Leadership Fitness in 5 Minutes with Gary Slyman

Accountability Starts With Measurement How well do you hold yourself accountable to your goals? Progress doesn't happen by intention alone—it requires measurement. If you want real momentum, focus on three areas : 1.  What Are You Measuring? Be specific. Clear metrics remove emotion and create focus. If it can't be measured, it can't be managed. 2. How Often Are You Measuring? Choose a cadence tha...

Building Clarity in Your Professional Trajectory Feeling stuck in your career? Unsure about your next move—or how to get there? One of the most impactful gifts you can give yourself is clarity . And often, the fastest way to get it is by working with a coach who helps you step back, think strategically, and move forward with purpose. In this episode, we walk through three core ways a coach helps y...

5 Steps to Reflect on Your Year—Individually, as a Team, and as a Leader As we wrap up the year, it's time to slow down, look back, and evaluate how we showed up—personally and professionally. In this episode, we use a simple aviation-inspired framework to guide meaningful reflection: The 5-Step Year-End Reflection Plan Your Flight What was your plan going into the year? Did you set goals, a resol...

A Thanksgiving Thank-You from Great Transitions Strategies As we head into Thursday, I want to pause and simply say thank you. Thanksgiving has always been a moment to appreciate what we have—and if you go back to the very first celebration, it was three full days dedicated to gratitude after a successful harvest. It wasn't until 1863 that it officially became a national holiday, but the heart beh...

Are you and your organization aligned on what success looks like for you next year? Here's a quick check-in you can do this week: 1. Define your version of success. What does a "win" look like for you next year? More responsibility? A promotion? New skills? A shift in direction? Be specific about the path you want. 2. Ask how your organization defines success for you. Have a direct conversation wi...

🎙️ Episode: Do You Love What You Do? Do you love what you do professionally? Maybe you feel a little ambivalent… or even frustrated. Wherever you fall on that spectrum, it often comes down to one thing: alignment —the alignment between your personal values and the organization's values . In this episode, we explore how values drive fulfillment and engagement at work: Your Values – Identify your to...

🎙️ Podcast Show Notes: The Leadership Crucible — From Challenge to Resilience We all have that leadership challenge we never want to experience again — the one that tested us, broke us down, and ultimately built us back stronger. That's your leadership crucible — a defining moment that forced you to pivot, change, and grow. In this episode, we're unpacking how to reflect on those moments and turn...

Your Brand Story Is Already Being Written — Are You Telling It? Have you ever stopped to think about how others see your professional success — not just what you do, but how you consistently show up? The habits, skills, and strengths that come naturally to you and consistently drive results… that's your brand. But here's the truth: We want our actions to speak for themselves — but they don't. If y...

✨ What's Your Leadership Story? Some of my greatest frustrations in my professional life centered around poor leadership. That experience is what ultimately drove me to become a leadership coach. 💡 We all have a leadership story. Here's mine — now think about yours. 👇 1️⃣ Drivers What drove you to get where you are? Often, it begins by solving a problem you've experienced yourself. 🔍 2️⃣ Diffe...

Thinking About Resigning? If you're wrestling with the decision to resign, you're not alone. It's one of the hardest choices a professional can face — not just a career decision, but often a moral , reputation , and legacy decision. Patrick Dobel, in Public Integrity , offers a framework that can help bring clarity: 1️⃣ Commitment and Capacity Do you still have the commitment — and the capacity —...

Want to be a more effective leader tomorrow, add some structure to your leadership in these areas: meetings, delegation and evaluations. Let's walk through three case studies to see how structure can help make you a more effective leader. Meetings: Every meeting has an agenda, at the top of the agenda is the purpose. Be purposeful in mindset and position. Every meeting ends with actions and follow...

If you had one extra dollar to spend on your organization, what would you spend it on?    Most people would spend it on equipment, but the greatest untapped source of profit are the people and their potential.    You should invest in the mid level leaders Retention Profitability Intangibles Gallup midlevel leaders effect 70% of variability of engagement.   Engagement impacts retention.   What is y...

Making a career transition can feel overwhelming. 😅 Where do you even start? Let's simplify the process by looking at three key areas : 1️⃣ Your work history and experience 2️⃣ Who you are professionally 3️⃣ The impact you want to make in your next job Take a step back and really look at your work history. What positions have you held? What skills and knowledge have you built along the way? This...

Labor Day! 🇺🇸 For many, it's simply the last weekend of summer —a time for barbecues, family, and one final getaway. But it's so much more than that . Imagine being a worker in the late 1800s : 7 days a week. 12-hour shifts. Men, women, and even children working in harsh, unsafe conditions. In 1882 , a group of workers in New York City took a bold step—they took the day off to march for fair pay a...

Your team's wellbeing could be better by this afternoon. Strong leadership isn't just about driving results—it's about building people. Gallup's research shows that wellbeing has five parts: 1️⃣ Career 2️⃣ Social 3️⃣ Financial 4️⃣ Physical 5️⃣ Community The #1 driver? Career Wellbeing. What your people do every day at work, and how it shapes their life. When career wellbeing rises, so does everyth...

Rekindling the "New School Year" Enthusiasm Think about the start of a new school year—there's an energy on campus, a sense of possibility, and a spark of enthusiasm. What if you could bring that same excitement to your team at work? In this episode, we explore three key elements leaders can use to reignite enthusiasm and engagement: 1️⃣ Fresh Start – Create opportunities for your team to reset, r...

Remote Work: Millennials vs. Gen Z As a leader, it's important to understand how different generations experience remote work. Where They Prefer to Work Millennials: 60% hybrid, 35% remote Gen Z: 71% hybrid, 25% remote Ideal Coworker Setup Millennials: 33% want coworkers remote Gen Z: 25% want coworkers remote Where They Work Best Millennials: 29% offsite Gen Z: 37% offsite If Remote Work Was Redu...

Are you leading remote workers? According to Gallup, they're the most engaged group in the workforce—but also the most likely to say they're not thriving. It's called the Remote Worker Paradox. 📊 Only 31% of remote workers are fully engaged
⚠️ High engagement doesn't equal high well-being
💸 Burnout and disconnection lead to high turnover—and turnover is expensive So how can you help your remote...

AI is reshaping what all our organizations need from their employees.    Are they getting the training they need in your organization?    According to Gallup they are NOT; less than one half of employees received any education and training last year.   Why not?   Let's look at the two problems and the solution.   Problems: Time - no time to do it Type of Training & Education Needed - receiving tra...

Receive Feedback? Now What? Gratitude - thank the individuals for their time and feedback Analyze and Reflect - look for big themes and trends. How will this behavior change affect my overall leadership? Plan - write it down what you are going to do   Listen as I share some examples of feedback and how to work through the above.    Have you done a 360° lately?   Or received any feedback?   How can...

Leadership Goals Check-In:   We set goals for a reason. Where are you with the goals you have set?   Let's look at three areas.   Revisit - Are your goals still valid? What has changed?   Where are you on the trajectory? Recalibrate - If you're ahead great, set a new goal. If things have changed, what do you need to do to recalibrate? Communicate - Who do you need to communicate the above with?  ...

Want to Level Up as a Leader but Don't Know Where to Start? Start with a 360° Evaluation. It's not just feedback—it's a mirror, a megaphone, and a map. 🔍📣🗺️ Here's why it matters: 1️⃣ You connect with the people who matter most—your team, peers, and leaders. 2️⃣ You control the narrative of your leadership journey. 3️⃣ Your change becomes visible, and others will notice—and echo—it. Yes, it take...

Suppose you have a boss, who is type-A and driven, always about the metrics, very few meetings outside a work agenda. What does that tell you about that leader's values?   Your values impact your leadership in these four areas. Motivation Fit Leadership Style Biases   What is your top value? Define it. Now let's look at the above areas and how they impact your leadership

Inspiring or Infuriating According to Adam Galinksy leadership can   be categorized as inspiring or infuriating based on 3 universal characteristics.   Visionary Example Mentor   Put in your head the most inspiring leader you have encountered, now think about yourself and where you land. Let's walk through the above areas and then choose one area you can improve.

Conflict! Every organization has it, but it can be healthy or unhealthy depending on your culture.   Let's walk through an example of what that looks like.   3 Elements that Create a Culture of Unhealthy Conflict   Polarities Humiliation Negative Culture   Does your work place have any of these?   How can you change them?