Love in Action

Kevin Eikenberry is the founder, owner, and Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group. He is also a virtual speaker, trainer, author, and member of the Forbes Coaches Council. He is a world expert on thought leadership, development and learning, as well as the co-founder of the Remote Leadership Institute. His most recent book, The Long-Distance Teammate: Stay Engaged and Connected While Working Anywhere, is a practical guide to navigating the personal and interpersonal, growing the skills to be productive, and communicating effectively. He joins Marcel Schwantes to discuss his book and how to apply its principles to the virtual workplace.Marcel asks Kevin about the reason for writing his book. “There's a big difference between working from home and being an effective member of a team or a remote teammate,” Kevin remarks. “Thinking about it as ‘I work from home’ [is] a different mindset than ‘I’m part of a team that’s not next to me.’ Changing our mindset is a huge part of us being more successful, feeling more connected, and having less stress.” [5:04]Employees have a certain degree of responsibility for their own engagement, Kevin says. Leaders set the conditions, but at the end of the day it’s up to an employee to decide whether or not their work matters enough for them to say “I’m in.” Engagement is about a choice we make. [9:51]The three-P model that facilitates success as a remote teammate is: productivity, proactivity, and potential. Kevin briefly describes each component of the model and the roles they play. They are coachable attributes, he adds. Anyone can learn skills that promote these three P’s. [14:03]Marcel asks Kevin how leaders can motivate their remote teams. “Motivation is largely internal,” he replies. “[As a leader] you can persuade, influence and help your team choose [to be motivated]. One way to do this is to spend more time talking to them.” [18:19]“As leaders and team members, we need to grant each other some grace,” Marcel comments. “If stuff like a dog barking or a child interrup meetings, we should be understanding. I’m not saying granting people grace means that everything goes, but I think many people are overwhelmed because they’re worried about that stuff.” [23:25]“Sixty percent of social interactions happen at work and much of that has vanished due to recent events,” Kevin cites. “I believe as leaders we have a moral, ethical, and organizational responsibility to understand and recognize that, and while we aren’t psychologists, we can recognize that we have folks who are hurting. I believe if we apply some of the things we've been talking about today, we can have a positive impact and make it better.” [27:38]ResourcesKevin Eikenberry on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | FacebookKevinEikenberry.comThe Long-Distance Teammate: Stay Engaged and Connected While Working AnywhereSend Marcel a text message!

Kevin Oakes is an author, the CEO and co-founder of The Institute for Corporate Productivity, and is on the Board of Directors at Performativ. He has been a pioneer in the human capital field for the past 25 years and is an international keynote speaker on culture, leadership and talent management. His most recent book, Culture Renovation: 18 Leadership Actions to Build an Unshakeable Company, is a practical guide to forging organizational cultures that re-humanize work. He joins Marcel Schwantes to discuss how to successfully facilitate culture change.According to Kevin, 85% of organizations that attempt to improve their organizational culture fail. A common misstep is that they do not acquire the cooperation of the whole organization, nor create the mentality needed to bring about a culture change. [4:54]Marcel asks Kevin how the pandemic has affected organizational cultures. “There's no escaping the reality that cultures have changed during the pandemic, and that change wasn't necessarily [started by the leaders],” he replies. “Many organizations are recognizing that we need to be a little more proactive about the culture that we want going forward.” [8:25]In every organization, there is a certain person (or people) along the chain of command that everyone goes to for information, answers and assistance. “[They are] internal rock stars that everything seems to pass through,” Kevin says. “While those people are usually invaluable to a company, they also are possibly suffering from collaborative overload.” He explains the effects of collaborative overload on the victims as well as the organization. [12:56]“For the sake of the employees’ psyches, [leaders] should settle on the communication channels that they are going to use internally,” Kevin comments. Oftentimes different departments will use different communications channels, and employees get stretched thin across many platforms because they are never sure who is going to want to communicate with them. [16:35] Organizations with the most successful culture changes and initiatives are those who train their leaders in all five types of leadership behaviors, research shows. [21:10]Marcel asks Kevin to share tips for leaders on communicating change during times of uncertainty. Leaders need to speak up during periods of societal unrest, Kevin responds. “Internally, your workforce is going to reflect the external environment. Reinforce your values and purpose, and affirm that differences in opinions is okay as long as there is mutual respect. A team wins when it’s united.” [23:37]“[On an individual and organizational level], we listen merely to reply, not to understand,” Kevin remarks. “The first step in all of the 18 action steps [from my book] is to develop and deploy a comprehensive listening strategy.” Many executives assume they understand the culture of their organization before they attempt to change it and often make mistakes, he adds. [30:01]A lot of things try to divide us, but when we take the time to listen to each other, the divisiveness goes away, Kevin advises. He urges listeners to focus on listening to understand and not just to reply. [39:17]ResourcesKevin Oakes on LinkedIn | Twitteri4cp.comCulture Renovation: 18 Leadership Actions to Build an Unshakeable CompanySend Marcel a text message!

Ken Rusk is President at Rusk Industries and the author of Blue-Collar Cash: Love Your Work, Secure Your Future, and Find Happiness for Life. Ken is a blue-collar construction business entrepreneur who has launched multiple successful endeavors over the last three decades. He coaches and trains job seekers to take control of their lives; especially those without college degrees. He joins Marcel Schwantes to talk about his professional journey and how he gained control of his destiny despite his humble beginnings. Ken was motivated to pursue coaching after realizing that people were not as prepared for life as they should be. In the process of growing his business, he met countless individuals who weren’t taught basic necessities to deal with the challenges of life and resolved that he would do his part to rectify it. [2:45]The three tenets to success are comfort, peace, and freedom. Ken remarks that these tenets are interdependent on each other and encapsulate the true purpose of life. They are all that you need to be successful; however, because everyone requires different things to achieve comfort, peace and freedom, success will look different for each person. [5:21]Marcel asks Ken to give insights about the crisis that the American workforce is facing. He argues that removing shop class from the high school curriculum has prevented millions of children from discovering trades like carpentry, plumbing, and electrical engineering. Replacing it with college prep has only saturated the market with too many college graduates and not enough workers to do jobs where they would have already acquired the technical skills necessary. [7:06]People overlook blue-collar jobs because society focuses on college, Ken claims. Roughly 70 million out of the 165 million working people in the US work with their hands, which is proof of the need for blue-collar workers, but society is white-collar oriented. [9:33]Marcel asks Ken if he believes going to college is necessary in 2021. “If you have an absolute reason to go to college, [you should]... but it if you're going for one of those bland business degrees, you may want to reconsider,” Ken says. He explains why investing in a college degree may leave you worse off than you were without one. [11:13]Ken shares insights about lucrative blue-collar jobs. “Sometimes you just need to be willing to do something that other people aren’t,” he advises. [13:24]A key part of achieving any goal is creating certainty. “To change your goal from an ‘if’ to a ‘when,’ you need to have an absolute start date and an absolute end date. If you put yourself in the position to see the end in mind at the beginning, you will certainly get there,” Ken says. [18:22]Marcel asks Ken how he thinks leaders can show love at the workplace. “First off, we need to get rid of our preconceived notions about what a boss is. Just make sure that you are as excited and involved in the goals and futures of the people that work for you as you are for yourself,” Ken replies. [22:50]ResourcesKen Rusk on LinkedIn | WebsiteBlue-Collar Cash: Love Your Work, Secure Your Future, and Find Happiness for LifeSend Marcel a text message!

Dan Foxx is an executive coach, keynote speaker, author, and the founder and owner of Unlock Your Leadership. He has coached over 5000 top executives from America's finest companies; from high techs in the Silicon Valley to promising startups. His most recent book, Confessions from the Heart of an Executive Coach, is a collection of Dan’s observations and stories based on notable experiences throughout his career. He joins Marcel Schwantes to share insights he has gleaned from his 23 years of executive coaching.Marcel asks Dan why he wrote the book. “Most people are striving to matter, be accepted [and] get respect,” Dan begins. “They want to be successful in their heart, and what holds them back is fear.” His aim is to help leaders understand the psychology behind leveraging outcomes, and how they can use that psychology to their benefit. [6:35]Shifting your perspective about failure is key to achieving true success, as it is a necessary tool for learning how to improve. Most people look at failure in a negative light because it affects their self-esteem. However, Dan has observed that every success story has had its share of setbacks. “Failure is the foundation for success,” Marcel sums up. [12:13]Dan shares that his entire approach to business changed after meeting someone he looked up to, who gave him valuable advice: that all his clients had one common need, and that need is love. He incorporated more compassion and kindness in his interactions with his clients, and his business began gaining traction as a result. “[Everyone] is craving to matter to someone, to be able to be vulnerable… and not have to put up a facade,” he says. [15:55] Marcel has observed that openness and vulnerability transfers to clients when coaches are willing to first take the risk. In these trusting environments, more impactful work is done and issues are tackled at the roots. [23:41]Dan shares practical ways in which members of an organization can show love to one another. These include small but meaningful acts of appreciation, like personally greeting each other and expressing gratitude for each person’s unique contributions to the organization. [25:12]“Almost everyone is suffering from past emotional wounds that they keep buried because they don’t know how to reconcile themselves to it and heal,” Dan claims. “It creates a hole in their heart that is supposed to be filled by human connection, relationships, and a sense of being valued and appreciated. So when they are given that, they want more.” [30:02]A leader loves by first acknowledging that a position of leadership is not a position of privilege, but a responsibility of service. The higher up you are in the chain of command, the more people you are in service of. [35:28]Fear is what usually drives our lives. Dan comments that the more we focus on our fears, the larger they become. In order to overcome our fears, we must shift our focus to love, which pushes fear to the corner where it doesn’t dominate our attitudes and decision-making. [42:12]ResourcesDan Foxx on LinkedIn UnlockYourLeadership.comConfessions from the Heart of an Executive Coach: True Stories Behind Closed Doors: Why Some CEOs Win Big, While Others Crash and BurnSend Marcel a text message!

Martin Lindstrom is the founder and owner of Lindstrom Company, for which he is a Branding Expert and Consultant. He was named as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People by Time Magazine, and was chosen, by Thinkers50, to be among the world’s Top 50 Business Thinkers for three consecutive years. He is a best-selling author and columnist, earning features as a collaborating writer in various publications like Fast Company and Forbes, to name a few. His most recent book, The Ministry of Common Sense: How to Eliminate Bureaucratic Red Tape, Bad Excuses, and Corporate Bullshit, is a humorous yet practical guide to eradicating the excessively complicated administrative procedures present in every organization. He joins Marcel Schwantes to discuss the erasure of common sense in the workplace, and what needs to be done to bring it back.Through his work, Martin has discovered that there is a direct correlation between common sense and empathy. “Empathy is the ability to put yourself in another person’s shoes… common sense is… seeing the world from another person’s point of view, [because] it’s a common area.” He explains why common sense seems to be lacking in many organizations. [4:38]“Technology is increasingly removing the empathy from our world,” Martin claims. Communication through technology limits the scope of information that is being conveyed, as only 10% of communication is verbal. Communicating via technology doesn’t allow you to pick up on all the social cues that are present. This is one reason why employees are becoming less able to empathize with one another, Martin points out. [11:08]Marcel asks Martin how corporate politics destroy common sense. “Politics is all about getting things through a system with only you as the person interested in the outcome, and then you get people to buy into it… If the company is not aligned with where it wants to go, or if [all the different departments] start to protect themselves too much… to save their own back, they’re not interested in the bigger perspective,” he replies. [17:36]Martin shares an example of shaping regulations around empathy instead of placing regulatory issues at the center. “Politics is there when [the company] loses sight of reality, when you only have a one-way street and [your own] point of view,” he says. [18:31]“Technology has stripped our common sense, [and] we have lost a human touch,” Marcel paraphrases. He asks Martin what would happen if organizations didn’t have technology for a while. Martin shares a story where an organization lost control of their technology for six weeks, forcing them to use WhatsApp to run things. Sometime later, he asked 1000 employees how their experience was. He expected them to complain, but to his surprise they enjoyed it: they felt like there was new life in the company, and had a lot of fun. [24:17]“Boredom is the foundation for creativity,” Martin muses. “Being bored allows you to take a pause in your life, ...and see everything you do in perspective, and start to connect dots in ways you’ve never done before,” he says. [28:55]Martin shares some common-sense rules for running successful Zoom meetings. Having team members socialize and communicate with each other in informal ways is productive, as these interactions create the emotional glue and culture of the company. Leaders should allot time to conduct breakout rooms, where these informal interactions can be replicated. [31:42]Marcel asks Martin what steps should be taken by leaders to restore common sense to their organizations. “You must first ask yourselves what the most frustrating thing for you customers is,” Martin advises. [37:24]ResourcesMartin Lindstrom on LinkedIn | TwitterMartinLindstrom.com The Ministry of Common Sense: How to Eliminate Bureaucratic Red Tape, Bad Excuses, and Corporate BullshitSend Marcel a text message!

Dr. Jim Loehr is a world-renowned performance psychologist, speaker, and executive coach. His groundbreaking energy management training has received worldwide recognition, appearing in national publications such as Harvard Business Review, Time, and Newsweek. Dr. Loehr has also appeared on national TV shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show. Prior to its acquisition by Johnson and Johnson, he was the chairman and CEO of the Human Performance Institute (HPI), which he co-founded. In addition to his innovative contributions to sport, business, medicine, and law enforcement, Dr. Loehr is also a New York Times bestselling author. His most recent book, Leading with Character: 10 Minutes a Day to a Brilliant Legacy, details the importance of character-based leadership for personal and professional advancement, backed by scientific research. He joins Marcel Schwantes to discuss his book and how they apply to businesses today.“My life isn’t mine,” Dr. Loehr claims. “My life is a gift, and I get fulfillment when I give it away.” He describes his life’s purpose as making a difference, researching, and advancing knowledge to help others fulfill their missions, and being an agent of fulfillment in the lives of others. [3:26]Marcel asks Dr. Loehr if character still matters. He responds that there are two types of competencies when it comes to character: performance competencies, which include focus, ambition, and discipline, and help drive success in extrinsic ways; and ethical and moral competencies, which relate to one’s treatment of other human beings. “Performance competencies drive what you do, and ethical and moral competencies drive how you do it,” he explains. [7:05]Dr. Loehr says that the hypermasculine, tough guy persona that is seen as the ideal leader is a tragic misrepresentation of great leadership. While an analytical, strong, and decisive mind is a necessity, so is empathy and consideration of others. [11:29]“We’re all vulnerable to a number of glitches in our moral reasoning that hijack our ability to make good, solid decisions,” he claims, “and for the most part, they operate out of our awareness.” [15:16]Dr. Loehr talks about the accompanying journal in his book. Journaling on a regular basis and recording their aspirations had powerful impacts on the way his clients wanted to live and move forward. “What this book represents… [is] writing out some of the most important answers to the questions of life… to feed those muscles of character directly,” he explains. [18:51]Dr. Loehr shares an exercise he facilitated, where participants were required to list six words that describe them when they are the best version of themselves, and then list six more words they believe would be inscribed on their tombstones. They were asked to read their answers aloud in groups, and were startled to discover that everyone shared similar answers in both activities. The common theme that recurred through everyone’s answers was their connection to other people. [23:45]Marcel asks Dr. Loehr how to convince reluctant executives to place more emphasis and value on character as it relates to organizational culture. “One of the things I would have a CEO think about is how they like to be treated by people of higher authority,” Dr. Loehr says. Additionally, “what was it that you admire most about the people who led you?” [29:33]“Care about your people more than the results, and they will do everything that they humanly can to make your business work,” Dr. Loehr advises leaders. “Caring for others is an active process… a leader who understands leadership at its core loves their people because of what they do… they give life to your business. Without them, you have nothing.” [33:11]ResourcesJim Loehr on LinkedIn Jim-Loehr.comLeading with Character: 10 Minutes a Day to a Brilliant LegacySend Marcel a text message!

Glenn and Michael Parker are a father-son duo and the authors of The Positive Influence Leader: Helping People Become Their Best Self, which is a practical guide to transformative leadership. Glenn is an internationally recognized speaker, consultant, and author. Micheal is the Managing Director for Rockefeller Capital Management and a senior executive with over 25 years of experience in financial services. They join Marcel Schwantes to discuss the power and value of influence.Marcel asks Micheal and Glenn what inspired them to write their book. Glenn talks about the influence one of his former mentors left on him and how it impacted his life. Marcel shares his own story of his positive influence leader. [3:14]According to Micheal, the four types of positive influence leaders are: the supportive leader; the teacher leader; the motivating leader; and the role model. He gives examples of each archetype. [8:26]The transformational positive influence leader is a leader who is capable of embodying all four types. They’re able to identify and embody the appropriate type of leader in each situation. “All of us have the capacity within us to use all four types,” Glenn claims. “We may tend to use one or two more than others, but the ones that use all are the better leaders.” [15:02]“We've all had negative influences or experiences under the wrong type of leader or boss,” Marcel says. He asks Glenn to give details about coping strategies for dealing with a negative influence. “There are many people in life who think they’re being helpful [by telling us discouraging things] but their words are just code for ‘I don’t think you can do it,’” Glenn replies. He divulges some helpful strategies that interviewees for their book used. [18:33]Micheal shares how the current pandemic affected their release of The Positive Influence Leader. “At first, we thought the timing wasn’t right and that there were more important things to focus on,” he says. “A week or so later, [Glenn] said that we should turn this crisis into an opportunity we can leverage for however long it takes to observe leaders stepping up and evolving into positive influences.” The pandemic provided them with the opportunity to see in real-time how leaders lead in times of crisis. [23:38]Micheal talks about what they learned during the pandemic. “Leaders in a time of crisis must be open and authentic; authentic leaders don’t deny, deceive, or deflect,” he advises. Even when they don’t have all the information, authentic leaders are honest, clear and specific. They say things like “This is what we know as of this moment, but the situation is fluid and things can change.” [25:11]Marcel asks Glenn how leaders can implement the strategies written in their book. Glenn suggests that leadership teams can discuss the discussion questions at the end of each chapter. Additionally, there is a self-assessment survey they can take to discover their preferred style of leadership, which identifies the styles in which they need improvement. [28:07]ResourcesGlenn Parker on LinkedIn | TwitterEmail: glenn@thepositiveinfluenceleader.com Michael Parker on LinkedIn Email: michael@thepositiveinfluenceleader.com The Positive Influence Leader: Helping People Become Their Best Self | ThePositiveInfluenceLeader.comSend Marcel a text message!

Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is the Chief Talent Scientist at ManpowerGroup, and an international authority in psychological profiling, talent management, leadership development, and people analytics. He is also Professor of Business Psychology at University College London and Columbia University. Amy Edmondson is an author and the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School. Her work on teams, psychological safety, and leadership has influenced corporate and academic audiences all over the world, and she was recently honored with the Breakthrough Idea Award by Thinkers50 in 2019. Together, they authored the article “Today’s Leaders Need Vulnerability, Not Bravado” in the Harvard Business Review. They join Marcel Schwantes to talk about the paradox of finding strength in vulnerability.Leaders who lead with bravado want to be perceived as tough: they have an aversion to displaying weakness or “soft” emotions and are confident even when they are wrong, according to Dr. Tomas. [8:51]Amy says that a characteristic of bravado is an unwillingness to listen to others. As such, bravado-based leadership falls short in situations where science, facts, or expertise really matter. “You have to say ‘I’m all-knowing, and I don’t need others’ because that’s the whole idea of being strong,” she says of bravado-based leaders. [10:34]Marcel asks them to define vulnerability in their own terms, as the word has undesirable connotations. “To me,” Amy starts, “vulnerability is a simple statement of fact; it just means ‘I am at risk of being wounded.’ If you are a vulnerable leader, you are simply willing to acknowledge reality.” Additionally, vulnerability in leadership allows leaders to be emotionally honest, authentic, and real. [11:39]“A BBC journalist once asked me ‘But who wants to follow a leader that says they don’t know?’ And I said, ‘Maybe a rational and mature person,’” Dr. Tomas shares. He explains that those who follow leaders also need to be intelligent and rational enough to understand that difficult challenges may be ahead. [15:58]Amy advises leaders to ask for help. You can reach out to the experts on your team and be clear about the assistance you require. Approaching them for help also brings recognition and appreciation for their skills and abilities. [20:26]Dr. Tomas comments that leaders with big egos are usually overconfident and deluded; they never take responsibility for their mistakes because they never think they are at fault. Furthermore, they will not apologize. On the flip-side, leaders who are self-critical are more likely to be vulnerable and acknowledge their mistakes. [23:56]Vulnerability becomes a weakness when the system or culture you are immersed in does not tolerate displays of openness, kindness, or doubts. In such cultures, doubts or self-criticism are seen as an indication of incompetence. [29:25]Marcel asks Amy what some of the most difficult obstacles are for psychological safety. “Leadership bravado is a big one,” she replies. She explains how this stymies building a psychologically safe workplace. [34:11]To Amy and Dr. Tomas, leaders display love at work by caring for and connecting with their teams. Love is a transformational, gravitational force that draws people in and enables them to become their best selves. [39:18]ResourcesDr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic on LinkedIn | TwitterDrTomasCP.comAmy Edmondson on LinkedIn | TwitterToday’s Leaders Need Vulnerability, Not BravadoSend Marcel a text message!

How can we restore peace this holiday season? That is the question Marcel Schwantes poses today to his guests Chester Elton and Adrian Gostick. Chester and Adrian are the authors of Leading with Gratitude (and many other best-selling management and leadership books!), and Co-Founders of The Culture Works, a global training firm that counsels the leadership of fortune 500 companies. They and Marcel talk about bringing gratitude into our homes and our workplaces.·    Marcel starts the conversation by asking Chester and Adrian what they’re grateful for. Chester keeps a quotation from Russel M. Nelson near his desk: “Counting our blessings is far better than recounting our problems.” This is particularly important to remember during years like this one, when it can be harder than usual to find things to be grateful. Adrian adds that he’s grateful for the opportunity to think about things in different ways. [05:45]·    When we’re in the middle of so much conflict and divisiveness, Marcel asks what needs to happen for us to be more grateful during the Christmas season. Adrian talks about the upcoming virtual or socially distanced gatherings and families who have residual political differences. The important thing according to Adrian, is “to treat people fairly.” Chester comments that we should “focus on what unites us.” [09:00]·    Marcel notes that Adrian and Chester are really digging deep into empathy – and he asks what connection empathy has to gratitude. Chester notes that often when we enter into conflict we want to win, which isn’t effective. He quotes Adrian: “Take a beat. Listen more.” [13:45]·    Adrian reminds everyone that “you really need to do something.” We take for granted that the people we love know how we feel about them. “Tell them specifically why you love them. That specificity is really necessary.” [19:45]·    Marcel asks Adrian and Chester to get into how to actually implement a culture of gratitude. Speaking to the HR or leadership of an organization. Chester says the first thing you need to do is talk about it – identify where you are, where you want to be and how you’re going to get there, and the role that rituals can play in a company. Adrian talks about the importance of looking for small wins, which are really signposts that you’re on the right path. [25:05]·    Chester mentions that one of the benefits of the pandemic is that we’re all working remotely, and leaders have developed much more empathy, since we’re all going through the same things. He talks about 3 of the questions he and Adrian encourage managers to ask their team members. [29:00]·    Adrian reminds us that fairness and equity are not the same. People need to be treated differently, and managers need to know what motivates each of the people you lead. Chester says it all comes back to caring, and knowing that your boss cares about you. [32:15]·    Chester says start and end your day on a positive note, and gives some strategies for how we can do that. [36:40]Listen to Marcel’s Action steps for this episode at 39:05Join the conversation on Twitter by joining the hashtag #LoveInActionPodcastResources:Chester Elton / LinkedInAdrian Gostick / LinkedIn / ForbesLeading With GratitudeSend Marcel a text message!

Michael Canic is the President of Making Strategy Happen, and Bridgeway Leadership, a strategy and execution consultant, speaker, and an author. His book, Ruthless Consistency: How Committed Leaders Execute Strategy, Implement Change, and Build Organizations That Win, is a practical guide to implementing an intuitive yet comprehensive model for success in any organization. He joins Marcel Schwantes to discuss his book and how to apply its principles to your business in these unprecedented times.Michael talks about the experience of winning the college football National Championship with the University of British Columbia in Canada. “Having a group of people with that intense shared focus on a common goal, and ensuring that, as coaches, we aligned everything to support achieving that goal was a tremendously gratifying experience,” he shares, “and that can be applied to any organization.” [3:01]Marcel asks Michael what happens when leaders are inconsistent. Michael responds, “It’s when leaders trumpet excellence but tolerate mediocrity, or when they say we’ll fly to the moon but don’t give their teams the resources to get there,” he says. The mixed messages kill leaders’ credibility and undermine efforts. [5:45]Strategic planning often focuses more on the planning part, and less on putting the plan into action. Michael says leaders should focus on executing the plan to get the desired results. [8:08]Many people often confuse confidence with arrogance. Confidence is good and healthy, but arrogance is a detriment to your leadership. The antidote to arrogance is realizing and accepting that you’re not the purpose, you only facilitate it, Michael notes. “If you’re leading but no one is following you, you’re just going for a walk,” he quotes. [11:26]Michael defines culture as “a byproduct of the processes we create, the practices we employ, and the interactions and conversations we have.” He describes the effects that inconsistency has on employees. [14:04]Leaders must be coaches and not managers. “The difference is that coaches take responsibility for the performance of their people,” Micheal states. “Managers just say ‘Here’s your job, do it,’ and then come back to evaluate performance a year later.” Leaders need to make sure they are regularly giving people meaningful feedback and guidance about their performance. Additionally, leaders help create the right environment by holding people accountable. [17:09]Valuing people is about respect, trust, and care. You engage people at a deeper level when they feel as though you respect them, trust them, and care about them as individuals. “[Now] more than ever, it is critical that leaders consistently convey that they value their people as human beings and not as objects of productions,” Micheal adds. [20:03]While having skills and experience is the ideal, we need to look at people’s traits as well before we hire them. Having the traits to be successful make up for lack of experience or skills. [22:44]“Right now, we have a great need for leadership at all levels and in all kinds of institutions,” Michael observes. “I implore people to be aware that the higher calling of leadership is not just for today, but for the future as well.” [26:18]ResourcesMichael Canic on LinkedIn | TwitterMakingStrategyHappen.comSend Marcel a text message!