Two Are Gathered Leadership Podcast

You have your favorite restaurant. One you've enjoyed for years. But...then something has changed. It's just not as good as it used to be. It happens with vendors we work with. You engage with them because of their amazing service and fair prices...and over time, they lose their luster. They lose their value to you. But, the worst case is when this is what they are saying about YOUR business. It's...

As leaders, in order for us to be successful, we must be excellent communicators. This is something we need to grow in each and every day. And interestingly enough...as we develop our capabilities as a communicator...one of the things we need to master is not just what we say...but what we shouldn't say. We can destroy our business more rapidly with the words we SAY than the words we DON'T say. Fi...

When you hear the word "networking" it conjures up an image of a toothy salesperson in a suit, walking through a large gathering of prospects, reaching out a well groomed hand to offer a shake....while the other hand is slipping people business cards. The truth of the matter is...at the entrepreneur level...you really don't have time to be attending all of these multiple events...passing out busin...

How many times have we heard this phrase: Patience is a virtue? Often it seems like we hear this every day. But, what does this phrase...this colloquialism...really mean when it comes to business? On one hand, you're hearing that in order to succeed you've got to hustle...hustle...hustle. And, on the other hand...you're taught that you need to be patient, calculating and thoughtful. So which is it...

There is a big difference between winning the lottery and winning in business. Yet, many entrepreneurs sometimes get these confused. So many want to hit the big time with their business, but many times in this pursuit they themselves get hit...big time. It's the age old pursuit. Captain Ahab in Moby Dick with the Great White Whale. Or Hemingway's Santiago...in The Old Man and the Sea. They had to...

One of the dark secrets of entrepreneurism is that it's not all that it's made out to be. You're told that if you quit your job and start your own business, that you'll be able to choose your hours, be your own boss and the money will flow in like Niagra Falls. Instead...you lose sleep, hair, money...and sadly, some of the relationships around you, and you ask yourself, "I did this for what reason...

Who goes into business wanting to be a so-so leader? No...as leaders and entrepreneurs...we want to be high performance! We want to go absolutely pedal to the metal, accelerating through the curves...the wind blowing through our hair and with large audiences cheering us on. That is, until we crash. You work so hard to be at the top of your game and then suddenly you realize there is a thin line be...

As leaders of organizations, as entrepreneurs, as wild-eyed inventors...we as a people...love getting things started. The start of a new project. Winning a new client. Making new goals. We love great beginnings. This is exciting.  Sadly...there is another critical aspect of business that typically is less enjoyable. Because in the ebb and flow of life as an entrepreneur, there are beginnings...and...

We all need friends. We all need friendships with others. The question is...do we need business friendships? Or should business be all about business? If you consider that as an entrepreneur, you'll spend somewhere in the range of 50-70% of your productive waking hours...doing business...then that's a long time of your life to be friendless. Of course there is value to business friendships. Yet, i...

Is your project or business running out of money? You're not alone. This is an ongoing challenge for entrepreneurs. So many start off with a fabulous concept. Then, against the odds, they develop it out to its full fruition. Now, they are excited to get it off of the ground and to share their vision with the world. Their big problem? They are out of cash.  There is nothing left for marketing and w...

We're the leader. The entrepreneur. We're the boss. We can choose our own path. Don't we have a right to be...irresponsible at times? Yes. But, if we actually want to design a pathway leading to success...we will want it paved with responsibility. There is no more instantaneous opportunity to increase your revenues, your profits...your customer retention...your employee satisfaction...than becomin...

Most of our listeners are entrepreneurs, are working with entrepreneurs or are thinking someday about possibly being entrepreneurs. Here is what you need to know. It's hard. Really hard being an entrepreneur! Why do so many become entrepreneurs despite this being the case? Because it's well worth the challenges you'll face. Yet, being aware of the most difficult aspects of being a business owner a...

As entrepreneurs we are uniquely designed to go against the grain, to stop listening to how everyone says things should be done...and to go out and do it our own way. This is both our blessing and our curse. It's one of the great challenges of being business owner. You want to be unique...creating a new voice that no one else has heard...while at the same time, LISTENING better than anyone else. T...

One of the most treasured elements of leadership is also one of the most elusive. Just when you think you've got it...it starts slipping away. It's traction. That wonderful feeling of, "Hey, this plan might actually work!" It's the exhilaration that sets in when the tires are firmly gripping the road, and you feel the adrenaline rise as everything accelerates. Your strategy is working! Until, you...

One of the greatest joys of being a leader is when you get to assemble talent around you. Then again...it's one thing to assemble the talent. It's quite another to get them all to play their best music...and to be in tune and timing with one another. It's either a symphony...or a clattering of instruments. So as wonderful it is to have all of that talent around you...and the hope for symphonic mus...

If you were to take all of the leadership books ever written on the topic of running an organization or a business, you could sum them up into one simple question.  That question? "Are you going to do this the EASY WAY...or the HARD WAY?" In this day of hacks, shortcuts, and claims of "Three Easy Steps to Super Success" the answer can be more elusive than first thought. Is there an easy road? Wher...

How do leaders and entrepreneurs keep their heads up when their world is crumbling around them? Simply, by counting their blessings. Of course, this is hardly a simple task. After all, being an entrepreneur can be a tremendous challenge. It can be one of the toughest jobs that exists. Much of this is because many of the difficulties business owners face are ones they take on alone. This why leader...

The pursuit of leadership glory comes with many twists and bends in the road. Sadly, so many arrive at the destination and say, "Is this it?" Much of this disappointment is due to the fact they realize they were seeking out the wrong treasure. Then, as if it's dust in the wind, the fool's gold blows away, leaving them emotionally broke and terribly unfulfilled.  The true key to success as an entre...

There are those challenging times as an entrepreneur when you wake up knowing there is only one way you're going to get through your day without it ending up a total disaster. It's going to take a miracle. Yet, as crazy as it may seem, there is strategy, technique and experience involved when it comes to pulling off a miracle.  These are skills which the most effective and battle tested leaders kn...

So often, you hear entrepreneurs saying they are waiting for their "big break" or they are hoping for their "ship to come in".  Sadly. That could be a very long wait. In fact, there is a good chance that ship might never make it to shore to pick you up. Being a business owner is more about learning how to row a boat than waiting for a luxury liner to arrive. Still, there are doors of opportunity t...

Leaders and entrepreneurs are among the busiest, most stressed out and exhausted people there are. So should we excuse you when you decide not to show up to an event you were expected to attend? Not if we're going to hold you up to the highest standards of excellence! The impact of "just showing up" cannot be overvalued when it comes to being successful. Even during those times when it's the last...

Entrepreneurs often start off their journeys with unrealistic expectations. They want to leave their job, launch a new business and start their new life...without any risk of failure. Many new business owners are oftentimes hoping for the impossible. They want to be able to jump into the pool, without getting wet. Yet, instead of making a splash, many of them quickly discover they aren't any good...

Many leaders and business owners as they are getting started...or even midway through their company's development...experience what's known as Imposter Syndrome. Even the most seasoned entrepreneurs will admit they still suffer from bouts of Imposter Syndrome where they feel completely over their heads, underqualified and totally overwhelmed. What are you supposed to do when you encounter this com...

If your business is struggling...99% of the time it will come down to this...you've got a people problem. DISCONNECTED. OUT OF TOUCH. You started a business to fill your needs...rather than the needs of the people you're supposed to be serving. Relationships are the single most important aspect of launching, growing and sustaining a business. Don't believe this? Then you really need to listen to t...