The Human Side of Leadership

Whether you're a beginning entrepreneur or an established business, there's no better time than the present time to begin optimizing your business for sustainable success, without sacrificing your happiness (or that of your employees). In the struggle to create the next business solution that is faster, cheaper, or better than the competition, far too many entrepreneurs lose their sense...

There is a wave of scientific research that is helping to demonstrate something most people have known all along: that music provides powerful benefits in the training and development of people of all ages. Whether it is used for mood-setting, memory recall, learning transfer, or even just for the "fun" factor it provides, music has shown that it is a powerful tool and metaphor in profes...

Everything we say to ourselves and to others creates our present and our future. All of our life's successes or challenges can be boiled down to one word: Language. As leaders, how can we intentionally launch the kind of language that "creates" powerful, happy, and successful cultures? And as team members or employees, how can we become aware fo our language so that we are contribut...

In a world where so many professionals have little or no knowledge about what their career path will (or should) look like, we are left with so many questions. Is one in the right career? Is one utilizing their signature strengths? Is one truly happy in their current career? What is the best way to get on the path toward career success? In this episode, we meet Scott Anthony Barlow, who is a top C...

Have you ever heard of a "Director of Happiness", or a "Chief Happiness Officer"? If you haven't, you're not alone. However, titles such as these are being used increasingly in today's corporate world. The "Happiness" title is used to describe leaders of organizations whose roles are directly connected to creating and supporting workplace cultures where...

How does one lead their most joyful, successful, meaningful life? How does one navigate today's social and technology land mines to raise happy, healthy teenagers? And how does one leverage the science of wellness and happiness to experience their highest productivity and success at work? All of these are, according to our guest, possible if we learn to tap into a space of "effortless po...

In the world of business, no matter how good your product or service, it has no real impact or value if your customers never hear about it, or never consume it. This is the key gap that marketing fills. Similarly, in the workplace, no matter how good you believe your company's mission, culture, and vision are, if your employees don't have both an awareness and a sense of buy-in, you&apos...

The world of business has been well-conditioned to strategic development tools such as the SWOT analysis. It almost goes without saying that most companies involve such analyses in their business-building conversations at some point or another. What gets left out, however, is usually the cognitive biases of the leaders who must help to execute strategic plans throughout the organization. The neuro...

Most corporate leaders are aware that their roles are more than fancy titles: they are actually expected to use their presence, influence, and specific strategies to create and nurture employee cultures, which produce positive business results. The question is, how? What is the path from being a great "manager", to becoming that powerful intangible, a great "leader"? In this ep...

What "C" word is the bridge between wellness programs and business profitability? What "C" word is the link that sustains happiness, physical fitness, and overall mind-body health in the workplace? And what word starts with a "C", which leaders must create and nurture in order to power workplace wellness in the long run? If you guessed that the magic "C" wor...

If you ask most people to describe the things they want most in their lives, you'll find the word "happiness" used more often than not. Yet the definition of happiness itself, and how it can be acquired and made long-lasting in our lives is not nearly as easy to describe. How can individuals and organizations find, keep, and grow the kind of long-lasting happiness that leads to prof...

What is the magic sauce that creates a culture of accountability, positivity, and teamwork at the greatest organizations? What is the number one element that separates lasting, profitable companies from their competition? And what is the singular catalyst for a work environment that supports faith, family, finances, fitness, friends, fun, and a positive future? It's a simple and powerful two-...

Is there a role for our individual and collective souls in the service of larger corporate business goals? Is there a connection between a person's unique expression of life-force and business profitability? Can we truly afford to leave our true selves behind as we venture off to contribute to the workplace? In this episode, we meet Lauren Griewski, Founder and CEO at SOUL EXPRESSED, whose gr...

So many of us wonder if there is a magic career path to success. So many are left feeling alone as they move from position to position within a corporate maze of goals, activity, and results. Sometimes we need to talk to someone who has walked the walk and can talk the talk of corporate success, and sometimes, frankly, survival. In this episode, we meet Terry McDougall, Executive Coach, and Author...

Much of life and workplace wellbeing is centered around how individuals and organizations handle the reality of goals and outcomes. Many of us have heard the ancient quote from Epictetus: "It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters". However, what is often ignored is the powerful impact of our expectations , which precede our goals and the things that invaria...

Arguably, one of the most stressful roles one can play in a business, is that of Startup Founder. When one is "called" to make a dent in the universe, to create that which hitherto did not exist, and sometimes to literally produce capital, great employees and happy customers from thin air, sometimes what they need the most is a "happiness instigator!" In this episode, we meet A...

On the journey to personal and professional success, much of the world has been taught to believe Des Cartes' statement that "I think therefore I am!" Yet, so much newer evidence and research into how our "caveman" brains have evolved point to the relatively stronger role that our emotions play in our work and lives. Was Des Cartes wrong? Should his saying be: "I feel...

There is an age-old assumption—seemingly supported by Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (1943)—that material success comes before happiness. According to SimplyPsychology.org : "Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid. Needs lower down in the hierarchy must be sat...

Many of us have heard that one of the best ways to learn something is by actually going out and doing it. We've heard that "practice makes perfect". But we've also heard that there is a danger in practicing the wrong things, because "practice makes permanent". In short, we need to know for sure what the BASICS are for any skill we're trying to grow, whether it is...

What is a "happy business" and how does that distinction differentiate a company competitively? In a world where happiness is seen primarily as what employees must feel to create successful companies, what is the role of intentionally creating happy customers, happy environments, and happy communities alongside happy employees? In this episode, we meet keynote speaker, author, and happin...

Whether intentional or by default, every organization has a set of values and shared behaviors commonly referred to as "culture". What is well-known is that positive cultures result in positive business results, and happy employees translate into happy customers. What is sometimes overlooked, however, is the mission-critical role that leaders must play in shaping positive culture in thei...

There is an epidemic of unhappiness in today's world, like never before. People are actively seeking internal peace and happiness from places where such things do not exist: the external world. And to make matters worse, far too many people have given up hope that happiness is attainable. How does one change this perspective and begin manifesting happiness in their daily lives? In this episod...

If you ask most people what they want most from life, research and common observation both show that they want to be "happy". However, the thorny question that almost always comes up is "how"? While the topic of happiness is not new, and has been researched and written about for thousands of years, the approach to implementing lasting happiness is still elusive to many. In this...

According to Inc.com, there are anywhere from 36 to 56 million meetings in the United States each and every day, and the lost productivity that comes from ineffective meetings costs businesses anywhere from $70 - $283 Billion each year. That’s Billion with a “B”! How can businesses run more effective meetings and just how much do they stand to lose if this is ignored? In this episode, we meet high...

So many in society have accepted without question the belief that if one first finds success, happiness will follow. Fortunately, there is ample empirical evidence, both from scientific research and common observation, that this is absolutely not the case. The world is full of fantastically “successful” people who are completely unhappy. The amazing reality today is that science is showing us that...