SmikleSpeaks

This podcast, Leading the 7 Dwarves, is a bit different from what you’re used to hearing from me. Many years ago a client asked me to develop an unusual keynote for senior leaders struggling to move the organization forward. This is what I came up with… First things first, do you remember Snow White? Don’t confuse her with Cinderella and her lost shoe, or Little Red Riding Hood with the wolf chasi...

We all face problems, issues, annoyances, dilemmas. That’s just part of life. And if we’re honest we admit that there are times when we can’t figure out exactly how best to overcome the hurdle. This podcast is going to provide you with tools to test on your next problem.

I wrote an article titled Diagnosing an Allergy to Innovation . This podcast is based on that article. Ultimately what I wanted was to help leaders begin to think about whether they were getting in the way of improvement, innovation and ingenuity in their organizations. I wanted to get leaders thinking about the role they play in creating and keeping ruts in the organization. Inertia and stagnatio...

Innovation can be a major reboot, a radical redefinition, a phenomenal transformation. Innovation can happen at the individual level, at the team level, at the organizational level…even in communities and our larger world. In this podcast I’m going to give you a few tips for sparking innovation.

We’re going to spend time on making meetings more meaningful, especially since most of us are drowning in them. Let’s save ourselves from being slayed by meetings. You’re in a leadership role, take responsibility for preserving time and energy by having purposeful gatherings.

Leaders in every industry sector have so many pressures. Those pressures undoubtedly impact their health on many levels. Diane Huey guides us in exploring how leaders build and maintain optimum health. She is a wellness expert, acupuncture practitioner, and health coach. Diane founded Huey Health to help people find practical strategies for managing their wellbeing. She facilitates workshops for b...

Most, if not many, of us like to think that not only are we imaginative, creative, innovators, but that our teams are too. A lot of us also like to think that our organizations are really on the cutting edge making new, exciting contributions to the world, at least to our industries. This podcast provides several statements for you to consider about your own ability to be an innovator, your team’s...

This episode is all about strategies to build the courage to try again. This courage starts in our minds and moves to intentional action. This podcast is for anyone interested in dreaming new dreams, interested in building the resilience and courage to try again.

Teresita Britton is back with us on the SmikleSpeaks Podcast Channel! She’s one of my favorite special guests because she’s a colleague and a friend. Teresita Britton is an ICF certified Professional Coach. She has more than 20 years of experience guiding leaders in their career development. She helps them understand what it takes to have a well-devised career trajectory.

I spend a lot of time working with one-on-one leaders who are moving on up and committed to their individual development. They are taking on larger roles, moving to bigger organizations, accepting more complex responsibilities, entering the C suite. One of the common mistakes I encounter is this: they come into the new role ready to set the world on fire. But that’s not quite how you want to start...

Have you stopped to reflect on your career trajectory? I mean seriously reflected on where you are, how you got here? Have you stopped to think about your path, your journey, where you’ve been? This podcast is overflowing with questions that will guide you in reflecting on and potentially re-evaluating your trajectory. Full disclosure, this episode came about because I’ve been thinking a lot about...

In Part One of this series on strategic planning we laid the foundation for a pretty good process. Let’s move forward to formulating your plan. Like the process, your plan is very unique to your organization. That means that I’m not giving you a boilerplate structure for a plan. I’m not giving you a cookie cutter because they don’t work. I will give you elements of a sound plan.

I’ve done podcasts on elements of strategy. I think it’s time that I address strategic planning. It’s so important in making an organization maximally effective. I know some people think that in chaotic times strategic plans should go out the window. I don’t agree. I think that even in the most tumultuous times a plan can help steady the course and maintain some degree of alignment. This is a two-...

This whole idea that people burnout is real! It’s not just people whining, moaning and groaning. We’re going to talk about how we beat burnout. I wanted to tackle this topic because I see so many people who seem like they just don’t have any more gas.

Teresita Britton is an ICF certified Professional Coach. She has more than 20 years of experience guiding leaders in their career development. Terry coaches executives all over the world. Her clients are leading in some of the most notable organizations around the globe. She provides services to the World Bank, federal agencies and lots of other well-known organizations. We're focusing on coaching...

We want to communicate effectively. We start our communication, written or spoken, with the best intentions. And yet, there are still communication breakdowns. This podcast will help you identify common barriers and strategize for moving beyond them.

I know it’s tempting to ignore your own professional and growth and development when facing crises, challenges and endless uncertainty. I also know that this is exactly the time when a focus on learning is critical. It can be a survival mechanism. If you’re in a leadership role, you have to retool. Sometimes it feels like you’re constantly retooling. You also have to recharge and redirect your ene...

This podcast addresses three things: our reason, our right, and our responsibility to create inclusion in our homes, our workplaces, our houses of worship, our communities and our world. My goal is not to pontificate. Rather it’s to move into the realm of thought that guides you to action because we are all authorized to work for justice and peace.

You may be yearning to design an innovative future. You may be nearing retirement. You may be seeking a second career. You may want to do something really different that doesn’t fit into any traditional box. You can write your next chapter! You can transition to the activities that will bring you the most joy. Next chapters can happen at any age and stage. There are no expiration dates on dreams....

Whether we like it or not, whether we’re prepared as individuals and organizations or not, if we’re continuing our leadership development, the education that prepares leaders for the future, is being delivered virtually. Whether through podcasts like this, zoom, YouTube or learning management systems, leadership learning is now different. It may not be this way forever. We need human connections....

We have a special guest on this episode. Teresita Britton is an ICF certified Professional Coach. She has more than 20 years of experience guiding leaders in their career development. Terry coaches executives all over the world. Her clients are leading in some of the most notable organizations around the globe. She provides services to the World Bank, many federal agencies, MedStar and lots of oth...

How are you treating you? You’re in a leadership role so I know that you’re probably taking care of everyone else in your world. But, how are YOU treating YOU? In this short podcast I’m going to give you the opportunity to assess your self-care, after all, you are your most valuable commodity!

I’m tired of zoom, go to meeting, teams, web ex, webinars and all of these other virtual things. I’m even tired of virtual happy hours…if you know me, you know I do not get tired of any kind of happy hour! So this is a serious problem. This podcast is a short one that will give a you few strategies for staying in touch and in tune. Whether we’re leaders or not, we’re all tasked with keeping oursel...

So many well-meaning messages continue to be released regarding equity, diversity and inclusion. I realize the goal is to address the divides in our nation and in our world. In this podcast we’re going to explore an element of language that I would like for you to seriously consider, and hopefully change. Continuing to use the word "minority" reinforces oppression. The first five letters of the wo...

A hundred years ago I wrote a little book titled Rules of Engagement: Timeless Tips for Team Leaders. Don’t go looking for it on Amazon because it’s out of print and the small publisher went belly up. That said, my goal in writing the book was simply to provide practical tools to help people learn to lead more effective collaborations and to use those collaborations to advance their organizations’...