentioning: In 2015, Len answered a higher calling to public service when he became a Reserve Sheriff's Deputy in Douglas County, Colorado, where he works up to 850 hours a year as a state-certified peace officer on the patrol team – for free. Len quickly realized he was learning valuable lessons through his law enforcement training that applied directly back to his business. The most important lesson, and one of the very first he learned, was the concept that complacency kills, and vigilance saves This episode is brought to you by… The Daily Email, daily inspiration for leaders sent Monday-Friday every week. Kevin writes a short message to inform, inspire, engage, and focus you on becoming the best you and the best leader you can be. Book Recommendations Be Vigilant!: Strategies to Stop Complacency, Improve Performance, and Safeguard Success. Your Business and Relationships Depend on It by Len Herstein I'll Be Back by Shep Hyken Fanocracy: Turning Fans into Customers and Customers into Fans by David Meerman Scott and Reiko Scott Related Podcast Episodes Building a Peak Performance Organization with Chris McGoff. From Suck to Success with Todd Palmer. What it Means to be a 100x Leader with Jeremie Kubicek .

Routines are wonderful things. When we have a routine, we no longer have to think about it. We are able to operate automatically, freeing up our brains for other things. Morning routines are especially important as they allow us the opportunity to start the day off successfully and productively. In this video, I am giving you four key idea to think about as you create, re-create or re-adjust your morning routines. 1. Prepare your body 2. Prepare your mind. 3. Prepare your attitude. 4. Prepare your focus. Tweet it out: How you start the day has a huge impact on the success of the day. Are you consistently preparing your body, mind, attitude and focus for success? @KevinEikenberry In this episode: Subscribe to the Future of Work Newsletter.

We've heard of company culture. What about corporate soul? We know most employees quit their jobs not because of compensation, but because they don't feel valued. Ralf Specht joins Kevin to discuss the Soul System™. This is a framework Ralf developed that aligns purpose with strategy and behavior. He shares an example of a company with a soul. Further, companies that operate in this framework are more successful and see higher ROI. Key Points Ralf Specht describes company soul and how this differs from culture. He shares his thoughts on purpose vs. mission. He advises how you can impact culture when you are not a senior leader. Meet Ralf Name: Ralf Specht His Story: Ralf is the author of Building Corporate Soul: Powering Culture & Success with the Soul System™. He was a founding partner of the startup Spark44, a global marketing communications powerhouse. He was the architect of an innovative, industry-first joint-venture with Jaguar Land Rover, which he grew to a global revenue of $100+m and 1,200 employees. Worth Mentioning: He consulted for more than 20 years with global companies and brands such as Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, General Motors, Nestlé, Coca-Cola, Puma, and PWC with McCann Erickson. The title of his forthcoming book is Beyond the Startup: Sparking Operational Innovations for Global Growth. This episode is brought to you by… Unleashing Your Remarkable Potential, Kevin's free weekly e-newsletter. It's full of articles and resources to help you become a more confident and successful leader. Book Recommendations Building Corporate Soul: Powering Culture & Success with the Soul System™ by Ralf Specht Leading From The Jumpseat: How to Create Extraordinary Opportunities by Handing Over Control by Peter Docker Related Podcast Episodes Building a Powerful Culture with Patty McCord. Connecting Your Company Culture with Your Brand with Denise Lee Yohn. The Power of Corporate Culture with Chris Dyer.

Now, you might already know that I grew up on a farm, and so I have plenty of farm phrases in my vernacular. Some of these phrases wouldn't make any sense to you. But some of those farm phrases are things you've either heard before or maybe even heard here on this blog last week. You can watch that episode right here. So last week we talked about making hay, and today we're talking about gathering eggs, and specifically about not putting all your eggs in one basket. Now, I don't have nearly as much personal experience with eggs as I do with making hay. But think about it for a second. If you've got a basket that you're using to collect eggs and as you're putting them in one cracks. Well then, you have a problem. Even worse, if you drop the bucket, you lose all the eggs. So what's the point for us as leaders? Well, there are several things for us to think about here. And I'm starting the video with one of my favorite thoughts in business: One is a dangerous number. Tweet it out: One can be a dangerous number. Look for multiple options, multiple solutions, and multiple paths to your success. @KevinEikenberry In this episode: Learn more about, listen and subscribe to the Remarkable Leadership podcast here. Learn more about Kevin's daily email newsletter and sign up here.

Leadership isn't rainbows and unicorns; it's about results. Martin Moore believes there is a disconnect between the process and function of leadership today. He joins Kevin to share his No Bullsh!t framework and why leaders need to move past being liked and commit to developing the habits and disciplines that improve their leadership capability. Key Points Martin Moore shares his 7 imperatives from the No Bullsh!t Leadership framework (Value, Conflict, Resilience, Working at level, Ambiguity, Accountability, and Decision-making). He discusses what it means to work at level and how to get accountability. He gives advice for building resilience. Meet Martin Name: Martin G. Moore His Story: Martin is the author of No Bullsh!t Leadership and co-founder with his daughter, Emma Green, of Your CEO Mentor, a company whose purpose is to improve the quality of leaders, globally. He is also the host of the No Bullsh!t Leadership podcast. Worth Mentioning: Martin is the former CEO of CS Energy. He also developed Leadership Beyond the Theory, a global training program geared toward sharing his insights and wisdom with the world's top executives. This episode is brought to you by… Future of Work Newsletter, a free weekly e-newsletter. It's full of articles and resources to help you, your team and your organization be more successful in the ever-changing remote work environment. Book Recommendations No Bullsh!t Leadership by Martin G. Moore Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies by McKinsey & Company Inc., Tim Koller, Marc Goedhart, David Wessels The Halo Effect: . . . and the Eight Other Business Delusions That Deceive Managers by Phil Rosenzweig What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets by Michael J. Sandel Related Podcast Episodes Leading By Learning From the Tech Titans with Alex Kantrowitz. From Suck to Success with Todd Palmer. Insights into the Science of Leadership at Amazon with Bill Carr.

I grew up on a farm, and so I have plenty of agricultural phrases in my vernacular, but actually all of us have some of those phrases. For example: Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Yep, that's a farm phrase. And hint, I'm going to talk about it next week. But for now we're talking about this phrase: Make hay when the sun is shining. Now, you may have never made hay. You may not know what that means but you've probably heard the phrase. Here's the backstory. Hay is made from growing crop (grass, alfalfa and clover most frequently), and it is cut when it's very green and very moist, a growing plant. However it must be dry before it can be bailed up to be used and stored. So you can cut hay when it's raining, but you can't make hay and bale it when it's raining. The sun's got to be shining. The crops need to be dry. There's a limited time window. Make hay when the sun is shining. So here's the point for us as leaders. Tweet it out: To make hay when the sun shines means to do the work you need to do, when you need to do it. And you don't have to be a farmer to understand that. @KevinEikenberry In this episode: Learn more about, listen and subscribe to the Remarkable Leadership podcast here. Learn more about Kevin's daily email newsletter and sign up here.

Culture seems to be the latest buzzword, yet the employee experience is important. Let's face it, employees have a choice of where they want to work. Chris Edmonds and Mark Babbitt sit down with Kevin to talk about culture and that it doesn't have to suck. You have a role to play and when you equally value respect and results, profits go up. Key Points Chris and Mark define good and why it is more important now than ever before. They share their thoughts around "servant purpose". They discuss how you can create or adjust the culture if you aren't senior leadership. They talk about how remote work impacts culture. Meet Chris and Mark Names: S. Chris Edmonds and Mark Babbitt Their Story: Chris and Mark are the authors of Good Comes First: How Today's Leaders Create an Uncompromising Company Culture That Doesn't Suck. Chris is also a speaker, executive consultant, and founder of The Purposeful Culture Group. Mark is also a speaker, executive coach, and President of WorqIQ. Worth Mentioning: Chris is one of Inc. Magazine's 100 Top Leadership Speakers and was a featured presenter at South by Southwest. Mark is also CEO and Founder of YouTern. This career-focused community enables college students, recent graduates, and young professionals to find their first or next internship or job with the right organizational culture for them. This episode is brought to you by… Future of Work Newsletter, a free weekly e-newsletter. It's full of articles and resources to help you, your team and your organization be more successful in the ever-changing remote work environment. Book Recommendations Good Comes First: How Today's Leaders Create an Uncompromising Company Culture That Doesn't Suck by S. Chris Edmonds and Mark S. Babbitt The Long Game: How to Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World by Dorie Clark Impact Players: How to Take the Lead, Play Bigger, and Multiply Your Impact by Liz Wiseman Related Podcast Episodes Turning Culture into Competitive Advantage with Jeff Grimshaw. Creating Courageous Cultures with Karin Hurt and David Dye. Solving the Culture Puzzle with Mario Moussa and Derek Newberry.

The great resignation has been all over the press and all in the media. Everyone's talking about it and many people are participating in it. I recently recorded a video with personal lessons from the great resignation. You can watch that here. But today we are talking specifically about what the great resignation means for leaders. There are major challenges for every leader and there are also some great lessons. We'll explore those in the video below. Tweet it out: The Great Resignation holds lessons for leaders if we look for them. The biggest one is that people are thinking about work differently than ever before. @KevinEikenberry In this episode: Learn more about and subscribe to our weekly email, the Future of Work Newsletter.