Becoming Your Best | The Principles of Highly Successful Leaders

Early on in his life, Paul Cardall would understand that life is fragile. He went through heart surgery on his first day on earth, and his parents, instead of picturing his graduation, his first love, or job, were wondering if he would survive his first year. Paul grew up feeding himself from his parents' optimism, visiting doctors, spending long nights in hospitals,...

We already know about the immense power of habits. We are aware of their role in our long-term goals and how we can generate outstanding results by adjusting them. Still, the tricky part about habits is that they're so embedded in our routines that we go through some of them by default, and that makes it hard to identify which one doesn't serve us very well.     The inevitable question i...

There are many ways of reaching our highest potential; many books were written teaching different theories. They all have at least two things in common: they aim for our greatness, and their systems are reliable and predictable. Predictable and reliable systems are easier to implement, follow, and keep you accountable for. To apply these systems and ensure their success, we've created ma...

The definition of success varies from person to person; for some, it means to be wealthy, for others to be loved, impact lots of people, or change people's lives. But what happens when everyone but us thinks we are successful? It might look fantastic from the outside, and still, we'd feel miserable. When success is not intimately linked with purpose, it feels empty.     John&nb...

As we approach the end of 2021, the idea of just tossing the towel and being a little careless for the rest of the year and start focusing our energies on 2022 might sound tempting. But actually, with a bit of recalibration, a slight course correction, we can achieve each and every one of the goals we set for ourselves back in January 2021. That is the primary purpose of today's podcast,...

A child wanting to become a pro snowboarder in America is not unusual considering the sport's popularity in the country. However, for a kid born and raised in Buffalo, New York, where there are no mountains, it might sound like an unexpected choice. Many people told Chris Naugle it was a silly choice; he wouldn't have a place to practice. But Chris did something that would maintain ...

When US Senator Kohl decided he would not seek re-election, Darcy Luoma, who has been working with him for 12 years, had a huge decision to make. Her family, friends, and colleagues assumed she would stay working in the political field, but she had other plans. Darcy felt the need to start her own business, put herself out there, and create a legacy. Using her experience and knowledge, she st...

After spending 10+ years as an F-16 fighter pilot and finishing his career as a US Air Force Weapon School instructor, Steven C. Shallenberger is grateful he didn't listen to the Air Force instructor who visited his school when he was in seventh grade and told him he'll never be a fighter pilot, that it wasn't for anybody.     Today, I am pleased to welcome one o...

It doesn't matter how long we've worked in any industry; there is always room to improve and we must be humble enough to recognize it and dedicate time to educate ourselves constantly. That is one of Dr. Kizzy Parks' secrets to success; she is aware that she does not know it all, and she let herself go following her curious nature.     Dr. Kizzy Parks i...

Hearing about self-compassion and "soft" stuff like hugs and empathy made Steven think that wasn't for him; a 6'5", 240 pounds, former boxer and football player didn't resonate with all that. But after some exercises his mentors suggested, he started realizing that being in our corner, being there for ourselves facing adversity and setbacks was actually excellent. That would be...

Having a successful business and being a prosperous entrepreneur was a priority for Randy, but his driving force and inspiration came from his parents. Seeing his friends coming up to his house to hang out with his father gave Randy a clear picture of what he was supposed to pursue in life: being a good husband, father, and friend was way more important than anything else.&nbsp...

Being able to breathe, walk, or talk are some of the things we get used to and most often take for granted. The same happens with freedom; we are so used to choosing a religion, having access to clean water, or the right to express our political opinion that we lose sight of how valuable it is.     In this special episode, we want to celebrate our Independence Day by...

Traveling lowers the chances of heart disease; it enhances our creativity and the sense of happiness and satisfaction. It is also very efficient for relieving stress and anxiety - and the list of benefits goes on and on. And if we pay enough attention, it can be a teaching experience; we can grow and change the way we see things.    In this episode , after coming back from a tr...

For this episode, we prepared something special. This episode is about inspiring and motivating you to become the best version of yourself. I'll share more than 50 motivational phrases and aphorisms I've collected over the last five decades that helped and inspired me along the way.     These are phrases a friend, a guest to the show, or a colleague at work told...

Undoubtedly, having an upbeat personality coupled with the correct principles will make a huge difference in anyone's life. Whether it is in their professional or personal lives, people choose to be around those with a positive mindset, those who are kind, pleasant to be with, and always open to learning from others.     Today's episode was inspired by our last guest's concluding comment...

Being task saturated at work causes several problems in our professional and personal lives. One of the many effects of this is that we keep ourselves busy with what is urgent, and we push away and postpone what is essential.     We've conducted research with over 1200 managers from 108 different organizations, and we've found out that the primary concern of over 68% of them was prioriti...

Running a successful organization can become a power trip for some people; they make it about themselves and not the organization in some cases. That is why for Bob Marquardt, humility is the number one characteristic every leader should focus on. Be aware that no one is irreplaceable and give proper credit to every team member and appreciative words about the work being done by the...

Ron Williams believes that our bodies tell stories of how we feel about ourselves. When someone asks him for help to improve their health, one of his many techniques is chasing down the beliefs, the stories that hold people down and won't let them thrive. He believes that the body will never do something without the mind's permission, and that is why having a solid mindset is the key to...

The things we do in the morning set the pace for the day; if we establish a positive and upbeat routine, it will have a snowball effect on our mood, performance, and our health in the long run. On a previous podcast, one of our guests, Dre Baldwin, shared with us the cornerstones of any successful routine: discipline, confidence, imagination, and innovation. Mastering discipline will lead to...

Feedback is a big word in the office. It generally has a bad reputation and it's associated with negative experiences and emotions. But it’s time to start changing this trend because frequent, action-oriented, specific, and timely feedback can do wonders for an organization’s culture. Growing this muscle will help everyone communicate and work together better.   ...

We live in times of heightened cynicism, where people don't believe things at first blush anymore. People, in general, tend to resist new information in a protective response to the countless lies without consequences from politicians or the feeling that behind every conversation, someone is hiding, trying to sell them something. As people feel they can't trust any external sources, they only acce...

Working fewer hours earning a full-time shift salary sounds like the perfect job for any worker, and it also sounds good from the company's point of view; happier workers producing more in less time. However, it can backlash; workers might consider their job a side hustle, lose connection with the company's values, and leave their jobs regardless of the benefits of sh...

To get where we want to be and doing what we love to do, most of us try to figure out what we need to do to reach our goal, and it makes sense; it seems fair to assume that there must be an action plan to follow. The truth is instead of asking ourselves what we need to do, we should ask ourselves who do we need to be, then become that individual. After we achieve that, the actions that w...

It is hard to find a company more customer-centric than Amazon, not only in America but globally. The company's "obsession" with client satisfaction drives its constant innovation, offering great deals and benefits for its Prime members, relentless price competition policy, efficiency, and sometimes threatening behavior. They see no boundaries, from healthcare to satellites; Amazon is constan...

While leaders have to be held accountable for their relationship with the people underneath them, both leaders and followers are responsible for the quality of the relationship they develop. Leaders' goal should be to build a solid relationship with the staff members, where there is space to offer feedback without fear of being reprimanded. As long as the employee is not the destructive kind, if t...