

The Non-Anxious Leader Podcast
Jack Shitama
The Non-Anxious Leader Podcast uses a family systems theory approach to increase your spiritual, emotional and physical well-being so you can be the best leader possible. Each episode explores research and practical tips to help you be a personal and professional non-anxious presence.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 24, 2019 • 15min
Episode 24: The Top Five Regrets of the Dying (and How to Avoid Them)
On our deathbed, most of our regrets will be things we left undone. Four of the top five are so-called regrets of inaction. Looking at them from a family systems perspective will help to avoid them.
Show Notes:
This article from Cornell summarizes Tom Gilovich's work on regret.
The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departed by Bronnie Ware
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Jun 17, 2019 • 13min
Episode 23: Musings from Thailand on Self-Differentiation
Food is a proxy for culture, and culture is a system with its own set of unwritten rules that can create surrounding togetherness pressure. Getting outside of our own culture can help us to better self-differentiate.
Show notes:
Here is a recipe using turmeric marinated tofu.
The egg I described in this episode is called a Century Egg.
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Jun 3, 2019 • 10min
Episode 22: The Secret of Success
The overnight success is a myth, or at best a rarity. The rest of us have to work at it. Regardless of what you do, there is a proven approach to making an impact.
Show Notes:
Domino Chain Reaction, a YouTube video by Stephen Morris. It's only 2-1/2 minutes, and well worth watching.
The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
Drip by Drip and the Thunderclap by Seth Godin
Fear of Shipping by Seth Godin
Episode 5: Procrastinating Smartly and Moving Quickly, which explains the concept of the minimum viable product.
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May 27, 2019 • 19min
Episode 21: Difficult Conversations Part 2-How to Be a Non-Anxious Presence
Engaging in a difficult conversation takes preparation to enable one to be a non-anxious presence. These techniques will help you to prepare, get started and remain a non-anxious presence.
Show Notes:
Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen and Roger Fisher
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May 20, 2019 • 18min
Episode 20: Difficult Conversations Part 1: What's Going On in Us?
There are three potential conversations that go on in our heads when we are having a difficult conversations: What happened, feelings and identity. Understanding how these work and what to do about them is essential to being a non-anxious presence in challenging interactions.
Show Notes:
This podcasts references material from Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen and Roger Fisher.
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May 13, 2019 • 18min
Episode 19: Self-Regulation--the Key to Being a Non-Anxious Presence
Remaining a non-anxious presence, especially in anxious situations, is the key to effective leadership. This is hard to do. You will feel anxious inside. Learning to regulate your own anxiety can help you be your most effective.
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May 6, 2019 • 19min
Episode 18: Pain, the Quick-Fix, Crisis, and Why It's a Great Time to Be a United Methodist
In family systems theory, pain is an opportunity for growth. Our culture promotes pain avoidance and seeking the quick fix. Sometimes the only way to find growth is through a crisis.
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Apr 29, 2019 • 19min
Episode 17: Soap, Innovation and Emergent Strategy
Very few organizations are able to sustain effectiveness over the long haul. It requires a balance between planning and adapting to changing circumstances, both of which are needed for innovation and execution. Procter and Gamble is an example of a company that has been able to change with the times.
Show Notes:
This article from the American Chemical Society documents P&G's history and how it became a technology company.
This Harvard Business School article about P&G is a case study on strategic management.
The original Fortune 500 from 1955.
This the FREE strategic paper I wrote, Five Steps to Jump Start Congregational Change.
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Apr 22, 2019 • 19min
Episode 16: A Family Systems Perspective on Brene Brown's Anatomy of Trust
Brene Brown uses the acronym "BRAVING" to describe how to build trust in relationships. Trust is key to effective leadership. Understanding Brown's take from a family systems perspective is helpful in learning to be a non-anxious presence.
Show Notes:
Brene Brown's talk on the Anatomy of Trust
The SPEED of TRUST: The One Thing that Changes Everything, by Stephen M.R. Covey
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Apr 15, 2019 • 16min
Episode 15: Messy Desks vs. Clean Desks (and Why It Matters)
Is a messy desk or clean desk better for productivity and creativity? The answers might surprise you. The results from different studies help us to understand, from a family systems perspective, how we can help the team we work with do their best work.
Show Notes:
Why Google Encourages Having a Messy Desk, from Business Insider
Science Explains What the State of Your Desk Says About You, from Fast Company
Got a Messy Work Desk? Study Reveals What Your Coworkers Really Think of You, from Fast Company
Why Every Office Should Scrap Its Clean Desk Policy, from Ted.com
Results Only Work Environment website from Co-Founder Jody Thompson
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