Mission First People Always's podcast

Introduction: Moms are the hardest working people we know. They juggle demanding careers and family responsibilities in ways that make us wonder just how they do it. In truth, though, some are wondering how long they can keep doing it. It's tough to always be "on." With endless work, far-reaching responsibilities, and never enough time, they wonder how they are going to survive, much less thrive....

Introduction In this episode we focus on how to retain and engage Gen Z and younger Millennials, while also discussing general practices for working better with all of the generational cohorts actively in the workplace. Our guest is an expert on generational differences and how to overcome the sticking points that work to tear us apart. Guest's Bio Haydn Shaw has researched and helped clients rega...

Introduction Have you ever wondered why some people tend to climb the career ladder effortlessly, while others get stuck a few rungs from the bottom? How do successful people harness power and authority for their purposes, while others seem to be crushed under the weight of others' power and authority? Whether it's business, government, or nonprofits, some leaders simply do better? Is there an exp...

Introduction Have you run into people who seem just a bit too nice? They are so accommodating and non-confrontational that you're not sure exactly what they think? There's a lot of smiling and nodding, but little healthy opposition, so there isn't much in the way of innovation and meaningful improvements. Nobody wants to rock the boat, so it becomes a go-along-to-get-along situation. There really...

Introduction In this episode we explore three D's of leadership: delegation, decision making, and dreaming. Two of the three are often top-of-mind for managers, but dreaming with your team is a new idea that gets everyone thinking bigger. We dig into these topics with a coach who works with leaders in the trenches every day. Guest Bio Drew Jackson believes that anyone can become a leader if they h...

Introduction I'm sure you've heard the expression, "life happens." It suggests the idea that despite our enthusiastic, gung-ho plans and best efforts, certain life events distract us and attempt to pull us off course. In some cases, these so-called distractions are positive life events like the birth of a child or a tremendous professional opportunity for one's spouse that requires relocation, but...

If you like the origin stories of great business ideas--especially great ideas that involve financial technology--that promise to do good in the world, then this episode is for you. We talking to Michael Van Erdewyk, a serial entrepreneur who has started a number of new technology based businesses, about how he is creating opportunity for influencers and non-profits to communicate with their audie...

Have you ever dreamed about what it would be like to be your own boss? To become an entrepreneur with the freedom to choose how and when you're going to work? Perhaps at the end of a bad day or bad week, you've wanted to say, like the old country song, "Take this job and shove…I ain't working here no more." But then you think about all of those great benefits from your corporate job–the health, de...

Have you ever wanted to have an intimate conversation with someone who has played in a Rose Ball and coached in the National Football League with the likes of Marv Lewis and Steve Spurrier –and hear what it takes to be successful–as a leader–with some of the most elite athletes and largest humans on the planet? If that's you, then you're going to love this episode and my conversation with Dechon B...

Introduction If you are stressed out, feel like you always have too much to do and too little time to do it, find yourself to be irritable and tired, and you feel a bit disconnected from your work and the people around you, this episode is for you! Today, we hear from a medical doctor who trains her patients–and organizational leaders–on mindfulness practices and compassion skills. We're going to...

Many people will quickly say that they want to avoid conflict in the workplace. That's not surprising because anyone who has experienced conflict know that it is usually very unpleasant. It usually throws us off our game, becomes an enormous waste of time, and has the potential to create long-lasting strife if not handled well. In some cases, it causes us to lose sleep, perhaps feel ill, and eleva...

Emotional Intelligence could be the reason you're getting ahead in your career or could explain why you're stuck. If you have it in abundance, there's a good chance that you are finding fulfillment in your work and relationships, you're able to communicate and collaborate with a wide array of people, and you're getting stuff done. If you find yourself unable to understand or explain what you're fe...

On this Episode On this special two-part episode, you'll hear from two seasoned leadership consulting professionals who come from very different backgrounds, but work incredibly well together. One is a retired US Army Infantry Officer who has served in and prepared others to serve in combat zones for a number of years, while his colleague is an expert on the practice of mindfulness techniques; bra...

On this special two-part episode, you'll hear from two seasoned leadership consulting professionals who come from very different backgrounds, but work incredibly well together. One is a retired US Army Infantry Officer who has served in and prepared others to serve in combat zones for a number of years, while his colleague is an expert on the practice of mindfulness techniques; brain-mind-body-opt...

My guests on this episode believe that they have cracked the code on improved collaboration and creating healthy organizational culture. It's an issue that most companies need to address--especially since a recent Salesforce Survey found that 85% of respondents said that the primary reason for failed projects and workplace failures is "poor communication and an overall lack of collaboration." Few...

On this episode, you'll meet Pete Baker, a senior leader in Human Resources for a variety of organizations, who has worked in nine countries of the course of his 30-year career. During that time, he has learned a great deal about what makes teams successful and the kind of interaction that ignites innovation and energized collaboration. He shares some of what he has learned from his journey in a f...

Have you ever wondered how learning leaders think about delivering leadership and employee development across a large enterprise? On this episode we climb inside the brain of the Head of Learning and Development for an iconic American company and the world's largest beer company, Anheuser-Busch. Home to brands like Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, Stella Artois, and too many others to name, A...

Coaching is an approach to learning and personal and professional growth that creates self--awareness, drives transformational change, and provides much needed support and an appropriate level of challenge. Some executives have the opportunity to engage professional coaches who are outside of their organization and chain-of-command, and have no loyalties beyond their professional commitment to the...

The world is in dire need of better, more productive conversations. To support that assertion, all you have to do is turn on the news to witness people talking at each other, making accusations, and interacting in ways that, in some cases, are disrespectful and in no way honor the human dignity of the people involved. My guest today contends that we would all be better off if we had better dialogu...

We all admire at the courage, commitment, and success of the US Navy SEAL Teams. These warriors are often thought of as supermen, but in reality, they are just highly trained professionals who work very effectively as a team--even in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environments. This does not happen by accident. It is part of their training and their culture--and something other...

According to the The World Economic Forum, Emotional Intelligence is one of the top-ten, must-have job skills of the twenty-first century. And that doesn't surprise me in the least. Here's why…because the difference between success and failure as a leader often comes down to one's ability to relate to people. It's all about relationships. The lack of emotional intelligence is usually pretty easy t...

What's it like for a native of Tennessee to build a successful in learning, leadership development, and organizational development in Europe and the Middle East? Today, we find out because we're talking to Berry Lumpkins. Berry has followed a very non-traditional career path that took him from the home of country music to exotic, far away places in Europe and the Middle East. Berry Lumpkins is cur...

The transition from being a doer to a leader can be a difficult one for many people. Doers are outstanding individual contributors who, based on their performance in their current role, are promoted with the assumption that they will also be a good manager. In reality, some doers never become leaders. Instead, they become "super-doers" who micromanage the work of their team members with a running...

Many years ago, I had a professor in grad school who often said, "Your success will almost always be based on the people you know and the stories they tell about you." I have found his assessment to be absolutely true as I progressed through my career and now serve clients as a speaker, consultant, and coach. In fact, virtually all of my recent client engagements have resulted from a previous stud...

According to Diversity Wins , the third in a series of reports from famed management consulting firm, McKinsey and Company, the business case for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) is stronger than ever. In their research, McKinsey followed the trajectories of 1,000 companies in 15 countries using a very sophisticated methodology called "social listening" to determine what actually drives suc...