How to Lead with Clay Scroggins and Adam Tarnow

No one makes it very far in their career without receiving difficult feedback. Hearing difficult feedback is never fun, but it happens to the best of us. The sooner you learn how to handle It, the better off you will be. In this episode, Adam and Clay talk about ways they've handled challenging feedback throughout their careers and how you, too, can bounce back from difficult feedback.

Late in 2021, CBS brought back the wildly popular Kids Say the Darndest Things. It's a simple show. Put a bunch of cute kids in a room and let the great Tiffany Haddish ask them questions. Hilarity always ensues. If the show fails, we have an idea for the next reboot. Instead of putting a bunch of kids in a room, just put a bunch of bosses in a room. We promise that hilarity will ensue. Why? Because kids aren't the only ones who say the darndest things. Bosses do too. On this episode of HTL, Adam & Clay unpack one (of many) confusing things bosses say. Do you have a confusing thing your boss often says? Please shoot us an email: info@howtolead.work

Clay recently ran into a friend of the podcast, Frank Blake (Former Home Depot CEO), and he summed up the current employment market perfectly. According to Mr. Blake, It all boils down to one question. If the answer to this question is "yes," then you have a great reason to stay at your current place of employment. If the answer to this question is "no," then it might be a good time to start looking around. What's the question? You'll have to listen to this episode to find out (you knew that was coming, right?) Don't worry, this episode Is less than twelve minutes. You won't have to wait too long before we give you the question.

Wanna know what's fun? COMPLAINING!! Verb. "To express dissatisfaction or annoyance about something." Hello! Who doesn't love to do that? Isn't that why Mr. Mars just bought Twitter? So we can all complain more freely? Although complaining is fun, it, unfortunately, doesn't lead to many changes. We want help. Today, we give you a formula that will allow you to complain in a way that sounds helpful, not annoying. A formula that will lead to real changes, not just more complaining. You're welcome.

"Money isn't the most important thing in life, but it's reasonably close to oxygen on the 'gotta have it' scale." - Zig Ziglar. Does inflation have you in a headlock? We Googled "products with the highest inflation in 2022." This list was not pretty. If you feel like you could use more financial breathing room, it might be time to ask for a raise. Ask for a raise is one of those ideas that feels super easy at 10 pm while sitting in your apartment talking with friends. It feels nearly impossible at 9 am the next day while sitting in a meeting with your boss. If you want to ask for a raise, but are unsure how to approach the conversation, don't worry; we got you. In this episode, we walk you through how to ask for a raise without sounding like a selfish jerk.

Ahh, RTO. In 2019, these three letters stood for: +Registered Training Authority +Regional Transportation Organization +Radiation Therapy Oncology +Remote Take Over Unfortunately, it's no longer 2019. Today, these three letters stand for one thing: RETURN TO OFFICE. RTO has become a business writer/blogger's favorite new subject. Bored? Google RTO, sit back, and enjoy the tidal wave of opinions. The bottom line is this: not everyone wants to RTO, and if that's you, we've got a plan to help. In this episode, we offer a few simple ways for team leaders and team members to approach this conversation with clarity and honesty.

In 2001 Jim Collins published his classic book, Good to Great. Chapter three in that book is called "First Who...Then What." That chapter included what may be the most famous metaphor in all of leadership: The Bus. "The good-to-great leaders began the transformation by first getting the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus) and then figured out where to drive it." For over twenty years, leaders worldwide have been using this metaphor. "Who do we need to get on The Bus?" "Who needs to get off The Bus?" In this episode, we ask, "is The Bus still a thing?" Is this metaphor outdated, or is it still helpful? Dust off that old DVD of the Keanu Reeves / Sandra Bullock classic Speed and enjoy our conversation about The Bus.

We know leaving your job is SUPER trendy right now.  But before you do, it'll be helpful to listen to this episode. Why? Because when you set up that meeting to resign, your boss will ask you a simple question, "Why do you want to leave?" If you haven't thought through your answer to that question, it will be a VERY awkward conversation. In this episode, we give you a simple framework that will help you identify WHY you want to leave (and help you know WHAT to look out for in your next job). You can download the framework here. Enjoy! ___________ ClayScroggins.com AdamTarnow.com

Adam and Clay open up the old listener mailbag again.  This time, Jonny from Dallas wants to know how to succeed as a new manager.  Step 1 - check out this episode. Step 2 - dominate your new role. Step 3 - send Adam and Clay a "thank you" Starbucks gift card. Just kidding about Step 3.  Kind of. __________________ ClayScroggins.com AdamTarnow.com

Clay gets asked this question often. Why? Because after working at one organization for almost twenty years, he decided to leave and start a new professional adventure. This question, however, is more relevant than ever. The past two years' events have all of us asking existential questions, like this one. So, if you are contemplating a career change or know someone considering a career change, this episode is just for you! ______________ ClayScroggins.com AdamTarnow.com