This is our first LeaderFactor Single Point Lesson. These 10-minute episodes are packed with practical learning on a single topic. These episodes will be published in addition to our regular full-length episodes every Monday.Today's lesson:You will grow based on what you demand of yourself.Key Points:As humans, it is natural for us to seek comfort and equilibrium, but equilibrium leads to mediocrity. In the end, mediocrity will deny you the opportunity to discover who you really are and who you can become. What's the answer? Demand more of yourself. Don’t wait for your environment to demand more of you because it might not. Embrace discomfort (but not to your panic zone) and recognize that there has never been a time of significant progression that wasn't characterized by discomfort.Today's key action:Write down an area of your life that's falling or has fallen into equilibrium in which you should demand more of yourself. Then go and do whatever might be appropriate to improve

In this episode, we're continuing our Leading with Character and Competence series with a discussion on the second cornerstone of competence, change. Previous episodes in this series have been on the four cornerstones of character, which in case you missed them, are integrity, humility, accountability, and courage. In order to become an effective leader and become what we would truly consider competent, you have to become skilled at adapting to change yourself and leading others through change. Tim and Junior talk about facing change as an individual and as a leader, as well as the two failure patterns that organizations face when running change initiatives. What is change? (0:03:15) Change always requires the performance of additional work and the absorption of additional stress. It's a gateway competency in the 21st century. Sometimes we choose it, and sometimes it chooses us. What is resilience? (0:09:38) In order to become an effective leader and become what we would truly consider competent, you have to become skilled at adapting to change yourself and leading others through change. And in order to manage change at the individual level, we have to be resilient. Tackling organizational change (0:23:51) Tim and Junior discuss the two domains of change, personal and organizational. They explain the cocktail of confidence, adaptability, and optimism. Applying confidence, optimism, and gratitude (0:28:56) How do these three apply to relationships, renewal, learning, contribution, achievement, and purpose?Two change failure patterns (0:40:35) You can't muscle or smuggle change. When we smuggle, we try to hide the fact that we're changing from people, to bring it into the organization and conceal it, cover it up, bring it in as a covert action, minimize it. When we muscle change, we use formal authority and positional power to force change. Neither yield promising results. 

In this episode of Culture by Design, we're entering the second half of our Leading with Character and Competence series with a discussion on the first cornerstone of competence, learning. Tim and Junior discuss what it means to be an agile self­-directed learner, why it's important to learn at or above the speed of change, and how to keep yourself competitive and relevant in an increasingly fast-­paced, changing environment.Character vs. Competence (0:01:21). If character is the infrastructure, competence is the superstructure. Tim and Junior introduce the next four episodes of this series, all of which will focus on how listeners can develop and improve their levels of competence. The perishability of knowledge (0:05:08). We live in a different world than it was just a couple of years ago. Things are changing quickly, and the perishability of knowledge and information are accelerating. Tim and Junior discuss how the linear nature of a career has been disrupted.The desire for stability and job security (0:13:13). Through a story about union negotiation, Tim illustrates the human need for stability, and how our concept of stability has changed over time. We're no longer looking for a role that'll last us decades, we're looking for one that'll grow with us. The three types of learning (0:15:00). There are three types of learning: permanent, continuous, and agile. Permanent learning is based on permanent qualification, continuous learning is ongoing qualification, and agile learning is rapid, collaborative, self-­directed learning at the moment of need.Formal vs. informal learning (0:22:03). Eventually, we graduate from opportunities and environments where we learn formally. This means we have to be proactive in creating and seeking out places and times to learn informally. Junior shares four self-reflection questions to help listeners assess their current impact on their learning.Encouraging learning in leadership (0:24:17). If you're a leader, people are watching you. They're watching how you interact with others, how you perform, and how you learn. If you can lead by example, you'll increase the learning agility of your team because you're creating that prevailing norm on your team.Reading for curation and pattern recognition (0:39:30). Tim and Junior share their advice on how to maximize what you read, plus a small discussion on Tim's most recent Harvard Business Review article, How to Read a Business Book.LinksHow to Read a Business Book (HBR)

In this episode of Culture by Design, Tim and Junior talk about courage as a leadership trait. Courage is a characteristic you need if you want to take risks, innovate, and progress. It's the biggest difference between managers and leaders. This episode is full of practical advice on developing courage, including embracing reality, deep listening, and aiming high. (0:02:38) Management vs. Leadership, what’s the difference? The risk profile of leadership as an applied discipline is quite a bit different than the risk profile of management. Why is leadership higher risk? Because leaders venture farther into the unknown than managers do. And it takes courage to explore, to disrupt, and to create.(0:15:29) What is your leadership-to-management ratio? As disciplines, leadership and management complement and yet compete with each other. They’re interdependent but not interchangeable. They represent different roles, but not different people.(0:28:54) Creativity requires courage. If innovation is about deviation and disrupting the status quo, then creativity is part of that process. But luckily, courage, like creativity, is a learnable skill. (0:35:11) Tim and Junior share four ways to increase courage. (1) Listen, (2) change before it becomes obvious, (3) embrace reality, (4) aim high. 

Leadership podcast discusses accountability, embracing transparency and ownership. Stories highlight the importance of internal accountability and avoiding entitlement. Tips for improving accountability include finishing tasks and avoiding short-term gratification. Emphasizes the need for intrinsic accountability and taking ownership of personal values.

In today's episode, we're continuing our leadership series on leading with character and competence with a discussion on the second cornerstone of character: humility. Humility is a performance accelerator; it allows you to develop, grow, and progress faster. It's the culminating stage of a leader's emotional and psychological development, and it's also one of the most difficult character traits to cultivate. This is a unique episode that will leave you with insights on humility that you haven't considered, which you can use to improve your leadership today.(04:27) What is humility? Tim and Junior describe the behaviors of humble leaders and define humility. "Humility is the unresented acknowledgement of two things: number one, you need other people's help, and number two, you don't know everything. It puts you in a different frame of mind, a different attitude, a different emotional state."(08:26) Humility is a performance accelerator. "The problem with hubris is that you become your own obstacle, you get in your own way, and with humility, you're able to move on, learn from the experiences that you're having, and go forward unencumbered, unrestrained."(17:31) Humility is an acknowledgment of the truth. "Humility is simply an acknowledgement of the truth of things, and the truth is we are all dependent, and we do need each other. So an attitude of humility is really appropriate in human interactions as we think about how we need each other and how we should help each other. If you live life and you're hoarding, trying to hoard recognition, praise, honor, and credit, it diminishes others."(25:19) To achieve humility, we must overcome insecurity without using junk theories of superiority. "One of the distinguishing characteristics of those who have humility is that they stare right into their imperfections and weaknesses. They acknowledge them, they know what they are, and paradoxically, that is actually what enables them to stand with so much confidence. Because they're not worried about being found out, there's not something that they're trying to hide, that they're self-conscious about and worried that people are going to discover."(35:36) Leaders can think about their inquiry vs. advocacy ratio to overcome personal hubris. "If we're just stuck in advocacy mode, then we're not getting the feedback, and the reality that we're looking at may be distorted."(41:00) Humble leaders are kind and demanding at the same time. "These are humble, very effective leaders that have evolved as leaders to a world-class level. They delegate more with the understanding that people grow only when they leave their comfort zones and travel to their outer limits. They realize that stretching, because they put a lot of stretch in the goals they give people, is both painful but also exhilarating. And that's the only place where people can build new capacity."(51:13) To gain humility, you must develop a high tolerance for candor. "Ask yourself, on a scale from 1 to 10, what is your tolerance for candor?"(54:45) Tim and Junior share additional characteristics of humble leaders. "They don't need to hear themselves talk, so they don't clamor for airtime. They stop telling the world how smart they are. They don't subscribe to the leader as an expert model in which the leader is the repository of all knowledge. They value the appreciation and recognition of their peers when it's meaningful, but it's not a requirement. They have learned that leadership often requires that we go for long periods and long distances without reward or recognition, that we toil in obscurity, and that due credit might come, but it might not. Final-stage leaders learn to fuel their efforts through intrinsic rewards. They learn that achievement carries its own compensation."Important LinksLeading with Character and Competence

In today's episode, we're continuing our Leading with Character & Competence series with a discussion about integrity. Integrity is the first cornerstone of character and is about being honest, trustworthy, and reliable. It's about doing the right thing even when it's difficult. Integrity is key to building trust and credibility, which are essential for effective leadership. (0:01:27) Integrity is the first cornerstone of character. Tim and Junior use some famous quotes and concepts to define integrity. It's basic honesty. It's consistency and uprightness. It's squaring up to who you are and what you believe. It's adhering to strong moral values even or especially in the face of challenges.(0:08:43) Are you for sale? Tim tells a story that he mentions in his book, The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety, and explains that without integrity, business ethics go out the window.(0:17:44) Ethical dilemmas and moral muscle memory. How do you build a moral muscle memory even if bribery or temptation come into play? Tim and Junior share childhood and personal examples of integrity (or the lack thereof) in their own lives. (0:28:05) The pressure of the disproportionate misfortune. How does Jean Valjean from Les Miserables play into the concept of integrity? Junior shares his philosophy on why some situations make it more difficult to make ethical decisions than others.(0:34:27) What could integrity cost you? Often this conversation about integrity happens at a pretty surface level, and you think about it just out of principle. But what happens when you really weigh the cost of it all?(0:44:05) Recommendation: Take responsibility. You're responsible for your values, your attitudes, your beliefs, your desires, your actions, your influence, and the consequences of all of those things. You can't detach those. You have to take responsibility for all of those things. But how do you do it?(0:51:19) The steel plant and the walkabout. Tim shares a story from his days as plant manager at Geneva Steel where he learned that people are governed from the inside out, through their own restraints, through their own accountability.Important LinksLeading with Character and Competence 

At LeaderFactor, we view leadership as an applied discipline. It’s a learnable skill. It’s something that you can improve with good information and a lot of effort. Leadership is a factor in every decision and every outcome. Character and competence are two big pieces of leadership that will frame everything that follows.(0:07:04) Character is your core. Your core refers to the way that you govern yourself from the inside out. You’re making decisions and you’re choosing to influence people toward worthy goals and worthy ends. If we treat leadership as an applied discipline, character separates good leaders from great ones.(0:15:06) Leaders are paid for their judgment, productivity, and collaboration. Judgment is a combination of integrity and knowledge. Productivity is a combination of discipline and skill. Collaboration is a combination of humility and communication.(0:25:36) Dissonance between the institution and the individual. Often, it’s a collision between personal incentive and an organizational incentive or a personal interest and an organizational interest.(​​0:30:48) Competence is your crust. This is on top of the core of character. It’s your technical skill, expertise, talents, and aptitudes. If we want to improve our influence there are two levers: who we are and what we do.(0:39:08) Dangerous leaders with low character and high competence. How can you avoid dangerous hires that are fueled by charisma? Tim and Junior explain how to protect yourself against these kinds of hires with low character.(0:41:43) The three traits of great leaders. Tim and Junior explain how self-awareness, continuous learning, and authenticity help leaders maximize their influence in their organizations.

This episode is part two of our two-part mini-series on Psychological Safety in Personal Relationships. Tim and Junior will pick it up right where they left off and start by discussing contributor safety as it relates to our personal lives. They will continue with practical examples, and you’ll even get introduced to the LIVE model, an acronym to help you recognize and reward vulnerability around you. If you missed last week’s episode, you may consider starting there, because this conversation begins right where that one ends.(0:01:00) Contributor safety–How do we improve? Junior starts the episode with a question: Do you grant others maximum autonomy to contribute in their own way as they demonstrate their ability to deliver results? The level of autonomy that people have should be appropriate to their role and to their performance.(0:16:27) Challenger safety–How do we improve? Challenger safety is the culminating stage of The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety. Junior asks the question: Do you consistently invite others to challenge the status quo in order to make things better?(0:27:20) Your two choices: Change your behavior or change your belief about the behavior. Which is easier? Definitely the latter. But which has a profound impact on the cultures you participate in? Absolutely the former.(0:33:02) The L.I.V.E. Model. Do you look for, identify, validate, and encourage acts of vulnerability in your everyday life? Tim and Junior explain that this is the mechanism for creating healthy, deep, and resilient relationships.(0:39:19) Trust and psychological safety. You can’t trust someone who’s unpredictable, and you can’t trust someone’s reaction if it’s not predictable. The same is true for rewarding vulnerability. If you’re not 1000 percent sure that you’ll be met with warmth, you won’t engage in vulnerable ways.Important LinksThe L.I.V.E Model

We all have relationships we wish to improve. The concepts behind The 4 Stages of  Psychological Safety™ can help us improve our relationships both at work and beyond the office into our everyday lives. This week Tim and Junior will get personal and discuss how recognizing and rewarding the vulnerable acts of others can make a positive impact on everyone around us. This is part one in a two-part mini series on this topic.0:03:43 What is psychological safety? Psychological safety as we see it, is a culture of rewarded vulnerability, and culture is the way we interact. Junior asks the questions, can you separate culture and psychological safety? Where does culture live? What are the stakes?0:12:11 Psychological safety includes emotional security and trust, but Tim and Junior explain why you can’t conflate trust and psychological safety.0:20:57 What gets in our way? In many settings, family settings, with all kinds of relationships, and certainly in the workplace, you will be put under pressure and face trauma, stress, and strain. Even the best people in the world will be tested in terms of psychological safety in their personal relationships because they're going to find themselves under stress. 0:29:01 Inclusion Safety–How do we improve? Tim and Junior apply the first of The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety framework to everyday life. 0:46:00 Learner Safety–How do we improve? Tim and Junior apply the second of The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety framework to everyday life.