Unveil the secrets to a more peaceful and purposeful life with Jeremie Kubichek on the latest episode! Discover how to quantify and manage your peace using the groundbreaking Peace Index. Dive deep into the journey of finding your unique purpose, breaking free from external expectations. Learn the art of balance for increased influence, explore communication mastery to prevent breakdowns, and unlock meaningful relationships one conversation at a time.Jeremie Kubicek along with co-author Steve Cockram have done it again. They have written a practical leadership book packed with a proven method for unlocking relationships and helping teams and organizations grow. Below is the link to the book, Communication Code.Important Links*Join Thrive in the Middle Today!*Book WhyLead to Train Your Teams*Explore Our ServicesSocial Media*Ben Owden's LinkedIn*Ben Owden's Twitter Jeremie's Book The Communication Code Jeremie's Website

In this episode, Ben sits down with Ms. Christine Musisi, a leader with over 23 years of experience in the development field. Discover the power of love and integrity in leadership, and the importance of saying no for personal growth. Gain wisdom on family-work balance and the pivotal role of self-affirmation. Christine's story is a beacon of inspiration, urging us to find purpose, volunteer, and navigate our unique paths to success. She shares insights on leadership and the importance of followership. Tune in to gain inspiration and learn about the principles that have guided Ms. Musisi's successful career in sustainable development.Important Links*Join Thrive in the Middle Today!*Book WhyLead to Train Your Teams*Explore Our ServicesSocial Media*Ben Owden's LinkedIn*Ben Owden's Twitter 

Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar is an internationally renowned teacher, and author in the fields of happiness and leadership. In this episode, he discusses the misconceptions around happiness, particularly the belief that material success leads to happiness. Tal argues that money is a means to an end, not an end in itself and that pursuing it as such can lead to disappointment and unhappiness. Instead, he suggests that the ultimate currency, by which we should measure our lives, is happiness. He emphasizes that happiness is not just about feeling good in the moment, but also about having a sense of meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in all aspects of life. Tal also introduces his Spire model of happiness, which consists of spiritual, physical, intellectual, relational, and emotional well-being. He explains that financial well-being is a derivative of the primary attributes of well-being and should not be the central focus of our lives. To become happier, Tal suggests focusing on cultivating the primary attributes of well-being, which will ultimately lead to a more fulfilling life. This includes finding meaning and purpose in our work and relationships, as well as taking care of our physical and emotional health. In conclusion, Tal encourages listeners to shift their focus from material success to happiness in all aspects of their lives.Important Links*Join Thrive in the Middle Today!*Book WhyLead to Train Your Teams*Explore Our ServicesSocial Media*Ben Owden's LinkedIn*Ben Owden's Twitter The Happiness Studies CertificationTal Ben Shahar's Website

The guest speaker, Dr. JJ Peterson, shares his expertise in branding and marketing and highlights how leaders can use storytelling to build trust, foster effective team building, and get buy-in from their teams. He emphasizes that storytelling is a critical skill that leaders in the 21st century need to develop if they want to achieve long-term success.Dr. Peterson discusses the four main characters in a story - hero, villain, victim, and guide - and how they relate to our lives. He explains that everyone wants to be the hero of their own life, and as leaders, we need to position ourselves as guides to help others achieve their goals. To do this, we need to understand what the hero wants and identify the problems that are getting in the way of them achieving their goals. By offering empathy and authority, we can position ourselves as the guide and help others win.The discussion also touches on the importance of giving meaning and context to everything we do, as this helps people connect with our message and gives them a sense of purpose. The guest speaker also talks about how to use digital media to tell stories ethically and encourages listeners to become heroes in their own lives and guides for others.Overall, this podcast episode provides valuable insights into the power of storytelling in leadership and business and offers practical tips for leaders to position themselves as guides and help others achieve their goals. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the wants and needs of others and using empathy and authority to build trust and foster effective communication.Important Links*Join Thrive in the Middle Today!*Book WhyLead to Train Your Teams*Explore Our ServicesSocial Media*Ben Owden's LinkedIn*Ben Owden's Twitter Links to connect with StorybrandStorybrandDr. Peterson LinkedIn

I’d like to share a leadership conversation I had with an Amb. Ombeni Sefue. It covers various topics such as reading, change management, and growth mindset. Our guest served as Chief Secretary to the President of Tanzania and excelled as a diplomat. He also worked closely with two presidents and currently serves as the board chair for Uongozi Leadership Institute.  Important Links*Join Thrive in the Middle Today!*Book WhyLead to Train Your Teams*Explore Our ServicesSocial Media*Ben Owden's LinkedIn*Ben Owden's Twitter Watch the video

In today’s episode, we are exploring learning and growth, competition, and self-care as tools of empowerment in leadership. And in the course of this exploration, Ngasuma shares a leadership philosophy that has proven useful for her in her journey. Ngasuma Kanyeka is a leader who started her own consulting firm in 2011 called Capacitate Consulting, a niche communication and strategy development firm which supported UN agencies such as UNDP, UNFPA, and UN Women across the African continent and worked with a foundation such as Open Society and supported the Government of Tanzania Oil and Gas communication strategy as well as creating investment briefers for the Tanzania Investment Centre. And in the last few years, she has worked in the youth innovation, entrepreneurship, governance, and health space in Tanzania as a Chief of Party for a $20 million dollar USAID-funded project called Feed the Future Tanzania Advancing Youth. Ladies and Gentlemen, Ngasuma Kanyeka.Important Links*Join Thrive in the Middle Today!*Book WhyLead to Train Your Teams*Explore Our ServicesSocial Media*Ben Owden's LinkedIn*Ben Owden's Twitter 

In today's episode, we're exploring how to build clusters without falling into the pitfalls of cluster imitation. We explore how to build sustainable innovation systems and many more ideas. I am joined by Dr. Nkundwe Moses Mwasaga, a leader passionate about high-performance computing (HPC), in both micro and quantum capacity. He is currently the Director General of the ICT Commission, an organization that promotes and fosters investment and development of the ICT industry, collaborates with other stakeholders on ICT research and foresight on ICT trends and builds the capacity of ICT Professionals in Tanzania. Important Links*Join Thrive in the Middle Today!*Book WhyLead to Train Your Teams*Explore Our ServicesSocial Media*Ben Owden's LinkedIn*Ben Owden's Twitter 

In today’s episode, we will be diving into the individual mind, the collective mind of an organization, and how meaning drives our behavior and determines outcomes in all aspects of life. To have this conversation, I am joined by Joe Caruso, an in-demand keynote speaker worldwide, a syndicated columnist, and a sought-after business advisor, who brings his lifetime of expertise to help organizations and leaders change the way they see themselves — and in turn, the way they think about markets, products, and services. His efforts culminated in a best-selling book and a PBS special, both called The Power of Losing Control. In it, he encourages readers to “remember that the only control you really have is over yourself,” and provides techniques and strategies to stop wasting valuable time and energy on what we can’t control. He also produced an audiobook, The Power of Losing Control. He advises CEOs, military leaders, and leadership teams on the essence of change for success, ultimately driving success for his clients.Important Links*Join Thrive in the Middle Today!*Book WhyLead to Train Your Teams*Explore Our ServicesSocial Media*Ben Owden's LinkedIn*Ben Owden's Twitter 

In this episode, we explore many ideas. We dive deep into outcome independence and how one can develop the ability to focus on what one can control. We went on to discuss mimetic desire, a phenomenon that holds together and dictates the majority of our behavior, knowingly and unknowingly. We discussed how one can use mimetic desire to their advantage, and how when used well it can lead to originality and innovation. We went on to speak about conformity vs deviation. Asking questions such as; How do you personally tell apart the truth from a meta-truth? And what does the alignment between a truth and a meta-truth look like? We discuss how one develops broad interdisciplinary thinking and a collection of meta-truths and truths for effective synthesis. The value of opaque heuristics (including creating one's own heuristics) to simplify life. We speak about the importance of being broad (range). We touched on signaling as well, and how can we signal authenticity, and escape the trap of projecting the appearance of virtue and actually develop the virtue. We hope you enjoy listening to this episode, as much as we enjoyed having it. Important Links*Join Thrive in the Middle Today!*Book WhyLead to Train Your Teams*Explore Our ServicesSocial Media*Ben Owden's LinkedIn*Ben Owden's Twitter 

In today's episode, we are discussing a form of empowering delegation and how to build effective teams that will challenge you as a leader to keep growing. I am joined by Kwasi Frimpong the Head of Corporate Banking and Global Subsidiaries at Citi Bank, who is well-versed in Financial Analysis, Financial Modeling, and Business Management. He has over 12 years of leadership experience and has worked in four continents: North America, South America, and Asia.