Peak Performance Leadership

The hybrid workforce is here to stay. As the impact of COVID-19 lingers, it’s clear that the way we work has changed forever. Whilst some of us will return to the office, the flexibility of remote working is too enticing for many employees to give up. However, a hybrid workforce comes with its own unique challenges that leaders must prepare for. Colin Ellis is a renowned culture change expert with 30-plus years of helping transform organizations around the world. Whether it's the way that projects are delivered, how teams work together or how to change the DNA of an organization He provides practical information on how to make change easy. He uses case studies, experience and plenty of humour to keep people engaged and laughing!  Topics During this interview Colin and I discuss the following topics: Why hybrid work actually enables peak performanceHow work is something we do and not where we areHow leaders can create culture of peak performance in a hybrid environmentHow to develop a hybrid work plan toKeeping organizational synergy while having a split organizationMistakes to avoid when having hybrid teamHow to maximize technology for hybrid For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/206

Reports of scandals continue to rock both public and private sectors. Nearly one in four employees report witnessing unethical behavior in their workplace. Such actions leave long-lasting impressions internally across the organization and externally across the public at large — damaging not only any influence the bad actors have, but — often unwittingly — that of their teams. It’s time to rethink the adage “there’s no ‘I’ in ‘team’.” Actually, the “I” represents influence, which all team members must embrace if they want their team to excel. Some would go so far as to say that influence is the most important facet of one’s personal and professional life. The influence even small actions have will create a ripple effect. Knowing this, we become more consciously aware of the influence we wish to project, which helps us to become the best version of ourselves and, by association, leads to the success of our teams.  Brian began his career as an accountant but did not enjoy public accounting. After a short term at a big 6 accounting firm, he started Business Accounting Solutions in 1988, which he later sold to Cornerstone Consulting Group. Recognizing the need many small businesses had for sound management advice, Brian went on to start Individual Advantages, LLC, which was later rebranded DBA IA Business Advisors in 2015, as a think tank to develop customized, yet affordable, management solutions driven by our focus on people, process, and technology. Since 1988, Brian has helped over 18,000 business owners and managers on all seven continents (yes, Antarctica, too). Coming from companies of all sizes, he has helped them make decisions to help them grow personally and as an organization. He has a PhD in organizational psychology, a master’s degree in management information systems, a bachelor’s degree in accounting, and is a certified Six Sigma master black belt consultant.  Topics During this interview Brian and I discuss the following topics: Why he went to Antarticia WHy leaders should be the “I” in the teamWhy being influential as a leader is importantWhy SMART Goals are not the end allWhy understanding your role is crucialDelegate like a proWhy knowing your people is important to avoiding failuresStrategies to find time to be better prepared as a leaderTactics to influence culture change in an organizationHow leaders can can slow down For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/205

Experts have long said that morning habits and routines are a pathway to achieving peak performance. If you study the great leaders of our time and those of before, a solid morning routine stands out as a common dominator. However, as of late the morning routine has been under attack from all forms of distractions and other things wanting to steal your limited time but more importantly your focus.  The following are 8 morning habits for leaders to achieve peak performance by incorporating into their morning.  Topics The following are 8 habits which can kick start our day! Avoiding the PhoneExerciseReadEat a Healthy BreakfastJournalPlan Your DayPractice GratitudeMake Your Bed For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/204

Gordon Bennett is an author, entrepreneur, academic, educator, and speaker. He comes with two decades of military service as an army logistics officer and years as an entrepreneur. Over the years he has held a variety of positions from executive to Commandant of the Canadian Forces Logistics Training Centre—the Canadian military’s national logistics training canter for all military logistics personnel. He has been published in a wide variety of journals and the popular media on the topics of design thinking, innovation, creativity, logistics, and leadership. He was the lead author of the textbook, The Logistics Practitioner: Leadership and Fundamentals of Army Sustainment published by the University of Toronto Press and the French version by Université Laval. His most recent book Misfit Design Thinking: Using Design Thinking to Energize Innovation and Creativity highlights lessons learned and problem solving techniques from years of critical thinking and problem solving in a variety of situations. His next textbook is scheduled to be published in 2022. Topics During this interview Gord and I discuss the following topics: What design thinking is How to execute Problem DiscoveryWhy idea generation is importantThe structure of the design team and its importanceHow leaders can establish a safe culture within their design teamThe impacts a careerist can have on the design team and organizationAdvice for implementation and testing of solutionsHow to apply implementation and testing on non-physical solutionWhere leader fail in implementing the system For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/203

Cassa Grant is the creator of Wonderbrand™ and Wonderleader,™ the coaching programs that help you SHOW UP as the kind of leader you’d want to follow. She helps her clients communicate better, get more buy-in, and feel really great about how they’re spending time in their business. They become confident leaders with unstoppable influence, unbeatable stories, and powerful personal brands.   Her techniques mix brand and storytelling strategy, performance coaching, and subconscious mindset work to help transform her clients from who they THINK they are into who they REALLY are so they can make their mark on the world. Cassa is a certified NeuroLinguistic Programming practitioner, life, and business coach. Topics During this interview Cassa and I discuss the following topics: What an off beat leader isHow off-beat leaders can “own” who they areHow to bring your personality to front as a leaderHow to adjust being a leader of former peersHow to open communication with a superior in a different location For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/202

A highly sought-after keynote speaker, educator and author, Gabrielle has worked with thousands of high-profile leaders from around the world and helped countless of Australia’s top 50 companies and multinationals to humanise their communications – Telstra, EY, Accenture, VISA, Australia Post, National Australia Bank, Amazon, Vodafone and the Obama Foundation to name drop a few. She holds a master’s degree in management and leadership from Swinburne University, an associate diploma in education and training from the University of Melbourne, and is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Executive Education in both the Art and Practice of Adaptive Leadership and Women and Power: Leadership in a New World. Gabrielle is also the bestselling author of Real Communication: How to be you and lead true, a finalist in the Australian Business Leadership Book Awards for 2019. Her other published books include Stories for Work: The Essential Guide to Business Storytelling (2017), Storytelling for Job Interviews (2016), Ignite: Real Leadership, Real Talk, Real Results (2015) which reached the top five on Australia’s bestselling business books and Hooked: How Leaders Connect, Engage and Inspire with Storytelling (2013). Her latest title, Magnetic Stories: Connect with customers and engage employees with brand storytelling was published by Wiley in March 2021.  Topics During this interview Gabrielle and I discuss the following topics: What’s the problem with acronyms and slang in organizationsHow they lead to confusion in organizationsWhen and how leaders should use acronyms, jargon, and slangHow to get teams and organizations away from using these poor communication stylesWhether or not speaking directly is to be avoided or not For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/201

200 Episodes! I can't believe I've gotten this far in my podcasting journey. Especially since most people "pod-fade" (i.e. stop producing) after 3 months or about 10 episodes. To reach 200 is definitely an accomplishment which I am proud of and plan doing more. Topics In this solo episode I talk about the three main lessons which podcasting has taught me in leadership: Never be complacentTrust but verify alwaysCommunicate how they need to hear For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/200

2021 is all but in the books! It's time to reflect on the past year and check out the top 15 episodes according to you the listeners! Mentioned Episodes Here they are in order of appearance: 150 - Jason Redman153 - Michael Hamilton 155 - Matt Comand158 - Cathy Bush & Tara Peters160 - Dan Pontefract163 - Heather Younger164 - Tim Ringo165 - Mike Sarraille & George Randle170 - Susan Fenneman173 - Andrew Freedman176 - David Horsager182 - Likky Lavji185 - Peter Economy189 - Marc Polymeropoulos 193 - Bob Nelson & Mario Tamayo For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/199

Sarah Wirth has over 20 years of experience in employee assessment, leadership development, sales executive coaching, and customer service. She began her career as a talent analyst for an international human resource firm, where she coached leaders in organizations ranging from small not-for-profits to Fortune 500 companies. When named chair of leadership consulting and a member of the senior operations team, she helped lead the organization to a 65% increase in revenues. In 2009, she joined a publicly-traded organization as the vice president of client service, increasing client contract retention by 36%. In 2011 Sarah came on board with the EcSell team as Vice President of Member Services, where she oversees member retention and all aspects of sales coaching, leadership and management research. Under Sarah’s leadership, EcSell Institute’s member retention has grown to over 94%. Sarah has a passion for leadership and its impact on the performance of teams. She takes an analytical approach to understanding the skills and talents of high-performing sales leaders and is constantly providing EcSell members with new methods for leading and coaching. Sarah has presented to executives from across the globe with organizations such as Mercedes Benz, Estee Lauder, Ritz Carlton, Cheesecake Factory and many more. Her expertise in coaching and leadership, combined with her fact based, common sense approach to their application make her a sought after presenter at any event.  Topics During this interview Sarah and I discuss the following topics: What makes an effective coachHow to ensure you communicate effectively as a leaderThe 4 Growth Rings of personal and organizational developmentHow to coach someone out of their comfort zoneHow to coach an individual to slow downHow to prepare for a one-on-one conversationHow to coach a team as a group Common mistakes leaders make in coaching their members For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/198

The pandemic altered not only the way in which we work, but also the relationships we have with coworkers. Now more than ever, both leaders and their teams crave deeper connection and more authentic relationships. But how can organizations accomplish this lofty goal — particularly knowing that it will require a reset of how leaders and teams interact? Leaders and team members must embrace a new mindset. They need to acknowledge that the leader-team relationship is more than a one-way service-oriented arrangement. Both sides need support equally if the relationship and what they do together is to be successful. Creating a new paradigm of partnership is possible through the development of a workplace covenant — consisting of vital behavioral and attitudinal promises that both partners agree to hold themselves to as a matter of personal and professional integrity. This process enables essential dialogue and engagement, which in turn helps create and continuously improve empathy, respect, trust, alignment, and — ultimately — partnership.   Since 1998, Dr. Silver has been the principal of Silver Consulting, Inc., an independent consulting practice, where he has worked with such diverse clients as: Alcoa, Alfred State College, Alstom, American Red Cross, Bausch & Lomb, Bosch Security Systems, Canada Employment and Immigration Union (CEIU), Cannon Industries, Canterbury Woods Senior Living, Cape Cod Healthcare, Charter One Bank, Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, Genesee Regional Bank, Government of Jamaica, Harris RF Communications, Jewish Senior Life Nursing Home, Klein Steel, Manulife Financial, Ontario County Government, Pactiv Manufacturing, Rochester Catholic Diocese, Toshiba Business Solutions, Ultralife Batteries, University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), University of Rochester Medical Center, and Xerox Corporation, to name a few. His work has included consulting to senior management on such topics as cultural change, employee engagement, and customer loyalty; working with leadership teams to increase effectiveness and performance; providing clients such services as executive coaching, strategic planning, and organizational diagnosis; and teaching employees professional skills and strategies for workplace success.   Topics During this interview Seth and I discuss the following topics: Why meaningful partnership is important in the first placeHow leaders can have the difficult conversation of figuring out how to establish a two-way communication streamHow leaders can use the ERTAP model to level up their relationshipsThe impacts of  poor alignment on the organization as a wholeHow organizations who value meaningful partnerships are able to weather crises better For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/197