SmikleSpeaks

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...

I like the definition Elizabeth Hutchison offers of Emotional Intelligence. She says it is the ability to “motivate oneself and persist in the face of frustrations, to control impulse and delay gratification, to regulate one’s moods and keep distress from swamping the ability to think, to empathize and to hope." We're going to explore the concept and its applications for evolving leaders.

Featuring wellness expert Diane Huey, this podcast provides seven strategies for staying sane.

I like to think of a career as an ocean liner that has to be navigated through calm waters, smooth seas, storms, and all sorts of weather. Even an ocean liner with all of the best compasses, maps and charts can lose its course and stray from its intended destination. The trick for the captain is to make course corrections and get to the destination. You can probably tell that I like cruising….I pr...

This podcast is specifically for leaders intent on guiding their organizations through adversity. It is for leaders who don't just want to survive storms, but to thrive post-adversity.

This segment emerged from a conversation with my friend Corey McCarthy. We are going to address the actions that peace-loving people committed to justice and equality can take to build bridges in our world.

Explore your legacy in the work and in the world. This podcast introduces ways to examine your personal footprint. You will get tools to intentionally leave a positive, powerful legacy.

We are going to address the sensitive subject of what to say when uncomfortable with issues of injustice, inequity, bigotry and racism.

If ever there were a time when a leader’s messaging skills matter, it is now. Whether you're looking for tools to message about the current pandemic or are facing other pivotal junctures in your business, It's important to think about how best to communicate with stakeholders. Knowing how to craft and deliver communication is a critical leadership skill that can be developed and gets stronger with...

In this episode we are going to focus on building personal resilience… I am tired of people acting like just because I came through a tough time that I must have developed resilience. It’s not that simple. We're going to explore strategies that will help us rebound and thrive.

We keep throwing around the word “resilience.” It is used so much now that it is almost lacking any meaning. This podcast is The What and Why of Resilience. Beginning with the what. There are so many definitions that it can make my head spin. I’d like to offer a clear definition of the components of resilience so that we start with a shared understanding.