Peak Performance Leadership

While leadership can develop to an extent through common sense and good judgement, there are a multitude of skills that must be learned and practiced for one to truly become a competent, exceptional leader. In its earliest stages, it is easy for the aspiring leader or executive coach to create an agenda that builds leadership skills: Take the lead, collaborate, chart a course, follow up, and revise. Be confident but not aggressive. After the leader masters the basics, the agenda gradually becomes murky and hard to detect.   For more than twenty-five years, Rick Tirrell, Ph.D., has helped leaders and mentors build their skills in publicly traded companies, privately held firms, nonprofits, and government organizations. His mastery of the art and science of leadership gives the aspiring leader an actionable toolbox for developing effective leadership skills. His seminars convert leadership theory into useful and achievable steps that every leader and mentor can take. His experience comes from working with frontline supervisors as well as the corner office. In his own leadership, he has founded and led two companies himself. His Ph.D. is in Psychology, and he is the author of the groundbreaking 2009 book, “The Wisdom of Resilience Builders.”  Topics During this interview Rick and I discuss the following topics: The inspiration behind his bookThe different rites of passage a leader will travel throughWhat it means to be “all in” as a leaderHow to create followers as a leaderHow to keep up with the changing needs of your employeesHow to become a leader of leaders For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/196

Crafting a clear agenda and attending to people’s states of mind can lead to far more effective meetings and build a sense of resilience and trust.Most team members aren’t fully present at meetings — they’re still processing thoughts and feelings from the meetings before. Creating an agenda that gives employees room to reflect and close is a powerful way to ensure employees are more present.  Lisa J. Koss is the co-founder and a partner at Ontos Global. She has 25 years’ experience in global leadership, team development, talent management, executive coaching and design and organizational change initiatives. Her proprietary coaching model has been taught in 9 different languages across the globe. Her clients include Kaiser Permanente, ITT, Xylem, British Petroleum, Honeywell, Hewlett Packard, General Electric, Ernst & Young, and many more.   Topics During this interview Lisa and I discuss the following topics: How she got into developmental coachingHow to start becoming a manager-coachThe difference between mentoring and coachingHow to be a more empathetic leaderHow to get your subordinates more interested in being coached For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/195

Communication is the skill which many leaders and even organizations struggle with. Communication is what makes or breaks teams in terms of achieving peak performance or not. Despite a complex issue, there are three different common mistakes which leaders make when it comes to communicating with their teams. Topics In this episode I discuss the following topics: Why communication is so importantThree different common break-downsHow to fix these problems and stop doing them now For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/194

As bleary-eyed workers return to “normal life” back at the office, many are questioning what their new work life will look like. Leaders now face a dilemma: How do we keep our people—and attract new talent? The answer, according to two acclaimed human resources and performance experts, is deceptively simple. Have more fun. Work” and “fun” have historically been considered polar opposites of each other. But a quick look under the hood of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work for in America list reveals an undeniable fact: 81% of surveyed employees say the best companies are all fun places to work. Deloitte has gone so far as to label the 2020s as “The Era of Workplace Fun.”  BOB NELSON, PH.D., president of Nelson Motivation Inc., is the world’s leading authority on employee recognition and engagement. He’s worked with 80% of Fortune 500 companies, is a Senior Fellow for the Conference Board, a top thought leader for the Best Practice Institute, and was named a top-five management guru by Global Gurus. Fondly known as “Dr. Bob,” he has authored over 30 books on employee motivation and engagement, which have collectively sold over 5 million copies and been translated into more than 30 languages.   MARIO TAMAYO is a principal with Tamayo Group Inc., a no-nonsense consulting firm specializing in leadership and organizational performance. He has more than 30 years of experience in maximizing human performance, working with organizations such as Genentech, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Petco, General Dynamics, and the U.S. Men’s Olympic Volleyball team.   Topics During this interview Bob, Mario, and I discuss the following topics: How work become boring in the first placeThe benefits of bringing more fun into the workplaceHow to incorporate fun into the culture of your companyHow the daily work can be more fun for your companyHow to celebrate success in a fun mannerThe difference between reinforcing performance and presenceHow to make your own work more fun For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/193

If you’re in a leadership role today, you surely didn’t get there by accident. You have vision. You’re confident. And you’re at the ready to offer support and lightning-quick responses. But if you don’t effectively communicate these qualities to your people, how will they know you embody them? Frankly, they won’t. Despite leaders giving themselves gold stars in communication, only 13% of U.S. employees say their leaders communicate well, according to Gallup research. And that’s a colossal problem: 93% of workers surveyed by the Brunswick Group report that “leadership that communicates directly and transparently” is what keeps them on the job, bested only by pay and the ability to move up. The most powerful tool you have as a leader—to inform, engage, and inspire—is your voice, says veteran leadership communications coach Joel Schwartzberg. Yet all too often, our words fall flat; we get caught in our head, fail to truly understand our audience, or simply flub the landing. But it’s our words and awareness of their impact that make the difference between simply managing teams and inspiring them to do their best work.   Joel Schwartzberg is a leadership communications coach whose clients include American Express, Blue Cross Blue Shield, State Farm Insurance, the Brennan Center for Justice, and Comedy Central. He is the senior director of strategic and executive communications for a major national nonprofit and previously held senior-level communication and editorial positions with Time Inc., PBS, and Nickelodeon. Schwartzberg’s articles on effective communication have appeared in Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, and Toastmaster magazine, and he’s a sought-after business and communications podcast guest and conference speaker. He is the author of Get to the Point! Sharpen Your Message and Make Your Words Matter, which Seth Godin calls “a manifesto for giving talks that make a difference,” and The Language of Leadership: How to Engage and Inspire Your Team (Berrett-Koehler Publishers; July 13, 2021), which Kevin Eikenberry says “will make your communication more purposeful, meaningful, and inspirational.” Topics During this interview Joel and I discuss the following topics: Why communicating clearly and effectively is so importantWhere leaders make mistakes with their communication skillsHow to change your approach based on your audienceHow to appear more empathetic and authentic How to effectively communicate in the virtual environmentAdvice on communicating in various situations For the complete show notes, be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/192

The burden of command can place a huge kink in your leadership journey. It will affect every aspect of your life and not just your team. Furthermore, this is not just a military phenomenon but rather one for all leaders everywhere. Therefore, it's critical for all leaders to understand the burden of command and know how to overcome it. Topics During this episode I discuss: What the burden of command isThe affects it has on leadersHow to overcome the burden of command for all leaders For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/191

Today, our nation is like a ship being tossed in tumultuous seas. The winds and waves of change have divided and distanced our society, threatening to wash away the very principles our nation was founded upon. Now more than ever, our nation needs leaders with the moral courage to stand strong and steady—leaders capable of uniting people in support of a shared purpose by building the trust and respect necessary for organizations and their people to thrive.  Admiral Sandy Stosz started out in the US Coast Guard as an ensign serving aboard polar icebreakers, conducting national security missions from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Her forty-year career was filled with leadership lessons gleaned while breaking ice and breaking glass as the first woman to command an icebreaker on the Great Lakes and to lead a US armed forces service academy. Along the way, Sandy served for 12 years at sea, commanding two ships, and led large Coast Guard organizations during times of crisis and complexity. She finished her career as the first woman assigned as Deputy Commandant for Mission Support, directing one of the Coast Guard’s largest enterprises. She has lectured widely on leadership, and has been featured on CSPAN and other media outlets. In 2012, Newsweek’s “The Daily Beast” named Sandy to their list of 150 Women who Shake the World. Topics During this interview Sandy and I discuss the following topics: What brought her to become a leader in the US Coast GuardHow she broke out her shell and develop her leadership skillsSome of her leadership challenges that she overcame in her careerThe great leadership success of her careerHer thoughts on how to build cohesive teamsHer advice for women leaders out there For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/190

Marc Polymeropoulos retired in June 2019 from the Senior Intelligence Service ranks at the CIA after a 26-year career in operational headquarters and field management assignments covering the Middle East, Europe, Eurasia, and counter terrorism. He served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and he is one of the CIA’s most decorated field officers. Marc is the recipient of the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal, the Distinguished Intelligence Medal, the Intelligence Medal of Merit, and the Intelligence Commendation medal. His last position was overseeing the CIA's clandestine operations in Europe and Eurasia. He is a respected commentator on foreign policy and intelligence matters and is widely quoted in both the US and international media.  Topics During this interview Marc and I discuss the following topics: What drew him to the CIAWhy he went into intelligence operationsLessons he learned from his first mentorHow he was drawn to become a leader within the CIAHow to face adversity and overcome itHow to get a team refocused after a major setbackHow to remain calm in the face of adversityHow to form peak performing teams For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/189

The importance of hiring the right people can’t be emphasized enough. However, too many organizations out there, simply hire people to “fill the holes” without actually thinking through the problem that they are trying to solve. What capabilities are required for the organization to move forward in the right direction, as well as processes which require human input need to be determined. But most importantly, how will the person actually fit into the organization’s culture and dynamics.    Jennifer has developed her expertise in Talent Strategy & Leadership Professional Development over her exciting 20+ year career as an HR Professional. She’s led international teams across Greater China, Mexico, the U.K., and the U.S. to expand into new markets, managing franchise retailers, and developing key strategic partnerships – all while exceeding business objectives and financial results. The rapid growth of her consulting firm 304 Coaching has been largely due to Jennifer’s unconventional approach to building innovative workforce development solutions for companies who are facing breakthrough growth and accelerated hiring patterns. She is a sought-after business strategist, specializing in start-ups and large value-based organizations. She assists her clients in building talent strategies that complement their business strategies to ensure exponential growth. Topics During this interview Jen and I discuss the following topics: The current situation in the hiring domainHow to keep the people who are already in the organizationThe best way to find and hire someoneThe components of an effective hiring strategyThe importance of looking into failures during the interview processHow to effectively onboard new employeesHow to deal with employees who are leaving the organization For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/187

Organizational alignment is not accidental. Leaders define their organization’s mission and vision and are responsible for creating the roadmaps to get there. Attaining alignment is dependent on the leader’s ability to inspire his or her followers to pursue a common purpose with energy and zeal. It’s up to the leaders to help employees see the vision clearly. Leaders need to develop their skills to include a variety of ways to communicate, encourage teamwork, and drive accountability. They need to set clear and ethical goals for themselves and others. And they need to give honest and timely feedback with the objective of enabling individuals to increase their own performance levels — not criticize or lay blame when plans fail. When leaders have done their work of alignment well, the organization runs like a well-oiled machine and there’s little need for the leader to be in the trenches. Instead, leaders remain accessible and allow the work to flow.   Art serves as CEO of Orgametrics and works with clients across the country. Art has a long history with large corporations, with leadership stints at IBM, USWest (CenturyLink) and Medtronic. Art has also served as an Adjunct Professor with the Hamline University School of Business teaching their MBA candidates in Strategic Management. Topics During this interview Art and I discuss the following topics: How alignment will help leaders achieve peak performanceHow culture helps us achieve alignmentThe 9 pillars of cultural alignmentWhere organizations become misaligned most often How messaging is communicated through aligned organizationsWhy humility is so importantHow to use empowerment effectivelyHow to prioritize which areas to focus on when “fixing” an organization For the complete show notes be sure to check out our website: https://movingforwardleadership.com/186