What role does humility play in today's leadership and how does this trait benefit leaders in facing the challenges present in today's global market? That's one of the questions I discuss with CEO Dave Balter in the latest episode of “Leadership Biz Cafe”.Dave is the CEO and founder of the word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing company, BzzAgent, which has been featured on CBS News, the BBC, and the New York Times Sunday Magazine. His company has also been the focus of two case studies done by Harvard Business School.Recently, Dave started a new web project titled “100 Days of Humility” in the hopes of drawing more attention to the need for greater humility in today's leadership. The goal of the project is to encourage people to share their thoughts on humility in leadership, with the community voting for the story or idea which best illustrates the important role humility plays in leading others.Over the course of our conversation about the importance of humility in leadership, Dave and I discuss:The personal experience that lead Dave to recognize why leaders need to embrace humility.The tangible benefits or improvements leaders can create by bringing a greater sense of humility to their leadership.How the level and type of interactions leaders have with their employees affects their ability to be humble.The relationship between how much you trust those you lead and the level of humility you exhibit through your leadership.What a sense of humility reveals about your character and ability to lead others.How humility can keep leaders grounded in their vision in the face of organizational success.Four measures leaders can employ to bring a greater sense of humility to their leadership.I'd like to thank Dave for reaching out and wanting to share his own experiences as a leader coming to terms with the role humility plays in leadership. The experiences and insights he shares helps to shed some light on how humility is not just a nice trait to have, but a critical component to ensuring the success of your team's efforts to reach your organization's goals.As I mentioned at the end of the show, I’d love to hear what you think about this episode, as well as what other topics you’d be interested in hearing more about in upcoming episodes of my show. You can share your thoughts/ideas by leaving a comment below or by filling out the contact form on my website.I’d appreciate it if you could help support future episodes of this leadership podcast by taking a moment to rate my show on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your preferred streaming platform.https://open.spotify.com/episode/5IFe2aNRUZ0nAkgu2bnsQf?si=af6a909df0114905Noteworthy links:Dave Balter's Inc. Magazine article on humility in leadership - “The Humility Imperative: CEOs, Keep Your Arrogance in Check”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does vision still play a key role for organizations in today's ever-changing world?  That the basis of my conversation with best-selling author and former executive Jesse Lyn Stoner in this episode of my leadership podcast show, "Leadership Biz Cafe".Jesse Lyn Stoner is a business consultant, former executive, and bestselling author. For over 30 years, she has worked with leaders in hundreds of organizations including Honda, Pfizer, Marriott, Edelman Public Relations, Yale University, and SAP.In this episode, we discuss some of the ideas she shares about vision in the international bestseller she co-authored with Ken Blanchard, “Full Steam Ahead: Unleash the Power of Vision In Your Work and Your Life”.Over the course of our conversation, Jesse and I discuss:Why creating a vision remains a critical tool for organizations to navigate the growing competitive market.The key elements necessary for creating an effective vision statement.Why organizations need to not only establish, but rank in importance, the values that define their internal culture.Why leaders need to present their vision in terms of what their employees will gain as opposed to focusing on what they have to give up from implementing this plan.How leaders should go about creating a vision to encourage their employees to embrace it and make it their own.What leaders can do to ensure their vision remains relevant in the face of continual change and increasing global competitiveness.The insights Jesse shared during our conversation illustrate that vision is more relevant than ever and the fact that we continued our discussion about vision long after we finished taping this episode was a clear indication to both of us that this is a topic that deserves another look.Also, as I mentioned at the end of the show, I'd love to hear what you think about this episode, as well as what other topics you'd be interested in hearing more about in upcoming episodes of my show. You can share your thoughts/ideas by leaving a comment below or by filling out the contact form on my website.I’d appreciate it if you could help support future episodes of this leadership podcast by taking a moment to rate my show on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your preferred streaming platform.https://open.spotify.com/episode/1M19HTiM3RTa8EfzaxVez1?si=21169089bad24d6fNoteworthy links:Buy Jesse Lyn Stoner's book “Full Steam Ahead: Unleash the Power of Vision In Your Work and Your Life” on Amazon.com (or Amazon.ca for Canadian readers).Check out her blog at SeapointCenter.com to read more of her insights on leadership and vision. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does creating meaningful work impact an organization's ability to succeed?  That's the basis of my conversation with Dr. Teresa Amabile and Dr. Steven Kramer.Teresa is the Edsel Bryant Ford Professor of Business Administration and a Director of Research at Harvard Business School. Steven is a developmental psychologist whose writings have appeared in such illustrious publications as the Harvard Business Review and The New York Times.In this episode, we discuss their research findings which serve as the basis for their new book “The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work”.Over the course of the discussion, Teresa, Steven and I discuss:Why leaders need to provide employees with responsibilities that create a sense of purpose or meaning.How experiencing setbacks can be more damaging to employee morale than leaders realize.What leaders should be managing, as opposed to what they think they should be managing, to encourage productivity in their organization.What two other factors leaders can employ to improve employee performance over the long-term.How leaders and employees can help facilitate a shift toward the creation of meaningful work.As I told Teresa and Steven during our conversation, “The Progress Principle” is easily one of the best books I've read this year on leadership and improving an organization's productivity. I invite you both to listen to this podcast and to check out their book to find out why I so thoroughly enjoyed reading "The Progress Principle", as well as talking with them about the discoveries they made through their research on the challenges employees face in today's workplace.I’d appreciate it if you could help support future episodes of this leadership podcast by taking a moment to rate my show on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your preferred streaming platform.https://open.spotify.com/episode/5WkjIm0uoQd7YWHqRW35Sh?si=10a9f8c73d904495Noteworthy links:Buy Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer's book “The Progress Principle” on Amazon.com (or Amazon.ca for Canadian readers). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm delighted to present a new feature here on my site: a new podcast show called "Leadership Biz Cafe".  Through this new podcast, I plan on inviting business leaders and leadership experts to join me in conversations about their ideas and insights on the challenges and opportunities to be found in today's increasingly competitive and global market.For my first episode, I am pleased to welcome Guy Kawasaki, the best-selling author and former Chief Evangelist at Apple, to the guest chair.  Guy is the co-founder of the popular online content aggregator Alltop.com, as well as one of the founding partners of Garage Technology Ventures.  Earlier this year, he released his latest book called "Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions" which recently made the New York Times bestseller list.I had the opportunity to get an advance copy of Guy's book and after reading it, I invited him to be the first guest on my new podcast series which he graciously accepted.During the podcast, we discuss a number of topics including:What does enchantment mean and what's the first step to take to become more enchantingHow we can develop more trusting and beneficial relationshipsWhy trying to be influential is not the best long-term strategyThe 3 steps every leader can take to enchant their employeesWhy employees need to enchant their boss (one of the unspoken truths many of us don't like to admit)It's a great interview and Guy and I even shared a few laughs along the way as we discuss what it takes to not just influence, but enchant those around us.  So I'd like to invite you to check out this first episode of the "Leadership Biz Cafe" podcast and please let me know what you think of the show by leaving a comment below.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on this new addition to my site and what topics you might be interested in hearing more about in some of upcoming shows for this new series.https://open.spotify.com/episode/2JDLFXkQcmZkNpmE1RcOwr?si=935f732547cc4122Noteworthy links:Buy Guy Kawasaki's book "Enchantment" on Amazon.com (or Amazon.ca for Canadian readers).Visit Guy Kawasaki's website to learn more about his book. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.