The Leadership Podcast

I bet you can instantly recall an awful customer experience? How about an exceptional customer experience? Jan recently had both the best and worst customer service experiences on a recent flight, and it sparked today's discussion. Jan and Jim discuss the lessons to be learned from bad experiences, why we tend to have them in the first place, and ways to embrace them and lean in with compassion an...

Lieutenant General Robert L. Caslen Jr. served in the U.S. Army for 43 years, and he retired in 2018 as the 59th Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He talks with Jim and Jan about the responsibility that came with his role as superintendent. They also discuss diversity in leadership, winning in a complex world, the role ethics and character play in leadership, and...

Dan Ivankovich is an orthopedic surgeon, humanitarian, CNN hero, and blues musician! He joins The Leadership Podcast to discuss the inspiration behind creating OnePatient Global. Dan talks about creating empathy and connection, and how Dan's injury changed his life's trajectory. As the leader of the Bone Squad, Dan is known for his advocacy on behalf of the underserved, uninsured, and underinsured...

Alan Weiss is a consultant, speaker, and author who has published over 60 books and 500 articles. Marshall Goldsmith calls him "the finest entrepreneurial coach in the world." He discusses how "attracters" attract success, why trying means failing, why marketing trumps strategy, and which of his Hot Tips are most popular.. Key Takeaways [2:50] Alan helps "attractors" attract even more success both...

Greg Mercer, Founder and CEO of Jungle Scout, is a successful entrepreneur, angel investor and experienced Amazon Seller. He talks with The Leadership Podcast about travelling the world as a digital nomad, taking the leap from civil engineer to entrepreneur, how he picks what he sells on Amazon, and transitioning from a doer to the leader. Key Takeaways [4:58] Greg's engineering background paved t...

Cathy Sunshine, President of the Sunshine Group, has coached thousands of executives and multiple generations of leaders. She talks about the changes she has witnessed in leadership over the past 45 years, the synchronization of how we move in organizations and how a behavioral operating system is different than culture. Also discussed are ways we can be more responsive in the flow of technology,...

Jim and Jan start the show by paying tribute to Jan's late mentor who exemplified the virtue of gratitude. Also discussed are ways to improve positivity, the power behind finding things to be grateful for, and practical suggestions for expressing gratitude. Key Takeaways [1:46] At the funeral of his mentor, MG Bud Ahern, Jan reflected on how grateful he was to have Bud in his life. Bud was a civil...

Professor Bill DeMarco (Retired Air Force Colonel) holds 3 Masters degrees, and holds fellowships at Stanford and Cambridge. He is a five-time commander and teaches leadership at Air University, Auburn and Michigan. Bill explains what he means when he says we are all just students in "permanent beta," and ways in which we can be humble, hungry, and heroes of the heart. Key Takeaways [3:10] Bill's...

There is a pattern Jim and Jan have seen time and time again in successful people - they prepare. Today, they discuss the approach of preparation, why it's important, and what can happen when we just "wing it." Key Takeaways [2:30] Things often don't go as planned. Preparation safeguards us and provides us with information and action when things go sideways. [3:26] A good coach has to know what th...

Kevin Flike knows what is means to be down and out. As a Green Beret, Kevin was shot in the lower abdomen during his second deployment to Afghanistan in September of 2011. On the show, he talks with Jim and Jan about his journey to heal himself, and then… inspire others. He went from multiple hours of physical therapy a day to attaining dual master's degrees from MIT and Harvard. Key Takeaways [1:...

The leader isn't always the one with "legitimate authority." Often, leaders in the middle looking to exert change aren't successfully managing up. Jim and Jan break it down as to what managing up is, why it's important, and how to do it successfully. They share stories where they successfully managed up, and examples where they screwed up. Key Takeaways [2:09] Managing up is about creating alignme...

Lee Benson, CEO of Execute To Win, joins the show to discuss his powerful yet practical approach to leadership and culture. Lee has worked with thousands of leaders and went from owning a business with 2 employees to quickly becoming Able Aerospace, a company with 500 employees and 2,000 customers. He explains why better alignment leads to better results, and how we get there. He also discusses hi...

There are over 60,000 books on Amazon with "leadership" in the title, and despite the focus on leadership, most business-oriented development programs don't measure effectiveness; and turnover has never been higher. A Gallup report found that 21% of Millennials have changed jobs within the past year—three times higher than other workers. Today, Jim and Jan discuss why that is and take a look at le...

Tom Higley is the business of creating market-based solutions to the world's wicked problems. A Denver-based entrepreneur and mentor, Tom has founded and run seven tech startups and is a mentor to hundreds of founders and CEO's. Today, he joins Jim and Jan to discuss his founding of 10.10.10 - which brings together 10 wicked problems, and 10 prospective CEOs together for 10 days. He defines wicked...

We're all a work in progress, and whether we call it a resolution, or an ongoing commitment, it's all part of building character to consistently develop and grow. Today, Jim and Jan talk about making promises and resolutions, and why we seem to let our own goals die before helping others achieve theirs. They discuss how great leaders tackle a to do list, the key questions to ask surrounding a reso...

It's hard for Cory Procter to not have a good time. In between his motivational and leadership speaker events, spending time with his family and playing the drums, this former NFL player for the Dallas Cowboys, the Miami Dolphins and the Detroit Lions, helps others lock into their own power. He talks about his career as an NFL superstar and what he learned while in the trenches. He shares the tran...

This week Jim and Jan discuss a popular topic amongst the listeners: setting and achieving BIG goals. They talk about what defines a big goal, why we want to aim high, but not stretch our goals too far out. And... what usually keeps us from setting and accomplishing them. They also talk about the need for shared accountability, understanding the scale of impact vs. the risk of failure, and how to...

David Nour, International Speaker, and Best Selling Author, discusses why the biggest asset we have is our portfolio of relationships. David explains the development of Relationship Economics, and why it is critical to become more intentional and strategic in the relationships we cultivate. He gives advice on what we can do to better our relationships in a quantifiable and mutually beneficial way....

If you are planning a party or weekend getaway, surprises can be fun and exciting. In business and leadership, they are most often stressful and detrimental. Today, Jim and Jan discuss surprises in several different contexts, and how good leaders can encourage proactive communication. They also talk about the type of environment leaders should create to safeguard against misinterpretation and log...

Eric Kish is a Turnaround CEO with over 20 years of experience at transforming organizations in various forms of distress. A Stanford Business School graduate, he has scaled organizations from millions to billions, and is the author of Everyday Turnaround, The Art and Science of Daily Business Transformations. Eric discusses the global experiences that have provided him a winning edge in leadershi...

Jim and Jan start the episode with how a second grade class defines a great leader! Leadership is hard, but these young people show that the basics are pretty simple. Also discussed is how we're happier when we help others, leading with love and courage, and why good leaders provide both positive and negative consequences for meeting or not meeting standards. Key Takeaways [2:08} Jim shares the an...

Andrew LaCivita, career and hiring expert and award-winning author has worked with over 200 companies to help them conduct interviews, build teams that support organizational goals, and clearly define company culture. He intentionally creates his day to determine how much he can serve others. In this episode, he talks with Jim and Jan about where companies are missing the mark when hiring, what an...

In this week's episode, Jim and Jan address some listener and client questions on the topic of accountability and ownership. They discuss how to get people to do what they say they are going to do; who actually is accountable for getting people to be accountable in the first place; why someone may not take ownership; and what leaders can do better to foster a culture of both personal accountabilit...

When it comes to diversity and inclusion, Jennifer Brown believes organizations have their work cut out for them. Jennifer brings her passion for social equality and diversity into her role as an award winning entrepreneur, dynamic speaker, and diversity and inclusion expert. In today's episode, she speaks with Jim and Jan about next generation diversity, mentoring in the new age of work, and some...

Difficult conversations are part of the leader's job when it comes to creating a strong organization. In this episode, Jim and Jan share the tools they recommend to make these unavoidable conversations a little easier. In this episode, they answer listener questions all based on the topic of difficult conversations: The pitfalls of avoiding them, how to plan for them, and how to prevent the need f...