The Authentic Leader Show

Ever wonder why some leaders earn trust effortlessly, while others seem to struggle no matter how hard they try? In this week's episode of The Authentic Leader Show , I sat down with HR inspirer Mindy Flanigan to talk about the real traits that make leaders effective . . . and no, it's not about titles or tactics. We get into: * Why emotional awareness is a strategic leadership tool * How to hold...

The Key to Thriving Teams: Preparing Leaders Before They Take the Role About This Episode In this episode of The Authentic Leader Show, I share a challenge many organizations face: promoting star performers into management roles without preparing them for leadership. Drawing from personal experience and proven strategies, I share how to equip new managers with the skills they need to succeed in th...

Season 2 of The Authentic Leader Show  is here! In this introductory episode, Christopher R. Jones reflects on lessons from Season 1 and introduces the new focus for Season 2. This season is designed to help: Leaders of management teams apply tools and systems to transform their managers into effective leaders. HR professionals and executives of fast-growing companies develop high-performing teams...

Do you volunteer your time and expertise? Are you a leader in your professional or volunteer organization? This episode includes insights for volunteers and volunteer leaders. In this episode, you'll learn: The professional benefits of volunteering:  Discover how volunteering your time can develop transferable skills that apply directly to your day job, including communication, delegation, relatio...

Dr. Boyd brings a unique perspective to the table as the former dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Business and currently serves as a Professor of Finance at VCU's School of Business.  Her experiences and insights offer a wealth of knowledge for leaders at all levels. This interview was recorded in front of a live audience and my once-a-quarter Authentic Interview Event.    D...

I chat with Terry Monroe, the Executive Director of the Virginia Society of Association Executives (VSAE) and President of Association Management Services with Eisenman and Associates. I'm also excited to announce that I'll be presenting at the VSAE morning seminar and association lunch on March 7th . We'll touch on that program during this episode, but first, dive into Terry's insights: What's co...

I am thrilled to bring you my interview with Scott Love, an award-winning recruiter, speaker, author, and host of The Rainmaking Podcast. After my recent appearance on Scott's Rainmaking Podcast, we had such a great conversation that I invited him to join me for an Authentic Interview. Here are some key insights Scott shared in this interview. * Scott shares his thoughts about being "followable",...

This interview is recorded in front of a live audience who had just finished lunch at the Independence Golf Clubhouse. We had a terrific audience of business leaders who you will hear in the background during the interview. Since the last live Authentic Interview event 5 years ago, I turned those first interviews into this podcast The Authentic Leader Show and interviewed 70 additional people. Thi...

In this podcast episode, we challenge the common practice of promoting top performers into managerial roles and highlight the potential pitfalls of this assumption. We explore five segments that dive into the complexities of transitioning from being an outstanding individual contributor to a successful manager. The Assumption of Top Performers as Easy Choices There is a routine but often incorrect...

Welcome to "The Authentic Leader Show." The podcast for Leaders of Managers as they transform their New Managers into Authentic Leaders of Teams. In today's episode, we're tackling a topic that resonates with countless leaders: "Mastering the Transformation - Six Essential Skills New Managers Need." If you're a new manager navigating the often turbulent waters of leadership, or if you lead managem...

Transforming from a new manager to an authentic leader involves embracing a coaching mindset. Guided by team goals, the leader as coach draws from sources like benchmarks and industry norms. Establishing personalized goals for each team member fosters a coaching role when discussing performance. Setting performance expectations including defining the purpose of work assignments, clear results, and...

Sometimes the term "manager" can be unfairly vilified as being "bossy". Boss and manager are not the same things. Managers should lead their teams. The questions are "Can all managers be leaders?" And, "Can leaders also be managers?" In this podcast, I'll explain the difference between leadership and management and how the skills of each can complement each other. I'll also share the luxury manage...

In today's podcast, I share five reasons first-time managers don't set clear performance expectations. I also share how to help team members to understand what is expected and how they can improve their performance. Watch or listen to today's twelve-and-a-half-minute episode.

Should you wait to start a meeting to allow latecomers to arrive or should they start on time? In today's podcast, I share my thoughts about starting meetings on time along with a list of reasons why. I also share how to best manage latecomers with a list of things NOT to do. Lastly, I share additional "musts" when facilitating meetings.

In today's podcast, I share four reasons I hear leaders say that they are focusing on first-time managers.  I share each of these four reasons and why each is so important to the success of first-time managers and their teams.

You feel like your first-time manager isn't making it. You aren't sure why they aren't more successful leading their team. In today's podcast are FIVE signs your first-time manager may be failing and what to do. We cover everything from asking for help, inconsistencies in results, and taking responsibility for mistakes, to how first-time managers are spending their time and their descriptions of t...

In my first role as a manager, I couldn't listen to my manager. I didn't know it then but I later realized that I didn't feel qualified to be a manager while at the same time wanted so bad to be a manager. Taking advice/coaching from my boss made me feel inferior and it only proved that I didn't know what I was doing. This is exactly why I committed more than 25 years ago, to learning all that I c...

A study by Gartner showed that 60% of new managers fail within the first 24 months. In the 10+ years of formally coaching managers (and observation throughout my career), in my professional opinion, that's about right. First-Time managers are not set up to succeed, but not intentionally. The managers of these first-time managers don't have time or a training curriculum to set them up for success....

The Two Ds for Emerging Leaders of High-Performing Teams Emerging Leaders know that they need to assign work, but many times don't have a framework for doing so. Emerging Leaders are both frustrated and surprised that managing their team isn't as easy as they thought it would be. Until they uncover key principles, starter strategies and systems, and tools, these leaders continue to struggle to lea...

Delegation is a skill that most managers and leaders I work with struggle with most. Most assume delegation success and are often confused when delegation fails. Most managers and leaders are so busy that they don't make time to debrief and understand what went wrong in their delegation. So they delegate again and wonder why delegation isn't more successful. I shared  10 Reasons that Delegation Fa...

Most managers who micromanage their team are unknowingly doing so. Most micromanagers would say that they aren't micromanagers. You may be micromanaging and not realize it. So, what's so bad about micromanaging anyway? If you are a micromanager, it can feel like you are taking control and ensuring that your team doesn't mess something up. If you are the team member being micromanaged, it can feel...

Leaders who attend my Delegation Master workshops learn about delegation so that they can make room for higher-level thinking. But, sometimes these same leaders have gotten overeager and go beyond what they are actually able to delegate. When over delegating key responsibilities that the leader can't delegate, it creates a real problem for the leader that can be hard to recover from. Because when...

Leaders continue to struggle with their delegation strategy. Some may not realize that they even have a strategy, which ends up being haphazard delegation. Some realize that delegation is necessary, but don't know how to intentionally and strategically delegate. Others, whom I call delegation masters, fully embrace a delegation strategy as a part of their leadership plan. The problem comes when le...

Just knowing the top reasons delegation fails can keep your next delegation of work from failing. There is a lot at stake for leaders when delegating work. The ability for leaders to effectively delegate has a direct effect on a leaders ability to lead their team, get high priority work done, increase a team's productivity, identify better ways of getting work done, develop and uncover a team's ca...

Leaders don't understand what delegation really is and what it is not. Many leaders are already delegating without realizing it. Every task completed by your team, every function they perform, and every project that they work on is a task that you delegated to them. If your team wasn't performing these tasks, functions, or projects, you would be doing them. The real problem comes when delegating n...