We're All in This Together

On today's episode I had a chance to connect with my friend, colleague, and teammate Andrew Deutscher.   Andrew works with me and our team.   He's an expert in individual and team performance, well-being, and productivity.   He's an author, keynote speaker, and just an overall great human being.   On the show we discuss how to navigate the challenge and uncertainty of this moment personally, and s...

On today's show I talk about the intense paradox of this moment in time.   Things are uncertain, scary, confusing, and challenging in so many ways.   And, yet, there is so much opportunity for growth, and a recognition of love, beauty, and togetherness - even as most of us are physically separated right now.   For us as leaders, parents, and human beings, being able to embrace the paradox of this...

On today's show I talk about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and the Five Stages of Grief, and how I have been thinking about these things a lot the past few days.   I've been inspired by a few thought-leaders in recent days - Chip Conley, Brene Brown, David Kessler, and Elizabeth Gilbert.  In this episode, I address how we can meet our needs, understand where we are and how we feel, and acknowledge t...

On today's show I talk with my friend Michael Bungay Stanier, the author of a number of great books, including his latest, The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious, and Change the Way You Lead Forever.   Michael and I reflect upon the current pandemic, and he shares his insights about how we can navigate this whole experience and support others in the process.   He also gives some great advice abo...

Things continue to be challenging for so many of us in the midst of this global pandemic.   And, as the news gets more grim and the reality of what's happening settles in, it's important for us to learn new ways to navigate this whole experience, and to support those around us to do the same.   In this episode I share some thoughts, ideas, and suggestions for how to surrender to this experience -...

We are in a defining moment right now.   And while none of us know how this is going to play out or what the ultimate impact will be on our lives, our businesses, our economy, and our society, we do know that we need to dig in and step up to meet the challenges we are facing.   My good friend - bestselling author and leadership expert, Lisa McLeod - joins me on the podcast today.   We talk about h...

Today's episode is a refreshing break from the news of the day and the coronavirus, but is a really important conversation about how we can lead with gratitude in the midst of stress, challenge, and uncertainty, which is very much related to what's going on in the world right now.   One of the most influential voices in workplace trends over the past two decades, Chester Elton, has been called 'Th...

This whole experience with the coronavirus continues to be bizarre, challenging, fascinating, scary, and more.   The paradox of this moment is that while we are all physically separated from one another, we're also together in this experience.   For those of us who are able to work from home, we're both fortunate and we're also probably dealing with lots of practical challenges in this regard.   I...

Being Authentic and Appreciative, Especially Right Now Description: Things are weird and challenging right now in so many ways.  Just about every aspect of our work and our lives are significantly disrupted by the coronavirus.  In this episode, I talk about how important authenticity and appreciation are to our current reality.  Being real about our experience and giving others the space to do the...

Many of us, if we're fortunate enough to have a job that allows it, are working from home right now.   This poses a lot of challenges for us individually, as leaders, and for our teams.   And, even as difficult, disruptive, and uncomfortable as working remotely can be, especially given the intensity of what's going on right now in the world, there are some specific things we can do, both individua...

When we're facing something big, scary, and overwhelming, like what's going on in our world right now, it is easy to feel small and like there's not much we can do.   However, when we think back on times in our lives when we've faced something challenging - personally and/or collectively - it can remind us of our strength and resilience.   On this episode, I talk about how we can tap into our pers...

Things have changed in a pretty significant way in our country and our world in the past few days with the coronavirus.   On this special episode, I address some of how I've been feeling and what's going on right now.   I also talk about how we can remember that we're all in this together, especially during this time, and some specific things we can do for ourselves, others, our kids, and how we c...

With the intensity of everything happening right now - the coronavirus outbreak, the U.S. presidential primary election, a volatile stock market, and many other events going on in the world and our lives today, there is a lot of understandable fear going around. This makes sense and can be hard for us to deal with personally, with our teams at work, and collectively. On this episode I share some o...

There are a lot of lessons to be learned from sports teams, both in business and life. Whether you're a sports fan or not, we can all benefit from looking to sports to see what makes the great teams great, and how we can apply things to our own groups. Rich Hollenberg joins me in this episode to dive into some of the things he's observed and learned from his 25 years in sports broadcasting, specif...

In light of the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal, I have been thinking a lot about cheating recently.   The Astros are a client of mine and AJ Hinch, the former manager of the Astros is a good friend and former teammate of mine, so this is very close to home for me.   And, given the intense reaction from the media and throughout the baseball and sports worlds about this situation, it's had me...

We're living in politically divisive times.  On the heels of impeachment, with the primary process in full swing, and with the Presidential election looming this fall, things seem to be getting even more intense on this front.  And while we're often told, directly or indirectly, not to talk about politics at work, it's hard not to do so these days. For a number of reasons, it's important for us to...

Letting go of approval and relinquishing control are things that I've struggled with for many years, and continue to work on. My counselor Eleanor recently said to me, "You obsessively seek approval.   Stop doing that.   And, when you don't get the approval you want, you go into control.   Neither of these things serve you or work very well."   She's right.   Seeking approval and/or trying to cont...

Loss and grief are inevitable parts of life. Both personally and professionally, we face a lot of loss and grief that we have a hard time dealing with. However, even though they can be scary and painful to talk about, and we mostly tend to live in denial about them, it's essential for us to grapple with these powerful emotions. I share some of my thoughts around loss and grief, and some of my own...

When it comes to the topic of mindfulness and self-compassion, my friend Dr. Shauna Shapiro is an internationally recognized expert. A clinical psychologist, professor at Santa Clara University, and author, Shauna has published over 150 papers and three critically-acclaimed books, including her latest work, Good Morning, I Love You: Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Practices to Rewire Your Brain fo...

As an author and researcher, Tom Rath has impacted countless people with his ideas on how work can improve human health and wellbeing. His ten books, including How Full Is Your Bucket?, Eat Move Sleep, Wellbeing and Strengths Finder 2.0 , have sold more than 10 million copies and have made hundreds of appearances on global bestseller lists. His latest book, Life's Great Question: Discover How You...

Bill Cates is the President of Referral Coach International and author of multiple books including Get More Referrals Now and Beyond Referrals . His latest book, Radical Relevance , is all about how we can break through the noise to get our message out and engage people effectively. Drawing on his over 30 years of experience, Bill shares some essential insights about relevance, resonance, and the...

Happy New Year! Continuing the theme of making positive change as we head into 2020, I want to share a technique that you can use to get some clarity now and over the course of the year - for yourself and for your team. The Start-Stop-Continue technique is a simple, healthy, and positive prompt that you can use for yourself personally, with your teams as a group exercise, or even as a whole team e...

It's the last day of 2019.  We're about to start 2020. There's often a focus around this time of year on 'new year, new you' and making resolutions. This can be tricky for a number of reasons.  If we go about it consciously, it can be a sacred and powerful time of creation as we step into the new year.  In this episode, I have some specific questions to help guide your process of creation for the...

2019 is coming to a close, and I have a tradition for the week between Christmas and New Years — completing the year. Whether you've had a great year or a bad year or a mixed year of ups and downs, it's important to take some time to complete the year by acknowledging and honoring it. Reflecting on the events of the year and the things that have happened can be a valuable and powerful exercise, an...

In this solo episode, I'm diving into feedback. Here's the thing about feedback, in general, for me — I don't always love it. But really, receiving feedback (and giving it) is so important to growth. I share my recent experience of receiving feedback from my editors on my latest manuscript, and how having a "sweaty-palm" conversation really helped move me forward with integrating that feedback. We...