How to Lead with Clay Scroggins and Adam Tarnow

Unfortunately, for many organizations, there is a disconnect between they way they treat potential hires and new hires. Potential hires are taken to fancy dinners, introduced to important people, and promised the world. New hires are given a laptop, a cubicle, and a pat on the back. This, can feel like a bait & switch. Healthy teams work hard to change this. In this episode, Clay and Adam disc...

The great Holly Tate (SVP of Growth at Leadr ) is on the podcast today talking about all things Gen Z and leadership development. If you have any young 20-somethings on your team, Holly has some interesting insights and practical ways to engage and develop this newest generation to hit the workforce. You can learn more about Leadr and its mission to develop 1,000,000 leaders at www.leadr.com

If your current job has you near the bottom of the org charge, what should you do if you feel you have some great ideas for positive change but little influence? Is it possible to be a positive influence for change when you lack authority? These are not easy questions to answer, but they are questions being asked by many emerging leaders. Today, Clay provides a few straightforward ways to leverage...

Is it possible to lead your boss? Kind of. Tell them what to do? Probably not. Positively influence them? For sure. Learning how to develop and cultivate a great working relationship with your boss might be one of the most critical steps you take in your career. This episode gives you some simple ways to begin "leading up" with excellence. Tell your boss she can send her "thank you" notes to: Info...

How do you think about your professional life? This might sound like an odd question, but it can significantly impact your day-to-day job. How you think about your career will determine how you respond to good and bad days at work. In this episode, Clay shares a word picture that helped him change how he thinks about his career, and we know it will help you too.

Quick question: who is the salesperson you most want to be like? Don't worry if you struggled to answer that question.  We did too. Why is this? Because for whatever reason, not many of us hold up "salesperson" as an identity they want to chase down. We think this is unfortunate because every leader (and by "every," we mean "every") is in sales. Sooner or later, every leader has to try and "s...

Quick question: how's your relationship with The Morning doing? Are you two on good terms? Are you excited to see each other every day? Are you missing one another throughout the day? Is the relationship filled with appreciation for one another?  Are you two on bad terms? Have you two not talked in a while? Are there lots of broken promises? Are there tons of unspoken issues and frustration?...

No one makes it very far in their career without receiving difficult feedback. Hearing difficult feedback is never fun, but it happens to the best of us. The sooner you learn how to handle It, the better off you will be. In this episode, Adam and Clay talk about ways they've handled challenging feedback throughout their careers and how you, too, can bounce back from difficult feedback.

Late in 2021, CBS brought back the wildly popular Kids Say the Darndest Things . It's a simple show. Put a bunch of cute kids in a room and let the great Tiffany Haddish ask them questions. Hilarity always ensues. If the show fails, we have an idea for the next reboot. Instead of putting a bunch of kids in a room, just put a bunch of bosses in a room. We promise that hilarity will ensue. Why? Beca...

Clay recently ran into a friend of the podcast, Frank Blake (Former Home Depot CEO), and he summed up the current employment market perfectly. According to Mr. Blake, It all boils down to one question. If the answer to this question is "yes," then you have a great reason to stay at your current place of employment. If the answer to this question is "no," then it might be a good time to start looki...

Wanna know what's fun? COMPLAINING!! Verb. "To express dissatisfaction or annoyance about something." Hello! Who doesn't love to do that ? Isn't that why Mr. Mars just bought Twitter? So we can all complain more freely? Although complaining is fun, it, unfortunately, doesn't lead to many changes. We want help. Today, we give you a formula that will allow you to complain in a way that sounds helpfu...

"Money isn't the most important thing in life, but it's reasonably close to oxygen on the 'gotta have it' scale." - Zig Ziglar. Does inflation have you in a headlock? We Googled "products with the highest inflation in 2022." This list was not pretty. If you feel like you could use more financial breathing room, it might be time to ask for a raise. Ask for a raise is one of those ideas that feels s...

Ahh, RTO. In 2019, these three letters stood for: +Registered Training Authority +Regional Transportation Organization +Radiation Therapy Oncology +Remote Take Over Unfortunately, it's no longer 2019. Today, these three letters stand for one thing: RETURN TO OFFICE. RTO has become a business writer/blogger's favorite new subject. Bored? Google RTO, sit back, and enjoy the tidal wave of opinions. T...

In 2001 Jim Collins published his classic book, Good to Great . Chapter three in that book is called "First Who...Then What." That chapter included what may be the most famous metaphor in all of leadership: The Bus . "The good-to-great leaders began the transformation by first getting the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus) and then figured out where to drive it." For over t...

We know leaving your job is SUPER trendy right now.  But before you do, it'll be helpful to listen to this episode. Why? Because when you set up that meeting to resign, your boss will ask you a simple question, "Why do you want to leave?" If you haven't thought through your answer to that question, it will be a VERY awkward conversation. In this episode, we give you a simple framework that wi...

Adam and Clay open up the old listener mailbag again.  This time, Jonny from Dallas wants to know how to succeed as a new manager.  Step 1 - check out this episode. Step 2 - dominate your new role. Step 3 - send Adam and Clay a "thank you" Starbucks gift card. Just kidding about Step 3.  Kind of. __________________ ClayScroggins.com AdamTarnow.com

Clay gets asked this question often. Why? Because after working at one organization for almost twenty years, he decided to leave and start a new professional adventure. This question, however, is more relevant than ever. The past two years' events have all of us asking existential questions, like this one. So, if you are contemplating a career change or know someone considering a career change, th...

*** QUESTIONS FROM THE INBOX *** Is it better to specialize or generalize?  That is the question Matt from Waco asks on this episode of How to Lead. Clay and Adam don't have all the answers, but they try to help Matt (and others like him) think through this popular question. Do you have a question for Clay and Adam?  Send them an email: Info@HowToLead. Work ____________________ ClayScrog...

{cue the beat} Guess who's back?  Back again.  Casey's back...tell a -- {record scratch}  Sorry, sorry, sorry. That was uncalled for. We're better than that. We'll leave 2002 alone. But, Casey Graham is back and he's got a lot to say about LinkedIn and why he asks everyone at Gravy Solutions to share their "aspirational intent."  Get your pencil and paper ready. You're gonna wa...

Buckle up! This is the first of two episodes with the one and only Casey Graham .  Casey loves to ask leaders, "Do the people on your team know what you really want?" Can you answer that question without spouting out some corporate mumbo-jumbo?  Unfortunately, for far too many leaders, the answer is "no," and Casey believes that needs to change.  How can you start to get your answer...

Back in the day, "public speaking" was a skill almost every leader was looking to add to their toolbox.  Have the events of the last two years changed that?  Is public speaking still a thing?  Is it still a way for a leader to differentiate themselves from the crowd?  Clay & Adam may not have the answer, but they sure do have some thoughts. Enjoy! _____________ Come hang ou...

Adam basically uses this entire episode to get some professional coaching from Clay.  So selfish, right? As Adam wrapped up Clay's new book there was one section that really challenged him. Fortunately, the topic is something all leaders face: solving problems. Enjoy eavesdropping in as Clay coaches up Adam. _____________________ ClayScroggins.com AdamTarnow.com

Question: How would your team respond if you subtly dropped, "You know, the other day I was talking to my leadership coach, and she helped me realize something..." during your next team meeting? Would you get funny looks, or would it be no big deal? Elite athletes and aspiring actors and singers are no longer the only ones seeking out a coach. Leaders everywhere are starting to realize how helpful...

NEWS FLASH: According to the CDC , the average life expectancy in the United States declined 1.5 years during 2020. That's the most significant decline in decades. Now, more than ever, leaders need to ask, "How do I make my time count?" We can't promise this episode will help you live longer, but we can promise it will help you think about the time you have left a little differently. And, we can p...

"In general, I'm not a very disciplined person...I don't like counting things. I don't like counting my spending...I don't like counting my calories...I don't like counting how many days I've worked out." Listen to this episode to learn which host dropped this confession bomb on the podcast. If the one who said this could develop helpful and lasting habits in their life, then there is hope for all...