Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak Podcast (c)

Think of someone you are having difficulty working with. For whatever reason, you two are not getting along. It can be someone from work or in your social circles. Daniel Goleman believes that soft skills - sometimes referred to as emotional intelligence are a common core of personal and social abilities that have proven critical to people's success. Take the 3-R Challenge and learn how to get alo...

People don't leave jobs ... They leave bad bosses and poor management who dont appreciate their value. Forget X or Y management styles you need to switch to Z. Gen Z will make up 27% of the workforce by 2025. They are like no other generation that has come before them. To attract and retain Zeds you need to develop a management style for aligned with Edward Deming's 14 points and remove barriers t...

You can't motivate anyone to do anything they don't want to unless they think they will get something they want in return. Motivation is inside out - never outside in. People do things for their reason - not yours. Even those who volunteer their time and energy are getting something out of it, or they wouldn't keep volunteering. People only listen to the music they want to hear. Either MMFIAM on t...

People like to work with and socialize with people they like. Building relationships at work is just as meaningful as building relationships with those you interact with outside of work. The newest generation to enter the workforce - Gen Z - prefers to work for an organization that allows for fun, friendships, and life-enriching activities. How much fun are you and your leadership team to be aroun...

Well, that's a wrap. You can kiss 2022 goodbye. It's another year in the books. How did you make out? Did you accomplish everything you set out to do? What's left on your to-do list to carry over to 2023? Listen to my most recent podcast for the key to stress-free goal setting in 2023. (Hint - plan them the way you plan your vacation.)

I believe we are born with a particular style - a particular way of behaving that heavily influences how we communicate and interact with others. Great coaches can assemble a group of people with different personalities, different skill sets, and varied backgrounds and mold them into a cohesive, collaborative team by identifying how they prefer to be coached and working with them the way they like...

The question to ask yourself is not what you do - the question to ask yourself is why you do it. Once you know your why all you need to do is find the courage to create your life around it. What really turns your crank? In a perfect world what would you rather be doing? What would it take for you to develop a career around it? What things need to fall into place for you to live a purposeful life -...

EQ - Emotional Quotient - known as emotional intelligence or soft skills is the ability to understand, use, and manage your emotions in positive ways to reduce stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflicts. We may live in a hi-tech world, but your soft skills - empathy, patience, flexibility, open-mindedness and the ability to communicate and inte...

We are entering a new era of leadership. Generation Z - born between 1996 and 2012 - is the latest generation to enter the workforce. They are like no other generation that has come before them. They are the first generation to grow up in the digital age. They jury is still out, but there is one thing for sure, your organization's future depends on this generation. Today's managers and leaders mus...

MBWA - Manage by walking around; you can't do that by sitting in your corner office. A study by HayGroup concluded that sixty-seven percent of the competencies are emotionally based. If you can't make an emotional connection with those you work with and interact with, you stand little chance of successfully managing or leading others. Listen to today's podcast to find out how to manage and lead ot...

Your internal dialogue has everything to do with the image you project externally. Image is everything. People will judge you based on how you look and how you behave. We all feel insecure and unsure of ourselves at times. We all have self-doubt, especially if we are doing something we are uncertain of or doing something for the first time. Think it, act it, become it. If you look and act like a l...

Terminating someone is taking the easy way out. You shouldn't terminate anyone unless you've done everything possible to turn that situation around. Managers and leaders will not be judged by what they know. They will be judged by their ability to teach someone else what they need to know. There is no such thing as a dumb student, only dumb teachers who refuse to use every tool available to help t...

Do your employees trust you? Just because you've been given the title of manager or have taken on a leadership role doesn't automatically mean they will trust you. It takes time to establish trust. Listen to this episode of Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak Podcast for six strategies that you can do to build trust.

Are you ready for the most significant workforce shift in over 100 years. Undoubtedly, this shift will dramatically affect how we communicate and interact. If you thought Millennials were challenging - think again. You haven't met Generation Z - the Zoomers have arrived. Think of the Zoomers as the hyper-connected generation. The first generation to grow up in the digital age. Gen Z has a unique c...

My ex-wife and I still have a good relationship. I consider her one of my closest friends. Divorce can be adversarial or not - it's a choice. You can decide to drag it out or negotiate the terms in good faith. You can choose to chastise your employees for making a mistake or use the opportunity to teach them the way you want it done so they don't make the same mistake a second time. It's a choice...

What does it say about a leader if they behave one way in public and behave a different way behind closed doors? Does that mean there are two kinds of ethics; business and personal? I believe you are either ethical or you're not. What are ethical or unethical behaviors? How should a leader behave? Listen to this podcast episode to hear my take on how a leader should behave.

Making the transition from worker to manager is very difficult, and it can be even more difficult if you are promoted from within the same department or peer group. You're a co-worker one week, and the next week, you're their manager. In this podcast episode I will share with you what I believe makes for a great manager. We aren't born knowing how to manage others - but we can learn. To promote or...

Are you an asset or a liability? Are you a good team player who contributes to the team's success or a social loafer who likes to blend into the background where your lack of effort isn't easily spotted? Teams and teamwork make for a great sound bite - but in your world - the real world do they produce the kinds of results your company wants? Or do they create more problems than they are worth? In...

Think it, act it, and eventually, through patience and hard work it will become you. The secret to a successful 2022 is between your ears. I want 2022 to be your best year yet. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me with any questions looking for answers about the challenges your're having starting your small business, managing and leading others or getting that promotion. Thanks for being part...

There are four dimensions to human life - the mind, the body, the external world and the inner realm. Within these four pillars of life, we either rise to our full potential or remain ordinary. In this episode of Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak, I will apply that same concept to leadership. Do you want to rise to your full potential as a leader or remain ordinary? You decide.

Culture is top down - never bottom up. Read that sentence again and then look in the mirror. If people are quitting it's your fault. If you want people to stay you have to act like you don't want them to leave. Listen to this podcast to find out what five things you should do to convince them to stay.

Understanding behaviour and how it impacts performance will make you a better manager, leader, teacher and coach. A new yardstick is judging us; not just how smart we are, or by our training or expertise, but how well we handle ourselves and each other - Daniel Goleman - Emotional Intelligence. If you want to be a more effective supervisor, manager, leader, teacher or coach, learn to work with oth...

How often have you been in a conversation with someone, and they were non-verbally telling you that they're not interested in you or what you have to say simply by the messages their body language was sending you? According to research conducted by Dr. Ralph Nichols, we communicate 55% of the time non-verbally by our body language alone. We are speaking volumes, and we haven't said a word. In toda...

You can't suck and blow in the same breath. You can do one or the other, but you can't do both at the same time. I have a soft spot for service providers, having spent 30 years as a General Manager for a major retailer. Margins continue to be squeezed. Business owners are paying more for the goods they buy, the utilities they use and the equipment they lease or purchase. You have a choice to make....

I'm an optimist because there isn't a good enough reason to be anything else. Pheonix will rise out of the ashes, despite what you may be hearing and reading. It's not all doom and gloom. I think the time has never been better to get into business for yourself or be promoted at work. Will the dark clouds have a silver lining for you? In this, my 30th episode, I'll share my take on what I believe i...