Change Your Mindset

I’ll be the first to tell you – improv isn’t all about comedy and making people laugh. However, improv can be a great tool for humor and is how most people are introduced to it. My own introduction to improv involved using it and comedy as coping mechanisms for the challenges life was throwing my way. Do you remember the song, “Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down?” Mary Poppins was...

Eric M. Twiggs is the Chief Executive Officer and President of The What Now Movement, a group dedicated to building up high-performing entrepreneurs, authors, and career professionals to be ready for life’s unexpected challenges. He’s also the author of The Discipline of Now: 12 Practical Principles to Overcome Procrastination. As a certified life and business coach, Eric has conducted over 28 tho...

Has anyone ever asked you the question: “How do you eat an elephant?” This question – and its answer – provides a powerful metaphor for learning and development for all professionals. And that answer is: “One bite at a time.” Learning the new skills vital to your role as a leader is no small task, but if you take it one bite at a time and start investing in those skills you will get there. To lear...

Don’t be fooled by name, the hair color, or the crazy shoes – Michael Sherlock is serious about business. She’s dedicated to creating positive, productive, and profitable workplaces, and helping individuals and businesses unlock their ultimate potential. She shares ways you can rethink leadership, your relationship to sales, and how to shock the most out of your potential. To learn more, and for t...

It was bizarre not traveling most of 2020 due to the pandemic. Going from an average of 130 days over the past ten years to only traveling five in all of 2020 was a shock to the system. At first I didn’t miss it – the hustle and bustle, crowded airports and planes, and the TSA – but after reflecting on it, I have some travel memories that I’d like to share, along with the lessons I picked up from...

Ron Karr has worked with leaders on six continents to help them eliminate risk, gain buy-in, and achieve more with what he calls “the velocity mindset.” Over the past 30 years, Ron’s presentations and advisory services have generated over a billion dollars in incremental revenue for his clients. He’s the author of five books, including his latest, The Velocity Mindset, and the best-seller Lead, Se...

At a keynote address welcoming the Masters of Science & Accounting students at Oklahoma State University to the Fall 2021 semester, the dean of the school shared five skills every accounting student will need to master to succeed: agility, creativity, service mindset, communication, and leadership. I’ve added a sixth skill for good measure. Learn how they apply to the accounting profession and how...

Leaving the corporate world 15 years ago, Bob Dusin started his own business focused on training, coaching, and facilitating leadership workshops for organizations nationwide. In addition to his work in organizational leadership development and coaching, Bob has spoken at numerous expos, seminars, and conventions. He’s also been a professional improviser for over 25 years and is a professional voi...

Whether you have the title of Project Manager or not, we all manage projects in our day-to-day lives. Until we recognize that, it’s hard to improve. Project management is not a one-size-fits-all profession. There’s so much diversity of thought and approach that you should learn from the best and apply whatever works for you. Ann Campea, host of The Everyday PM podcast, shares how she stumbled into...

Since starting work on my new book, I’ve received a number of questions about the writing process. I don’t have a degree in English, literature, or journalism – yet here I am, about to publish my 3rd business book… with book number four already cooking in my head. I’m going to share 13 things I’ve learned during the writing process that I hope will help you, or at least give you some insight into...

Do you think accounting can be fun? Is there a way to make it less boring and more engaging? Do you believe that learning accounting is easy and something everyone should do? Toby York wants to see if he can change your mindset around those questions. He’s not your typical accounting instructor. He’s the founder of Accounting Cafe, a community for anybody who believes that accounting education can...

Guess who turned 100 years old in 2021? White Castle, the famous hamburger restaurant. One thing is true: those who love White Castle will always have a story to tell. Jamie Richardson, VP of Marketing and Public Relations, and John Kelley, Chief People Officer, are going to share some of those stories. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Resources: LinkedIn:...

Steve Morris started his career designing multi-million dollar racing yachts and building and coaching high-performing teams to help his clients win the most demanding races. He ran and grew a small business, then transitioned his career, becoming a certified project management professional in charge of million dollar budgets and even helping the US Navy launch ships. Six years ago, he started his...

Attention, entrepreneurs: are you working in your business… or on your business? What could you outsource so you can focus just on growth? Do you think you’re the only one that can do your job? Rachel Luther was a virtual assistant before people knew what that was. After growing her business from a one woman show to a team of talented professionals, she began to share her secrets to success – cove...

Have you ever challenged yourself to get out of your comfort zone and try something new – like working on your communication skills? If you could pick one thing to work on today, what would that be? Could you maintain the momentum to reach mastery? John Sanchez, the son of a 30-year army veteran, moved a dozen times before graduating high school. Those moves were the beginning of John’s lessons in...

Have you ever challenged yourself to leave your comfort zone and try something new or different? Terri Lechton is a speaker, writer, and educator who believes that everyone can live a life of adventure, no matter what their age, ability, or financial situation. As an asthmatic, non-athletic, and only just artistically proficient individual, she has pushed herself to complete a half-marathon in Ant...

What business are you in? Whether you’re a CPA, CEO, lawyer, banker, entrepreneur, or anything else – the truth is you’re in the people business. Will Hill and Paul Miller are the hosts of the podcast “Pulse of the Practice.” Will has been with Thomson Reuters since 2001 and currently serves as Customer Proposition Strategy Lead. Paul is the owner of Business by Design, an advisory-focused tax and...

Avish Parashar performed improv all through high school, but he stopped in college so he could focus on his studies – a decision greatly supported by his parents. That decision lasted only a few months, however, as after seeing an improv comedy show, he fell back in love. One week later, he auditioned for the campus improv group and the rest, as they say, is history. After graduating, he started P...

I love a good challenge. Convincing business leaders that improv is a leadership method has been one of the most difficult. I have to dispel the myth that those who improvise are just "winging it” and “making stuff up." Let's address this myth in the improv process of preparation, practice, and letting go. To learn more and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Resources: How Mar...

As a leader, do you help your employees feel satisfied in their work or are you just focused on KPIs? Do your employees feel like they are doing something meaningful? Are you keeping your employees aware of developments in the business — even if it’s not good news? This is David Veech’s second appearance on the podcast and, in it, he answers these questions and more. He first appeared in season 3,...

In Season 4, Episode 4, 'Successful Negotiations in Corporate America,' the conversation centered around how the principles of improv can help you become a better negotiator. Let's take that discussion and expand on it with some unconventional techniques to help you achieve a win-win when you negotiate. This approach to negotiating requires a give-and-take conversation, and each party will have to...

How do you define hospitality concerning your customers or clients? Does your organization offer a "black tie" experience — or is it more business casual? Bob Pacanovsky has been an entrepreneur for 25 years, primarily in the hospitality industry. He and his team have created over 7,000 meetings, events, and receptions that each had just one chance to make a wild experience and a lasting impressio...

Have you ever given a presentation only to realize, once you’ve finished, that you left out a critical detail? Or that you mispronounced a word, or someone’s name? Maybe you lost your train of thought in the middle of a sentence and blanked out momentarily, losing the focus of your audience. These mistakes come as a result of a lack of practice, confidence, our nerves operating in overdrive, or al...

Mj Callaway is a former corporate sales trainer and the only female sales executive to rank number one for a national builder. She knows, firsthand, the disruptions that leaders, managers, and executive teams handle daily and how to remain positive, productive, and profitable through it all. A two-time cancer survivor, she’s known for shifting staff attitudes and converting tactics into results. H...

Innovation requires the acceptance of all ideas in order to move forward and be effective. Ego-driven leaders who shoot down ideas from their team stop innovation in its tracks. True creative innovation is fueled by the former, not the latter, approach. How can you and your team begin to change how you innovate, creating a more robust and engaging environment that encourages and rewards risk-takin...