Creating Leaders Of Character!

The episode focuses on discussing laissez-faire leadership styles and leadership effectiveness. Chief and Ms Dava share their perspectives on what constitutes true leadership versus management, with Chief explaining that leadership is a noun requiring no action while leading involves active behavior. They discuss the importance of training followers to be self-sufficient and how an effective leade...

Chief poses a question to Ms Dava: What would you do if you spotted one of your workers sitting under a tree doing nothing? Throughout the discussion, Chief emphasizes the importance of practicing "empathic curiosity" rather than assuming negative intentions. Ms Dava shares some specific examples from camp that illustrate the situation Chief describes and how to deal with it.

Chief and Ms Dava discuss Ms Dava's use of WDEP (Wants, Doing, Evaluation, Planning) therapy, a counseling approach developed by William Glasser, in her work with autistic children. Ms Dava shares a specific example of how using the WDEP approach helped her understand a young camper's wants and needs, ultimately leading to a positive resolution. Chief  provides feedback on the importance...

Chief and Ms Dava discuss the importance of initiative, particularly among followers, and explore ways leaders can encourage and develop this quality. They examine the challenges of instilling initiative, including the need for clear communication, showing rather than telling, and providing opportunities for followers to take action. 

What does a Leader of Character do when a follower crosses the line, by being rude, unprofessional, or doesn't want to be part of the team and brings down the entire team with them? Ms Dava and Chief discuss possible reasons for the behavior and possible ways to help them become effective team members. 

Chief and Ms Dava discuss preparing for an upcoming summer camp program, focusing on leadership strategies and team management. They explore the implementation of a new organizational structure with four levels of leadership to support 30 team members, with Ms Dava sharing her experience convincing team members to adopt this approach. Chief emphasizes the importance of giving new leadership method...

Chief and Ms Dava discuss the difference between core values and corps values, and how they affect each other in organizations, with Chief explaining that core values come from the heart and are emotional/spiritual in nature, while corps values are applied by the organization based on its core values.  Chief suggests that organizations should regularly revisit their core values at least once a yea...

Ms Dava shares some GREAT news before she and Chief discuss the possible issues that personality tests can have if they lead to developing stereotypes. Chief shares an exercise about stereotyping using cadets at the Air Force Academy to demonstrate how personality tests and stereotypes can lead to unfair treatment of individuals. They discuss the importance of treating people as unique individuals...

Chief and Ms Dava discuss personality types and leadership, with Chief sharing his experience as a certified MBTI practitioner. They explore how personality tests like MBTI can help leaders understand individual preferences, but warn against stereotyping people based on their results. Ms Dava shares examples from her work at a camp where she uses personality tests to better understand and manage h...

Chief poses the question, "As a Leader, what would you like your Followers to do more of that would make your life better?" Ms Dava shares her perspective, and both discuss what her answer means and how her Followers might apply it.

Chief poses the question, "As a Follower, what would you like your Leader to do more of that would make your life better?" Ms Dava shares her perspective and both discuss what her answer means and how to apply it. 

People learn best by watching. And they learn more about us by watching us. AND they're always watching, especially the leader(s). You will never lead by policy. You'll lead by behaving the way you should. Are you doing what you should be doing? The way you should be doing it? You might be surprised!

Chief and Ms Dava discuss leadership principles from Ken Blanchard's "One Minute Manager" book, focusing on the shift toward side-by-side leadership relationships. They explore the balance between "being" and "doing" in leadership, with Chief emphasizing that effective leaders inspire others to be their best selves rather than just managing tasks. 

This episode focuses on managing employee attendance issues, particularly when a critical employee frequently calls in sick. Chief shares his daughter's dilemma regarding an employee who is absent due to caring for a sick grandfather, creating a ratio violation in the child development program. Dava suggests setting clear expectations about PTO usage and having open conversations with employe...

If you enjoy giving or receiving feedback, you're a saint! If you're like most of us, feedback stinks! Mostly because we don't know how to give or take it. Most leaders, AND followers, are not trained to give or receive it. But WAIT! Chief has a different term that suits the purpose better! You'll have to listen to this episode to hear Chief's solution.

Chief and Ms Dava discuss various personal and professional topics, including work-life balance, identity, and leadership principles. They explore themes of conflict resolution, trust, and organizational effectiveness through shared experiences and insights about managing teams and maintaining core values. The conversation concludes with reflections on societal changes and the importance of modeli...

Chief and Ms Dava discuss managing overwhelming workloads and prioritization strategies, with Chief providing guidance to Ms Dava on time management techniques and resource allocation. They discuss Stephen Covey's time management principles and the importance of creating a master task list, with Chief recommending Todoist as a helpful app for organizing tasks. The conversation concludes with...

WHAT?! DRAMA in the workplace?! Oh, NO! Say it isn't so! Well, it IS so! Ms Dava, the new leader, is dealing with that. So she asks the sage advice of a seasoned leader, Chief, for advice. The Wise Man provides Ms Dava with ideas that MAY, or may not, help her get out of her dilemma. 

Ms Dava and Chief welcome you back to a new season! Most people create New Year resolutions that are based on doing. But what about creating resolutions based on being? How about creating Character resolutions? Who, or what kind of a person, will you be by the end of 2026? A lot of things to consider, as Chief and Ms Dava share their thoughts with you on how to BE a better person, a Leader of Char...

Chief Vásquez and Ms Dava close out the season sharing their thoughts on things that they're grateful for, including YOU! THANK YOU for listening to us! Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays! All of them!

What do you do when someone gets angry at you? You tell them to calm down and move on, right?! WRONG! That never works! So what does? Chief shares four things, or more, with Ms Dava that can help the situation. Oh, the situation is one of those four things. You'll have to listen in.

Chief and Ms Dava attempt to analyze what "Adulting" is. Chief proposes that it's sometimes simply being there. Their discussion includes examples and perspectives. 

How do you recover from the Dip? Following up on last week's discussion, Chief offers Ms Dava some suggestions on how to recover and continue to grow. They discuss Ms Dava's 75 Hard Challenge progress and how to be effective in using it. She's found an Accountability Partner!

Ms Dava and Chief discuss “the dip” in this episode. After continuous success, it’s not unusual to go through a period of less success, often referred to as the dip. Ms Dava is in the dip and asks Chief how to recover from it. Chief, of course, has some suggestions that may help Ms Dava, but the bottom line is that it’s an internal choice. You’ll have to listen to get the gist of Chief’s perspecti...

What do you do when new rules are sent down from above? The first thing is to panic. Then, maybe figure out the good in the new. When there's a good reason, we shouldn't fight the new.