Aim Higher: The podcast with purpose

Our panel of executive experts discuss Skip's most recent interview with John Baldoni and dig deeper into "leading with grace". 

In many areas of life -- business, politics, finance -- we think of power as a "zero sum game." If one person or side has it, the other doesn't. My guest on this week's episode of "Aim Higher," John Baldoni, turns that assumption on its head, with a philosophy of leadership based on grace: the idea that doing something for others and for the greater good can result in better outcomes for everyone....

In this episode of "Aim Higher," Skip and his panel of leadership experts discuss the importance of gratitude. We know that gratitude can be great for us at a personal level: lowering blood-pressure, reducing stress, calming tension, and improving personal relationships. But Skip points out that effective leaders practice gratitude intentionally. While saying, "Thank you" and providing end-of-proj...

Our panel of executive experts discuss Skip's most recent interview with Kary Oberbrunner and dig deeper on the idea of making your brain unhackable. 

We spend a lot of time, money, and effort on keeping our computers, bank accounts and even our phones from being hacked by malicious actors. But this week on "Aim Higher," I talk to my good friend Kary Oberbrunner about a type of hacking that's even more important and more insidious: the hacking of our brains. A computer hack is simply "unauthorized access" to your systems. Have you asked yourself...

Our panel of executive experts discuss Skip's most recent interview with Jason Dorsey and dig deeper on the subject of generational context. 

Every generation has its strengths--and the role of leaders working with diverse generations is to leverage those strengths, make space for them to build bridges and engage with each other. That's the main message from Jason Dorsey, generation expert, author, and research guru. In this episode of "Aim Higher," Jason and I talk about how every generation has something to offer your business... if y...

In this last session of the season, as I sat down with two of my regular “Aim Higher” guests—Tammi Spayde and Drew Bordas—we realized how many of my guests noted that excellence is more about sustained, steady growth than any single, massive change. My hope is that, during this challenging year, our podcasts have been part of your ongoing, weekly commitment to rising above mediocrity. That whether...

In this episode of “Aim Higher,” my panel guests and I discuss a previous interview I did with golf legend Annika Sörenstam. She shares two ideas that are important for both individual accomplishment and success as a leader. The first has to do with how a simple phrase, shared at a key moment while she was very young, made a huge impact on her attitude. And the second is about how she overcame a f...

Many successful people start from humble beginnings. But country music star Jimmy Wayne’s early life can only be described as horrific. As a child he was abused, abandoned and caught up in a foster care system that did him more harm than good. On this episode of “Aim Higher,” Jimmy and I talk about how these experiences shaped both his music and writing careers and his desire to raise awareness ab...

Very few people have done as much speaking and writing on the topic of leadership as my friend and guest on this episode of “Aim Higher.” Mark Sanborn has written 8 books, one of which, “The Fred Factor,” has sold over 2 million copies. He’s been ranked the #5 leadership expert in the world by GlobalGurus.org and I always learn something new from him whenever we get together. Mark shares a number...

On this episode of “Aim Higher,” I talk with Eric Zimmer, a behavior coach, podcast host and author who came back from being a homeless heroin addict to build a successful career and an extraordinary life. He and I discuss how some of our most important changes start with small, measured steps and daily habits rather than trying to “do it all at once.” That way, we can have a little success, build...

On this episode of “Aim Higher,” Skip talks with author and career advisor Steve Herz about three keys to becoming a powerful connector: authority, warmth and energy. Steve is President of The Montag Group, a sports and entertainment talent and marketing consultancy. Skip makes the important point that while connecting to others is incredibly important in our careers, it’s not really taught in col...

For 25 years, Tom Ziglar was CEO of the company that existed, in his words, "to put dad on the stage." His dad -- world famous author, speaker and motivational trainer, Zig Ziglar -- trusted Tom to take care of the business and "create the platform" for the company's success. But in this episode of "Aim Higher," Tom tells Skip how he set out on his own leadership journey, found his own unique spea...

This week on “Aim Higher,” Skip’s panel focuses on the importance of physical health and wellness for leaders. Are you eating right? Exercising regularly? Getting enough sleep? In the words of Skip’s regular guest, Drew Bordas, “Working out helps me be the best version of myself as a leader.” Listen in as the panel goes over some simple steps for setting goals, staying on track and getting healthi...

What does it really mean to be a mentor? Or be mentored? In this episode of “Aim Higher,” Skip’s panel gets into some great details and specific recommendations that are often overlooked. If you want to find a great mentor, be a better mentor, or develop a successful mentoring program for your workplace, you owe it to yourself to listen in.

This week on “Aim Higher,” I share my conversation with NBA All-Star Mark Eaton about what makes a winning team. After a 12-year basketball career filled with awards and records, Mark pivoted to share the lessons he’s learned through motivational speaking and his book, “The Four Commitments of a Winning Team.” The book is so packed with great advice that I actually read it twice, and I was intrigu...

This week on “Aim Higher,” I got the chance to sit down and talk with Dr. Max McKeown, author of “The Strategy Book.” Dr. Max, as he’s sometimes called, is also a researcher on culture and behavioral science, and he’s written several other books including “NOW: The Life Changing Psychology of Always Moving Forward,” “The Innovation Book,” and “Adaptability: The Art of Winning.” Max and I spoke pri...

This week on “Aim Higher,” Skip and his panel take on the topic of leading remotely, which many managers and executives are dealing with for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. What steps can you take to be more effective as a remote leader? Skip, Tammi and Drew have some good, solid advice and, as always, some personal anecdotes to share as well.

In this episode of “Aim Higher,” Skip and his panel of experts discuss some of what they’ve learned during the first two months of providing leadership during the time of COVID-19. While they agree that “everything has changed,” they also agree that some core principles of leadership remain more important than ever. Tune in to hear their thoughts and see if you agree.

This week on “Aim Higher,” I had the chance to sit down with longtime friend Shep Hyken, a man who is a legend in the field of customer service research and training. Shep is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and has also been inducted into the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame. We talked about his book, “The Cult of the Customer,” and how it fits in with his ove...

On a recent trip to Nashville, I got a chance to sit down for a great talk with my friend Rory Vaden. He invited me into his home for our discussion, which is a great metaphor for something he and I both believe and teach—that people inherently want to do business with people, not companies. We want real, personal relationships not just business contacts. He’s a living example of that ideal, and i...

Talk about a jack-of-all-trades. This week on “Aim Higher,” I sat down with James Altucher. James is a stock trader, investor, writer, and entrepreneur. He’s worked for Showtime and HBO and newspapers. He owns a comedy club and he’s been a stand-up comedian himself. He’s a chess master. What’s the one thing that ties it all together? James says, “I focus on what I love doing, and make sure the ide...

This week on “Aim Higher,” my panel and I discuss the importance of resilience, both as a personal quality and for leaders. Personally, of course, we all need to be able to bounce back from life’s hardships. For leaders, though, it’s especially important to be able to find a balance between minimizing losses– sugarcoating a bad situation, as we say—and allowing a setback to turn into a disaster. E...

In this week’s episode of “Aim Higher,” I sit down with my panel of experts and we tackle the tough issue of leadership during a time of crisis. It’s not a topic that anyone really wants to talk about ahead-of-time. But if you leave it until the crisis hits? It’s too late. As we all deal with the many serious implications of the COVID-19 crisis, leaders in particular are looking for ways to help g...