High Impact Leaders

In this session, I interview Don Markland who is CEO of Accountability Now. Don't miss a second of this interview, because Don gives a few of his really simple secrets to help you accelerate the growth in your company. Don has a background in sales and marketing, and he has worked with some huge companies like Amazon and AllState growing multinational sales platforms. You are going to absolut...

Create a Stunning LinkedIn Profile that Proves You Are the Expert. Once a potential employer receives your resume or application, he or she will scan it quickly. Then, the person with Google you. So as important as the resume is to a good first impression, your internet activity is even more vital. For most of us, our LinkedIn profile will rank toward the top of any internet search. So spend some...

Want to show the world your expertise? In this session, I’m going to show you how to update your resume. We will also cover how to update your LinkedIn profile to show future employers that you are an expert in your field. Before we get to the technical stuff, though, we will show you how to avoid falling into the most dangerous resume trap out there. (Here is a little hint… Your resume should nev...

Mission vision and value statements are said to be very important to the success of a company. In fact, business consultants often start with the mission, vision, and values when working with new clients. They do this for a very simple reason. Creating (or updating) these statements can drive the organization in a new direction. Many of us use the mission and vision interchangeably. However, the t...

We often have to present to tough audiences. And, more often than not, the purpose of the speech is to persuade. Whether we are trying to sell a product or service, or just a good idea, persuasion is important. In this session, we are going to cover a simple three-step process to help you persuade tough audiences. First, we will talk about human nature and how persuasion works. Then, we will talk...

Interpersonal Skills (Definition) are the qualities and abilities to work effectively with others . In business, when we talk about interpersonal skills, most often, we are referring to “ soft skills. ” These include communication skills, the ability to work with others, and conflict resolution skills. By the way, step one to build a team culture is to improve the interpersonal skills between and...

Tips for New Supervisors, Five Simple First Time Supervisor Tips and Skills Here are a few tips for new supervisors that can help you motivate your team and increase efficiency. This is a continuation of our “soft skills” series. In the first session, we talked about  what soft skills are and why they are important in any role . Then, we divided these skills into four segments — leadership skills...

5 Important Management Skills to Make Your Workplace More Efficient This week, we continue our leadership skills versus management skills series. In this episode, we cover a few key management skills. In fact, any organization will run more efficiently when management practices these skills. Just as a review, in the Soft Skills, What Are They episode, we talked about the three different types of s...

On this episode, I interview Dr. Benjamin Ritter with Live for Yourself Consulting (https://www.liveforyourselfconsulting.com/). He has created a fascinating career helping people identify the talents that they have that they can turn into a career that they absolutely love.  Interestingly, though, the beginning of the interview was even more interesting. Dr. Ritter shares how he used speaking eve...

When I first started The Leaders Institute ® folks would ask me, “What do you do?” I would answer with “I teach important leadership skills to executives .” Then I would get a blank stare looking back at me. Sometimes, the person would try to clarify and say something like, “oh, so like time management, right?” Of course, that wasn’t exactly what I was doing. What I realized was that different peo...

My guest today is Andrew Wallas who is the author of the book Business Alchemy. However, he has a two-stage background that is very impressive. In the first couple of decades, he built a few HUGE businesses and cashout to the tune of millions of dollars. Then, in the next stage of his life, he began to study psychotherapy to help people overcome challenges and breakthrough to higher levels of succ...

What are soft skills? Why are soft skills important to a person’s success? If you don’t know the answers to these two questions, you are, quite likely, passing up higher levels of income and freedom . When I first started The Leader’s Institute ®, I used to begin my High Impact Leaders class by giving my definition of soft skills. Basically, I’d explain that “hard skills” are the technical skills...

Developing leaders is a big goal of all organizations. No matter what size your company is, right now, it is a great time to start planning for the future. In fact, if your organization has a culture for developing leaders from within, you will attract better employees. In this session, we are going to pull back the curtain and show you how to build your own personal leadership. We will also show...

This week, I give a few tips on how to reduce public speaking fear. If you have ever stood up in front of a group and forgot what you were going to say or felt the heart racing, then this episode is for you. These are 10 simple and time-tested ways to reduce stage fright or public speaking fear. Listen fast, I go through each of the 10 public speaking tips very quickly. To view the full show notes...

Looking for a way to get a group to solve challenging problems without coming to blows? In this session, I’m going to cover a few effective group problem-solving techniques. In fact, the process below is known as the 5-Step Group Problem Solving process, and it is incredibly effective. One of the more challenging leadership skills is getting a group to work together on a common problem. However, a...

How would you describe meetings you have attended in the past? Better yet… How would your team describe your meetings? Over the past 20 years, I have asked that question to over 1200 audience. Here are the most popular answers. The Most Popular Responses to “How Would You Describe Your Meetings? “Meetings are looooooooooong,” and “Meetings are BOW-ring (this workshop was actually held in my hometo...

Strategic Thinking is a process to identify ways to move a person, team, or organization toward a long-term goal. When you think strategically, you have to anticipate setbacks and challenges and have a plan to deal with them. You also have to measure your progress toward the goal. How Does Thinking this Way Help You Be a Better Leader? My team went through this with the Covid-19 pandemic. At the v...

This is part 2 of a really fun interview with Claire Chandler of Profitable Swagger. She gives us a lot of great tips about how to attract the right kind of talent to your company. She also gives us a number of best practices for keeping that entrepreneurial culture as your business grows. I have to admit, I wish that I had spoken to her before I made so many personnel mistakes in my own company....

This is a really fun interview with Claire Chandler of Profitable Swagger. She gives us a lot of great tips about how to attract the right kind of talent to your company. She also gives us a number of best practices for keeping that entrepreneurial culture as your business grows. I have to admit, I wish that I had spoken to her before I made so many personnel mistakes in my own company.  For more...

This is part three of a three-part series on How to Manipulate People. This episode covers the sign of a con artist. Look for these 7 things to know if someone is trying to manipulate you. Okay, so now we know that people are trying to deceive us and manipulate us. What the heck do we do about it. What are the signs that we should be looking out for? Be On Your Guard When Emotions Are High. When y...

The Second Phase of a Con Is Establishing the “Villan” and the “Victim.” Going back to the scene from The Sting, the (1) narrative that unfolds in front of the (2) “Mark” creates a (3) villain and a (4) victim. A person robs and stabs a man creating a victim. The Mark sympathizes (emotionally connects) with the man who was both robbed and stabbed. The Victim then tells a narrative about how the mo...

I know… The title “How to Manipulate People” sounds bad and unethical, but I got you to view the post didn’t I? The question is, did I manipulate you into viewing this post, or did I persuade you? There is a fine line between the two. Since I have written a number of posts over the years about persuasion, I thought it might be fun to explore the darker side. So, below, you will find seven signs of...

Is your performance review system for your employees and team members outdated? Are you and your team members still using the same type of annual employee assessment that your parents used? One common complaint that comes up in job satisfaction surveys is, “I never get useful feedback about how I am doing my job.” On the other side, managers will sometimes become frustrated because their team has...

One of the Major Leadership Roles is to Build a Team Culture. There are two parts to building a team culture within your organization. First, you have to create an environment that is fun, productive, and fulfilling. Then second, you have to be on the lookout for cancers that eat away at the team culture. Effective Team Leadership Requires Providing Appropriate Resources for Your Team. Nothing can...

So what exactly does a good team leader do? Strengthen the Leadership Roles Below to Build Effective Leadership in Yourself and Your Team. After studying some of the best leaders in different industries for the past 20 years, we found a few roles that each played very well. If you understand these leadership roles and focus on developing these skills, your peers will see you as a leader as well. A...