SmikleSpeaks

So many leadership theorists, scholars, and consultants like myself talk about transforming organizations, transforming leaders, transforming the world. I don’t know if we say this enough: there is no transformation without application. This podcast focuses on application. My first question is this: Which leadership styles, practices and principles are you applying? What are you being intentional...

The most effective teams have disagreements and conflict. The way that they handle it is what matters. Remember that because a person or people disagree with you doesn’t mean that they’re against you. This podcast is all about how we handle opposition, how we manage our adversaries, the choices we make with naysayers.

What is healthy competition? It’s an interaction that encourages everyone to reach their highest potential, to strive for even higher achievements. What’s interesting about healthy competition is that it creates a space where everyone is encouraged to bring their 'A' game. In the workplace it allows and encourages people to be their personal best and set stretch goals. I think it can actually impr...

Brain health is as important as heart health, mental health...all health. We continue exploring this important aspect of wellness with Dr. David Dodick, Chair of the Board of the American Brain Foundation.

The focus of this short podcast is prioritizing peace. How do people from totally different philosophical positions prioritize peace? Can they decide to stop warring about politics? Can they make conscious decisions to establish new ground rules for discussion? We cannot pretend that differences don't exist or that they aren't problematic in some relationships. We will explore tools for building b...

Dr. Merit Cudkowicz is the Chair of the Department of Neurology and Director of the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Julieanne Dorn Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School in Boston. She is leading the first Platform Trial initiative in ALS and is also the Principal Investigator of the Clinical Coordination Center for the National Institute...

How’s life treating you? I hear so many people talk about being burned out, being exhausted, feeling depleted. I watch so many people over-extend themselves and it makes me sad. Life isn’t treating those folks so well. And it probably has something to do with their ability to establish and honor boundaries. This podcast is all about boundaries. My starting question is this: when is enough, enough?...

I’m going to be all over the place in this podcast. I’ll cover politeness, manners and just being respectful of everyone we encounter. I’ll talk about the need to create civil discourse. I’ll even cover email usage and cell phones. You'll enjoy the tips I'll share from Jason Fredrick’s Tiny Book of Electronic Etiquette . As random and scattered as it will seem, there are three common themes: 1. We...

I recently delivered a keynote titled The Journey to Leadership Excellence . Obviously, I’m not going to regurgitate the entire speech. I just want to highlight some of the key points. If you want to check out the entire presentation it will be on my YouTube channel soon.

Don’t you feel great when you get to give someone something? I don’t care if it’s a compliment, a birthday gift, a dollar, or treating to lunch. There’s just something wonderful about the act of giving. The Association for Psychological Science reports on two studies that measure the impact of giving. Guess what they found? The happiness we experience after an event or activity diminishes each tim...

The last case study I did was really popular! So much so that I’m doing another one today. Thanks to everyone who encourages me to try new topics or to continue on with things they enjoy. I appreciate the feedback. Here’s another thought-starter. This one is all about courage, internal opposition and the nuances of DEI. I'll read you the case and then I’ll review questions for consideration at the...

I know it’s a popular concept, the imposter syndrome. And I’m sure it’s a real thing. Psychology Today and a billion other publications have articles on it. They say it’s when we feel undeserving of our achievements, of our success, of our promotions. Frankly, I don’t like the language “imposter syndrome.” It focuses on deficits and doesn’t address the real issue. And that issue is a lack of confi...

Mark Gesner started his journey in hosteling. Somewhere along the way he was the Vice President of Community Engagement, Innovation & Communications at Saint Leo University. Then he served as a business professor and the executive director of the Hub for Innovation and Community Engaged Learning at Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And now he is in the Sunshine State enjoyin...

There’s so much to consider when it comes to courage and change. Today I am going to read you a case study that I just used in a workshop. I want you to think about it, process it, share it. It's all about courage DEI, and obstacles from unlikely sources. I’ve got a few questions that we’ll go over after I finish telling the story. Those questions will help you consider the nuances of the case.

Mark Gesner is back to talk more about his next chapter. After a remarkable career in academia, he decided to become a nonprofit executive. Mark is the Maureen and Douglas Cohn Executive Director of the Tampa JCCs. He’s a Brooklyn native who saw transformational leadership, inclusion, and acceptance modeled by his grandmother and great aunts. Those lessons prepared him to write multiple chapters o...

With the rampant attacks on equity, diversity and inclusion in so many organizations, I think it is more important than ever to address the competencies required to create inclusivity. This podcast is for anyone interested in bridge building in the workplace. It’s for anyone who is interested in thoughtfully leading in ways that create the human bonds that will protect us all.

Mark Gesner has revived, recharged, reinvented, redirected his life multiple times. Each time he draws on lessons and skills from the previous chapter. He’s on his third chapter. Mark is the Maureen and Douglas Cohn Executive Director of the Tampa JCCs. This is a new role that he assumed a few months ago. While he’s familiar with nonprofits, he spent many years in academia. He was the Vice Preside...

Dr. Olga Campora is back with us. Olga owns a yoga studio that offers therapeutic yoga to high achieving individuals who suffer from back pain and stress. She also provides life coaching services to with men and women who are highly committed to improving themselves on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels. She helps people become the most loving version of themselves. And that's j...

Dr. Olga Campora is back with us.  She provides life coaching services to with men and women who are highly committed to improving themselves on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels. She helps people become the most loving version of themselves. Last week she gave an overview of her approach to the coaching process and shared insights on how people can ready themselves for coachin...

Dr. Olga Kovarova Campora, PhD., the author of  Saint Behind Enemy Lines, is here to discuss coaching readiness. Born in Czechoslovakia, she’s an educator, a lecturer, and an inspiration. Dr. Campora is a certified life coach. She loves working with men and women who are highly committed to improving themselves on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels and becoming the most loving v...

This podcast is all about the strategies leaders can use to retain their most valuable asset, the human asset. The focus is on how we stop the human hemorrhaging and fully engage employees.

Sleep medicine is her passion and she has a particular interest in the relationship between sleep and brain/body health. Dr. Joyce Lee-Ianotti . She's earned a national reputation as a leading expert in her field.! She is Chair of the Sleep Division of the American Academy of Neurology, Director of the Sleep Medicine Fellowship Program Directors Council sponsored by the American Thoracic Society,...

The unknown may make us freeze and do absolutely nothing. It may make us flee back to what we do know, whether it’s serving us well or not. Or, we may charge in and see what awaits us. Sometimes we normalize dysfunction so that we can stay stuck. This podcast explores ways to face our fears of the unknown.  

I'm back with the "What would you do?" series. This one is all about Ellen. She's 69, a survivor, an optimist, and living on a very tight budget. She's facing a dilemma about money, time, and choices.

We will be spending time focusing on brain health in 2024. We know about heart health. We know about mental health. It's time to explore Brain Health. It is a privilege to spend time with Dr. David Dodick, Chair of the Board of the American Brain Foundation. He is a leader in the world of brain health and he's going to guide our journey into the gray matter..