The Chris LoCurto Show

http://chrislocurto.com/the-accidental-leader/What is an accidental leader?They have a great idea for a business. They go out and do it, they grow, and think that they are leading.They start hiring people, unaware that they’re a dreadful leader. They realize that their employees are dreadful…or maybe it’s the other way around. It’s all in the numbers, right?If you run through three or four employees in a couple of months, there’s a common denominator, YOU!Today on the podcast, we are interviewing one of our clients, Bo McDonald, who has been with us for years. Bo discovered something very important about his leadership…the “accidental” leader.We are digging in.A few things we hit:What turnover looked like for the “accidental” leader and what the signs were.What the impacts were of being an “accidental” leader.What the next step in leadership looked like for him.How the next-level mastermind group helped his leadership.The HUGE changes from his team from dedication to increased productivity.If you’re not pouring into yourself and changing yourself and investing in you, it’s hard to invest in anyone else. The more you as a leader dig in, the more information you get, the more you can change, and be a better leader you will become.

Grace. It’s something we all need. Oddly enough, it’s not something that we give very freely. Every single one of us has junk in our lives. Instead of judgement or ridicule, we need to give grace and receive grace.You’ve had at least one leader who was a jerk, a leader who was rough, a leader who didn’t have grace. The thing is that you have to understand people do what they’re taught.Leading with grace requires one huge, huge thing. The first thing that leading with grace requires is, a relationship with the almighty God. A relationship with the one who has the most grace.Your God is somebody who loves you so much, so much that he wants to spend eternity with you, that he did the greatest act of grace ever, and that was on the cross.That was him saying, “I want everlasting life with you and so I am going to take on the worlds worst beatings, the worlds worst punishment, so that I can have it with you.” All you’ve got to do is choose.That act is such a massive act of love, and an act of grace.Now what does that mean for leading? What it means is if I am going to treat people with grace I must first have it. I have been given so much grace that I must give grace.I have had so much grace in my life because I have screwed so many things up, I have done so many things with stupid, I have done so many things wrong, and I have needed that grace from god even when I didn’t realize I was doing things wrong.It was there, and it’s been there, and I’ve bee able to receive that. I’m able to look back on my life and see many of the things that God has done to give me grace I must give grace to others.Leading others has to start with me, I start with the understanding that I have this grace.

http://chrislocurto.com/using-the-force-with-culture/Culture, for me, is summed up in 2 things: actions and attitudes. It's the actions of your team, it's the actions of your leadership, it's the actions of your clients. It's the attitudes of your team, your leadership, your clients. If you're a leader and you're overloaded and you're finding that you can't spend time with your team members then I can promise you this: culture is sneaking in your back door. People are sneaking in bad leadership, like not taking ownership, like possibly gossip, like not having buy-in in the direction or vision that we're going in, or silently sabotaging the vision in the process. For you to have great culture you have to understand the starting place is to force it. You have to literally force the culture that you want in your business, period.

http://chrislocurto.com/how-clear-is-your-decision-making/One of the things that can absolutely destroy your business, long term, is a bad decision-making process.Some people make decisions because they’re afraid. They’re afraid of something, they’re afraid something’s going to happen, they’re afraid, whatever, fill-in-the-blank.They make really bad decisions. Listen to find out what questions you can ask to start making better decisions today!

http://chrislocurto.com/7-steps-to-a-tough-conversation/How many of you need to have a tough conversation right now? Do you know how? After all, who taught you how to do it? Who taught you how to sit down and have a conversation with somebody who was just totally screwing up?Who taught you to sit down with a vendor that doesn’t realize that YOU are the customer? Who taught you how to sit down and have a difficult conversation with somebody who is the opposite personality style that you are?Maybe you might be struggling because it’s a big conflict for you and you don’t want to do it in the first place.Here are 7 steps that you can put into practice this week:STEP 1: Before you call a team member out you should always ask yourself first, “Am I the problem?”STEP 2: Take responsibility and treat people with dignity.STEP 3: Always, always, ALWAYS try hard to avoid jumping to conclusions.STEP 4: Gain perspective on the situation, the person, and yourself first.STEP 5: Once you are positive you have as much perspective as you can obtain, gain even MORE by asking questions starting with, “Help me understand…”STEP 6: Guide your team member to self-discovery.STEP 7: Ask the team member to clarify the situation.

http://chrislocurto.com/how-to-dramatically-transform-your-leadership-in-3-days/Look, I absolutely get it. You started your business or took on a leadership role because you wanted the RESULTS of having a business and leading.Results like:Making good money so you can do what you want in life (i.e. provide for your family, live in a nice house, take vacations when you want, pay for your kid’s college, have solid retirement savings)Have the time and freedom to live your life on your terms (i.e. take time off to spend with your family, work from home if you want, heck…work WHEN you want and WHERE you want) Make a difference in the lives of your team, and use your influence to set direction rather than just take orders (i.e. find more fulfillment in teaching and guiding team members to success, more control of your career and work) It’s the dream, right?But before you knew it, the amount of work on your plate, the running around like a crazy person putting out fires, people drama on your team, and the stress and overwhelm of it all some days has you asking why you ever decided to start this business or why you ever jumped into leading people. Does any of this sound familiar?

http://chrislocurto.com/5-cant-ignore-keys-to-business-growth/If you’ve run a business for more than a day, you know growing a company involves more than selling stuff. Fast forward a year or two later when you’ve added team members, and you definitely know it involves more than that! As an entrepreneur or leader, you know these issues, and so many more, are part of running a company and leading a team.That said, I’ve learned how to eliminate or minimize them in my business so they don’t hold my team back or me from crushing it every day. Here are 5 keys you can’t ignore to grow your business.

You and I both know traditional goal-settingdoesn’t work.But Michael Hyatt’s process does.http://chrislocurto.com/best-year-ever/If you truly want to make this your best yearever, and finally make progress against the goalsthat matter most, then go watch Michael’s video.Today, I am talking about setting up your year for success.

Joel Boggess’s ReLaunch Show has been named one of the top five shows to jump start your inspiration and one of the top twenty business podcasts of 2015.On today’s podcast Joel shares his discoveries about the value of determination, persistence, and faith on all sides. He illustrates how those three actions brought about a new beginning. Joel believes everyone has a message that is unique to them and the greatest gift we can give is to share that message.As a bonus, Joel has given us his top 7 mistakes that podcasters make. Click below to receive your copy.

http://chrislocurto.com/everybody-matters/The way we lead in business effects the way our team members live their lives. We make a profound impact on them by the way we treat them. We're not only effecting the team member who works with us, but we're effecting their role in their family when they go home. We need to have leaders who know where they're going and how to get there safely so that people who entrust their lives, who join your organization in hopes of realizing their dreams through sharing their gifts, feel safe and valued.