Over the past several months I’ve had some interesting conversations with leaders who attended one of my keynotes or workshops. In particular, what was noteworthy was this common thread underlining each of these conversations. Whether it was a middle-level manager or an executive from the C-suite, in each of these interactions I couldn’t help but note the sense of self-doubt these leaders expressed about their continued ability to lead.Of course, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, considering what we’ve all had to endure the past two years and now in the face of an ongoing tug-of-war over what the future of work will look like between employers and their employees. While change and uncertainty has been present for several years now, as it many other things, the pandemic has only served to magnify them.Now this isn’t necessarily a bad thing – so long as you view this sense of self-doubt about your ability to lead through the right lens. To that end, in this latest Leadership Espresso Shot I share four simple measures leaders can take to help them overcome  self-doubt about their ability to lead, something that as I’ve seen first hand becomes more pronounced when we’re facing uncertainty and radical change.I hope you’ll check it out and let me know how you’ve dealt with those moments of self-doubt about the ability to lead.https://open.spotify.com/episode/4SJHY42OWKDMJ0V1kUWN2Y?si=14c3960fce854535 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The beginning of a new year is always an exciting time because of what it represents – a chance for new beginnings, to start something new, and build on successes gained over the past year.For my podcast, “Leadership Biz Cafe”, it also means the start of another season of speaking with people with fascinating insights and perspectives on the challenges of leadership today.But before looking ahead to who and what I’ll be talking about in upcoming episodes of my leadership podcast, I wanted to look back at the past 12 months and share my five favourite guest moments and insights from 2022.Now this isn’t one of those Top 5 list that we usually see around this time of the year. Instead, these are moments from the many conversations I had over the course of last year that really stuck with me and I think deserve a second listen, especially in light of various on-going debates and issues around leading today's organizations.Although I’m going to leave it to you to listen to this episode to hear what these favourite moments were, I do want to give a shout-out here to those guests who provided these fascinating insights – Tom Peters and Jim Kouzes, Stephen MR Covey, Dr. Marlette Jackson, Laura Kriska, and Faisal Hoque.And as I mention at the end of this episode, I’d love to hear what were your favourite moments from my podcast episodes of 2022. What stood out for you or maybe had you rethink your understanding of what a leader needs to do? Let me know as I appreciate hearing from my listeners about what resonated with them and why.https://open.spotify.com/episode/2fLO2yCfToni8i2EAkRIDxNoteworthy links:#109 - Tom Peters & Jim Kouzes On Today’s Challenges And The Future Of Leadership#105 - Stephen MR Covey | How To Trust And Inspire Others To Unleash Their Greatness#101 - Dr. Marlette Jackson | Addressing Diversity And Inclusion In Today’s Workplaces#113 - Laura Kriska | How Leaders Close The Us Versus Them Gap In The Workplace#119 - Faisal Hoque | How To Lead Through Revolutionary Global Change Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The last few weeks of the year mark a time when most leaders are busy working on getting the last of the year’s projects completed while at the same time looking at developing goals and strategies for the year to come.But this time of the year also marks an important opportunity for leaders to take stock of their leadership performance over the past 12 months. To examine and reflect on what they did well, what they need to change, and what unanswered needs will need to be addressed going forward.Of course, the caveat here is that leaders need to make the time to reflect on their past performance, as well as have a series of questions to help prompt their reflection process.That’s why for this edition of my Leadership Espresso Shot series, I want to share a year-end reflection exercise that every leader who’s interested in improving their craft should take the time to do.This reflection exercise will help you discover insights about your leadership over the past year and where you need to put your time and attention in the months ahead.As you prepare to wind down the year, I hope you’ll take some time to listen to this episode to help you reflect on what you need to address to do better going forward.https://open.spotify.com/episode/4cx5EAzpLw3vndMcjVZ9Ii?si=b2a3e9d3ed784303 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’m delighted and excited to welcome Tom Peters back to my podcast “Leadership Biz Cafe” for a third time, which means Tom now has made the most appearances on my podcast (we had a good laugh over it during our conversation). Tom wanted to come back on my show so we could talk about what will be his last book, “Tom Peters’ Compact Guide To Excellence”*. And as one would expect, during our conversation, Tom shares so many fantastic insights and thought-provoking ideas on a wide variety of timely issues facing leaders today. Just to give you an idea, some of the topics Tom and I discuss this time around include: The on-going battle between employers and employees over hybrid work vs return to office (RTO). The power and importance of kindness in today’s organizations. Why leaders need to pay more attention to hiring. The on-going tug-of-war over short-term earnings vs sustainability and doing something worthwhile. Being able to speak with Tom for a third time is a truly a gift, one that I’m delighted I can share with you as well. So I hope you’ll enjoy the insights – and laughs – to be found in my latest conversation with this leadership giant. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the course of delivering numerous leadership keynotes and workshops this past year, it’s been interesting to see what themes leaders are looking for answers or guidance on. On a personal note, it’s also been gratifying to return once again to delivering these sessions in person and not just virtually.After all, there’s nothing more rewarding than being in a room full of leaders and watching as those light bulbs go off as they now realize what they need to do differently to address a current issue or problem.One of the common issues I’ve been asked to speak on is how to both re-engage employees and re-ignite team camaraderie after two long years of working apart. In one of the keynotes I gave in person back in March, I shared a personal story that illustrated what leaders need to do to inspire their employees to bring their very best to work every day.Seeing the enthusiastic reactions of the leaders in attendance as I shared this story – not to mention hearing from many of them afterwards about how much this story resonated with them – I made a note that it might make for a good story to share with my podcast audience as well.So in this Leadership Espresso Shot, you’ll hear about one of the best leaders I ever worked for, what he taught me about understanding your real potential, and what leaders need to do to inspire the best in those they lead.His leadership example demonstrates that while this is a simple approach, it has a powerful impact on helping to inspire the best in others.https://open.spotify.com/episode/4OT0wYCTLYbPWRDJ22AEH2?si=RolBNscFRzKs1j9Z0a4pug Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There’s no question we’re living through a period of unprecedented change and uncertainty. But is this period of uncertainty something to dread, or does it present an opportunity to transform the way we lead to achieve enduring growth and success? My guest for this episode of “Leadership Biz Cafe”, Faisal Hoque, certainly sees the latter as being true and he presents a compelling case for why the rest of us should, too.Faisal Hoque is an accomplished entrepreneur, author, thought leader, and advisor to management teams and boards with more than 25 years of cross-industry success. He has successfully founded numerous companies, his latest being SHADOKA and NextChapter, where they focus on enabling sustainable and transformational changes.Faisal has worked with many private sector giants including GE, MasterCard, American Express, PepsiCo, IBM, Home Depot, Gartner, JP Morgan Chase, and others. His work has appeared in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Business Insider and Huffington Post among other publications.In this episode, Faisal and I discuss his best-selling book, “Lift – Fostering the Leader in You Amid Revolutionary Global Change”, which leads us to discuss the impacts of not just the pandemic and the on-going debate around Quiet Quitting, the Great Resignation, and the future of remote work, but of also how climate change and the spread of misinformation into numerous facets of society present unique challenges today’s leaders need to be ready to meet head-on.It's a thoughtful and at times very personal, conversation between Faisal and me. And definitely one that will not only have you rethinking your outlook on these pressing issues, but it will also encourage you to embrace the opportunities for improvement and being the kind of leader that brings out the best in those they lead.https://open.spotify.com/episode/06dEN5DJgUkH1c9WJBE82YNoteworthy links:Buy Faisal’s book “Lift” on Amazon* Learn more about Faisal’s work on his website: faisalhoque.com*sponsored link that helps to support this podcast. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the arrival of Fall, it’s only natural that leaders are shifting their focus towards what needs to be done to complete those goals they set out for their team at the start of the year.But this time of year also presents an important opportunity for leaders to energize – or in some cases re-energize – collaboration within their team, as well as help reinforce a sense of belonging and camaraderie that will help keep employees motivated as well as invested in sticking around.As such, in this latest edition in my Leadership Espresso Shot series, I share three easy steps that any leader – regardless your position or what industry you operate in – can employ to energize collaboration to achieve a successful outcome in your year-long goals.As I point out in this episode, this topic for this episode of my podcast was inspired by some of the parallels I’m seeing in conversations I’ve had with leaders about the upcoming leadership keynotes or workshops I’m scheduled to give for their organization. So I imagine this is something that will prove to be timely and instructive for all leaders.So grab a cup of coffee (or tea) and check out this episode for some simple, but powerful steps that will ensure a successful outcome to your collective efforts.https://open.spotify.com/episode/0JwLJjQ3VyV4divPtT2OZc Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No matter which industry your organization operates it, there’s a pretty high chance that you’re grappling with how to motivate and engage your employees in the daily work they do. This challenge has manifested itself in various ways – from the Great Resignation to more recently the notion of quiet quitting.Regardless of what we choose to call it, the underlying problem is the same – people don’t feel a strong connection to the work they do, and consequently are not as invested as leaders want them to be.But research done before the pandemic has revealed what’s needed – people need to do purpose-led work if they are to genuinely care about the vision or long-term goals of the organization. Invariably, this leads to the question of how can leaders create purpose-led work for all their employees? Well, my guest for this episode of my podcast, “Leadership Biz Cafe” has the answer and it all comes down to the conversations you’re having with your employees.Steve Curtin is an expert on customer service management and leadership. After a 20-year career at Marriott International working in operations, human resources, sales and marketing, Steve launched his own consulting company to help organizations improve their customer service operations.He’s the author of two books, Delight Your Customers: 7 Simple Ways to Raise Your Customer Service from Ordinary to Extraordinary and The Revelation Conversation: Inspire Greater Employee Engagement by Connecting to Purpose, which is the focus of my conversation with Steve.Over the course of this episode, you’ll learn:The common misunderstanding leaders have about purpose at work that impedes their ability to create opportunities for their employees to do meaningful work.Four questions leaders need to ask to help identify what their employee’s work purpose is and how it ties to their everyday responsibilities.What is the Revelation Conversation and how can it help address issues like quiet quitting and the Great Resignation.How leaders can make purpose-led work less fuzzy and more quantifiable to track how it impacts achieving business objectives.If you enjoy this episode, please do take a moment to rate and review my podcast on your favourite streaming platform to help support the podcast.https://open.spotify.com/episode/1tKQpSXrWWEJgMhyIMawBmNoteworthy links:Buy Steve’s book “The Revelation Conversation” on Amazon*Visit Steve’s website: stevecurtin.comWatch my TED talk “Forget Passion - Purpose is the Real Spice of Life”*sponsored link that helps to support this podcast. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Without question, being an effective listener is definitely a critical skill for leaders to demonstrate, especially as workplaces continue to become more demographically diverse. And yet, even the best leaders can fail to truly listen and understand what their employees really need from them, especially during times of uncertainty about the future.It's one of the reasons why in so many of my leadership keynotes and workshops I touch on what leaders need to do to become better listeners. And it was following one of those leadership keynotes that I was asked by one of the leaders in attendance about one of my failures as a leader and what I learned from it going forward.The story I shared was so well received and appreciated by the leaders in attendance that I want to share it in this edition of my Leadership Espresso Short series because I think it really helps to show that even when we have the best intentions, we can fail to show up and really hear what those we lead are trying to tell us.So I hope you’ll check it out as I’m sure like many of the leaders in attendance for my keynote you may find some parallels with your leadership as well.https://open.spotify.com/episode/7Jr6bx7C6dlDUdgMTdeh1U?si=NvlaGOeiSjmzBHvYk1L8JgNoteworthy links:Watch my TED talk on the power of purpose.Learn more about my speaking work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If there’s one thing leaders everywhere want to avoid it’s conflict in the workplace. Not only is workplace conflict counterproductive and stressful, but it makes everyone feel uncomfortable. But what if the problem is not with conflict itself, but with how we mismanage conflict? That’s the perspective of conflict expert Marlene Chism, my guest for this episode of “Leadership Biz Cafe”.Marlene is an expert on identifying and stopping workplace drama, and she’s worked with leaders to help them build drama-free workplace cultures that drive growth and long term success. Marlene also happens to be one of the very first guests I had on my podcast over 10 years ago when we talked about her book “Stop Workplace Drama”. This time, I’ve invited Marlene back on my podcast to talk to me about her latest book “From Conflict to Courage: How To Stop Avoiding and Start Leading”*.Over the course of this episode, Marlene and I discuss:What we get wrong about conflict that makes leaders mismanage these situationsThe three distinct elements of conflict capacity and how they can help leaders better manage workplace conflictWhy we need to change the narrative we tell about ourselves if we are to manage conflict more effectivelyThe two types of resistance we should be focusing on to resolve workplace conflictsHow getting out of our comfort zone is key to successfully manage conflictIf you’ve been enjoying my podcast, I’d like to ask you to please take a quick moment to rate our podcast on your preferred podcast platform. And if you can, to also write a short review to help others discover my podcast and also benefit from the leadership insights shared on this show.https://open.spotify.com/episode/48DyGZSDx1CiL4s2bhCv0A?si=043db80422ee424eNoteworthy links:Buy Marlene’s book “From Conflict to Courage” on Amazon*Learn more about Marlene’s work - marlenechism.comListen to my interview with Marlene about her book “Stop Workplace Drama”*sponsored link that helps to support this podcast. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.