SmikleSpeaks

We want to communicate effectively. We start our communication, written or spoken, with the best intentions. And yet, there are still communication breakdowns. This podcast will help you identify common barriers and strategize for moving beyond them.

I know it’s tempting to ignore your own professional and growth and development when facing crises, challenges and endless uncertainty. I also know that this is exactly the time when a focus on learning is critical. It can be a survival mechanism. If you’re in a leadership role, you have to retool. Sometimes it feels like you’re constantly retooling. You also have to recharge and redirect your ene...

This podcast addresses three things: our reason, our right, and our responsibility to create inclusion in our homes, our workplaces, our houses of worship, our communities and our world. My goal is not to pontificate. Rather it’s to move into the realm of thought that guides you to action because we are all authorized to work for justice and peace.

You may be yearning to design an innovative future. You may be nearing retirement. You may be seeking a second career. You may want to do something really different that doesn’t fit into any traditional box. You can write your next chapter! You can transition to the activities that will bring you the most joy. Next chapters can happen at any age and stage. There are no expiration dates on dreams....

Whether we like it or not, whether we’re prepared as individuals and organizations or not, if we’re continuing our leadership development, the education that prepares leaders for the future, is being delivered virtually. Whether through podcasts like this, zoom, YouTube or learning management systems, leadership learning is now different. It may not be this way forever. We need human connections....

We have a special guest on this episode. Teresita Britton is an ICF certified Professional Coach. She has more than 20 years of experience guiding leaders in their career development. Terry coaches executives all over the world. Her clients are leading in some of the most notable organizations around the globe. She provides services to the World Bank, many federal agencies, MedStar and lots of oth...

How are you treating you? You’re in a leadership role so I know that you’re probably taking care of everyone else in your world. But, how are YOU treating YOU? In this short podcast I’m going to give you the opportunity to assess your self-care, after all, you are your most valuable commodity!

I’m tired of zoom, go to meeting, teams, web ex, webinars and all of these other virtual things. I’m even tired of virtual happy hours…if you know me, you know I do not get tired of any kind of happy hour! So this is a serious problem. This podcast is a short one that will give a you few strategies for staying in touch and in tune. Whether we’re leaders or not, we’re all tasked with keeping oursel...

So many well-meaning messages continue to be released regarding equity, diversity and inclusion. I realize the goal is to address the divides in our nation and in our world. In this podcast we’re going to explore an element of language that I would like for you to seriously consider, and hopefully change. Continuing to use the word "minority" reinforces oppression. The first five letters of the wo...

A hundred years ago I wrote a little book titled Rules of Engagement: Timeless Tips for Team Leaders. Don’t go looking for it on Amazon because it’s out of print and the small publisher went belly up. That said, my goal in writing the book was simply to provide practical tools to help people learn to lead more effective collaborations and to use those collaborations to advance their organizations’...

You know that conversation that you’ve been dreading? The one with the staff person who isn’t pulling his weight? The one about downsizing in your department? The one with the nurse who’s rude to certain types of patients? The one with your spouse about your waning interest in the relationship? The one with the friend who is always late? You know the conversation that you’re just dreading...we all...

As we continue to explore Justice and Peace series, I would like to begin to consider organizations. This podcast is a tool for helping you assess the climate of your organization. It's a thought-starter designed to get leaders thinking about strategically addressing inclusion. How do you figure out if your workplace is committed to justice and peace? Is there more than a lip-service investment in...

Many years ago, Dr. Charles Seashore a renowned organization development expert, coined the term “use of self.” He originally applied it in organization development to aid consultants in understanding how they could be tools in their client’s organizational transformations. As I’ve thought about it through the years, I really think that it is, or could be, a leadership development tool. This podca...

This podcast will help you grasp what’s underlying the conflicts that you may be involved in. Our focus is on the ingredients, not strategies for resolution. I want us to develop a deeper understanding of the root causes of conflict and contention.

This podcast is all about making strategy stick…and, yes, it can stick. We spent time exploring strategic thinking in an earlier podcast. Now let’s move to making the strategy sustainable. We’re going to discuss what it takes to make strategy stick. We won’t spend a lot of time on how to craft a strong strategic plan. That’s another topic for another podcast.

Strategic thinking…it is THE leadership imperative! Strategy and leadership are inextricably bound. This podcast is designed to help you fine-tune your strategic thinking.

This segment is all about Employee Engagement. And, transformational leadership is the key to employee engagement. Many, many organizations are looking for strategies to keep good people. They struggle with retention and some are at wits’ end as to what they should do. I am often asked to help companies find comprehensive approaches to this dilemma. This podcast presents transformational leadershi...

What does a resilient career look like? It is characterized by the ability to both pivot and demonstrate elasticity. Resilient people demonstrate the ability to have come backs that allow them to reinvent themselves, redefine their goals and reassess their priorities. Moving forward is inherent in resilience. Getting focused on the future requires the ability to assess, confess and address. We wil...

With resources continuing to be scarce, uncertain events rocking our sense of security, and change coming at an unbelievable pace, it is essential that leaders actively seek ways to revitalize and reinvent their organizations. This is not the time for surface changes. The facade of change will not increase customers, create staff commitment or enhance revenue. Instead, leaders have to be able to c...

Let’s talk about building your network…. Whether personal, professional or both…a network is a wonderful web of people with whom you share mutually supportive relationships. It doesn’t matter if you like networking or not, it’s necessary for advancing a career. We will define networking, consider key questions that will guide you in creating or expanding your network, and explore networking in the...

What is your organization doing to ensure that you have a talent pipeline for key positions, especially leadership positions? Are you just identifying heir-apparents? Or, are you investing in strategies to develop lots of people able to take on more responsibility? This podcast provides practical strategies for thoughtful, structured leadership development. Ready your organization to tackle the ch...

Assertiveness allows us to artfully disagree firmly and without aggression. It allows us to honor ourselves and our needs without dishonoring the other person. Developing assertiveness allows us to advocate for ourselves and for what we believe in. It’s a tool that should not be underrated. Not only is it useful in conflict, it is useful in pretty much every aspect of our lives.

The mentor/mentee relationship can be the most rewarding one in your career. You both get to grow through this connection. Whether you are a mentor or a mentee, this podcast will help you maximize this special relationship. Whether you are in an existing mentor relationship or forming a new one, you will get tools that will help you get the most out of either.

As organizations continue to move into an unknown, uncertain future it is essential that leaders do what I call “mirror work.” This reflective work requires you to assess your skills and competencies to determine how ready you are to move your organization into uncharted territory. The is the foundation of Adaptive Leadership, the skill that will move you forward in an ever-evolving world.

How do you know if it’s time to reinvent? Are there major changes in your company, in your industry? Have you been passed over for promotion? Do you feel like you have little or no influence in your company? Are you stuck doing what you’ve always done getting the same results? If you answered yes to any of those questions it’s time for brand reinvention! This will change the way you see yourself a...